Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychiatric rehabilitation in community-based day centres: Motivation and satisfaction

Abstract Objective: This study investigated attendees' motivation and motives for participation in day centres and their satisfaction with the rehabilitation, while also addressing the influence of day centre orientation (work- or meeting-place orientation), gender and age. Methods: Ninety-three Swedish day centre attendees participated in a cross-sectional study and completed questionnaires about motivation, motives, and satisfaction with the rehabilitation. Data were analysed with non-parametric statistics. Results: The participants were highly motivated for going to the day centre and set clear goals for their rehabilitation. Female gender, but not age, was associated with stronger motivation. The strongest motives for going to the day centre were getting structure to the day and socializing. Attendees at work-oriented day centres more often expressed that they went there to get structure to the day and gain social status. Satisfaction with the rehabilitation was high, and the most common wishes for further opportunities concerned earning money and learning new things. Conclusions and implications for practice: The rehabilitation largely seemed to meet the attendees' needs, but the findings indicated that further developments were desired, such as participation in work on the open market and more work-like occupations in the day centre, accompanied by some kind of remuneration.
Failure of Myf5 to support myogenic differentiation without myogenin, MyoD, and MRF4.

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors-MyoD, Myf5, myogenin, and MRF4-can each activate the skeletal muscle-differentiation program in transfection assays. However, their functions during embryogenesis, as revealed by gene-knockout studies in mice, are distinct. MyoD and Myf5 have redundant functions in myoblast specification, whereas myogenin and either MyoD or MRF4 are required for differentiation. Paradoxically, myoblasts from myogenin mutant or MyoD/MRF4 double-mutant neonates differentiate normally in vitro, despite their inability to differentiate in vivo, suggesting that the functions of the myogenic bHLH factors are influenced by the cellular environment and that the specific myogenic defects observed in mutant mice do not necessarily reflect essential functions of these factors. Understanding the individual roles of these factors is further complicated by their ability to cross-regulate one another's expression. To investigate the functions of Myf5 in the absence of contributions from other myogenic bHLH factors, we generated triple-mutant mice lacking myogenin, MyoD, and MRF4. These mice appear to contain a normal number of myoblasts, but in contrast to myogenin or MyoD/MRF4 mutants, differentiated muscle fibers fail to form in vivo and myoblasts from neonates of this triple-mutant genotype are unable to differentiate in vitro. These results suggest that physiological levels of Myf5 are insufficient to activate the myogenic program in the absence of other myogenic factors and suggest that specialized functions have evolved for the myogenic bHLH factors to switch on the complete program of muscle gene expression.
Animal models in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—an overview

ABSTRACT Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by progressive airway obstruction resultant from an augmented inflammatory response of the respiratory tract to noxious particles and gases. Previous reports present a number of different hypotheses about the etiology and pathophysiology of COPD. The generating mechanisms of the disease are subject of much speculation, and a series of questions and controversies among experts still remain. In this context, several experimental models have been proposed in order to broaden the knowledge on the pathophysiological characteristics of the disease, as well as the search for new therapeutic approaches for acute or chronically injured lung tissue. This review aims to present the main experimental models of COPD, more specifically emphysema, as well as to describe the main characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, possibilities of application, and potential contribution of each of these models for the knowledge on the pathophysiological aspects and to test new treatment options for obstructive lung diseases.
Development of a Wearable Cardiac Monitoring System for Behavioral Neurocardiac Training: A Usability Study

