Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis in morbidly obese patients after acetabular fracture fixation.

BACKGROUND Morbid obesity and osteoarthritis are conditions that place a significant burden on the US healthcare system. Acetabular fracture is a known cause of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) and morbid obesity contributes to the development of osteoarthritis. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PTOA in morbidly obese patients who underwent acetabular fracture fixation. METHODS A retrospective review of morbidly obese patients who underwent acetabular fracture repair was performed. Patient information included demographics, body mass index, patient age, and length of hospital stay. The prevalence of PTOA was determined by radiographic review with a minimum follow-up of 4 years. RESULTS There were 299 acetabular fracture fixations performed from 2007 to 2012 at our institution and 39 of these were in morbidly obese patients. One patient was excluded due to preoperative osteoarthritis of the hip. Of the 38 patients, 26 (68%) went on to develop PTOA after acetabular fracture fixation. This is significantly higher than previously reported rates of PTOA after acetabular fracture fixation. There was a higher rate of PTOA in morbidly obese males compared with females (P=0.008). CONCLUSION Morbid obesity appears to pose a significantly increased risk for the development of PTOA after fixation of acetabular fractures.
Polymorphisms of genes controlling homocysteine levels and IQ score following the treatment for childhood ALL.

INTRODUCTION One of the causes of long-term morbidity associated with the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is late neurotoxicity manifesting as impairment of higher cognitive functions. Cranial radiation therapy (CRT) and chemotherapeutic agents, particularly methotrexate (MTX), are often suggested to be major contributing factors for its development. Homocysteinemia that arises as a result of MTX-induced folate depletion was proposed to play a role in MTX-related neurotoxicity. Several enzymes are essential to maintain the homocysteine levels. Their different functional forms, associated with common genetic polymorphisms, may modulate homocysteine levels and thereby influence MTX-associated neurotoxicity. OBJECTIVES To test this hypothesis we assessed whether the variants of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), methionine synthase (MTR), methionine synthase reductase (MTRR), cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) and endothelial nitric acid synthase (eNOS, NOS3) genes, acting either independently or in conjunction with other risk factors, influenced the cognitive functioning in ALL patients. The influence of the genes was measured by estimating the change in IQ scores over a period of 4 years post ALL diagnosis. RESULTS Two variants, the CBS 844ins68 polymorphism and NOS3 894T homozygosity, were associated with a change in IQ scores (p = 0.01 and 0.007, respectively). A multivariate model obtained through step-wise selection pointed to the importance of the NOS3 894TT genotype only. This effect appears to be dependent on CRT; IQ decline was apparent among individuals with the 894TT genotype who received radiation therapy (p = 0.03). Furthermore, additional factors affecting IQ were identified, including the treatment administered (i.e., CRT; p = 0.02) and a younger age at diagnosis (p = 0.003), and the modifying effect of the treatment protocols was also noted (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION The results suggest that NOS3 genotyping might identify individuals that are susceptible to intellectual impairment following ALL treatment.
Increase in 4-Coumaryl Alcohol Units during Lignification in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Alters the Extractability and Molecular Weight of Lignin*

The lignin content of biomass can impact the ease and cost of biomass processing. Lignin reduction through breeding and genetic modification therefore has potential to reduce costs in biomass-processing industries (e.g. pulp and paper, forage, and lignocellulosic ethanol). We investigated compositional changes in two low-lignin alfalfa (Medicago sativa) lines with antisense down-regulation of p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase (C3H) or hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:shikimate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT). We investigated whether the difference in reactivity during lignification of 4-coumaryl alcohol (H) monomers versus the naturally dominant sinapyl alcohol and coniferyl alcohol lignin monomers alters the lignin structure. Sequential base extraction readily reduced the H monomer content of the transgenic lines, leaving a residual lignin greatly enriched in H subunits; the extraction profile highlighted the difference between the control and transgenic lines. Gel permeation chromatography of isolated ball-milled lignin indicated significant changes in the weight average molecular weight distribution of the control versus transgenic lines (CTR1a, 6000; C3H4a, 5500; C3H9a, 4000; and HCT30a, 4000).
Mülteci Deneyimi ve Kültürel Etkileşim: Türkiye’de Suriyeli Üniversite Öğrencileri Üzerine Bir Çalışma

