Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Review of the Use of Acarbose for the Treatment of Post-prandial Syndrome (Reactive Hypoglycemia)

Introduction: The term “reactive” hypoglycemia, also known as post-prandial hypoglycemia has been loosely defined in the literature. The term refers to the occurrence of autonomic symptoms including weakness, perspiration, hunger, nausea, anxiety and tremors occurring one to two hours after ingestion of a meal. This collection of symptoms has been described in various patient groups including patients with impaired glucose tolerance, dumping syndrome following gastric surgeries (e.g. Nissen fundoplication, Billroth II and Roux en Y gastric bypass) and in patients in whom no specific cause has been identified. These autonomic symptoms have been reported in patients with and without documented hypoglycemia. This suggests that factors other than hypoglycemia may also be involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder. Data extraction: English-language articles that presented data relevant to the treatment of reactive hypoglycemia were identified in a MEDLINE search from 1966 to 2011. References of these articles and other publications were also reviewed. Search terms were reactive hypoglycemia, functional hypoglycemia, post-prandial hypoglycemia, Nissen fundoplication, Billroth procedure, gastric banding, Roux en Y occurring in association with the term hypoglycemia. Studies were included for review if they evaluated the clinical use of acarbose for the treatment of this syndrome and did not meet our exclusion criteria. Evidence synthesis: Five case reports and four small controlled trials met our inclusion criteria which examined the use of acarbose in the treatment of reactive hypoglycemia. Conclusion: We suggest the term Post-Prandial Syndrome (PPS) rather than reactive hypoglycemia since hypoglycemia is often not documented in patients who nevertheless experience postprandial autonomic symptoms. Acarbose is often used for the treatment of postprandial syndrome, but the evidence for its effectiveness is sparse and not definitive. Although acarbose does cause a statistically significant increase in the post-prandial glucose nadir after sucrose ingestion under experimental conditions, the effect is minimal and may not be clinically significant. There are currently no high-quality placebo-controlled clinical trials for the treatment of this syndrome. Further studies are needed to evaluate the potential therapeutic benefit of acarbose in the treatment of PPS.
The Politics and Power in Caregiving for Identity: Insights for Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation

The authors examine the politics of caregiving for identity to enrich scholarship about power. They report on a qualitative study with Aboriginal mothers who parent in the wake of the Canadian Indian residential schools (IRS). Just as this system disrupted familial caregiving to assimilate Aboriginal Peoples, data show some mothers now strive to organize their caregiving in ways that serve decolonization and community empowerment. Building on their expertise, the authors argue that counter-colonial family policy investments to support such caregiving should factor in any just compensation for the IRS system if its population, and not just individual, costs are to be redressed.
Gruczołowy rak szyjki macicy leczony operacyjnie – czynniki prognostyczne i wyniki leczenia

Maciej Bodzek1, Wiktor Szatkowski2, Marek Jasiówka2, Kazimierz Karolewski2, Małgorzata Klimek2, Paweł Blecharz2 Received: 25.01. 2017 Accepted: 06.05. 2017 Published: 31.05. 2017 © Curr Gynecol Oncol 2017, 15 (1), p. 68–77 DOI: 10.15557/CGO.2017. 0006 Gruczołowy rak szyjki macicy leczony operacyjnie – czynniki prognostyczne i wyniki leczenia Cervical adenocarcinoma managed with surgery – prognostic factors and treatment outcomes
Predictors of DMSA chelatable lead, tibial lead, and blood lead in 802 Korean lead workers

