Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intensive Communicative Therapy Reduces Symptoms of Depression in Chronic Nonfluent Aphasia

Background. Patients with brain lesions and resultant chronic aphasia frequently suffer from depression. However, no effective interventions are available to target neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aphasia who have severe language and communication deficits. Objective. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of 2 different methods of speech and language therapy in reducing symptoms of depression in aphasia on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) using secondary analysis (BILAT-1 trial). Methods. In a crossover randomized controlled trial, 18 participants with chronic nonfluent aphasia following left-hemispheric brain lesions were assigned to 2 consecutive treatments: (1) intensive language-action therapy (ILAT), emphasizing communicative language use in social interaction, and (2) intensive naming therapy (INT), an utterance-centered standard method. Patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups, receiving both treatments in counterbalanced order. Both interventions were applied for 3.5 hours daily over a period of 6 consecutive working days. Outcome measures included depression scores on the BDI and a clinical language test (Aachen Aphasia Test). Results. Patients showed a significant decrease in symptoms of depression after ILAT but not after INT, which paralleled changes on clinical language tests. Treatment-induced decreases in depression scores persisted when controlling for individual changes in language performance. Conclusions. Intensive training of behaviorally relevant verbal communication in social interaction might help reduce symptoms of depression in patients with chronic nonfluent aphasia.
Aquatic export of young dissolved and gaseous carbon from a pristine boreal fen: Implications for peat carbon stock stability

The stability of northern peatland's carbon (C) store under changing climate is of major concern for the global C cycle. The aquatic export of C from boreal peatlands is recognized as both a critical pathway for the remobilization of peat C stocks as well as a major component of the net ecosystem C balance (NECB). Here, we present a full year characterization of radiocarbon content (14C) of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) exported from a boreal peatland catchment coupled with 14C characterization of the catchment's peat profile of the same C species. The age of aquatic C in runoff varied little throughout the year and appeared to be sustained by recently fixed C from the atmosphere (<60 years), despite stream DOC, CO2, and CH4 primarily being sourced from deep peat horizons (2–4 m) near the mire's outlet. In fact, the 14C content of DOC, CO2, and CH4 across the entire peat profile was considerably enriched with postbomb C compared with the solid peat material. Overall, our results demonstrate little to no mobilization of ancient C stocks from this boreal peatland and a relatively large resilience of the source of aquatic C export to forecasted hydroclimatic changes.
Low-Dose Oxaliplatin Enhances the Antitumor Efficacy of Paclitaxel in Human Gastric Cancer Cell Lines

Background: The enhanced antitumor effect of paclitaxel when used with oxaliplatin in gastric cancer is reported, however the underlying biological mechanism is unknown. Methods: We tested the cytotoxic activity, apoptosis, and mitotic catastrophe of paclitaxel and oxaliplatin in MKN-28 and MKN-45 gastric cancer cell lines. The modulation of survivin expression was determined by Western blotting. Results: WST-1 assay indicated that paclitaxel plus oxaliplatin showed better cytotoxicity than paclitaxel alone, even when low concentrations of oxaliplatin were used. Flow cytometry analysis revealed significantly greater increases in apoptotic cells after treatment with paclitaxel followed by low-dose oxaliplatin (1 µM) than after any single-reagent regimen in the MKN-45 cell line. In MKN-28, a difference existed only between combination treatment and oxaliplatin treatment. Morphologic examination showed that the cells undergoing mitotic catastrophe were highest in the combination groups in the both cell lines. Downregulation of survivin expression was found by Western blotting with treatment by paclitaxel, oxaliplatin, or their combination. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the mechanism of enhanced cytotoxicity might be through enhanced mitotic catastrophe and apoptosis, which is possibly due to chemotherapy-induced downregulation of surviving. The combination of paclitaxel and low-dose oxaliplatin should be incorporated into the design of a clinical trial.
Molecular Psychiatry Adaptations of Receptor‐Coupled Signal Transduction Pathways Underlying Stress‐ and Drug‐Induced Neural Plasticity

