Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved bladder emptying in urinary retention by electrical stimulation of pudendal afferents

Urinary retention is the inability to empty the bladder completely, and may result from bladder hypocontractility, increases in outlet resistance or both. Chronic urinary retention can lead to several urological complications and is often refractory to pharmacologic, behavioral and surgical treatments. We sought to determine whether electrical stimulation of sensory fibers in the pudendal nerve could engage an augmenting reflex and thereby improve bladder emptying in an animal model of urinary retention. We measured the efficiency of bladder emptying with and without concomitant electrical stimulation of pudendal nerve afferents in urethane-anesthetized rats. Voiding efficiency (VE = voided volume/initial volume) was reduced from 72 ± 7% to 29 ± 7% following unilateral transection of the sensory branch of the pudendal nerve (UST) and from 70 ± 5% to 18 ± 4% following bilateral transection (BST). Unilateral electrical stimulation of the proximal transected sensory pudendal nerve during distention-evoked voiding contractions significantly improved VE. Low-intensity stimulation at frequencies of 1–50 Hz increased VE to 40–51% following UST and to 39–49% following BST, while high-intensity stimulation was ineffective at increasing VE. The increase in VE was mediated by increases in the duration of distention-evoked voiding bladder contractions, rather than increases in contraction amplitude. These results are consistent with an essential role for pudendal sensory feedback in efficient bladder emptying, and raise the possibility that electrical activation of pudendal nerve afferents may provide a new approach to restore efficient bladder emptying in persons with urinary retention.
Global scale analysis and modelling of primary microseisms

L. Gualtieri ,1 E. Stutzmann,2 C. Juretzek,3,4 C. Hadziioannou3 and F. Ardhuin5 1Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. E-mail: luciag@princeton.edu 2Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 1 Rue Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France 3Institute of Geophysics, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), Universität Hamburg, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany 4Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, D-80333 Munich, Germany 5Univ. Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), IUEM, Brest, 29280, France
The Role of 18F-FDG PET in Assessing Therapy Response in Cancer of the Cervix and Ovaries

For locally advanced cervical cancer, the current literature supports the use of 18F-FDG PET for assessing treatment response 3 mo after the completion of concurrent chemoradiation. 18F-FDG PET can provide reliable long-term prognostic information for these patients and, in the future, may be used to guide additional therapy. Investigational areas include the use of 18F-FDG PET for monitoring response during radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the metastatic and neoadjuvant settings. For ovarian masses, the performance of 18F-FDG PET in the detection of borderline tumors is limited, and the presence of physiologic 18F-FDG uptake in normal ovaries of premenopausal women poses another limitation. Preliminary data suggest that the performance of 18F-FDG PET and 18F-FDG PET/CT is superior to that of CT alone in initial staging, but the sensitivity of both in the detection of carcinomatosis is limited. Preliminary data also suggest that 18F-FDG PET may be promising for early prediction of response to chemotherapy and for prediction of response after the completion of chemotherapy. 18F-FDG PET and 18F-FDG PET/CT are most helpful in the evaluation of patients with suspected recurrent ovarian carcinoma, especially when CA-125 levels are rising and CT findings are normal or equivocal. PET and CT are complementary, and PET/CT should be used when available. Preliminary data suggest that the addition of 18F-FDG PET/CT to the evaluation of these patients changes management in approximately a third and reduces overall treatment costs by accurately identifying patients who will or will not benefit from surgery.
Interaction of lipoprotein Lp(a) and low density lipoprotein with glycosaminoglycans from human aorta.

The lipoprotein complexing activity of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) prepared from human aortas with lipoprotein Lp(a) in comparison to low density lipoproteins (LDL) was determined tubidimetrically in the presence of Ca++. In control experiments, purified chondroitin-6 sulfate and proteoglycans (PG) were used. Lp(a) exhibited approximately a threefold higher reactivity. Analyzing the chemical composition of the complexes, we found that Lp(a) had greater than fourfold higher binding capacity for GAG. The binding capacity of Lp(a) to PG was 3.4-fold higher as compared to LDL. The binding capacity of both lipoproteins for chondroitin-6 sulfate was only 50% in comparison to GAG, but again Lp(a) was four times more reactive. Neuraminidase treatment of LDL or Lp(a) did not interfere with GAG or chondroitin-6 sulfate binding. If, on the other hand, Lp(a) was treated with dithiothreitol and the Lp(a)-specific protein (apoprotein [apo] a) was removed, the GAG binding was reduced by about 45%. Apo a by itself gave no insoluble complexes with GAG. LDL and Lp(a)-s GAG and -LP(a)-PG complexes were incubated with mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPM), and the stimulation of cholesteryl ester formation was studied. At identical lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, Lp(a)-GAG complexes exhibited a 1.3-fold higher stimulation of cholesterol esterification as compared to LDL-GAG. This difference was even more striking if lipoproteins were compared at a molar basis. PG-lipoprotein complexes were much more active with respect to interactions with MPM. The highest amount of cholesterol ester formation upon incubation with MPM was found with PG-Lp(a) complexes. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
E-Cadherin Expression Is Regulated by miR-192/215 by a Mechanism That Is Independent of the Profibrotic Effects of Transforming Growth Factor-β