OBJECTIVES To examine the interrelations among chelatable lead (by dimercaptosuccinic acid, DMSA), tibial lead, and blood lead concentrations in 802 Korean workers with occupational exposure to lead and 135 employed controls with only environmental exposure to lead. METHODS This was a cross sectional study wherein tibial lead, DMSA chelatable lead, and blood lead were measured. Linear regression was used to identify predictors of the three lead biomarkers, evaluating the influence of age, job duration, sex, education level, alcohol and tobacco use, creatinine clearance rate, and body mass index. RESULTS DMSA chelatable lead concentrations ranged from 4.8 to 2102.9 μg and were positively associated with age, current smoking, and creatinine clearance rate. On average, women had 64 μg less DMSA chelatable lead than men. When blood lead and its square were added to a model with age, sex, current smoking, body mass index, and creatinine clearance rate, blood lead accounted for the largest proportion of the variance and sex became of borderline significance. Tibial lead concentrations ranged from −7 to 338 μg/g bone mineral and were positively associated with age, job duration, and body mass index. Women had, on average, 9.7 μg/g less tibial lead than men. Blood lead concentrations ranged from 4.3 to 85.7 μg/dl and were positively associated with age and tibial lead, whereas current smokers had higher blood lead concentrations and women had lower blood lead concentrations. CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that age and sex are both predictors of DMSA chelatable lead, blood lead, and tibial lead concentrations and that tibial lead stores in older subjects are less bioavailable and may contribute less to blood lead concentrations than tibial lead stores in younger subjects. Although blood lead concentrations accounted for a large proportion of the variance in DMSA chelatable lead concentrations, suggesting that measurement of both in epidemiological studies may not be necessary, the efficacy of each measure in predicting health outcomes in epidemiological studies awaits further investigation.
Harmful Algal Blooms in the Mediterranean Sea: Effects on Human Health

Introduction Algae are unicellular microscopic plants that are the foundation of life. An algal bloom develops in the marine or freshwater environment when there is an excess of growth of these organisms because of changes in that environment. A harmful algal bloom (HABs) is defined as a bloom that has deleterious effects on plants, animals, or humans [1,2]. Phytoplankton blooms, micro-algal blooms, toxic algae, red tides, or harmful algae, are all terms for these naturally occurring phenomena [3]. HABs can deplete the oxygen and block the sunlight that other organisms need to live, and some HABs release toxins that are dangerous to animals and humans. Marine algal toxins are responsible for an array of human illnesses associated with consumption of seafood and exposure to aerosolized toxins. On a worldwide basis, marine algal toxins are responsible for more than 60,000 intoxication incidents per year, with an overall mortality rate of 1.5%. In addition to their effects human health, algal toxins are responsible for extensive die-offs of fish and shellfish and have been implicated in the episodic mortalities of marine mammals, birds, and other animals dependent on the marine food web. The impacts of algal toxins are generally observed as acute intoxications, whereas the effects on health of chronic exposure to low levels of algal toxins are only poorly documented and are an emerging issue [4,5]. Algal toxin of dinoflagellates and diatoms has also on impact humans. Filter-feeding shellfish, zooplankton, and herbivorous fishes ingest these algae and act as vectors to humans either directly (e.g., shellfish) or through further food web transfer of sequestered toxin to higher trophic levels. Consumption of seafood contaminated with algal toxins results in five seafood poisoning syndromes: paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, amnesic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, and ciguatera fish poisoning. Most of these toxins are neurotoxins and all are temperature stable, so cooking does not ameliorate toxicity in contaminated seafoods. In addition to foodborne poisonings, toxins from two dinoflagellate sources are aerosolized (brevetoxins) or volatilized (a putative Pfiesteria toxin) to impact human health through the respiratory route. Over the past three decades, the occurrence of harmful or toxic algal incidents has increased in many parts of the world, both in frequency and in geographic distribution [6-8]. The predicted changes in our oceans are likely to impact both directly and indirectly on interactions between humans and the oceans. Recent studies have reviewed general oceanic responses to future climate changes, while acknowledging the impacts that these changes will have on human societies [9-11]. Likewise, over *Corresponding author: Margherita Ferrante, Department G.F. Ingrassia, Hygiene and Public Health, University of Catania, Italy, E-mail: marfer@unict.it
MODES OF SPECIATION IN BIRDS: A TEST OF LYNCH'S METHOD

