Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between white matter hyperintensity severity and cognitive impairment according to the presence of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele in the elderly: retrospective analysis of data from the CREDOS study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) severity on cognitive function according to presence of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele. METHOD From participants in a nationwide, multicenter, hospital-based cohort study of dementia by the Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea (November 2005 to December 2011), data for 5,077 elderly subjects (mean [SD] age = 71.37 [8.40] years) who had available data for APOE genotype and WMH severity were studied retrospectively. We used the diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment proposed by Petersen et al; the diagnostic criteria for vascular dementia included in DSM-IV; and, for probable Alzheimer's disease, the criteria issued by the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association. WMH severity was evaluated using modified criteria of Fazekas et al and Scheltens et al using T2 axial or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance images, yielding 3 groups for WMH severity level. APOE genotype was determined by analysis of venous blood, and all participants were classified into 2 groups depending on presence or absence of the APOE ε4 allele. The Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery-Dementia Version was used for all subjects. Cognitive impairment, classified by 6 cognitive test scores, was the primary outcome measure. Using multiple logistic regression, we investigated which cognitive domains were associated with WMH severity and the APOE ε4 allele, and, using analysis of covariance, we examined the interaction effects of these 2 factors on cognitive test scores. RESULTS After multivariable adjustments, logistic regression analyses showed that WMH severity was associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment on frontal/executive function tests in both APOE ε4 carriers (odds ratio [OR] = 2.49; 95% CI, 1.65-3.76) and noncarriers (OR = 2.36; 95% CI, 1.83-3.03). WMH severity was not significantly associated with memory function in APOE ε4 carriers: for verbal memory, ε4 noncarriers had an OR of 1.44 (95% CI, 1.13-1.84), and ε4 carriers had an OR of 1.36 (95% CI, 0.87-2.04); for visuospatial memory, ε4 noncarriers had an OR of 1.86 (95% CI, 1.45-2.37), and ε4 carriers had an OR of 1.35 (95% CI, 0.89-2.04). Moreover, a significant interaction effect between APOE ε4 and WMH severity was confirmed on memory tests by analysis of covariance (verbal memory: F = 3.40, P = .033; visuospatial memory: F = 8.49, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Severe WMHs appear to be predominantly associated with frontal/executive dysfunction, irrespective of APOE ε4 allele presence. WMH severity and APOE ε4 had an interactive effect on memory function, with WMH severity affecting memory impairment only in APOE ε4 noncarriers.
Predictive factors for the severity of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and moderate alcohol consumption.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Among the histological lesions seen in chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the presence of steatosis, bile duct lesions and lymphoid aggregates are characteristic. Recent reports suggest that steatosis is an independent risk factor for liver fibrosis in CHC. The aim of our study was to determine the relative contribution of steatosis and moderate alcohol consumption to the severity of liver fibrosis in patients infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus. METHODS We evaluated the patients with biopsy proven CHC and no or only moderate alcohol intake (<40 g/day). The demographical parameters of the study population, the indices of alcohol consumption: erythrocyte median corpuscular volume (MCV), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), the histological characteristics were noted and a statistical analysis was performed in order to determine the factors independently associated with severe fibrosis and with severe steatosis. RESULTS From the 200 patients included in the study, 82 were males and 118 females, with a mean age of 47.75+/-10.42 years. At univariate analysis, advanced (grade 2, 3) fibrosis correlated with: the age at the time of biopsy, increased inflammatory activity (HAI), moderate/severe steatosis, alcohol intake, elevated GGT and MCV values. After multivariate logistic regression only age, HAI and steatosis were independently associated with advanced fibrosis stage. Regarding hepatic steatosis, from the factors found to correlate with severe steatosis at univariate analysis (alcohol intake, elevated GGT and MCV levels, severe fibrosis), after multivariate logistic regression only the elevated level of GGT was an independent prognostic factor for severe steatosis. CONCLUSIONS Steatosis is an important risk factor for the severity of liver disease in CHC patients. Among patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus infection and moderate alcohol intake, those with serum levels of GGT over two times the normal value are at high risk for severe steatosis.
Protectiveness of species sensitivity distribution hazard concentrations for acute toxicity used in endangered species risk assessment

