Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in brain glucose metabolism in cocaine dependence and withdrawal.

OBJECTIVE The authors investigated changes in brain function associated with cocaine dependence and withdrawal to provide clues regarding the processes that lead to the uncontrollable self-administration of cocaine. METHOD They measured regional brain metabolism with [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and positron emission tomography in 15 outpatients with the diagnosis of cocaine abuse and 17 normal comparison subjects. Ten of the patients were studied less than 1 week after they had last had cocaine, and five were studied 2-4 weeks after withdrawal. RESULTS Patients studied within 1 week of cocaine withdrawal but not those studied within 2-4 weeks of cocaine withdrawal had higher levels of global brain metabolism as well as higher levels of regional brain metabolism in the basal ganglia and orbitofrontal cortex than did normal subjects, probably as a consequence of less brain dopamine activity. There was also a significant relationship between the number of days since cocaine withdrawal and regional brain glucose metabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex and in the basal ganglia, and the correlations between cocaine craving and metabolic activity were significant in the prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS Although the time-dependent fall in metabolic activity suggests that the higher metabolic activity observed less than a week after cocaine withdrawal may represent a nonspecific expression of drug withdrawal, the selectivity of changes in glucose metabolism for the basal ganglia and for the orbitofrontal cortex suggests that the regional metabolic changes seen in cocaine abusers during detoxification are related to changes in brain dopamine activity.
Effects of long-term fluoxetine treatment on adrenergic plasticity in rat vas deferens

Chronic antidepressant administration increases neurotrophin levels in the central and peripheral nervous system, leading to an increase of neuronal sprouting, reestablishment of neural networks and neurotransmitter levels. Injured peripheral nerves regenerate at very slow rates. However, the recovery of the hypogastric nerve in rodents after injury is significantly improved with neurotrophin administration. Accordingly, our goal was to determine whether treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine affects catecholamine levels and neuronal function, after surgical denervation of the rat vas deferens. Noradrenaline levels in the denervated vas deferens were higher in fluoxetine-treated animals than in the vehicle-treated group, as measured by high performance liquid chromatography. In functional studies of smooth muscle contraction, the responses induced by phenylephrine or ATP, as well as pre-synaptic α2-adrenoceptor reactivity, were not modified by chronic treatment with the antidepressant. However, the contraction mediated by neuronal release of noradrenaline induced by tyramine was increased on days 7 and 21 after denervation in rats treated with fluoxetine. These data indicate that fluoxetine can improve functional recovery after rat vas deferens denervation.
Developmental profiles and ecdysone regulation of the mRNAs for two ecdysone receptor isoforms in the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata

Using 5′ RACE with specific primers for the ecdysone receptor B1 isoform of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, we isolated a cDNA clone encoding the specific region of the medfly ecdysone receptor A isoform (CcEcR‐A). The CcEcR‐A‐specific region was very similar to the EcR‐A‐specific region of Drosophila melanogaster and less similar to the EcR‐A‐specific regions of Lepidoptera. The developmental expression of both CcEcR‐A and CcEcR‐B1 mRNAs was studied in whole animals, salivary glands and ovaries by RT‐PCR, using isoform‐specific primers. Both CcEcR mRNAs are present in very early embryos, decrease to very low levels during the first hours of embryogenesis and are highly expressed in all consequent embryonic stages. During metamorphosis both isoforms are present showing two peaks; the first at the larval–prepupal transition and the second during the second half of prepupal development. These peaks are correlated with the two puffing cycles and the two major 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E) increases that occur during medfly metamorphosis. CcEcR‐B1 mRNA was directly induced in larval salivary glands in vitro by 20E, even at very low concentrations of the hormone, while CcEcR‐A mRNA was slightly induced only by high 20E concentrations and in the absence of a protein synthesis inhibitor. During oogenesis, the CcEcR mRNAs were expressed synchronously, peaking at the beginning of both previtellogenic and vitellogenic phases.
Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus for Breaking News: Is There a Winner?

