Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fetal Programming Prenatal Origins of Health and Illness

Research on young animals and humans has demonstrated the critical importance of the fetal stage as a formative period in normal development. However, the significance of these findings has not always been incorporated into our thinking when trying to elucidate the origins of health and disease. It is not only that babies react to the state of the mother and to salient environmental events while still in the uterus. This stimulation and priming seems to be essential for guiding the optimal maturation of the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. Experiences during prenatal life also program the regulatory set points that will govern physiology in adulthood. During this malleable maturational phase, these biological processes should be viewed as flexible “learning systems” that guide the developmental trajectory toward health or derail it toward pathology. Our studies on infant primates have shown that the competence of their immune responses and the structure and activity of certain brain regions, as wel.
Linking the quark meson model with QCD at high temperature

We model the transition of a system of quarks and gluons at high energies to a system of quarks and mesons at low energies in a consistent renormalization group approach. Flow equations interpolate between the physics of the high-temperature degrees of freedom and the low-temperature dynamics at a scale of 1 GeV. We also discuss the dependence of the equation of state on baryon density and compare our results with recent lattice gauge simulations.
Differential involvement of cortical and cerebellar areas using dominant and nondominant hands: An FMRI study

Motor fMRI studies, comparing dominant (DH) and nondominant (NDH) hand activations have reported mixed findings, especially for the extent of ipsilateral (IL) activations and their relationship with task complexity. To date, no study has directly compared DH and NDH activations using an event‐related visually guided dynamic power‐grip paradigm with parametric (three) forces (GF) in healthy right‐handed subjects. We implemented a hierarchical statistical approach aimed to: (i) identify the main effect networks engaged when using either hand; (ii) characterise DH/NDH responses at different GFs; (iii) assess contralateral (CL)/IL‐specific and hemisphere‐specific activations. Beyond confirming previously reported results, this study demonstrated that increasing GF has an effect on motor response that is contextualised also by the use of DH or NDH. Linear analysis revealed increased activations in sensorimotor areas, with additional increased recruitments of subcortical and cerebellar areas when using the NDH. When looking at CL/IL‐specific activations, CL sensorimotor areas and IL cerebellum were activated with both hands. When performing the task with the NDH, several areas were also recruited including the CL cerebellum. Finally, there were hand‐side‐independent activations of nonmotor‐specific areas in the right and left hemispheres, with the right hemisphere being involved more extensively in sensori‐motor integration through associative areas while the left hemisphere showing greater activation at higher GF. This study shows that the functional networks subtending DH/NDH power‐grip visuomotor functions are qualitatively and quantitatively distinct and this should be taken into consideration when performing fMRI studies, particularly when planning interventions in patients with specific impairments. Hum Brain Mapp 36:5079–5100, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Treating Parkinson’s disease in the 21st century: Can stem cell transplantation compete?

The characteristic and selective degeneration of a unique population of cells—the nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) neurons—that occurs in Parkinson's disease (PD) has made the condition an iconic target for cell replacement therapies. Indeed, transplantation of fetal ventral mesencephalic cells into the DA‐deficient striatum was first trialled nearly 30 years ago, at a time when other treatments for the disease were less well developed. Over recent decades standard treatments for PD have advanced, and newer biological therapies are now emerging. In the 21st century, stem cell technology will have to compete alongside other sophisticated treatments, including deep brain stimulation and gene therapies. In this review we examine how stem cell–based transplantation therapies compare with these novel and emerging treatments in the management of this common condition. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:2802–2816, 2014. © 2014 The Authors The Journal of Comparative Neurology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Maternal Depression during Pregnancy: A Double Blind Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Depression is one of the most debilitating disorders during pregnancy and its recovery and treatment are among the concerns of obstetrics and gynecology experts. The present study aimed to determine the effect of omega-3 supplement on mild depression during pregnancy among primiparous women. Method: In this double-blind clinical trial, 80 primiparous women were randomly divided into 2 groups of omega-3 and placebo. The experimental group received 1 g omega-3 capsules for 6 weeks. The study data were collected by completing Beck Depression Inventory before and 6 weeks after the intervention. Results: The results revealed a significant difference between the two groups regarding the mean score of depression before and after the intervention (P<0.001). Besides, the mean difference of depression score before and after the intervention was significantly higher in the omega-3 group (P<0.001). Conclusion: Considering the study results, using omega-3 supplement is a suitable method for recovery from mild depression during pregnancy with no complications for mothers and infants. Trial Registration Number: IRCT2012121011717
The Prevalence, Correlates and Impact of Dementia in Cuba

