Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
5-HT(1A) receptors in the frontal cortical brain areas in Cloninger type 1 and 2 alcoholics measured by whole-hemisphere autoradiography.

AIMS The Cloninger type 1 alcoholics are prone to anxiety, and in many cases patients have begun to use alcohol in order to relieve their anxiety. We have previously reported a decrease of the serotonin transporter density in the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (pACC) in type 1 alcoholics. The 5-HT(1A) receptors are the binding sites for anxiolytic drug buspirone. We aimed to investigate the alteration in the density of 5-HT(1A) receptors, that may also alter the effect of serotonin in the pACC in alcoholics. METHODS The density of the serotonin receptor 5-HT(1A) among Cloninger type 1 and 2 alcoholics (nine and eight subjects, respectively) and 10 control subjects were determined by postmortem whole-hemisphere autoradiography with WAY-100635. RESULTS Substantially sparser 5-HT(1A) (by -31%, P = 0.010) density was observed in the pACC of alcoholic subjects in relation to non-alcoholic comparison subjects. In a secondary analysis for the difference between the alcoholic subtypes and controls, the 5-HT(1A) density was decreased significantly by -32% (P = 0.015) in the upper level of pACC in type 1 alcoholics. CONCLUSIONS The detected decrease of 5-HT(1A) receptor density on the pACC suggests further that the serotoninergic system is defected in the so-called affect region, especially in the type 1 alcoholics.
Hip Fracture Mortality: Is It Affected by Anesthesia Techniques?

We hypothesized that combined peripheral nerve block (CPNB) technique might reduce mortality in hip fracture patients with the advantage of preserved cardiovascular stability. We retrospectively analyzed 257 hip fracture patients for mortality rates and affecting factors according to general anesthesia (GA), neuraxial block (NB), and CPNB techniques. Patients' gender, age at admission, trauma date, ASA status, delay in surgery, followup period, and Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index were determined. There were no differences between three anesthesia groups regarding to sex, followup, delay in surgery, and Barthel score. NB patients was significantly younger and CPNB patients' ASA status were significantly worse than other groups. Mortality was lower for regional group (NB + CPNB) than GA group. Mortality was increased with age, delay in surgery, and ASA and decreased with CPNB choice; however, it was not correlated with NB choice. Since the patients' age and ASA status cannot be changed, they must be operated immediately. We recommend CPNB technique in high-risk patients to operate them earlier.
Impact of a probiotic Enterococcus faecalis in a gnotobiotic mouse model of experimental colitis.

SCOPE IL-10-deficient (IL-10(-/-) ) mice are susceptible to the development of chronic intestinal inflammation in response to the colonization with commensal Enterococcus faecalis isolates. The aim of this study was to characterize the impact of a probiotic E. faecalis strain in germ-free, wild-type (WT), and disease-susceptible IL-10(-/-) mice. METHODS AND RESULTS The probiotic E. faecalis and the colitogenic control strain OG1RF induced IL-6 and IFN-γ inducible protein-10 secretion in the murine intestinal epithelial cell line Mode K. Epithelial cell activation involved nuclear factor κ B, p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2-dependent pathways. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts from WT and toll-like receptor-2-deficient (TLR-2(-/-) ) mice confirmed that both E. faecalis strains trigger pro-inflammatory responses via the pattern recognition receptor TLR-2. Monoassociation of germ-free IL-10(-/-) mice with the probiotic E. faecalis strain revealed pro-inflammatory epithelial cell activation and colonic tissue pathology. The non-pathogenic nature of E. faecalis was confirmed in monoassociated WT mice. 2-DE and MALDI-TOF MS identified the ER stress chaperone Hspa5 (glucose-regulated protein 78) and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase as key targets in the epithelium from IL-10(-/-) and TLR-2(-/-) mice. CONCLUSION This study shows the potential of probiotic bacteria to initiate pro-inflammatory responses in the disease-susceptible but not the normal host.
Hypoxic preconditioning failure in aging hippocampal neurons: Impaired gene expression and rescue with intracellular calcium chelation

