Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Posttraumatic stress disorder and drug disorders: testing causal pathways.

BACKGROUND Although there is a high degree of comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug use disorders, little is known about causal relationships between PTSD, exposure to traumatic events, and drug use disorders. METHODS In a longitudinal study in southeast Michigan, 1007 adults aged 21 to 30 years were initially assessed in 1989 and were followed up 3 and 5 years later, in 1992 and 1994. Psychiatric disorders according to DSM-III-R criteria were measured by the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. To take into account temporal sequencing, the associations between PTSD, traumatic events, and drug use disorders were analyzed by using Cox proportional hazards models with time-dependent covariates. RESULTS Posttraumatic stress disorder signaled an increased risk of drug abuse or dependence (hazards ratio, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 2.6-7.6, adjusted for sex), whereas exposure to traumatic events in the absence of PTSD did not increase the risk of drug abuse or dependence. The risk for abuse or dependence was the highest for prescribed psychoactive drugs (hazards ratio, 13.0; 95% confidence interval, 5.3-32.0). There was no evidence that preexisting drug abuse or dependence increased the risk of subsequent exposure to traumatic events or the risk of PTSD after traumatic exposure. CONCLUSION The results suggest that drug abuse or dependence in persons with PTSD might be the inadvertent result of efforts to medicate symptoms, although the possibility of shared vulnerability to PTSD and drug use disorders cannot be ruled out.
Citrulline immunohistochemistry for demonstration of NOS activity in vivo and in vitro.

Nitric oxide (NO), a biomolecule with major cytotoxic potency, is generated by NO synthases (NOS) utilizing l-arginine as substrate and citrulline is formed as a "side product. " In brain tissue, citrulline is considered to be produced exclusively by NOS, due to the incomplete urea cycle in the brain. We aimed to characterize NOS activity by citrulline immunostaining in different cell types of the brain under in situ conditions and in slice and culture experiments. NOS-positive neurons and activated microglial cells were the most prominent citrulline-positive structures. Lack of citrulline immunoreaction in neurons of nNOS knockout mice emphasizes the dependency of citrulline positivity on NOS activity, and likewise there was no citrulline staining after application of the NOS inhibitors 7-nitroindazole and NIL. Interestingly, only a portion of NOS-containing neurons costained for citrulline. The inhibition of argininosuccinate synthetase by alpha-methyl-dl-aspartate increased the number of citrulline-positive cells, apparently due to reduction of the turnover rate of citrulline. Cells positive for NOS but negative for citrulline may indicate that the enzyme is either not activated or inhibited by cellular control mechanisms. The fact that not all citrulline-positive cells were NOS positive may be explained by an insufficient detection sensitivity or by disparate sites of citrulline production and recycling. The present results show that citrulline immunocytochemistry offers a viable and convenient means for studying NOS activity at the single-cell level to elicit its posttranslational control under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
MOLECULAR CHARACTERISTICS OF CYCLOPHILIN‐CYCLOSPORINE INTERACTION

The ability of cyclophilin to react with derivatives of cyclosporine (CsA) was studied. Cyclophilin was found to interact preferentially with CsA‐residues 1, 2, 10 and 11, which, together with residue 3, are the residues known to contribute to the immunosuppressive activity of CsA. The recognition of different CsA‐derivatives by cyclophilin was correlated with their immunosuppressive activity in vitro. All CsA‐derivatives showing a significant activity did bind to cyclophilin, although some of the CsA‐derivatives able to bind cyclophilin exhibited only low activities. The results suggest that binding to cyclophilin might be one requirement for immunosuppressive activity of CsA derivatives. When tested with CsA‐derivatives showing various conformational changes, the binding of cyclophilin was strongly specific for the peptide‐ring conformation of CsA. No binding of calmodulin to CsA could be detected in several formats of solid‐phase enzyme‐ or radioimmunoassay, suggesting that, in contrast to cyclophilin, calmodulin does not possess sufficient affinity for CsA to bind to it when immobilized on the solid phase.
Changes in the Flow-Volume Curve According to the Degree of Stenosis in Patients With Unilateral Main Bronchial Stenosis

