Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circulating cytokine profiles in leprosy patients.

BACKGROUND Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae which is an obligate intracellular pathogen. It is characterised by a broad spectrum of clinical forms dictated by the patient's immune response to the organism. The tuberculoid pole has good cell mediated immunity to M. leprae, with few lesions and bacilli while the lepromatous pole has poor immunity coupled with extensive involvement and greater bacillary load. METHODS We studied serum levels of interferon gamma and interleukin 6 in 100 patients of untreated leprosy, compared them with 30 age and sex matched normal healthy controls and co-related them with different parts of the spectrum and reactional episodes. The purpose of this study was to delineate the role of cytokines and their clinical implications in the leprosy spectrum and during reactional episodes. RESULTS We observed that mean cytokine levels were significantly higher in the patient group as compared to the controls. In the non reactional patient group, pure neuritic leprosy patients showed highest levels of INFgamma which were directly proportional to the extent of nerve involvement. Lepromatous leprosy patients had the highest levels of IL6. Bacteriological index demonstrated a negative and positive corelation with INFgamma and IL 6 levels respectively. Type I and Type II reactional patients had higher levels of INFgamma and IL 6 respectively as compared to nonreactional patients. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that pure neuritic leprosy and borderline tuberculoid patients in type I reaction are at greatest risk for nerve and tissue damage. Thus cytokines have the potential to play a significant role in classification, prognosis and treatment of leprosy.
Long-Term Increases in Purpose in Life are Associated with Remission from Alcohol Dependence

This study examined whether increases in purpose in life (PIL) over 2.5 years were associated with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) remission among 364 individuals with alcohol dependence. Remission from alcohol dependence at final follow-up was associated with significantly greater increases in PIL over time, compared to those without remission or with partial remission. The strong relationship between increases in PIL and remitted status at final follow-up indicates the importance of existential issues to recovery, and the value of incorporating these concerns into treatment and further investigating their role in initiating and supporting recovery.
Responses of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis Cutaneous Infection to N-Methylglucamine Antimoniate in the Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta) Model

The antileishmanial efficacy of the reference drug N-methylglucamine antimoniate (Glucantime®) was evaluated in groups of rhesus monkeys with acute and chronic Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis cutaneous infection. The therapeutic responses in experimental animals to either a low dose (5 mg/kg body wt/day for 28 days) or a routine dose (20 mg/kg/day for 28 days) of pentavalent antimony were similar to those reported in the human disease. Primates were cured of their lesions after treatment, but with cryptic parasitism and/or relapse. The rhesus model of L. (V.) braziliensis cutaneous leishmaniasis therefore provides an additional resource for preclinical trials with newer drugs.
A mais Pura Verdade sobre a Desonestidade

Dan Ariely e professor de Psicologia e Economia Comportamental na Duke University (Carolina do Norte), membro fundador e diretor do Center for Advanced Hindsight e autor dos livros Previsivelmente Irracional e The Upside of Irrationality, alem de diversos artigos cientificos publicados nos principais periodicos norte-americanos.
Dimensions of cosmopolitanism and their influence on political consumption: an analysis focused on Spanish consumers

The purpose of this study was to confirm the hypothesis that political consumption ‐ a form of consumerism whose importance has increased during the past few years ‐ can be considered a form of critical action, and that cosmopolitanism contributes to its development. The main objective was, first, to analyse an unexplored dimension of political consumption and, second, to obtain a measurement proposal for what some authors have called ordinary cosmopolitanism. The study, based on a survey, was divided into three sections. The first section offers a theoretical introduction to the study proposal. The second describes the hypothesis and the data analysis strategy, and proposes an operationalization of cosmopolitanism in three dimensions ‐ symbolic cosmopolitanism, experiential cosmopolitanism and moral cosmopolitanism ‐ which have been obtained by means of the application of categorical principal components analysis. By applying one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s test, the third section shows the existence of significantly higher scores in these three dimensions for those individuals who have bought or boycotted products for ethical, political or environmental reasons. Finally, an ordinary least squares regression analysis was performed to test the association between cosmopolitanism and political consumerism, controlling the effect of the main socio-demographic variables. The study confirms the initial hypothesis; therefore, political consumption could be considered a type of consumerism that is clearly related to cosmopolitanism.
Diferencias en factores de protección del consumo de sustancias en la adolescencia temprana y media

