Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electroacupuncture and A‐317491 depress the transmission of pain on primary afferent mediated by the P2X3 receptor in rats with chronic neuropathic pain states

P2X is a family of ligand‐gated ion channels that act through adenosine ATP. The P2X3 receptor plays a key role in the transmission of neuropathic pain at peripheral and spinal sites. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been used to treat neuropathic pain effectively. To determine the role of EA in neuropathic pain mediated through the P2X3 receptor in dorsal root ganglion neurons and the spinal cord, a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model was used. Sprague‐Dawley rats were divided into four groups: sham CCI, CCI, CCI plus contralateral EA, and CCI plus ipsilateral EA. The mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were recorded. Furthermore, the expression of the P2X3 receptor was evaluated through Western blotting and immunofluorescence. The effects of EA and A‐317491 were investigated through the whole‐cell patch‐clamp method and intrathecal administration. Our results show that the MWT and TWL of EA groups were higher than those in the CCI group, whereas the expression of the P2X3 receptor was lower than that in the CCI group. However, no significant difference was detected between the two EA groups. EA depressed the currents created by ATP and the upregulation of the P2X3 receptor in CCI rats. Additionally, EA was more potent in reducing mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia when combined with A‐317491 through intrathecal administration. These results show that both contralateral and ipsilateral EA might inhibit the primary afferent transmission of neuropathic pain induced through the P2X3 receptor. In addition, EA and A‐317491 might have an additive effect in inhibiting the transmission of pain mediated by the P2X3 receptor. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
IFRS Non‐GAAP Earnings Disclosures and Fair Value Measurement

type="main" xml:id="acfi12204-abs-0001"> We investigate IFRS non-GAAP earnings adjustments for fair value remeasurements made by companies and analysts and the usefulness of these disclosures for analysts. Examining Australian listed (ASX 200) companies during 2008–2010 (576 firm-years), we find that companies disclosing non-GAAP earnings are more likely to have a higher incidence and magnitude of profit or loss items reflecting asset remeasurements and impairment in their financial statements. We find non-GAAP disclosing companies are more likely to have analyst adjustments to earnings for these items and lower forecast error and dispersion in the following year, suggesting usefulness rather than opportunism in the adjustments.
Regular aerobic exercise training improves endothelium-dependent arterial dilation in patients with impaired fasting glucose.

V ehkavaara et al. (1) demonstrated that impaired endothel iumdependent arterial dilation characterizes patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG). The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of exercise training on endothelium-dependent arterial dilation in subjects with IFG using noninvasive measurement of flowmediated, endothelium-dependent dilation of the brachial artery.
Synchronisation and Staggering of Deposit Interest Rate Changes

This study examines the frequency and form of deposit account interest rate change. Specifically, the question of whether deposit interest rate change is synchronised with other banks or staggered at periodic intervals is addressed. Overall, evidence consistent with individual banks changing deposit interest rates in a staggered manner is recorded. Further, larger banks are see to change interest rates in a more synchronised manner than smaller banks. Lastly, when banks offer multiple deposit accounts, these products' interest rates are generally changed simultaneously by individual banks. These findings extend the current understanding of deposit interest rate change, and indicate that UK deposit interest rate setting is relatively rigid.
Unilateral posterior parietal lobe lesions disrupt kinaesthetic representation of forearm orientation

Objective: To apply the lesion method to assess neuroanatomical substrates for judgments of forearm orientation from proprioceptive cues in humans. Methods: Participants were 15 subjects with chronic unilateral brain lesions and stable behavioural deficits, and 14 neurologically normal controls. Subjects aligned the forearm to earth fixed vertical and trunk fixed anterior-posterior (A-P) axes (“straight ahead”), with the head aligned to the trunk and with head and shoulder orientations varied on each trial. Results: Most subjects with posterior parietal lobe lesions made larger variable errors than controls in aligning the forearm to the earth fixed vertical axis and the trunk A-P axes, whether the head was held upright or oriented in different positions. Lesion subjects and controls made similar constant errors for aligning the forearm to gravitational vertical. Variable error magnitude correlated positively with greater lesion volume of right and left superior parietal lobules (SPL), but not with lesions in other brain areas. Larger variable errors for aligning the forearm to the trunk fixed A-P axis were also correlated with the volume of SPL lesions, but constant error magnitude correlated with larger volume lesions in premotor areas, inferior parietal lobules, and posterior regions of the superior temporal gyri, but not with SPL lesion volume. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the right and left superior and inferior parietal lobules, posterior superior temporal gyri, and premotor areas play a role in defining higher level coordinate systems for specifying orientation of the right and left forearm.
Depressive Symptoms and Drinking Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Drinking Motives and Protective Behavioral Strategies Among College Students