The view that allopatric speciation is the predominant mode of speciation in animals seems firmly established (Mayr 1942, 1963). Mayr suggested that many species evolve via the establishment of small demes, often peripherally isolated, by dispersal of a few founders from the main body of the range. The view that dispersal is the primary means of achieving allopatry was seriously challenged by the school of vicariance biogeography (Platnick and Nelson 1978). Proponents of this approach suggest that vicariant events fragment ancestral populations and are just as important as, if not more important than, dispersal. Vicariant events are not necessarily expected to cause the isolation of small peripheral populations. Thus, dispersalist and vicariance biogeography predict different frequencies of geographic modes of speciation (Bush 1975), especially in regard to the prevalence of peripheral isolation. Cracraft (1982) studied the geography of speciation among Australian birds and concluded that speciation by vicariance was more common than peripheral isolation. Nevertheless, the frequency of geographic modes of allopatric speciation in birds is not well established. Lynch (1989) hypothesized that the frequency of vicariant, peripheral isolates, and sympatric speciation could be discovered by examining the relative range size and range overlap of sister taxa, either sister species or sister groups. Parapatric speciation, a third form of allopatric speciation (Bush 1975; Endler 1977), was not considered by Lynch because it appears to be phylogenetically indistinguishable from other forms of allopatric speciation (Wiley 1981; Cracraft 1982). In brief, Lynch (1989) suggested that if sister taxa are allopatric and occupy ranges of similar size, their speciation mode is most parsimoniously considered vicariance. If the range
Direct projections of omnipause neurons to reticulospinal neurons: A double‐labeling light microscopic study in the cat

Omnipause neurons (OPNs) are inhibitory neurons located in the midline region of the caudal pons. Their role in gating the discharges of saccade‐related burst neurons is well known, but there is no agreement concerning their influence on brainstem neurons that control other muscle groups participating in rapid gaze shifts. In the present study, we inquired whether OPNs project directly to pontobulbar reticulospinal neurons (RSNs) in the cat. Retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase from the cervical spinal cord was used to label RSNs and an anterograde tracer (biocytin) was iontophoresed at sites of extracellular recording of the OPN activity. Somadendritic characteristics of biocytin‐labeled OPNs were largely similar to those obtained previously with intracellular labeling. Three‐dimensional reconstruction of axonal trajectories and collaterals revealed that projections of OPNs, regarded as a population, are bilateral. Their terminals were restricted to the reticular formation and midline structures throughout the rostral bulbar and pontine tegmentum. Appositions of synaptic boutons originating from five fully stained OPNs were detected on 38 retrogradely labeled RSNs, each of the OPNs contacting 3–13 cells. The numbers of boutons (1–46; mean 11.8) on the RSN somata and proximal dendrites indicate that the anatomical strength of paired OPN‐RSN connections is comparable to that of other similarly studied inhibitory neurons in the cat. The existence of connections with RSNs supports the hypothesis of a generalized influence of OPNs on several effectors participating in orienting gaze shifts as opposed to the idea of their strict specialization for the control of eye saccades. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:4792–4812, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Distribution and characterization of failed (mega)blocks along salt ridges, southeast Brazil: Implications for vertical fluid flow on continental margins

Three-dimensional seismic data are used to assess the control of halokinetic structures on the distribution of blocks in a mass transport deposit in the Espirito Santo Basin, southeast Brazil. In contrast to what is commonly observed over growing salt structures, the thickness of the MTD-A1 is larger on top of a northwest trending salt ridge. Emphasis was given to the statistical analysis of 172 remnant and rafted blocks identified within Eocene mass transport deposits (MTD-A1). Three styles of block deformation are identified and scale relationships between the geometry of blocks and their relative position on the salt ridge are presented. Average block height reaches 130 m. Average block area reaches 0.43 km2, while 11.3% of the total area (A) investigated is covered by blocks (5% < A < 17%). On the basis of variations in block geometry (height, area, width/length ratio, orientation) and their relative distribution, we interpret that most failed strata have been remobilized by adjacent topography created during growth of the investigated salt ridge. We show that the origin of the blocks is linked to densely spaced sets of halokinetic-related faults that deformed the prefailure strata. The presence of underlying faults and blocks of remnant and rafted strata potentially induces sharp variations in the internal permeability of MTD-A1. Thus, the interpreted data shows that megablocks in MTDs can constitute viable fluid pathways on otherwise low-permeability units. This character can significantly decrease seal competence above and on the flanks of halokinetic structures.
Spectral cues for sound localization in cats: a model for discharge rate representations in the auditory nerve.

