Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
18F-FDG PET Can Replace Conventional Work-up in Primary M Staging of Nonkeratinizing Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Conventional work-up (CWU) with chest radiography, abdominal ultrasonography, and skeletal scintigraphy has limited value in M staging of nonkeratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Our aim was to evaluate whether 18F-FDG PET could replace CWU by comparing their diagnostic efficacies. Methods: Patients with histologically proven nonkeratinizing NPC and no prior treatment were prospectively enrolled. All study participants underwent CWU and 18F-FDG PET for primary M staging. Distant metastasis was considered to be present if there was any reliable evidence identified within 1 y after diagnosis. The comparative diagnostic efficacies of 18F-FDG PET, CWU, and the combination of 18F-FDG PET and CWU (PET+CWU) were evaluated using the areas under the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Sixty-one (20.3%) of 300 eligible patients were found to have distant metastases. On a patient-based analysis, 18F-FDG PET was found to be more effective than CWU (P < 0.001), whereas it was equally effective with PET+CWU (P = 0.130). On region-based analyses, 18F-FDG PET was more effective than skeletal scintigraphy and chest radiography for detecting bone metastases (P < 0.001) and chest metastases (P < 0.001), respectively. 18F-FDG PET and abdominal ultrasound were equally effective for detecting hepatic metastases (P = 0.127). On region-based analyses, the combination of 18F-FDG PET and CWU did not yield any noticeable increase in diagnostic efficacy. Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET can replace CWU in primary M staging of nonkeratinizing NPC.
Variable Resistance of RMS to Interferon γ Signaling

Aims. Chimeric T cells directed to the γ-subunit of the fetal acetylcholine receptor (fAChR) produce large amounts of interferon-γ (IFNγ) on coculture with fAChR-expressing rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells prior to RMS cell death. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether IFNγ blocks proliferation and survival of RMS cells and modulates expression of genes with relevance for cytotoxicity of chimeric T cells. Methods. Expression levels of IFNγ receptor (IFNGR), AChR, MHCI, MHCII, and CIITA (class II transactivator) by RMS were checked by flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, and western blot. Proliferation and cell survival were investigated by annexin V and propidium iodide staining and MTT (thiazolyl-blue-tetrazolium-bromide) assay. Key phosphorylation and binding sites of IFNGRs were checked by DNA sequencing. Results. IFNγ treatment blocked proliferation in 3 of 6 RMS cell lines, but reduced survival in only one. IFNGR was expressed at levels comparable to controls and binding sites for JAK and STAT1 were intact. Induction of several target genes (e.g., AChR, MHCI, and MHCII) by IFNγ was detected on the RNA level but not protein level. Conclusions. IFNγ does not significantly contribute to the killing of RMS cells by fAChR directed chimeric T cells. Signalling downstream of the IFNR receptor, including the posttranscriptional level, is impaired in most RMS cell lines.
When No Bad Deed Goes Punished: A Relational Contracting Experiment in Ghana

This paper uses experimental methods to study the impact of limited enforcement and reputation on employer-worker relations in labour markets in Ghana. Participants, students recruited from universities in Accra, Ghana are designated as either employers or workers and play a gift-exchange game on a tablet computer. In this game, employers make wage offers to workers, who can then choose to accept or reject and, after accepting, what effort level to exert. Five treatments were used to assess the impact of limited enforcement, competition between employers and reputation. Each participants plays four games, consisting of five trading periods. We find different results from earlier experiments in developed countries: while these experiments have found strong evidence for relational contracting and conditional reciprocity, we do not find evidence for this. We find that a subgroup of workers exerts very low effort levels, but that this low effort of the workers is not punished by employers, who are not responsive in their wage offers to what the workers did previously. As a result, on average, the workers capture most of the profits. Introducing competition or a multilateral reputation mechanism does not significantly improve this.
Neuroleptic Catatonia and Its Psychogenic Catatonia Relationship to

Neuroleptics are among those pharmacological agents that can cause a nonpsychogenic catatonic state. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is marked by a change in state of consciousness, ranging from withdrawal through stupor to coma. In addition, it is characterized by autonomic dysfunction, hyperthermia, mutism, and rigidity. It is included in the differential diagnosis of the catatonic syndrome. Evidence is reviewed to suggest that agents responsible for improving NMS act on the dopamine (DA ) gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) connections in the mesostriatai and mesolimbic systems and also in the hypothalamus. In addition, based on symptomatology, pathophysiology, and therapeutic mechanisms, the relationship between nonpsychogenic neuroleptic-induced catatonia and psychogenic catatonia is examined.
Identification of the reptilian basolateral amygdala: an anatomical investigation of the afferents to the posterior dorsal ventricular ridge of the lizard Podarcis hispanica

