Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Pathways Mediating Growth Differentiation Factor5-Induced Tenogenic Differentiation in Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells

To date, the molecular signalling mechanisms which regulate growth factors-induced MSCs tenogenic differentiation remain largely unknown. Therefore, a study to determine the global gene expression profile of tenogenic differentiation in human bone marrow stromal cells (hMSCs) using growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5) was conducted. Microarray analyses were conducted on hMSCs cultures supplemented with 100 ng/ml of GDF5 and compared to undifferentiated hMSCs and adult tenocytes. Results of QuantiGene® Plex assay support the use and interpretation of the inferred gene expression profiles and pathways information. From the 27,216 genes assessed, 873 genes (3.21% of the overall human transcriptome) were significantly altered during the tenogenic differentiation process (corrected p<0.05). The genes identified as potentially associated with tenogenic differentiation were ARHGAP29, CCL2, integrin alpha 8 and neurofilament medium polypeptides. These genes, were mainly associated with cytoskeleton reorganization (stress fibers formation) signaling. Pathway analysis demonstrated the potential molecular pathways involved in tenogenic differentiation were: cytoskeleton reorganization related i.e. keratin filament signaling and activin A signaling; cell adhesion related i.e. chemokine and adhesion signaling; and extracellular matrix related i.e. arachidonic acid production signaling. Further investigation using atomic force microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated apparent cytoskeleton reorganization in GDF5-induced hMSCs suggesting that cytoskeleton reorganization signaling is an important event involved in tenogenic differentiation. Besides, a reduced nucleostemin expression observed suggested a lower cell proliferation rate in hMSCs undergoing tenogenic differentiation. Understanding and elucidating the tenogenic differentiation signalling pathways are important for future optimization of tenogenic hMSCs for functional tendon cell-based therapy and tissue engineering.
Biochemical Properties of Human D-Amino Acid Oxidase

D-amino acid oxidase catalyzes the oxidative deamination of D-amino acids. In the brain, the NMDA receptor coagonist D-serine has been proposed as its physiological substrate. In order to shed light on the mechanisms regulating D-serine concentration at the cellular level, we biochemically characterized human DAAO (hDAAO) in greater depth. In addition to clarify the physical-chemical properties of the enzyme, we demonstrated that divalent ions and nucleotides do not affect flavoenzyme function. Moreover, the definition of hDAAO substrate specificity demonstrated that D-cysteine is the best substrate, which made it possible to propose it as a putative physiological substrate in selected tissues. Indeed, the flavoenzyme shows a preference for hydrophobic amino acids, some of which are molecules relevant in neurotransmission, i.e., D-kynurenine, D-DOPA, and D-tryptophan. hDAAO shows a very low affinity for the flavin cofactor. The apoprotein form exists in solution in equilibrium between two alternative conformations: the one at higher affinity for FAD is favored in the presence of an active site ligand. This may represent a mechanism to finely modulate hDAAO activity by substrate/inhibitor presence. Taken together, the peculiar properties of hDAAO seem to have evolved in order to use this flavoenzyme in different tissues to meet different physiological needs related to D-amino acids.
Evolution and Current Role of Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation for Treatment of Articular Cartilage Defects in the Football (Soccer) Player

Background: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) continues to technically evolve, but how the technical innovations affect the ability to participate in high-impact sports such as football is unknown. Methods: Clinical studies describing athletes treated with first-, second-, or third-generation ACI techniques were reviewed. The technical developments of ACI were evaluated, and the results in athletes and specifically football (soccer) players were analyzed. Results: Football players reported 72% good to excellent results with significant overall improvement of knee function and activity scores. Return to football was 83% in competitive players but lower in recreational players. Eighty percent of players returned to the same competitive level after ACI, and 87% to 100% maintained their ability to play sports at 5 years postoperatively. Return to sport was better for younger, competitive players with shorter intervals between injury and ACI. New developments of the surgical technique and postoperative rehabilitation were able to reduce the limitations associated with first-generation ACI including invasiveness, graft hypertrophy, and particularly long postoperative rehabilitation. This allowed for faster return to sports like football without compromising the ability for continued competition over time. Conclusion: Articular cartilage repair in football players often allows for successful return to this high-impact sport with excellent durability. The continued evolution of this technique has improved initial shortcomings with important implications for both the professional and recreational athlete.
Failure to Confirm a Prolongation of the Biological Half‐life of 22Na in Hypertensive Patients