Neural representations of pinna-based spectral cues for sound localization were modeled by simulating auditory nerve discharge rates to noise bursts that had been shaped by filtering properties of the cat's head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) at 179 locations in the frontal field. The auditory nerve model transformed spectral differences between HRTFs into simulated neural rate differences. Linear equations for this transformation were developed from actual auditory nerve responses to a limited subset of HRTF-filtered noise bursts [Rice et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 97, 1764-1776 (1995)]. Signal detection methods were used to investigate simulated neural responses to pairwise changes between HRTFs. The quality of neural representation for these changes, in terms of d' values, declined when the reference HRTF was moved from a central location (0 degree AZ, 0 degree EL) to a large positive azimuth in the horizontal plane (75 degrees AZ, 0 degree EL) or a high elevation in the median plane (0 degree AZ, 75 degrees EL). Most simulated responses exhibited large d' values for comparisons of contralateral versus ipsilateral azimuths, or eccentric versus frontal elevations. This rate information resulted from directionally dependent changes in the overall gain of HRTFs. In addition, fibers with best frequency (BF: the frequency of greatest sensitivity for individual fibers) between 5 and 18 kHz showed large d' values for HRTF contrasts in the immediate frontal field because of the effects of spectral notches (i.e., sharp drops in gain over a narrow frequency range). Spectral notches also played a prominent role in simulations that required identification of HRTF location in the absence of a fixed reference stimulus. These modeling results correspond well with previously described patterns in the cat's localization behaviors.
High density optical and electrical interfaces for chip-scale silicon photonic receiver

For use in a chip-scale-packaged parallel optical receiver module, a 125-μm-pitch oblique cone-shaped optical pin array has been developed as an input/output (I/O) interface, and a glass interposer with regularly-arranged 250-μm-pitch through-glass-vias has been developed as an electrical I/O interface. An 8°-tilted cone-shaped optical pin was fabricated by oblique illuminated photolithography. It successfully acts as a spot-size converter for the incident light from a GI 50 multimode fiber to an integrated Ge surface-illuminated photodiode. The glass interposer provides 100 electrical I/O pads, which are sufficient for 12-channel operation. Silicon photonic receiver chips with 1.8-μm-thick Ge photodiodes and Cu/polyimide redistribution layers have also been developed at a 300-mm wafer line. A 5 mm × 5mm optical I/O core receiver with these developed technologies demonstrated 25 Gbps/ch O-band multimode transmission.
Regional Tritrophic Relationship Patterns of Five Aphid Parasitoid Species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) in Agroecosystem-Dominated Landscapes of Southeastern Europe