Objectives The shape of the flow-volume (F-V) curve is known to change to showing a prominent plateau as stenosis progresses in patients with tracheal stenosis. However, no study has evaluated changes in the F-V curve according to the degree of bronchial stenosis in patients with unilateral main bronchial stenosis. Methods We performed an analysis of F-V curves in 29 patients with unilateral bronchial stenosis with the aid of a graphic digitizer between January 2005 and December 2011. Results The primary diseases causing unilateral main bronchial stenosis were endobronchial tuberculosis (86%), followed by benign bronchial tumor (10%), and carcinoid (3%). All unilateral main bronchial stenoses were classified into one of five grades (I, ≤25%; II, 26%-50%; III, 51%-75%; IV, 76%-90%; V, >90% to near-complete obstruction without ipsilateral lung collapse). A monophasic F-V curve was observed in patients with grade I stenosis and biphasic curves were observed for grade II-IV stenosis. Both monophasic (81%) and biphasic shapes (18%) were observed in grade V stenosis. After standardization of the biphasic shape of the F-V curve, the breakpoints of the biphasic curve moved in the direction of high volume (x-axis) and low flow (y-axis) according to the progression of stenosis. Conclusion In unilateral bronchial stenosis, a biphasic F-V curve appeared when bronchial stenosis was >25% and disappeared when obstruction was near complete. In addition, the breakpoint moved in the direction of high volume and low flow with the progression of stenosis.
Three-Dimensional Analysis of Foramen Magnum and its Adjacent Structures

AbstractThe goal of this effort is to evaluate the anatomy of the foramen magnum (FM) using 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT), and determine whether or not the anatomical features of vascular structures and condylar foramen (CF) affect the types of FM.The CT angiography records of 101 patients (44 men and 57 women) were retrospectively examined in this study. Details of the FM, CF, and the vertebral and basilar arteries were examined using maximum intensity projection and 3D rendering images. The average age of the 101 patients was 45.28 ± 16.3 years. The 8 types of FM, in order of their frequency of occurrence, are as follows: round (19 cases; 18.8%), 2 semicircles (18; 17.8%), egg-shaped (15; 14.9%), hexagonal (14; 13.9%), tetragonal (11; 10.9%), oval (11; 10.9%), pentagonal (9; 8.9%), and irregular (4; 4%). There was no statistically significant relationship between the anatomical features of the vertebral and basilar arteries and the CF with the different types of FM (P ≥ 0.05). In our study, the diameter of the anteroposterior (AP) FM was 34.7 ± 3.6 mm, and the transverse (T) diameter was 29.5 ± 2.5 mm. The AP and T diameters were significantly higher in men than in women (P = 0.006 and P ⩽ 0.001, respectively). Our study revealed that 3D CT is a safe and easy method for visualizing the anatomical structure of the FM and neighboring structures. Furthermore, this study was the first to demonstrate that there is no correlation between the 8 types of FM and the vertebral artery, basilar artery, and CF.
What About Inhibition in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test?

The commercially available Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is one of the most commonly used tests for assessing executive functions within clinical settings. Importantly, however, it remains relatively unclear exactly what processes are assessed by the test. Conceptually, increased perseverative errors in sorting cards are usually related to deficient inhibition processes. Empirically, evidence supporting this conclusion is limited. In a sample of 38 healthy adults we addressed the question to what extent inhibition mechanisms assessed by the go/no-go and the stop-signal paradigm are related to WCST performances. Inhibition-related scores were found to predict non-perseverative errors better than perseverative errors. Consequently we conclude that the non-perseverative errors score reflects processes that are partly dependent on inhibition functions.
Genotype and cardiovascular phenotype correlations with TBX1 in 1,022 velo‐cardio‐facial/digeorge/22q11.2 deletion syndrome patients