Bu calisma, Turkiye'de bir devlet universitesinde egitim goren Suriyeli gocmen ogrencilerin kulturel etkilesim sureclerini etkileyen belirli faktorleri ele almaktadir. Berry (1997)'in kulturlesme teorisini derinlemesine analiz ederken, multeci universite ogrencileri arasindaki kulturel farkliliklarin ve benzerliklerin kulturlesme uzerindeki etkisini, on bes bireysel mulakat temelinde ele aliyor. Literaturdeki boslugu goz onune alarak, bu arastirmanin amaci, Suriyeli universiteli multeci ogrencilerin dil becerilerini nasil elde ettiklerini, etnik ve kulturel farkliliklarin ustesinden gelip gelmediklerini ve egitim hedeflerini gelecege yonelik olarak nasil gelistirdiklerini inceleyerek Turk toplumuna uyum ve entegrasyonlarini anlamaya yonelik bir nitel calismadir. Dil engeli, kulturel etkilesime en buyuk engel olarak karsimiza cikmaktadir fakat tum calismada yer alan ogrenciler icin, dil acisindan cabuk uyum saglama ve Suriye ile Turkiye arasindaki yakin kulturel mesafe, cogunluk kulturu nu olusturan Turk halki ile etkilesim ve iletisim kurma olanaklarini artirmaktadir. Yine, etnik farkliliklar kulturel etkilesime karsi tehdit olusturmaktadir. Yaklasik olarak tum katilimcilar, Suriyeli Turkmenler de dahil olmak uzere, kendilerini tanimlarken, Suriye ile iliskilendirmektedirler. Ancak, yerel halk ile iliskilendirinde ise, Turk ve Suriyeli kimligi yerine, daha kapsayici kimliklere, ornegin ummet bilincine siginarak cogunlugu olusturan ev sahibi toplumun bireyleriyle karsilikli anlayis ve dayanismayi gelistirmeyi hedeflemektedirler. Son olarak, Suriyeli universite ogrencileri Turkiye'deki ogrenim hayatlarini gecici sureli ogrenci olarak degerlendirmekte ve belli bir sure sonra Suriye'ye geri donme konusunda sabit fikirlere sahiptirler.
Norovirus contamination found in oysters worldwide

Noroviruses (Norwalk‐like viruses) are recognized as major causes of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis are often associated with consumption of oysters. In this study, oysters imported into Hong Kong from 11 countries over a 3‐year period were screened by RT‐PCR. Overall, 53 out of 507 (10.5%) samples were positive for norovirus‐RNA, and a wide variety of strains were found. Two novel genetic clusters were detected, which could indicate novel human or animal norovirus strains. However, whether these two new clusters are of human or animal origin is not known. Thirteen outbreaks, in which oysters were implicated as the source of infection were investigated: Norovirus RNA sequences could be detected in oysters from six outbreaks, but only in one outbreak the strains isolated from patients and oysters matched (>98% homology). Therefore, RT‐PCR was of use in detecting norovirus contamination of oysters implicated in an outbreak, but was less useful in demonstrating an actual molecular epidemiological link with human cases. It was shown that contamination by noroviruses could be demonstrated in oysters worldwide, and therefore oysters may serve as an important vehicle for introducing novel norovirus strains. J. Med. Virol. 76:593–597, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differential proteomics analysis of oligodendrogliomas and astrocytomas using iTRAQ quantification

