Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Metabolic Approach Grounded in Biochemistry for the Remission of Symptoms

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic, complex, and heterogeneous disorder of still poorly understood etiopathophysiology associated with important musculoskeletal widespread pain, fatigue, non-restorative sleep, and mood disturbances. It is estimated to afflict 2–3% of the worldwide population, with clean prevalence among women. The objective of this paper is to propose a novel treatment for symptomatic remission of FMS, grounded in biochemistry and consisting in the withdrawal from the diet of molecules that can indirectly trigger the symptoms. The hypothesis develops from the evidence that low serotonin levels are involved in FMS. Serotonin is synthesized starting from the essential amino acid tryptophan. The presence of non-absorbed molecules in the gut, primarily fructose, reduces tryptophan absorption. Low tryptophan absorption leads to low serotonin synthesis that triggers FMS symptoms. Moreover not-absorbed sugars could also produce a microbiota deterioration activating a positive feedback loop: the increasing microbiota deterioration reduces the functionality of absorption both of fructose and tryptophan in the gut, entering a vicious circle. The therapeutic idea is to sustain serotonin synthesis allowing the proper tryptophan absorption. The core of the cure treatment is the exclusion from the diet of some carbohydrates and the marked reduction of some others. The main target is the limitation of total dietary fructose as marked as possible. It could be an effective strategy to get the remission of symptoms acting on the impaired biochemical pathways. The straying from the treatment is expected to cause the reappear of the symptoms.
Place cell firing correlates with memory deficits and amyloid plaque burden in Tg2576 Alzheimer mouse model

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with progressive memory decline. Hippocampal place cells are a well understood candidate for the neural basis of one type of memory in rodents; these cells identify the animal's location in an environment and are crucial for spatial memory and navigation. We have recorded place cells in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD, and we report that aged (16 mo) but not young (3 mo) transgenic mice show degraded neuronal representations of the environment. The level of place cell degradation correlates with the animals' (poorer) spatial memory as tested in a forced-choice spatial alternation T-maze task and with hippocampal, but not neocortical, amyloid plaque burden. Place cell recording provides a sensitive assay for measuring the amount and rate of functional deterioration in animal models of dementia as well as providing a quantifiable physiological indication of the beneficial effects of potential therapies.
Role of the Gut Barrier in Acute Pancreatitis

The small intestine is one of the distant organs that become damaged during severe acute pancreatitis, due to microcirculation disturbance associated with loss of fluids in the “third space,” hypovolemia, splanchnic vasoconstriction, and finally an ischemia-reperfusion injury. In this scenario, the gut acts as the starter for severe systemic complications, as the failure of the intestinal barrier is associated with translocation of bacteria and inflammatory and toxic products produced in the intestinal wall, which can be responsible for sepsis and infection of the necrotic pancreas and for systemic inflammatory response. Therefore, one of the main goals of treatment in the early phases of severe acute pancreatitis should be to maintain the integrity of the gut barrier in the small intestine. These strategies include appropriate fluid resuscitation to limit the damage due to the relative hypovolemia and early enteral feeding. The role of intravenous antibiotics to prevent infection of the pancreatic necrosis is controversial and the role of probiotics, which seemed a promising tool in vitro and in early clinical trials, needs to be further investigated to better understand the effects of the single specific strains at various doses and timing before designing new clinical trials.
Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in HIV-1-infected patients

Objective:To characterize the clinical presentation, course and mortality of pandemic influenza in HIV-1-infected patients in Santiago, Chile. Methods:Prospective observational study. Results:Thirty patients were included (three hospitalized), 93% were on HAART, mean CD4+ cell count was 423 cells/μl and viral load was undetectable in 77% of patients. All patients had fever, 90% had cough, 80% had myalgias, 70% had pharyngeal congestion, 47% had coryza, 47% had odynophagia, 37% had headache and 23% had vomiting. Four patients developed pneumonia. All patients received antiviral therapy and no patient died. Conclusions:HIV patients infected by the new influenza A pandemic (H1N1) virus behave similarly to the general population.
Identifying principles of good practice: The key principles of Environmental Education for Sustainability in the context of Indigenous communities involved in biodiversity-conservation