Haploinsufficiency of TBX1, encoding a T‐box transcription factor, is largely responsible for the physical malformations in velo‐cardio‐facial /DiGeorge/22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) patients. Cardiovascular malformations in these patients are highly variable, raising the question as to whether DNA variations in the TBX1 locus on the remaining allele of 22q11.2 could be responsible. To test this, a large sample size is needed. The TBX1 gene was sequenced in 360 consecutive 22q11DS patients. Rare and common variations were identified. We did not detect enrichment in rare SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) number in those with or without a congenital heart defect. One exception was that there was increased number of very rare SNPs between those with normal heart anatomy compared to those with right‐sided aortic arch or persistent truncus arteriosus, suggesting potentially protective roles in the SNPs for these phenotype‐enrichment groups. Nine common SNPs (minor allele frequency, MAF > 0.05) were chosen and used to genotype the entire cohort of 1,022 22q11DS subjects. We did not find a correlation between common SNPs or haplotypes and cardiovascular phenotype. This work demonstrates that common DNA variations in TBX1 do not explain variable cardiovascular expression in 22q11DS patients, implicating existence of modifiers in other genes on 22q11.2 or elsewhere in the genome. Hum Mutat 32:1278–1289, 2011. ©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
99% Efficiency True-Bridgeless Totem-Pole PFC Based on GaN HEMTs

Liang Zhou, member IEEE and YiFeng Wu, member IEEE Transphorm, Inc. 75 Castilian Dr., Goleta, CA, 93117 USA lzhou@transphormusa.com Abstract: This paper presents a true bridgeless totem-pole Power-Factor-Correction (PFC) circuit using GaN HEMT. Enabled by a diode-free GaN power HEMT bridge with low reverse-recovery charge, very-high-efficiency single-phase AC-DC conversion is realized using a totem-pole topology without the limit of forward voltage drop from a fast diode. When implemented with a pair of sync-rec MOSFETs for line rectification, 99% efficiency is achieved at 230V ac input and 400 dc output in continuous-current mode.
A simple model of intimal thickening-effects of hypertension

A vast amount of death in the world has been attributed to atherosclerosis. This disease causes plaque formation and finally lack of blood supply to an organ. The prominent aim of this study is proposing an accurate and simple model to investigate the process of arterial wall thickening. In order to investigate LDL (low density lipoprotein) accumulation in arterial wall which is considered the first stage of atherosclerosis, a four layer model for arterial wall consisting of endothelium, intima, IEL and media is presented. All layers are treated as homogenous porous media. The four-layer arterial wall model is the most powerful and reliable tool for modeling LDL transport within arterial wall for various clinical conditions. This model has been solved both numerically using finite volume method and analytically. Obtained accumulated LDL in the intima is used to calculate oxidized LDL flux. Finally, the presented model and correlation between oxidized LDL and intimal growth obtained from clinical data afford the growth model for arterial wall. Furthermore, effect of hypertension on filtration velocity and rate of wall thickening has been studied which is in consistent with experimental data. Our results show that the average rate of intima thickening of hypertensive patients with 120 mmHg and 160 mmHg transmural pressure are 5. 87μm/year and 6.12 μm/year, respectively. And this rate for healthy subjects with 70mmHg transmural pressure has been calculated 4.5 μm/year.
A FACTOR DERIVED FROM ADULT RAT AND COW SMALL INTESTINE REDUCES CRYPTOSPORIDIUM PARVUM INFECTION IN INFANT RATS

Cryptosporidium parvum is an intracellular protozoan parasite of the mammalian intestine. In rats, C. parvum infection is age related; infants are susceptible, whereas adults are resistant. The transition from susceptibility to resistance usually takes place around the age of weaning. In the present study, infant rats were orally inoculated with a preparation of intestinal scrapings taken from adult rats or cows. Infant rats received the scrapings daily from 3 to 14 days of age, were inoculated with C. parvum oocysts at 9 days of age, and killed at 15 days of age. Fecal samples and intestinal tissues were examined for the presence of C. parvum. Significantly fewer rats were infected in the groups that received intestinal scrapings compared with controls. In addition, infected rats in the treatment groups shed significantly fewer oocysts than those in the control group. Scrapings from the intestinal mucosa of adult cows were also able to protect infant rats from infection, whereas scrapings from intestines of calves were not protective. In sum, these data indicate the presence of a factor in the intestines of adult rats and cows that can transfer protection against C. parvum infection to susceptible infant rats.
Interference of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors on erythropoiesis in kidney transplant recipients: role of growth factors and cytokines.

