Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vitro and Ex vivo evidence that estrogens suppress increased bone resorption induced by ovariectomy or PTH stimulation through an effect on osteoclastogenesis

The mechanism of bone loss following cessation of ovarian function is still unclear. Several studies have shown an increase in bone turnover following natural or surgical menopause which could be prevented by estrogen administration. However, a direct effect of estrogen on osteoclast‐mediated bone resorption has been difficult to demonstrate in vitro. Recent evidence suggested that estrogen withdrawal stimulates the production of bone resorbing cytokines, (e.g., interleukin‐6, IL‐6), which regulate osteoclast formation in the bone marrow microenvironment. We studied the effects of 17β‐estradiol on osteoclastic resorption, measured as 45calcium release, in vitro using cultures of fetal mouse long bone explants in which different stages of osteoclast development and activity are represented. 17β‐estradiol (10−12‐10−8 M) had no effect on basal or parathyroid hormone (PTH)‐stimulated resorption of bone explants in which mature osteoclasts (radii/ulnae) or osteoclast precursors/progenitors (metacarpals) are present. 17β‐estradiol, however, inhibited significantly the PTH‐stimulated resorption of osteoclast‐free metacarpals cultured together with mouse fetal liver as a source of early osteoclast progenitors; basal resorption was also not inhibited in this system. In ex vivo studies we further examined the effects of culturing bone marrow cells from ovariectomized (OVX) or sham‐operated mice as an osteoclastic source together with osteoclast‐free metacarpals on 45calcium release and bone histology. Cocultures of the bone marrow cells from OVX mice with osteoclast‐free metacarpals increased significantly the osteoclast formation and subsequent osteoclastic resorption compared with control cocultures. This increase in resorption was prevented by either treatment of the OVX animals with estrogen for 1 week starting immediately after OVX or injection of the OVX animals with an IL‐6 neutralizing antibody. We conclude that estrogens suppress the increased osteoclastic resorption induced by PTH or OVX through an effect on hematopoietic progenitor cells of the osteoclast lineage. Furthermore our data suggest that IL‐6 is involved in the increase in osteoclastic resorption following OVX.
The Impact of Adjuvant Therapy on Survival and Recurrence Patterns in Women With Early-Stage Uterine Carcinosarcoma: A Multi-institutional Study

Objective The aim of the study was to characterize the impact of adjuvant therapy on survival in women with stage I/II uterine carcinosarcoma after primary surgery. Methods We reviewed records of 118 consecutively treated women with 2009 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I/II uterine carcinosarcoma who underwent hysterectomy between 1990 and 2014 at 4 academic institutions. Patients were categorized by adjuvant treatment group into observation, chemotherapy only, radiation only, and combined chemotherapy and radiation. Survival analyses were conducted using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models. Results Median follow-up was 28 months (range, 1–244 months). Lymphadenectomy was performed in 94 patients (80%). Postoperative management included observation (n = 37 [31%]), chemotherapy alone (n = 19 [16%]), radiation therapy (RT) alone (n = 24 [20%]), and combined RT and chemotherapy (n = 38 [32%]). Radiation therapy modality included vaginal brachytherapy in 22 patients, pelvic external beam RT in 21 patients, and combination in 19 patients. In 58% of women, chemotherapy consisted of carboplatin/paclitaxel. Median overall survival for all women was 97 months. On univariate analysis, adjuvant treatment group was associated with improved overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.74; confidence interval [CI], 0.58–0.96; p = 0.02), freedom from vaginal recurrence (HR, 0.55; CI, 0.37–0.82]; p = 0.004), and freedom from any recurrence (HR, 0.70; CI, 0.54–0.92; p = 0.01). Pairwise comparisons demonstrated a significant benefit to chemoradiation over other adjuvant treatments. Adjuvant treatment group remained a significant covariate for all 3 end points on multivariate analysis as well. In addition, lymphadenectomy improved overall survival on multivariate analysis (HR, 0.24; CI, 0.09–0.61; p = 0.003). Of patients under observation only who had a recurrence, 8 (44%) of 18 had a recurrence in the vagina as the sole site of recurrence. By contrast, of women who received vaginal brachytherapy, significantly fewer had a recurrence in the vagina (1/42 [2.3%]; p < 0.003, log-rank test). Conclusions In women with early-stage uterine carcinosarcoma, our data suggest superior survival end points with combined RT and chemotherapy. The frequency of vaginal recurrence suggests a role for incorporating vaginal brachytherapy in the adjuvant management of this disease.
Comparison of Performance and Combustion Parameters in a Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine Fueled with Iso-Butanol/Diesel Fuel Blends

