Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
C‐Reactive Protein and Lesion Morphology in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background Elevated serum C‐reactive protein (CRP) is of clinical significance in the management of acute coronary syndromes, but there have been few in vivo studies detailing the relation between lesion morphology and elevated CRP in the setting of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In this study, we investigated the relation between lesion morphology as seen under preintervention intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and CRP in the acute phase of AMI. Methods and Results Our patient population comprised 90 consecutive patients with AMI who underwent preintervention IVUS within 6 hours of the onset of symptoms. Patients were divided into an elevated CRP group (≥3 mg/L) or a normal CRP group on the basis of serum CRP levels. There were no differences in patient characteristics or angiographic findings. We observed significantly more plaque rupture in the elevated CRP group than in the normal CRP group (70% versus 43%, P=0.01). A multivariate logistic regression model revealed that the presence of ruptured plaque alone correlated with elevation of serum CRP (P=0.02; odds ratio, 3.35; 95% CI, 1.22 to 9.18). Conclusions Elevated CRP may be related to the presence of ruptured plaque. Our results suggest that in the setting of AMI, elevated CRP levels may reflect the inflammatory activity of a ruptured plaque. (Circulation. 2003;108:282‐285.)
Mentoring Programs: A Framework to Inform Program Development, Research, and Evaluation.

As mentoring programs have proliferated, considerable variation in approaches to programmatic mentoring has emerged. Concomitant confusion exists about the context, structure, and goals that constitute mentoring as a distinct intervention. This article presents a brief summary of what is currently known about different approaches to mentoring and proposes a framework that identifies both the common and the specific elements among different youth mentoring approaches. Rather than focusing solely on the participants and contexts of mentoring programs, such as peer- or school-based mentoring, as the key elements that differentiate programs, the authors suggest that more fruitful program development and research will result from a closer examination of the context, structure, and goals of programs, as well as of three critical program elements: content, infrastructure, and dosage. To understand better how and under what conditions mentoring works, program developers and researchers should test hypotheses regarding the influences of these program elements based on theory-driven expectations about the interrelationships among proximal, enabling, and distal outcomes of mentoring programs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
T-Cell-Dependent Control of Acute Giardia lamblia Infections in Mice

ABSTRACT We have studied immune mechanisms responsible for control of acuteGiardia lamblia and Giardia muris infections in adult mice. Association of chronic G. lamblia infection with hypogammaglobulinemia and experimental infections of mice withG. muris have led to the hypothesis that antibodies are required to control these infections. We directly tested this hypothesis by infecting B-cell-deficient mice with either G. lamblia or G. muris. Both wild-type mice and B-cell-deficient mice eliminated the vast majority of parasites between 1 and 2 weeks postinfection with G. lamblia. G. muris was also eliminated in both wild-type and B-cell-deficient mice. In contrast, T-cell-deficient and scid mice failed to controlG. lamblia infections, as has been shown previously forG. muris. Treatment of wild-type or B-cell-deficient mice with antibodies to CD4 also prevented elimination of G. lamblia, confirming a role for T cells in controlling infections. By infecting mice deficient in either αβ- or γδ-T-cell receptor (TCR)-expressing T cells, we show that the αβ-TCR-expressing T cells are required to control parasites but that the γδ-TCR-expressing T cells are not. Finally, infections in mice deficient in production of gamma interferon or interleukin 4 (IL-4) and mice deficient in responding to IL-4 and IL-13 revealed that neither the Th1 nor the Th2 subset is absolutely required for protection fromG. lamblia. We conclude that a T-cell-dependent mechanism is essential for controlling acute Giardia infections and that this mechanism is independent of antibody and B cells.
Identification of Cyclooxygenase-2 as a Major Actor of the Transcriptomic Adaptation of Endothelial and Tumor Cells to Cyclic Hypoxia: Effect on Angiogenesis and Metastases

