Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impaired Muscle Regeneration in Ob/ob and Db/db Mice

In obesity and type 2 diabetes, efficient skeletal muscle repair following injury may be required, not only for restoring muscle structure and function, but also for maintaining exercise capacity and insulin sensitivity. The hypothesis of this study was that muscle regeneration would be impaired in ob/ob and db/db mice, which are common mouse models of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Muscle injury was produced by cardiotoxin injection, and regeneration was assessed by morphological and immunostaining techniques. Muscle regeneration was delayed in ob/ob and db/db mice, but not in a less severe model of insulin resistance – feeding a high-fat diet to wild-type mice. Angiogenesis, cell proliferation, and myoblast accumulation were also impaired in ob/ob and db/db mice, but not the high-fat diet mice. The impairments in muscle regeneration were associated with impaired macrophage accumulation; macrophages have been shown previously to be required for efficient muscle regeneration. Impaired regeneration in ob/ob and db/db mice could be due partly to the lack of leptin signaling, since leptin is expressed both in damaged muscle and in cultured muscle cells. In summary, impaired muscle regeneration in ob/ob and db/db mice was associated with reduced macrophage accumulation, angiogenesis, and myoblast activity, and could have implications for insulin sensitivity in the skeletal muscle of obese and type 2 diabetic patients.
Clinical features and prognosis of primary biliary cirrhosis associated with systemic sclerosis

Backgrounds and aims: To evaluate the prognosis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) together with systemic sclerosis (SSc), as this is unknown. Methods and results: A PBC database of 580 patients identified 43 with PBC and SSc: two patients with PBC alone were matched to each PBC-SSc patient for serum bilirubin concentration at the initial visit. Forty (93%) patients had limited cutaneous SSc. At diagnosis of PBC, median values were: 49.7 years, bilirubin 17 μmol/l, and albumin 40.5 g/l. Liver diagnosis occurred a median 4.9 years after SSc in 24 (56%) patients. In matched patients, median values at diagnosis were: 53.2 years, bilirubin 12 μmol/l, and albumin 41 g/l. Median follow up was similar: 3.16 years (PBC-SSc) and 4.8 years (PBC alone). The risk of transplantation or death from diagnosis, adjusting for sex, age, log bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase was significantly lower in PBC-SSc (hazard ratio 0.116, p = 0.01) due to less transplantation (hazard ratio 0.068, p = 0.006). The rate of bilirubin increase was less in PBC-SSc (p = 0.04). Overall survival was similar (hazard ratio 1.11, p = 0.948); there were nine deaths (21%) in PBC-SSc (six SSc related and two liver related) and nine (11%) in PBC alone (six liver related). Conclusions: Liver disease has a slower progression in PBC-SSc compared with matched patients with PBC alone.
Cholesterol-lowering statins possess anti-inflammatory activity that might be useful for treatment of MS.

The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) reduce atherogenesis and cardiovascular morbidity. These effects are attributed to alteration in cholesterol metabolism and reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) formation. Now there is evidence that statins have immunomodulatory activities that could be beneficial in treatment of various inflammatory conditions. In 1995, pravastatin was reported to reduce hemodynamically significant rejection episodes and increase survival in cardiac transplant recipients, independent of its cholesterol-lowering effects.1 This observation prompted subsequent in vitro studies that demonstrated that statins interfered with production of several important proinflammatory mediators.2,3⇓ Of relevance to treatment of CNS inflammatory conditions such as MS, lovastatin suppressed production of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) by interferon-γ (IFNγ)-activated astrocytes and microglia.2 iNOS and TNFα may play important roles in the inflammatory process of MS.4 Lovastatin partially suppressed acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rats.5 Central in importance to activation of proinflammatory CD4 T cells, statins inhibited IFNγ-inducible major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II upregulation on certain antigen-presenting cells via inhibition …
Correctional Officers' Perceptions of Sexual Offenders in the United States: A Qualitative Analysis1

Support for public policies aimed at increasing prison sentences for sexual offenders (SOs) has been mounting. The growing number of inmates in prisons places a burden on taxpayers and calls for solutions to reduce recidivism rates. Correctional officers (COs) are at the forefront of interacting with inmate populations. A review of the literature indicated that the perceptions of COs have been linked to an inmate's willingness to participant in rehabilitation programs. Moreover, SOs participating in rehabilitation programs have shown lower levels of recidivism. Thus it is important to describe the perceptions of COs regarding SOs. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to describe the essence of the subjective lived experiences of 15 COs who were recruited both by purposeful sampling and snowball sampling. This research contributes to the existing literature and can promote social change through the development of prison training programs focused on educating COs on balancing negative views of SOs with professionalism.
Ancestral proportions and admixture dynamics in geographically defined African Americans living in South Carolina.