Background: We aimed to estimate the prevalence, correlates and impact of dementia in Havana and Matanzas, Cuba. Methods: A 1-phase catchment area survey of all over 65-year-old residents of 7 catchment areas in Havana and 1 in Matanzas was conducted. Dementia diagnosis was established according to DSM-IV and our own, pre-validated10/66 criteria. The impact of dementia was assessed through associations with needs for care, cutting back on work to care and caregiver psychological morbidity. Results: We interviewed 2,944 older people, a response proportion of 96.4%. The prevalence of DSM-IV dementia was 6.4% and that of 10/66 dementia 10.8%. Both dementia outcomes were associated with older age, less education, a family history of dementia, shorter leg length and smaller skull circumference. Dementia, rather than physical health problems or depression, was the main contributor to needs for care (population-attributable prevalence fraction = 64.6%) and caregiver cutting back on work (population-attributable prevalence fraction = 57.3%). Conclusion: The prevalence of dementia in Cuba is similar to Europe. Among health conditions, dementia is the major contributor to dependency and caregiver economic and psychological strain. More attention needs to be given to it and other chronic diseases associated more with disability than premature mortality.
Improved bounds on the epidemic threshold of exact SIS models on complex networks

The SIS (susceptible-infected-susceptible) epidemic model on an arbitrary network, without making approximations, is a 2n-state Markov chain with a unique absorbing state (the all-healthy state). This makes analysis of the SIS model and, in particular, determining the threshold of epidemic spread quite challenging. It has been shown that the exact marginal probabilities of infection can be upper bounded by an n-dimensional linear time-invariant system, a consequence of which is that the Markov chain is “fast-mixing” when the LTI system is stable, i.e. when equation (where β is the infection rate per link, δ is the recovery rate, and λmax(A) is the largest eigenvalue of the network's adjacency matrix). This well-known threshold has been recently shown not to be tight in several cases, such as in a star network. In this paper, we provide tighter upper bounds on the exact marginal probabilities of infection, by also taking pairwise infection probabilities into account. Based on this improved bound, we derive tighter eigenvalue conditions that guarantee fast mixing (i.e., logarithmic mixing time) of the chain. We demonstrate the improvement of the threshold condition by comparing the new bound with the known one on various networks with various epidemic parameters.
Cluster Perturbation Simulated Annealing for Protein Folding Problem

In this paper, an improved Simulated Annealing algorithm for Protein Fold- ing Problem (PFP) is presented. This algorithm called Cluster Perturbation Simulated Annealing (CPSA) is based on a brand new scheme to generate new solutions using a cluster perturbation. The algorithm is divided into two phases: Cluster Perturbation Phase and the Reheat Phase. The first phase obtains a good solution in a small amount of time, and it is applied at very high temperatures. The second phase starts with a threshold temperature and reheats the system for a better exploration. CPSA reduces the execution time of the Simulated Annealing Algorithm without sacrificing quality to find a native structure in PFP in Ab-Initio approaches.
Eff ectiveness of a rural sanitation programme on diarrhoea, soil-transmitted helminth infection, and child malnutrition in Odisha, India: a cluster-randomised trial

Background A third of the 2·5 billion people worldwide without access to improved sanitation live in India, as do two-thirds of the 1·1 billion practising open defecation and a quarter of the 1·5 million who die annually from diarrhoeal diseases. We aimed to assess the eff ectiveness of a rural sanitation intervention, within the context of the Government of India’s Total Sanitation Campaign, to prevent diarrhoea, soil-transmitted helminth infection, and child malnutrition.
Dysconnectivity Within the Default Mode in First-Episode Schizophrenia: A Stochastic Dynamic Causal Modeling Study With Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

We report the first stochastic dynamic causal modeling (sDCM) study of effective connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) in schizophrenia. Thirty-three patients (9 women, mean age = 25.0 years, SD = 5) with a first episode of psychosis and diagnosis of schizophrenia—according to the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, revised criteria—were studied. Fifteen healthy control subjects (4 women, mean age = 24.6 years, SD = 4) were included for comparison. All subjects underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) interspersed with 2 periods of continuous picture viewing. The anterior frontal (AF), posterior cingulate (PC), and the left and right parietal nodes of the DMN were localized in an unbiased fashion using data from 16 independent healthy volunteers (using an identical fMRI protocol). We used sDCM to estimate directed connections between and within nodes of the DMN, which were subsequently compared with t tests at the between subject level. The excitatory effect of the PC node on the AF node and the inhibitory self-connection of the AF node were significantly weaker in patients (mean values = 0.013 and −0.048 Hz, SD = 0.09 and 0.05, respectively) relative to healthy subjects (mean values = 0.084 and −0.088 Hz, SD = 0.15 and 0.77, respectively; P < .05). In summary, sDCM revealed reduced effective connectivity to the AF node of the DMN—reflecting a reduced postsynaptic efficacy of prefrontal afferents—in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.
The LonDownS adult cognitive assessment to study cognitive abilities and decline in Down syndrome