The biological half-life of 22Na was measured in 29 patients with uncomplicated essential hypertension and 15 patients with normal blood pressure. All were on a standard regimen with constant diet and known NaCl intake. The biological half-life of 22Na was found to be similar in those with and without hypertension. This larger series of observations failed to confirm an earlier study from our laboratory in which the biological half-life of 22Na was reported to be longer in individuals with hypertension. The most likely explanation for the difference is that with the small number of patients studied earlier, there was a fortuitous selection of normotensive subjects with a shorter biological half-life for 22Na.
A modified Invasive Weed Optimization algorithm for time-modulated linear antenna array synthesis

Time modulated antenna arrays attracted the attention of researchers for the synthesis of low/ultra-low side lobes in recent past. In this article we propose an improved variant of a recently developed ecologically inspired metaheuristic, well-known as Invasive Weed Optimization (IWO), to solve the real parameter optimization problem related to the design of time-modulated linear antenna arrays with ultra low Side Lobe Level (SLL), Side Band Level (SBL) and Main Lobe Beam Width (BWFN). We improvise the classical IWO by introducing two parallel populations and a more explorative routine of changing the mutation step-size with iterations. Experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm achieves better performance over the design problem as compared to the conventional Taylor Series based method and the only known metaheuristic approach based on the Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm.
A Vibrating Cold Device to Reduce Pain in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Objective Pain of intravenous (IV) catheter insertion can be mitigated with appropriate analgesia, thereby avoiding unnecessary distress. Our objective was to compare the self-reported pain of IV catheter insertion in children when using a vibrating cold device (VCD) versus standard of care 4% topical lidocaine cream (TL). Methods This was a 2-arm randomized controlled noninferiority trial with a convenience sample of 4- to 18-year-olds requiring nonemergent IV catheter insertion. Self-reported pain was measured with the Faces Pain Scale—Revised, anxiety with the Child’s Rating of Anxiety scale, and observed pain with the Face, Legs, Activity, Crying, Consolability scale. Caregivers and nurses completed satisfaction surveys. Results Two hundred twenty-four children were included in the analysis: 114 (90%) of 127 in the VCD group and 110 (89%) of 124 in the TL group. Faces Pain Scale—Revised scores for both groups were equivalent (median, 2.0 cm; interquartile range, 0–5 cm; linear regression difference, 0 [95% confidence interval, −0.82 to 0.82]), as were median Face, Legs, Activity, Crying, Consolability scale scores (difference, 0.33 [95% confidence interval, −0.01 to 0.68]). The time of completion for the IV procedure was significantly shorter for the VCD group compared with the TL group (median, 3.0 vs 40.5 minutes; P < 0.0001). There were no significant differences between groups for self-reported state or trait anxiety, success of IV catheter insertion on first attempt, or satisfaction of caregivers or staff. Conclusions A VCD and TL showed equal effectiveness in reducing pain and distress for children undergoing IV catheter insertion. The VCD has the added benefit of quick onset time and an acceptable alternative for caregivers and nurses.
Analysis of the chondrogenic potential of human synovial stem cells according to harvest site and culture parameters in knees with medial compartment osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE Synovial mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive cell source for cartilage regeneration because of their high chondrogenic ability. In this study, we examined the synovium of patients with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (OA) to determine the proportion of MSCs in relation to cellular compartmentalization, and to identify the culture parameters that could affect the chondrogenic potential of synovial MSCs. METHODS Human synovium was collected from 4 different harvest sites in the knees of patients with medial compartment OA. Each synovial tissue sample was divided into 2 parts, one for histologic assessment and the other for analysis of the cell size, surface epitopes, and chondrogenic potential of colony-forming cells in vitro. RESULTS The numbers of alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive vessels and CD31+ endothelial cells were higher in the medial outer region than in the other regions of OA synovial tissue. The numbers of these cells correlated with the number of colony-forming cells. In parallel with increasing duration of the preculture period, the size of the cells increased, while the chondrogenic potential decreased, and this was correlated with expression of CD90. CONCLUSION Medial compartment knee OA demonstrates variability in the distribution of vessels, which results in a varying distribution of MSCs. The preculture period should be utilized to assess both the potential for expansion and the chondrogenic potential of MSCs.
Reefs of the Deep: The Biology and Geology of Cold-Water Coral Ecosystems

Coral reefs are generally associated with shallow tropical seas; however, recent deep-ocean exploration using advanced acoustics and submersibles has revealed unexpectedly widespread and diverse coral ecosystems in deep waters on continental shelves, slopes, seamounts, and ridge systems around the world. Advances reviewed here include the use of corals as paleoclimatic archives and their biogeological functioning, biodiversity, and biogeography. Threats to these fragile, long-lived, and rich ecosystems are mounting: The impacts of deep-water trawling are already widespread, and effects of ocean acidification are potentially devastating.
Thermodynamic analysis of F1‐ATPase rotary catalysis using high‐speed imaging