Este trabajo se centra en las posibles diferencias en los factores de proteccion del consumo de sustancias en la adolescencia temprana y media. Estas posibles diferencias se analizan mediante la aplicacion de un mismo modelo de ecuaciones estructurales en dos muestras de adolescentes: la primera constituida por 450 adolescentes entre 12 y 14 anos, y la segunda por 203 adolescentes entre 15 y 17 anos. Los resultados indican que una adecuada comunicacion familiar es un factor de proteccion en ambas muestras, mientras que una elevada autoestima social se plantea como factor de riesgo en la adolescencia media. La autoestima familiar y las actitudes hacia la autoridad del adolescente son tambien factores relevantes en ambas muestras. Estos resultados pueden tener importantes implicaciones en el desarrollo de futuros programas de intervencion. Differences in protective factors of substance use in early and middle adolescence. This study focuses on possible differences in protective factors of substance use in early and middle adolescence. These possible differences are analysed by means of the same structural equation model applied to two different samples of adolescents: the first sample is made up of 450 adolescents, ages 12 to 14 years, and second of 203 adolescents, ages 15 to 17 years. The results indicate that adequate family communication is a protective factor in both samples, whereas high social self-esteem is proposed as a risk factor in middle adolescence. The adolescent’s family self-esteem and attitudes towards authority are also relevant factors in both samples. These results may have important implications in the development of future intervention programmes.
An Interacting Multiple Model Tracking Algorithm Based on Rigid-Body Model of Target

Rigid-Body Model (RBM) is a more precise method for motion description of airborne maneuvering target compared with traditional Particle Point Model (PPM). It includes a pose-angle vector in the target state variable vector to model target motion more exactly, which has the potential to improve the tracking performance. Traditional RBMs are usually too complex to be accomplished in practical application. Therefore, a simplified application-oriented RBM is proposed in this paper by analyzing the motion characters of maneuvering targets. It is then used in the Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) algorithm, where the fuzzy association measure between the pose-angle measurement of a target and the current motion mode is calculated, and the association result is used to fuse with the model probability. Numerical simulation results show that the proposed method could effectively improve the tracking performance of IMM because of the enhancement of identification ability of motion model, and nearly bring no additional computational burden.
Complementary Measures of the Mass Density and Cosmological Constant

The distance-redshift relation depends on the amount of matter of each type in the universe. Measurements at different redshifts constrain differing combinations of these matter densities and thus may be used in combination to constrain each separately. The combination of Ω0 and ΩΛ measured in supernovae at z ≲ 1 is almost orthogonal to the combination probed by the location of features in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy spectrum. We analyze the current combined data set in this framework, which shows that the regions preferred by the supernova and CMB measurements are compatible. We then quantify the favored region and also discuss models in which the matter density in the universe is augmented by a smooth component to give critical density. These models, by construction and in contrast, are not strongly constrained by the combination of the data sets.
Bacterial endocarditis in a child presenting with acute arterial ischemic stroke: should thrombolytic therapy be absolutely contraindicated?

Thrombolysis is considered to be contraindicated in acute ischemic stroke secondary to infective endocarditis (IE). We report a 12‐year‐old female who presented with acute dense right hemiparesis and aphasia. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging and angiography showed multiple diffusion‐restricted lesions in the left hemisphere and absence of flow in the left internal carotid artery. She was treated with intra‐arterial tissue plasminogen activator within 6 hours of her presentation. Subsequently she was diagnosed with pneumococcal endocarditis and underwent debridement of vegetations and patch repair of the mitral valve. The patient did not have hemorrhagic complications following thrombolytic therapy or surgery. Pathological analysis of the mitral valve vegetations revealed mostly fibrin thrombus. Follow‐up imaging showed complete recanalization of the left internal carotid artery, and the patient had a remarkable neurological recovery. This is the first case report of successful intra‐arterial thrombolytic therapy in childhood IE‐related stroke. We believe that thrombolytic therapy contributed to a favorable outcome in our patient and may be safe in selected patients with childhood IE‐related acute ischemic stroke.
Intrathecal Administration of Autologous CD34 Positive Cells in Patients with Past Cerebral Infarction: A Safety Study

Regenerative strategies in treatment of stroke have great potential. The goal of the current study was to investigate safety of intrathecal administration of autologous CD34 positive cells in treatment of patients with poststroke. A total of eight male patients with a history of stroke were enrolled. The patients were treated subcutaneously with 5 μg/kg body weight rhG-CSF for 5 consecutive days, and then leukapheresis was performed to concentrate cells for CD34 positive immunoselection. All patients underwent intrathecal administration of CD34 positive cells via lumbar puncture. The primary outcome was safety evaluation for 12-month followup. In addition, behavioral function was evaluated with NIH stroke scale and Barthel index 1, 6, and 12 months after the last treatment, respectively. There were no major adverse events, and abnormal changes of blood tests during the whole treatment process included intrathecal administration and 12-month followup. The main message from the current study was that administration of G-CSF-mobilized autologous CD34 positive cells in patients with poststroke was safe. Future studies with larger population and control group are needed to confirm the safety and investigate the efficacy.
Perceptions of the Value of Digital Mini-Games