Biodiversity conservation is experiencing a crisis of purpose as a result of disappointing track record and inefficient experiences that show the deficiency of the biological approach. This include over-simplified assumptions and misconceptions of “community”, the imposition of externally designed and driven projects at the community level, a focus on conservation outcomes at the expense of community empowerment and social justice, and a limited attention to participatory process. New approaches are needed to address these weaknesses and to counter a rising trend towards the environmental preference for biology-conservation approaches that have been threatening the interests of local and indigenous communities. The research provides information about five core principles of good practice of Environmental Education for Sustainability, recognized in indigenous communities towards the conservation of biodiversity – (1) Local relevance using community skills, values and resources; (2) Local expertise based on community experience; (3) Establishment of partnerships for conservation outcomes; (4) Long term process focusing on sustainability; and (5) Action reflection practices based on natural systems – and they hold more promise. Drawing on the experience of Wunaanbal Gaanbera community in Australia and Zimbabwean community in Africa, I am able to recognize a long term process of applying these principles in both communities. This strategy is not simple and embodies all the social, economical, political and cultural issues around conservation in indigenous land. I finally suggest that the incorporation of these principles at a level of policy including strong and fundamental reviews of land tenure, indigenous rights to resources use and management can provide the basis for a revamped phase of community-based conservation that supports environmental protection while strengthening local institutions, building capacity, and contributing to sustainable practices.
Optimal Approach for Reliability Assessment in Radial Distribution Networks

This paper proposes a new methodology for the evaluation of reliability in radial distribution networks through the identification of new investments in this kind of networks, in order to reduce the repair time and the failure rate, which leads to a reduction of the forced outage rate and, consequently, to an increase of reliability. The novelty of this research work consists in proposing an ac optimization model based on mixed-integer nonlinear programming that is developed considering the Pareto front technique, in order to achieve a reduction of repair times and of failure rates of the distribution network components, while minimizing the costs of that reduction, the power losses cost, the cost of the optimal capacitor location and size, and the maximization of reliability, which is in the form of minimization of nonsupplied energy cost. In order to estimate the outage parameters, a fuzzy set approach is used. The optimization model considers the distribution network technical constraints. A case study using a 33-bus distribution network is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed methodology.
Capital-Skill Complementarity and Labor Earnings

One of the continuing attempted qualifications of neoclassical wage determination theory has been the monopoly wage hypothesis. Firms in industries characterized by high concentration ratios and extensive unionization have been observed to exhibit higher than average hourly earnings [1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 16, and 18]. According to the monopoly wage hypothesis, to the extent that firms enjoy product market rents, these rents are shared with labor factors of production. In a neoclassical reformulation of wage determination, Weiss [20] demonstrated that wages in concentrated industries are relatively high because average labor quality is superior in those industries. Workers receive only their opportunity costs and acquire no rents due to the product market circumstances of their employers. Concentration ceases to be a factor in wage determination? Weiss provides no explanation, however, as to why concentrated industries use superior quality labor. The proposition examined here is that the observed relations among concentration, labor quality, and wages are caused by the simultaneous impact which required capital investment has on both concentration and the quality of labor inputs. There is a positive correlation between capital inputs per plant and concentration ratios. The link between capital investments and labor quality is provided by a capital-skill complementarity (CSC) hypothesis which states that the elasticity of substitution of capital for unskilled labor is greater than the elasticity of substitution of capital for skilled labor. Assuming that the CSC hypothesis is true, and given the condition that skill and wages are positively related, then the average wage rate for an occupation directly associated with the capital investments should rise as the value of depreciable assets per plant increases. The relation should be less strong for those occupations not as directly associated with the capital inputs. Insofar as the absolute capital requirement notion and the CSC hypothesis are correct, then the link between concentration levels and average wage rates across industries is the level of invested capital per establishment.
Prevention of Soccer Injuries: A Prospective Intervention Study in Youth Amateur Players

Background: Risk factors for soccer injuries and possibilities for prevention have been discussed by several authors, but only a few have investigated the effectiveness of preventive interventions. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a prevention program on the incidence of soccer injuries in male youth amateur players. Study Design: Prospective controlled intervention study. Methods: Seven soccer teams took part in a prevention program that focused on education and supervision of coaches and players, while seven other teams were instructed to train and play soccer as usual. Over 1 year all injuries were documented weekly by physicians. Complete weekly injury reports were available for 194 players. Results: The incidence of injury per 1000 hours of training and playing soccer was 6.7 in the intervention group and 8.5 in the control group, which equates to 21% fewer injuries in the intervention group. The greatest effects were observed for mild injuries, overuse injuries, and injuries incurred during training. The prevention program had greater effects in low-skill than in high-skill teams. Conclusions: The incidence of soccer injuries can be reduced by preventive interventions, especially in low skill level youth teams. Coaches and players need better education regarding injury prevention strategies and should include such interventions as part of their regular training.
Practice of Physical Activity among Future Doctors: A Cross Sectional Analysis