Hypoxic preconditioning in the brain (HPC), a phenomenon whereby noninjurious hypoxia induces resistance to cell death following ischemia, requires the expression of specific genes. Declines in signal transduction pathway activity with aging may decrease the genomic response to HPC and limit its neuroprotective efficacy. To test this, we determined how signal transduction gene expression, intracellular Ca2+ levels, and phosphorylation of the survival‐associated kinase Akt differ in hippocampal slice cultures (HSCs) made from postnatal day 7–10 (P7–10) and 2‐year‐old rats following HPC. HPC neuroprotection decreased with increasing source animal age, and HPC could not be demonstrated in HCSs made from animals >6 months of age, despite adjusting the duration of hypoxic exposure. Preconditioning protection required the survival kinase Akt in P10 hippocampal slices cultures. In P9 cultures, HPC increased Akt phosphorylation and the expression of prosurvival genes, including Bcl‐2, heat shock proteins, protein kinases, c‐jun, and NfκB. Lack of increased Akt phosphorylation and a greatly diminished signaling pathway gene response were found in HSCs from aging animals. Moderate and transient increases in [Ca2+]i during HPC occurred in P7–10 HSCs, but [Ca2+]i was persistently increased at 1 and 24 hr after preconditioning in HSCs from 2‐year‐old rats. The intracellular Ca2+ chelator BAPTA‐AM facilitated HPC neuroprotection in 2‐year‐old HSCs and restored the pattern of post‐HPC gene expression seen in immature animals. We conclude that age‐related loss of preconditioning may be due to altered intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis (excess and sustained increase in [Ca2+]i) and is a lesion that prevents critical elements of neuroprotective signal transduction. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cerebral functional connectivity and Mayer waves in mice: Phenomena and separability

Resting-state functional connectivity is a growing neuroimaging approach that analyses the spatiotemporal structure of spontaneous brain activity, often using low-frequency (<0.08 Hz) hemodynamics. In addition to these fluctuations, there are two other low-frequency hemodynamic oscillations in a nearby spectral region (0.1–0.4 Hz) that have been reported in the brain: vasomotion and Mayer waves. Despite how close in frequency these phenomena exist, there is little research on how vasomotion and Mayer waves are related to or affect resting-state functional connectivity. In this study, we analyze spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations over the mouse cortex using optical intrinsic signal imaging. We found spontaneous occurrence of oscillatory hemodynamics ∼0.2 Hz consistent with the properties of Mayer waves reported in the literature. Across a group of mice (n = 19), there was a large variability in the magnitude of Mayer waves. However, regardless of the magnitude of Mayer waves, functional connectivity patterns could be recovered from hemodynamic signals when filtered to the lower frequency band, 0.01–0.08 Hz. Our results demonstrate that both Mayer waves and resting-state functional connectivity patterns can co-exist simultaneously, and that they can be separated by applying bandpass filters.
Conformational Dynamics of HIV-1 protease: a Comparative molecular Dynamics Simulation Study with Multiple AMBER Force Fields

Flap dynamics of HIV-1 protease (HIV-pr) controls the entry of inhibitors and substrates to the active site. Dynamical models from previous simulations are not all consistent with each other and not all are supported by the NMR results. In the present work, the effect of force field on the dynamics of HIV-pr is investigated by MD simulations using three AMBER force fields ff99, ff99SB, and ff03. The generalized order parameters for amide backbone are calculated from the three force fields and compared with the NMR S2 values. We found that the ff99SB and ff03 force field calculated order parameters agree reasonably well with the NMR S2 values, whereas ff99 calculated values deviate most from the NMR order parameters. Stereochemical geometry of protein models from each force field also agrees well with the remarks from NMR S2 values. However, between ff99SB and ff03, there are several differences, most notably in the loop regions. It is found that these loops are, in general, more flexible in the ff03 force field. This results in a larger active site cavity in the simulation with the ff03 force field. The effect of this difference in computer-aided drug design against flexible receptors is discussed.
Taurodontism in a central anatolian population

