Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Abnormal hippocampal functioning and impaired spatial navigation in depressed individuals: evidence from whole-head magnetoencephalography.

OBJECTIVE Dysfunction of the hippocampus has long been suspected to be a key component of the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder. Despite evidence of hippocampal structural abnormalities in depressed patients, abnormal hippocampal functioning has not been demonstrated. The authors aimed to link spatial navigation deficits previously documented in depressed patients to abnormal hippocampal functioning using a virtual reality navigation task. METHOD Whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings were collected while participants (19 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 19 healthy subjects matched by gender and age) navigated a virtual Morris water maze to find a hidden platform; navigation to a visible platform served as a control condition. Behavioral measures were obtained to assess navigation performance. Theta oscillatory activity (4-8 Hz) was mapped across the brain on a voxel-wise basis using a spatial-filtering MEG source analysis technique. RESULTS Depressed patients performed worse than healthy subjects in navigating to the hidden platform. Robust group differences in theta activity were observed in right medial temporal cortices during navigation, with patients exhibiting less engagement of the anterior hippocampus and parahippocampal cortices relative to comparison subjects. Left posterior hippocampal theta activity was positively correlated with individual performance within each group. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with previous findings, depressed patients showed impaired spatial navigation. Dysfunction of right anterior hippocampus and parahippocampal cortices may underlie this deficit and stem from structural abnormalities commonly found in depressed patients.
Endoscopic Mucosal Resection

We are now finding more malignancies in their early stages than previously. Attempts to ablate these lesions are difficult and do not provide the histological information required to decide on further treatment. Surgery is difficult to justify, as only a minority of lesions are associated with lymph node metastases and lesions may not become clinically relevant within the lifetime of an elderly patient. Endoscopic mucosal resection allows cancers to be resected at minimal cost, morbidity and mortality. It is also the most reliable investigation when assessing lesions which are suspicious for containing early cancer. After endoscopic removal, histological assessment of depth of penetration and a search for invasion into lymphatics or venules allows the risk of microscopic lymph node metastases to be predicted. The risk of developing metastatic disease can then be balanced against the risks of surgery in view of the patient's age and health.
Cellular Effects of Everolimus and Sirolimus on Podocytes

Everolimus (EVL) and Sirolimus (SRL) are potent immunosuppressant agents belonging to the group of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors used to prevent transplant rejection. However, some patients develop proteinuria following a switch from a calcineurin inhibitor regimen to mTOR inhibitors. Whether different mTOR inhibitors show similar effects on podocytes is still unknown. To analyze this, human podocytes were incubated with different doses of EVL and SRL. After incubation with EVL or SRL, podocytes revealed a reduced expression of total mTOR. Phosphorylation of p70S6K and Akt was diminished, whereas pAkt expression was more reduced in the SRL group. In both groups actin cytoskeletal reorganization was increased. Synaptopodin and podocin expression was reduced as well as nephrin protein, particularly in the SRL group. NFκB activation and IL-6 levels were lower in EVL and SRL, and even lower in SRL. Apoptosis was more increased in SRL than in the EVL group. Our data suggests that mTOR inhibitors affect podocyte integrity with respect to podocyte proteins, cytoskeleton, inflammation, and apoptosis. Our study is the first to analyze both mTOR inhibitors, EVL and SRL, in parallel in podocytes. Partially, the impact of EVL and SRL on podocytes differs. Nevertheless, it still remains unclear whether these differences are of relevance regarding to proteinuria in transplant patients.
Correlates of High Serum C-Reactive Protein Levels in a Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Population

Individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds are disproportionately affected by the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet data regarding risk factors in this population are lacking, particularly regarding emerging biomarkers of CVD such as C-reactive protein (CRP). We measured high-sensitivity CRP and examined its association with demographic and lifestyle factors in a sample of 792 participants aged 40–79 years from the Southern Community Cohort Study, which has an over-representation of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals (over 60% with a total annual household income <$15,000). We found that within this population the prevalence of elevated CRP (>3 mg/L) varied significantly by sex, race, smoking status, and body mass index (BMI). The multivariable-adjusted prevalence odds ratios (ORs) (95% CIs) for having elevated CRP were 1.6 (1.1–2.3) for women vs. men, 1.4 (0.9–2.0) for African Americans vs. whites, 2.3 (1.4–3.8) for African American women vs. white men, 1.8 (1.2–2.7) for current smokers vs. non-smokers, and 4.2 (2.7–6.6) for obese (BMI 30.0–44.9 kg/m2) vs. healthy-weight (BMI 18.3–24.9 kg/m2) participants. Further stratified analyses revealed that the association between BMI and elevated CRP was stronger among African Americans than whites and women than men, with prevalence ORs (95% CI) comparing obese vs. healthy-weight categories reaching 22.8 (7.1–73.8) for African American women. In conclusion, in this socioeconomically disadvantaged population, sex, race, smoking, and BMI were associated with elevated CRP. Moreover, inflammatory response to obesity differed by race and sex, which may contribute to CVD disparities.
Effect of After‐Dinner Administration on the Pharmacokinetics of Oral Flunitrazepam and Loprazolam

