Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intrathecal interferon reduces exacerbations of multiple sclerosis.

Ten patients with multiple sclerosis who were treated with human fibroblast interferon (IFN-B) for 6 months showed a significant reduction in their exacerbation rates compared with their rates before treatment (P < .01). The IFN-B was administered intrathecally by serial lumbar punctures. There was no significant change in the exacerbation rates of ten multiple sclerosis control patients before and during the period of observation. The IFN-B recipients have now been on the study a mean of 1.5 years, the controls, 1.2 years. The clinical condition of five of the IFN-B recipients and one of the control patients has improved, whereas the condition of five of the controls and one of the IFN-B recipients has deteriorated (P < .036). These findings warrant cautious optimism about the efficacy of intrathecal IFN-B in altering the course of multiple sclerosis and support concepts of a viral or dysimmune etiology of the disease.
Two Models of Teacher Accountability: Toward an Explanation for the Disappointing Results of Some Market-Based School Reforms

Accountability is a pivotal concern of applied social science. This article asserts that in many situations a full explanation of the sources of accountability requires the application of concepts from sociology and management science, in addition to those from the market-based approaches inspired by economics. The article describes the market-based approach to accountability exemplified by agency theory, applies it to school reform and derives several predictions about the likely success of market-based approaches to school reform, and documents the lack of evidence supporting the contention that programs for school choice will markedly improve teacher work effort and performance (as measured by student test scores). The social actor approach, rooted in sociological and management theories, is introduced and used to describe the pressures and norms operating in the public schools that foster accountability even in the absence of competition between schools for students. The article concludes with some implications for practice and research on public sector accountability.
The effect of a new slow‐release, long‐acting somatostatin analogue, lanreotide, in acromegaly

OBJECTIVE Previous studies have shown that somatostatin analogues such as octreotide and lanreotide are effective in suppressing GH and IGF‐I levels in acromegaly, but the mode of administration and the frequency of injections were inconvenient for the patients. We have evaluated the effects of a new slow‐release (SR), long‐acting formulation of lanreotide, a somatostatin analogue, on clinical, biochemical and safety responses in acromegaly.
Combined Measures of Upper and Lower Body Strength and Subgroup Differences in Subsequent Survival Among the Older Population of England

Objective: To provide an example of a new methodology for using multiple characteristics in the study of population aging and to assess its usefulness. Method: Using the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA), we investigate three characteristics of each person 60 to 85 years old, by level of education, hand-grip strength in 2004 (measured in kilos), chair rise speed in 2004 (measured in rises per minute), and whether the person survived from 2004 to 2012. Because the three characteristics are measured in different units, we convert them into a common metric, called alpha-ages. Results: We find that the average of the alpha-age differentials in the measures of upper body and lower body strength predicts educational differentials in subsequent survival better than either physical measure alone. Discussion: This result demonstrates the benefit of combining characteristics, using alpha-ages to convert incommensurate observations into a common metric.
Functional neural correlates of mindfulness meditations in comparison with psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and placebo effect. Is there a link?

Chiesa A, Brambilla P, Serretti A. Functional neural correlates of mindfulness meditations in comparison with psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and placebo effect. Is there a link? Objective: Mindfulness meditations (MM) are a group of meditation practices which are increasingly receiving attention. The aim of the present work is to review current findings about the neural correlates of MM and compare such findings with other specific and non-specific treatments. Methods: A literature search was undertaken using MEDLINE, ISI web of knowledge, the Cochrane database and references of retrieved articles. Studies which focused on the functional neural correlates of MM, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and placebo published up to August 2009 were screened in order to be considered for the inclusion. Results: Main findings suggest that long-term MM practice allows a more flexible emotional regulation by engaging frontal cortical structures to dampen automatic amygdala activation. A large overlap exists between cerebral areas activated during MM, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and those activated by placebo. However, while MM, psychotherapy and placebo seem to act through a top-down regulation, antidepressants seem to act through a bottom-up process. Conclusion: MM seem to target specific brain areas related to emotions and emotional regulation. Similar mechanisms have been observed also in other interventions, particularly psychotherapy.
Functional relevance of T helper 17 (Th17) cells and the IL‐17 cytokine family in inflammatory bowel disease

&NA; The recent discovery and characterization of T helper 17 cells (Th17) and their signature cytokines (IL‐17) represents a hallmark in T‐cell immunobiology by providing a new distinctive pathway for the communication between adaptive and innate immunity. From the six members of the IL‐17 cytokine family presently known, at least two have evident proinflammatory qualities and are involved in several chronic inflammatory disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IL‐17A and IL‐17F are abundantly found in inflamed IBD mucosa, suggesting their pivotal role in IBD. However, the precise implication of IL‐17 cytokine family members in IBD pathogenesis and the mechanisms regulating their secretion are incompletely understood. Importantly, recent findings suggest that beyond IL‐17 production‐Th17 cells may secret a plethora of other effector cytokines such as IL‐21, IL‐22, and IL‐9‐ which is in part induced by its own IL‐9 production. However, the use of anti‐IL‐17 therapeutic strategies in experimental models of chronic inflammation results in disease‐ameliorating effects suggesting their potential use in IBD patients. In this review article we discuss the latest findings on the role of Th17 cells and IL‐17 family members in IBD immunopathology, as well as research perspectives. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011;)
Neural Basis of Visual Distraction

