Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imaging of myeloperoxidase in mice by using novel amplifiable paramagnetic substrates.

PURPOSE To evaluate whether contrast agents for molecular magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can demonstrate the in vivo activity of myeloperoxidase, an enzyme that is secreted by stimulated polymorphonuclear leukocytes, monocytes, and macrophages during inflammation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Animal experiments were approved by the animal care committee. Protocols for the procurement and use of human blood were approved by the institutional review board. Informed consent was obtained from each donor, and HIPAA guidelines were followed for humans. Two paramagnetic myeloperoxidase substrates--that is, gadolinium-5-hydroxytryptamide-tetraazacyclododecane tetraacetic acid (Gd-5-HT-DOTA) and Gd-bis-5-HT-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-bis-5-HT-DTPA)--were synthesized. Indium 111-labeled bis-5-HT-DTPA was used to determine biodistribution and target localization. A total of 22 mice were used in three models. In the first model, human myeloperoxidase was embedded in a basement membrane matrix gel and was injected intramuscularly. In the second model, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli was embedded in a basement membrane matrix gel and was injected intramuscularly to induce endogenous myeloperoxidase secretion. In the third model, LPS was injected intramuscularly to induce myositis. Statistical significance was calculated for contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) curves by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. RESULTS After the administration of Gd-bis-5-HT-DTPA, strong MR signal enhancement (up to 2.5-fold increase in CNR, P < .001) was observed in vivo for implants that contained human myeloperoxidase. In the LPS-induced myositis model, a smaller visible difference was seen (1.3-fold increase in CNR, P < .001), which was consistent with the fact that endogenous mouse myeloperoxidase is only about 10%-20% as active as human myeloperoxidase. Prolonged contrast material enhancement was observed in the myeloperoxidase-containing areas that were injected with Gd-5-HT-DOTA or Gd-bis-5-HT-DTPA but was not observed in areas that were injected with Gd-DTPA or Gd-dopamine-DOTA (P < .05). Single photon emission computed tomography combined with computed tomography was used to confirm the increased retention of contrast agents at sites that contained human myeloperoxidase, and the results of biodistribution studies demonstrated a more than fourfold increase radiotracer accumulation at these sites. CONCLUSION Human and mouse myeloperoxidase activity in myeloperoxidase implants and inflamed tissues can be visualized and reported in vivo by using myeloperoxidase-sensitive "smart" molecular imaging probes.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: an experience at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar.

BACKGROUND Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy originally a minimal invasive surgical technique involving less hospital stay less economical burden decreased post op complication and early mobility. The objective was to analyse data of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy at a surgical setup. METHODS This study was conducted at the Department of Surgery, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from 11th January 2006 till 10th January 2009. Patients aged above 14 year, presenting in the outpatient department with clinical and ultrasonographic evidence of cholecystitis and undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in the study. The procedure performed was predominantly the four port technique for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A proforma was prepared to collect preoperative, operative, and postoperative data. Operative data included the technique used and the difficulties ascertained during those procedures. Data was analysed using SPSS-13.0. RESULTS Of 421 patients, 387 patients fulfilled the criteria for admission to undergo the procedure. The mean age of all patients was 38.6 +/- 7.1 year ranging from 16 years to 72 year with a male to female ratio of 1:8.09. During the first six months 57 patients underwent the procedure for which the mean operating time was 67.4 min. During the last six months the mean operating time was 39.1 +/- 8.9 minutes. The overall rate of conversion of laparoscopic cholecystectomy was 6.4%. In comparison the last six months of the study showed one case (1.16%) in 86 patients being converted to open cholecystectomy. The most common cause foe conversion of the laparoscopic procedure to an open cholecystectomy was dense adhesions making dissection of the triangle of Calot's difficult. In 73 cases (21.4%) the gall bladder was perforated during dissection of gall bladder from the gall bladder bed. CONCLUSION The out comes of this study during the last six months is comparable to studies conducted at more experienced centres making laparoscopic more than just an early experience in this part of the world.
Thermomechanical behavior of NiTiPdPt high temperature shape memory alloy springs

