Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isometric muscle force production as a function of age in healthy 20- to 74-yr-old men.

Typically, previous studies have focused on one muscle group, the finger flexors, and only one aspect of muscle function, strength, when assessing age-related muscle force production characteristics. In the present study, the maximal voluntary isometric contraction force-time curves of five muscle groups (right hand finger flexors, right thumb abductors, right forearm extensors, right leg dorsiflexors, and right leg plantar flexors) were assessed in men, ranging in age from 20 to 74 yr. One hundred fifty-three volunteers were placed into appropriate 5-yr age groups: 20-24 (N = 14), 25-29 (N = 15), 30-34 (N = 16), 35-39 (N = 13), 40-44 (N = 16), 45-49 (N = 11), 50-54 (N = 16), 55-59 (N = 12), 60-64 (N = 17), 65-69 (N = 13), and 70-74 (N = 10) years. Muscle function was characterized by a number of force-time parameters, including strength, time, rate, and impulse. The data were analyzed both with and without consideration of the influence of physique and body composition. The results indicated that there were significant age group differences in the ability to produce maximal force (strength) (P less than 0.05), to generate maximal rates of force production (P less than 0.05), and in the total forces generated (impulse) (P less than 0.05), with an overall and in the total forces generated (impulse) (P less than 0.05), with an overall decline with increasing age. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Factor V Leiden, C>T MTHFR Polymorphism and Genetic Susceptibility to Preeclampsia

Summary We performed a case-controlled study to investigate whether the FV Leiden mutation and the C>T677 polymorphism of the 5,10 methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) are associated with the occurrence of preeclampsia in 96 otherwise healthy preeclamptic women and 129 parous women as controls. FV Leiden carriers were 10 (10.5%) in cases and 3 (2.3%) in controls (OR: 4.9, 95% Cl: 1.3-18.3). MTHFR TT homozygotes were 28 (29.8%) in cases and 24 (18.6%) in the control group (OR: 1.8,95% Cl 1.0-3.5). No difference in any of the polymorphisms was found between proteinuric (n = 45) and non-proteinur-ic (n = 51) patients. Moreover, MTHFR polymorphism does not affect the association between FV Leiden and preeclampsia. In conclusion, FV Leiden mutation and MTHFR TT genotype are associated with the occurrence of preeclampsia, suggesting that, during pregnancy, women carrying these gene variants are prone to develop such a complication.
Profile Controlled Gold Nanostructures Fabricated by Nanosphere Lithography for Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is the coherent oscillation of conductive electrons confined in noble metallic nanoparticles excited by electromagnetic radiation, and nanosphere lithography (NSL) is one of the cost-effective methods to fabricate metal nanostructures for LSPR. NSL can be categorized into two major groups: dispersed NSL and closely pack NSL. In recent years, gold nanocrescents and gold nanoholes with vertical sidewalls fabricated by dispersed NSL, and silver nanotriangles and gold nanocaps on silica nanospheres fabricated by closely pack NSL, have been reported for LSPR biosensing. This paper introduces several novel gold nanostructures fabricated by NSL in LSPR applications, including 3D nanostructures obtained by evaporating gold obliquely on dispersed nanospheres, nanoholes with slant sidewalls, and patchy nanoparticles on closely packed nanospheres, all of which render satisfactory sensitivity for LSPR sensing. Since the LSPR spectrum is very sensitive to the shape of the metal nanostructures, formulas are derived and software is developed for calculating the profiles of the obtainable metal nanostructures by NSL, for different nanosphere masks with different fabrication conditions. The simulated profiles coincide well with the profiles of the fabricated gold nanostructures observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM), which proves that the software is a useful tool for the process design of different LSPR nanostructures. Keywords—Nanosphere lithography, localized surface plasmon resonance, biosensor, simulation.
Corticosteroid withdrawal in kidney transplantation: the present status

