Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiometabolic Health Among Adult Offspring of Hypertensive Pregnancies: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

Background Cardiometabolic health among adult offspring of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is relatively unknown. We hypothesized that offspring of HDP would have abnormalities in the retinal microvasculature and cardiac structure by midadulthood. Methods and Results The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study included randomly selected children from 5 Finnish university cities. The mean age of participants was 40 years (range 34–49 years) at the time of retinal photography and cardiac assessment. Offspring born ≥37 weeks of gestation and appropriate for gestational age (n=1006) were included. Offspring of HDP had higher systolic blood pressure (β=4.68, P<0.001), body mass index (β=1.25, P=0.009), and waist circumference (β=0.25, P=0.042), compared with offspring of normotensive pregnancies. However, no differences in fasting glucose, insulin, lipid profile, carotid intima media thickness, or brachial artery flow‐mediated dilatation were shown. Retinal arteriolar diameters were narrower (β=−0.43, P=0.009) and longer (β=32.5, P=0.023) and the arteriolar length‐to‐diameter ratio was higher (β=2.32, P=0.006) among offspring of HDP, after adjustment for age and sex. Left atrial volume indexed to body surface area (β=1.34, P=0.040) was increased. Adjustment for the confounding effects of birth weight, body mass index, smoking and socioeconomic status, and the mediating effect of hypertension had little impact on the associations. Conclusions Abnormalities of the retinal microvasculature and cardiac structure are seen in offspring of HDP in midadulthood. These findings may need to be considered in future primary prevention strategies of cardiovascular disease among offspring of HDP.
Data Quality in Evaluation of an Alcohol-Related Harm Prevention Program

The authors report the reliability and convergent validity in a sample of college students for 27 composite scales and two items covering alcohol use, cigarette smoking, marijuana use, and other drug use; beliefs relating to alcohol use; perceived norms for alcohol-related behavior; harm prevention skills; intentions to take prevention action; harm prevention action taken; risk taken; experienced harm; and other health-related behaviors and person characteristics. Data quality assessment strategies and missing data procedures were illustrated for large, multivariate, longitudinal data sets. Results indicate 23 of the 27 composite scales had at least acceptable reliability, and the remaining 4 composite scales had at least marginally acceptable reliability. At least moderate construct validity was demonstrated for 25 scales.
Tetanus toxin-mediated cleavage of cellubrevin impairs exocytosis of transferrin receptor-containing vesicles in CHO cells

Cellubrevin is a member of the synaptobrevin/VAMP family of SNAREs, which has a broad tissue distribution. In fibroblastic cells it is concentrated in the vesicles which recycle transferrin receptors but its role in membrane trafficking and fusion remains to be demonstrated. Cellubrevin, like the synaptic vesicle proteins synaptobrevins I and II, can be cleaved by tetanus toxin, a metallo-endoprotease which blocks neurotransmitter release. However, nonneuronal cells are unaffected by the toxin due to lack of cell surface receptors for its heavy chain. To determine whether cellubrevin cleavage impairs exocytosis of recycling vesicles, we tested the effect of tetanus toxin light chain on the release of preinternalized transferrin from streptolysin-O-perforated CHO cells. The release was found to be temperature and ATP dependent as well as NEM sensitive. Addition of tetanus toxin light chain, but not of a proteolytically inactive form of the toxin, resulted in a partial inhibition of transferrin release which correlated with the toxin-mediated cleavage of cellubrevin. The residual release of transferrin occurring after complete cellubrevin degradation was still ATP dependent. Our results indicate that cellubrevin plays an important role in the constitutive exocytosis of vesicles which recycle plasmalemma receptors. The incomplete inhibition of transferrin release produced by the toxin suggests the existence of a cellubrevin-independent exocytotic mechanism, which may involve tetanus toxin-insensitive proteins of the synaptobrevin/VAMP family.
Photoanthropometric Study of Dysmorphic Features of the Face in Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome

Objective Childhood autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interactions, verbal and non-verbal communication and by a pattern of stereotypical behaviors and interests. The aim of this study was to estimate the dysmorphic facial features of children with autism and children with Asperger syndrome. Methods The examination was conducted on 60 children (30 with childhood autism and 30 with Asperger syndrome). The photo anthropometric method used in this study followed the protocol established by Stengel-Rutkowski et al. Results The performed statistical analysis showed that in patients with childhood autism, the anteriorly rotated ears and the long back of the nose appeared more often. In the group of children with autism, there was a connection between the amount of dysmorphies and the presence of some somatic diseases in the first-degree relatives. There was also a connection between the motor coordination and the age the child began to walk. Discussion In patients with childhood autism, there were certain dysmorphies (like the anterior rotated ears and the long back of the nose) which appeared more often. Although the connection was not statistically significant, it seemed to concur with data from the literature. Conclusion Formulation of the other conclusions would require broader studies e.g. dealing with a familial analysis of dysmorphic features.
Best Symmetric Low Rank Approximation Via the Symmetry Preserving Singular Value Decomposition

The symmetry preserving singular value decomposition (SPSVD) produces the best symmetric (low rank) appro ximation to a set of data. These symmetric approximations are characterized via an invariance under the action of a symmet ry group on the set of data. The symmetry groups of interest cons i t of all the non-spherical symmetry groups in three dimensions. This set includes the rotational, reflectional, dihedral, and inversion symmetry groups. In order to calculate the best symmetr ic (low rank) approximation, the symmetry of the data set must be determined. Therefore, matrix representations for eachof the non-spherical symmetry groups have been formulated. Th ese new matrix representations lead directly to a novel reweighting iterative method to determine the symmetry of a given data set by solving a series of minimization problems. Once the symmetry of the data set is found, the best symmetric (low ran k) approximation in the Frobenius norm and matrix 2-norm can be established by using the SPSVD.
Regional and temporal profiles of c‐fos and nerve growth factor mRNA expression in rat brain after lateral cortical impact injury

Lesion‐induced increases in NGF mRNA are thought to be mediated by c fos gene expression. Conversely, NGF induction of c‐fos expression has been reported following administration of exogenous NGF. However, the relationship between c‐fos and NGF gene expression after traumatic injury to the intact brain is not known. Thus, we applied in situ hybridization and semiquantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) methods to determine temporal profiles of c‐fos and NGF mRNA expression in rat brains after controlled impact to the exposed cortex. Using alternate sections from the same rat brains, in situ hybridization studies showed that in neocortex, c‐fos mRNA transiently increased at 30 min, 1 hr, and 3 hr after injury, while there were no increases of NGF mRNA at these postinjury time points. In the hippocampus, in situ hybridization showed that c‐fos mRNA increased at 30 min, 1 hr and 3 hr postinjury, while NGF mRNA increased at 1 hr, 3 hr but not at 30 min after injury. RT‐PCR studies in hippocampus confirmed that c‐fos mRNA increased as early as 5 min after injury, peaked at 30 min postinjury, and remained elevated 5 hr postinjury. Levels of hippocampal NGF mRNA expression increased by 1 hr after injury and plateaued until 3 and 5 hr postinjury. These data are consistent with the possible regulatory role of endogenous c‐fos on NGF expression following traumatic brain injury. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development of Toxicity Benchmarks for Nitrogen-based Energetic Materials for the Enchytraeid Worm, Enchytraeus crypticus

Abstract : We investigated individual toxicities of nitrogen-based energetic materials (EMs) 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), 2-amino-3,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT), 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT), nitroglycerin (NG), and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) to the potworm Enchytraeus crypticus using the Enchytraeid Reproduction Test (ISO 16387:2004). Studies were designed to generate ecotoxicological benchmarks for developing the ecological soil screening levels (Eco-SSLs) for risk assessments of contaminated soils, and to identify and characterize the predominant soil physicochemical parameters that affect the toxicity of 2,4-DNT to E. crypticus. Soils with a wide range of physicochemical parameters included: Teller sandy loam, Sassafras sandy loam, Kirkland loam, and Webster clay loam. Reproduction EC50 values (mg kg 1) for EMs weathered-and-aged (W-A) in sandy loam soils were 27 (2,4-DNT), 37 (4-ADNT), 103 (2-ADNT), 146 (NG), and 10,208 (HMX). Reproduction toxicity of 2,4-DNT W-A in soil, based on EC50 values, correlated strongly with soil organic matter and clay contents. Toxicity benchmarks established in TSL and SSL have been submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Eco-SSL Workgroup for use in developing soil invertebrate-based Eco-SSLs for 2,4-DNT, 2-ADNT, 4-ADNT, and NG.
High Rate of Ventricular Septal Defects in WKY Rats