OBJECTIVE Increased deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) within the kidney is driven by profibrotic mediators including transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). We investigated whether some of their effects may be mediated through changes in expression of certain microRNAs (miRNAs). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Proximal tubular cells, primary rat mesangial cells, and human podocytes were analyzed for changes in the expression of key genes, ECM proteins, and miRNA after exposure to TGF-β (1–10 ng/μl). Tubular cells were also infected with CTGF-adenovirus. Kidneys from diabetic apoE mice were also analyzed for changes in gene expression and miRNA levels. RESULTS TGF-β treatment was associated with morphologic and phenotypic changes typical of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) including increased fibrogenesis in all renal cell types and decreased E-cadherin expression in tubular cells. TGF-β treatment also modulated the expression of certain miRNAs, including decreased expression of miR-192/215 in tubular cells, mesangial cells, which are also decreased in diabetic kidney. Ectopic expression of miR-192/215 increased E-cadherin levels via repressed translation of ZEB2 mRNA, in the presence and absence of TGF-β, as demonstrated by a ZEB2 3′-untranslated region luciferase reporter assay. However, ectopic expression of miR-192/215 did not affect the expression of matrix proteins or their induction by TGF-β. In contrast, CTGF increased miR-192/215 levels, causing a decrease in ZEB2, and consequently increased E-cadherin mRNA. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate the linking role of miRNA-192/215 and ZEB2 in TGF-β/CTGF–mediated changes in E-cadherin expression. These changes appear to occur independently of augmentation of matrix protein synthesis, suggesting that a multistep EMT program is not necessary for fibrogenesis to occur.
Enhancing Process Skills and Learning Outcomes: A Comparative Study of the Treffinger Learning Model

The Treffinger Model is an instructional approach developed with the primary goal of stimulating creativity and building process skills skills in students. This study aims to assess the extent to which the Treffinger Model enhances process skills abilities and student learning outcomes in addressing complex geographical challenges. A quantitative approach, specifically quasi-experimental design, was adopted to compare the effectiveness of the Treffinger Model with conventional teaching methods. The research involved two groups of eighth-grade students, with one group taught using the Treffinger Model and the other group through conventional methods. Data were collected for process skills and learning outcomes through pre-test and post-test assessments. The findings of this research indicate that the Treffinger Model has a significant positive impact on students' process skills and learning outcomes. The analysis of process skills reveals that students exposed to the Treffinger Model demonstrated improved abilities in observation, communication, grouping, measurement, drawing conclusions, and prediction. Additionally, the analysis of learning outcomes reveals that students taught with the Treffinger Model achieved higher average scores compared to those taught using conventional methods. The novelty of this research lies in its exploration of innovative pedagogical approaches and their impact on students' process skills abilities to comprehend and analyze geographical concepts more deeply. The benefit to the advancement of knowledge is the potential to increase students' interest and produce a generation of individuals who are more aware and knowledgeable about geographical issues.
Improving UMLS Metathesaurus Query Expansion Based on the Query Specificity and Length

Query expansion is commonly used in health information retrieval. By adding synonyms and related terms using Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus, query expansion can help users find more relevant information. In this paper, we studied how query specificity (the specificity of a query term) and query length (the number of words in a query term) influence the effectiveness of genomic information retrieval. Using the TREC Genomic Track 2006 test collection, our experiment demonstrated that the UMLS-based expansion on longer and more specific queries outperformed shorter and less specific queries; and the expansion using the string index method achieved better performance than using the word index method. Further case analysis revealed that for more specific queries and when using the string index method, the positive factor of adding useful related terms outweighed the negative factor of overexpanding irrelevant terms.
Personal values of family physicians, practice satisfaction, and service to the underserved.