Purpose: Cyclic hypoxia in tumors originates from heterogeneities in RBC flux and influences not only tumor cells but also endothelial cells lining tumor blood vessels. Whether pO2 fluctuations, particularly transient reoxygenation periods, alter the well-known hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)–dependent gene program is largely unknown. Experimental Design: We compared the transcriptomic profiles of endothelial and tumor cells exposed to cyclic hypoxia versus continuous hypoxia to uncover a possible differential effect on angiogenesis and metastases. Results: Microarray analyses identified early genes that were selectively induced by cyclic hypoxia in endothelial cells. Among them, we focused on PTGS2 because the observed increase in mRNA expression led to a significant increase in the expression and activity of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2; the protein product of PTGS2). HIF-1α was shown to be stabilized by cyclic hypoxia (despite reoxygenation periods) and to favor COX-2 induction as validated by the use of echinomycin and HIF-1α targeting small interfering RNA. Using a specific COX-2 inhibitor and a dedicated COX-2 targeting small interfering RNA, we documented that COX-2 accounted for the higher endothelial cell survival and angiogenic potential conferred by cyclic hypoxia. Cyclic hypoxia also led to a preferential COX-2 induction in tumor cells and, contrary to continuous hypoxia, fostered a higher metastatic take of prechallenged tumor cells. Conclusions: Our study documents that PTGS2/COX-2 is part of a cyclic hypoxia gene signature and largely accounts for the unique phenotype of endothelial and tumor cells exposed to fluctuations in pO2, thereby offering new perspectives for the clustering of tumors expressing COX-2 together with other cyclic hypoxia-responsive genes. Clin Cancer Res; 16(2); 410–9
Visual-manual in-car tasks decomposed: text entry and kinetic scrolling as the main sources of visual distraction

Distraction effects of in-car tasks with a touch screen based navigation system user interface were studied in a driving simulator experiment with eye tracking. The focus was to examine which particular in-car task components visually distract drivers the most. The results indicate that all of the visual-manual in-car tasks led to increased levels of experienced demands and to lower driving speeds. The most significant finding was that text entry and kinetic scrolling of lists were the main sources of visual distraction whereas simple selection tasks with familiar target locations led to least severe distraction effects.
Electrodynamics of Magnetars: Implications for the Persistent X-Ray Emission and Spin-down of the Soft Gamma Repeaters and Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars

We consider the structure of neutron star magnetospheres threaded by large-scale electrical currents and the effect of resonant Compton scattering by the charge carriers (both electrons and ions) on the emergent X-ray spectra and pulse profiles. In the magnetar model for the soft gamma repeaters (SGRs) and anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs), these currents are maintained by magnetic stresses acting deep inside the star, which generate both sudden disruptions (SGR outbursts) and more gradual plastic deformations of the rigid crust. We construct self-similar force-free equilibria of the current-carrying magnetosphere with a power-law dependence of magnetic field on radius, ∝ r-(2+p), and show that a large-scale twist of field lines softens the radial dependence of the magnetic field to p < 1. The spin-down torque acting on the star is thereby increased in comparison with an orthogonal vacuum dipole. We comment on the strength of the surface magnetic field in the SGR and AXP sources, as inferred from their measured spin-down rates, and the implications of this model for the narrow measured distribution of spin periods. A magnetosphere with a strong twist [Bϕ/Bθ = O(1) at the equator] has an optical depth ~1 to resonant cyclotron scattering, independent of frequency (radius), surface magnetic field strength, or charge/mass ratio of the scattering charge. When electrons and ions supply the current, the stellar surface is also heated by the impacting charges at a rate comparable to the observed X-ray output of the SGR and AXP sources, if Bdipole ~ 1014 G. Redistribution of the emerging X-ray flux at the cyclotron resonance will strongly modify the emerging pulse profile and, through the Doppler effect, generate a nonthermal tail to the X-ray spectrum. We relate the sudden change in the pulse profile of SGR 1900+14 following the 1998 August 27 giant flare to an enhanced optical depth at the electron cyclotron resonance resulting from a sudden twist imparted to the external magnetic field during the flare. The self-similar structure of the magnetosphere should generate frequency-independent profiles; more complicated pulse profiles may reflect the presence of higher multipoles, ion cyclotron scattering, or possibly nonresonant Compton scattering of O-mode photons by pair-loaded currents.
Physiological Intracellular Crowdedness is Defined by the Perimeter-to-Area Ratio of Sub-Cellular Compartments