This study discusses the suitability of iso-butanol/diesel fuel blends as an alternative fuel and determines their effects on the performance and combustion characteristics of a heavy-duty diesel engine. For this purpose, various iso-butanol/diesel fuel blends containing 5%, 10% and 15% iso-butanol were prepared in volume basis and tested in a turbo-charged, six-cylinder direct injection diesel engine at the speed of 1400 rpm and three different loads (150, 300 and 450 Nm). The results indicate that when the test engine was fueled with the iso-butanol/diesel fuel blends, the brake thermal efficiency decreased, while the brake specific fuel consumption increased with proportion to using conventional diesel fuel. When iso-butanol/diesel fuel blends were used, the heat release rate, the peak cylinder gas pressure slightly increased compared to the neat diesel fuel use. Although the iso-butanol/diesel fuel blends have poor performance values at partial engine loads, their fuel properties affected the combustion and injection characteristics. They caused reductions in CO, NOx emissions and smoke opacity. However, unburned HC emission slightly increased.
The Ferrier Lecture 1995 Behind the Seen: The functional specialization of the brain in space and time

The visual brain consists of many different visual areas, which are functionally specialized to process and perceive different attributes of the visual scene. However, the time taken to process different attributes varies; consequently, we see some attributes before others. It follows that there is a perceptual asynchrony and hierarchy in visual perception. Because perceiving an attribute is tantamount to becoming conscious of it, it follows that we become conscious of different attributes at different times. Visual consciousness is therefore distributed in time. Given that we become conscious of different visual attributes because of activity at different, functionally specialized, areas of the visual brain, it follows that visual consciousness is also distributed in space. Therefore, visual consciousness is not a single unified entity, but consists of many microconsciousnesses.
Nitric Oxide Resistance Reduces Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation in Chronic Kidney Disease in Rats

Background Autologous arteriovenous (AV) fistulas are the first choice for vascular access but have a high risk of non-maturation due to insufficient vessel adaptation, a process dependent on nitric oxide (NO)-signaling. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with oxidative stress that can disturb NO-signaling. Here, we evaluated the influence of CKD on AV fistula maturation and NO-signaling. Methods CKD was established in rats by a 5/6th nephrectomy and after 6 weeks, an AV fistula was created between the carotid artery and jugular vein, which was followed up at 3 weeks with ultrasound and flow assessments. Vessel wall histology was assessed afterwards and vasoreactivity of carotid arteries was studied in a wire myograph. The soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) activator BAY 60–2770 was administered daily to CKD animals for 3 weeks to enhance fistula maturation. Results CKD animals showed lower flow rates, smaller fistula diameters and increased oxidative stress levels in the vessel wall. Endothelium-dependent relaxation was comparable but vasorelaxation after sodium nitroprusside was diminished in CKD vessels, indicating NO resistance of the NO-receptor sGC. This was confirmed by stimulation with BAY 60–2770 resulting in increased vasorelaxation in CKD vessels. Oral administration of BAY 60–2770 to CKD animals induced larger fistula diameters, however; flow was not significantly different from vehicle-treated CKD animals. Conclusions CKD induces oxidative stress resulting in NO resistance that can hamper AV fistula maturation. sGC activators like BAY 60–2770 could offer therapeutic potential to increase AV fistula maturation.
Local Impact of State Testing in Southwest Washington

