Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytokines Inhibit Sexual Behavior in Female Rats: II. Prostaglandins Mediate the Suppressive Effects of Interleukin-1β

The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) induces several behavioral alterations that are characteristic of illness, such as anorexia and reduced locomotor and social activity. We have recently demonstrated that IL-1 inhibits sexual activity, motivation and attractivity in female, but not in male rats following either central or peripheral administration. In the present study we examined the involvement of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis in mediating IL-1-induced suppression of female sexual behavior. Administration of the cyclooxygenase blockers indomethacin or ibuprofen completely prevented IL-1-induced suppression of female sexual behavior, including the reduction in proceptive behavior, the lordosis response to a male's mounts, and the preference for a sexually active partner. In a subsequent study, ex-vivo release of hypothalamic PGE2 and the secretion of corticosterone (CS) were measured in males and estrous females following IL-1 administration. At the same time and dose of IL-1 administration that significantly reduced sexual behavior in female but not male rats, IL-1 produced a significant increase in PGE2 release in female, but not in male rats. In contrast, IL-1 induced a significant elevation of serum CS levels in males but not in females. These findings suggest that PG synthesis is involved in mediating the effects of IL-1 on female sexual behavior. Furthermore, differential secretion of PGs and CS may underlie the gender difference in the effects of IL-1 on sexual behavior.
Towards traceable radiometry in the terahertz region

PTB and DLR join their expertise and experience in optical radiometry and in THz techniques to perform what is to our knowledge the first traceable measurement of radiant power of a THz quantum cascade laser and the first absolute calibration of a THz radiation detector against a cryogenic radiometer (CR). A total standard uncertainty of 7.3% was achieved at a frequency of 2.5 THz corresponding to a wavelength of 120 µm. This uncertainty is dominated by the limited knowledge of the absorptance of the CR cavity. All other uncertainty contributions including those arising from diffraction are only 2%.
Thrombomodulin plays an important role in arterial remodeling and neointima formation in mouse carotid ligation model

Summary Thrombomodulin (TM) is a cell membrane-bound glycoprotein that functions as a thrombin cofactor in the activation of protein C. Its protein structure includes a N-terminal lectin-like domain (D1), 6 epidermal growth factor repeats (D2), a serine-threonine-rich region (D3), a transmembrane domain (D4) and a short cytoplasmic tail (D5). Recent studies have demonstrated the direct effect ofTM on cellular proliferation, adhesion and inflammation. In the study, we investigated the role of TM in vascular remodeling and neointima formation in a mouse carotid ligation model. TM expressions on the endothelium, neointima and media were examined in the ligated carotid artery by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. Endothelial TM expression decreased after ligation and appeared later in the media and neointima, which is quite similar to the appearance of TM in the human atherosclerotic process. Recombinant TMD123 was prepared. It was effective for thrombin-dependent protein C activation and the inhibition of leukocyte adhesion to the vessel wall after carotid ligation. RecombinantTMD123 and saline was administered immediately before and after carotid ligation. The TM-treated arteries demonstrated significantly less arterial dilatation (30279±12605 vs 73789±15073 µm2, p<0.05) in response to less neointima formation (14179±6538 vs 42227±8754 µm2, p<0.05) at 4 weeks after ligation. Our data indicated that there was a compensatory increase inTM expression in the media and neointima in relation to the reduced endothelial TM after carotid ligation. Early recombinant TM treatment in mice undergoing carotid ligation altered vascular remodeling and decreased the severity of neointima formation.
Low serum cholesterol may be associated with suicide attempt history.