In 1979, we first reported occurrence of biventricular hypertrophy in the original normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) strain obtained from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which was derived directly from the Kyoto laboratory of Okamoto. At that time, we recommended that both ventricles be weighted when WKY are studied so that invalid conclusions are not made. Because no paper confirmed these findings for almost 20 years, heart weights were reported in only a few WKY studies, and the cause of this biventricular hypertrophy remained unknown, we re-evaluated this problem in commercially available rats. We, therefore, investigated WKY rats using transthoracic echocardiography to define the congenital heart defect. Up to 28% of commercially available WKY rats demonstrated severe congenital cardiac abnormalities associated with biventricular hypertrophy. Ventricular septal defect with pulmonary regurgitation was the most commonly encountered cardiac defect; other abnormalities included patent ductus arteriosus, and valvular defects. Pathologic and invasive hemodynamic studies confirmed these echocardiographic findings. Because this defect occurs in a large number of WKY rats obtained commercially from 2 different sources, investigators using this strain must carefully measure both ventricular weights to be certain that inappropriate and invalid conclusions are not derived therefrom.
Structural slotted waveguide antennas for multirotor UAV radio altimeter

Z-slots are presumed to offer a structural advantage over conventional inclined slots for narrow wall slotted waveguide antennas, in that the corners of the rectangular waveguide are not cut and consequently will not weaken a structural tube as much. Initial structural simulations are shown to confirm this assumption. This slot configuration was also further investigated as radiating slots in standing wave type slotted waveguide antennas. Fan-beam antennas having 10 to 30 slots were successfully designed for 10GHz using a commercially available antenna simulator, having directivities from 16 to 21dBi and aperture efficiency of 60%.
A Comparative Study of the Outer Membrane Proteome from an Atypical and a Typical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

This study compared the proteomic profile of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) from one strain of atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (aEPEC) and one of typical EPEC (tEPEC). The OMPs fractions were obtained using sarcosine extraction, and analyzed by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (1DE and 2DE, respectively). The 1DE OMPs analysis of typical and atypical EPEC evidenced similar patterns; however, the 2DE OMP profile from the aEPEC revealed more protein spots in the 40- to 70-kDa region. 2DE image analysis identified 159 protein spots in both strains whereas 53 protein spots were observed only in tEPEC and 128 were observed only in aEPEC. Remarkably, 41.5% of aEPEC spots showed higher levels of expression compared to tEPEC, some of which with two, others four or even five times more. Twenty-four selected spots were identified using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and they corresponded to proteins involved in cell structure and metabolism, as well as in gene regulation. Some of these proteins showed similarity with proteins identified in other E. coli pathotypes. Besides, the differential expression of some proteins in aEPEC may suggest that it could be related to their features that ascertain the adaptation to distinct environments and the worldwide spread distribution of these pathogens.
Negative pressure wound therapy: a vacuum of evidence?

OBJECTIVE To systematically examine the clinical effectiveness and safety of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) compared with conventional wound therapy. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library were searched. Manufacturers were contacted, and trial registries were screened. STUDY SELECTION Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs comparing NPWT and conventional therapy for acute or chronic wounds were included in this review. The main outcomes of interest were wound-healing variables. After screening 255 full-text articles, 17 studies remained. In addition, 19 unpublished trials were found, of which 5 had been prematurely terminated. DATA EXTRACTION Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed methodologic quality in a standardized manner. DATA SYNTHESIS Seven RCTs (n = 324) and 10 non-RCTs (n = 278) met the inclusion criteria. The overall methodologic quality of the trials was poor. Significant differences in favor of NPWT for time to wound closure or incidence of wound closure were shown in 2 of 5 RCTs and 2 of 4 non-RCTs. A meta-analysis of changes in wound size that included 4 RCTs and 2 non-RCTs favored NPWT (standardized mean difference: RCTs, -0.57; non-RCTs, -1.30). CONCLUSIONS Although there is some indication that NPWT may improve wound healing, the body of evidence available is insufficient to clearly prove an additional clinical benefit of NPWT. The large number of prematurely terminated and unpublished trials is reason for concern.
Influence of Interfacial Reaction on Reliability of QFP Joints with Sn-Ag Based Pb Free Solders