BACKGROUND Recent data indicate that factors other than erythropoietin (EPO), such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), can promote erythropoiesis in vitro and correct the anemia of chronic renal failure in vivo. IGF-1 is produced by the liver under growth hormone control, as well as by other sources, including the kidney. The erythropoietic role of growth factors and cytokines and their possible modulation by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) has never been explored. METHODS This study evaluated the serum levels of EPO, IGF-1, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-3, and granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor in 40 kidney transplanted patients with or without posttransplant erythrocytosis (PTE) and in 10 living kidney donors. Then, the effect of ACEI therapy on the above pattern was examined in patients with PTE. RESULTS EPO and IGF-1 serum levels were significantly higher in patients with PTE than in patients without PTE and in living kidney donor subjects. ACEI therapy significantly reduced hematocrit (Hct) as well as circulating IGF-1 and EPO levels. Of note, the decrease in IGF-1 was prominent mainly in those patients whose EPO levels were not significantly modified by ACEI therapy. In all of the patients Hct levels displayed a direct relationship with circulating IGF-1 levels, but not with EPO concentration. Growth hormone did not significantly differ among the groups examined, whereas it steeply increased under ACEI. Finally, no significant difference in IL-2, IL-3, and granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor serum levels was detected. CONCLUSIONS IGF-1 seems to play a role in the ACEI-related decrease of Hct in patients with PTE, chiefly in patients without any modification of EPO serum levels.
Microvascular Perturbations in Rats Receiving the Maximum Tolerated Dose of Methotrexate or Its Major Metabolite 7-Hydroxymethotrexate

Methotrexate(MTX) is a clinically important cytostatic antifolate.The study describes the acute effects of maximum tolerated doses of MTX or its major metabolite 7-hydroxymethotrexate (7-OH-MTX) on the ultrastructure of rat liver and kidneys. The ultrastructural changes in rats receiving MTX or 7-OH-MTX were, in principle, indistinguishable and their severity and extension increased with time of survival or doses of medication. All lesions were focal, microvascular, or parenchymal. Microvascular changes were more severe in nature when blood cells were present. The endothelial cells were swollen with loss of pinocytotic vesicles, their luminal plasma membrane formed blebs or were disrupted. Partly detached endothelial cells or deendothelialized areas, various types of white blood cells, in particular, neutrophil granulocytes, were observed in the microcirculation. Single platelets or small platelet aggregates were found either in the lumen or adhering to deendothelialized areas of injured endothelial cells. Hepatocytesexhibited steatosis, edema, and manifest single cell necrosis. There were also nuclear changes, marked proliferation of smooth endoplasmatic reticulum, increased amounts of intracellular lipid vacuoles, and a decrease in glycogen particles in hepatocytes. The kidney presented the major changes in the tubules and in the interstitial part. MTX and 7-OH-MTX acute toxicity may primarily be related to microvascular perturbation.
The Effects of Online Rating Validity on Decision Performance

Rating schemes are designed as tools to aid Web users in decision making. To help users assess rating validity, online Web sites provide users with rating source credibility indicators—additional information beyond the ratings to guide decisions on how much to rely on the ratings. This paper examines how online users use varying levels of rating validity and rating source credibility to perform a simple decision task. In complex decision tasks, decision theory suggests people are reliant upon potentially invalid information because they need help with their decisions. We propose that the limitations of the online environment make it difficult for users to properly assess information validity even when given straightforward, objective criteria upon which to base their assessment. The findings of this study suggest online users have a difficult time ignoring misleading ratings even in a simple decision task. Only when rating source credibility indicators suggesting low credibility were located immediately adjacent to the related ratings did some users properly discount ratings low in validity. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Mutually orthogonal sets of ZCZ sequences

In the construction of zero correlation zone (ZCZ) sequences, as the length of the interference free window (IFW) increases, fewer sequences are available and hence their utility in multiuser systems diminishes. To address this issue, it is shown that, for a given IFW, it is possible to design multiple sets of ZCZ sequences which are mutually orthogonal.
[Feasibility and accuracy of a rapid evaluation of the abdominal aorta during routine transthoracic echocardiography].