OBJECTIVE This case-control study used both healthy blood donors and psychiatric inpatients as controls and controlled for gender, age, low body mass index, alcohol and nicotine use, and aggressive and impulsive behaviors to examine the association between low serum cholesterol levels and suicide attempts. METHOD At a Spanish general hospital, the recruitment included 417 patients with suicide attempt history (138 men and 279 women), 155 psychiatric inpatient controls without suicide history (68 men and 87 women), and 358 healthy controls (220 men and 138 women). All participants were aged 18 years or older. To study the association between low serum cholesterol levels (fasting < 160 mg/dL) and suicide attempts, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated in univariate analyses. Logistic regression models adjusted ORs for confounding variables in male, female, and total samples. The study was conducted from January 1996 to December 1997. RESULTS The ORs in the total sample (for psychiatric and healthy controls respectively) were 1.8 (95% CI = 1.2 to 2.9, p = .007) and 1.9 (95% CI = 1.4 to 2.6, p < .001) for the univariate analyses, and 1.6 (95% CI = 0.95 to 2.6, p = .08) and 1.6 (95% CI = 1.0 to 2.4, p = .04) after variable adjustment. In women, the adjusted OR was 1.8 (95% CI = 0.90 to 3.5, p = .09) for psychiatric controls. In men, the adjusted OR was 2.0 (95% CI = 0.99 to 4.1, p = .05) for healthy controls. All ORs were in the hypothesized direction but some subsamples appeared too small to reach significance. CONCLUSION This study, somewhat limited by the small sample size, suggests that low cholesterol may be associated with suicide attempts. Low cholesterol level in suicide attempts may be more important from a pathophysiologic than from a diagnostic point of view.
Association of amino acid substitution polymorphisms in DNA repair genes TP53, POLI, REV1 and LIG4 with lung cancer risk

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were searched for in 36 genes involved in diverse DNA repair pathways, and 50 nonsynonymous (associated with amino acid changes) SNPs identified were assessed for associations with lung cancer risk by a case‐control study consisting of 752 adenocarcinoma cases, 250 squamous cell carcinoma cases and 685 controls. An SNP, Arg72Pro, of the TP53 gene encoding a DNA damage response protein showed the strongest association with squamous cell carcinoma risk (OR Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg = 2.2), while 2 other SNPs, Phe257Ser of the REV gene encoding a translesion DNA polymerase and Ile658Val of the LIG4 gene encoding a DNA double‐strand break repair protein, also showed associations (OR Ser/Ser vs. Phe/Phe = 2.0 and OR Ile/Val vs. Ile/Ile = 0.4, respectively). An SNP, Thr706Ala, in the POLI gene encoding another translesion DNA polymerase was associated with adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma risk, particularly in individuals of ages < 61 years (OR Ala/Ala + Ala/Thr vs. Thr/Thr = 1.5 and 2.4, respectively). POLI is the human counterpart of PolI, a strong candidate for the Par2 (pulmonary adenoma resistance 2) gene responsible for adenoma/adenocarcinoma susceptibility in mice. The present results suggest that these 4 SNPs function as genetic factors underlying lung cancer susceptibility by modulating activities to maintain the genome integrity of each individual. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evidence-based implementation of evidence-based guidelines.

PURPOSE There is evidence that some strategies for guideline implementation are more successful than others. This paper aims to describe the process of developing an evidence-based guideline implementation strategy for use in rural emergency departments. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH Participation in a nationally funded, research fellowship program involved attendance at workshops run by internationally renowned experts in the field of knowledge translation. Attendance at these workshops, associated reading and a literature review allowed those implementation strategies with the most supportive evidence of effectiveness to be determined. FINDINGS A multi-faceted implementation strategy was developed. This strategy involved the use of an implementation team as well as addressing issues surrounding individual clinicians, the "emergency department team", the physical structure and processes of the ED and the culture of the department as a whole. Reminders, audit and feedback, education, the use of opinion leaders, and evidence-based formatting of guidelines were all integral to the process. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS It is postulated that an evidence-based implementation strategy will lead to greater changes in clinician behaviour than other strategies used in quality improvement projects. ORIGINALITY/VALUE This is an important article as it describes the concept and development of evidence-based interventions, which, if tailored to the individual hospital (as evidence-based medicine is tailored to the individual patient), has the potential to improve compliance with clinical guidelines beyond that achieved with most QI projects.
Respiratory symptoms in damp homes