Advances in molecular biology and neuroscience are leading to new opportunities for elucidation of the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders and the long-term actions of psychotropic drugs. The actions of first messengers, including neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and neurotrophins, on neuronal function can now be viewed in terms of their regulation of complex intracellular signal transduction pathways. These pathways mediate most actions of first messengers, including fast mediatory (e.g., cell firing), short-term modulatory (e.g., neuronal metabolism, receptor sensitivity, neurotransmitter sensitivity), and long-term modulatory (e.g., gene expression). Moreover, it is becoming increasingly evident that adaptations of receptor-coupled intracellular pathways, referred to here as neural plasticity, mediate the long-term actions of psychotropic drug treatments. In addition, an inability to mount the appropriate adaptive responses to environmental stressors could contribute to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. The following provides a brief overview of receptor-coupled intracellular signal transduction pathways in brain and general mechanisms of neural plasticity. Specific examples of neural plasticity in response to stress, antidepressant treatments, and drugs of abuse are discussed in greater detail. Continued elucidation of the intracellular signal transduction pathways which govern neuronal function and the mechanisms that mediate neural plasticity will provide the basis for the development of more effective and fast-acting therapeutic agents, as well as identification of the abnormalities underlying psychiatric disorders.
Post-surgical use of radioiodine (131I) in patients with papillary and follicular thyroid cancer and the issue of remnant ablation: a consensus report.

OBJECTIVE To determine, based on published literature and expert clinical experience, current indications for the post-surgical administration of a large radioiodine activity in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. DESIGN AND METHODS A literature review was performed and was then analyzed and discussed by a panel of experts from 13 European countries. RESULTS There is general agreement that patients with unifocal microcarcinomas = 1 cm in diameter and no node or distant metastases have a <2% recurrence rate after surgery alone, and that post-surgical radioiodine confers recurrence and cause-specific survival benefits in patients, strongly suspected of having persistent disease or known to have tumor in the neck or distant sites. In other patients, there is limited evidence that after complete thyroidectomy and adequate lymph node dissection performed by an expert surgeon, post-surgical radioiodine provides clear benefit. When there is any uncertainty about the completeness of surgery, evidence suggests that radioiodine can reduce recurrences and possibly mortality. CONCLUSION This survey confirms that post-surgical radioiodine should be used selectively. The modality is definitely indicated in patients with distant metastases, incomplete tumor resection, or complete tumor resection but high risk of recurrence and mortality. Probable indications include patients with tumors >1 cm and with suboptimal surgery (less than total thyroidectomy or no lymph node dissection), with age <16 years, or with unfavorable histology.
Effects of terbutaline on basal thermogenesis of human skeletal muscle and Na-K pump after 1 week of oral use--a placebo controlled comparison with propranolol.