Abstract This research examined the change in the perceptions of preservice teachers regarding the use of digital minigames to support middle school level social studies learning. The results of a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test for matched pairs revealed that participants’ (N = 18) perceptions were positively modified by participation in a series of digital mini-games [T = 5.5, p <. 01 (two tailed)]. Results also indicated that the majority of preservice teachers agreed that digital games do have the potential for promoting learning in an educational setting. Recommendations for further research are provided.
Evaluation of the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory in a Danish Population

Objectives. To evaluate a Danish translation of the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory (QEESI). Methods. The study included two groups: one comprised a random sample of 2000 individuals drawn from the Danish Civil Registration System; the other comprised 315 patients with chemical intolerance. Results. The evaluation suggested good reliability for the four QEESI scales in terms of internal consistency and coefficients between test and retest scores. The discriminatory validity was the largest for the Chemical (inhalant) Intolerance and Life Impact Scales. Using combined cut-off scores for these two scales provided a sensitivity of 92.1 and a specificity of 91.8 and yielded a prevalence of 8.2% in the population group. Conclusions. The Danish translation of the QEESI showed overall good reliability and validity. We recommend the use of the combined Chemical (inhalant) Intolerance and Life Impact Scales in future studies.
Histone deacetylase 6 gates the synaptic action of acute stress in prefrontal cortex

• Acute stress, via glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), enhances glutamatergic signalling in the prefrontal cortex, a region responsible for high‐order cognitive functions. • We found that inhibition or knockdown of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) blocked the enhancement of glutamatergic signalling by acute stress. • Inhibition or knockdown of the GR chaperone protein HSP90 (a substrate of HDAC6) produced a similar blockade of the acute stress‐induced enhancement of glutamatergic signalling. • These results suggest that HDAC6 is a key molecule regulating the synaptic effects of acute stress in the prefrontal cortex.
Immunolocalisation of the VEGF receptors FLT-1, KDR, and FLT-4 in diabetic retinopathy

AIM To determine the spatial and temporal changes in the staining pattern of the VEGF receptors FLT-1, KDR, and the putative receptor FLT-4 during the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. METHODS Immunohistochemical localisation of VEGF receptors, using antibodies against FLT-1, FLT-4, and KDR, was carried out on specimens of normal human retina (n=10), diabetic retinas (a) with no overt retinopathy (n=12), (b) with intraretinal vascular abnormalities but no proliferative retinopathy (n=5), (c) with active proliferative retinopathy (n=6), and (d) with no residual proliferative retinopathy after scatter photocoagulation therapy (n=14), and surgically excised diabetic fibrovascular membranes (n=11). The degree and pattern of immunostaining was recorded. RESULTS FLT-1 staining was apparent in the retinas from both non-diabetic and diabetic retinas; weak to moderate staining was generally confined to the inner nuclear layer, the ganglion cell layer, and the retinal vessels during all stages of the disease process. Staining of the retinal vessels was raised in diabetic tissue compared with non-diabetic tissue. The preretinal vessels of the diabetic subjects stained moderately to intensely for FLT-1. In contrast with FLT-1 staining minimal immunostaining for KDR was demonstrated in the non-diabetic eyes and the unlasered eyes; however, weak staining for KDR was observed in the inner nuclear layer and the ganglion cell layer of the unlasered eyes with diabetic changes. In those retinas with preretinal neovascularisation KDR immunoreactivity was moderate to intense in the intra- and preretinal vessels. However, in the excised membranes, where the vessels may have been in a quiescent state, the levels of KDR were weak to moderate. After apparently successful laser treatment KDR staining was reduced in the intraretinal vessels. Minimal FLT-4 staining was observed throughout normal eyes while weak to moderate FLT-4 staining was generally confined to the inner nuclear layer and the ganglion cell layer of the unlasered diabetic eyes. Weak to moderate levels of FLT-4 staining were observed in the intraretinal vessels except after apparently successful laser treatment where reduced levels of staining were observed. Weak to moderate staining was observed in the preretinal vessels. CONCLUSIONS This study supports a role for FLT-1, KDR, and possibly FLT-4 in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy; however, their specific roles in the progression of the disease may differ.
AmpliconDuo: A Split-Sample Filtering Protocol for High-Throughput Amplicon Sequencing of Microbial Communities