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the frequency of the occurrence of taurodontism in a Turkish population with using panoromic radiographs. A retrospective study was performed using full-mouth periapical and panoramic radiographs of 6912 patients (3860 females and 3052 males) ranging in age from 15 to 50. A total of 97362 posterior (including third molars) were evaluated. A chi-square test was used to determine the difference in the prevalence of tauorodntism between genders. Eighteen patients were found to have a taurodont molar (10 women and 8 men [P = 0.98]). The overall incidence of patients with taurodont molars was 0.26 % and the prevalence of taurodont molars from all teeth examined was 0.024%, and the prevalence taurodonts were significantly more common in the mandibula compared with the maxilla (71.0% cf 29.0% respectively, P < 0.05). It was almost equally distributed between males and females. Taurodontism is not uncommon in Turkish population but further larger scale studies are required to assess its prevalence in the general population to compare it with other ethnic groups.
Error Probability Bounds for Multiuser Detection in Cooperative Cellular Networks

We present new analytical expressions for optimal multiuser detection in the uplink of a cellular network with base station cooperation. We consider a cooperative multicell scenario where multiple base stations jointly detect the signals from multiple users distributed throughout the network. For such a network, we derive new upper and lower bounds on the uncoded bit error probability (BEP) with independent Rayleigh fading and arbitrary path loss between the users and the base stations. Our analytical results are further simplified to produce closed-form bounds on the BEP when the path loss from a given user to each base station is distinct. We demonstrate that the lower bound is accurate at low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) while the upper bound is accurate at medium to high SNRs.
Near-field optical microscopy of surface plasmon polaritons excited by silicon nanoantenna

Within the last decade, all-dielectric nanophotonics established itself as a viable alternative for plasmonics due to lower losses and additional opportunities for light manipulation due to possibility of achieving non-unitary effective magnetic permeability. The concept of all-dielectric nanoantennas for the visible spectral range became reality with the discovery of strong scattering resonances of silicon nanospheres of 100 – 200 nm size [1, 2]. Initially, the studies of high-index nanoantennas for the visible range were mainly focused on the operation with bulk electromagnetic waves. A number of fascinating effects stemming from interference of equally strong electric and magnetic dipole resonances were discovered since then. Those are directional scattering of light [3], generalized Brewster effect [4], etc. At the same time, the performance of high-index nanoantennas in the domain of surface waves remained mostly unexplored with a few exceptions [5]. Here, we demonstrate that resonant silicon nanoparticle on metal film can act as an effective nanoantenna that converts free space light into surface plasmon polaritons. We visualize the excitation of SPP from silicon nanosphere on gold film using scanning near-field optical microscopy with aperture-type probe. In the nearfield maps measured for oblique incidence of linearly polarized laser beam on the nanosphere, the surface wave excitation is manifested due to interference with the incident wave. We show that the obtained near-field maps can be used to retrieve information on directivity of excited surface plasmon polariton and compare the SPP excitation efficiency for sand p-polarized light.
Association between CYP2C9 genetic variants and anticoagulation-related outcomes during warfarin therapy.

