Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of endometrial blood flow in ovariectomized rats : assessment of the role of nitric oxide

Zhang, Ren-Sheng, Paul H. Guth, Oscar U. Scremin, Rajan Singh, Shehla Pervin, and Gautam Chaudhuri. Regulation of endometrial blood flow in ovariectomized rats: assessment of the role of nitric oxide. Am. J. Physiol. 273 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 42): H2009–H2017, 1997. —The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the maintenance of basal endometrial blood flow of ovariectomized rats and in the increase of endometrial blood flow after administration of estradiol 17b (E2b). Endometrial blood flow was repeatedly measured with the H2 gas clearance technique in ovariectomized rats. Nv-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) dose dependently reduced basal endometrial blood flow and increased mean arterial blood pressure and endometrial vascular resistance. E2b (1 μg/kg iv) increased endometrial blood flow and reduced endometrial vascular resistance, which peaked by 2 h after the injection. The vasoconstrictive activity of L-NAME (an inhibitor for NO synthesis) was compared with that of phenylephrine (PE, an a-receptor agonist acting through an NO-independent mechanism). Doses of L-NAME (1 and 3 mg/kg iv) were matched with those of PE (3.2 and 6.4 mg·kg21 ·h21 iv), as they induced an approximately equivalent percent increase in basal endometrial vascular resistance. The percent increases of endometrial vascular resistance in E2b-treated animals by the two agents in matched doses were also of a similar magnitude. When animals were first treated with L-NAME or PE, E2b lost the ability to reduce endometrial vascular resistance. Enzyme activity and gene expression of NO synthase in the rat uterine tissue were also examined after E2b treatment, and no significant changes were observed. These data raise doubts about the role of NO in the regulation of endometrial blood flow after acute administration of E2b and suggest that other mechanisms may be involved.
[Helicobacter pylori in central serous chorioretinopathy and diffuse retinal epitheliopathy. Results of the first prospective pilot study].

PURPOSE Helicobacter pylori has been implicated in focal occlusive arterial diseases in young people. Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and diffuse retinal epitheliopathy (DRE) being suspected vascular occlusive diseases of choriocapillaris, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with long-lasting (>6 months) CSC and/or DRE. METHODS Sixteen consecutive patients living in southeastern France were included in this prospective pilot study. H. pylori infection was assessed by the (13)C-urea breath test, serology, as well as histology of gastric biopsy specimens in some cases. RESULTS Evidence for H. pylori infection was detected in nine out of the 16 patients with active long-lasting CSC/DRE (56.3%). H. pylori-infected patients more frequently presented gastric pain (four of nine H. pylori-positive patients: 44%) than H. pylori-negative patients (one out of seven: 14%). Men were more frequently H. pylori-positive (seven men out of ten: 70%) than women (two women out of a total of six: 33%). DISCUSSION When the prevalence of H. pylori infection (56.3%) was compared to the prevalence in a historical control population from southeastern France (27.5%), it was found to be significantly higher (P<0.05). CONCLUSION These results may indicate a possible association between H. pylori infection and CSC/DRE manifestations. This new etiopathogenic hypothesis deserves to be confirmed in a national or international multicenter study because it could lead to a new therapeutic approach in CSC/DRE, i.e., Helicobacter pylori eradication.
Surgical Correction of Cam Deformity in Association with Femoroacetabular Impingement and Its Impact on the Degenerative Process within the Hip Joint

