Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 in Reduced‐Size Liver Transplantation: Beyond the Matrix

We studied the contribution of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) to the beneficial effects of preconditioning (PC) in reduced‐size orthotopic liver transplantation (ROLT). We also examined the role of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) and whether it regulates MMP2 in these conditions. Animals were subjected to ROLT with or without PC and pharmacological modulation, and liver tissue samples were then analyzed. We found that MMP2, but notMMP9, is involved in the beneficial effects of PC in ROLT. MMP2 reduced hepatic injury and enhanced liver regeneration. Moreover, inhibition of MMP2 in PC reduced animal survival after transplantation. JNK inhibition in the PC group decreased hepatic injury and enhanced liver regeneration. Furthermore, JNK upregulated MMP2 in PC. In addition, we showed that Tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP2) was also upregulated in PC and that JNK modulation also altered its levels in ROLT and PC. Our results open up new possibilities for therapeutic treatments to reduce I/R injury and increase liver regeneration after ROLT, which are the main limitations in living‐donor transplantation.
Biomechanical comparison of strategies to adjust axial stiffness of a hybrid fixator

Summary Objectives: To evaluate strategies for increasing the axial stiffness of a hybrid external bone fixator. Materials and methods: Type Ia hybrid fixators, consisting of a uniplanar linear component connected to a circular ring, were tested in displacement controlled loading in axial compression. The basic hybrid construct was modified to explore strategies considered to increase fixator stiffness including: decreasing ring diameter, increasing ring thickness, adding pins to the ring fixation, and adding struts between the ring and vertical post components of the device. Stiffness in the initial phase of loading was compared between the groups. Results: The addition of a single diagonal bar between the ring and linear connecting rail did not significantly improve the stiffness of constructs. However, the addition of two half-pins to the ring, the addition of two struts between the ring and linear connecting rail, or decreasing the internal ring diameter from 115 to 85 mm progressively increased the stiffness of the frame. The most effective strategy consisted of increasing the thickness of the ring from 6 to 12 mm, thereby increasing the stiffness of the control frame by 335%. Clinical significance: Modulating the ring thickness, adding two struts between the ring and linear connecting rail, and reducing the ring diameter appear to be the most effective, simple, and clinically versatile ways to increase axial stiffness, most likely due to their impact on reducing ring bending.
Attenuation of renal ischemic reperfusion injury by salvianolic acid B via suppressing oxidative stress and inflammation through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Salvianolic acid B (SAB) is one the major phytocomponents of Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza and exhibit numerous health promoting properties. The objective of the current study was to examine whether SAB exerts a renoprotective effect by attenuating oxidative stress and inflammatory response through activating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine-threonine kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway in a renal ischemic reperfusion rat model. Forty Sprague-Dawley male rats (250–300 g) were obtained and split into four groups with ten rats in each group. The right kidney of all rats was removed (nephrectomy). The rats of the Control group received only saline (occlusion) and served as a sham control group, whereas rats subjected to ischemic reperfusion (IR) insult by clamping the left renal artery served as a postitive control group. The other 2 groups of rats were pretreated with SAB (20 and 40 mg·kg-1·day-1) for 7 days prior IR induction and served as treatment groups (SAB 20+IR; SAB 40+IR). Renal markers creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were significantly lower in the groups that received SAB. Pretreatment with SAB appears to attenuate oxidative stress by suppressing the production of lipid peroxidation products like malondialdehyde as well as elevating antioxidant activity. The concentration of inflammatory markers and neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase) were significantly decreased. Meanwhile, PI3K protein expression and pAkt/Akt ratio were significantly upregulated upon supplementation with SAB, indicating its renoprotective activity. Taken together, these results indicate that SAB can therapeutically alleviate oxidative stress and inflammatory process via modulating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and probably ameliorate renal function and thus act as a renoprotective agent.
Low power BIST design by hypergraph partitioning: methodology and architectures