Transformation strains in high temperature shape memory alloys (HTSMAs) are generally smaller than for conventional NiTi alloys and can be purposefully limited in cases where stability and repeatability at elevated temperatures are desired. Yet such alloys can still be used in actuator applications that require large strokes when used in the form of springs. Thus there is a need to understand the thermomechanical behavior of shape memory alloy spring actuators, particularly those consisting of alternative alloys. In this work, a modular test setup was assembled with the objective of acquiring stroke, stress, temperature, and moment data in real time during joule heating and forced convective cooling of Ni19.5Ti50. 5Pd25Pt5 HTSMA springs. The spring actuators were subjected to both monotonic axial loading and thermomechanical cycling. The role of rotational constraints (i.e., by restricting rotation or allowing for free rotation at the ends of the springs) on stroke performance was also assessed. Finally, recognizing that evolution in the material microstructure can result in changes in HTSMA spring geometry, the effect of material microstructural evolution on spring performance was examined. This was done by taking into consideration the changes in geometry that occurred during thermomechanical cycling. This work thus provides insight into designing with HTSMA springs and predicting their thermomechanical performance.
Informationally Structured Space for Life Log Monitoring in Elderly Care

Recently, various types of wireless sensor network systems have been developed to realize daily care for elderly people living alone. Furthermore, visualization methods of life logs have been presented. However, it is important to integrate different types of data measured by each sensor node to estimate human states and behaviors. Therefore, we have proposed the concept of informationally structured space (ISS). This paper proposes a methodology to deal with data measured by sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks on ISS. First, we explain how to use ISS for wireless sensor networks. Next, we apply the proposed method to elderly care. We propose four different components such as (1) human localization by spiking neurons, (2) human movement transition probability, (3) redundant monitoring by simultaneous firing of sensor nodes, and (4) temporal life pattern extraction by Gaussian membership functions. Finally, we show several simulation results and discuss the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Ventromedial prefrontal cortex stimulation enhances memory and hippocampal neurogenesis in the middle-aged rats

Memory dysfunction is a key symptom of age-related dementia. Although recent studies have suggested positive effects of electrical stimulation for memory enhancement, its potential targets remain largely unknown. In this study, we hypothesized that spatially targeted deep brain stimulation of ventromedial prefrontal cortex enhanced memory functions in a middle-aged rat model. Our results show that acute stimulation enhanced the short-, but not the long-term memory in the novel-object recognition task. Interestingly, after chronic high-frequency stimulation, both the short- and long-term memories were robustly improved in the novel-object recognition test and Morris water-maze spatial task compared to sham. Our results also demonstrated that chronic ventromedial prefrontal cortex high-frequency stimulation upregulated neurogenesis-associated genes along with enhanced hippocampal cell proliferation. Importantly, these memory behaviors were strongly correlated with the hippocampal neurogenesis. Overall, these findings suggest that chronic ventromedial prefrontal cortex high-frequency stimulation may serve as a novel effective therapeutic target for dementia-related disorders. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.04803. 001
A model for quantifying the reliability of highly-reliable distributed systems based on fieldbus replicated buses

Despite the efforts devoted to increase the dependability of highly-reliable distributed fieldbus systems by means of simplex stars and replicated stars/buses, literature lacks of appropriate analyses that quantify the system reliability these topologies yield. In previous work, we proposed models to adequately quantify the system reliability benefits of simplex buses and simplex/replicated stars. However, a model for replicated buses is an open issue that needs to be addressed, as they normally include less components than stars and, thus, can be more reliable and cost-effective. To fill this gap, this paper presents a model that makes it possible to appropriately quantify the reliability that a highly-reliable distributed system can achieve when using a replicated bus.
MOESSBAUER SPECTROSCOPIC, CHEMICAL AND MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF IBERIAN POTTERY