QFPs (quad flat packages) with Sn-10Pb plated Cu lead or Au/Pd/Ni plated Cu lead were reflow-soldered using Sn-3.5 Ag, Sn-3Ag-5Bi, Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu, Sn-3.5Ag-2.5Bi-2.5In and Sn-37Pb solders. The strength and the microstructure of the solder joints were examined after an exposure test at 398 K. Although the strength of the solder joint with the Sn-10Pb plated Cu lead using the Sn-3Ag-5Bi solder significantly decreased with increasing holding time at 398 K, the strength of the other Sn-Ag based solder joints was comparable to that with the Sn-37Pb solder before and after the high temperature exposure test. The reaction layers formed at the interface between the solder and the Cu pad consisted of Cu 6 Sn 5 and Cu 3 Sn in the joints with Sn-10Pb plated Cu lead and consisted of only (Cu, Ni, Pd) 6 Sn 5 in the joints with the Au/Pd/Ni plated Cu lead after the exposure at 398 K up to 7.2 Ms for all five solders. The growth kinetics of the reaction layers obeyed the parabolic law except for the joint with the Sn-10Pb Plated Cu lead using the Sn-3Ag-5Bi solder, in which the growth of the reaction layer deviated from the parabolic law and accelerated beyond the holding time of 1.8 Ms. The unusual growth of the reaction layer, which resulted from a liquid phase forming ahead of the reaction layer and penetrating the grain boundaries of the reaction products, caused the degradation in the strength of this solder joint. The liquation was caused by the enrichment of Bi and Pb ahead of the reaction layer during the high temperature exposure to the extent where melting occur at the holding temperature above the Sn-Bi-Pb ternary eutectic point of about 370 K. The Sn-3Ag-5Bi solder is, therefore, considered to be unsuitable for assembling packages with the Sn-10Pb plated lead because of degradation in reliability during the high temperature exposure above 370 K.
ALMA Reveals Strong Emission in a Galaxy Embedded in a Giant Lyα Blob at z = 3.1

We report the result from observations conducted with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to detect [C ii] 158 μm fine structure line emission from galaxies embedded in one of the most spectacular Lyα blobs (LABs) at z = 3.1, SSA22-LAB1. Of three dusty star-forming galaxies previously discovered by ALMA 860 μm dust continuum survey toward SSA22-LAB1, we detected the [C ii] line from one, LAB1-ALMA3 at z = 3.0993 ± 0.0004. No line emission was detected, associated with the other ALMA continuum sources or from three rest-frame UV/optical selected zspec ≃ 3.1 galaxies within the field of view. For LAB1-ALMA3, we find relatively bright [C ii] emission compared to the infrared luminosity (L[C ii]/LIR ≈ 0.01) and an extremely high [C ii] 158 μm and [N ii] 205 μm emission line ratio (L[C ii]/L[N ii] > 55). The relatively strong [C ii] emission may be caused by abundant photodissociation regions and sub-solar metallicity, or by shock heating. The origin of the unusually strong [C ii] emission could be causally related to the location within the giant LAB, although the relationship between extended Lyα emission and interstellar medium conditions of associated galaxies is yet to be understand.
Recurrence of liver metastases from colorectal cancer and repeat liver resection.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the resectability and effectiveness of repeat hepatectomy for relapsing liver metastases of colorectal origin in terms of morbidity, mortality, overall survival, and disease-free survival. METHODS A retrospective study was performed on a prospective cohort of patients with colorectal liver metastases who underwent repeat surgery at Hospital Universitario San Cecilio, Granada (Spain), from March 2003 to June 2013. Primary outcome variables included survival and morbidity within 30 days post-surgery. RESULTS A total of 147 patients with colorectal liver metastases underwent surgical excision during the study period; 61 patients had liver recurrence, and 34 of these received repeat surgery. The overall survival rate at 5 and 10 years for resected patients (n=27/34) was 48% and 48%. Mean hospital stay was 8.9 ± 3.5 days, morbidity was 9%, and mortality was 0%. CONCLUSION Repeat liver resection for colorectal liver metastases is a safe, effective surgical procedure whose results are similar to those obtained after initial liver resection.
Human Cytomegalovirus Infection of Caco-2 Cells Occurs at the Basolateral Membrane and Is Differentiation State Dependent