Corticosteroids (CS) have played a vital role in organ transplantation, both for prevention and treatment of allograft rejection. However, the use of CS is associated with a wide range of adverse effects. With advances in immunosuppressive drug therapy, attempts have been made to minimize the use of CS to avoid or alleviate their side effects. Withdrawal of CS months after transplantation has transitioned to days. In low to intermediate risk renal allograft recipients, use of induction therapy and modern maintenance drug combinations allows safe withdrawal of CS within the first week of transplantation. In other groups, existing potent maintenance agents permit tapering of CS to low doses over the first few months. Withdrawal of these small doses may not add to the benefits.
MÉXICO Y LA CUENCA DEL PACÍFICO

Mexico y la Cuenca del Pacifico (MyCP) es una revista cuatrimestral editada por la Universidad de Guadalajara. MyCP fue fundada en 1998, es pionera en su genero en Mexico y en America Latina. Tiene por objeto contribuir al estudio de la politica, la economia, la cultura y la sociedad de los paises de Asia-Pacifico, asi como al analisis de los procesos de integracion en la region. De esta manera, MyCP se distingue como un foro de discusion que privilegia enfoques teoricos, practicos y analiticos desde una perspectiva transpacifica e interdisciplinaria. Los articulos publicados bajo el estricto proceso de arbitraje de pares, hacen de MyCP una plataforma de investigacion sobre Asia-Pacifico y un referente para quienes buscan una perspectiva academica integral sobre la dinamica de la region. MyCP esta indizada en SciELO Citation Index - WoS, Redalyc, SciELO Mexico, Sistema de Clasificacion de Revistas Mexicanas de Ciencia y Tecnologia del Conacyt, CLASE , Lat-Am-Studies, LATINDEX, Biblat y en el Catalogo Colectivo de Publicaciones Periodicas de la Biblioteca Nacional de Espana. MyCP cuenta con un Comite Editorial compuesto por mas de sesenta especialistas de diferentes instituciones academicas de Asia-Pacifico. Publica articulos en ingles y espanol.
Transverse membrane topography of the B875 light-harvesting polypeptides of wild-type Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Purified B875 light-harvesting complex, chromatophores, and spheroplast-derived vesicles from wild-type Rhodobacter sphaeroides were treated with proteinase K or trypsin, and the alpha and beta polypeptides were analyzed by electrophoretic, immunochemical, and protein-sequencing methods. With the purified complex, proteinase K digested both polypeptides and completely eliminated the A875 peak. Trypsin digested the alpha polypeptide and reduced the A875 by 50%. Proteinase K cleaved the beta polypeptide of chromatophores and the alpha polypeptide of spheroplast-derived vesicles. Sequence analyses of polypeptides extracted from proteinase K-treated chromatophores revealed that the beta polypeptide was cleaved between amino acids 4 and 5 from the N terminus. The N terminus of the alpha polypeptide was intact. We concluded that the N terminus of the beta polypeptide is exposed on the cytoplasmic membrane surface, and the difference in the digestion patterns between the spheroplast-derived vesicles and chromatophores suggested that the C terminus of the alpha polypeptide is exposed on the periplasmic surface.
[Effect of different surgical approaches on quality of life and cost-consequence].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) and transvaginal hysterectomy (TVH) on quality of life, cost and health care utilization. METHODS A study of women who underwent elective hysterectomy was performed to assess the effect of operations on quality of life using WHO quality of life-bref before operation, at the 4th, 14th and 28th day after operation, respectively. The data of total cost and health care utilization were also analyzed. RESULTS The score of quality of life at the 4th day after operation in TVH patients was significantly higher than that in TAH patients (93 +/- 6 vs 81 +/- 11, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in this score between TVH and LH, and between LH and TAH patients. However, at the 14th and 28th after operation, the scores in both TVH and LH patients were significantly higher than that in TAH patients (95 +/- 7 and 96 +/- 7 vs 85 +/- 9, P < 0.001 and 0.001; 96 +/- 10 and 98 +/- 7 vs 87 +/- 10, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the total costs among three groups. The better health care utilization was in LH and TVH patients, and the worse in TAH patients. CONCLUSIONS The effect of LH and TVH on quality of life and health economics is similar, and appears to be superior than that of TAH.
RADIOTHERAPY VERSUS RADIOSURGERY IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH ACROMEGALY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS.