Characterization of andent pottery is threefold: the provenance of the clay, non-plastics added and firing technology (kiln atmosphere and associated thermal cycle). Very often sherds of different provenance have similar appearance although, conversely, different manufacturing techniques can produce a wide variety of pottery from the sanle clay. Therefore a classification of the sherds based solely upan macroscopic and stylistic grounds could lead to serious mistakes. Physicochen1ical techniques could contribute lnore substantial evidence.
Risk of Death in Heart Disease is Associated With Elevated Urinary Globotriaosylceramide

Background Elevated urinary globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) has been considered a hallmark of Fabry disease, an X‐linked lysosomal disorder that is a risk factor for most types of heart disease. Methods and Results We screened 1421 consecutive patients with common forms of heart disease for Fabry disease by measuring urinary Gb3 in whole urine using tandem mass spectrometry, α‐galactosidase A activity in dried blood spots, and we looked for GLA mutations by parallel sequencing of the whole gene (exons and introns) in pooled genomic DNA samples followed by Sanger sequencing verification. GLA variants were found in 13 patients. In the 1408 patients without GLA mutations, urinary Gb3 levels were significantly higher in heart disease patients compared to 116 apparently healthy controls (median difference=10.0 ng/mL and P<0.001). Urinary lipid profiling showed that levels of 5 other lipids significantly distinguished between urine of patients with Fabry disease (n=7) and heart disease patients with elevated urinary Gb3 (n=6). Sphingomyelin and Gb3 levels were abnormal in the left ventricular wall of patients with ischemic heart failure. Elevated levels of urinary Gb3 were independently associated with increased risk of death in the average follow‐up of 17 months (hazard ratio=1.59 for increase in Gb3 of 200, 95% CI=1.36 and 1.87, and P<0.0001). Conclusions In heart disease patients who do not have Fabry disease or GLA gene mutations, a higher level of urinary Gb3 is positively associated with near‐term mortality. The elevation of urinary Gb3 and that of other lipids suggests that heart disease is associated with multiorgan lipid abnormalities. Clinical Trial Registration URL: clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT01019629.
Regulation of parathyroid cell gene expression in experimental uremia.

The secondary hyperparathyroidism of renal failure is an important component of renal osteodystrophy. We studied PTHmRNA levels and their regulation in control and subtotal nephrectomized (5/6 NX) rats at 3 wk, as well as levels of the 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor mRNA in parathyroids. Serum 1,25(OH)2D levels were decreased in 5/6 NX, whereas PTHmRNA levels were increased (7 +/- 0.7 OD U, N = 4) compared to controls (2.1 +/- 1.2, P less than 0.01); both decreased after 1,25(OH)2D3 (100 pmol/100 g body weight). Similar results were found in 5/6 NX rats after 3 months. There was no change in actin mRNA levels. PTHmRNA levels were highest in 5/6 NX rats with the most severe renal failure. The parathyroid gland 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor mRNA levels were not different between 5/6 NX rats and controls and were not affected by 1,25(OH)2D3 (100 pmol/100 g body weight daily) at 1 or 3 days. PTHmRNA levels of 5/6 NX rats did not increase when the serum calcium was decreased from 2.8 +/- 0.05 mmol/L to 0.9 +/- 0.15 mmol/L at 3 or 5 h, which contrasted with the marked increase in PTHmRNA in normal rats after hypocalcemia. As in normal rats, after hypercalcemia (4.8 mmol/L at 1 h) there was no change in the 5/6 NX rats' PTHmRNA levels. These results show that 5/6 NX rats have increased PTHmRNA levels that are normally regulated by injected 1,25(OH)2D3 but not by calcium. Parathyroid gland 1,25(OH)2D receptor mRNA levels are not increased in 5/6 NX in contrast to the increased PTHmRNA, which reflects the larger glands of uremia. 1,25(OH)2D receptor mRNA levels were not regulated by 1,25(OH)2D3. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Growth Factor-Dependent Proliferation and Invasion of Muscle Satellite Cells Require the Cell-Associated Fibrinolytic System