Background Elevated blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for death globally. Behavioral neurocardiac training (BNT) is a complementary approach to blood pressure and stress management that is intended to exercise the autonomic reflexes, improve stress recovery, and lower blood pressure. BNT involves cognitive-behavioral therapy with a paced breathing technique and heart rate variability biofeedback. BNT is limited to in-clinic delivery and faces an accessibility barrier because of the need for clinical oversight and the use of complex monitoring tools. Objective The objective of this project was to design, develop, and evaluate a wearable electrocardiographic (ECG) sensor system for the delivery of BNT in a home setting. Methods The wearable sensor system, Beat, consists of an ECG sensor and a mobile app. It was developed iteratively using the principles of test-driven Agile development and user-centered design. A usability study was conducted at Toronto General Hospital to evaluate feasibility and user experience and identify areas of improvement. Results The Beatsensor was designed as a modular patch to be worn on the user’s chest and uses standard ECG electrodes. It streams a single-lead ECG wirelessly to a mobile phone using Bluetooth Low Energy. The use of small, low-power electronics, a low device profile, and a tapered enclosure allowed for a device that can be unobtrusively worn under clothing. The sensor was designed to operate with a mobile app that guides users through the BNT exercises to train them to a slow-paced breathing technique for stress recovery. The BNT app uses the ECG captured by the sensor to provide heart rate variability biofeedback in the form of a real-time heart rate waveform to complement and reinforce the impact of the training. Usability testing (n=6) indicated that the overall response to the design and user experience of the system was perceived positively. All participants indicated that the system had a positive effect on stress management and that they would use it at home. Areas of improvement were identified, which focused primarily on the delivery of training and education on BNT through the app. Conclusions The outcome of this project was a wearable sensor system to deliver BNT at home. The system has the potential to offer a complementary approach to blood pressure and stress management at home and reduce current accessibility barriers.
Explaining unemployment developments in Europe: The role of wage-setting institutions and macroeconomic policies

Diese Studie unternimmt den Versuch, die Entwicklung der Arbeitslosenquoten in den westeuropaischen Landern bis zum Ausbruch der Weltwirtschaftskrise zu erklaren. Die Standardsicht, dass eine niedrige Arbeitslosenquote vor allem Resultat liberaler Arbeitsmarktinstitutionen ist, wird kritisiert. Es wird argumentiert, dass unterschiedliche Verlaufe von Arbeitslosigkeit durch (auch zeitliche) Unterschiede in der strukturellen Fahigkeit oder Bereitschaft der Politiker bestimmt sind, zwei Variablen zu beeinflussen: die nominelle aggregierte Nachfrage und die Nominallohne. In einem Mix aus theoretischer und empirischer Analyse werden Ausmas, Grenzen und institutionelle Vorbedingungen einer politischen Beeinflussung des Entwicklungspfads dieser Variablen dargestellt. Zeitreihenanalysen legen nahe, dass Lander, in denen nominaler Output oder die Nachfrage - in geringerem Mase die Lohne - relativ stabil wachsen (vor allem seit 1981) eine erfolgreichere Arbeitsmarktentwicklung vorweisen konnen. Andererseits, geht man von gegebenen Schwankungen von Output/Nachfrage aus, dann konnte auch eine adaptive Lohnstrategie wunschenswert sein. Es wird eine "fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) fur OECD-Lander fur drei Perioden (1970-1981, 1982-1993 und 1994-2005) durchgefuhrt. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse sind: Koordinierte, kollektive Lohnverhandlungen und flexible Arbeitsmarktinstitutionen, wie hier dargestellt, sind funktionale Aquivalente. In den ersten zwei Perioden war die Performanz des Ersteren, in der dritten Periode des Letzteren uberlegen. Im anti-inflationaren Kampf, der die zweite Zeitspanne pragt, zeigt sich, dass nur schwach koordinierte kollektive Lohnsetzung mit besonders schwachen Entwicklungen auf den nationalen Arbeitsmarkten einherging. Etwas weniger deutlich sind die Hinweise darauf, dass die Existenz von koordinierten kollektiven Verhandlungssystemen zu relativ guten Arbeitsmarktentwicklungen in dieser Periode beigetragen hat. Aus der Langsschnittperspektive ist eine beschaftigungsorientierte Geldpolitik eng verbunden mit positiven Arbeitslosigkeitstrends. Von einer Querschnittsperspektive betrachtet, ist die Erklarung uber die Geldpolitik allerdings komplexer. In den meisten Spezifikationen tragen eine antizyklische Fiskal- und Geldpolitik mit dem Ziel der Nachfragestabilisierung dazu bei, die Lage auf dem Arbeitsmarkt zu verbessern. Kaum eine systematische Beziehung wird zwischen Arbeitsmarktentwicklungen und dem Grad der Offenheit einer Volkswirtschaft gefunden. Insgesamt legen die Resultate nahe, dass in der bisherigen Literatur ein ungerechtfertigter, einseitiger Fokus auf liberale Arbeitsmarktinstitutionen gelegt wird. So wurde die Bedeutung beschaftigungsorientierter makrookonomischer Politik und koordinierter Lohnsetzung heruntergespielt.
ENDOTHELIUM‐TARGETED TRANSGENIC GTP‐CYCLOHYDROLASE I OVEREXPRESSION INHIBITS NEOINTIMA FORMATION IN MOUSE CAROTID ARTERY

