Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elevated NT-Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide Level Is Independently Associated with All-Cause Mortality in HIV-Infected Women in the Early and Recent HAART Eras in the Women’s Interagency HIV Study Cohort

Background HIV-infected individuals are at increased risk of right and left heart dysfunction. N-terminal-pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), a marker of cardiac ventricular strain and systolic dysfunction, may be associated with all-cause mortality in HIV-infected women. The aim of this study was to determine if elevated levels of NT-proBNP is associated with increased mortality in HIV-infected women. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods and Results We measured NT-proBNP in 936 HIV-infected and 387 age-matched HIV-uninfected women early (10/11/94 to 7/17/97) and 1082 HIV-infected and 448 HIV-uninfected women late (4/1/08 to 10/7/08) in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) periods in the Women’s Interagency HIV Study. An NT-proBNP >75th percentile was more likely in HIV-infected persons, but only statistically significant in the late period (27% vs. 21%, unadjusted p = 0.03). In HIV-infected participants, NT-proBNP>75th percentile was independently associated with worse 5-year survival in the early HAART period (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3–2.4, p<0.001) and remained a predictor of mortality in the late HAART period (HR 2.8, 95% CI 1.4–5.5, p = 0.002) independent of other established risk covariates (age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, smoking, hepatitis C serostatus, hypertension, renal function, and hemoglobin). NT-proBNP level was not associated with mortality in HIV-uninfected women. Conclusion NT-proBNP is a novel independent marker of mortality in HIV-infected women both when HAART was first introduced and currently. As NT-proBNP is often associated with both pulmonary hypertension and left ventricular dysfunction, these findings suggest that these conditions may contribute significantly to adverse outcomes in this population, requiring further definition of causes and treatments of elevated NT-proBNP in HIV-infected women.
Chelerythrine increases Na-K-ATPase activity and limits ischemic injury in isolated rat hearts.

Myocardial ischemia results in an increase in intracellular sodium concentration ([Na]i), which may lead to cellular injury via cellular swelling and calcium overload. Because protein kinase C (PKC) has been shown to reduce Na-K-ATPase activity, we postulated that pharmacological inhibition of PKC would directly increase Na-K-ATPase activity, reduce [Na]i during ischemia, and provide protection from ischemic injury. Isolated rat hearts were subjected to 30 min of global ischemia with and without the specific PKC inhibitor chelerythrine. Intracellular pH, ATP, and [Na]i were assessed using 31P and23Na NMR spectroscopy, whereas Na-K-ATPase and PKC activity were determined using biochemical assays. Na/H exchanger activity was determined using the ammonium prepulse technique under nonischemic conditions. Chelerythrine increased Na-K-ATPase activity (13.76 ± 0.89 vs. 10.89 ± 0.80 mg ADP ⋅ h-1 ⋅ mg protein-1; P = 0.01), reduced PKC activity in both the membrane and cytosolic fractions (39% and 28% of control, respectively), and reduced creatine kinase release on reperfusion (48 ± 5 IU/g dry wt vs. 689 ± 63 IU/g dry wt; P = 0.008). The rise in [Na]i during ischemia was significantly reduced in hearts treated with chelerythrine (peak [Na]i chelerythrine: 21.5 ± 1.2 mM; control: 31.9 ± 1.2 mM; P < 0.0001), without an effect on either acidosis (nadir pH 6.16 ± 0.05 for chelerythrine vs. 6.08 ± 0.04 for control), the rate of ATP depletion or Na/H exchanger activity. These data support the hypothesis that pharmacological inhibition of PKC before ischemia induces cardioprotection by reducing intracellular sodium overload via an increase in Na-K-ATPase activity.
Robust Video Content Alignment and Compensation for Rain Removal in a CNN Framework