OBJECTIVE When patients with acromegaly have residual disease following surgery, adjuvant radiation therapy is considered. Both stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and conventional fractionated radiotherapy (RT) are utilized. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize the existing evidence and compare outcomes for SRS and RT in patients with acromegaly. METHODS We searched Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through April 2014 for studies in which SRS or RT were used in patients with acromegaly. Outcomes evaluated were serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and growth hormone (GH) levels, biochemical remission, all-cause mortality, hypopituitarism, headaches, and secondary malignancies. We pooled outcomes using a random-effects model. RESULTS The final search yielded 30 eligible studies assessing 2,464 patients. Compared to RT, SRS was associated with a nonsignificant increase in remission rate at the latest follow-up period (52% vs. 36%; P = .14) and a significantly lower follow-up IGF-I level (-409.72 μg/L vs. -102 μg/L, P = .002). SRS had a lower incidence of hypopituitarism than RT; however, the difference was not statistically significant (32% vs. 51%, respectively; P = .05). CONCLUSION SRS may be associated with better biochemical remission, and it had a lower risk of hypopituitarism with at least 1 deficient axis when compared with RT; however, the confidence in such evidence is very low due to the noncomparative nature of the studies, high heterogeneity, and imprecision.
Craniocerebral gunshot injuries in civilian practice--prognostic criteria and surgical management: experience with 82 cases.

The records of 82 patients with penetrating gunshot wounds of the head seen during a 2-year period (1973 through 1975) were reviewed. All patients had a thorough neurologic evaluation and diagnostic roentgenographic studies within 5 hours of injury. The state of consciousness, which could be assesse
Pressure activity of the colon and rectum in diverticular disease before and after sigmoid myotomy

MUSCULAR hypertrophy was first associated with diverticular disease of the colon by Habershon in 1857. The significance of this hypertrophy (Fig. I) was poorly appreciated till Morson (1963) and Slack (1966) pointed out that a study of surgical specimens of symptomatic diverticular disease showed it to be an almost invariable feature. The colonic diverticula could result from intraluminal pulsion forces developed by the hypertrophied and, presumably, hyperactive musculature. This conjecture was, in turn, substantiated by the manometric studies of Painter and Truelove (1964b), who measured the intraluminal pressures of the colon in the areas containing the diverticula and showed that some commonly used drugs which stimulated the colonic muscle produced not only high intraluminal pressures but also an exaggerated response in the diseased areas. Reduction of the muscular hyperactivity should lead to a lowering of the pulsion forces. The operation of sigmoid colomyotomy (Reilly, 1966) is based on the principle of interruption of the rings of hypertrophied smooth muscle in a manner comparable to Heller’s procedure at the cardia or Ramstedt’s procedure at the pylorus and, therefore, appears rational. The operative procedure involves incision of the circular muscle through an antimesenteric taenia, extending from the lower descending colon through the sigmoid as far as the peritoneal reflection, and is deepened as far as the submucosa. There is no evidence, to date, that this operation alters the disordered processes which the raised pressures reflect, nor that it induces beneficial changes. The primary objective of this study was, therefore, to determine whether the operation achieved a reduction in intraluminal pressure by comparison of the preand postoperate manometric results.
Self-ratings on the semantic differential: content versus response set.

Self-ratings by 376 children (grades 1-6) on 2 scales of the semantic differential were scored for content (power and evaluation) and for extremity response set. Set was related negatively to mental age (r = -.59) and positively to the evaluative (r = +.45) and power (r = +.23) scales. Content scores, with set controlled, were related to sex and IQ. It was concluded that this technique is useful for investigating children's verbal self-reports, but that controls for extremity set are needed.
Calcium and the stimulant and inhibitory effects of adrenaline in depolarized smooth muscle