Background: Down syndrome (DS), the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability, is associated with an ultra-high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. However, there is individual variability in the onset of clinical dementia and in baseline cognitive abilities prior to decline, particularly in memory, executive functioning, and motor coordination. The LonDownS Consortium aims to determine risk and protective factors for the development of dementia and factors relating to cognitive abilities in people with DS. Here we describe our cognitive test battery and related informant measures along with reporting data from our baseline cognitive and informant assessments. Methods: We developed a cognitive test battery to assess general abilities, memory, executive function, and motor coordination abilities in adults with DS, with informant ratings of similar domains also collected, designed to allow for data on a broad range of participants. Participants (n=305) had a range of ages and abilities, and included adults with and without a clinical diagnosis of dementia. Results: Results suggest the battery is suitable for the majority of adults with DS, although approximately half the adults with dementia were unable to undertake any cognitive task. Many test outcomes showed a range of scores with low floor and ceiling effects. Non-verbal age-adjusted IQ scores had lower floor effects than verbal IQ scores. Before the onset of any cognitive decline, females aged 16-35 showed better verbal abilities compared to males. We also identified clusters of cognitive test scores within our battery related to visuospatial memory, motor coordination, language abilities, and processing speed / sustained attention. Conclusions: Our further studies will use baseline and longitudinal assessments to explore factors influencing cognitive abilities and cognitive decline related to ageing and onset of dementia in adults with DS.
A decade of genomic history for healthcare-associated Enterococcus faecium in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) is an important cause of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. We undertook whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 495 E. faecium bloodstream isolates from 2001–2011 in the United Kingdom and Ireland (UK&I) and 11 E. faecium isolates from a reference collection. Comparison between WGS and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) identified major discrepancies for 17% of isolates, with multiple instances of the same sequence type (ST) being located in genetically distant positions in the WGS tree. This confirms that WGS is superior to MLST for evolutionary analyses and is more accurate than current typing methods used during outbreak investigations. E. faecium has been categorized as belonging to three clades (Clades A1, hospital-associated; A2, animal-associated; and B, community-associated). Phylogenetic analysis of our isolates replicated the distinction between Clade A (97% of isolates) and Clade B but did not support the subdivision of Clade A into Clade A1 and A2. Phylogeographic analyses revealed that Clade A had been introduced multiple times into each hospital referral network or country, indicating frequent movement of E. faecium between regions that rarely share hospital patients. Numerous genetic clusters contained highly related vanA-positive and -negative E. faecium, which implies that control of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in hospitals also requires consideration of vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium. Our findings reveal the evolution and dissemination of hospital-associated E. faecium in the UK&I and provide evidence for WGS as an instrument for infection control.
IDIOM-INDEPENDENT HARMONIC PATTERN RECOGNITION BASED ON A NOVEL CHORD TRANSITION REPRESENTATION

In this paper, a novel chord transition representation (Cambouropoulos 2012), that draws on the interval function between two collections of notes proposed by Lewin (1959), is explored in a harmonic recognition task. This representation allows the encoding of chord transitions at a level higher that individual notes that is transposition-invariant and idiom-independent (analogous to pitch intervals that represent transitions between notes). A harmonic transition between two chords is represented by a Directed Interval Class (DIC) vector. The proposed 12dimensional vector encodes the number of occurrence of all directional interval classes (from 0 to 6 including +/for direction) between all the pairs of notes of two successive chords. Apart from octave equivalence and interval inversion equivalence, this representation preserves directionality of intervals (up or down). A small database is constructed comprising of chord sequences derived from diverse music idioms/styles (tonal music, different traditional harmonic idioms, 20 century nontonal harmonic idioms). The proposed DIC representation is evaluated on a harmonic recognition task, i.e. we examine the accuracy of recognition of harmonic queries in this database. The results of the algorithm are judged by human music analysis experts. It is suggested that the proposed idiom-independent chord transition representation is adequate for representing harmonic relations in music from diverse musical idioms (in equal temperament) and, therefore, may provide a most appropriate framework for harmonic processing in the domain of computational ethnomusicology.
Cytotoxic Mediators in Paradoxical HIV–Tuberculosis Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome

Tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) frequently complicates combined antiretroviral therapy and antituberculosis therapy in HIV-1–coinfected tuberculosis patients. The immunopathological mechanisms underlying TB-IRIS are incompletely defined, and improved understanding is required to derive new treatments and to reduce associated morbidity and mortality. We performed longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses of human PBMCs from paradoxical TB-IRIS patients and non-IRIS controls (HIV-TB–coinfected patients commencing antiretroviral therapy who did not develop TB-IRIS). Freshly isolated PBMC stimulated with heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (hkH37Rv) were used for IFN-γ ELISPOT and RNA extraction. Stored RNA was used for microarray and RT-PCR, whereas corresponding stored culture supernatants were used for ELISA. Stored PBMC were used for perforin and granzyme B ELISPOT and flow cytometry. There were significantly increased IFN-γ responses to hkH37Rv in TB-IRIS, compared with non-IRIS PBMC (p = 0.035). Microarray analysis of hkH37Rv-stimulated PBMC indicated that perforin 1 was the most significantly upregulated gene, with granzyme B among the top five (log2 fold difference 3.587 and 2.828, respectively), in TB-IRIS. Downstream experiments using RT-PCR, ELISA, and ELISPOT confirmed the increased expression and secretion of perforin and granzyme B. Moreover, granzyme B secretion reduced in PBMC from TB-IRIS patients during corticosteroid treatment. Invariant NKT cell (CD3+Vα24+) proportions were higher in TB-IRIS patients (p = 0.004) and were a source of perforin. Our data implicate the granule exocytosis pathway in TB-IRIS pathophysiology. Further understanding of the immunopathogenesis of this condition will facilitate development of specific diagnostic and improved therapeutic options.
Maternally derived microduplications at 15q11-q13: implication of imprinted genes in psychotic illness.

OBJECTIVE Rare copy number variants have been implicated in different neurodevelopmental disorders, with the same copy number variants often increasing risk of more than one of these phenotypes. In a discovery sample of 22 schizophrenia patients with an early onset of illness (10-15 years of age), the authors observed in one patient a maternally derived 15q11-q13 duplication overlapping the Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome critical region. This prompted investigation of the role of 15q11-q13 duplications in psychotic illness. METHOD The authors scanned 7,582 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 41,370 comparison subjects without known psychiatric illness for copy number variants at 15q11-q13 and determined the parental origin of duplications using methylation-sensitive Southern hybridization analysis. RESULTS Duplications were found in four case patients and five comparison subjects. All four case patients had maternally derived duplications (0.05%), while only three of the five comparison duplications were maternally derived (0.007%), resulting in a significant excess of maternally derived duplications in case patients (odds ratio=7.3). This excess is compatible with earlier observations that risk for psychosis in people with Prader-Willi syndrome caused by maternal uniparental disomy is much higher than in those caused by deletion of the paternal chromosome. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the presence of two maternal copies of a fragment of chromosome 15q11.2-q13.1 that overlaps with the Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome critical region may be a rare risk factor for schizophrenia and other psychoses. Given that maternal duplications of this region are among the most consistent cytogenetic observations in autism, the findings provide further support for a shared genetic etiology between autism and psychosis.
On the origin of the X-ray emission from Herbig Ae/Be stars

Context. Herbig Ae/Be stars are fully radiative and not expected to support dynamo action analogous to their convective lower-mass counterparts, the T Tauri stars. Alternative X-ray production mechanisms, related to stellar winds or star-disk magnetospher es have been proposed, but all in all their X-ray emission has remained a mystery. Aims. A study of Herbig Ae/Be stars’ global X-ray properties (such as detection rate, luminosity, temperature, variability) , helps to constrain the emission mechanism by comparison to other types of stars, e.g. similar-age but lower-mass T Tauri stars, similar-mass but more evolved main-sequence A- and B-type stars, and with respect to model predictions. Methods. We performed a systematic search for Chandra archival observations of Herbig Ae/Be stars. The superior spatial resolut ion of this satellite with respect to previous X-ray instrumentation h as allowed us to examine also the possible role of late-type companions in generating the observed X-rays. Results. In the total sample of 17 Herbig Ae/Be stars, 8 are resolved from X-ray emitting faint companions or other unrelated X-ray bright objects within 10 ′′ . The detection fraction of Herbig Ae/Be stars is 76 %, but lowers to 35 % if all emission is attributed to further known and unresolved companions. The spectral analysis confirms the h igh X-ray temperatures (� 20 MK) and large range of fractional X-ray luminosities (log Lx/L∗) of this class derived from earlier studies of individual ob jects. Conclusions. Radiative winds are ruled out as emission mechanism on basis of the high temperatures. The X-ray properties of Herbig Ae/Be stars are not vastly different from those of their late-type companion stars (if such are known), nor from other young late-type stars used for comparison. Therefore, either a similar kind of process takes place on both classes of objects, or there must be as yet undiscovered companion stars.
Aspects of Quantum Chromodynamics

50 paginas, 24 figuras, 1 tabla. -- Trabajo presentado al ICTP Summer School in Particle Physics celebrado del 21 de Junio al 9 de Julio de 1999 en Trieste (Italia). -- Editores: G. Senjanovc y A. Yu. Smirnov.