Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comparison between the Effects of Glucantime, Topical Trichloroacetic Acid 50% plus Glucantime, and Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser plus Glucantime on Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Lesions

Background. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an endemic disease in Iran. Pentavalent antimonial drugs have been the first line of therapy in cutaneous leishmaniasis for many years. However, the cure rate of these agents is still not favorable. This study was carried out to compare the efficacies of intralesional glucantime with topical trichloroacetic acid 50% (TCA 50%) + glucantime and fractional carbon dioxide laser + glucantime in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Methods. A total of 90 patients were randomly divided into three groups of 30 to be treated with intralesional injection of glucantime, a combination of topical TCA 50% and glucantime, or a combination of fractional laser and glucantime. The overall clinical improvement and changes in sizes of lesions and scars were assessed and compared among three groups. Results. The mean duration of treatment was 6.1 ± 2.1 weeks in all patients (range: 2–12 weeks) and 6.8 ± 1.7, 5.2 ± 1.0, and 6.3 ± 3.0 weeks in glucantime, topical TCA plus glucantime, and fractional laser plus glucantime groups, respectively (P = 0.011). Complete improvement was observed in 10 (38.5%), 27 (90%), and 20 (87%) patients of glucantime, glucantime + TCA, and glucantime + laser groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusion. Compared to glucantime alone, the combination of intralesional glucantime and TCA 50% or fractional CO2 laser had significantly higher and faster cure rate in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis.
[Air quality and respiratory health of school children in Pancevo].

INTRODUCTION Air pollution is the leading environmental problem in Pancevo. Sources are traffic, home heating, industry, land fields, and street dust. Air pollution has harmful effect on population health, particularly the health of children. OBJECTIVE To estimate school-children's respiratory health in Pancevo. METHOD The air quality in Pancevo and Vrsac was measured by standard methods. The health condition was tested by anthropometric, clinical examination and spirometric measures in school children of II-V classes of three primary schools in Pancevo and one in Vrsac, in 2002. Data from 1136 children were analyzed: 796 in Pancevo, and 340 in Vrsac. Parents answered the questions in questionnaires: non standardized questionnaire about children's health, social status and smoking in the family, questionnaire about pregnancy, physical activity and standardized ISAAC questionnaire about asthma and eczema. RESULTS During the 2002/2003 heating season in Vrsac, concentrations of SO2 and soot were less than limit concentrations of emission and significantly less than in Pancevo air. Results showed that the asthma, wheezing during physical activity (p < 0.05), dry cough at night (p < 0.001), cold and tonsilo-pharyngitis (p < or = 0.05) were significantly more frequent in girls from Pancevo than girls from Vrsac. Morning cough (p < 0.05) and wheezing (p < 0.01) was significantly more frequent in boys from Pancevo than boys from Vrsac. Children from Pancevo were much higher than children in Vrsac. Less vital capacity (p < 0.05) and mild restriction (p < 0.001) were more often in children from Pancevo than children in Vrsac. CONCLUSION Our investigation confirmed that children from Pancevo had problems with respiratory health more often than children in Vrsac.
Pituitary volume, stress reactivity and genetic risk for psychotic disorder

Background Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity, associated with increased pituitary volume, may mediate observed alterations in stress reactivity in patients with psychotic disorder. We examined the association between pituitary volume, real-life stress reactivity and genetic liability for psychotic disorder. Method Pituitary volumes were derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 20 patients with psychotic disorder, 37 non-psychotic siblings of these patients, and 32 controls. The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) was used to measure emotional stress reactivity [changes in negative affect (NA) associated with daily life stress] in the three groups, and biological stress reactivity (changes in cortisol associated with daily life stress) in siblings and controls. Interactions between group, stress and pituitary volume in models of NA and cortisol were examined. Results Groups did not differ in pituitary volume. Patients showed significantly higher emotional stress reactivity than siblings and controls. In addition, emotional stress reactivity increased with increasing pituitary volume to a greater degree in patients than in controls and siblings. Siblings had higher cortisol levels than controls but did not show increased cortisol reactivity to stress. There was no interaction between pituitary volume, stress and group in the model of cortisol. Conclusions Higher pituitary volume was associated with increased emotional stress reactivity in patients with psychotic disorder, siblings and controls. The association was significantly stronger in the patient group, suggesting a process of progressive sensitization mediating clinical outcome.
Contrasting patterns of selection acting on MHC class I and class II DRB genes in the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota)