1 Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an essential cofactor that maintains the normal function of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase. Restenosis is a key complication after transluminal angioplasty. Guanosine 5′‐triphosphate‐cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH) is the first rate‐limiting enzyme for de novo BH4 synthesis. However, the role of GTPCH in restenosis is not fully understood. The present study tested the hypothesis that endothelial‐targeted GTPCH overexpression retards neointimal formation, a hallmark of restenosis, in mouse carotid artery. 2 Transluminal wire injury was induced in the left carotid arteries of adult male wild‐type C57BL/6 (WT) and endothelial GTPCH transgenic (Tg‐GCH) mice. Re‐endothelialization was confirmed with in vivo Evans blue staining. Endothelium‐dependent and ‐independent relaxations were measured using isometric tension recording. Morphological analysis was performed 2 and 4 weeks after carotid injury to assess neointimal formation. Fluorescence‐based high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine GTPCH activity and BH4 levels. Basal NO release following carotid injury was assessed by NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester‐induced vascular contraction. 3 The endothelium was completely removed upon transluminal wire injury and full re‐endothelialization was achieved at Day 10. Endothelium‐dependent relaxation was impaired 10 days and 4 weeks after carotid injury, whereas endothelium‐independent relaxation remained unaffected. Morphological analysis revealed that the endothelial‐specific overexpression of GTPCH reduced neointimal formation and medial hypertrophy 2 and 4 weeks after carotid injury. Both arterial GTPCH enzyme activity and BH4 levels were significantly elevated in Tg‐GCH mice compared with WT mice and basal NO release of the injured carotid artery tended to increase in Tg‐GCH mice. 4 These findings suggest that the endothelial overexpression of GTPCH increased endothelial BH4 synthesis and played a preventive role in neointimal formation induced by endothelium denudation.
Hypoxia Prolongs Monocyte/Macrophage Survival and Enhanced Glycolysis Is Associated with Their Maturation under Aerobic Conditions1

In chronic inflammatory lesions macrophages are abundant and adapt to the low oxygen concentrations often present there. In low oxygen some cell types die by apoptosis, as reported for macrophage cell lines, while others survive better as they shift their metabolism to anaerobic glycolysis. It was found here that hypoxia prolongs the survival of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages, either in the absence or presence of low CSF-1 (M-CSF) concentrations. Although Akt activity increased in bone marrow-derived macrophages in the low oxygen conditions, the levels of both anti- and proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members decreased. Glycolysis was enhanced as judged by increased glucose uptake, glucose transporter expression, lactate dehydrogenase mRNA expression, and lactate secretion. Human monocytes responded similarly to low oxygen, and a number of genes associated with glycolysis were shown by microarray analysis and quantitative PCR to be up-regulated. Interestingly, human monocyte-derived macrophages showed evidence of enhanced glycolysis even under aerobic conditions. It is proposed that certain monocyte/macrophage populations survive better under conditions of low oxygen, thereby contributing to their increased numbers at sites of chronic inflammation and tumors; it is also proposed that as macrophages differentiate from monocytes they begin to adopt a glycolytic metabolism allowing them to adapt readily when exposed to low oxygen conditions.
Does race/ethnicity really matter in adult neurogenics?

