Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stenotic Transverse Sinus Predisposes to Poststenting Hyperperfusion Syndrome as Evidenced by Quantitative Analysis of Peritherapeutic Cerebral Circulation Time

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hyperperfusion syndrome is a devastating complication of carotid stent placement. The shortening of cerebral circulation time after stent placement is seen as a good indicator of the development of hyperperfusion syndrome. The purpose of our study was to evaluate whether patients with ipsilateral transverse sinus stenosis are prone to having shortened cerebral circulation time after stent placement, subsequently leading to the possible development of hyperperfusion syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-nine patients with >70% unilateral carotid stenosis undergoing stent placement were recruited for analysis. Group A consisted of patients with a stenotic ipsilateral transverse sinus >50% greater than the diameter of the contralateral transverse sinus; the remaining patients were in group B. Quantitative DSA was used to calculate cerebral circulation time. Cerebral circulation time was defined as the time difference between the relative time to maximal intensity of ROIs in the proximal internal carotid artery and the internal jugular vein. ΔCCT was defined as cerebral circulation time before stent placement minus cerebral circulation time after stent placement. ΔCCT, white matter hyperintensity signals, and sulcal effacement in MR imaging were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: ΔCCT was significantly shorter in group A (0.65 ± 1.3) than in group B (−0.12 ± 1.4). Three patients had white matter hyperintensity signals in group A, and 1 developed hyperperfusion syndrome. Group B showed no MR imaging signs of hyperperfusion syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Ipsilateral hypoplastic transverse sinus was associated with prolonged cerebral circulation time before stent placement and greatly shortened cerebral circulation time after stent placement. Inadequate venous drainage might play a role in impaired cerebral autoregulation and might influence the development of poststenting hyperperfusion syndrome.
Arabidopsis BLADE-ON-PETIOLE 1 and 2 promote floral meristem fate and determinacy in a previously undefined pathway targeting APETALA 1 and AGAMOUS-LIKE 24

The transition to flowering is a tightly controlled developmental decision in plants. In Arabidopsis, LEAFY (LFY) and APETALA1 (AP1) are key regulators of this transition and expression of these genes in primordia produced by the inflorescence meristem confers floral fate. Here, we examine the role of architectural regulators BLADEON-PETIOLE1 (BOP1) and BOP2 in promotion of floral meristem identity. Loss-of-function bop1 bop2 mutants show subtle defects in inflorescence and floral architecture but in combination with lfy or ap1, synergistic defects in floral meristem fate and determinacy are revealed. The most dramatic changes occur in bop1 bop2 ap1-1 triple mutants where flowers are converted into highly branched inflorescence-like shoots. Our data show that BOP1/2 function distinctly from LFY to upregulate AP1 in floral primordia and that all three activities converge to down-regulate flowering-time regulators including AGAMOUS-LIKE24 in stage 2 floral meristems. Subsequently, BOP1/2 promote A-class floral-organ patterning in parallel with LFY and AP1. Genetic and biochemical evidence support the model that BOP1/2 are recruited to the promoter of AP1 through direct interactions with TGA bZIP transcription factors, including PERIANTHIA. These data reveal an important supporting role for BOP1/2 in remodeling shoot architecture during the floral transition.
Patients have two eyes!: binocular versus better eye visual field indices.

PURPOSE To test the hypothesis that better eye measures overestimate binocular visual field (VF) defect severity in glaucoma. METHODS Humphrey VFs (24-2 SITA standard) from 67 consecutive patients with glaucoma were retrospectively examined (mean age, 65 years; range, 31-88 years). The better mean deviation (MD) from the two eyes was recorded (better eye MD). Binocular integrated visual field (IVF) was constructed for each patient by merging corresponding sensitivity values from monocular VF. An IVF MD was calculated from the average of total deviation values in the IVF. The differences between better eye MD and IVF MD were assessed. RESULTS The average IVF MD was significantly better than the average better eye MD (mean difference, 1.3 dB; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.7 dB; P < 0.001). Twenty-four percent of patients had an IVF MD that was at least 2 dB healthier than the MD in the better eye (95% CI, 14%-34%). The size of the differences between better eye and IVF MD was significantly associated with the severity of VF defect (P < 0.001; R² = 0.44). CONCLUSIONS Monocular measures, such as better eye MD, can give the impression that a patient's VF loss is more degraded than it might be under binocular viewing. This effect is more pronounced in patients with advanced VF defects. The IVF offers a rapid assessment of a patient's binocular VF severity without extra testing.
Type I Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis Patients Target Islet Plus Central Nervous System Autoantigens; Nonimmunized Nonobese Diabetic Mice Can Develop Autoimmune Encephalitis1