The presence of multimodal association in the telencephalon of reptiles has been investigated by tracing the afferent connections to the posterior dorsal ventricular ridge (PDVR) of the lizard Podarcis hispanica. The PDVR receives telencephalic afferents from the lateral (olfactory) and dorsal cortices, and from the three unimodal areas of the anterior dorsal ventricular ridge, in a convergent manner. From the diencephalon, it receives afferents from the dorsomedial anterior and medial posterior thalamic nuclei, and from several hypothalamic nuclei. Brainstem afferents to the PDVR originate in the dorsal interpeduncular nucleus, the nucleus of the lateral lemniscus and parabrachial nucleus.
Cytomegalovirus Viremia, Mortality, and End-Organ Disease Among Patients With AIDS Receiving Potent Antiretroviral Therapies

Objective:To determine the association of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia with CMV disease and death in patients with AIDS. Design and setting:Prospective, observational cohort study conducted at a university hospital. Methods:A cohort of 190 subjects with AIDS who were CMV seropositive and had no history or evidence of CMV disease were longitudinally evaluated for signs and symptoms of CMV disease and CMV viremia with plasma CMV DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and whole blood CMV hybrid capture. Results:A total of 187 subjects had at least 1 study visit following entry. At baseline, the median CD4+ cell count and plasma HIV RNA level were 110/μL (range = 3-620/μL) and 47,973 copies/mL (<30- >750,000 copies/mL), respectively. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) use increased from 87.5% during the 1st study year to 98.5% by the end of the study. During a median follow-up of 334 days, 16% (30) of the subjects died and 2 (6%) developed CMV disease. No deaths were attributable to CMV disease; 4 subjects who died developed CMV prior to death. Baseline HIV viral load and final CD4+ cell count were significantly and independently associated with mortality. Detectable plasma CMV DNA PCR was an independent predictor of death even after adjusting for HIV RNA level and CD4+ cell count prior to death (P = 0.038). In contrast, whole blood CMV hybrid capture did not predict mortality. The CMV assays neither collectively nor individually were found to be associated with the few cases of CMV disease. Conclusions:In patients with AIDS and seropositive for CMV, detection of CMV viremia with plasma CMV DNA PCR was predictive of death and provided additional prognostic information on the risk of all cause-mortality beyond that obtained with CD4+ cell count and HIV viral load testing alone. Detection of CMV viremia by plasma with CMV DNA PCR in patients with AIDS, particularly those with low CD4+ cell counts, provides additional rationale for optimization of antiretroviral therapy and consideration for preemptive anti-CMV therapy.
Genetic enhancement of oil content in potato tuber (Solanum tuberosum L.) through an integrated metabolic engineering strategy

Summary Potato tuber is a high yielding food crop known for its high levels of starch accumulation but only negligible levels of triacylglycerol (TAG). In this study, we evaluated the potential for lipid production in potato tubers by simultaneously introducing three transgenes, including WRINKLED 1 (WRI1), DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE 1 (DGAT1) and OLEOSIN under the transcriptional control of tuber‐specific (patatin) and constitutive (CaMV‐35S) promoters. This coordinated metabolic engineering approach resulted in over a 100‐fold increase in TAG accumulation to levels up to 3.3% of tuber dry weight (DW). Phospholipids and galactolipids were also found to be significantly increased in the potato tuber. The increase of lipids in these transgenic tubers was accompanied by a significant reduction in starch content and an increase in soluble sugars. Microscopic examination revealed that starch granules in the transgenic tubers had more irregular shapes and surface indentations when compared with the relatively smooth surfaces of wild‐type starch granules. Ultrastructural examination of lipid droplets showed their close proximity to endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, which may indicate a dynamic interaction with these organelles during the processes of lipid biosynthesis and turnover. Increases in lipid levels were also observed in the transgenic potato leaves, likely due to the constitutive expression of DGAT1 and incomplete tuber specificity of the patatin promoter. This study represents an important proof‐of‐concept demonstration of oil increase in tubers and provides a model system to further study carbon reallocation during development of nonphotosynthetic underground storage organs.
Regulation of scatter factor/hepatocyte growth factor responses by Ras, Rac, and Rho in MDCK cells

Scatter factor/hepatocyte growth factor (SF/HGF) stimulates the motility of epithelial cells, initially inducing centrifugal spreading of cell colonies followed by disruption of cell-cell junctions and subsequent cell scattering. These responses are accompanied by changes in the actin cytoskeleton, including increased membrane ruffling and lamellipodium extension, disappearance of peripheral actin bundles at the edges of colonies, and an overall decrease in stress fibers. The roles of the small GTP-binding proteins Ras, Rac, and Rho in regulating responses to SF/HGF were investigated by microinjection. Inhibition of endogenous Ras proteins prevented SF/HGF-induced actin reorganization, spreading, and scattering, whereas microinjection of activated H-Ras protein stimulated spreading and actin reorganization but not scattering. When a dominant inhibitor of Rac was injected, SF/HGF- and Ras-induced spreading and actin reorganization were prevented, although activated Rac alone did not stimulate either response. Microinjection of activated Rho inhibited spreading and scattering, while inhibition of Rho function led to the disappearance of stress fibers and peripheral bundles but did not prevent SF/HGF-induced motility. We conclude that Ras and Rac act downstream of the SF/HGF receptor p190Met to mediate cell spreading but that an additional signal is required to induce scattering.
Phase-Resetting Curves Determine Synchronization, Phase Locking, and Clustering in Networks of Neural Oscillators