Power consumption of digital systems may increase significantly during testing. In this paper, we propose a novel low power/energy Built-in Self Test (BIST) strategy based on circuit partitioning. The strategy consists of partitioning the original circuit into structural subcircuits so that each subcircuit can be successively tested through different BIST sessions. In partitioning the circuit and planning the test session, the switching activity in a time interval (i.e. The average power) as well as the peak power consumption are minimized. Moreover, the total energy consumption during BIST is also reduced since the test length required to test the subcircuits is not so far from the test length for the original circuit. The proposed strategy can be applied to either test-per-scan or test-per-clock BIST schemes by slightly modifying conventional TPG structures as illustrated in this paper. Results on ISCAS circuits show that average power reduction of up to 62%, peak power reduction of up to 57%, and energy reduction of up to 82% can be achieved at a very low area cost in terms of area overhead and with almost no penalty on the circuit timing.
FANCI Regulates Recruitment of the FA Core Complex at Sites of DNA Damage Independently of FANCD2

The Fanconi anemia (FA)-BRCA pathway mediates repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks. The FA core complex, a multi-subunit ubiquitin ligase, participates in the detection of DNA lesions and monoubiquitinates two downstream FA proteins, FANCD2 and FANCI (or the ID complex). However, the regulation of the FA core complex itself is poorly understood. Here we show that the FA core complex proteins are recruited to sites of DNA damage and form nuclear foci in S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. ATR kinase activity, an intact FA core complex and FANCM-FAAP24 were crucial for this recruitment. Surprisingly, FANCI, but not its partner FANCD2, was needed for efficient FA core complex foci formation. Monoubiquitination or ATR-dependent phosphorylation of FANCI were not required for the FA core complex recruitment, but FANCI deubiquitination by USP1 was. Additionally, BRCA1 was required for efficient FA core complex foci formation. These findings indicate that FANCI functions upstream of FA core complex recruitment independently of FANCD2, and alter the current view of the FA-BRCA pathway.
Treatment with DPP-4 inhibitors does not increase the chance of pancreatitis in patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVES This retrospective analysis was done in type 2 diabetes patients to study whether treatment with either sitagliptin or other Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors increased the risk of pancreatitis. Comparison with patients treated with other Oral Antidiabetic Drugs (OADs) was done. METHODS Asian Indian type 2 diabetic subjects (duration > or = 5 years) treated with sitagliptin or other DPP-4 inhibitors (n = 957) were selected from the clinic records. Control group included patients treated with other hypoglycaemic agents and had serum lipase and/or amylase estimated (n = 718). HbA1c and serum levels of lipase and/or amylase were measured. For lipase, values > or = 90 IU/l and for amylase, values > or = 150 IU/l were considered abnormal. RESULTS Percentages with elevated lipase values were similar among patients on sitagliptin or other gliptins and control subjects. Similar percentages of patients using DPP-4 inhibitors (6.9%) or other hypoglycaemic agents (8.2%) had elevated levels of lipase. Abnormal amylase values were more common among the control subjects vs those using DPP-4 inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS Present analysis suggests that use of DPP-4 inhibitors is safe in patients who do not have contraindications for its use.
Community Dynamics and Activity of Ammonia-Oxidizing Prokaryotes in Intertidal Sediments of the Yangtze Estuary

ABSTRACT Diversity, abundance, and activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were investigated using the ammonia monooxygenase α subunit (amoA) in the intertidal sediments of the Yangtze Estuary. Generally, AOB had a lower diversity of amoA genes than did AOA in this study. Clone library analysis revealed great spatial variations in both AOB and AOA communities along the estuary. The UniFrac distance matrix showed that all the AOB communities and 6 out of 7 AOA communities in the Yangtze Estuary were statistically indistinguishable between summer and winter. The studied AOB and AOA community structures were observed to correlate with environmental parameters, of which salinity, pH, ammonium, total phosphorus, and organic carbon had significant correlations with the composition and distribution of both communities. Also, the AOA communities were significantly correlated with sediment clay content. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) results indicated that the abundance of AOB amoA genes was greater than that of AOA amoA genes in 10 of the 14 samples analyzed in this study. Potential nitrification rates were significantly greater in summer than in winter and had a significant negative correlation with salinity. In addition, potential nitrification rates were correlated strongly only with archaeal amoA gene abundance and not with bacterial amoA gene abundance. However, no significant differences were observed between rates measured with and without ampicillin (AOB inhibitor). These results implied that archaea might play a more important role in mediating the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite in the Yangtze estuarine sediments.
Adolescent muscle dysmorphia and family-based treatment: A case report