1. A double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted on the effects of oral terbutaline (beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist) and propranolol (beta 1 beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonist) on basal heat production of skeletal muscle, measured ex vivo by direct microcalorimetry. Terbutaline slow-release 7.5 mg, propranolol 80 mg, and matching placebo were randomly administered twice daily for 1 week to 15 healthy males, using a cross-over design. 2. Resting heat production in biopsied vastus lateralis was lowered by median 27% (P < 0.01) after terbutaline medication as compared with placebo. The cause of this hypometabolism at the cellular level is obscure but may possibly be explained by desensitization of beta 2-receptors. 3. Propranolol decreased the metabolic rate by 17% (P > 0.3); this might imply that the sympathetic nervous system is playing only a minor role in the regulation of basal metabolic rate in muscle, or that up-regulation of beta-receptors had influenced the decline. 4. The muscle utilized about 6% of its total energy for the Na-K pump as assessed after inhibition by ouabain. 5. Serum potassium was significantly lowered by terbutaline and slightly increased by propranolol with no relationship between changes in extracellular levels and muscle content of potassium under resting conditions. Energy values for the Na-K pump in muscle after 1 week of terbutaline or propranolol medication were similar to placebo. The results are not consistent with the hypothesis that decreased serum potassium during continuous beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist treatment is due to a chronically activated Na-K pump, at least not in resting muscle.
Neuroplasticity Associated With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury may result in neuroplastic changes due to lost mechanoreceptors of the ACL and compensations in neuromuscular control. These alterations are not completely understood. Assessing brain function after ACL injury and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with functional magnetic resonance imaging provides a means to address this gap in knowledge. OBJECTIVE: To compare differences in brain activation during knee flexion/extension in persons who have undergone ACLR and in matched controls. METHODS: Fifteen participants who had undergone left ACLR (38.13 ± 27.16 months postsurgery) and 15 healthy controls matched on age, sex, height, mass, extremity dominance, education level, sport participation, and physical activity level participated. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained during a unilateral knee motor task consisting of repeated cycles of knee flexion and extension. RESULTS: Participants who had undergone ACLR had increased activation in the contralateral motor cortex, lingual gyrus, and ipsilateral secondary somatosensory area and diminished activation in the ipsilateral motor cortex and cerebellum when compared to healthy matched controls. CONCLUSION: Brain activation for knee flexion/extension motion may be altered following ACLR. The ACLR brain activation profile may indicate a shift toward a visual‐motor strategy as opposed to a sensory‐motor strategy to engage in knee movement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Cohort, level 3.
Phytochemical and Antibacterial Activity of The Essential Oil of Artemisia herba-alba from Morocco

The extraction of essential oils from the aerial part of Artemisia herba-alba is obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for determining their chemical composition. Their antibacterial activity was studied in vitro on two bacterial strains: Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus. The essential oil yields of the studied plant were 0.21 for fresh aerial part and 0.25% for dry aerial part. The major component of the essential oil from dry aerial part of Artemisia herba-alba was the α-terpineol (47.33%), myrtenyl acetate (22.22%) and chrysanthenyl acetate (20.55%). While the major compounds of essential oil from fresh aerial part was the Borneol (35.68%), αterpineol (33.36%), and δ-cadinol (12.07%). The bacterial strains tested were found to be sensitive to essential oils studied and showed a very effective bactericidal activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.125 to 0.5 mg/ml.
A Comprehensive Multidimensional Conceptual Model to Assess the e-Governance Service Quality at Common Service Centers in India

E-governance is a new way of life where ITC (Information Technology and Communication) has believed to enhance the communication and services of government. It has reduced cost and time of availability and delivery of services to citizen and limited corruptions when compared to traditional way of availing government services. CSC is one of the core infrastructures under NeGP (National e-Governance Plan) in 2006 by GoI (Government of India). It envisages the socio-economic status of rural population by including them in development process and providing sustainable digital access. The main aim of CSC is to provide frontend delivery points for government (G2C), private and social sector organizations (B2C) to support for the benefit and upliftment of the rural community in remotest places. A large number of studies have been conducted by academics to measure the service quality of e-governance. But they did not come out with a comprehensive model for assessing the service quality of CSCs. The present systematic and descriptive research is undertaken with two main objectives- to review major e-governance G2C service quality models and to assess the key dimensions for developing a comprehensive multidimensional conceptual model for e-governance service quality of CSCs in India. The study found that information quality, system quality, institution-service quality, trust, usability, citizen (user) satisfaction and net benefit are key dimensions to assess the service quality of CSCs.
Protective role of heat shock protein 27 in gastric mucosal injury