F1‐ATPase (F1) is a rotary motor protein fueled by ATP hydrolysis. Although the mechanism for coupling rotation and catalysis has been well studied, the molecular details of individual reaction steps remain elusive. In this study, we performed high‐speed imaging of F1 rotation at various temperatures using the total internal reflection dark‐field (TIRDF) illumination system, which allows resolution of the F1 catalytic reaction into elementary reaction steps with a high temporal resolution of 72 µs. At a high concentration of ATP, F1 rotation comprised distinct 80° and 40° substeps. The 80° substep, which exhibited significant temperature dependence, is triggered by the temperature‐sensitive reaction, whereas the 40° substep is triggered by ATP hydrolysis and the release of inorganic phosphate (Pi). Then, we conducted Arrhenius analysis of the reaction rates to obtain the thermodynamic parameters for individual reaction steps, that is, ATP binding, ATP hydrolysis, Pi release, and TS reaction. Although all reaction steps exhibited similar activation free energy values, ΔG‡ = 53–56 kJ mol−1, the contributions of the enthalpy (ΔH‡), and entropy (ΔS‡) terms were significantly different; the reaction steps that induce tight subunit packing, for example, ATP binding and TS reaction, showed high positive values of both ΔH‡ and ΔS‡. The results may reflect modulation of the excluded volume as a function of subunit packing tightness at individual reaction steps, leading to a gain or loss in water entropy.
Yoga for chronic pain management: a qualitative exploration.

OBJECTIVE To explore patients' perceptions of their pain while participating in a weekly yoga program. METHODS A consecutive convenience sample was recruited from a Multidisciplinary Pain Centre. Seven adult patients (six women), agreed to participate in an 8-week Hatha yoga program, including weekly group sessions and at-home practice. Data were gathered from participant observation and in-depth interviews. Interviews explored the experience of practicing yoga and its relationship to the participant's pain experience. An inductive analysis of the interviews explored emergent themes from participants' descriptions of their experience. RESULTS Analyses identified three themes: renewed awareness of the body; transformed relationship with the body in pain; and acceptance. DISCUSSION Participants' data suggested that they reframed what it meant to live with chronic pain. Some participants reported that the sensory aspects of pain did not change but that pain became less bothersome. They were better able to control the degree to which pain interfered with their daily life. Other participants reported less frequent or less intense pain episodes because they could recognize body signals and adjust themselves to alleviate painful sensations. The findings suggest that patients who benefit from yoga may do so in part because yoga enables changes in cognitions and behaviours towards pain.
Quality of life in operable colon cancer patients receiving oral compared with intravenous chemotherapy: results from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project Trial C-06.

PURPOSE We compared health-related quality of life (HRQL), symptoms, and convenience of care (COC) in patients with stage II/III carcinoma of the colon who received either oral uracil/ftorafur (UFT) plus leucovorin (LV) or standard intravenous (IV) fluorouracil (FU) plus LV as adjuvant chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS We measured HRQL with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal (FACT-C) questionnaire, Short Form-36 Vitality Scale (SF-36), and a Quality of Life Rating Scale (QLRS) at baseline, once during chemotherapy, and at 1 year. We used the Symptom Distress Scale (SDS) and treatment-specific Symptom Checklist (SCL) to assess symptoms and a modified Burden of Care form to assess COC at baseline, on day 1 of each treatment cycle, and at 1 year. Repeated measures analyses controlling for demographic variables and baseline scores were used for statistical comparisons. RESULTS The study accrued 1,608 patients, 803 to the FU arm and 805 to the UFT arm. There were no differences between the arms in overall FACT-C scores, FACT-C scores within the subscales of colon-specific, physical, emotional, social, and functional health, or QLRS scores. Patients taking UFT reported substantially higher COC. Statistically significant but small differences were observed for SF-36, favoring FU, and for SDS and SCL, both favoring UFT. CONCLUSION Patients perceive adjuvant treatment with UFT + LV as more convenient than standard IV treatment with FU + LV. Both regimens are well tolerated and do not differ in their impact on HRQL.
Debugging with dynamic slicing and backtracking

Programmers spend considerable time debugging code. Symbolic debuggers provide some help but the task remains complex and difficult. Other than breakpoints and tracing, these tools provide little high‐level help. Programmers must perform many tasks manually that the tools could perform automatically, such as finding which statements in the program affect the value of an output variable for a given test case, and what was the value of a given variable when the control last reached a given program location. If debugging tools provided explicit support for these tasks, the debugging process could be automated to a significant extent.
Selected hormonal and immunological responses to strenuous live-fire firefighting drills