High throughput sequencing (HTSeq) of small ribosomal subunit amplicons has the potential for a comprehensive characterization of microbial community compositions, down to rare species. However, the error-prone nature of the multi-step experimental process requires that the resulting raw sequences are subjected to quality control procedures. These procedures often involve an abundance cutoff for rare sequences or clustering of sequences, both of which limit genetic resolution. Here we propose a simple experimental protocol that retains the high genetic resolution granted by HTSeq methods while effectively removing many low abundance sequences that are likely due to PCR and sequencing errors. According to this protocol, we split samples and submit both halves to independent PCR and sequencing runs. The resulting sequence data is graphically and quantitatively characterized by the discordance between the two experimental branches, allowing for a quick identification of problematic samples. Further, we discard sequences that are not found in both branches (“AmpliconDuo filter”). We show that the majority of sequences removed in this way, mostly low abundance but also some higher abundance sequences, show features expected from random modifications of true sequences as introduced by PCR and sequencing errors. On the other hand, the filter retains many low abundance sequences observed in both branches and thus provides a more reliable census of the rare biosphere. We find that the AmpliconDuo filter increases biological resolution as it increases apparent community similarity between biologically similar communities, while it does not affect apparent community similarities between biologically dissimilar communities. The filter does not distort overall apparent community compositions. Finally, we quantitatively explain the effect of the AmpliconDuo filter by a simple mathematical model.
Analysis of Effect of Luminance Space on Face Detection

As face detection techniques are being widely exploited by the applications in various areas, it is clearly imperative that the performance of a face detection algorithm needs to be studied in the context of the fundamental properties of images. In this paper, as our experimental evaluation, we demonstrate that the performance of a face detection algorithm can be affected by the luminance space in an image.
Robot-assisted acquisition of a motor skill: Evolution of performance and effort

Robots are widely used to promote the neuromotor recovery of stroke survivors, but it is unclear whether robots might be useful to facilitate the acquisition of novel motor skills. In principle, robots could be used to guide a trainee to experiment the correct movements and/or by preventing him/her from performing incorrect ones (the `guidance' hypothesis). Here we investigate whether and on what circumstances physical interaction with a robot may facilitate the acquisition of a novel motor skill. We focused on a simulated putting task, consisting of gently hitting an object (e.g. a `ball') by means of a tool (the `pad', e.g. the golf putter) to move it to a desired final position. A virtual environment, created through a planar robot manipulandum and a computer screen, was used to simulate the physics involved in the putting task. Putting is a redundant task, as the same final position of the ball can be obtained by different combinations of pad velocity, acceleration and point of impact. Two groups of subjects were analyzed: in an `assisted' group, the robot guided subjects toward the correct movement, whereas a control group performed the task without assistance. In both groups we looked at the subjects' performance and its evolution with exercise at several levels of description, namely: (i) final error (distance between final ball position and center of the target area); (ii) ball velocity just after impact; and (iii) hand position and velocity just before impact. In all cases, we looked at both mean value and variability (variance). We found that guidance is helpful in decreasing longitudinal error (a matter of speed accuracy), but not directional error (a matter of position accuracy). These results are consistent with the notion that guidance can help with the dynamic, but not the geometric components of a task
Complement membrane attack is required for endplate damage and clinical disease in passive experimental myasthenia gravis in Lewis rats

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a debilitating and potentially fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by the generation of autoantibodies reactive with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) that cause loss of AChR from the neuromuscular endplate with resultant failure of neuromuscular transmission. A role for complement (C) in the pathology of human MG has been suggested based upon identification of C activation products in plasma and deposited at the endplate in MG. In the rat model, experimental autoimmune MG (EAMG), C depletion or inhibition restricts clinical disease, further implicating C in pathology. The mechanisms by which C activation drives pathology in MG and EAMG are unclear. Here we provide further evidence implicating C and specifically the membrane attack complex (MAC) in the Lewis rat passive EAMG model of MG. Rats deficient in C6, an essential component of the MAC, were resistant to disease induction and endplate destruction was reduced markedly compared to C6‐sufficient controls. After reconstitution with C6, disease severity and endplate destruction in the C6‐deficient rats was equivalent to that in controls. The data confirm the essential role of the MAC in the destruction of the endplate in EAMG and raise the prospect of specific MAC inhibition as an alternative therapy in MG patients resistant to conventional treatments.
Performance Parameters of a Positron Imaging Camera

Two Anger scintillation cameras have been combined into a positron imaging system. Count rate capability has been extended by using absorbers to reduce scattered radiation from the object, by using 1" thick crystals to improve detection efficiency for annihilation radiation, and by implementing pulse shortening techniques and low dead time D. C. coupled electronics. The main characteristics of the device in its present form are high sensitivity (200 cts/sec/¿Ci), high resolution (system resolution less than 10 mm FWHM) and useful clinical count rates up to 8000 cts/sec.