The ability to maintain focus and avoid distraction by goal-irrelevant stimuli is critical for performing many tasks and may be a key deficit in attention-related problems. Recent studies have demonstrated that irrelevant stimuli that are consciously perceived may be filtered out on a neural level and not cause the distraction triggered by subliminal stimuli. However, in everyday situations, suprathreshold stimuli often do capture attention, but the neural mechanisms by which some stimuli rapidly and automatically trigger distraction remain unknown. Here, we investigated the neural basis of distraction by utilizing a particularly strong form of distractor: the abrupt appearance of a new object. Our results revealed a competitive relation between brain regions coding the locations of the target and the distractor, with distractor processing increasing and target processing decreasing, but only when the distractor was a new object; an equivalent luminance change to an existing object neither generated distraction nor affected target processing. Results also revealed changes in neural activity in intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) that were unique to the new object distractor condition. The strongest relations between behavioral distraction and neural activity were observed in these parietal regions. Furthermore, participants who were less susceptible to distraction showed a more consistent, albeit more moderate, level of activity in IPS and TPJ. The present results thus provide new evidence regarding the neural mechanisms underlying distraction and resistance to it.
Contribution of neuroinflammation in burning mouth syndrome: indications from benzodiazepine use

ABSTRACT: Characterized by burning and painful oral sensations in absence of clinically significant mucosal abnormalities, the burning mouth syndrome is, despite numerous researches made, basically idiopathic and, consequently, difficult to treat effectively. Therapy with tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines has been proposed, although the exact pathomechanism is not clear. The objective of this study is to define the possible reasons for the efficacy of benzodiazepines in the treatment of the burning mouth syndrome. Starting from the report of eight cases successfully treated with prazepam, the present authors examined the clinical features and the evidence from literature that support the possibility of a role of neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of the burning mouth syndrome. Available data suggest that the nervous system could be crucial in the pathogenesis of the syndrome (altered perception of pain, disturbance of neural transmission, increased excitability, negative involvement of trigeminal‐vascular system), and the present authors’ experience lets them suppose a role for neuroinflammation. This hypothesis could also explain the positive response to benzodiazepines in some patients. The important role of neuroinflammation in dermatologic and oral diseases has been only recently investigated and acknowledged. Further studies on the connection between neuroinflammation and burning mouth syndrome could open interesting perspectives in the understanding and management of this difficult clinical condition.
Predicting the disulfide bonding state of cysteines using protein descriptors

Knowledge of the disulfide bonding state of the cysteines of proteins is of major interest in designing numerous molecular biology experiments, or in predicting their three‐dimensional structure. Previous methods using the information gained from aligned sets of sequences have reached up to 82% of success in predicting the oxidation state of cysteines. In the present study, we assess the relative efficiency of different descriptors in predicting the cysteine disulfide bonding states. Our results suggest that the information on the residues flanking the cysteines is less informative about the disulfide bonding state than about the amino acid content of the whole protein. Using a combination of logistic functions learned with subsets of proteins homogeneous in terms of their amino acid content, we propose a simple prediction approach, starting from a single sequence, that reaches success rates close to 84%. This score can be improved by avoiding predictions regarding cysteines for which the decision is not well marked. For example, we obtain a score close to 87% correct prediction when we exclude predicting 10% of the cysteines. Proteins 2002;46:243–249. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of Microwave Irradiation on Dewaterability and Extracellular Polymeric Substances of Waste Activated Sludge

The effects of microwave irradiation on filterability and dewaterability of waste activated sludge measured by capillary suction time (CST) and dry solids in sludge cake were investigated. The results showed that the optimum irradiation time improved filterability, but that further increase of the time was detrimental. Dewaterability was enhanced significantly and increased with microwave time. Filterability and dewaterability were improved 25 to 28% and 1.3 times at the optimum times of 30 and 90 seconds for the sludge of 5 g total suspended solids (TSS)/L and 7 g TSS/L, respectively. The floc size decreased slightly. Loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB‐EPS) decreased under optimum time, but tightly bound extracellular polymeric substances did not change significantly after short irradiation time. The results implied that LB‐EPS played a more important role in the observed changes of filterability and dewaterability and that the double‐layered extracellular polymeric substances extraction method showed marked implications to dewaterability.
Health care utilization among veterans with pain and posttraumatic stress symptoms.