Abstract The process of muscle regeneration in normal and dystrophic muscle depends on locally produced cytokines and growth factors and requires the activity of the urokinase plasminogen activator/urokinase plasminogen activator receptor/plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 system. In this study we tested the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and transforming growth factorβ (TGFβ) on the fibrinolytic pattern of normal and dystrophic satellite cells, their mitogenic and motogenic activities and the dependence of such activities on the cellassociated fibrinolytic system. We have observed that the urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) receptor is weakly upregulated by bFGF in normal satellite cells, while it is strongly upregulated by TGFβ, mainly in dystrophic myoblasts. bFGF upregulated uPA in both normal and dystrophic myoblasts grown in primary culture, while a striking downregulation was observed with TGFβ. TGFβ was the only growth factor able to exceptionally upregulate plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), mainly in dystrophic satellite cells. HGF did not show any activity on the fibrinolytic system. Proliferation and invasion into Matrigel matrices of normal and dystrophic cells occurred regardless of the growth factordependent regulation of the fibrinolytic system. Nevertheless, each growth factor required the efficiency of the constitutive cellassociated fibrinolytic system to operate, as shown by impairment of growth factor activity with antagonists of uPA and of its receptor. Noteworthy, TGFβ induced a dosedependent increase of Matrigel invasion only in dystrophic myoblasts. Since TGFβchallenged dystrophic myoblasts undergo an exceptional upregulation of the receptor and of PAI-1, we propose the possibility that the TGFβinduced fibrinolytic pattern (low urokinase plasminogen activator, high receptor and high PAI-1) may be exploited to promote survival and spreading of transplanted engineered myoblasts in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Influence of human leukocyte antigen-B22 alleles on the course of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in 3 cohorts of white men.

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B22 serogroup--which consists of the alleles B*54, B*55, and B*56--has been associated with rapidly progressive disease in white patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Subjects from 3 cohorts of men who have sex with men (N=671), all of whom experienced HIV-1 seroconversion at roughly the same time, were molecularly typed at HLA-A, -B, and -C loci. Mean HIV RNA loads during early HIV infection were higher in B22-positive men than in B22-negative men (difference, 0.481 log(10) HIV RNA copies/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.156-0.806 log(10) HIV RNA copies/mL; P=. 004). Independent of accepted markers of progression, time-to-AIDS was shorter in B22-positive seroconverters (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.27-3.10; P=.003). White B22 serogroup alleles (B*55 and *56) appear to predispose to unfavorable outcome of HIV infection as strongly as some or all B*35 and B*53 alleles. This finding may have greater implications for Asians, because the marker frequency for B22 is higher among Asians than among whites (approximately 10% vs. approximately 4%).
An international survey of insomnia: under-recognition and under-treatment of a polysymptomatic condition

ABSTRACT Background: Due to its high prevalence, considerable impact on well-being, and high medical and societal costs, insomnia represents an important healthcare challenge. Despite this, the prevalence of this condition is under-recognized and many sufferers do not receive adequate treatment. Objective: This international survey investigated the prevalence and characteristics of insomnia in the general population in France, Italy, Japan and the USA to better understand why insomnia is under-recognized and under-treated. Research design and methods: Type, frequency, natural history of night- and day-time symptoms, and attitudes of people regarding the nature and treatment of insomnia was quantitatively assessed from a representative sample of the general population aged > 18 years in each of the four countries. A survey of an extensive series of standardized 10–15‐min interviews was conducted over the telephone by professional interviewers. Results: Insomnia was reported by 37.2% of respondents in France and Italy, 6.6% in Japan, and 27.1% in the USA. The mean number of symptoms reported per patient was two, with sleep maintenance insomnia the most predominant symptom (73%), followed by difficulty falling asleep (61%), and poor sleep quality (48%). Daytime fatigue and impaired concentration and attention were the most commonly reported next-day symptoms as a result of poor sleep. The majority of individuals with sleep problems reported being ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ bothered by their symptoms, and reported that their sleep problems impacted on their daily quality of life either ‘somewhat’ or ‘a lot’. Among individuals with a history of insomnia, the rate of reporting insomnia symptoms to physicians was generally low and of those who did consult a physician, few were prescribed any medication. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that in Europe, Japan and the USA, the burden of insomnia on sufferers is considerable. Many respondents took no action to alleviate their insomnia symptoms despite the poor sleep impacting on their daily quality of life either ‘somewhat’ or ‘a lot’.
Another Proof for the Secrecy Capacity of the $K$-Receiver Broadcast Channel With Confidential Messages