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes code for proteins that play a critical role in the immune system response. The MHC genes are among the most polymorphic genes in vertebrates, presumably due to balancing selection. The two MHC classes appear to differ in the rate of evolution, but the reasons for this variation are not well understood. Here, we investigate the level of polymorphism and the evolution of sequences that code for the peptide‐binding regions of MHC class I and class II DRB genes in the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota). We found evidence for four expressed MHC class I loci and two expressed MHC class II loci. MHC genes in marmots were characterized by low polymorphism, as one to eight alleles per putative locus were detected in 38 individuals from three French Alps populations. The generally limited degree of polymorphism, which was more pronounced in class I genes, is likely due to bottleneck the populations undergone. Additionally, gene duplication within each class might have compensated for the loss of polymorphism at particular loci. The two gene classes showed different patterns of evolution. The most polymorphic of the putative loci, Mama‐DRB1, showed clear evidence of historical positive selection for amino acid replacements. However, no signal of positive selection was evident in the MHC class I genes. These contrasting patterns of sequence evolution may reflect differences in selection pressures acting on class I and class II genes.
ATP evokes Ca2+ signals in cultured foetal human cortical astrocytes entirely through G protein‐coupled P2Y receptors

Extracellular ATP plays important roles in coordinating the activities of astrocytes and neurons, and aberrant signalling is associated with neurodegenerative diseases. In rodents, ATP stimulates opening of Ca2+‐permeable channels formed by P2X receptor subunits in the plasma membrane. It is widely assumed, but not verified, that P2X receptors also evoke Ca2+ signals in human astrocytes. Here, we directly assess this hypothesis. We showed that cultured foetal cortical human astrocytes express mRNA for several P2X receptor subunits (P2X4, P2X5, P2X6) and G protein‐coupled P2Y receptors (P2Y1, P2Y2, P2Y6, P2Y11). In these astrocytes, ATP stimulated Ca2+ release from intracellular stores through IP3 receptors and store‐operated Ca2+ entry. These responses were entirely mediated by P2Y1 and P2Y2 receptors. Agonists of P2X receptors did not evoke Ca2+ signals, and nor did ATP when Ca2+ release from intracellular stores and store‐operated Ca2+ entry were inhibited. We conclude that ATP‐evoked Ca2+ signals in cultured human foetal astrocytes are entirely mediated by P2Y1 and P2Y2 receptors, with no contribution from P2X receptors.
Sequential steps underlying neuronal plasticity induced by a transient exposure to gabazine

Periods of intense electrical activity can initiate neuronal plasticity leading to long lasting changes of network properties. By combining multielectrode extracellular recordings with DNA microarrays, we have investigated in rat hippocampal cultures the temporal sequence of events of neuronal plasticity triggered by a transient exposure to the GABAA receptor antagonist gabazine (GabT). GabT induced a synchronous bursting pattern of activity. The analysis of electrical activity identified three main phases during neuronal plasticity induced by GabT: (i) immediately after termination of GabT, an early synchronization (E‐Sync) of the spontaneous electrical activity appears that progressively decay after 3–6 h. E‐Sync is abolished by inhibitors of the ERK1/2 pathway but not by inhibitors of gene transcription; (ii) the evoked response (induced by a single pulse of extracellular electrical stimulation) was maximally potentiated 3–10 h after GabT (M‐LTP); and (iii) at 24 h the spontaneous electrical activity became more synchronous (L‐Sync). The genome‐wide analysis identified three clusters of genes: (i) an early rise of transcription factors (Cluster 1), primarily composed by members of the EGR and Nr4a families, maximally up‐regulated 1.5 h after GabT; (ii) a successive up‐regulation of some hundred genes, many of which known to be involved in LTP (Cluster 2), 3 h after GabT likely underlying M‐LTP. Moreover, in Cluster 2 several genes coding for K+ channels are down‐regulated at 24 h. (iii) Genes in Cluster 3 are up‐regulated at 24 h and are involved in cellular homeostasis. This approach allows relating different steps of neuronal plasticity to specific transcriptional profiles. J. Cell. Physiol. 222: 713–728, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Three essays on social norms