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) mediates cytoprotective effects through its function as a molecular chaperone and through the phosphorylation‐dependent stabilization of actin filaments. The role of HSP27 in gastric ulcer formation and healing is, however, unknown. The expression of HSP27 was studied in human gastric tissue specimens obtained from patients with gastric ulcers and from healthy Helicobacter pylori‐negative individuals, who received low‐dose aspirin, rofecoxib, and the combination in a prospective study. The susceptibility of the gastric mucosa to indomethacin‐induced lesions was further studied in transgenic mice overexpressing human HSP27 (TghuHSP27) and compared with wild‐type mice (Wt). The expression of HSP27, COX‐1, and COX‐2 was investigated in TghuHSP27 mice and Wt mice by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. While no specific changes in HSP27 expression were found following exposure of healthy human gastric mucosa to oral administration of aspirin or refocoxib, chronic gastric ulcers showed strong HSP27 expression at the ulcer base and margins. Here it was expressed by granulation tissue and regenerating surface epithelium. In TghuHSP27 mice, overexpression of HSP27 led to a significant decrease of indomethacin‐induced erosions and ulcers compared with Wt mice. COX‐1 and COX‐2 levels did not change. HSP27 is involved in chronic gastric ulcer repair mechanisms in humans, while overexpression of human HSP27 in gastric epithelial cells in mice reduces the susceptibility to non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID)‐induced gastric ulceration. This indicates that HSP27 expression is critical for mucosal protection in the stomach. Copyright © 2005 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High-Throughput Screening Reveals a Small-Molecule Inhibitor of the Renal Outer Medullary Potassium Channel and Kir7.1

The renal outer medullary potassium channel (ROMK) is expressed in the kidney tubule and critically regulates sodium and potassium balance. The physiological functions of other inward rectifying K+ (Kir) channels expressed in the nephron, such as Kir7.1, are less well understood in part due to the lack of selective pharmacological probes targeting inward rectifiers. In an effort to identify Kir channel probes, we performed a fluorescence-based, high-throughput screen (HTS) of 126,009 small molecules for modulators of ROMK function. Several antagonists were identified in the screen. One compound, termed VU590, inhibits ROMK with submicromolar affinity, but has no effect on Kir2.1 or Kir4.1. Low micromolar concentrations inhibit Kir7.1, making VU590 the first small-molecule inhibitor of Kir7.1. Structure-activity relationships of VU590 were defined using small-scale parallel synthesis. Electrophysiological analysis indicates that VU590 is an intracellular pore blocker. VU590 and other compounds identified by HTS will be instrumental in defining Kir channel structure, physiology, and therapeutic potential.
Automated Quantitative Analysis of Hepatitis B Virus DNA by Using the Cobas Amplicor HBV Monitor Test

ABSTRACT A highly sensitive method of quantitative analysis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in serum, the Cobas Amplicor HBV Monitor (Cobas-AM) test, was evaluated. Following a manual extraction of viral DNA, amplification, colorimetric detection, and quantitative determination are all automatically performed in the Cobas analyzer. Serially diluted samples with known HBV DNA concentrations were analyzed blindly. All samples with a virus concentration of 400 copies/ml and 83% of samples with a virus concentration of 100 copies/ml could be detected. A linear correlation between input HBV DNA and measured HBV DNA was seen in the range from 100 to 105 copies/ml. The mean coefficient of variation was 29.6% for all input levels and 18.9% for HBV DNA concentrations above 400 copies/ml. Samples with an HBV DNA level above 109 copies/ml could be reproducibly measured after predilution to 10−4 or 10−6 in negative serum; however, the level was underestimated if target DNA after dilution was still above the linear range of the assay. Quantitative results of the Cobas-AM test were interchangeable with measurements by the manual microwell plate version of Amplicor HBV Monitor (MWP-AM); the mean ratio for log Cobas-AM results/log MWP-AM results was 0.97 (standard error of the mean, 0.007) when serum samples from 153 chronic carriers were analyzed. The test should be of value for clinical assessment of chronic carriers and for monitoring the response to antiviral treatment. A limitation is the relatively narrow linear range of the assay, requiring predilution of high-titer (mainly hepatitis B e-antigen-positive) samples.
Effects of writing about stressful experiences on symptom reduction in patients with asthma or rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized trial.