PURPOSE Recent evidence suggests that race/ethnicity is a variable that is critical to outcomes in neurological disorders. The purpose of this article was to examine the proportion of studies published in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (AJSLP) and the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (JSLHR) that were designed to examine neurologically based disorders of communication in adults and that reported the race/ethnicity of the participants. METHOD A review of articles in AJSLP and JSLHR from 1997 through 2007 was completed to determine what proportion of articles in the area of adult neurogenic communication disorders reported the race/ethnicity of the participants. RESULTS Between 1997 and 2007, less than 15% of the 116 articles published in the 2 journals reported the race/ethnicity of the participants. The review of studies indicates that the reporting of the race/ethnicity of participants in studies of adult neurogenic communication disorders remains inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS Because few studies report race/ethnicity or consider how race/ethnicity has the potential to confound the results and conclusions drawn, the generalization of the reported findings may be limited. Reporting race/ethnicity is likely critical to the external validity of studies in adult neurogenic communication disorders and when available can enhance the relevance of the findings reported.
Cell internalization of anionic maghemite nanoparticles: Quantitative effect on magnetic resonance imaging

Anionic iron oxide nanoparticles are efficiently internalized into macrophages where they concentrate within micrometric endosomes, conferring on them a high magnetic susceptibility. The uptake of anionic maghemite nanoparticles by macrophages was quantified by an electron spin resonance (ESR) experiment. MR spin‐echo sequences were performed with various TEs and TRs. The contrast enhancement was compared between two types of agarose phantoms with the same equivalent ferrite concentrations but containing either dispersed isolated nanoparticles or magnetically labeled macrophages. It is shown that the intracellular confinement of maghemite nanoparticles within micrometric endosomes results in a significant decrease of the longitudinal relaxivity and a moderate decrease of the transverse relaxivity compared to the relaxivities of the dispersed isolated nanoparticles. As a consequence, the signature of endosomal magnetic labeling consists of a negative contrast on T1‐weighted images in the whole ferrite concentration range, whereas the presence of extracellular isolated nanoparticles can result in a positive enhancement. Magn Reson Med 49:646–654, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Polyphenols enhance total oxidant-scavenging capacities of human blood by binding to red blood cells

The present study offers a new look at the role of erythrocytes and of erythrocytes–polyphenol complexes as potent ‘sinks’ for reactive oxygen species. We hereby show that human erythrocytes have the capacity not only to carry oxygen, but also to bind avidly to their surfaces a large variety of polyphenol antioxidants, which endows upon such complexes enhanced total oxidant-scavenging capacities (TOSC). This was proven by using confocal microscopy, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical, Folin-Ciocalteu's reagent, cyclic voltammetry and chemiluminescence techniques. The results presented suggest that the true TOSC of blood is the sum of intracellular antioxidants of red blood cells and other blood cells (mainly due to catalase), the polyphenols bound to their surfaces and the antioxidant agents present in plasma. Since erythrocytes can avidly bind and rapidly remove circulating polyphenols, the rule of the thumb to quantify antioxidants in health and disease processes exclusively in plasma as customary in clinical settings, does not represent the true TOSC of whole blood. We also postulate that circulating erythrocytes and possibly also other blood cells might be constantly coated by polyphenols from supplemented nutrients, which act as antioxidant depots and can thus act as protectors against the harmful consequences of oxidative stress. Further studies are needed to determine the faith of polyphenols in the circulation and their sequestration in the spleen.
Structure and Expression Profile of the Phosphate Pht1 Transporter Gene Family in Mycorrhizal Populus trichocarpa1[W]