This thesis comprises three papers that examine social norms and their effect on behaviour. The papers use surveys and experiments to examine this topic. The first paper uses survey data to show that a societies surrounding ecology is an important determinant of the prevalence of female land inheritance. The second paper demonstrates through a field experiment in India that males act out against female leaders, especially when female leaders are in place as a result of a quota. The final paper demonstrates through a laboratory experiment that trust in high status leaders is an important factor in the decision to follow them.
Hemolymph Sugar Homeostasis and Starvation-Induced Hyperactivity Affected by Genetic Manipulations of the Adipokinetic Hormone-Encoding Gene in Drosophila melanogaster

Adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) are metabolic neuropeptides, mediating mobilization of energy substrates from the fat body in many insects. In delving into the roles of the Drosophila Akh (dAkh) gene, its developmental expression patterns were examined and the physiological functions of the AKH-producing neurons were investigated using animals devoid of AKH neurons and ones with ectopically expressing dAkh. The dAkh gene is expressed exclusively in the corpora cardiaca from late embryos to adult stages. Projections emanating from the AKH neurons indicated that AKH has multiple target tissues as follows: the prothoracic gland and aorta in the larva and the crop and brain in the adult. Studies using transgenic manipulations of the dAkh gene demonstrated that AKH induced both hypertrehalosemia and hyperlipemia. Starved wild-type flies displayed prolonged hyperactivity prior to death; this novel behavioral pattern could be associated with food-searching activities in response to starvation. In contrast, flies devoid of AKH neurons not only lacked this type of hyperactivity, but also displayed strong resistance to starvation-induced death. From these findings, we propose another role for AKH in the regulation of starvation-induced foraging behavior.
RMT: A Wireless Sensor Network Monitoring Tool

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) can be used to monitor otherwise difficult-to-reach environments due to the physical characteristics of the nodes and their ability to transmit data from a distance. However, they also bear the disadvantages of small life cycle, low data reliability and malicious intervention. A solution to this problem can be the incorporation of dedicated software in the operating system capable to monitor specifc parameters of the node and inform the sink when something is wrong with the operation of the node. In this work we propose a lightweight run time monitoring tool, called Run-time Monitoring Tool (RMT), developed for operation in Contiki O/S. This tool can be customized to monitor parameters of interest and execute instructions at runtime. A multilayer, multiprotocol approach is taken in RMT, with the ability to monitor two Contiki O/S layers, have detailed node power consumption and observe the operation of a routing protocol. Our evaluation shows that RMT guarantees minimum overhead and low energy consumption.
Physiological and Statistical Approaches to Modeling of Synaptic Responses