Background: Astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma are two histological subtypes of primary Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors. Because of the high cytoarchitectural variability and lacking accurate diagnosis biomarkers, distinguishing astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas clinically remains challenging. Methods: The total protein lysates from of astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma clinical specimens were analyzed by 2DLC/MS/MS and quantified via Isobaric Tags Relative and Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ). Differentially expressed proteins were further analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software. Lastly, potential bio-markers’ expression levels were validated by western blot. Results: A total 1856 proteins were identified. Among them, 83 proteins were increased and 82 proteins were decreased in astroglioma specimens compared to oligodendroglioma. Our bioinformatics study showed this protein profile change in astrocytoma more likely tend to enhance cell proliferation, migration and angiogenesis. Moreover, pathway-analysis showed that protein level of Rho Family GTPases pathway components was remarkably different between astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma. Lastly, two members of Rho family of GTPases, cell division control protein 42 homolog (CDC42) and transforming protein RhoA (RHOA) were found highly expressed in astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma, respectively. Discussion: Differential-proteomic analysis was validating to distinguish between astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. Two members of especially the Rho family of GTPases, CDC42 and RHOA, would be potential indicators to reflect the pathological characteristics of these two diseases.
Low loss etchless silicon photonic waveguides

We demonstrate low loss silicon waveguides fabricated without silicon etching by selective oxidation. We show propagation losses of 0.3dB/cm (lambda=1.55 mum), roughness of 0.3 nm RMS, and 0.0002 dB loss for a 90deg bend with 20 mum bending radius.
Protease Inhibitor Effects on Triglyceride Synthesis and Adipokine Secretion in Human Omental and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue

Objective Significant advances in the treatment of the morbidity and mortality associated with AIDS are also associated with undesirable side-effects in fat redistribution (lipodystrophy), insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk, which is directly linked to protease inhibitor (PI) treatment. Methods The effects of four different PIs on triglyceride (TG) storage and adipokine production (leptin, adiponectin, and acylation stimulating protein [ASP]) in omental (OM) and subcutaneous (SC) adipose tissues were examined. Results Initial results demonstrated that saquinivir (SQV) and ritonivir (RTV) had little observed effect on de novo TG synthesis ([3H]glucose incorporation into TG) or fatty acid re-esterification ([14C]oleate incorporation into TG), whereas amprenivir (APV) and indinivir (IDV) reduced TG synthesis, especially in SC tissue up to 30 ±5.8% P<0.05 and 46 ±7.8% P<0.001, at 20 μM, respectively. There was no observed effect on phospholipid synthesis, tissue protein or toxicity. Only APV and IDV decreased leptin and adiponectin secretion in SC tissue, in a time- and concentration-dependent manner: at 18 h, leptin was inhibited by 54 ±3.1% (P<0.001) and 44 ±6.4% (P<0.001) by APV and IDV (40 μM), respectively, and adiponectin was inhibited by 35 ±5.6%(P<0.001) and 25 ±12.3% (P<0.05) by APV and IDV (40 μM), respectively. By contrast, both IDV and APV decreased ASP secretion in OM tissues by a maximum of 53 ±7.8% (P<0.001) and 59 ±5.9% (P<0.001), respectively, and by a maximum of 86 ±1.6% (P<0.001) and 72 ±4% (P<0.001), respectively, in SC tissues. Conclusion PI have a direct effect on human adipose tissue which are site, PI and adipokine specific; these effects may contribute to the overall adipose imbalance and development of lipodystrophy, and metabolic syndrome in HIV-positive individuals.
Physical and physiological clues for diagnosing eczema.

• The patient with atopic eczema is likely to have a personal and family history of hay fever, asthma, and eczema. He has a type of pallor caused by constant cutaneous vasospasm and a labile cutaneous vascular reaction pattern manifested by certain responses to stroking and to intradermal injections of drugs. His blood pressure is low but rises into the hypertensive range in the cold pressor test. His skin is dry, is easily chapped, and manifests sweat retention in various ways. He is more liable than most people to juvenile cataract. This type of patient gives more immediate positive reactions to skin tests than does the average person and frequently shows a pustular reaction at 48 hours to a patch test with 5% solution of nickel sulfate. His emotional reactions are likewise characteristic of a certain personality pattern. These facts aid in the recognition of atopic dermatitis and determine the course of treatment.
Ultrasonic beam steering through inhomogeneous layers with a time reversal mirror