A primary objective of threatened and endangered species conservation is to ensure that chemical contaminants and other stressors do not adversely affect listed species. Assessments of the ecological risks of chemical exposures to listed species often rely on the use of surrogate species, safety factors, and species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) of chemical toxicity; however, the protectiveness of these approaches can be uncertain. We comprehensively evaluated the protectiveness of SSD first and fifth percentile hazard concentrations (HC1, HC5) relative to the application of safety factors using 68 SSDs generated from 1,482 acute (lethal concentration of 50%, or LC50) toxicity records for 291 species, including 24 endangered species (20 fish, four mussels). The SSD HC5s and HC1s were lower than 97 and 99.5% of all endangered species mean acute LC50s, respectively. The HC5s were significantly less than the concentrations derived from applying safety factors of 5 and 10 to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) toxicity data, and the HC1s were generally lower than the concentrations derived from a safety factor of 100 applied to rainbow trout toxicity values. Comparison of relative sensitivity (SSD percentiles) of broad taxonomic groups showed that crustaceans were generally the most sensitive taxa and taxa sensitivity was related to chemical mechanism of action. Comparison of relative sensitivity of narrow fish taxonomic groups showed that standard test fish species were generally less sensitive than salmonids and listed fish. We recommend the use of SSDs as a distribution‐based risk assessment approach that is generally protective of listed species.
Trajectory-based design of robust non-fragile controllers for a class of uncertain linear continuous-time systems

This paper deals with a design problem of robust non-fragile stabilizing controllers for a class of uncertain linear continuous-time systems. The proposed design approach of robust non-fragile controllers is based on computation of the trajectory for the uncertain linear system and differs from the existing methods based on quadratic stabilization via Lyapunov criterion. In this paper, we show that sufficient conditions for asymptotical stability of the linear system with uncertainties and controller gain variations, and a LMI-based design algorithm of a robust non-fragile controller. Furthermore, we extend the result to the design problem of decentralized robust non-fragile controllers for a class of uncertain large-scale interconnected systems. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed design scheme of robust non-fragile controllers is shown through illustrative examples.
Study on the antioxidant activities of root extracts of Zizyphus lotus from the western region of Algeria

Objective: To find a new natural source of antioxidant, the phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of some secondary metabolites extracted from roots of Ziziphus lotus were evaluated. Methods: The total polyphenol contents were determined spectrophotometrically. Pyrrocatechol, catechin and cyanidin equivalents were used for these parameters. The antioxidant activities of the extracts were determined by several in vitro systems of assays, namely DPPH radical scavenging activity method, b-Carotene Bleaching assay (BCB), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power assay (FRAP) and Total Antioxidant capacity test (TAC). Results: The quantitative estimation showed that the roots of Z. lotus were rich in polyphenols (20.09 mg PE/g DW) and proanthocyannidins (1.56%) and they contained a small amount of flavonoids (0.02 mg CE/g DW). The most fractions exhibited high antioxidant activities, and some even showed higher potency than the standard synthetic antioxidants in some instances. In DPPH assay, all extracts had shown significant inhibition (58.535 – 94.730% at 1 mg/mL). In addition, the IC 50 values ranged from 0.211 to 0.816 mg/mL, compared to 0.110, 0.214, 0.214 and 0.413 mg/mL for gallic acid, tannic acid, butylated-hydroxyanisol and ascorbic acid respectively. In (BCB) assay, the extracts showed strong inhibition (55.55 – 100.00% at 1 mg/mL) and the IC 50 values ranging from 0.123 to 0.850 mg/mL compared to 0.433 mg/mL for gallic acid. A dose dependant curve was obtained for all extracts in the FRAP assay. However, the antioxidant potencies of ascorbic acid and extracts were comparable at low concentrations. The majority of extracts showed the highest value of antioxidant activity, based on TAC test (0.073 – 0.398 mg ascorbic acid / mg extract). Conclusion: The results indicate that Z. lotus roots could be an important sources of natural antioxidants.
USING CAUSAL DIAGRAMS TO UNDERSTAND COMMON PROBLEMS IN SOCIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY

Epidemiologists typically seek to answer causal questions using statistical data: we observe a statistical association between poverty and early mortality and seek to determine whether poverty causes early death. An essential component of epidemiologic training is therefore learning what statistical relations imply, or do not imply, about causal relations. This is why the cliché “correlation does not imply causation” is the mantra of introductory epidemiology classes. But correlations, and other forms of statistical association, do give us information about causal relations, and this is why—despite the oft-repeated warnings— quantitative statistical analyses are the mainstay of epidemiology. Diagrams are routinely used informally to express beliefs and hypotheses about relations among variables. These informal uses can be greatly expanded by adopting formal rules for drawing the diagrams so that they meet the criteria for causal Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs). Causal DAGs are a simple, flexible device for demonstrating the statistical associations implied by a given set of assumptions about the causal structure relating variables. Knowing this, we can also move in the other direction: given a set of statistical associations observed in the data, we can identify all of the causal structures that could have given rise to these associations. Learning the rules for reading off statistical associations from the causal assumptions represented in a DAG can take a little time and practice. Once mastered, though, these rules turn out to be extremely practical for a number of tasks (for example, choosing regression covariates, understanding selection bias, CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Effective solutions for monitoring the electrostatic separation of metal and plastic granular waste from electric and electronic equipment