Twitter is widely seen as being the go to place for breaking news.Recently however, competing Social Media have begun to carry news.Here we examine how Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter report on breaking news. We consider coverage (whether news events are reported) and latency (the time when they are reported). Using data drawn from three weeks in December 2013, we identify 29 major news events, ranging from celebrity deaths, plague outbreaks to sports events. We find that all media carry the same major events, but Twitter continues to be the preferred medium for breaking news, almost consistently leading Facebook or Google Plus. Facebook and Google Plus largely repost newswire stories and their main research value is that they conveniently package multitple sources of information together.
Characteristics Associated with Inpatient Versus Outpatient Status in Older Adults with Bipolar Disorder

Objectives: This is an exploratory analysis of ambulatory and inpatient services utilization by older persons with type I bipolar disorder experiencing elevated mood. The association between type of treatment setting and the person’s characteristics is explored within a framework that focuses upon predisposing, enhancing, and need characteristics. Method: Baseline assessments were conducted with the first 51 inpatients and 49 outpatients 60 years of age and older, meeting criteria for type I bipolar disorder, manic, hypomanic, or mixed episode enrolled in the geriatric bipolar disorder study (GERI-BD) study. We compared participants recruited from inpatient versus outpatient settings in regard to the patients’ predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics. Results: Being treated in an inpatient rather than an outpatient setting was associated with the predisposing characteristic of being non-Hispanic caucasian (odds ratio [OR]: 0.1; P = .005) and past history of treatment with first-generation antipsychotics (OR: 6.5; P < .001), and the need characteristic reflected in having psychotic symptoms present in the current episode (OR: 126.08; P < .001). Conclusion: Ethnicity, past pharmacologic treatment, and current symptom severity are closely associated with treatment in inpatient settings. Clinicians and researchers should investigate whether closer monitoring of persons with well-validated predisposing and need characteristics can lead to their being treated in less costly but equally effective ambulatory rather than inpatient settings.
Hereditary myotonia in the chow chow.

Four related Chow Chow puppies which were presented because of stiffness in their movements were shown to have myotonia similar to myotonia congenita of man. Electromyography revealed characteristic myotonic discharges. Repetitive nerve stimulation studies showed a marked fade in the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) which was most apparent at stimulation rates of 10 per sec or higher. If stimulation was continued at a rate of 10 per sec the CMAP returned to normal or sometimes greater than normal following several seconds of the reduced response. The decremental response could be exaggerated by cooling the muscle prior to repetitive nerve stimulation. A therapeutic trial to assess the efficacy of the commonly used membrane stabilizing agents, quinidine, procainamide and phenytoin, indicated that all three drugs were beneficial in the treatment of myotonia but procainamide produced the best response. Hypocholesterolaemia was documented in one case. The possibility of a multisystem membrane defect in hereditary myotonia associated with low serum cholesterol was considered.
A Constant-Mobility Method to Enable MOSFET Series-Resistance Extraction

A new method of extracting the MOSFET series resistance is proposed. This method requires only simple dc measurements on a single test device. Experimental demonstration is presented, without requiring quantities such as gate-oxide thickness, physical gate length, or effective channel length. The merit of the method stems from the specifically arranged bias conditions in which the channel carrier mobility remains constant for high vertical electric fields. It is this unique property which makes the proposed method suitable for short-channel devices.
Mathematical modeling of senescence in metabolic networks

