Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical expression profiles of complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia and a-specific repetitive strain injury: More common denominators than pain?

Purpose. To systematically evaluate and compare the clinical manifestations, disease course, risk factors and demographic characteristics of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 (CRPS), fibromyalgia (FM) and a-specific Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Method. A literature search was performed using terms related to the aforementioned topics and diseases. Only original clinical studies that included at least 20 subjects were eligible. Results. Fifty-nine studies on CRPS, 73 on FM and 7 on a-specific RSI were identified. The diseases show similarities in age distribution, male-female ratio, pain characteristics and sensory signs and symptoms. Motor, autonomic and trophic changes are frequently reported in CRPS, but only occasionally in FM and RSI. Systemic symptoms are found in patients with CRPS and FM, and in a subgroup of patients with RSI. In all three disorders, symptoms usually start locally, but may spread to other body regions later, which, in the case of FM, is a prerequisite for diagnosis. Disease onset is always, usually, or occasionally of traumatic origin in RSI, CRPS and FM, respectively. Anxiety and depression are more frequent in patients compared to controls, but probably not very different from patients with other pain conditions or chronic diseases. Conclusions. Apart from some obvious differences between CRPS, FM and RSI, the similarities are conspicuous. The common features of CRPS, FM and a-specific RSI may suggest that a common pathway is involved, but until patients with these type of symptoms are assessed with a uniform assessment procedure, a thorough comparison cannot be made. A systematic evaluation of patients with a suspected diagnosis of CRPS, FM or RSI, may lead to a better appreciation of the differences and similarities in these diseases and help to unravel the underlying mechanisms.
Evaluation of I‐gel™ airway in different head and neck positions in anesthetized paralyzed children

Studies that have compared and quantified the oropharynageal leak pressure (OPLP) and adequacy of ventilation with supraglottic airway devices in different head and neck positions have been done in adult populations. The effects of head–neck position changes on the functioning of I‐gel™ in pediatric population still remain unevaluated.
Selection and identification of a DNA aptamer targeted to Vibrio parahemolyticus.

A whole-bacterium systemic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) method was applied to a combinatorial library of FAM-labeled single-stranded DNA molecules to identify DNA aptamers demonstrating specific binding to Vibrio parahemolyticus . FAM-labeled aptamer sequences with high binding affinity to V. parahemolyticus were identified by flow cytometric analysis. Aptamer A3P, which showed a particularly high binding affinity in preliminary studies, was chosen for further characterization. This aptamer displayed a dissociation constant (K(d)) of 16.88 ± 1.92 nM. Binding assays to assess the specificity of aptamer A3P showed a high binding affinity (76%) for V. parahemolyticus and a low apparent binding affinity (4%) for other bacteria. Whole-bacterium SELEX is a promising technique for the design of aptamer-based molecular probes for microbial pathogens that does not require the labor-intensive steps of isolating and purifying complex markers or targets.
Regulation of Wnt signaling by the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli does not require the ability to enter the nucleus or a particular cytoplasmic localization

In this study, we test two current models for the function of the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). We find that APC can regulate Wnt signaling from diverse cytoplasmic locations, suggesting that its roles in the nucleus or in localizing the β-catenin destruction complex are not essential.
Comparison of health-related quality of life between subjects treated with radical prostatectomy and brachytherapy.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To evaluate the symptoms and self-assessment of quality of life in men with localised prostate cancer after having had a radical prostatectomy or brachytherapy treatment. BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is a significant growing disease among men in Taiwan. Quality of life issues for the men who are living with this disease and the consequences of treatment. DESIGN A postal questionnaire survey. METHODS The study population came from one 1170-bed hospital in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan. Data was collected from 20 August 2007-20 November 2009. Seventy-eight men met the inclusion criteria. The researchers mailed a survey to each participant, which they completed at home and returned in a pre-stamped, addressed envelope. Sixty-four subjects participated and self-reported using a structured questionnaire. The reliability of overall prostate cancer index was 0.90 and 0.85, 0.93 and 0.72 for each subscale, respectively. RESULTS The results indicate that the number of months post-treatment was positively correlated with urinary function and age was negatively correlated with sexual, bowel function and bowel bothers. One predictor (month post-treatment) was related to urinary function; one predictor (treatment method) was related to bowel function and four predictors (marital status, age, treatment method and month post-treatment) were related to sexual function. Findings showed that patients who received brachytherapy have better urinary functions, as compared with prostatectomy patients. CONCLUSION Study findings suggest that healthcare providers should have a better understanding of patients' complications after treatment and this can ultimately raise the quality of life for prostate cancer patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The impact of quality of life among post prostate cancer treatment is common. Urological nurses should therefore take the responsibility regarding the consequence of urinary incontinence and sexual function and seeking appropriate nursing interventions for these complications.
Are Classrooms Meeting the Basic Psychological Needs of Children With ADHD Symptoms? A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