In an earlier paper we investigated the relation of the acetylcholine response of the depolarized rat uterus to calcium (Edman & Schild, 1962). It was found that a uterus which had been depolarized by immersion in calcium-free potassium Ringer's solution became extremely sensitive to calcium, low concentrations of which caused a graded and reversible contractile effect. Acetylcholine produced a further contraction which added to the effect of calcium. In the absence of calcium from the potassium Ringer's solution the acetylcholine responses declined and this decline could be accelerated by frequent stimulations with acetylcholine. Addition of calcium immediately restored the acetylcholine responses. The results seemed to be generally compatible with the view that acetylcholine exerts its action in the depolarized preparation by mobilizing bound calcium. In the present paper we have investigated the interaction of adrenaline and calcium in depolarized smooth muscle, using preparations in which adrenaline produces stimulant or inhibitory effects. The stimulant, contraction-inducing effects of adrenaline resembled those of acetylcholine in relation to calcium, whilst the inhibitory effects were antagonistic to the contractile effect of calcium.
Comparison between Sendai virus and adenovirus vectors to transduce HIV‐1 genes into human dendritic cells

Immuno‐genetherapy using dendritic cells (DCs) can be applied to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) infection. Sendai virus (SeV) has unique features such as cytoplasmic replication and high protein expression as a vector for genetic manipulation. In this study, we compared the efficiency of inducing green fluorescent protein (GFP) and HIV‐1 gene expression in human monocyte‐derived DCs between SeV and adenovirus (AdV). Human monocyte‐derived DCs infected with SeV showed the maximum gene expression 24 hr after infection at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 2. Although SeV vector showed higher cytopathic effect on DCs than AdV, SeV vector induced maximum gene expression earlier and at much lower MOI. In terms of cell surface phenotype, both SeV and AdV vectors induced DC maturation. DCs infected with SeV as well as AdV elicited HIV‐1 specific T‐cell responses detected by interferon γ (IFN‐γ) enzyme‐linked immunospot (Elispot). Our data suggest that SeV could be one of the reliable vectors for immuno‐genetherapy for HIV‐1 infected patients. J. Med. Virol. 80:373–382, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Negotiating Lives, Redefining Repressive Policies: Managing the Legacies of Stalinist Deportations

Administrative collective exile, implemented in 1940 and 1941 and again from 1944 onward, involved the deportation of hundreds of thousands of people from the western territories annexed by the Soviet Union after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed in August 1939. These forced displacements fitted into a broader policy of Soviet mass deportations, which had started with the collectivization of the countryside in 1929–32. More than six million people were deported and assigned the degrading, restrictive status of “special deportees,” “special settlers,” or “exiles,” a status that evolved during subsequent waves of deportation and over time.1
Factors affecting male infertility

Introduction: Infertility is commonly defined as the failure of conception after at least 12 months of unprotected intercourse. 1 Accurate assessment of the prevalence of infertility has always been difficult because of the large scale population based studies. 2 Male factor is the only cause of infertility in about 20 % of infertile couples, but it may be a contributing factor in as many as 30 % to 40 % of cases.3 Factors like diabetes, bronchiectasis, high grade fever, long term medication, urinary tract infection, sexually transmitted infection, epididymitis, testicular injury, un-descended testis, mumps, orchitis, excessive alcohol, smoking, exposure to heat and certain chemicals effect in the spermatogenesis. Impotence or erectile dysfunction remains one of the important contributors in the male infertility. Methods: This is a prospective descriptive study conducted during the health camps in Sindhupalchowk, Manang, Baitedi, Rauthat and Darchula districts of the Nepal. The objective of the study is to find out the factors contributing to male infertility. Couples who were unable to conceive after regular, unprotected coitus of at least one year were included in the study. Detail history, clinical examination and semen analysis was done. Results: There was limited facility of investigation and treatment of infertility in the health camps. The diagnosis was based only on history, examination and semen analysis. Various factors like mumps, chemical exposure like men working in carpet factory, testicular trauma and smoking were found as contributing factor of male infertility in these districts. Conclusions: Testicular trauma, mumps, smoking is common in all the districts. Exposure to chemicals such as dyes, used in carpet factories seems to be responsible for infertility in some men of Sindhupalchowk and Darchula. Keywords: Azospermia; male infertility; oligospermia. DOI: 10.3126/joim.v31i3. 2972 Journal of Institute of Medicine, December, 2009; 31(3) 10-12
Toxicological Evaluation of Realistic Emission Source Aerosols (TERESA): Introduction and overview