ABSTRACT A regional survey of the complex tritrophic associations (parasitoid-aphid-plant) of aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) was carried out to determine and explore the patterns of those associations in various types of environments. Here, we present trophic relationship patterns of the five aphid parasitoid species in crop and noncrop habitats in southeastern Europe, and we contrast them in a regional (Mediterranean [MED] versus continental [CNT]) context. In total, 79 aphid host taxa were identified in this survey. Forty-two of these were recorded from noncrop plants only, 21 from crop plants only, and 18 were present on both types of plants. This means that ≈74% of all the parasitoid-aphid trophic interactions that support the persistence of the five selected parasitoids are entirely (54%) or partially (20%) associated with noncrop plants. The correspondence of parasitoid-aphid combinations among habitat/region combinations is very high and specific. Our results suggest that Mediterranean and continental regions are clearly distinguished by a contrasting pattern of trophic interactions in crop habitats, whereas the noncrop habitats contribute in lesser degree to these differences. For the crop/noncrop breakdown, the number of nonspecific interactions was larger than expected in crop habitats, whereas in noncrop habitats the abundance of partially specific and specific interactions was larger. The analysis of variance for the regional and habitat distribution of mean aphid host number per parasitoid was highly significant. When both regions were analyzed separately, the parasitoid/crop design showed significant parasitoid effects as well as interactions, whereas the habitat effect was not significant for the Mediterranean region and highly so for the continental region. This highly complex pattern suggests that the mean number of parasitized aphid species is not distributed among parasitoids, regions, and habitats in a similar manner. Even with these complexities taken into account, the overall trend is that noncrop habitats support more parasitoid-aphid combinations and more so in the continental than in Mediterranean regions, although not always statistically significant. As mentioned, large number of noncrop aphid hosts, especially for Lysiphlebus fabarum (Marshall), Praon volucre (Haliday) and Aphidius colemani Viereck, can significantly enhance the population buildup for these important parasitoids around agroecosystems. These facts can be important in biological aphid pest control in the region. Although not easily quantified, the overall positive effects of larger parasitoid diversity in noncrop habitats are undoubtedly related to the distribution and structure of noncrop habitat patches in agroecosystems at a landscape scale.
LgR 5 expression and cancer stem cell hypothesis : clue to define the true origin of esophageal adenocarcinomas with and without Barrett ’ s Esophagus ?

Background: Investigation of the expression of an intestinal stem cell marker in esophageal adenocarcinomas (EAC) with and without Barrett’s Esophagus (BE), with respect to a cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis. Materials and methods: Expression of a putative intestinal stem cell marker LgR5 was analyzed in esophageal cancer specimen (n = 70: 41 EAC with BE, 19 EAC without BE, and n = 10 esophageal squamous-cell carcinomas, ESCC) and in the adenocarcinoma cell line OE-33. Ki-67 and Cdx-2 were co-labelled with LgR5 in double staining experiments. Immunhistochemical expression results were confirmed by RT-PCR and correlated with tumor stage and five-year survival rates. Results: LgR5was found expressed in 35 of 41 (85%) EAC with BE and in 16 of 19 (81%) EAC without BE. By contrast, LgR5 was not found to be expressed in ESCC. Quantification of immunolabeling showed 15% LgR5+ cells in EAC with BE, 32% LgR5+ cells in adjacent BE and 13% in EAC without BE. Immunofluorescence double staining experiments with LgR5 and Ki-67 revealed a subpopulation (~5%) of proliferating LgR+/Ki-67+ cells. On mRNAlevel, expression of LgR5 was higher in BE in comparison to EAC (p = 0.0159). High levels of LgR5 expression in BE associated EAC were associated with poorer survival in univariate analysis. Conclusion: The stem cell marker LgR5 is expressed in EAC, irrespective of association with BE, and appears to have negative impact on survival. The subset of proliferating LgR5+ cells (<5%) might resemble rapidly cycling CSCs, which needs to be substantiated in further investigations.
γ-Aminobutyric Acid Transporter 1 Negatively Regulates T Cell Activation and Survival through Protein Kinase C-Dependent Signaling Pathways1

γ-aminobutyric acid transporter 1 (GAT-1), as the major regulator in maintaining a γ-aminobutyric acid reservoir in the CNS, plays negative roles in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis pathogenesis. Our previous study has revealed that, besides its wide expression in the CNS, GAT-1 expression can be induced on activated T cells triggered by Ag. However, the function of GAT-1 in T cell activation is unclear. In this study, we show that GAT-1 deficiency induces more vigorous cell cycle entry and less cell apoptosis in T cells, thus leading to enhanced cell proliferation. GAT-1 deficiency promotes T cell division and survival by down-regulating cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p27kip1, differentially regulating the pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and Bad and activating transcription factor NF-κB through induction of translocation and phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) θ. In addition, our data reveal that GAT-1 expression on T cells is modulated by PKC activation. Taken together, the data show that GAT-1 negatively regulates T cell activation and survival through PKC-dependent signaling pathways.