Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Growth of vascular and skin cells on polymer materials for tissue engineering

Cell colonization of synthetic polymers can be regulated by physical and chemical modifications of the polymer surface. High-density and low-density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE) were therefore activated with Ar plasma and grafted with fibronectin (Fn) or bovine serum albumin (BSA). The water drop contact angle usually decreased on the plasma-treated samples, due to the formation of oxidized groups, and this decrease was inversely related to the plasma exposure time (50–300 s). The presence of nitrogen and sulfur on the polymer surface, revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and also by immunofluorescence staining, showed that Fn and BSA were bound to this surface, particularly to HDPE. Plasma modification and grafting with Fn and BSA increased the nanoscale surface roughness of the polymer. This was mainly manifested on HDPE. Plasma treatment and grafting with Fn or BSA improved the adhesion and growth of vascular smooth muscle cells in a serum-supplemented medium. The final cell population densities on day 6 after seeding were on an average higher on LDPE than on HDPE. In a serum-free medium, BSA grafted to the polymer surface hampered cell adhesion. Thus, the OPEN ACCESS Materials 2013, 6 1633 cell behavior on polyethylene can be modulated by its type, intensity of plasma modification, grafting with biomolecules, and composition of the culture medium.
The Time of Your Life

Editor’s Note: The circadian rhythm—the 24-hour cycle of the physiological processes of living beings—is instrumental in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including humans. Clear patterns of brain-wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration, and other biological activities are linked to this daily cycle. Our author focuses on two relatively new areas of research—circadian genomics and epigenomics—and their potential for advancing medical insight.
Chelation of thallium by combining deferasirox and desferrioxamine in rats

The hypothesis that two known chelators deferasirox (4-[3,5-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid) and desferrioxamine (DFO) might be more efficient as combined treatment than as monotherapies in removing thallium from the body was tested in a new acute rat model. 7-week-old male Wistar rats received chelators: deferasirox (orally), DFO (intraperitoneal; i.p.), or deferasirox + DFO as 75 or 150 mg/kg dose half an hour after a single i.p. administration of 8 mg thallium/kg body weight in the form of chloride. Serum thallium concentration, urinary thallium, and iron excretions were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Both chelators were effective only at the higher dose level, while DFO was more effective than deferasirox in enhancing urinary thallium excretion, deferasirox was more effective than DFO in enhancing urinary iron excretion. In the combined treatment group, deferasirox did not increase the DFO effect on thallium and DFO did not increase the effect of deferasirox on iron elimination. Our results support the usefulness of this animal model for preliminary in vivo testing of thallium chelators. Urinary values were more useful because of the high variability of serum results.
The Circuitry of Olfactory Projection Neurons in the Brain of the Honeybee, Apis mellifera

In the honeybee brain, two prominent tracts – the medial and the lateral antennal lobe tract – project from the primary olfactory center, the antennal lobes (ALs), to the central brain, the mushroom bodies (MBs), and the protocerebral lobe (PL). Intracellularly stained uniglomerular projection neurons were reconstructed, registered to the 3D honeybee standard brain atlas, and then used to derive the spatial properties and quantitative morphology of the neurons of both tracts. We evaluated putative synaptic contacts of projection neurons (PNs) using confocal microscopy. Analysis of the patterns of axon terminals revealed a domain-like innervation within the MB lip neuropil. PNs of the lateral tract arborized more sparsely within the lips and exhibited fewer synaptic boutons, while medial tract neurons occupied broader regions in the MB calyces and the PL. Our data show that uPNs from the medial and lateral tract innervate both the core and the cortex of the ipsilateral MB lip but differ in their innervation patterns in these regions. In the mushroombody neuropil collar we found evidence for ALT boutons suggesting the collar as a multi modal input site including olfactory input similar to lip and basal ring. In addition, our data support the conclusion drawn in previous studies that reciprocal synapses exist between PNs, octopaminergic-, and GABAergic cells in the MB calyces. For the first time, we found evidence for connections between both tracts within the AL.
Preclinical Development Modulation of Akt / mTOR Signaling Overcomes Sunitinib Resistance in Renal and Prostate Cancer Cells

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors exhibit impressive activity against advanced renal cell carcinoma. However, recent clinical studies have shown an equivocal response to sunitinib in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer. The tumor suppressor PTEN acts as a gatekeeper of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/ Akt/mTOR cell–survival pathway. Our experiments showed that PTEN expression inversely correlates with sunitinib resistance in renal and prostate cancer cells. Restoration of PTEN expression markedly increases sensitivity of tumor cells to sunitinib both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, pharmacologic manipulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling with PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, GDC-0980, mTOR inhibitor, temsirolimus, or panAkt inhibitor, GSK690693, was able to overcome sunitinib resistance in cancer cells. Our findings underscore the importance of PTEN expression in relation to sunitinib resistance and imply a direct cytotoxic effect by sunitinib on tumor cells in addition to its antiangiogenic actions.Mol Cancer Ther; 11(7); 1510–7. 2012 AACR.
Vertical Profiles of Bacteria in the Tropical and Subarctic Oceans Revealed by Pyrosequencing