CONTEXT Warfarin is a commonly used anticoagulant that requires careful clinical management to balance the risks of overanticoagulation and bleeding with those of underanticoagulation and clotting. The principal enzyme involved in warfarin metabolism is CYP2C9, and 2 relatively common variant forms with reduced activity have been identified, CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3. Patients with these genetic variants have been shown to require lower maintenance doses of warfarin, but a direct association between CYP2C9 genotype and anticoagulation status or bleeding risk has not been established. OBJECTIVE To determine if CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 variants are associated with overanticoagulation and bleeding events during warfarin therapy. DESIGN AND SETTING Retrospective cohort study conducted at 2 anticoagulation clinics based in Seattle, Wash. PARTICIPANTS Two hundred patients receiving long-term warfarin therapy for various indications during April 3, 1990, to May 31, 2001. Only patients with a complete history of warfarin exposure were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Anticoagulation status, measured by time to therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR), rate of above-range INRs, and time to stable warfarin dosing; and time to serious or life-threatening bleeding events. RESULTS Among 185 patients with analyzable data, 58 (31.4%) had at least 1 variant CYP2C9 allele and 127 (68.6%) had the wild-type (*1/*1) genotype. Mean maintenance dose varied significantly among the 6 genotype groups (*1/*1 [n = 127], *1/*2 [n = 28], *1/*3 [n = 18], *2/*2 [n = 4], *2/*3 [n = 3], *3/*3 [n = 5]) (by Kruskall-Wallis test, chi(2)(5) = 37.348; P<. 001). Compared with patients with the wild-type genotype, patients with at least 1 variant allele had an increased risk of above-range INRs (hazard ratio [HR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.90). The variant group also required more time to achieve stable dosing (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.94), with a median difference of 95 days (P =.004). In addition, although numbers were small for some genotypes, representing potentially unstable estimates, patients with a variant genotype had a significantly increased risk of a serious or life-threatening bleeding event (HR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.18-4.86). CONCLUSIONS The results of our study suggest that the CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 polymorphisms are associated with an increased risk of overanticoagulation and of bleeding events among patients in a warfarin anticoagulation clinic setting, although small numbers in some cases would suggest the need for caution in interpretation. Screening for CYP2C9 variants may allow clinicians to develop dosing protocols and surveillance techniques to reduce the risk of adverse drug reactions in patients receiving warfarin.
Edge-Based Defocus Blur Estimation With Adaptive Scale Selection

Objects that do not lie at the focal distance of a digital camera generate defocused regions in the captured image. This paper presents a new edge-based method for spatially varying defocus blur estimation using a single image based on reblurred gradient magnitudes. The proposed approach initially computes a scale-consistent edge map of the input image and selects a local reblurring scale aiming to cope with noise, edge mis-localization, and interfering edges. An initial blur estimate is computed at the detected scale-consistent edge points and a novel connected edge filter is proposed to smooth the sparse blur map based on pixel connectivity within detected edge contours. Finally, a fast guided filter is used to propagate the sparse blur map through the whole image. Experimental results show that the proposed approach presents a very good compromise between estimation error and running time when compared with the state-of-the-art methods. We also explore our blur estimation method in the context of image deblurring, and show that metrics typically used to evaluate blur estimation may not correlate as expected with the visual quality of the deblurred image.
A 5-Gb/s/pin Transceiver for DDR Memory Interface With a Crosstalk Suppression Scheme

A 5-Gb/s/pin transceiver for DDR memory interface is proposed with a crosstalk suppression scheme. The proposed transceiver implements a staggered memory bus topology and a glitch canceller to suppress crosstalk-induced distortions in a memory channel. The transceiver is implemented using 0.18 mum CMOS process and operates at 5 Gb/s. The results demonstrate widened eye diagram and lower bit error rate. The eye width and height of the proposed scheme increases 28.3% and 11.1% compared to the conventional memory transceiver, respectively. The peak-to-peak jitter of output data is 52.82 ps.
From the Cover: Feature Article: mTOR complex 2-Akt signaling at mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAM) regulates mitochondrial physiology