The pharmacokinetics of two benzodiazepine hypnotics, flunitrazepam and loprazolam, was determined on two occasions in two groups of eight healthy volunteers. Single 2‐mg oral doses of either drug were given in the fasting state at morning on one occasion and after a standard dinner at night on another. Compared with administration of drugs in the fasting state, administration of the drugs after dinner decreased peak plasma concentrations, delayed the time to reach maximum concentration, and prolonged the absorption half‐life. The extent of absorption was reduced for flunitrazepam but not for loprazolam. The elimination half‐life of both flunitrazepam and loprazolam was not changed in the two conditions. These changes may be of clinical significance because they can delay and reduce the effects of the drugs.
Exploiting duality in summarization with deterministic guarantees

Summarization is an important task in data mining. A major challenge over the past years has been the efficient construction of fixed-space synopses that provide a deterministic quality guarantee, often expressed in terms of a maximum-error metric. Histograms and several hierarchical techniques have been proposed for this problem. However, their time and/or space complexities remain impractically high and depend not only on the data set size n, but also on the space budget B. These handicaps stem from a requirement to tabulate all allocations of synopsis space to different regions of the data. In this paper we develop an alternative methodology that dispels these deficiencies, thanks to a fruitful application of the solution to the dual problem: given a maximum allowed error, determine the minimum-space synopsis that achieves it. Compared to the state-of-the-art, our histogram construction algorithm reduces time complexity by (at least) a Blog2n over logε* factor and our hierarchical synopsis algorithm reduces the complexity by (at least) a factor of log2B over logε* + logn in time and B(1-log B over log n) in space, where ε* is the optimal error. These complexity advantages offer both a space-efficiency and a scalability that previous approaches lacked. We verify the benefits of our approach in practice by experimentation.
Domain structure-dielectric property relationship in lead-free (1−x)(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3xBaTiO3 ceramics

The domain morphology and crystal structure of (1−x)(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3xBaTiO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics were systematically studied with transmission electron microscopy for compositions x=0.04 through 0.11. It was found that the ceramics with compositions x<0.06 display a R3c symmetry with ferroelectric domains of ∼100 nm forming complex structures at room temperature. Only nanodomains with faint contrast were observed in the compositions of 0.07≤x≤0.09. The presence of weak 1/2 (ooe) superlattice diffraction spots and absence of 1/2 (ooo) ones (o stands for odd and e stands for even miller indices) seem to suggest a P4bm symmetry at room temperature. The morphotropic phase boundary composition x=0.06 showed mixed R3c and P4bm phases. Large lamellar ferroelectric domains with P4mm symmetry were found to dominate in the ceramic of x=0.11. The observed domain structure correlates extremely well with the frequency dispersion of dielectric constant at room temperature and a new concept “relaxor antifer.
Effects of Xuanbai Chengqi decoction on lung compliance for patients with exogenous pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome

Objective To observe the effects of Xuanbai Chengqi decoction on lung compliance for patients with exogenous pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome. Subjects and methods A total of 53 patients with exogenous pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome, who were admitted to the intensive care unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 2009 to February 2013, were selected. They were randomly divided into the treatment group (25 cases) and the control group (28 cases). Both the groups were treated with conventional treatment and lung-protective ventilation strategy; apart from these, enema therapy with Xuanbai Chengqi decoction was given to the treatment group. Meanwhile, static lung compliance, dynamic lung compliance, peak airway pressure, plateau pressure, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) for patients in both the groups were observed and recorded at 24, 48, and 72 hours after the drug was used. Moreover, variations in the duration of parenteral nutrition, incidence rate of complications, and case fatality rate in patients after treatment were recorded. Results For patients in the treatment group, at 48 and 72 hours after treatment, the static lung compliance and dynamic lung compliance were significantly higher than those in the control group, while plateau pressure, peak airway pressure, and PEEP were significantly lower than those before treatment. At the same time, PEEP for patients in the treatment group at 72 hours after treatment was remarkably lower than that in the control group, showing significant difference (P<0.05). The duration of parenteral nutrition in the treatment group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05). Both the incidence rate and the fatality rate of complications, such as abdominal distension and ventilator-associated pneumonia, for patients in the treatment group were distinctly smaller than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Xuanbai Chengqi decoction not only can improve the static lung compliance and dynamic compliance of patients with exogenous pulmonary distress syndrome but also can shorten the parenteral nutrition duration, as well as reducing the complication incidence rate and fatality rate.
Non-invasive brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to quantify the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for the treatment of motor dysfunction in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Prospective studies which evaluated the effects of either TMS (12 studies) or ECT (five studies) on motor function in PD using the motor subscale of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) for TMS studies and any continuous measures of motor function in PD for ECT studies were included. The pooled effect size (standardised mean difference between pre-treatment versus post-treatment means) from a random effects model was 0.62 (95% confidence interval: 0.38, 0.85) for TMS treatment and 1.68 (0.79, 2.56) for ECT treatment, and from a fixed effects model was 0.59 (0.39, 0.78) for TMS treatment and 1.55 (1.07, 2.03) for ECT treatment. TMS, across applied stimulation sites and parameters, can exert a significant, albeit modest, positive effect on the motor function of patients with PD. ECT also may exert a significant effect on motor function in PD patients.
The disability rating and Coma/Near-Coma scales in evaluating severe head injury