Senescentie is een van de grootste mysteries die de mensheid probeert op te lossen. Senescentie manifesteert zich op meerdere niveaus van biologische organisatie: van cellen tot weefsels en hele organismen. Uiteindelijk zijn alle levensprocessen cruciaal afhankelijk van het metabolisme en de regulatie ervan. Daarom is het metabole netwerk het ultieme biologische netwerk dat senescentie ervaart. Het doel van dit proefschrift is om een ​​theoretische achtergrond te bieden voor het begrijpen van senescentie in metabole netwerken. Er worden twee benaderingen voor het modelleren van metabole netwerken gebruikt. In de eerste benadering modelleer ik de dynamica van metabolietenconcentraties. In metabole netwerken zonder regulatie is de dynamica van metabolietconcentraties eenvoudig, zelfs indien er sprake is van complexe topologie (inclusief vertakkingen, cycli). Namelijk, er vindt convergentie plaats naar een verzameling van stabiele toestanden. Daarentegen kan zelfs in eenvoudige metabole pathways de dynamica van metabolietconcentraties met positieve en negatieve feedback complex zijn (bijv. oscillaties, chaos). Metabole regulatie biedt enerzijds robuustheid voor verschillende verstoringen op een dagelijkse basis, maar kan anderzijdsverantwoordelijk zijn voor het ontstaan ​​van een complexe dynamica van metabolietconcentraties op latere leeftijden. In de tweede benadering modelleer ik de evolutie van de regeling van de metabolische flux. Twee strategieen om de metabolische flux te beheersen evolueren onder verschillende omstandigheden: snelheidsbeperkend (een of enkele enzymen beinvloeden de flux) of verdeeld (meerdere enzymen beinvloeden de flux). De aanwezigheid van senescentie in de vorm van afbraak van enzymactiviteit of metabolische regulatie beinvloedt de evolutie van de fluxregeling. Algemene eigenschappen van metabole netwerken en hun robuustheid zijn met elkaar verbonden, en onderzoek naar hun wisselwerking is een stap in de richting van een beter begrip van het samenspel tussen metabolisme en senescentie.
Comparison of fluconazole and nystatin oral suspensions for treatment of oral candidiasis in infants

Oral thrush is a common condition in young infants. Nystatin treatment is associated with frequent recurrences and difficulty in administration. Fluconazole was compared with nystatin for the treatment of oral candidiasis in infants. Thirty-four infants were randomized to either nystatin oral suspension four times a day for 10 days or fluconazole suspension 3 mg/kg in a single daily dose for 7 days. Clinical cures for nystatin were 6 of 19 (32%), and those for fluconazole were 15 of 15 (100%), P < 0.0001. In this small pilot study fluconazole was shown to be superior to nystatin suspension for the treatment of oral thrush in otherwise healthy infants.
Resurgence of colistin use.

PURPOSE The role of colistin in the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative microorganisms is discussed. SUMMARY Colistin is structurally and pharmacologically related to polymyxin B, the other commercially available drug from the polymyxin class. Colistin is bactericidal in nearly all strains of gram-negative bacilli. As with all antibiotics, resistance is of paramount concern. Resistance to colistin has not been frequently documented. Colistin must be administered parenterally, as it is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, mucous membranes, or intact or denuded skin. Parenteral colistin has been replaced by less-toxic antibiotics and should be reserved for life-threatening infections caused by organisms resistant to preferred drugs. A number of published studies and case reports have reevaluated the safety and efficacy of parenteral colistin use in patients with multidrug-resistant infections. In three case series, 58-74% of patients exhibited a clinical response to colistin. Although colistin was previously viewed as reasonably effective but highly nephrotoxic, recent studies have suggested that nephrotoxicity may not be as severe as once thought. Frequent renal function monitoring is necessary in patients receiving colistin, since adverse renal effect may occur, regardless of the dosage given. The recommended dosage of parenteral colistin for adults and children with normal renal function is 2.5-5 mg/kg/day, administered as two to four divided doses. Doses must be adjusted for renal impairment, and dosing recommendations for patients undergoing renal replacement therapy have not been well established. CONCLUSION With vigilant monitoring of renal function and the avoidance of concomitant neurotoxic medications, colistin can be used safely and effectively with minimal adverse outcomes.
Oral mycobiome in community-dwelling elderly and its relation to oral and general health conditions.