BACKGROUND Personal values are defined as "desirable goals varying in importance that serve as guiding principles in people's lives," and have been shown to influence specialty choice and relate to practice satisfaction. We wished to examine further the relationship of personal values to practice satisfaction and also to a physician's willingness to care for the underserved. We also wished to study associations that might exist among personal values, practice satisfaction, and a variety of practice characteristics. METHODOLOGY We randomly surveyed a stratified probability sample of 1224 practicing family physicians about their personal values (using the Schwartz values questionnaire), practice satisfaction, practice location, breadth of practice, demographics, board certification status, teaching involvement, and the payor mix of the practice. RESULTS Family physicians rated the benevolence (motivation to help those close to you) value type highest, and the ratings of the benevolence value type were positively associated with practice satisfaction (correlation coefficient = 0.14, P = .002). Those involved in teaching medical trainees were more satisfied than those who were not involved (P = .009). Some value-type ratings were found to be positively associated with caring for the underserved. Those whose practices consisted of more than 40% underserved (underserved defined as Medicare, Medicaid, and indigent populations) rated the tradition (motivation to maintain customs of traditional culture and religion) value type significantly higher (P = .02). Those whose practices consisted of more than 30% indigent care rated the universalism (motivation to enhance and protect the well-being of all people) value type significantly higher (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS Family physicians who viewed benevolence as a guiding principle in their lives reported a higher level of professional satisfaction. Likewise, physicians involved in the teaching of medical trainees were more satisfied with their profession. Family physicians who rate the universalism values highly are more likely to provide care to the indigent.
BRINGING INTO ACTION THE PSYCHIATRIC REFORM IN SOUTH‐VERONA. A FIVE YEAR EXPERIENCE

The organization of psychiatric care in Verona prior to the new Italian Mental Health Act, and the organization of the new South‐Verona Community Psychiatric Service (CPS) implemented in 1978 after the approval of the new law, are described. Case‐register data for the period 1979‐1983 are also reported. To compare in‐patient care provided in South‐Verona after the Reform with that of the previous year, data on hospital admissions during 1977 were collected retrospectively. From 1977 to 1983 compulsory admissions have decreased by 67%, the average number of occupied beds per day and the average length of in‐patient stay have decreased by 34%, while the total rates of admission have increased by 4%. The long‐stay in‐patient rate, which was already considerably low in 1977 (48/100,000), is still decreasing slightly and no ≪new≫ long‐stay patients have accumulated in psychiatric institutions during the past three years. In South‐Verona most of the patients are treated outside the hospital and the same staff is responsible for in‐ as well as for out‐patient care (which includes domiciliary visits and day care), to ensure therapeutic continuity. Although it lacks some complementary facilities the South‐Verona CPS in its five years of experience has been able to bring into action the psychiatric reform as indicated by the new Law.
Interaction rules underlying group decisions in homing pigeons

Travelling in groups gives animals opportunities to share route information by following cues from each other's movement. The outcome of group navigation will depend on how individuals respond to each other within a flock, school, swarm or herd. Despite the abundance of modelling studies, only recently have researchers developed techniques to determine the interaction rules among real animals. Here, we use high-resolution GPS (global positioning system) tracking to study these interactions in pairs of pigeons flying home from a familiar site. Momentary changes in velocity indicate alignment with the neighbour's direction, as well as attraction or avoidance depending on distance. Responses were stronger when the neighbour was in front. From the flocking behaviour, we develop a model to predict features of group navigation. Specifically, we show that the interactions between pigeons stabilize a side-by-side configuration, promoting bidirectional information transfer and reducing the risk of separation. However, if one bird gets in front it will lead directional choices. Our model further predicts, and observations confirm, that a faster bird (as measured from solo flights) will fly slightly in front and thus dominate the choice of homing route. Our results explain how group decisions emerge from individual differences in homing flight behaviour.
Microsimulating Residential Mobility and Location Choice Processes within an Integrated Land Use and Transportation Modelling System

This research investigates motivational and procedural aspects of households’ long-term decisions of residential locations. The main goal of the research is to develop microbehavioural models of location processes in order to implement this critical land use component within a microsimulation-based model of Integrated Land Use, Transportation and Environment (ILUTE). The research takes a disaggregate and longitudinal approach to develop the models, which is consistent with the real-world decision-making process of households concerning their movements from one residence to another over time. It identifies two sequential model components to represent households’ relocation behaviour: (1) a model of household residential mobility that determines whether a household decides to become active in the housing market, and (2) a (re) location choice model. Both components are empirically investigated using retrospective surveys of housing careers. For the residential mobility decision, the research tests continuous-time hazard duration models and discrete-time panel logit models, and attempts to capture heterogeneity effects due to repeated choices within both modelling techniques. A discrete-time random parameter model is selected for implementation within ILUTE since it incorporates time-varying covariates. Assuming a sequential decision process, this mobility
Hemodynamic and ventilatory effects of manual respiratory physiotherapy techniques of chest clapping, vibration, and shaking in an animal model.