CONTEXT Nonpharmacological treatments with little patient cost or risk are useful supplements to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of patients with chronic illness. Research has demonstrated that writing about emotionally traumatic experiences has a surprisingly beneficial effect on symptom reports, well-being, and health care use in healthy individuals. OBJECTIVE To determine if writing about stressful life experiences affects disease status in patients with asthma or rheumatoid arthritis using standardized quantitative outcome measures. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial conducted between October 1996 and December 1997. SETTING Outpatient community residents drawn from private and institutional practice. PATIENTS Volunteer sample of 112 patients with asthma (n = 61) or rheumatoid arthritis (n = 51) received the intervention; 107 completed the study, 58 in the asthma group and 49 in the rheumatoid arthritis group. INTERVENTION Patients were assigned to write either about the most stressful event of their lives (n = 71; 39 asthma, 32 rheumatoid arthritis) or about emotionally neutral topics (n = 41; 22 asthma, 19 rheumatoid arthritis) (the control intervention). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Asthma patients were evaluated with spirometry and rheumatoid arthritis patients were clinically examined by a rheumatologist. Assessments were conducted at baseline and at 2 weeks and 2 months and 4 months after writing and were done blind to experimental condition. RESULTS Of evaluable patients 4 months after treatment, asthma patients in the experimental group showed improvements in lung function (the mean percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1] improved from 63.9% at baseline to 76.3% at the 4-month follow-up; P<.001), whereas control group patients showed no change. Rheumatoid arthritis patients in the experimental group showed improvements in overall disease activity (a mean reduction in disease severity from 1.65 to 1.19 [28%] on a scale of 0 [asymptomatic] to 4 [very severe] at the 4-month follow-up; P=.001), whereas control group patients did not change. Combining all completing patients, 33 (47.1%) of 70 experimental patients had clinically relevant improvement, whereas 9 (24.3%) of 37 control patients had improvement (P=.001). CONCLUSION Patients with mild to moderately severe asthma or rheumatoid arthritis who wrote about stressful life experiences had clinically relevant changes in health status at 4 months compared with those in the control group. These gains were beyond those attributable to the standard medical care that all participants were receiving. It remains unknown whether these health improvements will persist beyond 4 months or whether this exercise will prove effective with other diseases.
Estimation of heritability, evolvability and genetic correlations of two pollen and pistil traits involved in a sexual conflict over timing of stigma receptivity in Collinsia heterophylla (Plantaginaceae).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Heritable genetic variation is crucial for selection to operate, yet there is a paucity of studies quantifying such variation in interactive male/female sexual traits, especially those of plants. Previous work on the annual plant Collinsia heterophylla, a mixed-mating species, suggests that delayed stigma receptivity is involved in a sexual conflict: pollen from certain donors fertilize ovules earlier than others at the expense of reduced maternal seed set and lower levels of pollen competition. METHODS Parent-offspring regressions and sib analyses were performed to test for heritable genetic variation and co-variation in male and female interactive traits related to the sexual conflict. KEY RESULTS SOME heritable variation and evolvability were found for the female trait (delayed stigma receptivity in presence of pollen), but no evidence was found for genetic variation in the male trait (ability to fertilize ovules early). The results further indicated a marginally significant correlation between a male's ability to fertilize early and early stigma receptivity in offspring. However, despite potential indirect selection of these traits, antagonistic co-evolution may not occur given the lack of heritability of the male trait. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first study of a plant or any hermaphrodite that examines patterns of genetic correlation between two interactive sexual traits, and also the first to assess heritabilities of plant traits putatively involved in a sexual conflict. It is concluded that the ability to delay fertilization in presence of pollen can respond to selection, while the pollen trait has lower evolutionary potential.