Type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS) are distinct autoimmune diseases where T cells target either islet or CNS self-proteins. Unexpectedly, we found that autoreactive T cells in diabetic patients, relatives with high diabetes risk, nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, and MS patients routinely target classical islet as well as CNS autoantigens. The pathogenic potential of CNS autoreactivity was testable in NOD mice. Pertussis holotoxin, without additional Ags or adjuvants, allowed development of an NOD mouse-specific, autoimmune encephalitis with variable primary-progressive, monophasic, and relapsing-remitting courses. T cells from diabetic donors transferred CNS disease to pertussis toxin-pretreated NOD.scid mice, with accumulation of CD3/IFN-γ transcripts in the brain. Diabetes and MS appear more closely related than previously perceived. NOD mouse-specific, autoimmune encephalitis provides a new MS model to identify factors that determine alternative disease outcomes in hosts with similar autoreactive T cell repertoires.
Separating a Real-Life Nonlinear Image Mixture

When acquiring an image of a paper document, the image printed on the back page sometimes shows through. The mixture of the front- and back-page images thus obtained is markedly nonlinear, and thus constitutes a good real-life test case for nonlinear blind source separation.This paper addresses a difficult version of this problem, corresponding to the use of "onion skin" paper, which results in a relatively strong nonlinearity of the mixture, which becomes close to singular in the lighter regions of the images. The separation is achieved through the MISEP technique, which is an extension of the well known INFOMAX method. The separation results are assessed with objective quality measures. They show an improvement over the results obtained with linear separation, but have room for further improvement.
Metacognitive monitoring and strategic behaviour in working memory performance

Research indicates that cognitive age differences can be influenced by metacognitive factors. This research has generally focused on simple memory tasks. Age differences in working memory (WM) performance are pronounced, but are typically attributed to basic cognitive deficits rather than metacognitive factors. However, WM performance can be influenced by strategic behaviour that might be driven by metacognitive monitoring. In the current project, we attempted to connect these lines of research by examining age differences in metacognitive WM monitoring and strategies. In Experiment 1, younger and older adult participants completed a computerized operation span task in conditions that either required or did not require monitoring reports. Participants in the monitoring condition predicted and postdicted global performance for each block and rated their responses following each trial within a block. In Experiment 2, participants also reported their trial-level strategic approach. In contrast to the age equivalence typically found for simple memory monitoring, results demonstrated age differences in WM monitoring accuracy. Overall age differences in strategy use were not found, but using effective strategies benefited older adults’ performance more than younger adults'. Furthermore, age-related differences in the WM task appear to be mediated by the accuracy of performance monitoring.
Neurobiological correlates of apathy in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: a critical review.

BACKGROUND In Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), apathy was associated with faster clinical deterioration. Studies involving neurobiological correlates such as neuroimaging and biomarkers have presented distinct results. OBJECTIVE This work aimed to analyze neurobiological correlates of apathy in AD and MCI based on evidence from the literature involving brain neuroimaging and classical AD biomarkers. METHODS This review comprised studies published from 1996 to June 2013 from the Pubmed database. The studies were divided into Part I (neuroimaging) and Part II (chemical biomarkers). The analysis included the identification of brain regions involved and assessments of apathy and cognition. We found 68 publications: 33 fulfilled the inclusion criteria; 35 were case reports or were not clear about the measurements of apathy and were excluded. From the 33 eligible studies, 26 were classified into part I, and 7 studies were included in part II. We created specific criteria to appropriately classify the quality level of each publication. RESULTS Prefrontal regions and the anterior cingulate were the leading brain areas associated with apathy in AD and MCI. Other regions, including cortical and subcortical structures, have also been implicated in this syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Abnormalities in frontal regions (associated with impairments in planning and decision making) and anterior cingulate (related to emotional blunting and loss of motivation) were the crucial structures associated with apathy in AD and MCI.
Somatic and Germinal Excision Activities of the Arabidopsis Transposon Tag1 Are Controlled by Distinct Regulatory Sequences within Tag1