The Disability Rating (DR) and Coma/Near-Coma (C/NC) scales for evaluating severe head injury are described. Scales are related to patient status, course and outcome and also underlying electroneurophysiological dysfunction. They lend themselves to high inter-rater reliability with brief training and can be completed in minutes, conserving staff time and energy.
Design of Spur Gears Using Profile Modification

In this work, a profile modification technique was used in design of a spur gear. In this technique, the tooth-sum is varied to obtain the desired contact ratio and low contact stress for a specified center distance. A program has been developed using C language to compute the contact stresses by varying the amount of profile shift for a tooth-sum of 100 teeth (±4%). The selected tooth-sum of 96, 100, and 104 gears was subjected to cyclic loading using a back-to-back test rig. The morphology of the damaged gear tooth surface after cyclic loading was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The morphological investigation reveals that the degree of damage observed in negative number of teeth alterations is less compared to standard and positive alteration tooth-sum due to lower contact stress.
Interacting Poisson processes and applications to neuronal modeling

We introduce a modification of the classical Hawkes’ processes in which also inhibitory connections between units are allowed. This formalism is used to model networks of neurons characterized by an exponential transfer function. The expected intensities of the process are approximated by a differential system of first-order and the stability of the solutions of this equation is studied. We discuss the relations to a class of generalised linear model used for the analysis of spike trains and we show how to use this formalism to implement a robust winner-takes-all network that operates on a wide range of parameters.
Learning visual groups from co-occurrences in space and time

We propose a self-supervised framework that learns to group visual entities based on their rate of co-occurrence in space and time. To model statistical dependencies between the entities, we set up a simple binary classification problem in which the goal is to predict if two visual primitives occur in the same spatial or temporal context. We apply this framework to three domains: learning patch affinities from spatial adjacency in images, learning frame affinities from temporal adjacency in videos, and learning photo affinities from geospatial proximity in image collections. We demonstrate that in each case the learned affinities uncover meaningful semantic groupings. From patch affinities we generate object proposals that are competitive with state-of-the-art supervised methods. From frame affinities we generate movie scene segmentations that correlate well with DVD chapter structure. Finally, from geospatial affinities we learn groups that relate well to semantic place categories.
Identification and Characterization of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 pUL56 and Its Role in Virus-Induced Downregulation of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I

ABSTRACT Major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules play an important role in host immunity to infection by presenting antigenic peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), which recognize and destroy virus-infected cells. Members of the Herpesviridae have developed multiple mechanisms to avoid CTL recognition by virtue of downregulation of MHC-I on the cell surface. We report here on an immunomodulatory protein involved in this process, pUL56, which is encoded by ORF1 of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), an alphaherpesvirus. We show that EHV-1 pUL56 is a phosphorylated early protein which is expressed as different forms and predominantly localizes to Golgi membranes. In addition, the transmembrane (TM) domain of the type II membrane protein was shown to be indispensable for correct subcellular localization and a proper function. pUL56 by itself is not functional with respect to interference with MHC-I and likely needs another unidentified viral protein(s) to perform this action. Surprisingly, pUL49.5, an inhibitor of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) and encoded by EHV-1 and related viruses, appeared not to be required for pUL56-induced early MHC-I downmodulation in infected cells. In conclusion, our data identify a new immunomodulatory protein, pUL56, involved in MHC-I downregulation which is unable to perform its function outside the context of viral infection.
Green Tea and One of Its Constituents, Epigallocatechine-3-gallate, Are Potent Inhibitors of Human 11β-hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1