The variability of the quantity and purity of the recovered materials is a serious drawback for the application of electrostatic separation technologies to the recycling of granular wastes. In a series of previous articles we have pointed out how capability and classic control chart concepts could be employed for better mastering the outcome of such processes. In the present work, the multiple exponentially weighted moving average (MEWMA) control chart is introduced and shown to be more effective than the Hotelling T2 chart for monitoring slow varying changes in the electrostatic separation of granular mixtures originating from electric and electronic equipment waste. The operation of the industrial process was simulated by using a laboratory roll-type electrostatic separator and granular samples resulting from shredded electric cable wastes. The 25 tests carried out during the observation phase enabled the calculation of the upper and lower control limits for the two control charts considered in the present study. The 11 additional tests that simulated the monitoring phase pointed out that the MEWMA chart is more effective than Hotelling’s T2 chart in detecting slow varying changes in the outcome of a process. As the reverse is true in the case of abrupt alterations of monitored process performances, simultaneous usage of the two control charts is strongly recommended. While this study focused on a specific electrostatic separation process, using the MEWMA chart together with the well known Hotelling’s T2 chart should be applicable to the statistical control of other complex processes in the field of waste processing.
Effect of microwave radiation on human EEG at two different levels of exposure

This study is aimed at evaluating the effect of microwave radiation on human brain bioelectric activity at different levels of exposure. For this purpose, 450 MHz microwave exposure modulated at 40 Hz frequency was applied to a group of 15 healthy volunteers at two different specific absorption rate (SAR) levels: a higher level of 0.303 W/kg (field strength 24.5 V/m) and a lower level of 0.003 W/kg (field strength 2.45 V/m). Ten exposure cycles (1 min off and 1 min on) at fixed SAR values were applied. A resting eyes‐closed electroencephalogram (EEG) was continuously recorded. Results showed a statistically significant increase in the EEG power in the EEG beta2 (157%), beta1 (61%) and alpha (68%) frequency bands at the higher SAR level, and in the beta2 (39%) frequency band at the lower SAR level. Statistically significant changes were detected for six individual subjects in the EEG alpha band and four subjects in the beta1 and beta2 bands at the higher SAR level; three subjects were affected in the alpha, beta1 and beta2 bands at the lower SAR level. The study showed that decreasing the SAR 100 times reduced the related changes in the EEG three to six times and the number of affected subjects, but did not exclude the effect. Bioelectromagnetics 34:264–274, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
AUTORADIOGRAPHIC STUDIES ON HISTOGENESIS OF BRAIN MACROPHAGES IN THE MOUSE

Adult mice of the dd strain were repeatedly injected with tritiated thymidine to label (a high percentage of circulating monocytes. Subsequently, five of them received stab wounds in the cerebral cortex made with a heated needle and were sacrificed by perfusion fixation from 6 to 74 hours after the time of injury. Labeled and unlabeled cells appearing in the neighborhood of the wound were examined by light and electron microscopic autoradiography, and their relationship to blood monocytes and perivascular cells was studied. The following results were obtained.Monocytes extravasate in and around the area of damaged tissue and are transformed into brain macrophages. Brain macrophages do not originate from cells other than blood monocytes.Monocytes undergo a marked morphological transformation as they migrate out from the blood vessels. There is an increment of cytoplasm and they assume an amoeboid form. Some of them develop numerous phagosomes and change into typical full-blown macrophages.In the walls of small blood vessels near the lesion, some macrophages or their precursor monocytes are located in the pericytic position, although they can be distinguished from proper pericytes by the presence of label in their nuclei. They are also morphologically distinct from the pericytes; their cytoplasmic matrix is much more electron dense and frequently there are small spaces between their cell surfaces and the surrounding basement membrane.Pericytes are not transformed into macrophages and are vulnerable to brain injury. They are proper constituents of the blood vessel wall and do not belong to the macrophage system.
A NEW KERATOSCOPE*†