A growing body of evidence suggests that the prevalence of male body dissatisfaction and muscle dysmorphia is rising. To date, however, there is no published evidence on the efficacy of treatments for muscle dysmorphia. We present the case of a 15-year-old boy who met full diagnostic criteria for muscle dysmorphia, whose symptoms were treated into remission with eating disorder-focused, family-based treatment. The age of this patient fell within the time period in which symptoms of muscle dysmorphia are most likely to develop and this case represents the first published case report of family-based treatment for muscle dysmorphia in this age group. Thus, this case report has important implications for clinicians considering treatment options for presentations of muscle dysmorphia when first presenting in adolescence. Implications for the development of treatment guidelines for muscle dysmorphia and for the diagnostic debate surrounding muscle dysmorphia are also discussed.
Comprehensive isokinetic knee measurements and quadriceps tendon evaluations in footballers for assessing functional performance

Objectives: To ascertain whether detailed isokinetic knee muscle testing reflects the results of other functional measurements in footballers and to look for any correlations between quadriceps tendon thickness and knee strength. Methods: Ultrasonographic evaluation of the quadriceps tendon (Hitachi EUB-405), isokinetic knee testing (Biodex System 3), and sprint measurements using telemetric photoelectric cells (Chronometre Prosport ESC TX02) were carried out on 29 elite footballers. Jumping capacity was evaluated using Bosco’s jumping mat (Ergojump). Anaerobic fitness was assessed by auricular capillary blood lactate measurements (YSI Model 1500 Sport Lactate Analyzer). Results: Quadriceps tendon thickness correlated positively with jumping and sprint measurements and negatively with extensor and flexor strength. However, these correlations did not reach statistical significance. There were significant correlations between knee extensor strength at 60 °/s and jumping or sprint measurements and between the extension acceleration values of both knees during isokinetic tests at 240 °/s and the sprint measurements. No significant correlation was found between the fatigue ratio values of both knees at 240 °/s and the calculated fatigue ratios from the sprint measurements. Conclusions: Apart from a few variables which correlated with the performance tests, the isokinetic studies did not fully predict the various functional measurements. Neither was there any relation between the quadriceps tendon measurements and the knee strength values nor with the functional performance.
Acromegalic Patients Show the Presence of Hypertrophic Remodeling of Subcutaneous Small Resistance Arteries

Abstract—Structural alterations of small resistance arteries in patients with essential hypertension (EH) are mostly characterized by inward eutrophic remodeling. However, we have observed the presence of hypertrophic remodeling in patients with renovascular hypertension, as well as in patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, suggesting a relevant effect of humoral growth factors on vascular structure. Growth hormone may stimulate in vitro proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. However, no data are presently available about small artery structure in acromegalic patients. Therefore, we have investigated the structure of subcutaneous small arteries in 12 normotensive (NT) subjects, in 12 EH subjects, and in 9 acromegalic patients (APs). All subjects underwent biopsy of the subcutaneous fat; then, small resistance arteries were dissected and mounted on a micromyograph. The normalized internal diameter, media thickness, media-to-lumen ratio, the media cross-sectional area together with remodeling, and growth indices were calculated. Demographic variables were similar in the three groups, except for blood pressure. The media-to-lumen ratio was significantly greater in EH and AP, compared with NT. No difference was observed between EH and AP. The media cross-sectional area was significantly greater in AP compared with EH and with NT. The calculation of remodeling and growth index suggests the presence of eutrophic remodeling in EH (growth index 0%) and of hypertrophic remodeling in AP (growth index 40%). In conclusion, our data suggest the presence of hypertrophic remodeling of subcutaneous small resistance arteries of AP, probably as a consequence of growth-stimulator properties of IGF-1.
A longitudinal study of voice before and after phonosurgery for removal of a polyp