The microsomal enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid deydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) catalyzes the interconversion of glucocorticoid receptor-inert cortisone to receptor- active cortisol, thereby acting as an intracellular switch for regulating the access of glucocorticoid hormones to the glucocorticoid receptor. There is strong evidence for an important aetiological role of 11β-HSD1 in various metabolic disorders including insulin resistance, diabetes type 2, hypertension, dyslipidemia and obesity. Hence, modulation of 11β-HSD1 activity with selective inhibitors is being pursued as a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome. Since tea has been associated with health benefits for thousands of years, we sought to elucidate the active principle in tea with regard to diabetes type 2 prevention. Several teas and tea specific polyphenolic compounds were tested for their possible inhibition of cortisone reduction with human liver microsomes and purified human 11β-HSD1. Indeed we found that tea extracts inhibited 11β-HSD1 mediated cortisone reduction, where green tea exhibited the highest inhibitory potency with an IC50 value of 3.749 mg dried tea leaves per ml. Consequently, major polyphenolic compounds from green tea, in particular catechins were tested with the same systems. (−)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) revealed the highest inhibition of 11β-HSD1 activity (reduction: IC50 = 57.99 µM; oxidation: IC50 = 131.2 µM). Detailed kinetic studies indicate a direct competition mode of EGCG, with substrate and/or cofactor binding. Inhibition constants of EGCG on cortisone reduction were Ki = 22.68 µM for microsomes and Ki = 18.74 µM for purified 11β-HSD1. In silicio docking studies support the view that EGCG binds directly to the active site of 11β-HSD1 by forming a hydrogen bond with Lys187 of the catalytic triade. Our study is the first to provide evidence that the health benefits of green tea and its polyphenolic compounds may be attributed to an inhibition of the cortisol producing enzyme 11β-HSD1.
Invasive meningococcal disease presenting with cellulitis

LET'S NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT In March 2005, the conference “Medical education towards 2010: shared visions and common goals” was held in Canberra. Sponsored by the Committee of Deans of Australian Medical Schools and the Australian Medical Council, it was attended by nearly 200 delegates from Australian medical schools, clinical colleges, postgraduate education bodies and other stakeholders. Its ambitious agenda tackled issues such as forging links between medical education and health systems; professionalism in education and practice; and curriculum development, assessment and review. Recently, a detailed conference report was released, along with a raft of recommendations. These included calls for yet more reviews of clinical teaching and learning and potential teaching environments; marrying medical education with other health workforce needs; and provisions for rational processes in career development. The Canberra conference’s recommendations are not new. Since the groundbreaking Flexner Report of 1910 which endorsed modern medical education principles, there have been innumerable reviews. What is remarkable is the repetitiveness and constancy of their recommendations: the need for medical education to reflect societal needs; to address medical workforce issues; to cope with burgeoning medical knowledge; and the need for generalism. Recommendations consistently advocate teaching in ambulatory care; an emphasis on social and behavioural sciences; the teaching of lifelong learning and self-learning skills; and centralising curriculum control. But there is a problem. Educational reform is heavy on rhetoric and recommendations, but light on hard evidence on whether educational reforms lead to better clinical outcomes or better doctors. It seems that the need for evidence is taught, but not pursued. Is research for rigorous evidence in medical education just too hard, or does its absence reflect a “let’s not worry about that” attitude?
Common Carotid Intima‐Media Thickness Measurement: A Method to Improve Accuracy and Precision

Background and Purpose High-resolution ultrasonographic imaging is a nonnvasive method that allows estimation of the thickness of the intima-media complex in human carotid arteries. The determination of intima-media thickness involves several steps, each of which may introduce an error that influences the reproducibility of the method. In the present study, apart from the general reproducibility of the determination of intima-media thickness, the error introduced by each step was evaluated. Methods B-mode scans were performed on 14 randomly selected patients. The common carotid arteries were examined in anterior, lateral, and posterior planes, with a standard methodology and by a new method, making use of external reference points. Results The error in general reproducibility in determination of the subject's mean intima-media thickness was 5.9%. This parameter was also evaluated in a paired manner after dividing the whole artery into sectors; with this protocol, the percent error in general reproducibility was 15%. The main source of variability in the evaluation of common carotid intima-media thickness was found to lie in the operator's subjectivity in the choice of the carotid sector to be processed (percent error, 10.27%). A method was therefore designed that used external reference points, resulting in reduction of this error by 38.2%. Conclusions While the mean intima-media thickness might be considered a reproducible parameter to evaluate differences between populations exposed to diverse risk factors, evolutional or therapy-induced changes in the individual may be better monitored on defined carotid sectors. This may be achieved with a high reproducibility by use of the proposed method based on external reference points.