Various sequences within Tag1, the endogenous transposon of Arabidopsis, were examined to determine how Tag1 excision and expression are regulated. The 5′ intron for the major 2.3-kb Tag1 transcript was found to be critical for the accumulation of Tag1 transcripts and for high rates of somatic excision. This was true for the autonomous element in cauliflower mosaic virus 35S–Tag1–β-glucuronidase constructs and for a two-component system using the 35S promoter to produce Tag1 transposase and a β-glucuronidase::dTag1 marker construct to score for excision. The 3′ introns of Tag1, although not needed for high transposase expression in primary transgenic plants, were important for maintaining high levels of somatic excision and accumulation of the major but not the minor Tag1 transcripts in subsequent generations. With both 5′ and 3′ introns present, exchanging the 5′ promoter region of Tag1 with the 35S promoter did not affect the timing of Tag1 excision significantly, but it did disrupt germinal excision. Removal of the 5′ intron did not abolish germinal excision activity, however. These results indicate that somatic and germinal excision of Tag1 are differentially controlled, with the 5′ promoter region being critical for germinal excision activity and the 5′ intron playing an important role for somatic excision, possibly via intron-mediated enhancement.
Evaluation of Changes in Cerebral Structures in Migraine Patients with Diffusion and Perfusion MRI

Amaç: Çalışmanın amacı, klinik olarak migren tanısı almış olgularda Manyetik Rezonans (MR) Difüzyon tekniği ile beyin parenkiminde olası iskemik alanın belirlenmesi, MR Perfüzyon tekniği ile parenkimin vasküler yapısının ve olası anormalliklerinin değerlendirilmesi ve bu değerlerin benzer yaş aralığındaki sağlıklı bireyler ile karşılaştırılmasıdır. Ge reç ve Yön tem: Çalışmamıza yaşları 19 ile 70 (ortalama 37,89±12,138) arasında değişen, toplam 45 interiktal dönemdeki hasta grubu (bunların 19’u auralı migren hastası) ile yaşları 24 ile 62 (ortalama 36,95±13,77) arasında değişen, toplam 21 sağlıklı olgu kontrol grubu olarak katıldı. Konvansiyonel MR ile birlikte difüzyon ve perfüzyon ağırlıklı görüntüler alınmıştır. Bulgular: Hastaların %35,6’sında hiperintens iskemik odaklara rastlandı. Bunlar korona radiata ve frontal lobda daha yoğun olmak üzere beyinde dağınık olarak yerleşmişti. Difüzyon ağırlıklı incelemelerde patolojik bulguya rastlanmadı; ADC değerlerinde hasta kontrol grubu karşılaştırılmasında anlamlı fark saptanmadı (p>0,05). Perfüzyon MR incelemelerinde ise migrenli hastalarda oksipital kortekste Serebral Kan Akımında (rCBF) azalma, Ortalama Geçiş Zamanı (MTT) ve Tepe Noktası için Geçen Zamanda (TTP) uzama, oksipital beyaz cevherde TTP’de uzama, her iki korona radiata düzeyinde rCBF’de azalma, MTT’de uzama ile sağ frontal beyaz cevherde MTT’de uzama, sentrum semiovalede TTP’de uzama ve ayrıca serebellumda, temporal beyaz cevherde, talamusta TTP’de uzama, serebellar kortekste MTT’de uzama rCBF ve rCBV’de azalma, pons sağ ve sol kesiminde TTP’de uzama saptandı. Sonuç: Sonuç olarak, migrenli hastalarda interiktal dönemlerde fizyopatolojik mekanizmaların sonucunda beyindeki vasküler yapılara ait değişiklikler perfüzyon MR ve difüzyon MR incelemelerinde gözlenmistir. Bu konuda ileri çalışmaların yapılması ve iktal ve interiktal dönemlerin incelenmesi gerektiğini göstermektedir. (Türk Nöroloji Dergisi 2013; 19:44-51) Anah tar Ke li me ler: Migren, manyetik rezonans görüntüleme, difüzyon MR, perfüzyon MR Sum mary
Structural insights into DNA sequence recognition by Type ISP restriction-modification enzymes