The target of rapamycin (TOR) is a highly conserved protein kinase and a central controller of growth. Mammalian TOR complex 2 (mTORC2) regulates AGC kinase family members and is implicated in various disorders, including cancer and diabetes. Here we report that mTORC2 is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) subcompartment termed mitochondria-associated ER membrane (MAM). mTORC2 localization to MAM was growth factor-stimulated, and mTORC2 at MAM interacted with the IP3 receptor (IP3R)-Grp75–voltage-dependent anion-selective channel 1 ER-mitochondrial tethering complex. mTORC2 deficiency disrupted MAM, causing mitochondrial defects including increases in mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP production, and calcium uptake. mTORC2 controlled MAM integrity and mitochondrial function via Akt mediated phosphorylation of the MAM associated proteins IP3R, Hexokinase 2, and phosphofurin acidic cluster sorting protein 2. Thus, mTORC2 is at the core of a MAM signaling hub that controls growth and metabolism.
Capturing genomic signatures of DNA sequence variation using a standard anonymous microarray platform

Comparative genomics, using the model organism approach, has provided powerful insights into the structure and evolution of whole genomes. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of Earth's biodiversity will have its genome sequenced in the foreseeable future. Most wild organisms have radically different life histories and evolutionary genomics than current model systems. A novel technique is needed to expand comparative genomics to a wider range of organisms. Here, we describe a novel approach using an anonymous DNA microarray platform that gathers genomic samples of sequence variation from any organism. Oligonucleotide probe sequences placed on a custom 44 K array were 25 bp long and designed using a simple set of criteria to maximize their complexity and dispersion in sequence probability space. Using whole genomic samples from three known genomes (mouse, rat and human) and one unknown (Gonystylus bancanus), we demonstrate and validate its power, reliability, transitivity and sensitivity. Using two separate statistical analyses, a large numbers of genomic ‘indicator’ probes were discovered. The construction of a genomic signature database based upon this technique would allow virtual comparisons and simple queries could generate optimal subsets of markers to be used in large-scale assays, using simple downstream techniques. Biologists from a wide range of fields, studying almost any organism, could efficiently perform genomic comparisons, at potentially any phylogenetic level after performing a small number of standardized DNA microarray hybridizations. Possibilities for refining and expanding the approach are discussed.
The constraint equations for the Einstein-scalar field system on compact manifolds

We study the constraint equations for the Einstein-scalar field system on compact manifolds. Using the conformal method we reformulate these equations as a determined system of nonlinear partial differential equations. By introducing a new conformal invariant, which is sensitive to the presence of the initial data for the scalar field, we are able to divide the set of free conformal data into subclasses depending on the possible signs for the coefficients of terms in the resulting Einstein-scalar field Lichnerowicz equation. For many of these subclasses we determine whether or not a solution exists. In contrast to other well studied field theories, there are certain cases, depending on the mean curvature and the potential of the scalar field, for which we are unable to resolve the question of existence of a solution. We consider this system in such generality so as to include the vacuum constraint equations with an arbitrary cosmological constant, the Yamabe equation and even (all cases of) the prescribed scalar curvature problem as special cases.
Adiponectin as serum biomarker of insulin resistance in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome

Abstract Objective: To examine the role of adiponectin as a biomarker of insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Background: PCOS is associated with metabolic syndrome, which correlates to increased cardiovascular risk in these patients. Adiponectin is decreased in obese individuals. Methods: Ninety women with PCOS (45 with and 45 without metabolic syndrome) were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric variables, serum concentrations of fasting glucose, insulin, triglycerides, lipoproteins, cholesterol, testosterone and adiponectin were measured in all patients. Insulin sensitivity was examined in all patients. Numerical values were analyzed by t-tests and categorical data were analyzed by Chi-square test. Multiple regression analyses were performed to detect the factors that contributed to insulin resistance. Results: Metabolic syndrome predicted insulin resistance in PCOS patients. Serum adiponectin levels were suppressed in insulin resistant compared to insulin sensitive patients (10.7 ± 4.3 µg/mL, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed for every 1 µg increase in adiponectin, insulin sensitivity index increases by 0.1 (p = 0.016). Serum testosterone failed to correlate with insulin sensitivity. Conclusion: Serum adiponectin levels were suppressed in patients with both metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. This protein could be used as a biomarker to distinguish the patients at a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular morbidity.