The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the acoustic parameters, perceptual estimation, and self‐estimation of voice before, 1 month after, and 6 years after surgical removal of a vocal fold polyp. Subjects were five male patients who came to the Phoniatric Clinic because of breathiness. For all patients, a polyp of one vocal fold was diagnosed. The operation was performed using cold instruments based on the principles of contemporary phonosurgery aiming maximally at preserving the phonatory bridge of the vocal fold. The subjects were recorded in a sound‐proof booth three times: before surgery, 1 month post‐, and 6 years post‐operation. The patients read a short tale and they pronounced a sustained vowel /a/. The following variables were measured: clinical (the distance of the polyp from the anterior commissure, the width of the polyp base and the size of the polyp), and acoustic (F0, jitter, shimmer, harmonic‐to‐noise ratio, voice turbulence index, degree of voice breaks, and long‐term average spectrum). Acoustic variables were measured using the program Praat, while the estimation of voice quality was completed using the GRBAS scale and self‐estimation questionnaire of the voice quality, which were answered by the patients. The results showed significant improvement in the variables investigated and improved patients satisfaction with their vocal health after the surgery.
Sotrastaurin, a Novel Small Molecule Inhibiting Protein‐Kinase C: Randomized Phase II Study in Renal Transplant Recipients

Sotrastaurin, a selective protein‐kinase‐C inhibitor, blocks early T‐cell activation through a calcineurin‐independent mechanism. In this study, de novo renal transplant recipients with immediate graft function were randomized 1:2 to tacrolimus (control, n = 44) or sotrastaurin (300 mg b.i.d.; n = 81). All patients received basiliximab, mycophenolic acid (MPA) and steroids. The primary endpoint was the composite of treated biopsy‐proven acute rejection (BPAR), graft loss, death or lost to follow‐up at month 3. The main safety assessment was estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR); modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) at month 3. Composite efficacy failure at month 3 was higher for the sotrastaurin versus control regimen (25.7% vs. 4.5%, p = 0.001), driven by higher BPAR rates (23.6% vs. 4.5%, p = 0.003), which led to early study termination. Median (± standard deviation [SD]) eGFR was higher for sotrastaurin versus control at all timepoints from day 7 (month 3: 59.0 ± 22.3 vs. 49.5 ± 17.7 mL/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.006). The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal disorders (control: 63.6%; sotrastaurin: 88.9%) which led to study‐medication discontinuation in two sotrastaurin patients. This study demonstrated a lower degree of efficacy but better renal function with the calcineurin‐inhibitor‐free regimen of sotrastaurin+MPA versus the tacrolimus‐based control. Ongoing studies are evaluating alternative sotrastaurin regimens.
Pyranoxanthones from Mesua ferrea

Our phyto chemical studies on the root bark extracts of Mesua ferrea have led to the isolation of two new pyranoxanthones, mesuaferrin A (1) and mesuaferrin B (2). Five other compounds – caloxanthone C (3), 1,8-dihydro-3-methoxy-6-methylanthraquinone (4), β-sitosterol (5), friedelin (6) and betulinic acid (7) – were also successfully isolated. Structural elucidations of these compounds were achieved using 1D and 2D NMR and MS techniques.
Two End-to-end Shallow Discourse Parsers for English and Chinese in CoNLL-2016 Shared Task