Determining the health impacts of sources and components of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an important scientific goal. PM2.5 is a complex mixture of inorganic and organic constituents that are likely to differ in their potential to cause adverse health outcomes. The Toxicological Evaluation of Realistic Emissions of Source Aerosols (TERESA) study focused on two PM sources—coal-fired power plants and mobile sources—and sought to investigate the toxicological effects of exposure to emissions from these sources. The set of papers published here document the power plant experiments. TERESA attempted to delineate health effects of primary particles, secondary (aged) particles, and mixtures of these with common atmospheric constituents. TERESA involved withdrawal of emissions from the stacks of three coal-fired power plants in the United States. The emissions were aged and atmospherically transformed in a mobile laboratory simulating downwind power plant plume processing. Toxicological evaluations were carried out in laboratory rats exposed to different emission scenarios with extensive exposure characterization. The approach employed in TERESA was ambitious and innovative. Technical challenges included the development of stack sampling technology that prevented condensation of water vapor from the power plant exhaust during sampling and transfer, while minimizing losses of primary particles; development and optimization of a photochemical chamber to provide an aged aerosol for animal exposures; development and evaluation of a denuder system to remove excess gaseous components; and development of a mobile toxicology laboratory. This paper provides an overview of the conceptual framework, design, and methods employed in the study.
Membrane‐bound glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase and multiphasic erythrocyte sugar transport

Net sugar import by human erythrocytes consists of ATP‐modulated rapid and slow phases while sugar export consists of a single slow phase. We have proposed that this behaviour results from obligate substrate tunnelling from transporter to bulk cytosol through a complex containing high‐affinity, low‐capacity sugar binding sites (Cloherty, Sultzman, Zottola & Carruthers, 1995). Glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is known to compartmentalize ATP delivery to erythrocyte membrane ATPases and interact directly with the erythrocyte glucose transporter in vitro. The present study examines the possibility that GAPDH is an obligate component of the hypothesized sugar‐binding complex. GAPDH remains associated with the erythrocyte membrane following cell lysis and remains associated with the cytoskeleton under conditions where more than 99% of the membrane glucose transport protein (GLUT1) is released by detergent (Triton X‐100). GAPDH is released from erythrocyte membranes upon exposure to Mg.ATP or to NADH. ATP displacement of membrane‐bound GAPDH is half‐maximal at 200 microM ATP and appears to involve ATP interaction with multiple, co‐operative sites. GAPDH interaction with purified tetrameric GLUT1 is saturable, co‐operative and also inhibited by ATP. ATP inhibition of GAPDH binding to purified tetrameric GLUT1 is less effective than ATP inhibition of GAPDH binding to intact erythrocyte membranes. Removal of cellular GAPDH by exposing erythrocyte membranes to NADH prior to membrane resealing neither affects ATP modulation of sugar transport nor reduces biphasic net sugar uptake to a single phase. We conclude that ATP‐sensitive GAPDH interaction with the cytoplasmic surface of erythrocyte membranes and GLUT1 is responsible neither for ATP modulation of sugar transport nor for multiphasic net sugar import by human red cells.
The Effect of On-Line Consumer Reviews on Consumer Purchasing Intention: The Moderating Role of Involvement

On-line consumer reviews, functioning both as informants and as recommenders, are important in making purchase decisions and for product sales. Their persuasive impact depends on both their quality and their quantity. This paper uses the elaboration likelihood model to explain how level of involvement with a product moderates these relationships. The study produces three major findings: (1) the quality of on-line reviews has a positive effect on consumers' purchasing intention, (2) purchasing intention increases as the number of reviews increases, and (3) low-involvement consumers are affected by the quantity rather than the quality of reviews, but high-involvement consumers are affected by review quantity mainly when the review quality is high. These findings have implications for on-line sellers in terms of how to manage on-line consumer reviews.