Community composition of Bacteria in the surface and deep water layers were examined at three oceanic sites in the Pacific Ocean separated by great distance, i.e., the South China Sea (SCS) in the western tropical Pacific, the Costa Rica Dome (CRD) in the eastern tropical Pacific and the western subarctic North Pacific (SNP), using high throughput DNA pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Bioinformatic analysis rendered a total of 143600 high quality sequences with an average 11967 sequences per sample and mean read length of 449 bp. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Proteobacteria dominated in all shallow and deep waters, with Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria the two most abundant components, and SAR11 the most abundant group at family level in all regions. Cyanobacteria occurred mainly in the surface euphotic layer, and the majority of them in the tropical waters belonged to the GpIIa family including Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, whilst those associated with Cryptophytes and diatoms were common in the subarctic waters. In general, species richness (Chao1) and diversity (Shannon index H′) were higher for the bacterial communities in the intermediate water layers than for those in surface and deep waters. Both NMDS plot and UPGMA clustering demonstrated that bacterial community composition in the deep waters (500 m ∼2000 m) of the three oceanic regions shared a high similarity and were distinct from those in the upper waters (5 m ∼100 m). Our study indicates that bacterial community composition in the DOC-poor deep water in both tropical and subarctic regions were rather stable, contrasting to those in the surface water layers, which could be strongly affected by the fluctuations of environmental factors.
Effect of primary packaging on microbiological status of oral solid dosage form

The emergence of microbial contaminants in non-sterile drugs caused not only the degradation of many products, but also proved to be a potential risk to consumer health. The aim of this study was to test microbial load of non sterile solid pharmaceutical product and investigate the effects of different packaging system on microbial status of pharmaceutical product. A total of 18 sample of solid dosage form packaged in different packaging were procured from market. All samples have been tested for the presence of specific microorganisms, Total aerobic microbial counts (TAMC) and Total yeast and mold counts (TYMC) using compendial procedures. Out of 18 sample 72.22 % (n=13) had shown microbial growth and only 16 % (n=3) of samples were non-compliant. Sample containing herbal ingredients, were the most heavily contaminated, showing a bacterial load > 104 CFU/g. The result showed that all the tested samples were free from E. coli. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in microbial load of product packaged in different primary packaging.
Determination of Methane Oxidation in the Rhizosphere of Sagittaria lancifolia Using Methyl Fluoride

Methane oxidation in the rhizosphere of wetland plants may significantly attenuate methane losses from wetland soils to the atmosphere. Our objective was to measure the extent of methane production and oxidation in the rhizosphere of a common wetland plant (Sagittaria lancifolia L. Per.). Methyl fluoride (CH{sub 3}F), a water-soluble gas and a specific inhibitor of methane oxidation, was used in conjunction with a closed chamber technique to determine rhizospheric methane oxidation in a greenhouse study. Rhizospheric methane oxidation was also estimated using a mass balance approach. Measurements of soil methane production were made using short-term anaerobic incubations of soil. Soil methane production and plant emissions of methane were inversely related to plant biomass, presumably because larger plants transported more O{sub 2} into the rhizosphere and inhibited methanogenic activity. Methane oxidation averaged 65% (SD = 24%, n = 14) as estimated by the CH{sub 3}F technique and 79% (SD = 20%, n = 14) using the mass balance approach. Methane oxidation percentage calculated by either method was not correlated to plant biomass. Results suggest that rhizospheric methane oxidation is an important attenuator of methane emissions from vegetated wetland soils. 24 refs., 4 figs.
Thermal distortion in copper moulds for continuous casting of steel: numerical study on creep and plasticity effect

In this work, the thermal distortion of a copper mould for continuous casting of steel is investigated through numerical models based on the finite element method. Special attention is devoted to the accuracy of the adopted material properties: several elasto-plastic models, with or without creep effects, are considered and compared into the analysis. The early formation of a bulge close to the meniscus is correctly simulated and results are in good agreement with experimental data from the literature.
Climatic adaptation and ecological divergence between two closely related pine species in Southeast China