The association between living in damp homes and the prevalence of health symptoms was investigated in a population of 519 occupants (adults and children) of 185 homes. Positive associations were found between the reporting of respiratory and some other health symptoms and living in a damp home. The concentration of vaiable mould spores in indoor air was measured, using modified Andersen samplers, in the living rooms of a sample of 36 homes. The results were compared with the occurrence of dampness characteristics in their homes as reported by the occupants. Homes with at least two dampness characteristics showed higher average spore counts and higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms.
Bisphosphonates as anti-inflammatory agents in ankylosing spondylitis and spondylarthropathies

NSAIDs remain the cornerstone of the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and spondylarthropathies (SpA), and have been successfully used for a long time in these diseases. However, some patients remain refractory or intolerant to NSAIDs and new effective treatments have recently emerged, namely TNF-α-blocker agents. Other therapeutic options targeting the bone, such as bisphosphonates, have also been tried in refractory AS or SpA patients. The anti-inflammatory properties of bisphosphonates give the rationale for the use of these compounds in AS and SpA, and include the inhibition of antigen presenting cells, the modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine generation, and also a decreased bone mass in AS. Open trials using pamidronate gave favourable results, and one controlled study comparing the efficacy of pamidronate 10 versus 60mg showed that the 60mg dose was effective in AS. Further studies are required to confirm these preliminary data and to better determine the optimal regimen (dosage and rhythm) of administration.
Effects of Glaucoma Tube Surgery on Corneal Endothelial Cells: A Review

Abstract: The etiology of corneal decompensation after aqueous shunt implantation remains poorly understood. With the use of anterior segment optical coherence tomography and specular microscopy, the relationship of these implants to the surrounding tissues can be investigated over time. This article will review the current knowledge pertaining to endothelial cell loss related to glaucoma and surgery and highlight possible causes that have been proposed for endothelial cell loss after aqueous shunt implantation.
Small RNA-Sequencing Links Physiological Changes and RdDM Process to Vegetative-to-Floral Transition in Apple

Transition from vegetative to floral buds is a critical physiological change during flower induction that determines fruit productivity. Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) including microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are pivotal regulators of plant growth and development. Although the key role of sRNAs in flowering regulation has been well-described in Arabidopsis and some other annual plants, their relevance to vegetative-to-floral transition (hereafter, referred to floral transition) in perennial woody trees remains under defined. Here, we performed Illumina sequencing of sRNA libraries prepared from vegetative and floral bud during flower induction of the apple trees. A large number of sRNAs exemplified by 33 previously annotated miRNAs and six novel members display significant differential expression (DE) patterns. Notably, most of these DE-miRNAs in floral transition displayed opposite expression changes in reported phase transition in apple trees. Bioinformatics analysis suggests most of the DE-miRNAs targeted transcripts involved in SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) gene regulation, stress responses, and auxin and gibberellin (GA) pathways, with further suggestion that there is an inherent link between physiological stress response and metabolism reprogramming during floral transition. We also observed significant changes in 24 nucleotide (nt) sRNAs that are hallmarks for RNA-dependent DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway, suggestive of the correlation between epigenetic modifications and the floral transition. The study not only provides new insight into our understanding of fundamental mechanism of poorly studied floral transition in apple and other woody plants, but also presents important sRNA resource for future in-depth research in the apple flowering physiology.
Coagulation Abnormalities and Acquired von Willebrand's Disease Type 1 in Children Receiving Valproic Acid