Networks of model neurons were constructed and their activity was predicted using an iterated map based solely on the phase-resetting curves (PRCs). The predictions were quite accurate provided that the resetting to simultaneous inputs was calculated using the sum of the simultaneously active conductances, obviating the need for weak coupling assumptions. Fully synchronous activity was observed only when the slope of the PRC at a phase of zero, corresponding to spike initiation, was positive. A novel stability criterion was developed and tested for all-to-all networks of identical, identically connected neurons. When the PRC generated using N − 1 simultaneously active inputs becomes too steep, the fully synchronous mode loses stability in a network of N model neurons. Therefore, the stability of synchrony can be lost by increasing the slope of this PRC either by increasing the network size or the strength of the individual synapses. Existence and stability criteria were also developed and tested for the splay mode in which neurons fire sequentially. Finally, N/M synchronous subclusters of M neurons were predicted using the intersection of parameters that supported both between-cluster splay and within-cluster synchrony. Surprisingly, the splay mode between clusters could enforce synchrony on subclusters that were incapable of synchronizing themselves. These results can be used to gain insights into the activity of networks of biological neurons whose PRCs can be measured.
Young children’s difficulties in switching from rhythm production to temporal interval production (>1 s)

This study examined the young children’s abilities to switch from rhythm production, with short inter-tap intervals (ITIs), to temporal interval production, with long ITI (>1 s), in a sensorimotor synchronization task. Children aged 3- and 5-year-olds were given six sessions of synchronization. In a control group, they had to synchronize their ITI to an inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of 4 s. In the experimental group, they must progressively increase their ITI for one session to the next (from 0.4 to 4.0-s ISI). Our results showed that the 5-year-olds produced longer ITI that the 3-year-olds in synchronization. However, the value of ITI in the 5-year-olds never exceeded 1.5 s, with more variable ITI in the control than in the experimental group. In addition, at 5 years, boys had more difficulties than girls in changing their tapping rhythm. These results suggest a temporal window in sensorimotor synchronization, beyond which the rhythm is lost and the synchronization becomes difficult.
Experimental Economics: A Survey

Over the past few decades, experimental methods have given economists access to new sources of data and enlarged the set of economic propositions that can be validated. This field has grown exponentially in the past few decades, but is still relatively new to the average Indian academic. The objective of this survey is to familiarise the Indian audience with some aspects of experimental economics. The survey attempts to bring to the interested reader a flavour of this field. The survey is presented in five separate articles after this introduction. The notes and references for all articles are at the end of the survey.
Eye Fixation Patterns for Categorizing Static and Dynamic Facial Expressions

Facial expressions of emotion are dynamic in nature, but most studies on the visual strategies underlying the recognition of facial emotions have used static stimuli. The present study directly compared the visual strategies underlying the recognition of static and dynamic facial expressions using eye tracking and the Bubbles technique. The results revealed different eye fixation patterns with the 2 kinds of stimuli, with fewer fixations on the eye and mouth area during the recognition of dynamic than static expressions. However, these differences in eye fixations were not accompanied by any systematic differences in the facial information that was actually processed to recognize the expressions.
Rac1 regulates cardiovascular development and postnatal function of endothelium

Rac1 is a member of the small Rho GTPase family, which controls actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesion dynamics in cellular protrusions. While Rac1 therefore contributes to regulation of endothelial cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, a detailed understanding of its role in endothelium function is lacking. Recently, the role of Rac1 in development and postnatal regulation of the cardiovascular system has been investigated in murine models lacking Rac1 specifically in endothelium. Homozygous endothelial deletion was lethal, primarily due to defects in angiogenesis. Rac1-deficient endothelial cells were unable to form cellular protrusions/lamellipodia, leading to impaired cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, and resulting in dysfunctional adhesion, motility, permeability and capillary morphogenesis. Development was normal in the heterozygous model, however a hypertensive phenotype was observed as a result of reduced nitric oxide signalling. Nitric oxide synthase activity was regulated by Rac1 at multiple levels; expression, mRNA stability and uptake of the nitric oxide synthase substrate L-arginine. Therefore, Rac1 activity is essential in regulating developmental and postnatal angiogenesis and cardiovascular function, by controlling nitric oxide production, and formation of endothelial cell protrusions.
Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guidelines: Diagnostic Evaluation of Infants with Recurrent or Persistent Wheezing.