We analyzed admixture in samples of six different African-American populations from South Carolina: Gullah-speaking Sea Islanders in coastal South Carolina, residents of four counties in the "Low Country" (Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, and Dorchester), and persons living in the city of Columbia, located in central South Carolina. We used a battery of highly informative autosomal, mtDNA, and Y-chromosome markers. Two of the autosomal markers (FY and AT3) are linked and lie 22 cM apart on chromosome 1. The results of this study indicate, in accordance with previous historical, cultural, and anthropological evidence, a very low level of European admixture in the Gullah Sea Islanders (m = 3.5 +/- 0.9%). The proportion of European admixture is higher in the Low Country (m ranging between 9. 9 +/- 1.8% and 14.0 +/- 1.9%), and is highest in Columbia (m = 17.7 +/- 3.1%). A sex-biased European gene flow and a small Native American contribution to the African-American gene pool are also evident in these data. We studied the pattern of pairwise allelic associations between the FY locus and the nine other autosomal markers in our samples. In the combined sample from the Low Country (N = 548), a high level of linkage disequilibrium was observed between the linked markers, FY and AT3. Additionally, significant associations were also detected between FY and 4 of the 8 unlinked markers, suggesting the existence of significant genetic structure in this population. A continuous gene flow model of admixture could explain the observed pattern of genetic structure. A test conditioning on the overall admixture of each individual showed association of ancestry between the two linked markers (FY and AT3), but not between any of the unlinked markers, as theory predicts. Thus, even in the presence of genetic structure due to continuous gene flow or some other factor, it is possible to differentiate associations due to linkage from spurious associations due to genetic structure.
Healing of human intrabony defects following regenerative periodontal therapy with an enamel matrix protein derivative alone or combined with a bioactive glass. A controlled clinical study.

AIM The purpose of the present study was to compare clinically the treatment of deep intrabony defects with a combination of an enamel matrix protein derivative (EMD) and a bioactive glass (BG) to EMD alone. METHODS Thirty patients (16 females and 14 males) suffering from advanced marginal periodontitis were included in this prospective, controlled parallel design multicenter study. In each of the patients, one intrabony defect was randomly treated with either EMD+BG (test) or with EMD alone (control). Clinical measurements were recorded at baseline and at 1 year following therapy. RESULTS No differences in any of the investigated parameters were observed at baseline between the two groups. Healing was uneventful in all patients. At 1 year after therapy, the test group showed a reduction in mean probing depth (PD) from 8.5+/-1.1 to 4.4+/-1.2 mm (p<0.001) and a change in mean clinical attachment level (CAL) from 10.4+/-1.5 to 7.1+/-1.5 mm (p<0.0001). In the control group, the mean PD was reduced from 8.5+/-1.5 to 4.0+/-1.6 mm (p<0.001) and the mean CAL changed from 10.2+/-2.1 to 6.3+/-2.2 mm (p<0.01). In the test group, 12 sites (80%) gained at least 3 mm or more of CAL, whereas in the control group a CAL gain of 3 mm or more was measured at 13 sites (87%). No statistically significant differences in terms of PD reduction and CAL gain were found between the test and the control treatment. CONCLUSIONS Within the limits of the present study it can be concluded that: (i) at 1 year after surgery, both therapies resulted in significant PD reductions and CAL gains, and (ii) the combination of EMD+BG does not seem to additionally improve the clinical results.
Word stress production in three-year-old children at risk of dyslexia

We investigated Dutch word stress acquisition in 3-year-old children at risk of dyslexia (children with at least one parent or older sibling with reading difficulties) and normally developing children, in order to shed light on language acquisition delays in children at risk of dyslexia, as well as to investigate further phonological deficits in dyslexia. The children had to repeat non-words with stress patterns varying in regularity. Both the at-risk and control children performed better on imitation of regular stress targets and worse on irregular and prohibited stress patterns. However, the at-risk children showed more difficulty imitating irregular and prohibited patterns, and had lower percentages phonemes correct than the control group. The results can be interpreted as a delay in word stress acquisition in the at-risk group. The findings thus point towards a phonological deficit early in language development.
Serum estrogen, but not testosterone, levels differ between black and white men in a nationally representative sample of Americans.