ABSTRACT Background: College students with depressive symptoms tend to engage in more hazardous drinking and experience more alcohol-related consequences to cope with their symptoms. Given the perceived tension reducing effects of alcohol among these students, it is important to explore how protective factors, such as protective behavioral strategies, account for the relationships among depressive symptoms, drinking motives, and alcohol-related outcomes. Objective: To examine the mediating role of drinking motives and protective behavioral strategies on the associations that depressive symptoms have with typical weekly alcohol consumption, hazardous drinking, and alcohol-related negative consequences in a sample of college student drinkers. Methods: Traditional age college students (n = 566, 73% women; 58% White, non-Hispanic) completed measures of depression, drinking motives, protective behavioral strategies, weekly alcohol use, hazardous drinking, and alcohol-related negative consequences. Results: Coping with depression motives and controlled consumption PBS explained the association between depression and weekly alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking whereas coping with depression motives and serious harm reduction PBS explained the depression-negative consequences relationship. Conformity motives and serious harm reduction PBS explained the association between depression and hazardous drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences. Conclusions: Findings suggest that students with more depressive symptoms would benefit from clinical interventions tailored to address negative reinforcement drinking motives and, by extension, increase student utilization of PBS related to minimizing harm. Clinical and research implications are provided.
A systematic review of outbreak and non-outbreak studies of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli causing community-acquired infections

SUMMARY A systematic review of outbreak and non-outbreak studies of infections caused by extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) was conducted. This review examines the epidemiology, seasonality, source or mode of transmission, and temporal changes, based on E. coli serogroup, in ExPEC causing sporadic vs. outbreak-associated infections. Twelve outbreak and 28 non-outbreak studies were identified. The existence of ExPEC outbreaks was well supported. Three of four outbreak reports indicated peak periods during the winter months. Serogroups associated with outbreak infections ranged from 1% to 26% (average 11·4%) vs. (range 1–15%, average 3·5%) for serogroups associated with sporadic infections; the distribution of serogroups also differed for outbreak and non-outbreak infections. Study authors indicated that the outbreaks may have resulted from foodborne transmission, but direct evidence was unavailable. This review provides evidence that the epidemiology of endemic vs. epidemic ExPEC infections differs; however, study reporting quality limited epidemiological inferences.
Exercise capacity in apparently healthy survivors of cancer

Aims: To evaluate cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance in a large cohort of apparently healthy paediatric cancer survivors in order to determine their participation in sporting activities. Methods: A total of 84 young (<21 years) asymptomatic childhood cancer survivors, who had been exposed to anthracyclines (mean dose 212 mg/m2) and/or chest irradiation (median dose 2000 cGy), with normal left ventricular systolic function at rest (fractional shortening >29%), and 79 healthy controls were studied. Exercise testing was performed on a treadmill ergometer. Gas exchange analysis and derived variables were measured on a breath-by-breath basis. Pulmonary functional evaluation was performed before exercise. Echocardiographic evaluation at rest was performed within one month before the exercise test. Results: There were no differences in exercise responses between patients and controls. In boys <13 years, mean VO2 max was slightly but significantly lower than in controls. This finding was thought to be a result of decreased physical fitness as all the other exercise parameters were similar to those in the controls. Conclusions: Results show that apparently healthy survivors of paediatric cancer can take part in dynamic sporting activities if they exhibit a normal response to cardiopulmonary exercise testing, while those that exhibit a reduced VO2 max should be re-evaluated after an aerobic training programme, and should undergo tailored dynamic physical activity if the VO2 max does not normalise.
Prevalence and factors associated with significant liver fibrosis assessed by transient elastometry in HIV/hepatitis C virus‐coinfected patients

Summary. Transient elastometry (TE) could provide a more accurate evaluation of the frequency and risk factors of liver fibrosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection than that based on biopsy. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of and factors associated with significant liver fibrosis in a large population of HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients. HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients, who had participated in a cross‐sectional, multicenter, retrospective study of liver fibrosis using noninvasive markers and in whom a determination of liver stiffness (LS) by TE was available, were included in this analysis. Factors potentially associated with significant fibrosis (LS ≥ 9 kPa) were analyzed. One thousand three hundred and ten patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, 526 (40%) of them showed LS ≥ 9 kPa and 316 (24%) cirrhosis (LS ≥ 14 kPa). The factors independently associated with significant fibrosis [adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval, P value) were the following: older age [1.04 (1.01–1.07), 0.002], daily alcohol intake > 50 g/day [1.58 (1.10–2.27), 0.013] and the length of HCV infection [1.03 (1.00–1.06), 0.023]]. A CD4 cell count lower than < 200 per mm3 [1.67 (0.99–2.81), 0.053] and HCV genotype 4 [0.66 (0.42–1.02), 0.066] were marginally associated with LS ≥ 9 kPa. In conclusion, the prevalence of cirrhosis in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients seems to be higher than previously reported in studies based on liver biopsy. Older age, alcohol consumption and lower CD4 cell counts are related with significant fibrosis. The latter association supports an earlier starting of antiretroviral therapy in this setting.
Short duration exhaustive aerobic exercise induces oxidative stress: a novel play-oriented volitional fatigue test.

