Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activated Macrophages Direct Apoptosis and Suppress Mitosis of Mesangial Cells1

During inflammation in the glomerulus, the complement of resident myofibroblast-like mesangial cells is regulated by mitosis and apoptosis, but the cellular mechanisms controlling the size of mesangial cell populations have remained obscure. Prompted by studies of development, we sought evidence that macrophages regulate mesangial cell number. Rat bone marrow-derived macrophages primed with IFN-γ then further activated in coculture with LPS or TNF-α elicited a 10-fold induction of rat mesangial cell apoptosis and complete suppression of mitosis, effects inhibitable by the NO synthase inhibitors l-monomethyl arginine and l-N6-(1-iminoethyl) lysine dihydrochloride. Complete dependence upon macrophage-derived NO was observed in comparable experiments employing activated bone marrow macrophages from wild-type and NO synthase 2−/− mice. Nevertheless, when mesangial cells were primed with IFN-γ plus TNF-α, increased induction by activated macrophages of mesangial apoptosis exhibited a NO-independent element. The use of gld/gld macrophages excluded a role for Fas ligand in this residual kill, despite increased expression of Fas and increased susceptibility to soluble Fas ligand exhibited by cytokine-primed mesangial cells. Finally, activated macrophages isolated from the glomeruli of rats with nephrotoxic nephritis also induced apoptosis and suppressed mitosis in mesangial cells by an l-monomethyl arginine-inhibitable mechanism. These data demonstrate that activated macrophages, via the release of NO and other mediators, regulate mesangial cell populations in vitro and may therefore control the mesangial cell complement at inflamed sites.
Comparison of high sensitivity and contemporary troponin assays for the early detection of acute myocardial infarction in the emergency department

Background Current guidelines define acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by the rise and/or fall of cardiac troponin with ≥1 value above the 99th percentile. Past troponin assays have been unreliable at the lower end of the range. Highly sensitive assays have therefore been developed to increase the clinical sensitivity for detection of myocardial injury. Methods Three hundred and thirty-two patients with chest pain suggestive of AMI were prospectively recruited between November 2006 and April 2007. Serial blood samples were analysed to compare Roche Elecsys high sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT), Abbott Architect troponin I 3rd generation (TnI 3) and Roche Elecsys troponin T (TnT) for the diagnosis of AMI. Results One hundred and ten (33.1%) patients were diagnosed with AMI. Test performance for the diagnosis of AMI, as quantified by receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (95% confidence intervals) for baseline/follow-up troponins were as follows: hsTnT 0.90 (0.87–0.94)/0.94 (0.91–0.97), TnI 3 0.88 (0.84–0.92)/0.93 (0.90–0.96) and TnT 0.80 (0.74–0.85)/0.89 (0.85–0.94). hsTnT was superior to TnT (P < 0.001/0.013 at baseline/follow-up) but equivalent to TnI 3. For patients with a final diagnosis of AMI, baseline troponins were raised in more patients for hsTnT (83.6%) than TnI 3 (74.5%) and TnT (62.7%). A delta troponin of ≥20% increased the specificity of hsTnT from 80.6% to 93.7% but reduced sensitivity from 90.9% to 71.8%. Conclusion hsTnT was superior to TnT but equivalent to TnI 3 for the diagnosis of AMI. Serial troponin measurement increased test performance. hsTnT was the most likely to be raised at baseline in those with AMI. A delta troponin increases specificity but reduces sensitivity.
Do Abnormal Serum Lipid Levels Increase the Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain? The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study