The secrecy capacity region for the K-receiver degraded broadcast channel (BC) is given for confidential messages sent to the receivers and to be kept secret from an external wiretapper. Superposition coding and Wyner's random code partitioning are used to show the achievable rate tuples. Error probability analysis and equivocation calculation are also provided. In the converse proof, a new definition for the auxiliary random variables is used, which is different from either the case of the two-receiver BC without common message or the K-receiver BC with common message, both with an external wiretapper, or the K -receiver BC without a wiretapper.
Perioperative ischaemia-induced liver injury and protection strategies: An expanding horizon for anaesthesiologists

Liver resection is an effective modality of treatment in patients with primary liver tumour, metastases from colorectal cancers and selected benign hepatic diseases. Its aim is to resect the grossly visible tumour with clear margins and to ensure that the remnant liver mass has sufficient function which is adequate for survival. With the advent of better preoperative imaging, surgical techniques and perioperative management, there is an improvement in the outcome with decreased mortality. This decline in postoperative mortality after hepatic resection has encouraged surgeons for more radical liver resections, leaving behind smaller liver remnants in a bid to achieve curative surgeries. But despite advances in diagnostic, imaging and surgical techniques, postoperative liver dysfunction of varied severity including death due to liver failure is still a serious problem in such patients. Different surgical and non-surgical techniques like reducing perioperative blood loss and consequent decreased transfusions, vascular occlusion techniques (intermittent portal triad clamping and ischaemic preconditioning), administration of pharmacological agents (dextrose, intraoperative use of methylprednisolone, trimetazidine, ulinastatin and lignocaine) and inhaled anaesthetic agents (sevoflurane) and opioids (remifentanil) have demonstrated the potential benefit and minimised the adverse effects of surgery. In this article, the authors reviewed the surgical and non-surgical measures that could be adopted to minimise the risk of postoperative liver failure following liver surgeries with special emphasis on ischaemic and pharmacological preconditioning which can be easily adapted clinically.
Tree species richness affects litter production and decomposition rates in a tropical biodiversity experiment

We report data on leaf litter production and decomposition from a manipulative biodiversity experiment with trees in tropical Panama, which has been designed to explore the relationship between tree diversity and ecosystem functioning. A total of 24 plots (2025 m2) were established in 2001 using six native tree species, with 1-, 3-, and 6-species mixtures. We estimated litter production during the dry season 2005 with litter traps; decomposition was assessed with a litter bag approach during the following wet season. Litter production during the course of the dry season was highly variable among the tree species. Tree diversity significantly affected litter production, and the majority of the intermediate diverse mixtures had higher litter yields than expected based on yields in monoculture. In contrast, high diverse mixtures did not show such overyielding in litter production. Litter decomposition rates were also highly species-specific, and were related to various measures of litter quality (C/N, lignin/N, fibre content). We found no overall effect of litter diversity if the entire litter mixtures were analyzed, i.e. mixing species resulted in pure additive effects and observed decomposition rates were not different from expected rates. However, the individual species changed their decomposition pattern depending on the diversity of the litter mixture, i.e. there were species-specific responses to mixing litter. The analysis of temporal C and N dynamics within litter mixtures gave only limited evidence for nutrient transfer among litters of different quality. At this early stage of our tree diversity experiment, there are no coherent and general effects of tree species richness on both litter production and decomposition. Within the scope of the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship, our results therefore highlight the process-specific effects diversity may have. Additionally, species-specific effects on ecosystem processes and their temporal dynamics are important, but such effects may change along the gradient of tree diversity.