Rain removal is important for improving the robustness of outdoor vision based systems. Current rain removal methods show limitations either for complex dynamic scenes shot from fast moving cameras, or under torrential rain fall with opaque occlusions. We propose a novel derain algorithm, which applies superpixel (SP) segmentation to decompose the scene into depth consistent units. Alignment of scene contents are done at the SP level, which proves to be robust towards rain occlusion and fast camera motion. Two alignment output tensors, i.e., optimal temporal match tensor and sorted spatial-temporal match tensor, provide informative clues for rain streak location and occluded background contents to generate an intermediate derain output. These tensors will be subsequently prepared as input features for a convolutional neural network to restore high frequency details to the intermediate output for compensation of mis-alignment blur. Extensive evaluations show that up to 5dB reconstruction PSNR advantage is achieved over state-of-the-art methods. Visual inspection shows that much cleaner rain removal is achieved especially for highly dynamic scenes with heavy and opaque rainfall from a fast moving camera.
Epigenetic features of human telomeres

Abstract Although subtelomeric regions in humans are heterochromatic, the epigenetic nature of human telomeres remains controversial. This controversy might have been influenced by the confounding effect of subtelomeric regions and interstitial telomeric sequences (ITSs) on telomeric chromatin structure analyses. In addition, different human cell lines might carry diverse epigenetic marks at telomeres. We have developed a reliable procedure to study the chromatin structure of human telomeres independently of subtelomeres and ITSs. This procedure is based on the statistical analysis of multiple ChIP-seq experiments. We have found that human telomeres are not enriched in the heterochromatic H3K9me3 mark in most of the common laboratory cell lines, including embryonic stem cells. Instead, they are labeled with H4K20me1 and H3K27ac, which might be established by p300. These results together with previously published data argue that subtelomeric heterochromatin might control human telomere functions. Interestingly, U2OS cells that exhibit alternative lengthening of telomeres have heterochromatic levels of H3K9me3 in their telomeres.
Nitric oxide increases the activity of the apical 70-pS K+ channel in TAL of rat kidney.

We have previously shown that nitric oxide (NO) mediates the stimulatory effect of angiotensin II on the apical 70-pS K+ channel in the thick ascending limb (TAL) of Henle's loop of the rat kidney (12). In the present study, we used the patch-clamp technique to examine the effects of NO on the 70-pS K+ channel. Addition of 10 μM S-nitroso- N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), a NO donor, increased the channel activity in cell-attached patches. In contrast, application of 100 μM N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), reduced the channel activity by 75 ± 7%. The effect of l-NAME was the result of inhibiting NOS, since d-NAME, which does not block NOS activity, had no effect on the channel activity. In addition, the effect ofl-NAME was abolished in the presence of 1 mM l-arginine or by addition of 10 μM SNAP, further supporting the role of NO. Finally, the l-NAME-induced inhibition was also reversed by adding 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcGMP). That the effect of NO is mediated by the cGMP-dependent pathway is also suggested by experiments in which inhibition of guanylate cyclase abolished the effect of SNAP. Finally, 10 μM SNAP significantly increased cGMP concentration of the medullary TAL from 12.4 fM/μg protein to 38.9 fM/μg protein, as measured with ELISA. We conclude that NO is involved in regulating the activity of the apical 70-pS K+ channel in the TAL of the rat kidney.
Psychometric Properties of the PACT Scale and Relations With Symptoms of PTSD

Objective: Healing from trauma has been conceptualized as either facing the trauma head-on or moving beyond the trauma and focusing on the future. Emerging research suggests that the greatest healing may result from the ability to adaptively use both (i.e., coping flexibility). The current study sought to examine the psychometric properties of a self-report scale of coping flexibility: the Perceived Ability to Cope With Trauma (PACT) Scale. Method: Participants included 322 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a large Midwestern university. Analyses used the PACT’s 2 scales, Trauma Focus and Forward Focus, as well as its flexibility score that is derived from these scales. Confirmatory factor analysis of the PACT was performed in Mplus. Results: The PACT scales demonstrated high internal consistency and convergent validity with measures of experiential avoidance, distress tolerance, self-compassion, perceived stress, and PTSD symptoms. Discriminant validity was demonstrated by nonsignificant relations with fight and flight responding. All 3 PACT scores demonstrated significant relations with PTSD symptom clusters. The 2-factor model of the PACT demonstrated good fit after using item parceling. Conclusion: Overall, the current analyses support and replicate the psychometric properties and construct validity of the PACT as a measure of adaptive trauma-related coping. Further, the PACT scales are significantly negatively related to PTSD symptom clusters, suggesting that the greater one’s perceived ability to use Trauma Focus and Forward Focus skills flexibly, the less severe he or she will experience symptoms of reexperiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal. Future applications are discussed.
ADHD Endophenotypes in Caribbean Families