Background Cross-sectional studies suggest associations between abnormal lipid levels and prevalence of low back pain (LBP), but it is not known if there is any causal relationship. Objective The objective was to determine, in a population-based prospective cohort study, whether there is any relation between levels of total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides and the probability of experiencing subsequent chronic (LBP), both among individuals with and without LBP at baseline. Methods Information was collected in the community-based HUNT 2 (1995–1997) and HUNT 3 (2006–2008) surveys of an entire Norwegian county. Participants were 10,151 women and 8731 men aged 30–69 years, not affected by chronic LBP at baseline, and 3902 women and 2666 men with LBP at baseline. Eleven years later the participants indicated whether they currently suffered from chronic LBP. Results Among women without LBP at baseline, HDL cholesterol levels were inversely associated and triglyceride levels positively associated with the risk of chronic LBP at end of follow-up in analyses adjusted for age only. Adjustment for the baseline factors education, work status, physical activity, smoking, blood pressure and in particular BMI largely removed these associations (RR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.85–1.07 per mmol/l of HDL cholesterol; RR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.94–1.42 per unit of lg(triglycerides)). Total cholesterol levels showed no associations. In women with LBP at baseline and men without LBP at baseline weaker relationships were observed. In men with LBP at baseline, an inverse association with HDL cholesterol remained after complete adjustment (RR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.72–0.95 per mmol/l). Conclusion Crude associations between lipid levels and risk of subsequent LBP in individuals without current LBP are mainly caused by confounding with body mass. However, an association with low HDL levels may still remain in men who are already affected and possibly experience a higher pain intensity.
Advice to follow a low-carbohydrate diet has a favourable impact on low-grade inflammation in type 2 diabetes compared with advice to follow a low-fat diet

Abstract Background. Inflammation may play an important role in type 2 diabetes. It has been proposed that dietary strategies can modulate inflammatory activity. Methods. We investigated the effects of diet on inflammation in type 2 diabetes by comparing a traditional low-fat diet (LFD) with a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD). Patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized to follow either LFD aiming for 55–60 energy per cent (E%) from carbohydrates (n = 30) or LCD aiming for 20 E% from carbohydrates (n = 29). Plasma was collected at baseline and after 6 months. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), IL-6, tumour necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) 1 and TNFR2 were determined. Results. Both LFD and LCD led to similar reductions in body weight, while beneficial effects on glycaemic control were observed in the LCD group only. After 6 months, the levels of IL-1Ra and IL-6 were significantly lower in the LCD group than in the LFD group, 978 (664–1385) versus 1216 (974–1822) pg/mL and 2.15 (1.65–4.27) versus 3.39 (2.25–4.79) pg/mL, both P < 0.05. Conclusions. To conclude, advice to follow LCD or LFD had similar effects on weight reduction while effects on inflammation differed. Only LCD was found significantly to improve the subclinical inflammatory state in type 2 diabetes. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01005498.
Validation of a Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Determination of All-Trans Retinoic Acid in Human Plasma and Its Application to a Bioequivalence Study

A sensitive, reliable and specific LC-MS-MS method was developed and validated for the identification and quantitation of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in human plasma. Acitretin was used as the internal standard (IS). After liquid-liquid extraction of 500 μL plasma with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ATRA and the IS were chromatographed on a HyPURITY C18 column (150 mm × 2.1 mm, 5 μm) with the column temperature set at 40 °C. The mobile phase was consisted of 40% phase A (MTBE–methanol–acetic acid, 50:50:0.5, v/v) and 60% phase B (water–methanol–acetic acid, 50:50:0.5, v/v) with a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The API 4000 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode via the positive electrospray ionization interface using the transition m/z 301.4 → 123.1 for ATRA and m/z 326.9 → 177.1 for IS, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.45–217.00 ng/mL (r ≥ 0.999) with a lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 0.45 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions values were below 8% relative standard deviation and the accuracy was from 98.98% to 106.19% in terms of relative error. The validated method was successfully applied in a bioequivalence study of ATRA in Chinese healthy volunteers.
A Novel Power Divider Design With Enhanced Spurious Suppression and Simple Structure