Background: Cam morphology in association with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a recognized cause of hip pain and cartilage damage and proposed as a leading cause of arthritis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the functional and biomechanical effects of the surgical correction of the cam deformity on the degenerative process associated with FAI. Methods: Ten male patients with a mean age of 34.3 years (range, 23.1 to 46.5 years) and a mean body mass index (and standard deviation) of 26.66 ± 4.79 kg/m2 underwent corrective surgery for cam deformity in association with FAI. Each patient underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan to assess acetabular bone mineral density (BMD), high-resolution T1&rgr; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hips to assess proteoglycan content, and squatting motion analysis as well as completed self-administered functional questionnaires (Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [HOOS]) both preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively. Results: At a mean follow-up of 24.5 months, improvements in functional scores and squat performance were seen. Regarding the zone of impingement in the anterosuperior quadrant of the acetabular rim, the mean change in BMD at the time of follow-up was −31.8 mg/cc (95% confidence interval [CI], −11 to −53 mg/cc) (p = 0.008), representing a 5% decrease in BMD. The anterosuperior quadrant also demonstrated a significant decrease in T1&rgr; values, reflecting a stabilization of the cartilage degeneration. Significant correlations were noted between changes in clinical functional scores and changes in T1&rgr; values (r = −0.86; p = 0.003) as well as between the BMD and maximum vertical force (r = 0.878; p = 0.021). Conclusions: Surgical correction of a cam deformity in patients with symptomatic FAI not only improved clinical function but was also associated with decreases in T1&rgr; values and BMD. These findings are the first, to our knowledge, to show that alteration of the hip biomechanics through surgical intervention improves the overall health of the hip joint. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Benchmark Problems in Stability and Design of Switched Systems

A switched system is a hybrid dynamical system consisting of a family of continuous-time subsystems and a rule that governs the switching between them. This paper surveys recent developments in three basic problems regarding stability and design of switched systems. These problems are: stability for arbitrary switching sequences, stability for certain useful classes of switching sequences, and construction of stabilizing switching sequences. We also provide motivation for studying these problems by discussing how they arise in connection with various questions of interest in control theory and applications.
SLFN11 inhibits checkpoint maintenance and homologous recombination repair

High expression levels of SLFN11 correlate with the sensitivity of human cancer cells to DNA‐damaging agents. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism. Here, we show that SLFN11 interacts directly with RPA1 and is recruited to sites of DNA damage in an RPA1‐dependent manner. Furthermore, we establish that SLFN11 inhibits checkpoint maintenance and homologous recombination repair by promoting the destabilization of the RPA–ssDNA complex, thereby sensitizing cancer cell lines expressing high endogenous levels of SLFN11 to DNA‐damaging agents. Finally, we demonstrate that the RPA1‐binding ability of SLFN11 is required for its function in the DNA damage response. Our findings not only provide novel insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the drug sensitivity of cancer cell lines expressing SLFN11 at high levels, but also suggest that SLFN11 expression can serve as a biomarker to predict responses to DNA‐damaging therapeutic agents.
Satisfaction in Open Access Versus Traditional Referral for Upper Endoscopy in Children

Objectives: In traditional access endoscopy (TAE), patients are booked for endoscopy following a gastroenterology clinic assessment. In contrast, open access endoscopy (OAE) patients are seen for the first time on the day of the procedure, providing same day procedural consent. Controversy exists over the use of OAE in adults, both with the consent process and with patient satisfaction. No literature exists describing satisfaction with OAE in pediatrics. We therefore aimed to assess pediatric patient and caregiver satisfaction in OAE compared with TAE. Methods: Consecutive pediatric patients, and their caregivers, undergoing elective upper endoscopy from May to December 2012 at the Stollery Children's Hospital (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) were consented for a cross-sectional survey. Seven preprocedure and 5 postprocedure questions were completed regarding mood and satisfaction with the wait time and the information provided. Group demographics and endoscopy wait times were collected. Results: Median wait time with OAE was less compared with TAE (57 days vs 196 days, P < 0.001). OAE patients reported worse mood preprocedure than TAE patients (35.3% vs 10.7%, P = 0.046). OAE caregivers and patients reported more mood disturbance if required to wait longer for endoscopy by attending clinic preprocedure (OAE caregivers 62.2%, OAE patients 64.7%). Conclusions: OAE is associated with worse preendoscopy patient mood; however, children and caregivers seem concerned about longer wait times associated with TAE. Given the significantly shorter wait times in OAE, identifying methods to minimize present limitations of OAE will be useful to improve clinical practices in pediatric gastroenterology.
Segmented AAMs Improve Person-Independent Face Fitting