A decade after implementation of a state testing and accountability mandate, teachers' practices and perspectives regarding their classroom assessments and their state's assessments of student achievement were documented in a study of 31 teachers in southwest Washington state. Against a background of national trends and standards of psychometric quality, the data were analyzed for teachers' beliefs and practices regarding classroom assessment and also regarding state assessment, commonalities and differences among teachers who taught at grade levels tested by the state and those who did not, teachers' views about the impact of state assessment on their students and their classrooms, and their views about whether state testing promoted educational improvement or reform as intended. Data registered (1) teachers' preferences for
Myocardial dysfunction in children with intrauterine growth restriction: an echocardiographic study

Summary Introduction The prevalence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is about 3–10% of live-born newborns and can be as high as 20% in developing countries. It may result in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases later in life. Methods The aim of this study was echocardiographic evaluation, with the use of conventional and tissue Doppler parameters, of cardiac function in children born with IUGR, and comparison with healthy peers born as normally grown foetuses. Results In the IUGR group, E wave and E/A ratio were significantly lower compared to the control group. A wave, isovolumetric relaxation time, deceleration time, myocardial performance index as well as E/E′ septal and E/E′ lateral indices were significantly higher compared to healthy peers. Conclusion Children with IUGR presented with subclinical myocardial dysfunction.
Rotavirus-Like Particles: A Novel Nanocarrier for the Gut

The delivery of bioactive molecules directly to damaged tissues represents a technological challenge. We propose here a new system based on virus-like particles (VLP) from rotavirus, with a marked tropism for the gut to deliver bio-active molecules to intestinal cells. For this, nonreplicative VLP nanoparticles were constructed using a baculovirus expression system and used to deliver an exogenous biomolecule, the green fluorescent protein (GFP), into either MA104 cells or intestinal cells from healthy and 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-treated mice. Our results show that expression of rotavirus capsid proteins in baculovirus led to the auto assembly of VLP that display similar properties to rotavirus. In vitro experiments showed that VLP were able to enter into MA104 cells and deliver the reporter protein. Intragastric administration of fluorescent VLP in healthy and TNBS-treated mice resulted in the detection of GFP and viral proteins in intestinal samples. Our results demonstrate an efficient entry of non-replicative rotavirus VLP into the epithelial cell line MA104 and provide the first in vivo evidence of the potential of these nanoparticles as a promising safe candidate for drug delivery to intestinal cells.
Maternal plasma concentrations of the placental specific sFLT-1 variant, sFLT-1 e15a, in fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia

Abstract Objective: sFLT-1 e15a is a recently described sFlt-1 variant that is placental and primate specific. As such, it may have potential as a biomarker. Using a newly developed ELISA, we measured maternal plasma sFLT-1 e15a levels in women with fetal growth restriction and pre-eclampsia. Method: We performed a nested case-control study where we measured total sFLT-1 and sFLT-1 e15a plasma protein concentrations. Samples, selected from a prospective cohort study, consisted of 87 healthy controls, 11 cases that developed term preeclampsia and 20 cases where there was fetal growth restriction. We also measured sFLT-1 and sFLT-1 e15a plasma concentrations in a separate cohort: 15 cases of preterm preeclampsia and 24 healthy controls. Results: The prospective case-control cohort demonstrated significantly increased sFLT-1 e15a among cases with term fetal growth restriction (p < 0.05). We also observed that total sFLT-1 (this ELISA indiscriminately detects all variants) was significantly increased in term preeclampsia (p < 0.0001), but not fetal growth restriction. The separate cohort of early-onset preeclamptics showed significantly increased sFLT-1 e15a levels (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Plasma sFLT-1 e15a is significantly increased in early-onset preeclampsia and term fetal growth restriction. Further assessment of the benefit for sFLT-1 e15a testing in prediction or diagnosis of these disease states is warranted.
Les relations entre la justice organisationnelle, l'employabilité, la satisfaction et l'engagement organisationnel des salariés