Adaptive time delay focusing techniques allow an efficient correction of the effects due to an inhomogeneous layer close to the transducer array. If the layer is far from the array, these techniques are no longer appropriate to correct the diffraction effects between the layer and the transducer array. This problem was overcome by the use of acoustic time reversal mirrors. In this technique, the Green's function of a dominant scatterer available in the medium is recorded in digital memories and used to focus on the scatterer in both transmit and receive modes. We present in this paper an extension of this technique to focus, in the presence of an aberrating layer, not only on the dominant scatterer, but also around it in order to image the surrounding zone. From the knowledge of the Green's function needed to focus on the initial scatterer, we calculate the new Green's function matched to the new point of interest. The algorithm uses the concept of time reversal propagation, and we shall present here theoretical and experimental results obtained with this technique. Finally, the knowledge of each Green's function matched to each new desired focal point allows the realization of a B-scan image of the zone surrounding the reflector.
Cardiac deceleration and reaction time: an evaluation of two hypotheses.

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate two hypotheses concerning the basis of the association between performance on a simple reaction time (RT) task and the deceleration of heart rate found as the S responds. The RT task consisted of 96 trials in which the foreperiod was randomly varied between 2, 4, 8, and 16 sec. Two groups of 31 Ss each were used, with the cardiac response blocked pharmacologically in one group, in order to determine if the occurrence of the cardiac response facilitated performance through an afferent feedback mechanism. Two aspects of somatic activity, EMG bursts from chin muscles and eye movements and blinks, were also assessed in order to determine if the cardiac response and the associated behavioral facilitative effects were linked to a common mediating process involving cardiac deceleration and the inhibition of ongoing, task-irrelevant somatic activities. The latter hypothesis was consistently supported. Blocking the cardiac response did not significantly influence performance. However, a within-S analysis revealed a pronounced direct relationship between RT and the magnitude of the inhibition of somatic effects and the magnitude of the cardiac deceleration when the latter was not blocked pharmacologically. These data along with several other lines of evidence are considered to indicate that heart rate deceleration may not be significantly involved in an afferent mechanism but rather can be best understood as a peripheral manifestation of central processes.
Environmental shocks and sustainability in a basic economy-environment model

We study a stochastic, discrete-time, economy-environment integrated model, where human activity affects the evolution of pollution over time. We assume that exogenous i.i. d. environmental shocks determine the rate of pollution transfer. We show that the pollution to capital ratio dynamics can be read as an iterated function system converging to an invariant distribution supported on a (asymmetric) Cantor set, and that human intervention aiming at offsetting the environmental impact of economic activities is needed to ensure sustainability.
Field‐based competitive impacts between invaders and natives at varying resource supply

1 One line of thinking is that highly successful plant invaders achieve dominance in recipient communities via competitive superiority over natives. In contrast, it has been proposed that exotic species attain dominance not by competitive prowess but due to their colonizing abilities after disturbance. Interestingly, there have been relatively few attempts to quantify competitive effects of invaders on natives (and vice versa) in field settings. 2 We created monocultures of ten native perennial species and after two seasons of establishment we either left assemblages uninvaded or invaded them with seeds from one of three potent exotics; spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa), Dalmatian toadflax (Lineria dalmatica) and sulfur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta). Invasion was crossed with a supplemental water treatment to determine how increased resource supply might alter competitive outcomes. We also compared traits of exotics and natives to determine whether differences in height, lateral spread, shoot : root ratio and specific leaf area might shed light on competitive effects. 3 Exotics suppressed native biomass by an average of 51%. Water addition had no effect on invasibility or the competitive impact of exotics on natives. Although exotics decreased native biomass, invasion increased total above‐ground biomass. Spotted knapweed was the most successful invader, and because of its greater abundance, it had the largest competitive impacts on natives. Spotted knapweed invasion also reduced plant‐available soil nitrogen, water and light. 4 The majority of native species did not differ in their resistance to weed invasion, although Achillea millefolium and Festuca idahoensis monocultures were more resistant to invasion than monocultures of Antennaria rosea. Exotic biomass was either unaffected by competition with natives (knapweed) or was moderately suppressed by natives (cinquefoil and toadflax). Native species did not differ significantly in their competitive impacts on exotics and resource supply only influenced the competitive impacts of natives on spotted knapweed. Knapweed and toadflax, in particular, differed from all the natives in combined growth and leaf traits. 5 Synthesis. Our results show that exotics exert strong competitive dominance over individual native species with competitive effects relatively unaltered by increased resource supply. These effects occurred in undisturbed assemblages, suggesting that invader‐native competitive outcomes can drive invasion dynamics for the species studied.
Large heterogeneity of mitochondrial DNA transcription and initiation of replication exposed by single-cell imaging