Valproic acid is commonly used in the management of childhood epilepsy. The known hematologic side effects of the drug are hemorrhagic diatheses, thrombocytopenia, and hypofibrinogenemia. We studied coagulation parameters in 29 epileptic children receiving valproic acid for at least 6 months. Their ages ranged between 2 and 18 years (10.2 ± 4.9 years). The total valproic acid dose was 250 to 1000 mg/day equivalent to 20 to 30 mg/kg/day Treatment duration ranged from 6 to 57 months. These children had not previously had a hemostatic defect and had no family history of bleeding disorders. Platelet count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, bleeding time, fibrinogen, platelet aggregation assays, and ristocetin cofactor activity levels were determined in all of the patients, but von Willebrand's factor antigen levels could be determined in only 14 patients. The values of von Willebrand's factor antigen ranged from 53 to 218% (104.1 ± 42.3), and ristocetin cofactor activity levels ranged from 11.5 to 218% (94.5 ± 43.1). Six of the 29 children (20.7%) had decreased values of ristocetin and cofactor activity and were considered to have acquired von Willebrand's disease. The decreases in coagulation parameters were not dependent on either valproic acid dose or treatment duration. Two patients with low ristocetin cofactor activity values had mild epistaxis, which did not require discontinuation of therapy. In patients receiving valproic acid therapy, this side effect must be considered, especially before surgical intervention and serious traumatic conditions. (J Child Neurol 2002;17:41-43).
[Impacts on the skin temperature by the different distances of moxibustion: discussion on the safe distance of moxibusiton].

OBJECTIVE To observe the impacts of the different distances of moxibustion on local skin temperature and provide a safy distance of moxibustion. METHODS Three healthy adult volunteers were included. The pure moxa stick (without other herbs mixed together) was used. The moxa-stick moxibustion and the mild moxibustion (with moxa box) were applied to Zusanli (ST 36) on the right side and Guanyuan (CV 4) respectively. The distance from moxibustion to the local skin was 2 cm, 3 cm and 4 cm separately. The moxibustion time was limited by 3 cm stick burned out. The infrared thermography was adopted to record and store thermal images and made the systematic analysis. The same trial was repeated on the second day. The means of the skin temperature measured at each acupoint each time was taken as the results for the analysis. RESULTS (1) Moxibustion with moxa box at Guanyuan (CV 4): at the distance of 4 cm, the local skin temperature at over 44 degrees C [(44.1 +/- 1.3)-(46.7 +/- 1.5) degrees C)] lasted 7 min; at the distance of 3 cm, the local skin temperature at over 44 degrees C [(44.1 +/- 1.3)-(49.3 +/- 2.0) degrees C] lasted about 10 min and that at over 49 degrees C [(49.0 +/- 2.1)-(49.3 +/- 2.0) degrees C)] lasted 2 min; at the distance of 2 cm, the observation could not be followed due to local burning pain. (2) Moxa-stick moxibustion at Zusanli (ST 36): at the distance of 4 cm, the skin temperature was ranged from (40.0 +/- 2.0) degrees C to (44.9 +/- 2.3) degrees C; at the distance of 3 cm, in 1 min of moxibustion, the skin temperature increased over 44 degrees C, sustaining in the range from (45.9 +/- 3.0) degrees C to (47.8 +/- 2.0) degrees C; at the distance of 2 cm, the observation could not be followed due to local burning pain. CONCLUSION In moxibustion, the closer the moxa stick to the skin is, the higher the local skin temperature is. No matter with stick moxibustion or box moxibustion, the distance of moxa stick to the skin should be in the range from 3 to 4 cm.
NMDA Receptor-Dependent Synaptic Activation of TRPC Channels in Olfactory Bulb Granule Cells

Canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channels are widely expressed throughout the nervous system including the olfactory bulb where their function is largely unknown. Here, we describe their contribution to central synaptic processing at the reciprocal mitral and tufted cell–granule cell microcircuit, the most abundant synapse of the mammalian olfactory bulb. Suprathreshold activation of the synapse causes sodium action potentials in mouse granule cells and a subsequent long-lasting depolarization (LLD) linked to a global dendritic postsynaptic calcium signal recorded with two-photon laser-scanning microscopy. These signals are not observed after action potentials evoked by current injection in the same cells. The LLD persists in the presence of group I metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists but is entirely absent from granule cells deficient for the NMDA receptor subunit NR1. Moreover, both depolarization and Ca2+ rise are sensitive to the blockade of NMDA receptors. The LLD and the accompanying Ca2+ rise are also absent in granule cells from mice deficient for both TRPC channel subtypes 1 and 4, whereas the deletion of either TRPC1 or TRPC4 results in only a partial reduction of the LLD. Recordings from mitral cells in the absence of both subunits reveal a reduction of asynchronous neurotransmitter release from the granule cells during recurrent inhibition. We conclude that TRPC1 and TRPC4 can be activated downstream of NMDA receptor activation and contribute to slow synaptic transmission in the olfactory bulb, including the calcium dynamics required for asynchronous release from the granule cell spine.
Subdivision of Salmonella enteritidis phage types by plasmid profile typing