The intracellular environment is known to be a crowded and inhomogeneous space. Such an in vivo environment differs from a well-diluted, homogeneous environment for biochemical reactions. However, the effects of both crowdedness and the inhomogeneity of environment on the behavior of a mobile particle have not yet been investigated sufficiently. As described in this paper, we constructed artificial reaction spaces with fractal models, which are assumed to be non-reactive solid obstacles in a reaction space with crevices that function as operating ranges for mobile particles threading the space. Because of the homogeneity of the structures of artificial reaction spaces, the models succeeded in reproducing the physiological fractal dimension of solid structures with a smaller number of non-reactive obstacles than in the physiological condition. This incomplete compatibility was mitigated when we chose a suitable condition of a perimeter-to-area ratio of the operating range to our model. Our results also show that a simulation space is partitioned into convenient reaction compartments as an in vivo environment with the exact amount of solid structures estimated from TEM images. The characteristics of these compartments engender larger mean square displacement of a mobile particle than that of particles in smaller compartments. Subsequently, the particles start to show confined particle-like behavior. These results are compatible with our previously presented results, which predicted that a physiological environment would produce quick response and slow exhaustion reactions.
Outcomes After a Single-Stage Procedure for Cell-Based Cartilage Repair

Background: There are currently several approaches being pursued to treat focal defects of articular cartilage, each having specific advantages or challenges. A single-stage procedure that uses autologous cartilage fragments, Cartilage Autograft Implantation System (CAIS), is being evaluated in patients and may offer a clinically effective option. Purpose: To establish the safety of CAIS and to test whether CAIS improves quality of life by using standardized outcomes assessment tools. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Patients (n = 29) were randomized (1:2) with the intent to treat with either a control (microfracture [MFX]) or an experimental (CAIS) procedure. Patients were followed at predetermined time points for 2 years using several standardized outcomes assessment tools (SF-36, International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC], Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS]). Magnetic resonance imaging was performed at baseline, 3 weeks, and 6, 12, and 24 months. Results: Lesion size and International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grade were similar in both groups. General outcome measures (eg, physical component score of the SF-36) indicated an overall improvement in both groups, and no differences in the number of adverse effects were noted in comparisons between the CAIS and MFX groups. The IKDC score of the CAIS group was significantly higher (73.9 ± 14.72 at 12 months and 82.95 ± 14.88 at 24 months) compared with the MFX group (57.78 ± 18.31 at 12 months and 59.5 ± 13.44 at 24 months). Select subdomains (4/5) in the KOOS instrument were significantly different at 12 and 18 months, and all subdomains (Symptoms and Stiffness, Pain, Activities of Daily Living, Sports and Recreation, Knee-related Quality of Life) were significantly increased at 24 months in CAIS with scores of 88.47 ± 11.68, 90.64 ± 7.87, 97.29 ± 3.8, 78.16 ± 22.06, and 69 ± 23.15 compared with 75 ± 9.31, 78.94 ± 13.73, 89.46 ± 8.13, 51.67 ± 26.01, and 37.15 ± 21.67 in the MFX group. These significant improvements were maintained at 24 months in both IKDC and KOOS. Qualitative analysis of the imaging data did not note differences between the 2 groups in fill of the graft bed, tissue integration, or presence of subchondral cysts. Patients treated with MFX had a significantly higher incidence of intralesional osteophyte formation (54% and 70% of total number of lesions treated) at 6 and 12 months when compared with CAIS (8% and 25% of total number of lesions treated). Conclusion: The first clinical experience in using CAIS for treating patients with focal chondral defects indicates that it is a safe, feasible, and effective method that may improve long-term clinical outcomes.
Npas4 Expression in Two Experimental Models of the Barrel Cortex Plasticity