This paper presents a novel design of a microwave power divider with enhanced spurious suppression. The proposed circuit features simple implementation with moderate line impedance, flexible layout design, and extended stopband bandwidth with three controllable transmission zeros. Moreover, explicit closed-form expressions are available for the evaluation of circuit parameters. For verification, the simulated and measured results of a 1-GHz power divider implemented on microstrip are shown.
Semaphorin 3A inhibits ERM protein phosphorylation in growth cone filopodia through inactivation of PI3K

Ezrin–radixin–moesin (ERM) proteins are involved in the linkage of membranes to theactin filament (F‐actin) cytoskeleton. Phosphorylation of the C‐terminus activates the F‐actin binding domain of ERM proteins by preventing the action of an autoinhibitory domain. In this study, we investigated whether a growth cone collapsing signal, semaphorin 3A (Sema3A), alters the state of ERM C‐terminus phosphorylation. In the growth cones of dorsal root ganglion axons, phosphorylated ERM proteins localize to filopodia. We report that Sema3A inhibits ERM protein phosphorylation in growth cone filopodia. Significantly, Sema3A decreased ERM phosphorylation prior to the onset of growth cone collapse. Over‐expression of the F‐actin binding fragment of ERM proteins, which competes with endogenous ERM proteins for binding to F‐actin, inhibited filopodial initiation and dynamics. Sema3A has been previously shown to inhibit phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K) activity. Inhibition of PI3K resulted in the loss of phosphorylated ERM proteins from growth cone filopodia, and treatment with a PI3K activating peptide blocked the effects of Sema3A on ERM phosphorylation. Collectively, these observations demonstrate that inactivation of PI3K in response to Sema3A results in decreased phosphorylation of ERM proteins in filopodia thereby contributing to growth cone collapse. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2008.
Dual capacity upper bounds for noisy runlength constrained channels

Binary-input memoryless channels with a runlength constrained input, where an input of one is necessarily followed by a fixed number of zeros, are considered. Computable upper bounds to the capacity of such noisy runlength constrained channels are derived using the dual capacity method. Simplified versions of the bounds are presented for the binary erasure channel (BEC) and the binary symmetric channel (BSC). These bounds improve upon previously known computable bounds and show that feedback strictly improves the capacity of the runlength constrained BEC and BSC for all parameters.
Levels of Serum Calcium and Magnesium in Pre-eclamptic and Normal Pregnancy: A Study from Coastal India.

BACKGROUND Pre-eclampsia is one of the major causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Though the aetiology is obscure, recent studies indicate that serum levels of calcium and magnesium may have a role in pre-eclampsia. AIM The aim of this study was to find out the relationship of serum levels of calcium and magnesium in pre-eclamptic pregnancies compared to normal pregnancies in women from southern coastal India. SETTINGS AND DESIGN This study was done in a medical college hospital in southern coastal India. MATERIALS AND METHODS The blood samples from 60 pre-eclamptic women and an equal number of controls were analysed for calcium and magnesium levels. Data on Body Mass Index, maternal and gestational ages, serum calcium and magnesium were compared between the two groups. Outcome of pregnancy was analysed in both the groups and compared. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Data was expressed as Mean ± Standard Deviation. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 20. Comparison of serum levels of the elements between the two groups was performed by Independent t-test and Chi-square test and P-value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS The serum calcium concentration was significantly lower in the pre-eclamptic group compared to normotensives (7.84 ± 0.87 mg/dl Vs 8.97± 0.69 mg/dl, p<0.001) whereas the levels of serum magnesium showed a marginal difference in both the groups. (1.43± 0.55 mg/dl Vs, 1.57 ± 0.72 mg/dl P 0.257) The study also showed that pre-eclamptic women were older, their BMI was higher and birth weight of babies lower compared to normotensives. CONCLUSION According to the results of our research, intake of supplements, mainly calcium may help in the reduction of incidence of pre-eclampsia especially in a population of a developing country like ours where the nutrition is poor. Not many studies have been done in developing countries to assess the role of these elements in pre-eclampsia. The actual role of magnesium and calcium supplements needs further investigation.
Stochastic phase resetting of stimulus-locked responses of two coupled oscillators: transient response clustering, synchronization, and desynchronization.