Synaptic function centers on the physiological behavior of individual and combined synaptic sites, defined at the anatomical level as a unit consisting of a single postsynaptic density and presynaptic release region. However, multiple synaptic sites are usually activated together in a physiological response, even between two individual neurons. These multiple sites may be either grouped together, as at the neuromuscular junction, or distributed spatially, as in a complex dendritic neuron. The physiological efficacy of responses at each synaptic site can be defined by a few critical parameters, including probability of release, postsynaptic site response amplitude (‘quantal’amplitude), the degree of fluctuation around that characteristic amplitude (‘quantal’variance) distributed both over time and between sites, and the efficacy of electrotonic conduction between the synaptic site of origin and the output or summation site. These parameters all vary as a highly dynamic process, fluctuating with the history of use at each synapse over short and long time frames, and between adjacent synaptic sites on dendritic trees. Such heterogeneity between synaptic responses can lead to summated synaptic responses which are difficult to interpret in terms of the behavior of each individual synaptic site. However, the influence of these various factors on synaptic plasticity at multiple time spans is critical to further understand mechanisms of development, memory and neuronal circuitry function. Statistical models for analysis of synaptic function have become increasingly sophisticated to account quantitatively for these diverse sources of variability in the explanation of physiological processes. We review the use of various statistical models, which are used to infer descriptions of synaptic release characteristics under appropriate physiological conditions, including a novel Bayesian analysis format, to investigate formally many of these sources of variability. Together, constrained physiological preparations and sophisticated statistical models have defined both the presence of considerable heterogeneity between synaptic sites and mechanisms, which may contribute to synaptic plasticity in the CNS.
Axisymmetric modes of rotating relativistic stars in the Cowling approximation

ABSTRACT Axisymmetric pulsations of rotating neutron stars can be excited in severalscenarios, such as core-collapse, crust and core-quakes and binary mergersand could become detectable either in gravitational waves or high-energyradiation. Here, we present a comprehensive study of all low-order axisym-metric modes of uniformly and rapidly rotating relativistic stars. Initialstationary conﬁgurations are appropriately perturbed and are numericallyevolved using an axisymmetric, nonlinear relativistic hydrodynamics code,assuming time-independence of the gravitational ﬁeld (Cowling approxima-tion). The simulations are performed using a high-resolution shock-capturingﬁnite-diﬀerence scheme accurate enough to maintain the initial rotation lawfor a large number of rotational periods, even for stars at the mass-sheddinglimit. Through Fourier transforms of the time evolution of selected ﬂuid vari-ables, we compute the frequencies of quasi-radial and non-radial modes withspherical harmonic indices l = 0,1,2 and 3, for a sequence of rotating starsfrom the non-rotating limit to the mass-shedding limit. The frequencies ofthe axisymmetric modes are aﬀected signiﬁcantly by rotation only when therotation rate exceeds about 50% of the maximum allowed. As expected, atlarge rotation rates, apparent mode crossings between diﬀerent modes ap-pear. In addition to the above modes, several axisymmetric inertial modesare also excited in our numerical evolutions.Key words: Hydrodynamics — relativity — methods: numerical — stars:neutron — stars: oscillations — stars: rotation
Neural systems connecting interoceptive awareness and feelings

In many theories of emotions the representations of bodily responses play an important role for subjective feelings. We tested the hypothesis that the perception of bodily states is positively related to the experienced intensity of feelings as well as to the activity of first‐order and second‐order brain structures involved in the processing of feelings. Using a heartbeat perception task, subjects were separated into groups with either high or poor interoceptive awareness. During emotional picture presentation we measured high‐density EEG and used spatiotemporal current density reconstruction to identify regions involved in both interoceptive awareness and emotion processing. We observed a positive relation between interoceptive awareness and the experienced intensity of emotions. Furthermore, the P300 amplitudes to pleasant and unpleasant pictures were enhanced for subjects with high interoceptive awareness. The source reconstruction revealed that interoceptive awareness is related to an enhanced activation in both first‐order structures (insula, somatosensory cortices) and second‐order structures (anterior cingulate, prefrontal cortices). We conclude that the perception of bodily states is a crucial determinant for the processing and the subjective experience of feelings. Hum. Brain Mapping, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
EFFECTS OF ROOTSTOCK-SCION COMBINATIONS ON MACROELEMENTS AVAILABILITY OF THE VINES