Npas4 has recently been identified as an important factor in brain plasticity, particularly in mechanisms of inhibitory control. Little is known about Npas4 expression in terms of cortical plasticity. In the present study expressions of Npas4 and the archetypal immediate early gene (IEG) c-Fos were investigated in the barrel cortex of mice after sensory deprivation (sparing one row of whiskers for 7 days) or sensory conditioning (pairing stimulation of one row of whiskers with aversive stimulus). Laser microdissection of individual barrel rows allowed for analysis of IEGs expression precisely in deprived and nondeprived barrels (in deprivation study) or stimulated and nonstimulated barrels (in conditioning study). Cortex activation by sensory conditioning was found to upregulate the expression of both Npas4 and c-Fos. Reorganization of cortical circuits triggered by removal of selected rows of whiskers strongly affected c-Fos but not Npas4 expression. We hypothesize that increased inhibitory synaptogenesis observed previously after conditioning may be mediated by Npas4 expression.
A Novel Gain-of-Function Mutant of the Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinase egl-4 Affects Multiple Physiological Processes in Caenorhabditis elegans

cGMP-dependent protein kinases are key intracellular transducers of cell signaling. We identified a novel dominant mutation in the C. elegans egl-4 cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) and show that this mutation causes increased normal gene activity although it is associated with a reduced EGL-4 protein level. Prior phenotypic analyses of this gain-of-function mutant demonstrated a reduced longevity and a reduced feeding behavior when the animals were left unperturbed. We characterize several additional phenotypes caused by increased gene activity of egl-4. These phenotypes include a small body size, reduced locomotion in the presence of food, a pale intestine, increased intestinal fat storage, and a decreased propensity to form dauer larvae. The multiple phenotypes of egl-4 dominant mutants are consistent with an instructive signaling role of PKG to control many aspects of animal physiology. This is among the first reported gain-of-function mutations in this enzyme of central physiological importance. In a genetic screen we have identified extragenic suppressors of this gain-of-function mutant. Thus, this mutant promises to be a useful tool for identifying downstream targets of PKG.
Fault tolerant sorting network

A general technique for enhancing the reliability of sorting networks and other comparator-based networks is presented. The technique converts any network that uses unreliable comparators to a fault-tolerant network that produces the correct output with overwhelming probability, even if each comparator is faulty with some probability smaller than 1/2, independently of other comparators. The depth of the fault-tolerant network is only a constant times the depth of the original network, and the width of the network is increased by a logarithmic factor. <<ETX>>
Construct a robust high-precision detector with multiple low-precision sensors

This paper consider the problem of combining the binary decisions of multiple sensors to produce a better final decision. It assumes that the detection probability and false alarm probability of individual sensors are unknown, but bounded. We prove that only by increasing the number of sensors, we can achieve any target detection and false alarm probabilities. So we can construct an arbitrarily high-precision detector with low-precision sensors under the condition that the number of such component sensors is above a certain level. These results provide a practical trade-off between the number of sensors and sensor accuracy, which is important in the design of sensor networks.
Falls risk-prediction tools for hospital inpatients. Time to put them to bed?

falls are the commonest safety incidents hospital inpatients and care-home 2]. The recent National Patient Safety Agency ‘Slips Trips and Falls in [2], identiﬁed over 200,000 reported falls incidents from acute, community and mental trusts in England and Wales from 2004/2005 alone, (some 32% of all incidents in all age though know from this and other sources that such incidents are [3]. Such falls are associated with a range of adverse outcomes including injury, impaired conﬁdence and increased length of stay, institutionalisation anxiety and guilt for staff and relatives, complaint and litigation. should, be a major risk priority for hospitals and care (where around 50% of residents fall at least once a made examining older by
Association of Gestational Age at Birth with Reasons for Subsequent Hospitalisation: 18 Years of Follow-Up in a Western Australian Population Study