Chest clapping, vibration, and shaking were studied in 10 physiotherapists who applied these techniques on an anesthetized animal model. Hemodynamic variables (such as heart rate, blood pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, and right atrial pressure) were measured during the application of these techniques to verify claims of adverse events. In addition, expired tidal volume and peak expiratory flow rate were measured to ascertain effects of these techniques. Physiotherapists in this study applied chest clapping at a rate of 6.2 +/- 0.9 Hz, vibration at 10.5 +/- 2.3 Hz, and shaking at 6.2 +/- 2.3 Hz. With the use of these rates, esophageal pressure swings of 8.8 +/- 5.0, 0.7 +/- 0.3, and 1.4 +/- 0.7 mmHg resulted from clapping, vibration, and shaking respectively. Variability in rates and "forces" generated by these techniques was <20% in average coefficients of variation. In addition, clinical experience accounted for 76% of the variance in vibration rate (P = 0.001). Cardiopulmonary physiotherapy experience and layers of towel used explained approximately 79% of the variance in clapping force (P = 0.004), whereas age and clinical experience explained >80% of variance in shaking force (P = 0.003). Application of these techniques by physiotherapists was found to have no significant effects on hemodynamic and most ventilatory variables in this study. From this study, we conclude that chest clapping, vibration, and shaking 1). can be consistently performed by physiotherapists; 2). are significantly related to physiotherapists' characteristics, particularly clinical experience; and 3). caused no significant hemodynamic effects.
Association of apolipoprotein E genotypes with lipid levels and coronary risk.

CONTEXT Previous reviews of associations of apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotype and coronary disease have been dominated by smaller studies that are liable to biases. OBJECTIVE To reassess associations of apoE genotypes with circulating lipid levels and with coronary risk. DATA SOURCES We conducted an updated meta-analysis including both published and previously unreported studies, using MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Science Citation Index, and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database published between January 1970 and January 2007, reference lists of articles retrieved, and a registry of relevant studies. STUDY SELECTION Eighty-two studies of lipid levels (86,067 healthy participants) and 121 studies of coronary outcomes (37,850 cases and 82,727 controls) were identified, with prespecified principal focus on studies with at least 1000 healthy participants for lipids and those with at least 500 coronary outcomes. DATA EXTRACTION Information on genotype frequencies, lipid levels, coronary outcomes, and laboratory and population characteristics were recorded independently by 2 investigators and/or supplied by study investigators. RESULTS In the most extreme comparison, people with the epsilon2/epsilon2 genotype had 1.14 mmol/L (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87-1.40 mmol/L [44.0 mg/dL; 95% CI; 33.6-51.1 mg/dL]) or about 31% (95% CI, 23%-38%) lower mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) values than those with the epsilon4/epsilon4 genotype. There were approximately linear relationships of apoE genotypes (when ordered epsilon2/epsilon2, epsilon2/epsilon3, epsilon2/epsilon4, epsilon3/epsilon3, epsilon3/epsilon4, epsilon4/epsilon4) with LDL-C and with coronary risk. The relationship with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was inverse and shallow and that with triglycerides was nonlinear and largely confined to the epsilon2/epsilon2 genotype. Compared with epsilon3/epsilon3, the odds ratio for coronary disease was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.70-0.90) in epsilon2 carriers and was 1.06 (95% CI, 0.99-1.13) in epsilon4 carriers. CONCLUSIONS There are approximately linear relationships of apoE genotypes with both LDL-C levels and coronary risk. Compared with individuals with the epsilon3/epsilon3 genotype, epsilon2 carriers have a 20% lower risk of coronary heart disease and epsilon4 carriers have a slightly higher risk.
Polarity-specific high-level information propagation in neural networks

Analyzing the connectome of a nervous system provides valuable information about the functions of its subsystems. Although much has been learned about the architectures of neural networks in various organisms by applying analytical tools developed for general networks, two distinct and functionally important properties of neural networks are often overlooked. First, neural networks are endowed with polarity at the circuit level: Information enters a neural network at input neurons, propagates through interneurons, and leaves via output neurons. Second, many functions of nervous systems are implemented by signal propagation through high-level pathways involving multiple and often recurrent connections rather than by the shortest paths between nodes. In the present study, we analyzed two neural networks: the somatic nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and the partial central complex network of Drosophila, in light of these properties. Specifically, we quantified high-level propagation in the vertical and horizontal directions: the former characterizes how signals propagate from specific input nodes to specific output nodes and the latter characterizes how a signal from a specific input node is shared by all output nodes. We found that the two neural networks are characterized by very efficient vertical and horizontal propagation. In comparison, classic small-world networks show a trade-off between vertical and horizontal propagation; increasing the rewiring probability improves the efficiency of horizontal propagation but worsens the efficiency of vertical propagation. Our result provides insights into how the complex functions of natural neural networks may arise from a design that allows them to efficiently transform and combine input signals.