Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of specific surface receptors and activation sensitization in primary resting CD4+ T lymphocytes by the Nef protein of HIV‐1

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) pathogenicity factor Nef increases viral replication in vivo. In immortalized cell lines, Nef affects the cell surface levels of multiple receptors and signal transduction pathways. Resting CD4+ T lymphocytes are important targets for HIV‐1 infection in vivo—they actively transcribe and express HIV‐1 genes and contribute to the local viral burden and long‐lived viral reservoirs in patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy. In vitro, this primary cell type has, however, thus far been highly refractory to experimental manipulation, and the biological activities exerted by HIV‐1 Nef in these cells are largely unknown. Using nucleofection for gene delivery, we find that Nef induces a drastic and moderate down‐regulation of CD4 and major histocompatibility complex type 1 (MHC‐I), respectively, but does not alter surface levels of other receptors, the down‐modulation of which has been reported in cell line studies. In contrast, Nef markedly up‐regulated cell surface levels of the MHC‐II invariant chain CD74. The effect of Nef on these three surface receptors was also detected upon HIV‐1 infection of activated primary CD4+ T lymphocytes. Nef expression alone was insufficient to activate resting CD4+ T lymphocytes, but Nef modestly enhanced the responsiveness of cells to exogenous T cell activation. Consistent with such a signal transduction activity, a subpopulation of Nef localized to lipid raft clusters at the plasma membrane. This study establishes the analysis of Nef functions in these primary HIV target cells. Our data support the involvement of modulation of a defined set of cell surface receptors and sensitization to activation rather than an autonomous activation function in the role of Nef in HIV‐1 pathogenesis.
Differential Management of Ca2+ Oscillations by Anterior Pituitary Cells: A Comparative Overview

Most electrical and ionic properties of anterior pituitary cells are common to all pituitary cell types; only gonadotropes exhibit a few cell specific features. Under basal conditions, the majority of pituitary cells in vitro, irrespective of their cell type, display spontaneous action potentials and [Ca2+]i transients that result from rhythmic Ca2+ entry through L-type Ca2+ channels. The main function of these action potentials is to maintain cells in a readily activable responsive state. We propose to call this state a ‘pacemaker mode’, since it persists in the absence of extrinsic stimulation. When challenged by hypothalamic releasing hormones, cells exhibit two distinct response patterns: amplification of pacemaker activity or shift to internal Ca2+ release mode. In the internal Ca2+ release mode, [Ca2+]i oscillations are not initiated by entry of external Ca2+, but by release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. In somatotropes and corticotropes, GHRH or CRH triggers the pacemaker mode in silent cells and amplifies it in spontaneously active cells. In contrast, in gonadotropes GnRH activates the internal Ca2+ release mode in silent cells and switches already active cells from the pacemaker to the internal Ca2+ release mode. Interestingly, homologous normal and tumoral cells display the same type of activity in vitro, in the absence or presence of hypothalamic hormones. Pacemaker and internal Ca2+ release modes are likely to serve different purposes. Pacemaker activity allows long-lasting sequences of [Ca2+]i oscillations (and thus sustained periods of secretion) that stop under the influence of hypothalamic inhibitory peptides. In contrast, the time during which cells can maintain internal Ca2+ release mode depends upon the importance of intracellular Ca2+ stores. This mode is thus more adapted to trigger secretory peaks of large amplitude and short duration. On the basis of these observations, theoretical models of pituitary cell activity can be proposed.
Antenatal Care Services in Rural Uganda