An abundance of research has linked the symptoms of ADHD with academic problems, even at levels below the clinical threshold for a diagnosis (Breslau et al., 2009; Currie & Stabile, 2006). Not only are ADHD symptoms predictive of underachievement in children, these symptoms are associated with concurrent problems in the school environment, such as interpersonal problems and negative attitudes toward themselves and learning in general (DuPaul & Stoner, 2003). Studies of typically developing children have shown that positive perceptions of the classroom environment are important for children’s overall school adjustment (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009). Guided by a prominent theory in social psychology, Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000), this exploratory study examined differences between how children with and without symptoms of ADHD perceive their classroom environments.
Terminal complement pathway activation and low lysis inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fluid.

OBJECTIVE To investigate terminal complement activation and lysis inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS C5a, vitronectin and clusterin were quantitated by enzyme immunoassays in plasma and synovial fluid (SF) in RA (n = 30) and osteoarthritis (OA) (n = 11). RESULTS In RA the concentration of C5a was 3-fold increased in plasma (21.9 vs 7.2 micrograms/l) and 5-fold increased in SF (7.8 vs 1.7 micrograms/l) compared to OA. The SF/plasma ratios for C5a, vitronectin and clusterin were 0.35, 0.36 and 0.23, respectively, not significantly different in the 2 diseases. CONCLUSION SF terminal pathway activation in RA combined with low local levels of lysis inhibitors might allow lytic or sublytic attacks on local cells, resulting in inflammation and cell damage.
[Epidemiology of drug-resistant epilepsies].

BACKGROUND To evaluate the incidence and the prevalence of drug-resistant epilepsies and risk factors in relation with this condition. METHODS The epidemiological approach of drug-resistant epilepsies come up against two major difficulties: the lack of a rigorous and consensus definition of this condition and its elusive evaluation which is indirectly appreciated with many studies concerning the remission of seizures in heterogeneous population of patients with or without treatment. RESULTS The majority of papers on this topic report a hard core of 20 p. 100 of patients who continue to have seizures under treatment. This percentage has to be discussed because many factors can influence the exact number of patients with refractory epilepsy: the age of the first seizure, the seizure type, the cause of the seizures, the effective therapeutic interventions. This percentage did not seem to have been modified since the use of "new" anti-epileptic drugs and the development of epilepsy surgery. The main problem is to appreciate when refractoriness is really present and how long does it takes to declare that this condition has a self-perpetuating progression. Thank to the data from an abundant literature we can put forward that nearly 10 p. 100 of the incident cases could become refractory and that 1 to 2 /1 000 persons are drug resistant epilepsies, of which partial epilepsies represent 60 p. 100 of the cases. This rate allows to think that in France 5 000 to 12 000 patients may require a surgical evaluation and that annual need for surgery would be 500 patients per year. CONCLUSIONS Data on drug-resistant epilepsies in France are lacking and it seems essential to put in place in our country a population-based incidence study including the risk factors of intractability in order to confirm these epidemiological data. The results of such a study would help to convince the political authorities to encourage the development of surgical structures.
Laser-Assisted Atom Probe Tomography of Oxide Materials

Atom probe tomography provides a chemical analysis of nanostructured materials with outstanding resolution. However, due to the process of field evaporation triggered by nanosecond high voltage pulses, the method is usually limited to conductive materials. As part of recent efforts to overcome this limitation, it is demonstrated that the analysis of thick NiO and WO3 oxide layers is possible by laser pulses of 500 ps duration. A careful analysis of the mass spectra demonstrates that the expected stoichiometries are well reproduced by the measurement. The reconstruction of lattice planes proves that surface diffusion is negligible also in the case of thermal pulses.
The Behavior of Others as a Reference Point

We study a model in which consumers are reference-dependent, modeled using prospect-theory, and their reference point is the average behavior of the society in that period. We show that in any of the equilibria of the economy after a finite number of periods the wealth distribution will become, and remain, either of perfect equality, or admit a missing class, a particular form of polarization between the rich and the poor. We then study growth rates and show that, if we look at the equilibria with the highest growth, then the society with the highest growth rate is the one that starts with perfect equality. If we look at the equilibria with the lowest growth, however, then the society with a small amount of initial inequality is the one that attains the highest growth rate, while a society with perfect equality is the one with the lowest performance. All of these growth rates are weakly higher than the growth rate of a corresponding economy without reference-dependence.
HPV typing and testing in gynaecological pathology: has the time come?