THis new instrument embodies the features of the Placido disc, but obviates the limitations of the old Placido disc, which has been found rather cumbersome for routine use. The head of the instrument is made of a very tough plastic material and the concentric light and dark circles are illuminated through a battery handle, thus making the complete keratoscope convenient to handle, readily portabie, and independent -of external illumination (Figure). In all surface irregularities of the cornea, elevations or depressions, irregular astigmatism, alignment of corneal grafts, etc., the distortion of the circular pattern is ittft-. mlimmediately discernible. In the early stages of keratoconus, the horizontal and vertical crosslines are especially useful where the circles may still be regular but the two halves of the horizontal axis form an angle, which is the earliest sign of conical cornea (Amsler). In the later stages this angle becomes more marked, the distance between inner and outer circles becoming smaller temporallyand below, while that between the inner and outer circles nasally and above becomes enlarged. The central circle may be slightly distorted and displaced downwards and outwards. A further diagnostic procedure in cases of conical cornea is to ask the patient to look at the centre, then along the horizontal line at the innermost circle, first to the left and then to the right, then up and down along the vertical lines. This enables the central portions of the cornea to be explored. In the early stages of keratoconus it is found that an oscillation or rocking of the mires becomes apparent when the patient looks at these different points. The usual photograph taken by the keratograph gives a picture of the centre only, whereas with
Cyclooxygenase-2 expression is related to nuclear grade in ductal carcinoma in situ and is increased in its normal adjacent epithelium.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is emerging as an important cancer biomarker and is now an experimental target for solid tumor treatment.However, no study has exclusively focused on COX-2 expression in early lesions such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). We examined COX-2 expression by immunohistochemistry in 46 cases of women undergoing surgical resection for DCIS. We found that COX-2 expression was detected in 85% of all DCIS specimens, with increased COX-2 staining correlating with higher nuclear grade. Strikingly, COX-2 staining intensity in the normal adjacent epithelium was stronger than in the DCIS lesion itself. Our observations demonstrate that COX-2 is up-regulated in the normal adjacent epithelium and supports the hypothesis that the surrounding epithelial tissue is part of the disease process in DCIS.
[The evaluation of selected oxidative stress parameters in patients with hyperthyroidism].

INTRODUCTION Hyperthyroidism induces the acceleration of the basic metabolism and increases cellular oxygen utilization, consequently intensifies reactive oxygen species production and disturbs the oxidant-antioxidant balance. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate the selected oxidative stress parameters in patients with hyperthyroidism by analysis of the reactive oxygen species neutralizing enzymes activity--superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) and catalase (CAT), the estimation of free radical processes intensity--concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), sulfhydryl groups (SH) in proteins and by quantification of the serum total antioxidant status (TAS). PATIENTS AND METHOD . Twenty-seven patients treated for hyperthyroidism and 12 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. Enzyme activity (SOD, GSHPx, CAT), MDA and concentration of SH groups were analysed in erythrocytes, while TAS was measured in serum. RESULTS Patients with hyperthyroidism compared with healthy subjects were characterized by a higher GSHPx activity in erythrocytes, lower serum TAS, the lower content of SH groups in proteins and the lower MDA concentration in erythrocytes. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that hyperthyroidism increases oxidative stress and disturbs oxidant-antioxidant balance in the body. Thyreostatic treatment, if not leads to whole metabolic compensation, may only reduce oxidant-antioxidant disorders, however is not able to eliminate them entirely.
Biomineralization, Life‐Time of Odontogenic Cells and Differential Expression of the Two Homeobox Genes MSX‐1 and DLX‐2 in Transgenic Mice

Msx and Dlx homeobox genes encode for transcription factors that control early morphogenesis. More specifically, Msx‐1, Msx‐2, and Dlx‐2 homeobox genes contribute to the initial patterning of the dentition. The present study is devoted to the potential role of those homeobox genes during the late formation of mineralized tissues, using the rodent incisor as an experimental system. The continuously erupting mandibular incisor allows (1) the coinvestigation of the whole sequences of amelogenesis and dentinogenesis, aligned along the main dental axis in a single sample in situ and (2) the differential characterization of transcripts generated by epithelial and ectomesenchymal odontogenic cells. Northern blot experiments on microdissected cells showed the continuing expression of Msx‐2 and Dlx‐2 in the later stages of dental biomineralization, differentially in epithelial and ectomesenchymal compartments. Transgenic mice produced with LacZ reporter constructs for Dlx‐2 and Msx‐1 were used to detect different components of the gene expression patterns with the sensitive β‐galactosidase histoenzymology. The results show a prominent epithelial involvement of Dlx‐2, with stage‐specific variations in the cells involved in enamel formation. Quantitative analyses identified specific modulations of Dlx‐2 expression in ameloblasts depending on the anatomical sites of the incisor, showing more specifically an inverse linear relationship between the Dlx‐2 promoter activity level and enamel thickness. This investigation extends the role of homeoproteins to postmitotic stages, which would control secretory cell activity, in a site‐specific manner as shown here for Dlx‐2.