CONTEXT Higher testosterone in black compared with white men has been postulated to explain their higher prostate cancer incidence. Previous studies comparing hormone levels by race might have been limited by size, restricted age variation, or lack of representation of the general population. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to compare serum testosterone, estradiol, and SHBG concentrations among non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white, and Mexican-American men. PARTICIPANTS, DESIGN, AND SETTING A total of 1413 men aged 20+ yr and who attended the morning examination session of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) in 1988-1991 were included in this cross-sectional study. MEASUREMENT Serum hormone concentrations were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. RESULTS After applying sampling weights and adjusting for age, percent body fat, alcohol, smoking, and activity, testosterone concentrations were not different between non-Hispanic blacks (n = 363; geometric mean, 5.29 ng/ml) and non-Hispanic whites (n = 674; 5.11 ng/ml; P > 0.05) but were higher in Mexican-Americans (n = 376; 5.48 ng/ml; P < 0.05). Non-Hispanic blacks (40.80 pg/ml) had a higher estradiol concentration than non-Hispanic whites (35.46 pg/ml; P < 0.01) and Mexican-Americans (34.11 pg/ml; P < 0.01). Non-Hispanic blacks (36.49 nmol/liter) had a higher SHBG concentration than non-Hispanic whites (34.91 nmol/liter; P < 0.05) and Mexican-Americans (35.04 nmol/liter; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Contrary to the postulated racial difference, testosterone concentrations did not differ notably between black and white men. However, blacks had higher estradiol levels. Mexican-Americans had higher testosterone than whites but similar estradiol and SHBG concentrations. Given these findings, it may be equally if not more important to investigate estradiol as testosterone in relation to diseases with racial disparity.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treatment of Childhood Pharmacoresistant Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Background Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a severe childhood epileptic syndrome with high pharmacoresistance. The treatment outcomes are still unsatisfied. Our previous study of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in children with focal epilepsy showed significant reduction in epileptiform discharges. We hypothesized that cathodal tDCS when applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) combined with pharmacologic treatment will be more effective for reducing seizure frequency in patients with LGS than pharmacologic treatment alone. Materials and methods Study participants were randomized to receive either (1) pharmacologic treatment with five consecutive days of 2 mA cathodal tDCS over M1 for 20 min or (2) pharmacologic treatment plus sham tDCS. Measures of seizure frequency and epileptic discharges were performed before treatment and again immediately post-treatment and 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-week follow-up. Result Twenty-two patients with LGS were enrolled. Participants assigned to the active tDCS condition reported significantly more pre- to post-treatment reductions in seizure frequency and epileptic discharges that were sustained for 3 weeks after treatment. Conclusion Five consecutive days of cathodal tDCS over M1 combined with pharmacologic treatment appears to reduce seizure frequency and epileptic discharges. Further studies of the potential mechanisms of tDCS in the LGS are warranted. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02731300 (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov).
Robust non data-aided frequency offset estimation technique

A new technique to recover the carrier frequency offset of OFDM systems is proposed. The proposed technique does not require cyclic prefix, pilot signals, training symbols, or any other supplementary data, this will significantly improve the system power and bandwidth efficiency. The proposed algorithm exploits the interference that results due the loss of orthogonality between subcarriers where the variance of the resulted interference is proportional to the carrier frequency offset. The proposed technique does not require prior fine symbol synchronization and it is capable of estimating the carrier offset at E/sub b//N/sub o/ as low as -3 dB with symbol timing offset that is less than or equal to 10% of the symbol duration.
Rod and cone photoreceptor cells produce ROS in response to stress in a live retinal explant system

Purpose The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can lead to oxidative stress, which is a strong contributory factor to many ocular diseases. In this study, the removal of trophic factors is used as a model system to investigate the effects of stress in the retina. The aims were to determine if both rod and cone photoreceptor cells produce ROS when they are deprived of trophic factor support and to demonstrate if the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (Nox) enzymes are responsible for this ROS production. Methods Retinas were explanted from mice aged between postnatal days 8–10 and cultured overnight. The following morning, confocal microscopy combined with various fluorescent probes was used to detect the production of ROS. Each time peanut agglutinin (PNA), a cone photoreceptor marker, was used to facilitate orientation of the retina. Dihydroethidium and dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR123) were used to determine which cells produce ROS. Subsequently, western blots of retinal serial sections were used to detect the presence of Noxs in the different retinal layers. The Nox inhibitor apocynin was then tested to determine if it altered the production of ROS within these cells. Results Live retinal explants, viewed at high magnifications using confocal microscopy, displayed an increase in the fluorescent products of dihydroethidium and DHR123 upon serum removal when compared to controls. DHR123 fluorescence, once oxidized, localized to mitochondria and was found in the same focal plane as the PNA staining. This showed that cones and rods produced ROS when stressed. Retinal serial sectioning established that the photoreceptor layer expressed Nox4, dual oxidase (Duox) 1, and Duox2 at varying levels. Finally, the Nox inhibitor apocynin decreased the burst stimulated by the stress of serum removal. Conclusions Confocal microscopy and PNA staining allowed differentiation of cell types within the outermost layers of the retina, demonstrating that both rods and cones generated ROS in response to the stress of serum deprivation. Nox4 was the most abundantly expressed Nox in the photoreceptor layer, but Duox1 and Duox2 were also present at detectable levels, and as apocynin reduced the levels of ROS produced, this implied that these proteins may play some role in this production.
Lower Extremity Biomechanics During a Regular and Counterbalanced Squat