Climate is one of the most important drivers for adaptive evolution in forest trees. Climatic selection contributes greatly to local adaptation and intraspecific differentiation, but this kind of selection could also have promoted interspecific divergence through ecological speciation. To test this hypothesis, we examined intra‐ and interspecific genetic variation at 25 climate‐related candidate genes and 12 reference loci in two closely related pine species, Pinus massoniana Lamb. and Pinus hwangshanensis Hisa, using population genetic and landscape genetic approaches. These two species occur in Southeast China but have contrasting ecological preferences in terms of several environmental variables, notably altitude, although hybrids form where their distributions overlap. One or more robust tests detected signals of recent and/or ancient selection at two‐thirds (17) of the 25 candidate genes, at varying evolutionary timescales, but only three of the 12 reference loci. The signals of recent selection were species specific, but signals of ancient selection were mostly shared by the two species likely because of the shared evolutionary history. FST outlier analysis identified six SNPs in five climate‐related candidate genes under divergent selection between the two species. In addition, a total of 24 candidate SNPs representing nine candidate genes showed significant correlation with altitudinal divergence in the two species based on the covariance matrix of population history derived from reference SNPs. Genetic differentiation between these two species was higher at the candidate genes than at the reference loci. Moreover, analysis using the isolation‐with‐migration model indicated that gene flow between the species has been more restricted for climate‐related candidate genes than the reference loci, in both directions. Taken together, our results suggest that species‐specific and divergent climatic selection at the candidate genes might have counteracted interspecific gene flow and played a key role in the ecological divergence of these two closely related pine species.
Vena Cava Leiomyosarcoma : s Reconstruction Necessary after Resection ?

BACKGROUND: Leiomyosarcomas of the inferior vena cava represent a rare form of soft-tissue sarcomas. Management strategies necessarily vary because of limited experience. Questions about necessity of multimodality therapy and IVC reconstruction remain. STUDY DESIGN: Six patients were referred to our institution during a period of 6 years for leiomyosarcomas of the IVC. Demographic data, imaging results, pathology reports, preoperative radiation regimen, and postoperative outcomes were reviewed. Outcomes were compared with those of other published institutional experiences. RESULTS: After preoperative external-beam radiation (4,500 to 5,000 cGy), all patients underwent en bloc resection of the primary malignancy. Four patients (66%) had an R0 resection. All tumors were high grade. No reconstruction of the IVC was undertaken. Lower-extremity edema developed in 3 patients (50%), but this was well tolerated and did not lead to any long-term sequelae. Pulmonary metastasis developed postoperatively in 1 patient (17%) and was successfully treated with chemotherapy and metastectomy. Acute renal failure developed in 3 patients, but all recovered full function. Chylous leak developed in 2 patients (34%). CONCLUSIONS: Leiomyosarcoma of the IVC is a treatable malignancy. Preoperative external-beam radiation facilitates marginally negative resection, although our study is too small to demonstrate a survival benefit. Reconstruction of the IVC is not necessary for resection of tumors below the level of the hepatic veins in most if not all cases. Lower-extremity edema after ligation of the IVC is well tolerated. Acute renal failure can be a common, albeit transient, early postoperative complication. Extensive periaortic dissection can be associated with chylous leak, which can be managed with internal or external drainage. (J Am Coll Surg 2010;210:185–190. © 2010 by the American College of Surgeons)
Threshold Voltage Instabilities of Present SiC-Power MOSFETs under Positive Bias Temperature Stress

We study the threshold voltage (Vth) instability of commercially available silicon carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs or prototypes from four different manufacturers under positive bias temperature stress (PBTS). A positive bias near the Vth causes a threshold voltage shift of 0.7 mV per decade in time per nanometer oxide thickness in the temperature range between-50 °C and 150 °C. Recovery at +5 V after a 100 s +25 V gate-pulse causes a recovery between-1.5 mV/dec/nm and-1.0 mV/dec/nm at room temperature and is decreasing with temperature. All devices show similar stress, recovery and temperature dependent behavior indicating that the observed Vth instabilities are likely a fundamental physical property of the SiC-SiO2 system caused by electron trapping in near interface traps. It is important to note that the trapping is not causing permanent damage to the interface like H-bond-breakage in silicon based devices and is nearly fully reversible via a negative gate bias.
Tuberculosis Risk Before and After Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation: Does HAART Increase the Short-Term TB Risk in a Low Incidence TB Setting?

Objective:To evaluate the short-term and long-term effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on tuberculosis (TB) risk compared with risk without HAART in a low TB incidence setting. Design:An observational cohort study among HIV-infected persons in care at the Comprehensive Care Center (Nashville, TN) between January 1998 and December 2008. Methods:A marginal structural model was used to estimate the effect of HAART on short-term (≤180 days) and long-term (>180 days) TB risk, with CD4+ lymphocyte count incorporated as a time-updated covariate. Results:Of 4534 HIV-infected patients, 34 developed TB (165 per 100,000 person-years; 20,581 person-years of follow-up). Seventeen cases occurred among persons not on HAART or >30 days after HAART discontinuation (212 per 100,000 person-years; 8019 person-years of follow-up). Seventeen occurred among persons on HAART (135 per 100,000 person-years; 12,562 person-years of follow-up); 10 in the first 180 days (402 per 100,000 person-years; 2489 person-years of follow-up); and 7 after more than 180 days (69 per 100,000 person-years; 10,073 person-years of follow-up). After adjusting for the most recent CD4+ lymphocyte count, the risk of TB in the first 180 days of HAART exposure relative to no HAART was 0.68 (0.14-3.22, P = 0.63). Conclusions:In this low TB incidence setting, the TB rate in the first 180 days of HAART was almost twice as high as persons not on HAART. However, after adjusting for most recent CD4+ count, there was no significant difference in TB risk between these 2 groups. This suggests that low recent CD4+ lymphocyte count influences TB risk during the first 180 days of HAART.
Role of Acupuncture in the Management of Diabetic Painful Neuropathy (Dpn): A Pilot Rct