Transient phase dynamics, synchronization, and desynchronization which are stimulus-locked (i.e., tightly time-locked to a repetitively administered stimulus) are studied in two coupled phase oscillators in the presence of noise. The presented method makes it possible to detect such processes in numerical and experimental signals. The time resolution is enormous, since it is only restricted by the sampling rate. Stochastic stimulus locking of the phases or the n:m phase difference at a particular time t relative to stimulus onset is defined by the presence of one or more prominent peaks in the cross-trial distribution of the phases or the n:m phase difference at time t relative to stimulus onset in an ensemble of poststimulus responses. The oscillators' coupling may cause a transient cross-trial response clustering of the poststimulus responses. In particular, the mechanism by which intrinsic noise induces symmetric antiphase cross-trial response clustering in coupled detuned oscillators is a stochastic resonance. Unlike the presented approach, both cross-trial averaging (where an ensemble of poststimulus responses is simply averaged) and cross-trial cross correlation (CTCC) lead to severe misinterpretations: Triggered averaging cannot distinguish a cross-trial response clustering or decorrelation from a mean amplitude decrease of the single responses. CTCC not only depends on the oscillators' phase difference but also on their phases and, thus, inevitably displays "artificial" oscillations that are not related to synchronization or desynchronization.
Consequences of Global Warming of 1.5 °C and 2 °C for Regional Temperature and Precipitation Changes in the Contiguous United States

The differential warming of land and ocean leads to many continental regions in the Northern Hemisphere warming at rates higher than the global mean temperature. Adaptation and conservation efforts will, therefore, benefit from understanding regional consequences of limiting the global mean temperature increase to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, a limit agreed upon at the United Nations Climate Summit in Paris in December 2015. Here, we analyze climate model simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to determine the timing and magnitude of regional temperature and precipitation changes across the contiguous United States (US) for global warming of 1.5 and 2°C and highlight consensus and uncertainties in model projections and their implications for making decisions. The regional warming rates differ considerably across the contiguous US, but all regions are projected to reach 2°C about 10-20 years before the global mean temperature. Although there is uncertainty in the timing of exactly when the 1.5 and 2°C thresholds will be crossed regionally, over 80% of the models project at least 2°C warming by 2050 for all regions for the high emissions scenario. This threshold-based approach also highlights regional variations in the rate of warming across the US. The fastest warming region in the contiguous US is the Northeast, which is projected to warm by 3°C when global warming reaches 2°C. The signal-to-noise ratio calculations indicate that the regional warming estimates remain outside the envelope of uncertainty throughout the twenty-first century, making them potentially useful to planners. The regional precipitation projections for global warming of 1.5°C and 2°C are uncertain, but the eastern US is projected to experience wetter winters and the Great Plains and the Northwest US are projected to experience drier summers in the future. The impact of different scenarios on regional precipitation projections is negligible throughout the twenty-first century compared to uncertainties associated with internal variability and model diversity.
Spirituality, religiosity, and dealing with illness in Arabic and German patients.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of spirituality and religiosity (SpR) in Arabic patients with a Muslim background as compared to patients from Western Germany. METHODS A total of 66 Arabic patients with hypertension were recruited between November 2005 and June 2006 consecutively at Al-Razi Hospital and Khalil Sulaiman Hospital in Jenin (Palestine) and completed the translated SpREUK questionnaire (SpREUK is an acronym of the German translation of spiritual and religious attitudes in dealing with illness). One hundred and eighty German patients were matched according to age, marital status, gender, and chronic diseases. RESULTS Arabic patients with a Muslim background had significantly higher scores for all 4 SpREUK scales than German patients, namely, Search for meaningful support, Trust in higher source, Positive interpretation of disease, and Support in relations of life through SpR. CONCLUSION For Muslims, the spiritual causes of disease are regarded much more as given by Allah, but this does neither impair faith as observed in German patients nor the positive interpretation of disease. It is of high importance to acknowledge these differences due to individuals with different SpR attitudes significantly differ in the way they find meaning in disease and hold in their spiritual source.
Violation of the Leggett-Garg Inequality in neutrino oscillations