SUMMARY Differentiation of Salmonella enteritidis by plasmid profile typing has been compared to differentiation by phage typing. Examination of the type strains of the 27 S. enteritidis phage types showed that only 11 profile patterns could be identified. Moreover, two profile patterns were found in 15 of the type strains, including those of the two most common phage types in Britain, types 4 and 8. On this basis, plasmid profile typing is not as sensitive as phage typing for the primary subdivision of S. enteritidis. When differentiation of 534 strains of the 27 phage types was attempted using plasmid profiles, variation in pattern suitable for epidemiologieal subdivision was found in 13 phage types and there were 9 profile patterns in strains of phage type 4. Plasmid profile typing can, therefore, be regarded as an effective adjunct to phage typing for the subdivision of S. enteritidis
Developmental Contributions to Emotional Awareness

ABSTRACT The Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS) has received considerable support as a reliable and valid measure of individual differences in emotional awareness (EA) since the original report involving 40 participants (Lane, Quinlan, Schwartz, Walker, & Zeitlin, 1990). However, the hypothesized developmental nature of EA (conceptualized as a cognitive skill) has thus far only been examined in that 1 early study. Here we report multiple regression analyses on the entire sample of 94 participants who completed the LEAS as part of that original study, as well as the same developmental and affective measures used in the original report. We first observed that different developmental measures, including the Object Relations Inventory and the Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development, accounted for unique portions of the variance in LEAS scores. We also observed that higher LEAS scores were associated with greater within-category variance in the self-reported positive and guilt- and shame-related emotions people reported experiencing on a typical day. Based on these findings, we introduce a 3-dimensional cognitive-developmental framework that LEAS scores plausibly track, including (a) the transition from focusing on external/physical to internal/psychological characteristics, (b) greater conceptual complexity, and (c) self–other differentiation. We then discuss the implications of this framework for understanding the nature of EA and for future research.
Maximum Likelihood Time Delay Estimation From Single- and Multi-Carrier DSSS Multipath MIMO Transmissions for Future 5G Networks

In this paper, we address the problem of time delay estimation (TDE) from single-carrier (SC) or multi-carrier (MC) direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) multipath transmissions in the presence of multiple transmit and/or receive antennas that will characterize future 5G radio interface technologies (RITs), such as coded-domain nonorthogonal multiple access. We derive for the first time a closed-form expression for the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) and develop two maximum likelihood (ML) multipath TDEs for SC DSSS single-input multiple-output (SIMO) in the non-data-aided (NDA) case. The first TDE, based on iterative expectation maximization (EM), provides accurate estimates whenever a good initial guess of the parameters is available at the receiver. The second TDE implements the ML criterion in a non-iterative way and finds the global maximum of the compressed likelihood function using the importance sampling (IS) technique without requiring any initialization. We also extend both the SC DSSS SIMO CRLB and the two new SC DSSS SIMO ML NDA TDEs to MC DSSS RITs and to multiple-input multiple-output structures with any diversity versus multiplexing pre-coding type before generalizing them all to the data-aided (DA) case. Simulations suggest that the EM TDE is suitable for large observation in space, time, and/or frequency, whereas the IS TDE is preferred in the opposite case of very short data records. Moreover, we show in the NDA case, both analytically and by simulations, that spatial (transmit and receive), temporal, and frequency samples interchangeably have the same impact on estimation accuracy and performance bound regardless of the channel correlation type and amount present in each dimension. Furthermore, we are able to properly cope with such channel correlations that do indeed arise in practice and, hence, become very challenging both in estimation and CRLB derivation in the DA case, but that have been so far overlooked in previous works.