Aims To examine the role of acupuncture in the treatment of diabetic painful neuropathy (DPN) using a single-blind, placebo-controlled RCT and to collect data that would be required in a future definitive study of the efficacy of acupuncture in DPN. Methods 45 patients were allocated to receive a 10-week course either of real (53%) or sham (47%) acupuncture. Five standardised acupuncture points on the lower limb of each leg were used in the study: LR3, KI3, SP6, SP10 and ST36. Outcome measures included the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) scale, lower limb pain (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS); Sleep Problem Scale (SPS); Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP); 36-item Short Form 36 Health Survey and resting blood pressure (BP). Results Over the 10-week treatment period, small improvements were seen in VAS −15 (−26 to −3.5), MYMOP −0.89 (−1.4 to −0.3), SPS −2.5 (−4.2 to −0.82) and resting diastolic BP −5.2 (−10.4 to −0.14) in the true acupuncture group. In contrast, there was little change in those receiving sham acupuncture. A moderate treatment effect in favour of active acupuncture was detected in MYMOP scores −0.66 (−0.96 to −0.35) but non-significant effect sizes in LANSS Pain Scale −0.37 (−2.2 to 1.4), resting diastolic BP −0.50 (−3.0 to 1.99) and the SPS −0.51 (−2.2 to 1.16). Conclusions We have demonstrated the practicality and feasibility of acupuncture as an additional treatment for people with DPN. The treatment was well tolerated with no appreciable side effects. Larger randomised trials are needed to confirm the clinical and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of DPN. Trial Registration Number ISRCTN number: 39740785.
The development of a clinical practice stroke guideline for physiotherapists in The Netherlands: A systematic review of available evidence

Purpose. To develop a clinical practice guideline for the physiotherapy management of patients with stroke as support for the clinical decision-making process, especially with respect to the selection of appropriate interventions, prognostic factors and outcome measures. Introduction. Physiotherapists have a high caseload of patients with stroke, so there is a need to identify effective evidence-based physiotherapy procedures. The availability of a guideline that includes information about prognostic factors, interventions, and outcome measures would facilitate clinical decision-making. Method. A systematic computerized literature search was performed to identify evidence concerning the use of: (i) prognostic factors related to functional recovery; (ii) physiotherapy interventions in patients with stroke; and (iii) outcome measures to assess patients' progress in functional health. Experts, physiotherapists working in the field of stroke rehabilitation, and a multidisciplinary group of health professionals reviewed the clinical applicability and feasibility of the recommendations for clinical practice and their comments were used to compose the definitive guideline. Results. Of 9482 relevant articles, 322 were selected. These were screened for methodological quality. Seventy-two recommendations for clinical practice were retrieved from these articles and included in the guideline: Six recommendations concerned the prediction of functional recovery of activities of daily living (ADL), including walking ability and hand/arm use; 65 recommendations concerned the choice of physiotherapy interventions; and 1 recommendation concerned the choice of outcome instrument to use. A core set of seven reliable, responsive, and valid outcome measures was established, to determine impairments and activity limitations in patients with stroke. Conclusions. The guideline provides physiotherapists with an evidence-based instrument to assist them in their clinical decision making regarding patients with stroke. As most of the recommendations included in the guideline came from studies of patients in the post acute and chronic phase of stroke, and in general involved patients with less severe and uncomplicated stroke, more needs to be learned about the more complex cases.
A new scheme of coded ultrasound using Golay codes

Golay codes are the most practical code in coded ultrasound imaging systems. But the trade-off for perfect range sidelobe cancellation is the requirement for two firings, thus resulting in motion-dependent decoding errors. In view of this, we propose a new scheme using the simultaneous emission of code pairs. The code pair is allocated to different elements of an aperture and transmitted simultaneously. The process of separating the code pair from the echo received is based on the orthogonality of the code pair. At last the autocorrelation functions of the individual Golay codes are added together. The simultaneous emission of code pairs instead of two firings recovers the frame rate loss, and eliminates the motion-dependent decoding error. Our theoretical analysis and simulations show that the scheme can be used to eliminate the tissue motion effects.