OBJECTIVE To examine health care utilization among veterans with both chronic pain and posttraumatic stress symptoms. METHODS Retrospective cohort study of 40,716 veterans in a VA regional network from January 1, 2002 to January 1, 2007. Veterans were categorized into pain-only, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD)-only, and pain plus PTSD (pain+PTSD) comparison groups. Negative binomial models were used to compare adjusted rates of primary care, mental health, and specialty pain service use, as well as opioids, benzodiazepines, nonopioid analgesics, and antidepressant prescriptions. Rates of clinic visits were calculated by days per year, and rates of medication use were calculated by prescription months per year. Participants were followed for a mean duration of 47 months. RESULTS Participants were 94.7% men and had a mean age of 58.9 years. Nearly all used primary care (99.2%), 37.1% used pain-related specialty care, and 33.8% used mental health services. Nonopioid and opioid analgesics were the most commonly used medications (63.7% and 53.8%, respectively). Except for mental health visits, which did not differ between PTSD-only and pain+PTSD groups, the pain+PTSD group used significantly more of all categories of health care services than the pain-only and PTSD-only groups. For example, the pain+PTSD group had 7% more primary care visits (rate ratio [RR]=1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 1.09) than the pain-only group and 46% more primary care visits than the PTSD-only group (RR=1.46; 95% CI: 1.40, 1.52). Adjusted rates of opioid, benzodiazepine, nonopioid analgesic, and antidepressant prescriptions were higher for the pain+PTSD group than either of the comparison groups. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support our expectation that veterans with both pain and PTSD symptoms use more health care services than those with pain or PTSD symptoms alone. Research is needed to assess the health care costs associated with increases in health care utilization among these veterans.
Loads in hip disarticulation prostheses during normal daily use

As a result of deficiency at birth, disease or trauma, there are people who have no limbs from the hip joint downwards. These people have no possibillity of locomotion without the use of other devices such as wheelchairs or hip disarticulation prostheses. As these prostheses are used by people of all ages, people who are different in their grade of physical activities and their weights, the prostheses are subject to different stresses related to these different circumstances. The European Level 2 Draft Standard prEN 12523: 1966 “External limb prostheses and external orthoses — requirements and test methods” contains strength requirements for lower limb prostheses. These requirements shall be verified, where appropriate, by the application of the International Standard ISO 10328 “Prosthetics — Structural testing of lower limb prostheses” and ISO/FDIS 15032 “Prosthetics: Structural testing of hip prostheses”. In order to allow the prostheses to be tested to the stresses that are experienced in real life, it is necessary to measure the stress that is induced in the prostheses while the patient is in an everyday situation, such as walking on level floor, walking on grass and/or walking on an uneven surface. This work is concerned with the acquisition of loads generated in hip units of hip disarticulation prostheses by amputees during various activities. More than 30 patients were tested in Germany, France, and Belgium. The measurements were carried out with financial support from the European Commission and coordinated by the secretariat of CEN TC 293.
Cytotoxicity in ciprofloxacin-treated human fibroblast cells and protection by vitamin E

Quinolones (Qs) were shown to have cytotoxic effects in various cell lines including human carcinoma cells; however, mechanism of these effects was not fully understood. To investigate the possibility of the involvement of an oxidative stress induction in this mechanism of action, we examined viability of human fibroblast cells exposed to a Q antibiotic, ciprofloxacin (CPFX), and measured lipid peroxidation and total glutathione (GSH) levels, and activities of catalase (Cat), superoxide dismutases (SODs), glutathione peroxidase (GPx). The effects of vitamin E pretreatment on those parameters were also examined. Our results showed that the effect of CPFX on the viability of the cells, as determined by neutral red uptake assay, was time dependent. Cytotoxicity was not observed in the concentration range of 0.0129–0.387 mM CPFX when the cells were incubated for 24 hours. However, significant level of cytotoxicity was observed at concentrations 0.129 and 0.194 mM, and ¶ 0.129 mM, following 48 and 72 hours of exposure, respectively. When the cells were exposed to 0.194 mM CPFX for 48 hours, the level of lipid peroxidation increased and the content of total GSH decreased significantly; activities of total SOD, Mn SOD and CuZn SOD did not change; the decrease observed in the activity of Cat was not significant; and the activity of GPx was highly variable. Vitamin E pretreatment of the cells provided significant protection against CPFX-induced cytotoxicity; lowered the level of lipid peroxidation significantly, but increased the total GSH content only moderately; no change was observed in the activities of Cat and total SOD, but a significant increase in Mn SOD and a significant decrease in Cu Zn SOD were noticed. These results suggested that CPFX-induced cytotoxicity on human fibroblast cell cultures is related to oxidative stress, and vitamin E pretreatment can afford a protection.
Observed and predicted reproduction of Ceriodaphnia dubia exposed to chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate

Chronic toxicities of Cl−, SO 42− , and HCO 3− to Ceriodaphnia dubia were evaluated in low‐ and moderate‐hardness waters using a three‐brood reproduction test method. Toxicity tests of anion mixtures were used to determine interaction effects and to produce models predicting C. dubia reproduction. Effluents diluted with low‐ and moderate‐hardness waters were tested with animals acclimated to low‐ and moderate‐hardness conditions to evaluate the models and to assess the effects of hardness and acclimation. Sulfate was significantly less toxic than Cl− and HCO 3− in both types of water. Chloride and HCO 3− toxicities were similar in low‐hardness water, but HCO 3− was the most toxic in moderate‐hardness water. Low acute‐to‐chronic ratios indicate that toxicities of these anions will decrease quickly with dilution. Hardness significantly reduced Cl− and SO 42− toxicity but had little effect on HCO 3− . Chloride toxicity decreased with an increase in Na+ concentration, and HCO 3− toxicity may have been reduced by the dissolved organic carbon in effluent. Multivariate models using measured anion concentrations in effluents with low to moderate hardness levels provided fairly accurate predictions of reproduction. Determinations of toxicity for several effluents differed significantly depending on the hardness of the dilution water and the hardness of the water used to culture test animals. These results can be used to predict the contribution of elevated anion concentrations to the chronic toxicity of effluents; to identify effluents that are toxic due to contaminants other than Cl−, SO 42− , and HCO 3− ; and to provide a basis for chemical substitutions in manufacturing processes. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:347–358. Published 2009 SETAC
Elevation‐induced climate change as a dominant factor causing the late Miocene C4 plant expansion in the Himalayan foreland

During the late Miocene, a dramatic global expansion of C4 plant distribution occurred with broad spatial and temporal variations. Although the event is well documented, whether subsequent expansions were caused by a decreased atmospheric CO2 concentration or climate change is a contentious issue. In this study, we used an improved inverse vegetation modeling approach that accounts for the physiological responses of C3 and C4 plants to quantitatively reconstruct the paleoclimate in the Siwalik of Nepal based on pollen and carbon isotope data. We also studied the sensitivity of the C3 and C4 plants to changes in the climate and the atmospheric CO2 concentration. We suggest that the expansion of the C4 plant distribution during the late Miocene may have been primarily triggered by regional aridification and temperature increases. The expansion was unlikely caused by reduced CO2 levels alone. Our findings suggest that this abrupt ecological shift mainly resulted from climate changes related to the decreased elevation of the Himalayan foreland.
Xer‐cise in 
Helicobacter pylori: One‐step Transformation for the Construction of Markerless Gene Deletions

Xer‐cise is an efficient selectable marker removal technique that was first applied in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli for the construction of markerless gene deletions. Xer‐cise marker excision takes advantage of the presence of site‐specific Xer recombination in most bacterial species for the resolution of chromosome dimers at the dif site during replication. The identification and functional characterization of the difH/XerH recombination system enabled the development of Xer‐cise in Helicobacter pylori.
Loss of 5α-Reductase Type 1 Accelerates the Development of Hepatic Steatosis but Protects Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Male Mice

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with glucocorticoid excess and androgen deficiency, yet in the majority of patients with steatohepatitis, circulating cortisol and androgen levels are normal. The enzyme 5α-reductase (5αR) has a critical role in androgen and glucocorticoid action. We hypothesize that 5αR has an important role in the pathogenesis of steatohepatitis through regulation of intracrine/paracrine hormone availability. Human liver samples from patients with NAFLD and normal donor tissue were used for gene expression and immunohistochemical analysis. NAFLD samples were scored using the Kleiner classification. In addition, 5αR1−/−, 5αR2−/−, and wild-type (WT) mice were fed normal chow or American lifestyle-induced obesity syndrome (ALIOS) diet for 6 or 12 months. Liver histology was graded and staged. Hepatic and circulating free fatty acid and triglyceride levels were quantified, and gene and protein expression was measured by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. 5αR1 and -2 were highly expressed in human liver, and 5αR1 protein expression increased with severity of NAFLD. 5αR1−/− (but not 5αR2−/−) mice fed an ALIOS diet developed greater hepatic steatosis than WT mice, and hepatic mRNA expression of genes involved in insulin signaling was decreased. Furthermore, 60% of WT mice developed focal hepatocellular lesions consistent with hepatocellular carcinoma after 12 months of the ALIOS diet, compared with 20% of 5αR2−/− and 0% of 5αR1−/− mice (P < .05). 5αR1 deletion accelerates the development of hepatic steatosis but may protect against the development of NAFLD-related hepatocellular neoplasia and therefore has potential as a therapeutic target.