An Active Appearance Model (AAM) is a variable shape and appearance model built from annotated training images. It has been largely used to synthesize or ﬁt face images. Person-independent face AAM ﬁtting is a challenging open issue. For standard AAMs, ﬁtting a face image for an individual which is not in the training set is often limited in accuracy, thereby restricting the range of application. As a ﬁrst contribution, we show that the limitation mainly comes from the inability of the AAM appearance counterpart to generalize, i.e. to accurately generate previously unseen visual data. As a second contribution, we pro-pose an efﬁcient person-independent face ﬁtting framework based on what we call multi-level segmented AAMs. Each segment encodes a physically meaningful part of the face, such as an eye. A coarse-to-ﬁne ﬁtting strategy with a gradually increasing number of segments is used in order to ensure a large convergence basin. Fitting accuracy is assessed by comparison with manual labelling statistics constructed from multiple data annotations. Experimental results support the claim that standard AAMs are well-adapted to person-speciﬁc ﬁt-ting while segmented AAMs outperform the classical AAMs in a person-independent context in terms of accuracy, and ability to generate new faces.
Insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in normoglycemic offspring of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Impact of line of inheritance

Aims: The aim was to study the effect of family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in normoglycemic offspring. Material and Methods: Offspring of T2DM patients (cases) and individuals without family history of T2DM (controls) were the subjects for this cross-sectional study. All participants underwent 75 g OGTT and samples were collected for plasma insulin, C-peptide, and proinsulin at 0, 30, 60, and 120 minutes. Results: A total of 271 cases (age 22 ± 10 years; 53% males) and 259 controls (28 ± 10 years, 66% males) were enrolled for the study. BMI, plasma insulin, C-peptide, proinsulin, HOMA-IR, and insulinogenic index (0-120) were significantly higher and whole-body insulin sensitivity (WBISI) and disposition index (0-120) [DI 120] were lower in cases compared to controls. After adjusting for BMI, proinsulin at 120 minutes, area under the curve (AUC) of proinsulin (during OGTT) and AUC proinsulin/AUC C-peptide were significantly higher in cases. Cases were subdivided into four groups according to inheritance pattern; paternal DM (PDM), maternal DM (MDM), grandparental DM (GPDM), and both parents DM (BPDM). The magnitude of differences varied with relationship (greater when both parents and grandparents were affected). Mean HOMA-IR was higher by 127% and 50% and DI 120 was lower by 33% and 18% (adjusted for age and gender) in the BPDM and GPDM groups respectively compared to controls. Conclusions: We observed higher BMI, plasma insulin, C-peptide, and proinsulin and lower insulin sensitivity and β-cell compensation in normoglycemic offspring of T2DM subjects compared to controls. Differences were greater when both parents and grandparents had T2DM.
2D and 3D reconstructions in acousto-electric tomography

We propose and test stable algorithms for the reconstruction of the internal conductivity of a biological object using acousto-electric measurements. Namely, the conventional impedance tomography scheme is supplemented by scanning the object with acoustic waves that slightly perturb the conductivity and cause the change in the electric potential measured on the boundary of the object. These perturbations of the potential are then used as the data for the reconstruction of the conductivity. The present method does not rely on ‘perfectly focused’ acoustic beams. Instead, more realistic propagating spherical fronts are utilized, and then the measurements that would correspond to perfect focusing are synthesized. In other words, we use synthetic focusing. Numerical experiments with simulated data show that our techniques produce high-quality images, both in 2D and 3D, and that they remain accurate in the presence of high-level noise in the data. Local uniqueness and stability for the problem also hold.
Atlas of Cytoarchitectonics of the Adult Human Cerebral Cortex