Summary Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication and transcription are crucial for cell function, but these processes are poorly understood at the single-cell level. We describe a novel fluorescence in situ hybridization protocol, called mTRIP (mitochondrial transcription and replication imaging protocol), that reveals simultaneously mtDNA and RNA, and that can also be coupled to immunofluorescence for in situ protein examination. mTRIP reveals mitochondrial structures engaged in initiation of DNA replication by identification of a specific sequence in the regulatory D-loop, as well as unique transcription profiles in single human cells. We observe and quantify at least three classes of mitochondrial structures: (i) replication initiation active and transcript-positive (Ia-Tp); (ii) replication initiation silent and transcript-positive (Is-Tp); and (iii) replication initiation silent and transcript-negative (Is-Tn). Thus, individual mitochondria are dramatically heterogeneous within the same cell. Moreover, mTRIP exposes a mosaic of distinct nucleic acid patterns in the D-loop, including H-strand versus L-strand transcripts, and uncoupled rRNA transcription and mtDNA initiation of replication, which might have functional consequences in the regulation of the mtDNA. Finally, mTRIP identifies altered mtDNA processing in cells with unbalanced mtDNA content and function, including in human mitochondrial disorders. Thus, mTRIP reveals qualitative and quantitative alterations that provide additional tools for elucidating the dynamics of mtDNA processing in single cells and mitochondrial dysfunction in diseases.
Insights for developing pharamacological treatments for psychostimulant replapse targeting hypothalamic peptide systems

Effective pharmacotherapeutic treatment options for psychostimulant addiction are lacking, in part due to an incomplete understanding of the complex neural circuitry involved in renewed drug-seeking and relapse. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) has received renewed interest with respect to its role in addiction-related behaviours, prompted largely by the identification of a number of hypothalamic neuropeptides shown to be important mediators of reward-seeking. In particular, orexin (hypocretin) and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) have been shown to play largely opposing roles in feeding behaviour and these roles have recently been shown to extend to drug-seeking behaviour. We have previously proposed that these two peptide systems may interact with the ‘classical’ reward circuitry via the paraventricular thalamus (PVT), as this region is densely innervated by both orexin and CART –positive fibres and projects to a number of regions critical to drug-seeking [1]. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of the current literature implicating both orexin and CART in drug-seeking and relapse behaviour and presents a revised summary of the role of the PVT in mediating the actions of these two peptides. In addition, we provide novel data demonstrating that blockade of orexin receptor 1 (OXR1) signaling within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) alters Fos-protein expression in relapse-relevant regions, including the PVT and the nucleus accumbens shell (NacS). Further, whilst previous findings have shown that blockade of OXR1 in the VTA prevents reinstatement of cocaineseeking, we show here that this treatment does not affect natural reward seeking for sweetened condensed milk. In light of the reviewed body of literature, as well as the novel data presented, we discuss the considerations for future pharmacotherapies targeting the orexin and CART systems for relapse prevention.