ABSTRACT Epithelial cells are known to be a major target for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection; however, the analysis of virus-cell interactions has been difficult to approach due to the lack of in vitro models. In this study, we established a polarized epithelial cell model using a colon epithelial cell-derived cell line (Caco-2) that is susceptible to HCMV infection at early stages of cellular differentiation. Infection of polarized cells was restricted to the basolateral surface whereas virus was released apically, which was consistent with the apical and not basolateral surface localization of two essential viral glycoproteins, gB and gH. HCMV infection resulted in the development of a cytopathology characteristic of HCMV infection of colon epithelium in vivo, and infection did not spread from cell to cell. The inability of HCMV to infect Caco-2 cells at late stages of differentiation was due to a restriction at the level of viral entry and was consistent with the sequestration of a cellular receptor for HCMV. These observations provide the first evidence that restriction of HCMV replication in epithelial cells is due to a receptor-mediated phenomenon.
Continuous Phase Modulation of F-QPSK-B Signals

A continuous phase modulation (CPM) implementation alternative of a recently standardized class of Feher-patented quadrature phase-shift keying (F-QPSK-B) modulation is proposed. Based on the fact that the F-QPSK-B signal has a quasi-constant envelope and continuous phase characteristics, it is shown that it can indeed be generated by the CPM scheme. For example, an F-QPSK-B signal can be fully generated using an existing FM-based transmitter with a modulation index of 0.5. Furthermore, a premodulation filter and an alternating change monitor differential encoder for the continuous-phase-modulated F-QPSK-B signal to be fully compatible with the I/Q modulated F-QPSK-B signal are proposed, allowing direct symbol-by-symbol coherent detection without the use of any special decoding schemes inherent in all CPM schemes. It is shown that the power spectral density and eye diagram of the continuous-phase-modulated F-QPSK-B signal are practically the same as those of the I/Q modulated F-QPSK-B signal. By utilizing CPM characteristics, an optimum maximum-likelihood (ML) coherent receiver for the F-QPSK-B signal is proposed. It is shown that the bit-error-rate performances of the optimum ML coherent detection, symbol-by-symbol coherent detection, and noncoherent detection of the continuous-phase-modulated F-QPSK-B signal are almost the same as those of the I/Q modulated F-QPSK-B signal
RNAi and heterochromatin repress centromeric meiotic recombination

During meiosis, the formation of viable haploid gametes from diploid precursors requires that each homologous chromosome pair be properly segregated to produce an exact haploid set of chromosomes. Genetic recombination, which provides a physical connection between homologous chromosomes, is essential in most species for proper homologue segregation. Nevertheless, recombination is repressed specifically in and around the centromeres of chromosomes, apparently because rare centromeric (or pericentromeric) recombination events, when they do occur, can disrupt proper segregation and lead to genetic disabilities, including birth defects. The basis by which centromeric meiotic recombination is repressed has been largely unknown. We report here that, in fission yeast, RNAi functions and Clr4-Rik1 (histone H3 lysine 9 methyltransferase) are required for repression of centromeric recombination. Surprisingly, one mutant derepressed for recombination in the heterochromatic mating-type region during meiosis and several mutants derepressed for centromeric gene expression during mitotic growth are not derepressed for centromeric recombination during meiosis. These results reveal a complex relation between types of repression by heterochromatin. Our results also reveal a previously undemonstrated role for RNAi and heterochromatin in the repression of meiotic centromeric recombination and, potentially, in the prevention of birth defects by maintenance of proper chromosome segregation during meiosis.