Preface * Acknowledgements: L.C. Triarhou Begleitwort * Foreword: C. von Economo and G.N. Koskinas Introduction The Cytoarchitectonic Studies of Economo and Koskinas on the Human Cerebral Cortex in a Historical and in a Modern Perspective: L.C. Triarhou Microphotographic Plates I-CXII (P1-P112) PLATES I-XLIII * Frontal Lobe PLATES XLIV-LII * Superior Limbic Lobe PLATES LIII-LVIII * Insular Lobe PLATES LIX-LXXX * Parietal Lobe PLATES LXXXI-LXXXVIII * Occipital Lobe PLATES LXXXIX-XCIX * Temporal Lobe PLATES C-CXII * Hippocampal (Inferior Limbic) Lobe Appendices I. A Biographical Note on Constantin von Economo (1876-1931) II. Published Works of Constantin von Economo III. A Biographical Note on George N. Koskinas (1885-1975) IV. Published Works of George N. Koskinas Index.
Women’s preference of therapist based on sex of therapist and presenting problem: An analog study

An analog study was conducted to examine differences in women’s preference for and anticipated comfort self-disclosing to hypothetical therapists of different sexes based on the type of hypothetical presenting problem. The impact of general level of self-disclosure was also examined. Participants included female college students (n = 187). Anticipated comfort self-disclosing to male or female therapist was rated by subjects when presented with therapists of each sex with the same qualifications. Women preferred and reported higher levels of anticipated comfort self-disclosing to a female therapist. The type of hypothetical presenting problem and general level of self-disclosure also impacted anticipated comfort self-disclosing. There was an interaction between general level self-disclosure and the sex of therapist on anticipated comfort self-disclosing. General level of self-disclosure only impacted anticipated comfort self-disclosing when the therapist was male. This information is relevant for therapists or organizations that provide psychosocial services to women. Organizations may want to inquire about a client’s preferences about sex of therapist beforehand and, if possible, cater to the client’s preference.
Different behavior of erythrovirus B19 and torquetenovirus in response to a single step of albumin purification

BACKGROUND: The safety of human serum albumin (HSA) is of special interest with respect to virus transmission because of the wide use of this blood product as a therapeutic agent and also, added to other products, as an excipient or a stabilizer. Conflicting data are reported concerning HSA contamination by small, naked viruses such as the erythrovirus B19 (B19V) and the anellovirus torquetenovirus (TTV). This study has been performed to assess the effect of the HSA purification procedures on the viral contamination.
Prognostic importance of haemostatic parameters in polyarterial disease.

UNLABELLED The goal of our study was to evaluate the value of fibrinogen, D-dimers and antithrombin III plasma levels in prognosticating mortality in patients suffering from both peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and coronary artery disease (CAD). PATIENTS AND METHODS 90 patients with coexistent PAD and CAD were enrolled in a 36 months study, and evaluated for the following parameters: age, sex, current smoking, ankle-brachial index, claudicating distance, ejection fraction, triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL, fibrinogen, D-Dimers, antithrombin III, creatinine, glycaemia, histories of myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes and previous revascularization, as well as a number of other concurrent diseases. We developed a linear regression model for identification of variables, associated with cardiovascular events, and a multivariate regression model to define the predictors of mortality. RESULTS We registered 126 cardiovascular events during three years' follow-up. The number of cardiovascular events correlated with fibrinogen (r=0.59, p=0.01) and with D-dimers (r=0.48, p=0.01). A mortality of 8.89% was found for the period of three years in patients with coexistent PAD and CAD. The variables independently associated with mortality found by mutlivariate analysis were fibrinogen (r=0.21, p 0.02, score=2.78), DD (r=0.94, p=0.01, score=17.24) and ankle-brachial index (r=0.40, p=0.03, score=4.84). CONCLUSIONS The reported data demonstrated fibrinogen and D-dimers as independent predictors of mortality in patients with polyarterial disease.
[Karyotypes and pelvic ultrasonography in children with Turner syndrome].