AIM Exercise is associated with the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. This study examined the oxidative stress in response to a novel volitional fatigue test. METHODS Eleven male college students performed a volitional fatigue test consisting of shuttle runs with a tennis racquet in the hand towards the left and right sidelines within the tennis singles court in an attempt to hit tennis balls until exhaustion. A tennis ball serving machine was adjusted to alternate feeds to the forehand and backhand sides of the subjects, standing at the baseline, at a frequency of 20 balls per minute. RESULTS Mean time to volitional fatigue was 5.9+/-1.3 min and mean heart rate at volitional fatigue was 189+/-8.1 beats x min(-1). The volitional fatigue test resulted in significant increases in blood thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (22%), protein carbonyls (58%), catalase activity (143%), total antioxidant capacity (34%) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG, 81%) concentration, as well as significant decreases in reduced glutathione (GSH, 15%) concentration and GSH/GSSG ratio (56%) immediately postexercise, as compared to the pre-exercise concentration. CONCLUSION The data provide evidence that acute short duration exhaustive aerobic exercise in the form of a novel volitional fatigue test is capable of inducing oxidative stress. This novel test could serve as an alternative exercise modality to study oxidative stress.
Disordered mineral metabolism in hemodialysis patients: an analysis of cumulative effects in the Hemodialysis (HEMO) Study.

BACKGROUND Serum markers of disordered mineral metabolism have been associated with adverse outcomes in patients requiring long-term dialysis therapy. Although the values of these markers often evolve over time, no study has examined the accumulated effects of these abnormalities on important clinical end points. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 1,846 prevalent hemodialysis patients randomly assigned in the Hemodialysis (HEMO) Study. PREDICTORS Serum phosphorus, calcium, calcium-phosphorus (Ca x P) product, and intact parathyroid hormone, each analyzed at the time of randomization (baseline), as a standard time-dependent covariate and as a cumulative time-dependent covariate. OUTCOMES All-cause mortality and the composite of all-cause mortality and first cardiac hospitalization. MEASUREMENTS Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS In all analyses, serum phosphorus level greater than 6 mg/dL was associated with a heightened risk of mortality of approximately 25% compared with phosphorus values of 4.1 to 5 mg/dL. Serum calcium level greater than 11 mg/dL was associated with a 60% greater risk of death, but only when this parameter was analyzed as either a time-dependent or cumulative time-dependent variable. Ca x P product greater than 50 mg(2)/dL(2) was strongly associated with mortality, but only when assessed cumulatively. Similar relationships were observed when phosphorus, calcium, and Ca x P product values were related to the composite end point of all-cause mortality and first cardiac hospitalization. No relationships between baseline, time-dependent, and cumulative time-dependent intact parathyroid hormone levels and the outcomes of interest were observed. LIMITATIONS Residual confounding, lack of access to patient information before randomization in the HEMO Study, and concerns regarding generalizability given changes in practice patterns since the completion of the HEMO Study. CONCLUSIONS Cumulative time-dependent analyses provide a different framework for analyzing the impact of factors that may mediate adverse events in hemodialysis patients. Our findings support maintaining serum phosphorus levels at less than 6 mg/dL, calcium levels at less than 11 mg/dL, and Ca x P product at less than 50 mg(2)/dL(2).
Novel Thiosemicarbazone Iron Chelators Induce Up-Regulation and Phosphorylation of the Metastasis Suppressor N-myc Down-Stream Regulated Gene 1: A New Strategy for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive neoplasm, with a mortality rate close to 100%. The most successful agent for pancreatic cancer treatment is gemcitabine, although the overall effect in terms of patient survival remains very poor. This study was initiated to evaluate a novel class of anticancer agents against pancreatic cancer. This group of compounds belongs to the dipyridyl thiosemicarbazone class that have been shown to have potent and selective activity against a range of different neoplasms in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate for the first time in pancreatic cancer that these agents increase the expression of the growth and metastasis suppressor N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 and its phosphorylation at Ser330 and Thr346 that is important for its activity against this tumor. In addition, these agents increased expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21CIP1/WAF1, whereas decreasing cyclin D1 in pancreatic cancer cells. Together, these molecular alterations account, in part, for the pronounced antitumor activity observed. Indeed, these agents had significantly higher antiproliferative activity in vitro than the established treatments for pancreatic cancer, namely gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil. Studies in vivo demonstrated that a novel thiosemicarbazone, namely di-2-pyridylketone 4-cyclohexyl-4-methyl-3-thiosemicarbazone hydrochloride, completely inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer xenografts with no evidence of marked alterations in normal tissue histology. Together, our studies have identified molecular effectors of a novel and potent antitumor agent that could be useful for pancreatic cancer treatment.
Financial Flexibility and At‐The‐Market (ATM) Equity Offerings: Evidence from Real Estate Investment Trusts