Objective: The aim of this study is to contrast the genetics of neuropsychological tasks in individuals from nuclear families clustering ADHD in a Caribbean community. Method: We recruited and clinically characterized 408 individuals using an extensive battery of neuropsychological tasks. The genetic variance underpinning these tasks was estimated by heritability. A predictive framework for ADHD diagnosis was derived using these tasks. Results: We found that individuals with ADHD differed from controls in tasks of mental control, visuospatial ability, visuoverbal memory, phonological and verbal fluency, verbal and semantic fluency, cognitive flexibility, and cognitive ability. Among them, tasks of mental control, visuoverbal memory, phonological fluency, semantic verbal fluency, and intelligence had a significant heritability. A predictive model of ADHD diagnosis using these endophenotypes yields remarkable classification rate, sensitivity, specificity, and precision values (above 80%). Conclusion: We have dissected new cognitive endophenotypes in ADHD that can be suitable to assess the neurobiological and genetic basis of ADHD.
Physiological regulation of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y release in lean and obese rats.

The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus is an important site for the regulation of feeding behavior. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) injected into this nucleus strongly stimulates food intake. In the current study, we measured NPY release in the PVN of unrestrained rats through the push-pull technique. The rats were placed in their habitual environment and conditions of life. NPY release was augmented by >40% ( P < 0.01) in Long-Evans rats deprived of food for 12 h. It returned to the baseline as measured in ad libitum-fed rats 90 min after food access. Its stimulation by 55 mM KCl in refed animals indicated that the whole stock of NPY was not used during a short fast. During the light-dark transition, when feeding behavior is initiated, NPY release in lean Zucker rats showed a peak 20 min after lights off and then declined. It corresponded well with the first feeding episodes. In the obese Zucker rats, this peak was absent. NPY release was totally anarchic but at a high level. The feeding behavior of the obese rats was not as time delimited as in the lean rats. This study performed in very physiological conditions therefore indicates that NPY release could drive feeding behavior in the normal life. Its dysregulation in obese rats could participate in overeating and absence of feeding rhythm measured in these rats and speed up the development of their obesity.
Effect of clay and lime nano-additives on the freeze–thaw durability of hot mix asphalt

Durability of hot mix asphalt (HMA) against freeze–thaw cycles is mostly related to bitumen-aggregate adhesion. Improving the bonding quality between aggregates and bitumen would reduce the HMA moisture susceptibility and increase its durability. This study focused on the effects of nano-additives, including nano-clay (NC) and nano-lime (NL) on the durability of HMA. Limestone and granite aggregates were used to prepare the HMA specimens. Nano-additives were blended with 60/70 penetration grade bitumen at different rates, including 3%, 6%, and 9% by weight of bitumen. The mechanical properties of HMAs were determined using indirect tensile strength (ITS) and resilient modulus tests before and after one, three, and five freeze–thaw conditioning cycles. Afterwards, the moisture damage of mixes were evaluated using the surface free energy (SFE) concept. The SFEs of unmodified and modified bitumens were measured using the Wilhelmy plate test. Likewise, the SFEs of aggregates were evaluated by a universal sorption device procedure. Based on the results obtained, the addition of proper NC and NL content will enhance the tensile strength and resilient modulus ratios. The optimum NC and NL contents were determined as equal to 3% and 6%, respectively. The difference between the bitumen-aggregate and water-aggregate SFEs showed peak points, which were obtained at the optimum additive content. These peak points were mostly in accordance with the peak of ITS and resilient modulus tests before and after conditioning cycles.
Investigation of Linum flavum (L.) Hairy Root Cultures for the Production of Anticancer Aryltetralin Lignans