This study investigated the effects of strenuous live-fire firefighting drills and a 90 min recovery period on selected hormonal, immunological and psychological variables. Apparently healthy, male, professional firefighters (n = 11) performed three trials of standardized firefighting tasks in a live-fire training structure. There was significant leukocytosis immediately post firefighting activity that persisted following recovery, although there was a variable response among the leukocyte subsets. Most notable was the decrease in number and percentage of lymphocytes following 90 min of recovery. Plasma levels of ACTH and cortisol were significantly elevated post firefighting activity and cortisol remained elevated following 90 min of recovery. Elevated cortisol immediately following activity was related to reduced feelings of energy. These data demonstrate the magnitude of the physiological and psychological disruption following strenuous firefighting activity and suggest that immune function may be altered following such activity. This is a finding that may have practical consequences for this group of first responders.
Synchronous X-ray and Radio Mode Switches: A Rapid Global Transformation of the Pulsar Magnetosphere

Pondering Pulsars Pulsars are rapidly rotating, magnetized neutron stars that are powered by the loss of rotational energy. Because their emission is beamed, their light appears to pulse on and off at regular intervals. Changes in radio emission behavior have been observed for a number of pulsars, manifesting themselves as switches between ordered and disordered variations in intensity and pulse shapes, but these changes have not been seen at other wavelengths. Based on simultaneous radio and x-ray observations of pulsar PSR B0943+10, Hermsen et al. (p. 436) show that changes in emission state identified in radio measurements show counterpart fluctuations in the strength and temporal behavior of x-rays. Some of these changes were unexpected in their character and physical properties, challenging pulsar emission theories. The detection of synchronized switches in the radio and x-ray pulse properties of a pulsar challenges pulsar emission theories. Pulsars emit from low-frequency radio waves up to high-energy gamma-rays, generated anywhere from the stellar surface out to the edge of the magnetosphere. Detecting correlated mode changes across the electromagnetic spectrum is therefore key to understanding the physical relationship among the emission sites. Through simultaneous observations, we detected synchronous switching in the radio and x-ray emission properties of PSR B0943+10. When the pulsar is in a sustained radio-"bright" mode, the x-rays show only an unpulsed, nonthermal component. Conversely, when the pulsar is in a radio-"quiet" mode, the x-ray luminosity more than doubles and a 100% pulsed thermal component is observed along with the nonthermal component. This indicates rapid, global changes to the conditions in the magnetosphere, which challenge all proposed pulsar emission theories.
Measurements of diversity gain and radiation efficiency of the Eleven antenna by using different measurement techniques

This paper presents measurement results of diversity gain and radiation efficiency by using three different measurement techniques: reverberation chamber, spherical near-field anechoic chamber, and multi-probe anechoic chamber. The results are measured over a large 2–8 GHz bandwidth which was possible by using the decade bandwidth Eleven antenna as a two-port diversity antenna.
Correction: The Impact of Implementing a Test, Treat and Retain HIV Prevention Strategy in Atlanta among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men with a History of Incarceration: A Mathematical Model

Background Annually, 10 million adults transition through prisons or jails in the United States (US) and the prevalence of HIV among entrants is three times higher than that for the country as a whole. We assessed the potential impact of increasing HIV Testing/Treatment/Retention (HIV-TTR) in the community and within the criminal justice system (CJS) facilities, coupled with sexual risk behavior change, focusing on black men-who-have-sex-with-men, 15–54 years, in Atlanta, USA. Methods We modeled the effect of a HIV-TTR strategy on the estimated cumulative number of new (acquired) infections and mortality, and on the HIV prevalence at the end of ten years. We additionally assessed the effect of increasing condom use in all settings. Results In the Status Quo scenario, at the end of 10 years, the cumulative number of new infections in the community, jail and prison was, respectively, 9246, 77 and 154 cases; HIV prevalence was 10815, 69 and 152 cases, respectively; and the cumulative number of deaths was 2585, 18 and 34 cases, respectively. By increasing HIV-TTR coverage, the cumulative number of new infections could decrease by 15% in the community, 19% in jail, and 8% in prison; HIV prevalence could decrease by 8%, 9% and 7%, respectively; mortality could decrease by 20%, 39% and 18%, respectively. Based on the model results, we have shown that limited use and access to condoms have contributed to the HIV incidence and prevalence in all settings. Conclusions Aggressive implementation of a CJS-focused HIV-TTR strategy has the potential to interrupt HIV transmission and reduce mortality, with benefit to the community at large. To maximize the impact of these interventions, retention in treatment, including during the period after jail and prison release, and increased condom use was vital for decreasing the burden of the HIV epidemic in all settings.