This paper describes our two discourse parsers (i.e., English discourse parser and Chinese discourse parser) for sub-mission to CoNLL-2016 shared task on Shallow Discourse Parsing. For English discourse parser, we build two separate argument extractors for single sentence (SS) case, and adopt a convolutional neural network for Non-Explicit sense classification based on (Wang and Lan, 2015b)’s work. As for Chinese discourse parser, we build a pipeline system following the annotation procedure of Chinese Discourse Treebank in (Zhou and Xue, 2015). Our English discourse parser achieves better performance than the best system of CoNLL-2015 and the Chinese discourse parser achieves encouraging results. Our two parsers both rank second on the blind datasets.
Kinetic: Verifiable Dynamic Network Control

Network conditions are dynamic; unfortunately, current approaches to configuring networks. Network operators need tools to express how a network's data-plane behavior should respond to a wide range of events and changing conditions, ranging from unexpected failures to shifting traffic patterns to planned maintenance. Yet, to update the network configuration today, operators typically rely on a combination of manual intervention and ad hoc scripts. In this paper, we present Kinetic, a domain specific language and network control system that enables operators to control their networks dynamically in a concise, intuitive way. Kinetic also automatically verifies the correctness of these control programs with respect to user-specified temporal properties. Our user study of Kinetic with several hundred network operators demonstrates that Kinetic is intuitive and usable, and our performance evaluation shows that realistic Kinetic programs scale well with the number of policies and the size of the network.
Temporal Coupling with Cortex Distinguishes Spontaneous Neuronal Activities in Identified Basal Ganglia-Recipient and Cerebellar-Recipient Zones of the Motor Thalamus

Neurons of the motor thalamus mediate basal ganglia and cerebellar influences on cortical activity. To elucidate the net result of γ-aminobutyric acid-releasing or glutamatergic bombardment of the motor thalamus by basal ganglia or cerebellar afferents, respectively, we recorded the spontaneous activities of thalamocortical neurons in distinct identified “input zones” in anesthetized rats during defined cortical activity states. Unexpectedly, the mean rates and brain state dependencies of the firing of neurons in basal ganglia-recipient zone (BZ) and cerebellar-recipient zone (CZ) were matched during slow-wave activity (SWA) and cortical activation. However, neurons were distinguished during SWA by their firing regularities, low-threshold spike bursts and, more strikingly, by the temporal coupling of their activities to ongoing cortical oscillations. The firing of neurons across the BZ was stronger and more precisely phase-locked to cortical slow (∼1 Hz) oscillations, although both neuron groups preferentially fired at the same phase. In contrast, neurons in BZ and CZ fired at different phases of cortical spindles (7–12 Hz), but with similar strengths of coupled firing. Thus, firing rates do not reflect the predicted inhibitory–excitatory imbalance across the motor thalamus, and input zone-specific temporal coding through oscillatory synchronization with the cortex could partly mediate the different roles of basal ganglia and cerebellum in behavior.
An observational study of group waterpipe use in a natural environment.

INTRODUCTION To date research on tobacco smoking with a waterpipe (hookah, narghile, and shisha) has focused primarily on the individual user in a laboratory setting. Yet, waterpipe tobacco smoking is often a social practice that occurs in cafés, homes, and other natural settings. This observational study examined the behavior of waterpipe tobacco smokers and the social and contextual features of waterpipe use among groups in their natural environment. METHODS Trained observers visited urban waterpipe cafés on multiple occasions during an 8-month period. Observations of 241 individual users in naturally formed groups were made on smoking topography (puff frequency, duration, and interpuff interval [IPI]) and engagement in other activities (e.g., food and drink consumption, other tobacco use, and media viewing). RESULTS Most users were male in group sizes of 3-4 persons, on average, and each table had 1 waterpipe, on average. The predominant social features during observational periods were conversation and nonalcoholic drinking. Greater puff number was associated with smaller group sizes and more waterpipes per group, while longer IPIs were associated with larger group sizes and fewer waterpipes per group. Additionally, greater puff frequency was observed during media viewing and in the absence of other tobacco use. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the results suggest that waterpipe smoking behavior is affected by group size and by certain social activities. Discussion focuses on how these findings enhance our understanding of factors that may influence exposure to waterpipe tobacco smoke toxicants in naturalistic environments.