Engineering restriction enzymes with new sequence specificity has been an unaccomplished challenge, presumably because of the complexity of target recognition. Here we report detailed analyses of target recognition by Type ISP restriction-modification enzymes. We determined the structure of the Type ISP enzyme LlaGI bound to its target and compared it with the previously reported structure of a close homologue that binds to a distinct target, LlaBIII. The comparison revealed that, although the two enzymes use almost a similar set of structural elements for target recognition, the residues that read the bases vary. Change in specificity resulted not only from appropriate substitution of amino acids that contacted the bases but also from new contacts made by positionally distinct residues directly or through a water bridge. Sequence analyses of 552 Type ISP enzymes showed that the structural elements involved in target recognition of LlaGI and LlaBIII were structurally well-conserved but sequentially less-conserved. In addition, the residue positions within these structural elements were under strong evolutionary constraint, highlighting the functional importance of these regions. The comparative study helped decipher a partial consensus code for target recognition by Type ISP enzymes.
POST-TRAUMATIC SLEEP FOLLOWING DIFFUSE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

OF DISSERTATION POST-TRAUMATIC SLEEP FOLLOWING DIFFUSE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY By Rachel Kathleen Rowe Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability throughout the world with few pharmacological treatments available for individuals who suffer from neurological morbidities associated with TBI. Cellular and molecular pathological processes initiated at the time of injury develop into neurological impairments, with chronic sleep disorders (insomnia, hypersomnolence) being among the somatic, cognitive and emotional neurological impairments. Immediately post-injury, TBI patients report excessive daytime sleepiness, however, discordant opinions suggest that individuals should not be allowed to sleep or should be frequently awoken following brain injury. To provide adequate medical care, it is imperative to understand the role of acute post-traumatic sleep on the recovery of neurological function after TBI. The aim of this thesis was to examine post-traumatic sleep after experimental TBI, defined as an increase in sleep during the first hours post-injury. In these studies, we non-invasively measured sleep activity following diffuse brain injury induced by midline fluid percussion injury to examine the architecture of post-traumatic sleep in mice. We detected significant injury-induced increases in acute sleep for six hours regardless of injury severity or time of day injury occurred. We found concurrent increases in cortical levels of the sleep promoting inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1beta. We extended the timeline of post-injury sleep recording and found increases in post-traumatic sleep are distinctly acute with no changes in chronic sleep following diffuse TBI. Further, we investigated if post-traumatic sleep was beneficial to neurological outcome after brain-injury by disrupting post-traumatic sleep. Disruption of post-traumatic sleep did not worsen functional outcome (neuromotor, sensorimotor, cognition) at one week after diffuse TBI. With sufferers of TBI not always seeking medical attention, our final studies investigated over-the-counter analgesics and their effect on post-traumatic sleep and functional outcome. Acute administration of analgesics with varying anti-inflammatory properties had little effect on post-traumatic sleep and functional outcome. Overall, these studies demonstrated translational potential and suggest sleep after a concussion is part of the natural recovery from injury. While disrupting sleep does not worsen outcome, it is in no way beneficial to recovery. Additionally, a single analgesic dose for pain management following concussion plays little role in short term outcome.
Predicting the Fate of Acute Ischemic Lesions Using Perfusion Computed Tomography

Objective: To investigate whether the prognosis of ischemic tissues in acute cerebral ischemia can be predicted using perfusion computed tomography-derived parameters and, if so, which are the most useful. Methods: Perfusion computed tomography was performed on 13 ischemic stroke patients within 6 hours of ischemic onset. The absolute and normalized values of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), regional cerebral blood volume, and regional mean transit time (rMTT) and their mirror regions were divided into those that infarcted or survived. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was subsequently conducted for these 3 parameters, and their relationship to the threshold and predictability of infarction were evaluated. Results: Acute ischemic lesions with less than 63% of normal rCBF or more than 220% of rMTT almost invariably led to infarction; moreover, the receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that both rMTT and rCBF, and their normalized derivatives, were equally predictive of infarction. Conclusion: Both rCBF and rMTT can be used to predict the ultimate pathological prognosis of cerebral ischemia. Perfusion computed tomography is a very useful early-stage tool for the assessment of these patients.
Prediction of Maternal Cytomegalovirus Serostatus in Early Pregnancy: A Retrospective Analysis in Western Europe