Experience from countries that have achieved low maternal mortality suggests that access to good-quality maternity services is critical to improve maternal health. In this article we appraise the quality of antenatal care (ANC) services in a rural district of Uganda. We used a mixed methods approach, relying on a combination of semistructured interviews with both clients and providers, structured observations of provider–patient interactions, and infrastructure assessment of selected health facilities. We found several bottlenecks in health service delivery, including ineffective organization of educational sessions; selective omission of certain services; lack of explanation of important clinical and laboratory procedures; failure to link the performed procedures with preventive information; and occasional lack of respect for clients. The policy implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the need to (a) ensure an adequate supply of medical equipment and drugs, (b) enhance health workers’ compliance with ANC guidelines, and (c) combine medical procedures with educational messages.
Clinical application of a modular ankle robot for stroke rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND Advances in our understanding of neuroplasticity and motor learning post-stroke are now being leveraged with the use of robotics technology to enhance physical rehabilitation strategies. Major advances have been made with upper extremity robotics, which have been tested for efficacy in multi-site trials across the subacute and chronic phases of stroke. In contrast, use of lower extremity robotics to promote locomotor re-learning has been more recent and presents unique challenges by virtue of the complex multi-segmental mechanics of gait. OBJECTIVES Here we review a programmatic effort to develop and apply the concept of joint-specific modular robotics to the paretic ankle as a means to improve underlying impairments in distal motor control that may have a significant impact on gait biomechanics and balance. METHODS An impedance controlled ankle robot module (anklebot) is described as a platform to test the idea that a modular approach can be used to modify training and measure the time profile of treatment response. RESULTS Pilot studies using seated visuomotor anklebot training with chronic patients are reviewed, along with results from initial efforts to evaluate the anklebot's utility as a clinical tool for assessing intrinsic ankle stiffness. The review includes a brief discussion of future directions for using the seated anklebot training in the earliest phases of sub-acute therapy, and to incorporate neurophysiological measures of cerebro-cortical activity as a means to reveal underlying mechanistic processes of motor learning and brain plasticity associated with robotic training. CONCLUSIONS Finally we conclude with an initial control systems strategy for utilizing the anklebot as a gait training tool that includes integrating an Internal Model-based adaptive controller to both accommodate individual deficit severities and adapt to changes in patient performance.
Nursing students' perception of group supervision during clinical training.

AIM The aim of this study was to investigate nursing students' perception of and satisfaction with clinical group supervision based on a special model, used in nursing training. BACKGROUND Long-standing efforts have been made to create supervision models in nursing training that promote personal and professional development and prepare nursing students to cope with the complex and demanding situations they will face as registered nurses. METHODS Data were collected from nursing students (n = 43) during their clinical training by means of two questionnaires. Most questions were concerned with the importance of factors involved in the contract and the students' experiences of how these factors were covered during the clinical group supervision. FINDINGS The findings showed that, before starting the supervision programme, most all the students expressed positive attitudes towards group supervision, but 25% had negative expectations as well. At the end of the programme all students thought that group supervision had been an important support to them during their training and almost everyone wanted to participate in group supervision in the future as registered nurses. The findings showed that both the structure and the climate were important for the success of the group supervision. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The findings will strengthen the model and confirm its usefulness in clinical training for nursing students. Using this supervision model, which includes reflection about feelings, thoughts and actions, the students will be well prepared for demanded situations in their future role as a registered nurse. A replication of this study addressed to trained nurses would be valuable.
Pharmacodynamic interaction of fenugreek, insulin and glimepiride on sero-biochemical parameters in diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats

Aim: This study was undertaken to assess the pharmacodynamic interaction of fenugreek, insulin and glimepiride on sero-biochemical parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: A total of 56 male Sprague-Dawley rats, randomly divided into seven Groups. Group 1: Non-diabetic control; Group 2: Streptozotocin induced diabetic control; Groups 3, 4 and 5 were treated with insulin, glimepiride and fenugreek seed powder, respectively; Groups 6 and 7: Insulin + fenugreek seed powder treatment and glimepiride + fenugreek seed powder treatment respectively, in diabetic rats. Body weights, blood glucose, lipids total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TG) and proteins (total protein, albumin, globulin, A/G ratios) were studied at different time intervals. Rats were sacrified at the end of 8 weeks, pancreas and aorta collected for histopathological study. Results: The results of Group 2 showed significantly (p<0.05) higher concentration of glucose, TC, TG, LDL, globulin, A/G ratios and significantly (p<0.05) lower concentration of albumin, total protein, HDL and body weights when compared to Group 1 at the end of 4th and 8th weeks intervals with marked alteration in histopathology of pancreas and aorta. All the treatment Groups 3-7 showed significantly (p<0.05) improvement in the all the parameters and the Groups 6 and 7 showed highest decrease in the concentration blood glucose, TC, TG, LDL and increase in the albumin, total protein and body weights during 6th and 8th week, respectively. Conclusion: The treatment with fenugreek, insulin and glimepiride countered the alteration in the sero biochemical parameters in diabetic rats, and their combination was found a positive interaction in improving the sero biochemical status of diabetic rats.
Escalation regimen of cilostazol for acute brain infarction.

OBJECTIVE Several reports have indicated that cilostazol is effective in the prevention of recurrence after cerebral infarction. However, cilostazol is inferior in tolerability for the adverse events than other anti-platelet agents. The goal of this study was to determine whether cilostazol escalation oral administration affects its tolerability. METHODS One hundred sixty-eight patients hospitalized for brain infarction with cilostazol treatment in our stroke center from 2006 to 2008 were enrolled in this study. During this term, we had two teams in our center and used different regimens. One of which used 100 mg b.i. d. regimen of cilostazol (Standard group) and the other used 50 mg b.i. d. for the initial 4 days, followed by a dose of 100 mg b.i. d. of it (Escalation group). Patient's information such as baseline characteristics, adverse events, were collected and statistically analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS Seventy-nine patients were enrolled in Standard group and 87 patients in Escalation group. Comparison between these groups demonstrated that Escalation group had fewer patients who discontinued treatment (p=0.001) and a lower incidence of headache (p=0.004). CONCLUSION This type of dose escalation regimen of cilostazol may be superior to the standard regimen in tolerability.
A model of head movement contribution for gaze transitions

Head posture has been associated with work-related neck symptoms and discomfort, but its relationship with visual tasks has received much less attention. Head movement amplitude is normally a fraction of the angular distance to a visual target, as gaze transition is usually achieved through the combination of both head and eye movement. In this study, the proportion of head orientation vs. target orientation, named head movement contribution ratio (HMCR), was quantified and modelled as a function of target location. Head movements were measured on subjects orienting and maintaining gaze for 2 s at randomly presented visual targets distributed along an arc placed horizontally or vertically. Bootstrap regression models showed that the horizontal HMCR was approximately 69% of target azimuth. The vertical HMCR was bilinear and corresponded to 52% and 8% and of target elevation for targets above and below the horizontal plane, respectively. The data also demonstrated that head orientation is affected by the kinematic coupling between horizontal and vertical components of head movement. Statement of Relevance: Awkward head and neck posture is a risk factor for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This study investigated the influence of visual target location on head orientation over a large range of target eccentricity, as an attempt to predict the head and neck posture required for visual target detection and identification.
Measurement of Complex Permittivity of Cylindrical Objects in the E-Plane of a Rectangular Waveguide

Remote sensing of dielectric properties is used for numerous applications such as the field evaluation of soil water, salinity, or the organic matter content. The objective of this study is to measure dielectric properties of cylindrical shaped samples for the previously specified applications. The proposed method employs an analytical approach for determining the complex permittivity of cylindrical dielectric objects placed in the E-plane of a rectangular waveguide. The overall procedure is based on the measurement of reflection and transmission coefficients of the test specimen by placing it inside a section of rectangular waveguide. The reconstruction of dielectric properties of the test sample from the measured scattering coefficients is carried out using the newly proposed closed-form expressions, which are derived by transforming the actual circular cross section of the cylindrical sample into the equivalent multilayered rectangular cross sections. The dielectric properties of a number of specimens, including typical plastics and vegetation samples, are determined using the proposed approach. The typical error in the reconstruction of the dielectric constant of these samples having moderate permittivity values is found to be less than 5%.
A measure of sexual selection in hermaphroditic animals: parentage skew and the opportunity for selection