This article examines at‐the‐market (ATM) equity programs as an additional source of financial flexibility. We find that firms with higher market‐to‐book ratios and greater institutional ownership are more likely to announce an ATM program. Firms using ATM programs are also more likely to issue shares when they have exhausted other viable financing alternatives, have timely investment opportunities and when market conditions are favorable. Finally, we document a significant negative announcement effect around the establishment of an ATM program, though the magnitude of this effect is significantly less negative than that of a comparable SEO.
Neurosteroid analogues. 6. The synthesis and GABAA receptor pharmacology of enantiomers of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, pregnenolone sulfate, and (3α, 5β)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one sulfate

The unnatural enantiomers of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (1), pregnenolone sulfate (2), and (3α,5β)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one sulfate (3), compounds 4−6, respectively, were prepared by total steroid synthesis. The enantioselectivity of the compounds as negative modulators of the GABAA receptors present in cultured rat hippocampal neurons was examined using electrophysiological methods. Enantioselectivity was found for the inhibitory actions of the dehydroepiandrosterone enantiomers. The IC50s for compounds 1 and 4 were 11 ± 1 and 80 ± 14 μM, respectively. Little, if any, enantioselectivity was found for the other two pairs of steroid sulfate inhibitors. The IC50s for compounds 2 and 5 were 82 ± 12 and 76 ± 27 μM, respectively. The IC50s for compounds 3 and 6 were 39 ± 7 and 46 ± 2 μM, respectively. The results suggest that the sites of action for the androstane and pregnane series of steroid sulfate blockers of GABA-mediated current are different. The observed enantioselectivity for the actions of dehydr.
Differential expression of matrix metalloproteinases and interleukin‐8 during regeneration of human airway epithelium in vivo

In many airway diseases, the airway epithelium is severely damaged and has to regenerate rapidly to restore its function. The regeneration process involves chronological steps of epithelial cell migration, proliferation, stratification, and differentiation. The present study has used an in vivo humanized airway xenograft model in nude mice that mimics the regeneration dynamics of human airway epithelium after severe injury, and human‐specific molecular tools, to study the expression profiles of epithelial matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)‐7 and ‐9, of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase‐1 (TIMP‐1), and of the pro‐inflammatory cytokine interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) during the different steps of human airway epithelium regeneration. It was found that during the cell migration and proliferation steps, airway epithelial cells expressed IL‐8 at a high level, whereas airway epithelial pseudo‐stratification and surface airway epithelial differentiation were associated with increased expression of MMPs and a progressive decrease in IL‐8. Interestingly, immunohistochemical analysis revealed exclusive expression of MMPs at the apical part of the well‐differentiated regenerated airway epithelium, and incubation of the regenerating epithelial cells with MMP inhibitors led to abnormal epithelial differentiation. These data provide new insight into the temporal expression of MMPs and IL‐8 during the regeneration of airway epithelium and demonstrate the involvement of these factors during the different steps that lead to restoration of a well‐differentiated and functional airway epithelium. Copyright © 2005 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Subclinical mastitis in dairy cows in Swiss organic and conventional production systems

The objective was to compare the prevalence of subclinical mastitis (SM) and of udder pathogens in 60 Swiss organic (OP) and 60 conventional production systems (CP). Cows (n=970) were studied for SM prevalence and udder pathogens at median 31 d and 102 d post partum. Cows showing a [ges ]1+ positive California Mastitis Test (CMT) in at least one quarter were considered to have SM. Cow-level prevalences of SM for visits at 31 d and 102 d post partum (39% and 40% in OP and 34% and 35% in CP) were similar, but quarter-level prevalences of SM were higher (P<0·02) in OP than CP (15% and 18% in OP and 12% and 15% in CP). Median somatic cell counts in milk at 31 d post partum were higher (P<0·05) in OP than CP cows (43000 and 28000 cells/ml, respectively), but were similar at 102 d post partum in OP and CP cows (45000 and 38000 cells/ml, respectively). In milk samples from quarters showing a CMT reaction [ges ]2+ the prevalences of coagulase negative staphylococci were lower (P<0·05) at 102 d post partum, whereas prevalences of non-agalactiae streptococci were higher (P<0·05) in OP than in CP cows at 31 d and 102 d post partum. In conclusion, under Swiss conditions, subclinical mastitis is a greater problem in organic than in conventional production systems, but differences are not marked.