OBJECTIVE Oral fungal infection is generally associated with dysbiosis related to antibiotic use, immunodeficiency, or frailty. However, fungal colonization in a typical population without apparent symptoms and its associated conditions are poorly understood. In this study, oral fungal colonization in community-dwelling and independently living elderly populations was evaluated and factors affecting fungal colonization were analyzed. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The subjects (410; 181 males and 229 females) were 75-99 years of age; those under prior antibiotic use were excluded. Fungal populations in the saliva were evaluated by PCR-based molecular techniques. Body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, and oral health conditions were examined. RESULTS Salivary fungal amounts exceeded 104 CFU/ml in 63 (15.4%) of 410 subjects. Candida albicans was most frequently detected (98.4%), followed by Candida glabrata (54.0%), and Candida dubliniensis (38.1%) in those subjects with fungi at 104 CFU/ml or over. Fungi at 104 CFU/ml or over in the presence of C. glabrata or C. dubliniensis was significantly associated with low BMI. CONCLUSIONS Candida albicans, C. glabrata, and C. dubliniensis dominated the oral mycobiome in Japanese community-dwelling elderly. Lower BMI might signify compromised health status and thus could result in susceptibility to specific candidiasis by C. glabrata and C. dubliniensis.
Self-medication in childhood: observations at a residential summer camp.

Since the 1930s our society has experienced a marked increase in the consumption of medicines. Expenditure for medications has amounted to 10% to 15% of health care costs in both the United States and Europe, equivalent to 1% of the American Gross National Product.1 Per capita drug consumption in the United States is among the highest in the Western World and twice that in the British Isles.1,2 A large proportion of drugs consumed are self-prescribed, nonprescription medications accounting for 40% of the national expenditure on medicines.1 Surveys of large populations confirm the high rate of drug consumption; 30% of people questioned have used one or more nonprescription medications in the previous 48 hours.2,3 The use of nonprescription medications is not limited to adults. In surveys of large populations it has been shown that 30% to 50% of children have received medicines during a 48-hour recall period,4,5 and 75% received medicines during a 4-week period.5-7 Furthermore, 50% of mothers stock seven or more medicines for home use, and 30% report giving their children seven or more types of medicines during the course of a year.6,7 In the face of this extensive consumption of medicines little is known about the age at which children are given or assume responsibility for taking medications. A review of medical history forms for enrollment at a summer camp in 1990 revealed that 30% of campers aged 9 to 16 years intended to bring their own nonprescription medications to camp.8 This led us to suspect that American children may be given responsibility for self-medicating at an early age.
Gingival crevicular fluid and serum leptin: their relationship to periodontal health and disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Leptin is a pleiotrophic hormone produced by adipose tissue and it plays an important role in protection of the host from inflammation and infection. The purpose of this study is to determine the presence of leptin in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and serum samples and to find out their association, if any. METHODS Forty two subjects were selected based on their body mass index and were divided into three groups of 14 each; healthy (Group I), chronic gingivitis (Group II) and chronic periodontitis (Group III). GCF samples (by microcapillary pipettes) and serum samples (by venipuncture) were collected to estimate the levels of leptin using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay kit. RESULTS The highest mean leptin concentration in GCF was obtained for Group I (2658 pg/ml) and the least for Group III (1312 pg/ml). In contrast, the lowest serum leptin concentration was obtained for the Group I (8783 pg/ml), and the highest for Group III (12082 pg/ml). This suggests a negative correlation of GCF leptin concentration and a positive correlation of serum leptin concentration as the clinical attachment level progresses (p<0.05). CONCLUSION These results suggest that greater the periodontal destruction, lesser is the GCF leptin concentration and greater the serum leptin concentration.
Characterization of target symmetric scattering using polarimetric SARs

Cameron's coherent target decomposition (CTD) theory and the classification method that Cameron developed for operational use of his CTD are reconsidered. It is shown that Cameron's classification leads to a coarse scattering segmentation because of the large class dispersion that corresponds to a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system with about /spl plusmn/8-dB channel imbalance. The application of Cameron's method within known SAR radiometric calibration requirements limits the utility of the classification. In addition, Cameron's classification is applied under the implicit assumption on the coherence nature of target scattering, and this might yield erroneous results within areas of noncoherent scattering. A new method, named the symmetric scattering characterization method (SSCM), is introduced to better exploit the information provided by the largest target symmetric scattering component in the context of coherent scattering. The Poincare/spl acute/ sphere is used as the basis for a more complete representation of symmetric scattering than Cameron's unit disk, thus enabling the SSCM to generate better segmentation of target symmetric scattering with much higher resolution. In order to limit the application of the SSCM to targets of coherent scattering, new methods are developed for assessment and validation of the coherent nature of point and extended target scattering.
Robust Physical-World Attacks on Machine Learning Models