Les concepts de justice, d’employabilite, de satisfaction et d’engagement jouent un role crucial dans le management des ressources humaines dans un environnement des entreprises caracterise par une concurrence exacerbee. Malgre les nombreux travaux de recherche qui leur sont consacres, force est de constater que pratiquement aucun auteur n’a jusqu’a present essaye de tous les associer. En traitant des effets de la notion de justice sur l’employabilite, la satisfaction l’engagement organisationnel des salaries, notre objectif est de combler ce vide. L’etude que nous avons realisee aupres 352 salaries des entreprises francaises de la Region Nord-Pas de Calais est riche en informations. Les resultats mettent en lumiere que la justice procedurale a des effets positifs significatifs sur la satisfaction et l’engagement organisationnel, et la justice distributive a des effets positifs significatifs sur l’engagement organisationnel. La justice a aussi des effets positifs significatifs sur les dimensions de l’employabilite qui sont la formation, la mobilite et l’orientation professionnelle. Les pourcentages de variance expliquee (R²) par les dimensions de la justice pour chacune des dimensions de l’employabilite sont significatifs a p < 0,1 %. La justice procedurale n’a cependant pas d’effet significatif sur la formation et la justice distributive n’a pas d’effet significatif sur l’orientation professionnelle, ce qui est coherent avec les resultats d’autres recherches. Les implications sont nombreuses et des actions sur les dimensions de la justice pourraient conduire a l’amelioration de l’employabilite des salaries, de la competitivite de l’entreprise et donc de sa performance.
HMPAO SPECT Study of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Dissociative Identity Disorder

Abstract The aim of the study was to in ves ti gate if there were any char ac ter is tics of re gional c e re bral blood flow (rCBF) in dissociative iden tity dis or der. Fif teen pa tients with dissociative iden tity dis or der and eight healthy vol un teers par tic i pated in the study. The clin i cal di ag no sis of dissociative iden tity dis or der was con firmed us ing the Struc tured Clin i cal In ter view for DSM-IV Dissociative Dis or ders. The Struc tured Clin i cal In ter view for DSM-III-R was also ad min is tered to all pa tients in or der to screen comorbid psy chi at ric con di tions. Re gional ce re bral blood flow was stud ied us ing a SPECT sys tem with Tc99m-hexamethyl -propylenamine (HMPAO) as a tracer. The rCBF ra tio was de creased in orbito-fron tal re gion bi lat er ally and in creased in left (dom i nant hemisphere) lat eral tem po ral re gion among pa tients with dissociative iden tity dis or der when com pared to the con trol group. The struc tured in ter view di ag no ses of con cur rent or life time ma jor de pres sion, PTSD, psy chotic dis or der, or on go ing drug treat ment were not sig nif i cantly re lated to perfu sion in these re gions. There was no sta tis ti cally mean ing ful dif fer ence in rCBF ra tios be tween host and al ter per son al ity states. Our find ings sug gest that orbitofron tal and left (dom i nant hemi sphere) lat eral tem poral re gions are af fected in dissociative iden tity dis or der. A rep li ca tion of this study on a larger group of drugfree dissociative pa tients and var i ous psy chi at ric con trol groups would lead to more de fin i tive find ings.
Short Communication: Limited influence of haptoglobin genotypes on severe malaria in Ghanaian children

Haptoglobin (Hp) polymorphisms in sub‐Saharan Africa have been associated with an increased risk of severe malaria. However, available data are inconclusive. We examined the role of Hp polymorphisms in susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum infection and to severe malaria in northern Ghana. Three groups each of 290 age and sex‐matched children with severe malaria, children with asymptomatic P. falciparum infection and aparasitaemic healthy controls were studied. Hp typing was based on PCR. In all children, Hp1‐1, Hp2‐1, and Hp2‐2 occurred in 32.4%, 54.1%, and 13.5%, respectively. The prevalence of the Hp genotypes did not differ significantly between groups. However, Hp2 alleles were least common in healthy children (0.379), more frequent in parasitaemic controls (0.402), and most common in severe malaria patients (0.434; = 3.7; P = 0.06). In matched pair analysis, no Hp genotype increased the risk of severe malaria. However, using Hp1‐1 as a reference, children with Hp2‐2 exhibited a slightly increased risk of severe malaria (odds ratio, 1.6; P = 0.04). These results indicate that Hp polymorhisms may have a rather limited influence on the development of severe malaria.
Device Noise Simulation of ΔΣ Modulators