Background Preterm infants are at a higher risk of hospitalisation following discharge from the hospital after birth. The reasons for rehospitalisation and the association with gestational age are not well understood. Methods This was a retrospective birth cohort study of all live, singleton infants born in Western Australia between 1st January 1980 and 31st December 2010, followed to 18 years of age. Risks of rehospitalisation following birth discharge by principal diagnoses were compared for gestational age categories (<32, 32–33, 34–36, 37–38 weeks) and term births (39–41weeks). Causes of hospitalisations at various gestational age categories were identified using ICD-based discharge diagnostic codes. Results Risk of rehospitalisation was inversely correlated with gestational age. Growth-related concerns were the main causes for rehospitalisation in the neonatal period (<1 month of age) for all gestational ages. Infection was the most common reason for hospitalisation from 29 days to 1 year of age, and up to 5 years of age. Injury-related hospitalisations increased in prevalence from 5 years to 18 years of age. Risk of rehospitalisation was higher for all preterm infants for most causes. Conclusions The highest risks of rehospitalisation were for infection related causes for most GA categories. Compared with full term born infants, those born at shorter GA remain vulnerable to subsequent hospitalisation for a variety of causes up until 18 years of age.
Characterization of translocation contact sites involved in the import of mitochondrial proteins

Import of proteins into the mitochondrial matrix requires translocation across two membranes. Translocational intermediates of mitochondrial proteins, which span the outer and inner membrane simultaneously and thus suggest that translocation occurs in one step, have recently been described (Schleyer, M., and W. Neupert, 1985, Cell, 43:339-350). In this study we present evidence that distinct membrane areas are involved in the translocation process. Mitochondria that had lost most of their outer membrane by digitonin treatment (mitoplasts) still had the ability to import proteins. Import depended on proteinaceous structures of the residual outer membrane and on a factor that is located between the outer and inner membranes and that could be extracted with detergent plus salt. Translocational intermediates, which had been preformed before fractionation, remained with the mitoplasts under conditions where most of the outer membrane was subsequently removed. Submitochondrial vesicles were isolated in which translocational intermediates were enriched. Immunocytochemical studies also suggested that the translocational intermediates are located in areas where outer and inner membranes are in close proximity. We conclude that the membrane-potential-dependent import of precursor proteins involves translocation contact sites where the two membranes are closely apposed and are linked in a stable manner.
Long‐term survival after blood transfusion

Background: Look‐back investigations of populations of patients admitted to major tertiary‐care hospitals in the 1980s found a 2‐year posttransfusion mortality rate in excess of 50 percent. To quantify the association of blood transfusion with mortality in a more broadly based population, a cohort of all residents of a United States county who underwent transfusion in 1981 was studied.
Influence of Carbon Tetrachloride on Inducible Liver Enzymes and Response to Endotoxin in Mice

Injection of mice with a sublethal dose of endotoxin 2 hr after administration of 0.1 ml of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) killed 75% of the animals. CCl4 alone killed no controls. Significant protection against this effect was afforded by 5 mg of cortisone and by 5 mg of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). With a larger dose of endotoxin, cortisone did not give protection. Liver tryptophan pyrrolase activity was lowered 2 hr after CCl4 injection and reached a minimum after 17 hr. Induction of tryptophan pyrrolase by cortisone, followed by administration of CCl4, resulted in rapid loss of activity. A significant induction of tyrosine-α-ketoglutarate transaminase was observed in CCl4-treated mice. The induction of this enzyme by cortisone was somewhat impaired when CCl4 was administered concurrently with the hormone. CCl4 did not lower tryptophan pyrrolase in endotoxin-tolerant mice after 4 hr, but at 17 hr the activity was decreased as much as in control mice. Oxidized pyridine nucleotides were decreased 17 hr after administration of CCl4. This loss was prevented by administration of NAD (5 mg) or by cortisone (5 mg). Carbon clearance from blood was reduced after treatment with CCl4. These results indicate a degree of similarity between the metabolic effects of endotoxin and CCl4 in that both depress tryptophan pyrrolase and prevent its induction by cortisone, and both induce tyrosine transaminase in intact mice. Both substances appear to exert these effects through some type of mediated reaction.