Background: Non communicable diseases (NCD) will account for 73% of deaths and 60% of the global disease burden by 2020. Physical activity plays a major role in the prevention of these non-communicable diseases. The stress involved in meeting responsibilities of becoming a physician may adversely affect the exercise habits of students. So, the current study aimed to study the practice of physical activity among undergraduate medical students. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 240 undergraduate medical students. Quota sampling method was used to identify 60 students from each of the four even semesters. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 was used for data entry and analysis and results are expressed as percentages and proportions. Results: In our study, 55% were 20 to 22 years old. Over half of the students were utilizing the sports facilities provided by the university in the campus. Majority of students 165 (69%) had normal body mass index (BMI), (51) 21% were overweight, while 7 (3%) were obese. Of the 62% who were currently exercising, the practice of physical activity was more among boys as compared to girls (62% v/s 38%). Lack of time 46 (60.5%), laziness (61.8%), and exhaustion from academic activities (42%) were identified as important hindering factors among medical students who did not exercise. Conclusion: A longitudinal study to follow-up student behavior throughout their academic life is needed to identify the factors promoting the practice of physical activity among students.
Survival of HIV-infected treatment-naive individuals with documented dates of seroconversion in Rakai, Uganda

Objective:To estimate the survival time from HIV infection to death. Methods:A community cohort in Rakai district, Uganda, identified 837 seroconverters followed annually between 1995 and 2003 until they died, were censored by outmigration or truncated on 31 December 2003 because antiretroviral treatment became available. HIV-1 subtype was determined by multiple hybridization assay for 396 seroconverters. The median interval from infection to death was estimated by Kaplan–Meier survival analyses and Weibull models. Hazard ratios (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) associated with survival were estimated using Cox proportional hazards modeling Results:There were 122 deaths over 2330 person-years (py), an average mortality of 5.2/100 py. The median survival time was 8.7 years (95% CI 8.1–9.3), and did not differ by sex, place of residence or time period of seroconversion. Survival time decreased significantly with older age at infection (P = 0.01). Survival was shorter with subtypes D, AD recombinant or multiple infections compared with subtype A (log rank P = 0.04), but this was of borderline significance after adjustment (adjusted HR 3.47, 95% CI 0.89–15.44, P = 0.07). Non-A subtypes constituted 84.6% of all identifiable infections and had a median survival time of 7.5 years (95% CI 6.4–8.5), whereas over 90% of those infected with subtype A were still alive 7 years post-infection. Conclusion:The median survival time in Rakai was shorter than reported in other African populations, and we hypothesize that this may be a result of the predominance of non-A subtypes with faster disease progression in this population.
Isolation and identification of microbes associated with mobile phones in Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia

Objective: This study was conducted to determine microbial contamination of mobile phones in the city of Dammam, in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, and identify the most important microbial species associated with these phones in order to take the necessary remedial measures. Materials and Methods: The analysis of a total of 202 samples was done to identify fungal and pathogenic bacteria isolates. Sterile swabs were firmly passed on the handset, the buttons and the screens of mobile phones, then inoculated into media of bacteria and fungi. Frequency distribution of isolates were calculated. Results: There were 737 isolated of the following bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Neisseria sicca, Micrococcus luteus, Proteus mirabilis, Bacillus subtilis, and Enterobacter aerogenes at the rate of 56.58, 13.57, 8.01, 7.73, 6.51, 3.66, 2.85 and 1.09% respectively. There were fungal isolates as follows: Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium sp. , Penicillium spp. , Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus ochraceus at the rate of 29.07, 26.74, 20.93, 10.47, 6.98, 2.33, 2.33, 1.16%, respectively. Conclusions: The study showed that all mobile phones under consideration were infected by several microbes, most of which belonged to the natural flora of the human body as well as airborne fungi and soil. This means that it is necessary to sterilize hands after contact with a phone since it is a source of disease transmission.
Pharmacodynamic modeling of the in vivo interaction between cefotaxime and ofloxacin by using serum ultrafiltrate inhibitory titers

The pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of cefotaxime and ofloxacin and of their combination were examined in a three-period randomized crossover study involving 12 healthy adults. The PK of cefotaxime and ofloxacin were modeled. PD was assessed from the predicted concentrations in serum and serum untrafiltrate inhibitory titers for 10 test organisms. An inhibitory sigmoid Emax model based on the probability of bacterial growth was used, where Emax = 1 and EC50 is the concentration resulting in a 50% probability of growth. The total body clearance (CL(T)) and volume of distribution at steady state (V(SS)) for cefotaxime were 0.236 liters/kg/h and 0.207 liters/kg, respectively, for the monotherapy and 0.231 liters/kg/h and 0.208 liters/kg for the combination therapy. Ofloxacin exhibited PK parameters of 0.143 liters/kg/h for CL(T) and 1.20 liters/kg for V(SS) following the monotherapy and of 0.141 liters/kg/h for CL(T) and 1.16 liters/kg for V(SS) following combination therapy. For the combination therapy, an interaction term, theta, defined the type and relative extent of interaction. The range of observed theta values (-0.033 to 0.067) is consistent with an additive PD interaction according to standards similar to those used for the in vitro fractional inhibitory concentration index.
Enuresis and Hyperventilation Response in the EEG

A total of 420 enuretic children aged between four and 15 years and 100 controls were examined by EEG in order to determine their hyperventilation response, which is considered to be a non‐specific sign of brain dysfunction or of cortical instability as a result of delayed maturation. It was found that an increased hyperventilation response occurred mainly among children with primary enuresis (bed‐wetters from birth). This was true even if the children had a ‘uropathy’. It was also commoner among the children with pathological EEGs at rest. The results for those with secondary enuresis (later onset) were similar to the controls. These findings indicate that disturbed cerebral control of the bladder is an important factor in primary enuresis. Psychological factors are thought to account for the occurrence of secondary enuresis.
Separate neural correlates for the mnemonic components of successive discrimination and working memory tasks.

We have used positron emission tomography to map the mnemonic components of two tasks at the extremes of the visual short-term/ working memory spectrum. The successive discrimination task requires only storage of a single item for very short time (ultra-short- term memory), while the 2back task requires both maintenance (i.e. storage and rehearsal) and manipulation of several items (working memory). We tested whether or not the storage component, common to the two tasks, engaged the same cerebral regions. To remove unnecessary confounds, we reduced the cues available to the subjects to a single elementary attribute, the orientation of a grating presented in central vision. This prevented subjects from using verbal strategies or vestibular cues and allowed equating of difficulty among tasks. Ultra-short-term memory for orientation engaged a large expanse of occipito-temporal cortex with a rate-dependent antero-posterior gradient: a fast trial rate engaged posterior regions, a slow trial rate anterior regions. On the other hand, working memory for orientation involved the left inferior parietal cortex, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and a left superior frontal sulcus region, and to a lesser degree the symmetrical right superior frontal region and a left superior parietal region. Direct comparison of the two orientation memory networks confirmed their functional segregation. We conclude that at least the storage of orientation information engages distinct regions depending on whether or not short-term memory/working memory involves rehearsal and/or manipulative processes.
Non‐linear input–output properties of the cortical networks mediating TMS‐induced short‐interval intracortical inhibition in humans

The effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on post‐discharge histograms of single motor units in the first dorsal interosseous have been tested to estimate the input–output properties of cortical network‐mediating short‐interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) to pyramidal cells of the human primary motor cortex. SICI was studied using the paired pulse paradigm (2‐ms interval): test TMS intensity was varied to evoke peaks of different size in post‐discharge histograms, reflecting the corticospinal excitatory post‐synaptic potential in the relevant spinal motoneuron, and conditioning TMS intensity was constant (0.6 × the resting motor threshold). Navigated brain stimulation was used to monitor the coil position. A linear relationship was observed between test peak size and test TMS intensity, reflecting linear summation of excitatory inputs induced by TMS. SICI was estimated using the difference between conditioned (produced by the paired pulses) and test peaks (produced by the isolated test pulse). Although the conditioning intensity (activating cortical inhibitory interneurons mediating SICI) was kept constant throughout the experiments, the level of SICI changed with the test peak size, in a non‐linear fashion, suggesting that low‐threshold cortical neurons (excitatory interneurons/pyramidal cells) are less sensitive to SICI than those of higher threshold. These findings provide the first experimental evidence, under physiological conditions, for non‐linear input/output properties of a complex cortical network. Consequently, changes in the recruitment gain of cortical inhibitory interneurons can greatly modify the excitability of pyramidal cells and their response to afferent inputs.