The role of sexual selection in shaping the mating system of hermaphrodites is currently widely accepted. However, a quantification of the intensity of sexual selection in hermaphroditic animals has never been accomplished. We evaluated the opportunity for sexual selection for both the female and the male functions in the simultaneous outcrossing hermaphrodite Ophryotrocha diadema by measuring focal hermaphrodites’ paternal and maternal offspring in experimental replicated monogamous and promiscuous populations, using genetic markers to estimate paternity. Opportunity for sexual selection for each of the two sexual functions was quantified by means of the Crow’s index, i.e. the ratio of variance in progeny number to the squared mean number of progeny. In addition, the extent to which the reproductive success was shared among competing individuals was estimated by means of the Nonacs’s B index. We documented that the strength of selection on the male and female function in hermaphrodites with external fertilization depends on the reproductive context. Under a promiscuous regime, hermaphrodites have higher opportunities for selection for both the male and the female function than under the monogamous regime. Moreover, the reproductive skew for the female function becomes greater than that for the male function, moving from monogamy to promiscuity. In our model system, allocation to one sexual function is opposed by any degree of allocation to the other, indicating that sex‐specific patterns of selection operate in this model species.
Control of renal handling of potassium loads in ducks with active salt glands.

Domestic ducks adapted to saline of 400 mosmol/kgH2O as their only water supply received intravenous loads of 100 mM KCl for 2 h while being intravenously infused with 200 mM NaCl at 1.0 ml/min to produce simultaneous salt gland secretion and diuresis-natriuresis. K+ loading did not alter the plasma levels of the osmoregulatory hormones arginine vasotocin, angiotensin II, aldosterone, and atrial natriuretic factor but promptly evoked kaliuresis because of a rise from 17 to 155 mM in urinary K+, with a proportional decrease in urinary Na+. Continuous infusion of amiloride (0.04 mg.min.-1.kg body wt-1 iv) further enhanced diuresis and natriuresis and lowered urinary K+, but the kaliuretic response to K+ loading was only moderately reduced because of enhanced diuresis and a rise in urinary K+ from 3 to 33 mM, with a slight decrease in urinary Na+. Changes in plasma hormone levels reflected dehydration due to excessive diuresis but were not related to kaliuresis. Salt gland secretion was not affected directly by amiloride but was secondarily reduced by the induced dehydration. In amiloride-treated ducks, hyperkalemia in response to K+ loading was exaggerated relative to the modest reduction in K+ excretion and may be attributed to moderate metabolic acidosis and/or general effects of amiloride on K+ metabolism. It is concluded that none of the established osmoregulatory hormones is involved in short-term control of renal K+ handling in ducks and that distal tubular K+ excretion involving amiloride-sensitive Na+ channels is quantitatively unimportant in this avian species.
Development and utilization of transgenic New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax

Abstract. The New World screwworm (NWS), Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), was the first insect to be effectively controlled using the sterile insect technique (SIT). Recent efforts to improve SIT control of this species have centred on the development of genetically transformed strains using the piggyBac transposon vector system. Eight transgenic strains were produced incorporating an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker gene under polyubiquitin regulation that has the potential for use as a genetic marking system for released males. The transgenic strains were genetically and phenotypically characterized, including for life fitness parameters and mating competitiveness. These characteristics were unique for each strain and thus some strains were deemed suitable for incorporation into SIT eradication programmes. The strain with the best attributes is designated ‘CLAY’. Four of the strains, including CLAY, have been successfully cryopreserved so that their original characteristics should be unchanged when further evaluation is required. With the demonstration of efficient germ‐line transformation in NWS, allowing production of fit and competitive transformants, it is now possible to consider further transgenic strain development to improve SIT that are currently being tested in other dipteran species. This includes strains that allow genetic marking with fluorescent proteins, genetic sexing by female lethality, male‐specific fluorescent sorting and male sterility by testis‐specific lethality. The SIT may also be improved upon by new strategies resulting in lethality of offspring of released insects using conditional lethal systems based upon temperature‐dependent or dietary tetracycline regulation of lethal gene expression. Both the creation of new NWS transgenic strains and the ecological safety of their release will be enhanced by new vector systems that allow specific genomic targeting of vector constructs and their subsequent immobilization, ensuring transgene and strain stability.
Prediction of postchemotherapy ovarian function using markers of ovarian reserve.