BACKGROUND Infantile wheezing is a common problem, but there are no guidelines for the evaluation of infants with recurrent or persistent wheezing that is not relieved or prevented by standard therapies. METHODS An American Thoracic Society-sanctioned guideline development committee selected clinical questions related to uncertainties or controversies in the diagnostic evaluation of wheezing infants. Members of the committee conducted pragmatic evidence syntheses, which followed the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The evidence syntheses were used to inform the formulation and grading of recommendations. RESULTS The pragmatic evidence syntheses identified few studies that addressed the clinical questions. The studies that were identified constituted very low-quality evidence, consisting almost exclusively of case series with risk of selection bias, indirect patient populations, and imprecise estimates. The committee made conditional recommendations to perform bronchoscopic airway survey, bronchoalveolar lavage, esophageal pH monitoring, and a swallowing study. It also made conditional recommendations against empiric food avoidance, upper gastrointestinal radiography, and gastrointestinal scintigraphy. Finally, the committee recommended additional research about the roles of infant pulmonary function testing and food avoidance or dietary changes, based on allergy testing. CONCLUSIONS Although infantile wheezing is common, there is a paucity of evidence to guide clinicians in selecting diagnostic tests for recurrent or persistent wheezing. Our committee made several conditional recommendations to guide clinicians; however, additional research that measures clinical outcomes is needed to improve our confidence in the effects of various diagnostic interventions and to allow advice to be provided with greater confidence.
Functional Disconnection of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Subthalamic Nucleus in Attentional Performance: Evidence for Corticosubthalamic Interaction

The present study used a disconnection procedure to test whether the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) were functional components in a common neural system that controlled continuous performance in a test of sustained and divided visual attention. Animals with disconnected lesions of the mPFC and STN in contralateral hemispheres were severely impaired in several aspects of performance, including discriminative accuracy, increased perseveration, and slowed response latencies during postoperative testing. These deficits persisted throughout the entire experimental test period. Increasing the stimulus duration alleviated the accuracy deficit but failed to improve speed of responding or reduce perseverative responses. These deficits were in marked contrast to animals with combined mPFC and STN lesions made on the ipsilateral side, which produced behavior not different from that of sham controls. Rats with unilateral lesions of either structure alone were also impaired in terms of accuracy and perseveration. These data suggest that some of the deficits observed after bilateral STN lesions (attention and perseveration) may be attributable to a disrupted corticosubthalamic projection. This study provides direct evidence that performance in tasks that require optimal attentional and executive control relies on a corticosubthalamic interaction within the neural circuitry of the basal ganglia.
[A cross-sectional study on serum uric acid level and the distribution of metabolic syndrome among Uigur, Han and Kazak prediabetic groups in Xinjiang].

OBJECTIVE To explore the levels of uric acid, blood pressure, serum lipid metabolic disorders and the distribution of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) among Uygur, Han and Kazak pre-diabetic groups in Xinjiang. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted on 2053 Uygur residents, 2219 Kazak residents and 2656 Han residents aged 30-80, all with prediabetic syndromes. The pre-dialectic patients were divided into three groups for analysis on metabolic features and inter-group comparisons. RESULTS (1)In total, 1934 pre-diabetic cases (28.3%)were diagnosed, with the highest prevalence (31.6%) seen in Uygurs and the lowest (25.5%) in Kazaks and medium (27.0%) in Hans. Data from the inter-group comparison showed statistically significant differences (P = 0.00). (2)Prevalence of high LDL-C was 80.5% , with hyperuricemia as 30.3% and MS as 58.3% , while the inter-group comparison did not show any statistically significant differences (P > 0.05). (3) Prevalence of pre-diabetic when combined with hypertension or earlier-stage hypertension, reached 88.0%, with the highest (96.8%) among Kazak group, 85.1% in Uygurs and 83.7% in Han population. Data from the inter-group comparison showed statistically significant difference(χ(2) = 59.959, P = 0.00). (4)The overall prevalence of prediabetic, when combined with obesity was 35.4%, with 29.6% in Han, 36.8% in Uygur and 41.0% in Kazak groups. Data from the inter-group comparison showed statistically significant difference(χ(2) = 19.097, P = 0.00). CONCLUSION According to results from this cross-sectional study regarding the metabolic features of Uygur, Kazak and Han prediabetic groups, differences were seen in the prevalence rates of pre-diabetic among Uygur, Kazak and Han ethnic groups, with the highest seen in Uygurs and the lowest in Kazaks. Hyperlipidemia, hypertension, hyperuricemia,MS and obesity were commonly seen in all the prediabetic groups, with the highest prevalence of hypertension seen in the Kazak group and the highest rate of obesity in Uygur group.