OBJECTIVE To study the relationship of karyotypes and gonadal development in children with Turner syndrome. METHODS Fifty-one children with Turner syndrome were studied. Pelvic ultrasonography was performed on the children. Twenty healthy age-matched girls were used as control group. RESULTS Eleven kinds of karyotypes were detected in 51 children with Turner syndrome. Children were classified into two groups based on karyotypes: Group 1 (45,XO; n= 24) and Group 2 (karyotypes other than 45, XO; n=27). 45,XO karyotype was the most common (47.1%), followed by 46,X,i (Xq)/45, XO (21.6%), 46,XX/45, XO (7.8%) and 47,XXX/45, XO (5.9%). Pelvic ultrasonography showed a primordial uterus in 41 cases, infantile uterus in 7 cases, congenital absence of uterus and ovary in 3 cases, simple anovarism in 42 cases and ovarian dysgenesis in 6 cases. Uterine size in both Groups 1 and 2 were significantly smaller than those of the control group (P<0.05). Group 1 showed smaller size of uterus than Group 2 (P<0.05). Ovaries were not detected in all Group 1 patients. CONCLUSIONS The dysplasia and atrophy of ovaries and uterus exist in children with Turner syndrome. The patients with 45,XO karyotype had poorer gonadal development than those with other karyotypes.
Altruism as an Indicator of Good Parenting Quality in Long-Term Relationships: Further Investigations Using the Mate Preferences Towards Altruistic Traits Scale

ABSTRACT Research has shown that altruism plays a role in mate choice, and recent studies suggest it is most important for long-term relationships. This study examined whether altruism is preferred for long-term relationships for both males and females. This was achieved using two versions of the Mate Preferences Towards Altruistic Traits (MPAT) scale that assessed preferences for short-term and long-term relationships. Both males and females significantly preferred altruistic mates for long-term relationships, and the size of this preference was greater than for other traits in mate choice. This provides support for previous findings that state that altruism conveys information about an individual's partner/parenting qualities or good character.
Models of Madness : Psychological, Social and Biological Approaches to Schizophrenia

Part I: The Illness Model of 'Schizophrenia'. Read, Mosher, Bentall, 'Schizophrenia' is Not an Illness. Read, A History of Madness. Read, The Invention of 'Schizophrenia'. Read, Masson, Genetics, Eugenics and Mass Murder. Read, Does 'Schizophrenia' Exist? Reliability and Validity. Read, Biological Psychiatry's Lost Cause. Joseph, Schizophrenia and Heredity: Why the Emperor Has no Genes. Read, Electroconvulsive Therapy. Ross, Read, Antipsychotic Medication: Myths and Facts. Mosher, Gosden, Beder, Drug Companies and Schizophrenia: Unbridled Capitalism Meets Madness. Part II: Social and Psychological Approaches to Understanding Madness. Read, Haslam, Public Opinion: Bad Things Happen and Can Drive You Crazy. Geekie, Listening to the Voices We Hear: Clients' Understandings of Psychotic Experiences. Read, Poverty, Ethnicity and Gender. Bentall, Abandoning the Concept of Schizophrenia: The Cognitive Psychology of Hallucinations and Delusions. Silver, Koehler, Karon, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia: Its History and Development. Read, Goodman, Morrison, Ross, Aderhold, Childhood Trauma and Stress. Read, Seymour, Mosher, Unhappy Families. Part III: Evidence-based Psychosocial Interventions. Davies, Burdett, Preventing 'Schizophrenia': Creating the Conditions for Saner Societies. Chamberlin, User-run Services. Morrison, Cognitive Therapy for People with Psychosis. Gottdiener, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Schizophrenia: Empirical Support. Johannessen, The Development of Early Intervention Services. Aderhold, Gottwalz, Family Therapy and Schizophrenia: Replacing Ideology with Openness. Mosher, Non-hospital, Non-drug Intervention with First Episode Psychosis.
Do Children with Visual Impairments Demonstrate Superior Short-term Memory, Memory Strategies, and Metamemory?

This study compared the memory processes underpinning the performance of 19 children with visual impairments and 19 sighted children on the Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales. No evidence was found to support earlier claims of the superior performance of children with visual impairments on any tasks of the subtest or of the children's greater awareness of memory processes.