Version 1, 24 August 1999 This report describes behavioral simulation of ΔΣ analog to digital converters including the effects of device noise. Simulation of the feedback loop filters with SpectreRF provides the statistics of the device noise. A discrete time filter is used to generate noise with similar power spectral density (PSD) during the behavioral simulation. A second order converter is used to demonstrate the methodology and the simulation results are presented. Our approach does not make assumptions about the device and quantization noise adding linearly and takes into account their interaction. It is numerically efficient, as the behavioral simulation does not require significantly higher computational effort than in the case that device noise is not included. The same approach can be applied to continuous time converters.
Is leisure beneficial for older Korean immigrants? An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Leisure is an important quality of life factor for older Korean immigrants. The purpose of this study was to explore leisure benefits associated with health among older Korean immigrants. A total of 18 individuals participated in the study. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), three themes emerged from participants’ personal statements and experiences: (a) experiencing psychological benefits, (b) strengthening social connections, and (c) coping with acculturative stress. The findings indicate that leisure provided a context in which older Korean immigrants created an emotional and social support system that helped them to experience psychological and social benefits. This research suggested that older Korean immigrants used leisure as a coping mechanism that results in health and well-being.
A Lattice-Theoretic Analysis of Vector Perturbation for Multi-User MIMO Systems

This paper considers the use of multiple transmit antennas to deliver independent data streams to multiple users. In particular, we examine a multi-user technique known as vector perturbation. We provide a new lattice-theoretic approach to analyze its performance in the presence of Rayleigh fading. Vector perturbation is based on performing a channel inversion, with the additional step of perturbing the data signal prior to linear preceding to significantly reduce the required transmit power. To analyze such systems it is necessary to calculate the resulting average energy of the sphere-encoded signal vector, as this determines the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the output of the demodulator. Previous results presented in the literature were partially analytic, requiring further numerical evaluation. Here, we derive a concise approximation to the output SNR. We also provide tight upper and lower bounds on the bit error rate for the reception of QAM symbols using the required modulo demodulator, as a function of the average energy of the sphere- encoded signal vector.
Early revascularization in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock. SHOCK Investigators. Should We Emergently Revascularize Occluded Coronaries for Cardiogenic Shock.

BACKGROUND The leading cause of death in patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction is cardiogenic shock. We conducted a randomized trial to evaluate early revascularization in patients with cardiogenic shock. METHODS Patients with shock due to left ventricular failure complicating myocardial infarction were randomly assigned to emergency revascularization (152 patients) or initial medical stabilization (150 patients). Revascularization was accomplished by either coronary-artery bypass grafting or angioplasty. Intraaortic balloon counterpulsation was performed in 86 percent of the patients in both groups. The primary end point was mortality from all causes at 30 days. Six-month survival was a secondary end point. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 66+/-10 years, 32 percent were women and 55 percent were transferred from other hospitals. The median time to the onset of shock was 5.6 hours after infarction, and most infarcts were anterior in location. Ninety-seven percent of the patients assigned to revascularization underwent early coronary angiography, and 87 percent underwent revascularization; only 2.7 percent of the patients assigned to medical therapy crossed over to early revascularization without clinical indication. Overall mortality at 30 days did not differ significantly between the revascularization and medical-therapy groups (46.7 percent and 56.0 percent, respectively; difference, -9.3 percent; 95 percent confidence interval for the difference, -20.5 to 1.9 percent; P=0.11). Six-month mortality was lower in the revascularization group than in the medical-therapy group (50.3 percent vs. 63.1 percent, P=0.027). CONCLUSIONS In patients with cardiogenic shock, emergency revascularization did not significantly reduce overall mortality at 30 days. However, after six months there was a significant survival benefit. Early revascularization should be strongly considered for patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.