Gene networks involved in inorganic phosphate (Pi) acquisition and homeostasis in woody perennial species able to form mycorrhizal symbioses are poorly known. Here, we describe the features of the 12 genes coding for Pi transporters of the Pht1 family in poplar (Populus trichocarpa). Individual Pht1 transporters play distinct roles in acquiring and translocating Pi in different tissues of mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal poplar during different growth conditions and developmental stages. Pi starvation triggered the up-regulation of most members of the Pht1 family, especially PtPT9 and PtPT11. PtPT9 and PtPT12 showed a striking up-regulation in ectomycorrhizas and endomycorrhizas, whereas PtPT1 and PtPT11 were strongly down-regulated. PtPT10 transcripts were highly abundant in arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) roots only. PtPT8 and PtPT10 are phylogenetically associated to the AM-inducible Pht1 subfamily I. The analysis of promoter sequences revealed conserved motifs similar to other AM-inducible orthologs in PtPT10 only. To gain more insight into gene regulatory mechanisms governing the AM symbiosis in woody plant species, the activation of the poplar PtPT10 promoter was investigated and detected in AM of potato (Solanum tuberosum) roots. These results indicated that the regulation of AM-inducible Pi transporter genes is conserved between perennial woody and herbaceous plant species. Moreover, poplar has developed an alternative Pi uptake pathway distinct from AM plants, allowing ectomycorrhizal poplar to recruit PtPT9 and PtPT12 to cope with limiting Pi concentrations in forest soils.
INCREASED BILIARY EXCRETION OF OUABAIN INDUCED BY BUCOLOME IN THE RAT

1. Following the intravenous injection of 3H‐ouabain (0.4 or 0.6 mg/100 g body weight) the plasma concentration and biliary excretion of ouabain were compared for control male Wistar rats and rats given bucolome (BC, l‐cyclohexyl‐5‐n‐butyl‐2,4,6,‐trioxoperhydroxypyrimidine, 20 mg/100 g) 40 min before the ouabain injection. In bucolome treated rats, the bile flow rate was 80–90% higher than in control rats and the biliary excretion rate of ouabain for the 40 min post‐injection period was significantly higher in bucolome treated rat groups. The increase was due to an approximately two‐fold increase in the excretion rate in the first 10 min period. On the other hand, plasma concentration of ouabain was significantly higher in bucolome treated rats compared with control rats at corresponding time intervals. Plasma volume as determined by 131I‐labelled albumin dilution was not decreased in bucolome treated rats.
CD4+ T-CELL DEPLETION IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERATIONS IN SURVIVAL, BACTERIAL CLEARANCE, AND INFLAMMATION AFTER CECAL LIGATION AND PUNCTURE

Our recent studies indicate that mice depleted of T cells that bear the &agr;&bgr; T-cell receptor (&agr;&bgr; T cells) show less inflammation, less physiological dysfunction, and improved survival after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) compared with control mice. Classic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells comprise most of the &agr;&bgr; T-cell population. We previously showed that CD8+ T cells, in conjunction with natural killer (NK) cells, participate in CLP-induced inflammation. However, the contribution of CD4+ T cells to the early inflammatory response caused by CLP is largely undefined. In the present study, we evaluated CLP-induced mortality, bacterial clearance, and inflammation in mice that were depleted of CD4+ T cells. Compared with control mice, CD4 knockout mice and wild-type mice treated with anti-CD4 did not show significant differences in survival, cytokine production, and systemic bacterial counts. The combined depletion of CD4+ T and NK cells resulted in improved survival and decreased cytokine production compared with mice possessing a full lymphocyte complement, especially when CD4+ T and NK cell-deficient mice were treated with imipenem. These improvements were nearly identical to those observed in mice depleted only of NK cells. These studies show that CD4+ T cells do not seem to play a critical role in facilitating the early inflammatory response caused by CLP.