Herrington and Wells in the October 1997 issue of Histopathology present an interesting overview of the potential value of human papillomavirus (HPV) typing in order to predict the behaviour of cervical epithelial neoplasia (CIN). They reach the conclusion ‘that current evidence does not support the introduction of routine HPV typing in histopathology or cytology’ and that ‘the association of HPV infection with significant cervical disease warrants further investigation. ’ We have a more optimistic view on HPV testing in gynaecological pathology. Results from recent casecontrol studies show (1) a close association between high risk type HPV infection and the development of cervical cancer with relative risks that range from 60– 130 and (2) that the risk for women to develop cervical cancer does not differ significantly for the different high risk HPV types. This indicates that individual HPV typing, as discussed extensively by Herrington and Wells, is not necessary and not useful. Therefore, we advocate ‘high risk HPV testing’, i.e. the application of a general high risk HPV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test that identifies the complete spectrum of the high risk HPV group. In our opinion, much of the debate about whether HPV testing should be used in histopathology and cytopathology depends on whether the HPV test performed has enough analytical sensitivity to detect high grade CIN and carcinomas. If the sensitivity does not reach the femtogram level, at least 20% of the high grade cervical lesions and the cervical carcinomas will be missed. Techniques which can be used on a large scale and that do reach this sensitivity are PCR-based tests and probably also the latest version of the hybrid capture assay (not yet available for routine screening). Using PCR-based techniques the following findings are important for the clinical relevance of high risk HPV detection in cervical smears and biopsies.
Ir GENES AND ANTIGEN RECOGNITION

Over the past decade it has become clear that the capacity of individual animals to mount specific immune responses is regulated by a series of immune response ( I r ) genes. One important group of Ir genes is linked to the major histocompatibility complex of the species; these genes are referred to as histocompatibility (H) -linked Ir genes. The mechanism by which H-linked t r genes and their products control immune responses is still unknown. However, a large body of evidence gained from studies of guinea pig Ir genes has indicated that these genes play a critical role in the recognition of carrier functions of antigens. This has suggested that the Zr genes and their products are principally expressed within thymusdependent (T) lymphocytes. ' Indeed, a major possibility is that Ir gene products function as antigen-recognition units on the surface of T-lymphocytes.z More recently, it has been suggested that Ir genes may be expressed in other types of lymphoid cells as well. Thus, limiting-dilution cell-transfer studies in mice have raised the possibility that, under certain conditions, Ir genes may exert their effect in bone marrow-derived (B) lymphocytes.3 Moreover, in vitro cellular interactions between guinea pig macrophages and Tlymphocytes and between mouse T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes have been shown to involve structures controlled by genes closely linked, or perhaps identical, to Ir genes. These studies indicate that Ir gene-product function may be quite complex. We have been interested in the elucidation of the mechanism by which Ir genes exert their control of the immune response, and, in particular, in determining whether the genetic linkage between H genes and t r genes is reflected phenotypically. To these ends, we have undertaken a series of experiments involving the effect of alloantisera containing antibodies specific for histocompatibility determinants on the capacity of antigens to elicit T-lymphocyte responses controlled by H-linked Ir genes. Our experimental system involves the use of lymphocytes purified from the peritoneal exudate of (strain-2 X strain-I 3)F, guinea pigs. This cell population is highly enriched in T-lymphocytes and is exceptionally antigen-reactive. ' Peritoneal exudate lymphocytes are obtained from animals that have been immunized 2 to 3 weeks earlier with one or more of a series of antigens, responsiveness to which is controlled by H-linked Ir genes. In the initial experiments, we used the 2,4dinitrophenyl conjugate of the copolymer of L-glutamic acid and L-lysine (DNP-GL) and the copolymer of L-glutamic acid and Ltyrosine (GT) . Responsiveness to DNP-GL is controlled by an Ir gene linked to strain 2 H genes whereas responsiveness to GT is controlled by a 13-linked Ir gene.O
Correlation between Combined Width of Maxillary Anterior Teeth, Interpupillary Distance and Intercommissural Width in a Group of Indian People

Materials and methods: A total of 540 central Indian subjects (277 males and 263 females) aged 19 to 30 years were selected. DMP and DCM were measured on subject’s face using digital vernier caliper [Mitutoyo (UK) Ltd.] with precision of 0.01 mm. Irreversible hydrocolloid impression of the upper arch was taken, and a cast was poured with dental stone. The CWC measurements were done on these casts with the help of a dental floss fixed between the distoproximal contacts of upper canines using a dental tape. Spearman’s correlation test was used to determine the correlation between the three variables studied.
Reduced Phospholamban Phosphorylation Is Associated With Impaired Relaxation in Left Ventricular Myocytes From Neuronal NO Synthase–Deficient Mice