Linum flavum hairy root lines were established from hypocotyl pieces using Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains LBA 9402 and ATCC 15834. Both strains were effective for transformation but induction of hairy root phenotype was more stable with strain ATCC 15834. Whereas similar accumulation patterns were observed in podophyllotoxin-related compounds (6-methoxy-podophyllotoxin, podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin), significant quantitative variations were noted between root lines. The influence of culture medium and various treatments (hormone, elicitation and precursor feeding) were evaluated. The highest accumulation was obtained in Gamborg B5 medium. Treatment with methyl jasmonate, and feeding using ferulic acid increased the accumulation of aryltetralin lignans. These results point to the use of hairy root culture lines of Linum flavum as potential sources for these valuable metabolites as an alternative, or as a complement to Podophyllum collected from wild stands.
Spatio-temporal coherence of dengue, chikungunya and Zika outbreaks in Merida, Mexico

Response to Zika virus (ZIKV) invasion in Brazil lagged a year from its estimated February 2014 introduction, and was triggered by the occurrence of severe congenital malformations. Dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) invasions tend to show similar response lags. We analyzed geo-coded symptomatic case reports from the city of Merida, Mexico, with the goal of assessing the utility of historical DENV data to infer CHIKV and ZIKV introduction and propagation. About 42% of the 40,028 DENV cases reported during 2008–2015 clustered in 27% of the city, and these clustering areas were where the first CHIKV and ZIKV cases were reported in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Furthermore, the three viruses had significant agreement in their spatio-temporal distribution (Kendall W>0.63; p<0.01). Longitudinal DENV data generated patterns indicative of the resulting introduction and transmission patterns of CHIKV and ZIKV, leading to important insights for the surveillance and targeted control to emerging Aedes-borne viruses.
Effect of vasoactive drugs on carotid diameter in humans.

We studied whether vasoactive drugs used to determine baroreflex sensitivity influence baroreceptor firing by affecting carotid sinus smooth muscle or simply by stretching the sinus wall through changes in pressure. In six young healthy subjects, the diameter of the carotid artery and its change with arterial pulse were measured with ultrasonography. Blood pressure was measured by Finapres. Phenylephrine and nitroglycerin doses were injected intravenously to raise and lower pressure by ∼15-25 mmHg. Carotid dimensions increased in all subjects during the phenylephrine-induced rise and decreased during the nitroglycerin-induced fall in pressure. Diastolic diameter changed more than systolic diameter; changes were significantly different from the control value (assessed by single-factor analysis of variance and Scheffé's post hoc test). The systolic pressure-diameter relationship appeared to be nonlinear, with a steeper slope above than below baseline, and contributed significantly to the nonlinearity of the R-R interval-systolic pressure relationship. It is concluded that during drug-induced changes in blood pressure, baroreceptor activity in humans is influenced more by passive stretch than by local smooth muscle contraction.
Electromechanical characterization of non-uniform charged ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMC) devices

Research on electromechanical characterization of non-uniformly charged IPMCs is quasi-absent. This has limited their use to only those devices where the IPMC is completely covered with electrode surfaces (uniformly charged). In this paper, we develop a theoretical study for electromechanical characterization of non-uniformly charged IPMCs. A continuum model taking into account the gravitational forces, important for large IPMCs, is presented. Based on this approach, FEM analysis of IPMC devices using Comsol Multiphysics is introduced in a very simple way. Three devices have been studied, comparing the analytical model results with those ones obtained from a FEM analysis.
An algebraic continuous time parameter estimation for a sum of sinusoidal waveform signals

In this paper, a novel algebraic method is proposed to estimate amplitudes, frequencies, and phases of a biased and noisy sum of complex exponential sinusoidal signals. The resulting parameter estimates are given by original closed formulas, constructed as integrals acting as time‐varying filters of the noisy measured signal. The proposed algebraic method provides faster and more robust results, compared with usual procedures. Some computer simulations illustrate the efficiency of our method. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reflex cardiovascular response to brief abdominal visceral ischemia is mediated in part by prostaglandins.