BACKGROUND Reproductive-aged women frequently receive both chemotherapy and endocrine therapy as part of their treatment regimen for early stage hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Chemotherapy results in transient or permanent ovarian failure in the majority of women. The difficulty in determining which patients will recover ovarian function has implications for adjuvant endocrine therapy decision making. We hypothesized that pretreatment serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and inhibin B concentrations would predict for ovarian function following chemotherapy. METHODS Pre- and perimenopausal women aged 25-50 years with newly diagnosed breast cancer were enrolled. Subjects underwent phlebotomy for assessment of serum AMH, inhibin B, follicle-stimulating hormone, and estradiol prior to chemotherapy and 1 month and 1 year following completion of treatment. Associations among hormone concentrations, clinical factors, and biochemically assessed ovarian function were assessed. RESULTS Twenty-seven subjects were evaluable for the primary endpoint. Median age was 41. Twenty subjects (74.1%) experienced recovery of ovarian function within 18 months. Of the 26 evaluable subjects assessed prior to chemotherapy, 19 (73.1%) had detectable serum concentrations of AMH. The positive predictive value of a detectable baseline serum AMH concentration for recovery of ovarian function was 94.7%, and the negative predictive value was 85.7%. On univariate analysis, younger age and detectable serum AMH concentration at chemotherapy initiation were predictive of increased likelihood of recovery of ovarian function. CONCLUSION Prechemotherapy assessment of serum AMH may be useful for predicting postchemotherapy ovarian function. This finding has implications for decision making about adjuvant endocrine therapy in premenopausal women treated with chemotherapy.
Incident hepatitis C virus infection in men who have sex with men: a prospective cohort analysis, 1984-2011.

BACKGROUND Prospective characterization of hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission in both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and -uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM) over the entire HIV epidemic has not been comprehensively conducted. METHODS To determine the trends in and risk factors associated with incident HCV in MSM since 1984, 5310 HCV antibody (anti-HCV)-negative MSM in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study were prospectively followed during 1984-2011 for anti-HCV seroconversion. RESULTS During 55 343 person-years (PYs) of follow-up, there were 115 incident HCV infections (incidence rate, 2.08/1000 PYs) scattered throughout the study period. In a multivariable analysis with time-varying covariates, older age (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.40/10 years, P < .001), enrollment in the later (2001-2003) recruitment period (IRR, 3.80, P = .001), HIV infection (IRR, 5.98, P < .001), drinking >13 alcoholic drinks per week (IRR, 1.68, P < .001), hepatitis B surface antigen positivity (IRR, 1.68, P < .001), syphilis (IRR, 2.95, P < .001), and unprotected receptive anal intercourse with >1 male partner (IRR, 3.37, P < .001) were independently associated with incident HCV. Among HIV-infected subjects, every 100 cell/mm(3) increase in CD4 count was associated with a 7% (P = .002) decrease in the HCV incidence rate up to a CD4 count of 500 cells/mm(3), whereas there was no association with highly active antiretroviral therapy. CONCLUSIONS The spread of HCV among both HIV-infected and -uninfected MSM in the United States has been ongoing since the beginning of the HIV epidemic. In HIV-infected men with <500 CD4(+) T cells, the HCV incidence rate was inversely proportional to CD4 T-cell count.