Background Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most prevalent congenital viral infection and thus places an enormous disease burden on newborn infants. Seroprevalence of maternal antibodies to CMV due to CMV exposure prior to pregnancy is currently the most important protective factor against congenital CMV disease. The aim of this study was to identify potential predictors, and to develop and evaluate a risk-predicting model for the maternal CMV serostatus in early pregnancy. Methods Maternal and paternal background information, as well as maternal CMV serostatus in early pregnancy from 882 pregnant women were analyzed. Women were divided into two groups based on their CMV serostatus, and were compared using univariate analysis. To predict serostatus based on epidemiological baseline characteristics, a multiple logistic regression model was calculated using stepwise model selection. Sensitivity and specificity were analyzed using ROC curves. A nomogram based on the model was developed. Results 646 women were CMV seropositive (73.2%), and 236 were seronegative (26.8%). The groups differed significantly with respect to maternal age (p = 0.006), gravidity (p<0.001), parity (p<0.001), use of assisted reproduction techniques (p = 0.018), maternal and paternal migration background (p<0.001), and maternal and paternal education level (p<0.001). ROC evaluation of the selected prediction model revealed an area under the curve of 0.83 (95%CI: 0.8–0.86), yielding sensitivity and specificity values of 0.69 and 0.86, respectively. Conclusion We identified predictors of maternal CMV serostatus in early pregnancy and developed a risk-predicting model based on baseline epidemiological characteristics. Our findings provide easy accessible information that can influence the counseling of pregnant woman in terms of their CMV-associated risk.
Effect of nonmedical factors on family physicians' decisions about referral for consultation.

OBJECTIVES To identify nonmedical factors perceived by family physicians (FPs) and consultants as important influences on decisions about referral for consultation, to determine the relative frequency with which such factors are cited and to identify those factors ranked as most important by the FPs and consultants. DESIGN Survey with semistructured interview between July 1989 and April 1990. PARTICIPANTS A total of 41 FPs and 20 consultants who were practising or had practised previously in Nova Scotia. INTERVENTIONS The questionnaire comprised 10 questions: 4 were nondirective "probes" designed to elicit responses without suggesting possible answers, 2 asked the participants to rank such responses in order of importance, and 4 were "prompts" that asked for comments about a list of factors based on a review of the literature. RESULTS A total of 4845 discrete items were mentioned as being capable of influencing FPs' decisions about referral for consultation. Aggregation of related items resulted in a list of 35 nonmedical factors, of which 11 were identified by at least half the respondents and 14 by less than half but more than 10. These 25 factors fell into three categories: patient and family factors (e.g., patient's wishes), FP and consultant factors (e.g., FP's capabilities), and other influences (e.g., style of practice). On the basis of both frequency of identification and priority scores "patient's wishes" emerged as the most important factor. Two medical factors that were consistently cited--type of problem and age of patient--were thought to interact with the other factors. CONCLUSION Certain nonmedical considerations may substantially affect physicians' referral practices.
Recognizing skill networks and their specific communication and connection practices

Social networks are a popular medium for building and maintaining a professional network. Many studies exist on general communication and connection practices within these networks. However, studies on expertise search suggest the existence of subgroups centered around a particular profession. In this paper, we analyze commonalities and differences between these groups, based on a set of 94,155 public user profiles. The results confirm that such subgroups can be recognized. Further, the average number of connections differs between groups, as a result of differences in intention for using social media. Similarly, within the groups, specific topics and resources are discussed and shared, and there are interesting differences in the tone and wording the group members use. These insights are relevant for interpreting results from social media analyses and can be used for identifying group-specific resources and communication practices that new members may want to know about.