Prostaglandin concentrations are elevated in intestinal lymph during brief abdominal visceral ischemia, and exogenously applied prostaglandins can directly stimulate or sensitize ischemically sensitive visceral sympathetic nerve fibers. However, it is not known if prostaglandin production during abdominal ischemia is sufficient to contribute to the reflex cardiovascular response (e.g., hypertension). Accordingly, in anesthetized cats, the femoral artery was cannulated for measurement of arterial blood pressure, and the superior mesenteric and celiac arteries were isolated and fitted with snare occluders. After dual occlusion of these arteries (≤20 min), the cyclooxygenase inhibitors indomethacin (10-20 mg/kg iv, n = 5, group 1) or acetylsalicylic acid [50 mg/kg iv ( n = 6) and ia ( n = 2); group 2] were administered and ischemia was repeated. In group 1, indomethacin lowered the reflex arterial blood pressure increment by 39% from 31 ± 7 to 19 ± 5 mmHg ( P > 0.05). In group 2, acetylsalicylic acid significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced the reflex rise in blood pressure by 46% (28 ± 3 to 15 ± 4 mmHg). A second, more invasive preparation ( group 3) was utilized to 1) minimize the confounding, transient, nonreflex rise in blood pressure associated with arterial ligation, and 2) further assess the inhibitory effect of indomethacin. In group 3, the ischemia-induced blood pressure rise of 28 ± 6 mmHg was reduced by 43% to 16 ± 4 mmHg after indomethacin ( n = 4, P < 0.05). Thus blockade of the cyclooxygenase pathway by two structurally dissimilar inhibitors attenuated the visceral-cardiovascular reflex response to brief ischemia, suggesting that prostaglandins released during visceral ischemia contribute significantly to the activation of the reflex cardiovascular response.
Role of PECAM-1 (CD31) in neutrophil transmigration in murine models of liver and peritoneal inflammation.

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) is thought to be critical for transendothelial migration of leukocytes, including neutrophils. Because neutrophil-mediated liver injury during endotoxemia is dependent on transmigration, we investigated the role of PECAM-1 in the pathophysiology of endotoxin-induced liver injury. Male C3Heb/FeJ mice were treated with galactosamine (Gal) and endotoxin (ET) (700 mg/kg Gal/100 μg/kg ET), and liver sections were stained for PECAM-1 expression. Control livers showed the presence of PECAM-1 on endothelial cells of large vessels but not in sinusoids. Gal/ET treatment did not change the expression pattern of PECAM-1. Gal/ET-induced liver injury (area of necrosis: 38 ± 3%) was not attenuated by treatment with 3 mg/kg of the antimurine PECAM-1 antibody 2H8. The antibody had no effect on sequestration and transmigration of neutrophils in sinusoids or the margination of neutrophils in large vessels. In contrast, 2H8 inhibited glycogen-induced neutrophil migration into the peritoneum by 74%; this effect correlated with PECAM-1 expression in the intestinal vasculature. Thus PECAM-1 is neither expressed nor inducible in hepatic sinusoids and is consequently not involved in neutrophil transmigration in the liver during endotoxemia. On the other hand, expression of PECAM-1 in mesenteric veins is critical for peritoneal neutrophil accumulation.
Hemodynamic effect of 17β-estradiol in absence of NO in ovariectomized rats: role of angiotensin II.

Previous reports correlate plasma levels of estrogen with increased nitric oxide (NO) production. To investigate whether the hemodynamic effects of estrogens are mediated by NO, we compared the hemodynamic changes induced by 17β-estradiol (100 μg/kg) in the absence and presence of the NO synthesis inhibitor N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME). All protocols were performed in ovariectomized, conscious rats. Estradiol alone resulted in no significant changes in cardiac index (CI) or mean arterial pressure (MAP). However, in the presence ofl-NAME, estradiol induced a significant increase in total peripheral resistance (TPR) of 37.3 ± 11.7% and a decrease in CI of 27 ± 4.9%, without changes in MAP. Previous blockade of angiotensin II AT1 receptors with losartan prevented any change in CI and TPR induced by 17β-estradiol in the presence of l-NAME. These observations suggest that NO is necessary to offset a vasoconstrictor action of angiotensin II, which is stimulated by estradiol administration.