The Leggett-Garg inequality, an analogue of Bell’s inequality involving correlations of measurements on a system at different times, stands as one of the hallmark tests of quantum mechanics against classical predictions. The phenomenon of neutrino oscillations should adhere to quantum-mechanical predictions and provide an observable violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality. We demonstrate how oscillation phenomena can be used to test for violations of the classical bound by performing measurements on an ensemble of neutrinos at distinct energies, as opposed to a single neutrino at distinct times. A study of the MINOS experiment’s data shows a greater than 6σ violation over a distance of 735 km, representing the longest distance over which either the Leggett-Garg inequality or Bell’s inequality has been tested.
The Star Formation History of the Carina Dwarf Galaxy

We have analyzed deep B and V photometry of the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy reaching below the old main-sequence turnoff to V ∼ 25. Using simulated color-magnitude diagrams to model a range of star formation scenarios, we have extracted a detailed, global star formation history. Carina experienced three significant episodes of star formation at ∼15, 7, and 3 Gyr. Contrary to the generic picture of galaxy evolution, however, the bulk of star formation, at least 50%, occurred during the episode 7 Gyr ago, which may have lasted as long as 2 Gyr. For unknown reasons, Carina formed only 10%–20% of its stars at an ancient epoch and then remained quiescent for more than 4 Gyr. The remainder (∼30%) formed relatively recently, only 3 Gyr ago. Interest in the local population of dwarf galaxies has increased lately because of their potential importance in the understanding of faint galaxy counts. We surmise that objects like Carina, which exhibits the most extreme episodic behavior of any of the dwarf spheroidal companions to the Galaxy, are capable of contributing to the observed excess of blue galaxies at B ∼ 24 only if the star formation occurred instantaneously.
Assessing comorbidity and correlates of wasting and stunting among children in Somalia using cross-sectional household surveys: 2007 to 2010

Objective Wasting and stunting may occur together at the individual child level; however, their shared geographic distribution and correlates remain unexplored. Understanding shared and separate correlates may inform interventions. We aimed to assess the spatial codistribution of wasting, stunting and underweight and investigate their shared correlates among children aged 6–59 months in Somalia. Setting Cross-sectional nutritional assessments surveys were conducted using structured interviews among communities in Somalia biannually from 2007 to 2010. A two-stage cluster sampling methodology was used to select children aged 6–59 months from households across three livelihood zones (pastoral, agropastoral and riverine). Using these data and environmental covariates, we implemented a multivariate spatial technique to estimate the codistribution and divergence of the risks and correlates of wasting and stunting at the 1×1 km spatial resolution. Participants 73 778 children aged 6–59 months from 1066 survey clusters in Somalia. Results Observed pairwise child level empirical correlations were 0.30, 0.70 and 0.73 between weight-for-height and height-for-age; height-for-age and weight-for-age, and weight-for-height and weight-for-age, respectively. Access to foods with high protein content and vegetation cover, a proxy of rainfall or drought, were associated with lower risk of wasting and stunting. Age, gender, illness, access to carbohydrates and temperature were correlates of all three indicators. The spatial codistribution was highest between stunting and underweight with relative risk values ranging between 0.15 and 6.20, followed by wasting and underweight (range: 0.18–5.18) and lowest between wasting and stunting (range: 0.26–4.32). Conclusions The determinants of wasting and stunting are largely shared, but their correlation is relatively variable in space. Significant hotspots of different forms of malnutrition occurred in the South Central regions of the country. Although nutrition response in Somalia has traditionally focused on wasting rather than stunting, integrated programming and interventions can effectively target both conditions to alleviate common risk factors.