Stimulation of nitric oxide (NO) release from the coronary endothelium facilitates myocardial relaxation via a cGMP-dependent reduction in myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. Recent evidence suggests that NO released by a neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) in the myocardium can also hasten left ventricular relaxation; however, the mechanism underlying these findings is uncertain. Here we show that both relaxation (TR50) and the rate of [Ca2+]i transient decay (tau) are significantly prolonged in field-stimulated or voltage-clamped left ventricular myocytes from nNOS−/− mice and in wild-type myocytes (nNOS+/+) after acute nNOS inhibition. Disabling the sarcoplasmic reticulum abolished the differences in TR50 and tau, suggesting that impaired sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ reuptake may account for the slower relaxation in nNOS−/− mice. In line with these findings, disruption of nNOS (but not of endothelial NOS) decreased phospholamban phosphorylation (P-Ser16 PLN), whereas nNOS inhibition had no effect on TR50 or tau in PLN−/− myocytes. Inhibition of cGMP signaling had no effect on relaxation in either group whereas protein kinase A inhibition abolished the difference in relaxation and PLN phosphorylation by decreasing P-Ser16 PLN and prolonging TR50 in nNOS+/+ myocytes. Conversely, inhibition of type 1 or 2A protein phosphatases shortened TR50 and increased P-Ser16 PLN in nNOS−/− but not in nNOS+/+ myocytes, in agreement with data showing increased protein phosphatase activity in nNOS−/− hearts. Taken together, our findings identify a novel mechanism by which myocardial nNOS promotes left ventricular relaxation by regulating the protein kinase A–mediated phosphorylation of PLN and the rate of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ reuptake via a cGMP-independent effect on protein phosphatase activity.
Alleviative effect of quercetin on rat testis against arsenic: a histological and biochemical study

Abstract The preventive effect of quercetin on arsenic stimulated reproductive ailments in male Sprague Dawely (SD) rats was investigated. Twenty rats were divided into four groups. The first group served as a control and was provided tap water. The second group of rats was treated with sodium arsenite at the dose of 50 ppm in drinking water. The third group served as a positive control and received an oral dose of quercetin (50 mg/kg). In the fourth group, quercetin (50 mg/kg) was co-administered orally with arsenic (50 ppm in drinking water). All the treatments were carried out for 49 days. Arsenic treatment resulted in adverse morphological and histopathological changes in testis of rats including reduced epithelial height and tubular diameter, and increased luminal diameter. In contrast, these adverse effects of arsenic were eliminated by co-administration of quercetin. Additionally arsenic treatment significantly increased testicular thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels while catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and glutathione reductase (GSR) activities, and plasma and intra-testicular testosterone concentrations, were decreased significantly. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) was significantly suppressed and depleted antioxidant defense mechanism was restored by the quercetin co-treatment. Also quercetin treatment resulted in a marked increase in plasma and testicular testosterone concentrations. On the basis of these findings, it was concluded that quercetin may be used as a potential therapeutic drug against arsenic induced reproductive toxicity.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Detection of genome-scale ordered RNA structure (GORS) in genomes of positive-stranded RNA viruses

Discrete RNA secondary and higher-order structures, typically local in extent, play a fundamental role in RNA virus replication. Using new bioinformatics analysis methods, we have identified genome-scale ordered RNA structure (GORS) in many genera and families of positive-strand animal and plant RNA viruses. There was remarkably variability between genera that possess this characteristic; for example, hepaciviruses in the family Flaviviridae show evidence for extensive internal base-pairing throughout their coding sequences that was absent in both the related pestivirus and flavivirus genera. Similar genus-associated variability was observed in the Picornaviridae , the Caliciviridae , and many plant virus families. The similarity in replication strategies between genera in each of these families rules out a role for GORS in a fundamentally conserved aspect of this aspect of the virus life cycle. However, in the Picornaviridae , Flaviviridae , and Caliciviridae , the existence of GORS correlated strongly with the ability of each genus to persist in their natural hosts. This raises the intriguing possibility of a role for GORS in the modulation of innate intracellular defense mechanisms (and secondarily, the acquired immune system) triggered by double-stranded RNA, analogous in function to the expression of structured RNA transcripts by large DNA viruses. Irrespective of function, the observed evolutionary conservation of GORS in many viruses imposes a considerable constraint on genome plasticity and the consequent narrowing of sequence space in which neutral drift can occur. These findings potentially reconcile the rapid evolution of RNA viruses over short periods with the documented examples of extreme conservatism evident from their intimate coevolution with their hosts.
Multi-objective evolutionary methods for channel selection in Brain-Computer Interfaces: Some preliminary experimental results

This paper presents a comparative study among three evolutionary and search based methods to solve the problem of channel selection for Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems. Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) method is compared to Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm based on Decomposition (MOEA/D) and single objective Sequential Floating Forward Search (SFFS) method. The methods are tested on the first data set for BCI-Competition IV. The results show the usefulness of the multi-objective evolutionary methods in achieving accuracy results similar to the extensive search method with fewer channels and less computational time.