Deep neural network-based classifiers are known to be vulnerable to adversarial examples that can fool them into misclassifying their input through the addition of small-magnitude perturbations. However, recent studies have demonstrated that such adversarial examples are not very effective in the physical world--they either completely fail to cause misclassification or only work in restricted cases where a relatively complex image is perturbed and printed on paper. In this paper we propose a new attack algorithm--Robust Physical Perturbations (RP2)-- that generates perturbations by taking images under different conditions into account. Our algorithm can create spatially-constrained perturbations that mimic vandalism or art to reduce the likelihood of detection by a casual observer. We show that adversarial examples generated by RP2 achieve high success rates under various conditions for real road sign recognition by using an evaluation methodology that captures physical world conditions. We physically realized and evaluated two attacks, one that causes a Stop sign to be misclassified as a Speed Limit sign in 100% of the testing conditions, and one that causes a Right Turn sign to be misclassified as either a Stop or Added Lane sign in 100% of the testing conditions.
Lateral ventricle differences between first-episode schizophrenia and first-episode psychotic bipolar disorder: A population-based morphometric MRI study

Abstract Objectives. The extent to which psychotic disorders fall into distinct diagnostic categories or can be regarded as lying on a single continuum is controversial. We compared lateral ventricle volumes between a large sample of patients with first-episode schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and a healthy control group from the same neighbourhood. Methods. Population-based MRI study with 88 first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients, grouped into those with schizophrenia/schizophreniform disorder (N=62), bipolar disorder (N=26) and 94 controls. Results. Right and left lateral ventricular and right temporal horn volumes were larger in FEP subjects than controls. Within the FEP sample, post-hoc tests revealed larger left lateral ventricles and larger right and left temporal horns in schizophrenia subjects relative to controls, while there was no difference between patients with bipolar disorder and controls. None of the findings was attributable to effects of antipsychotics. Conclusions. This large-sample population-based MRI study showed that neuroanatomical abnormalities in subjects with schizophrenia relative to controls from the same neighbourhood are evident at the first episode of illness, but are not detectable in bipolar disorder patients. These data are consistent with a model of psychosis in which early brain insults of neurodevelopmental origin are more relevant to schizophrenia than to bipolar disorder.
The role of Ynt1 in nitrate and nitrite transport in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha

Ynt1 is the only high‐affinity nitrate uptake system in Hansenula polymorpha. Nitrate uptake was directly correlated with the Ynt1 levels and shown to be independent of nitrate reductase (NR) activity levels. Ynt1 failed to transport chlorate and, as a result, strains lacking YNT1 were sensitive to chlorate, as is the wild‐type. Nitrite uptake in a wild‐type strain was partially inhibited by nitrate to levels shown by a YNT1‐disrupted strain in which, in turn, nitrite transport was not inhibited by nitrate. It is concluded that nitrite uptake takes place by two different transport systems: Ynt1 and a nitrite‐specific transporter(s). The nitrite‐specific transport system was induced by nitrate; consistently, no induction was observed in strains lacking the transcription factor YNA1, which is involved in nitrate and nitrite induction of the nitrate assimilatory structural genes. Ynt1 presents its optimal rate for nitrite uptake at pH 6, while pH 4 was optimal for the specific nitrite uptake system(s). At pH 5.5, the contribution of Ynt1 to high‐affinity nitrate and nitrite uptake was around 95% and 60%, respectively. The apparent Km of Ynt1 for nitrate and nitrite is in the µM range, as is the specific nitrite uptake system for nitrite. The analysis of the effect of the reduced nitrogen sources on nitrate assimilation revealed that glutamine inactivates nitrate and nitrite transport, dependent on Ynt1, but not the nitrite‐specific system. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.