This study investigates macroelement contents (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) and their quality relations of 4 scion grape varieties (Italian Riesling, White Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet sauvignon) on 6 rootstock varieties (5C, 5BB, 125AA, 140Ru, 110R, Fercal) between 2001 and 2005. A field experiment was set up at Szentmiklos Hill (on the border of the town of Pecs) in southern part of Hungary in 1999. The investigated rootstocks had no statistically proven effect on the nitrogen levels of the leaves, but the scion varieties had. Phosphorus content of the leaves on rootstocks with Berlandieri x Riparia genetic background (5C, 5BB, 125AA) was lower at blooming than that on other investigated rootstocks. We found statistically significant differences in the calcium and magnesium content of leaves regarding rootstock and scion varieties too.
Optimal Chaotic Desynchronization for Neural Populations

A procedure is developed for finding an energy-optimal stimulus which gives a positive Lyapunov exponent, and hence desynchronization, for a neural population. The procedure is illustrated for three different neural models. Not only does it achieve desynchronization for each model, but it also does so using less energy than recently proposed methods, suggesting a powerful alternative to pulsatile stimuli for deep brain stimulation. Furthermore, we calculate error bounds on the optimal stimulus which will guarantee a minimum Lyapunov exponent. Also, a related control strategy is developed for desynchronizing neurons based on the population's phase distribution.
Structure-Activity Relationship of Cinnamaldehyde Analogs as Inhibitors of AI-2 Based Quorum Sensing and Their Effect on Virulence of Vibrio spp

Background Many bacteria, including Vibrio spp. , regulate virulence gene expression in a cell-density dependent way through a communication process termed quorum sensing (QS). Hence, interfering with QS could be a valuable novel antipathogenic strategy. Cinnamaldehyde has previously been shown to inhibit QS-regulated virulence by decreasing the DNA-binding ability of the QS response regulator LuxR. However, little is known about the structure-activity relationship of cinnamaldehyde analogs. Methodology/Principal Findings By evaluating the QS inhibitory activity of a series of cinnamaldehyde analogs, structural elements critical for autoinducer-2 QS inhibition were identified. These include an α,β unsaturated acyl group capable of reacting as Michael acceptor connected to a hydrophobic moiety and a partially negative charge. The most active cinnamaldehyde analogs were found to affect the starvation response, biofilm formation, pigment production and protease production in Vibrio spp in vitro, while exhibiting low cytotoxicity. In addition, these compounds significantly increased the survival of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans infected with Vibrio anguillarum, Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio vulnificus. Conclusions/Significance Several new and more active cinnamaldehyde analogs were discovered and they were shown to affect Vibrio spp. virulence factor production in vitro and in vivo. Although ligands for LuxR have not been identified so far, the nature of different cinnamaldehyde analogs and their effect on the DNA binding ability of LuxR suggest that these compounds act as LuxR-ligands.
A role for suppressed thermogenesis favoring catch-up fat in the pathophysiology of catch-up growth.

Catch-up growth is a risk factor for later obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. We show here that after growth arrest by semistarvation, rats refed the same amount of a low-fat diet as controls show 1) lower energy expenditure due to diminished thermogenesis that favors accelerated fat deposition or catch-up fat and 2) normal glucose tolerance but higher plasma insulin after a glucose load at a time point when their body fat and plasma free fatty acids (FFAs) have not exceeded those of controls. Isocaloric refeeding on a high-fat diet resulted in even lower energy expenditure and thermogenesis and increased fat deposition and led to even higher plasma insulin and elevated plasma glucose after a glucose load. Stepwise regression analysis showed that plasma insulin and insulin-to-glucose ratio after the glucose load are predicted by variations in efficiency of energy use (i.e., in thermogenesis) rather than by the absolute amount of body fat or plasma FFAs. These studies suggest that suppression of thermogenesis per se may have a primary role in the development of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance during catch-up growth and underscore a role for suppressed thermogenesis directed specifically at catch-up fat in the link between catch-up growth and chronic metabolic diseases.