Abstract Lynn, SK and Noffal, GJ. Lower extremity biomechanics during a regular and counterbalanced squat. J Strength Cond Res 26(9): 2417–2425, 2012—If the efficiency of human movement patterns could be improved using exercise, this could lead to more effective musculoskeletal disease-injury prevention and rehabilitation programs. It has been suggested that an efficient squat movement pattern emphasizes the use of the large hip extensors instead of the smaller knee extensors. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a counterbalanced squat (CBS) could produce a more hip-dominant and less knee-dominant squat movement pattern as compared with a regular squat (RS). There were 31 recreationally trained college-aged participants (15 male, 16 female) who performed 10 squats (5 CBS and 5 RS), while segment kinematics, ground reaction forces, and muscle (gluteus maximus [GM], quadriceps, hamstrings) electromyographic (EMG) activations were recorded. Peak sagittal plane net joint moments and joint ranges of motion at the hip, knee, and ankle joints along with peak and integrated EMG activation levels for all 3 muscles were compared using analysis of variance (squat type × sex). The results revealed that the CBS increased the hip joint moment and GM activation, while it decreased the knee joint moment and quadriceps activation as compared with the RS. Therefore, the CBS produces a more hip-dominant and less knee-dominant squat movement pattern and could be used in exercise programs aimed at producing more hip-dominant movement patterns.
Trait and State Authenticity Across Cultures

We examined the role of culture in both trait and state authenticity, asking whether the search for and experience of the “true self” is a uniquely Western phenomenon or is relevant cross-culturally. We tested participants from the United States, China, India, and Singapore. U.S. participants reported higher average levels of trait authenticity than those from Eastern cultures (i.e., China, India, Singapore), but this effect was partially explained by cultural differences in self-construal and thinking style. Importantly, the experience of state authenticity, and especially state inauthenticity, was more similar than different across cultures. In all, people from different cultures do experience authenticity, even if they do not endorse the (Western) value of “independence. ” The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of state authenticity.
Do Gun Buy-backs Save Lives? Evidence from Time Series Variation

Abstract Three recent papers have examined the effect of a national tightening of firearm legislation and gun buy-back in Australia in 1996–1997 on firearm and non-firearm death rates. Despite analysing almost the same data, the three papers reach rather different conclusions. In this article, we highlight key methodological concerns with the papers. We also make some judgments as to the evidence on the effectiveness of the Australian legislation. Drawing strong conclusions from simple time series analysis is not warranted, but to the extent that this evidence points anywhere, it is towards the firearms buy-back reducing gun deaths.
Coagulation disorders in patients with cancer: nontunneled central venous catheter placement with US guidance--a single-institution retrospective analysis.

PURPOSE To assess the feasibility and safety of ultrasonographic (US) guidance in the placement of nontunneled central venous catheters (CVCs) in patients with cancer who had altered coagulation profiles. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was approved by the institutional review board; informed consent was obtained. Medical charts of all patients with cancer who underwent nontunneled CVC placement at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, from September 2001 to August 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were considered to have coagulation disorders or risk of bleeding when they had the following: prothrombin time more than 1.2 times normal or activated partial thromboplastin time more than 1.2 times normal and/or platelet count less than 150 x 10(9)/L. Patients with a prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time more than 2.2 times normal and/or a platelet count less than 50,000/mm(3) were considered to be at high risk for bleeding. Two hundred thirty-nine nontunneled CVCs were placed with US guidance in 157 patients. RESULTS One hundred twenty-two (51%) of 239 nontunneled CVCs were inserted in patients with cancer who had hemostasic disorders. Forty-five (37%) of 122 nontunneled CVCs were implanted in patients considered to be at high risk for bleeding. All catheters were successfully placed at the first needle pass with no major complications such as bleeding or pneumothorax. Two hundred thirty-three (97%) nontunneled CVCs were placed in the subclavian vein, and six (3%) were placed in the internal jugular vein. No patient underwent any correction for an abnormal coagulation profile. CONCLUSION In patients with cancer who had coagulation disorders, nontunneled CVC placement with US guidance was feasible and safe and did not require correction of coagulation parameters.