BACKGROUND Mass screening for occult abdominal aortic aneurysm is not realistic for the low prevalence of this condition in the general population. Screening in a high-risk population, especially during standard echocardiographic examination, could be more cost-effective than a separate screening program. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of a rapid evaluation (examination arbitrary time-limit of 2 min) of the abdominal aorta at the end of a routine transthoracic echocardiographic examination. METHODS One hundred and eighty-one male patients (average age 61 years, range 45-79 years) were studied. A subgroup of 83 patients was also blindly examined by a radiologist for diagnostic accuracy evaluation. RESULTS Abdominal aortic aneurysm was defined as an aortic diameter enlargement > or = 3.0 cm. Sixteen patients were excluded due to suboptimal aortic wall imaging or to examination lasting > 2 min (feasibility 91%). An occult aneurysm was found in 7 patients (3.8%). As regards the presence/absence of aneurysms in the subgroup of patients undergoing double examination, sensitivity and specificity were 80 and 100% respectively. CONCLUSIONS Rapid evaluation of the abdominal aorta for aortic screening during routine echocardiography is highly feasible and accurate without any significant prolongation of the examination time and should therefore be routinely performed during standard examination.
Low-Power, Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Interface for Micromachined Gyroscopes Employing a Sub-Nyquist-Sampling Technique

In this paper a novel system concept for the implementation of low-power readout electronics for micromachined gyroscopes is described. The main innovation is a modified Chopper Stabilization (CHS) technique in a SigmaDelta loop based on an undersampling process. It enables the design of a full Continuous-Time (CT) SigmaDelta interface dissipating less power than its Discrete-Time (DT) counterpart without additional hardware effort for a flicker noise suppression. Further a systematic design approach for an interface employing this method and an architecture enabling this procedure is presented.
Homologous interference resulting from the presence of defective particles of human immunodeficiency virus type 1

Defective particles are naturally occurring virus mutants that lack one or more genes required for viral replication. Such viruses may affect positively or negatively the symptoms of the disease. Thus, it is of great interest to measure the role played by defective particles in the process of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection since accumulating evidence indicates that a great proportion of HIV genomes are defective. We used defective particles produced by two stable cellular clones (UHC-8 and UHC-18) to investigate whether they can affect replication of infectious viral particles generated by a human T-cell line transfected with a molecular HIV-1 clone. Progeny virus harvested from UHC-8 cells has no reverse transcriptase and integrase proteins, while UHC-18 has no reverse transcriptase protein. We demonstrate here that coinoculation of a T-lymphoid cell line and of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with defective and infectious particles leads to a dramatic inhibition of virus replication. Defective particles do not interfere with virus production from proviral DNA. Rather, the inhibition of reinfection events seems to be their mechanism of action. This model closely parallels the in vivo conditions and demonstrates that defective particles may limit the spread of infection and progression of the disease by reducing the yield of infectious virus.
Nursing home models and modes of service delivery: Review of outcomes

Within contemporary approaches to nursing home care, the staff composition and task allocation influence paid caregiver experiences, and in turn affect the quality of care provided to residents. In this scoping review, we profile several different models of nursing home care with their associated modes of service delivery, and summarize the varied reports of effectiveness of these models and modes of service delivery. While anecdotal evidence supports the Eden Alternative® Neighbourhood or Household models, empirical support for the consistent assignment mode of service delivery within the Eden Neighbourhood or Household models is not extensive. More persuasive evidence supports the more advanced Eden Greenhouse model with its embedded flexible assignment policies and self-managed teams of care aides. Flexible assignments are a design element of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Society (ADARDS) model as well. Although consistent assignments for paid caregivers continue to be targeted by organizations, self-managed teams and flexible assignments may be more ideal modes of nursing home service delivery, especially now, as the average age, frailty level, and acuity level of nursing home residents is increasing.