Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of selective attention on spatial form processing in monkey primary and secondary somatosensory cortex.

1. The effects of selective attention were studied in SI and SII cortex of a rhesus monkey trained to perform two tasks, a tactile discrimination task and a visual detection task. In the tactile task, a letter was displayed on a video screen in front of the monkey and the animal was rewarded for responding when the raised letter (6.0 mm letter height) scanning across its finger (15 mm/s) matched the letter on the screen. In the visual task, three illuminated squares were displayed on the screen, and the animal was rewarded for detecting when one of the squares dimmed. The neural responses evoked by the raised letters were recorded continuously while the animal's focus of attention was switched back and forth between the two tasks. 2. Significant differences between the discharge rates evoked by raised letters in the two tasks were observed in approximately 50% of neurons in SI cortex and 80% of neurons in SII cortex. The effects in SII cortex were divided between increased (58%) and decreased (22%) rates. In SI cortex only increased rates were observed. 3. The attentional effects were expressed not only as changes in overall neuronal activity but also as modifications of the form of the responses evoked by the letters. 4. Whether attentional effects were observed depended upon the behavioral relevance of individual letters. During brief periods in the tactile task when a behavioral response could not yield a reward (time-out and reward periods) the neuronal responses were not significantly different from the responses evoked by the same letters during the visual task. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Labour analgesia effects on foetal heart rate. A mini-review

Foetal well-being during labour is of utmost importance. One of the ways to attempt to assess foetal well-being is by recording foetal heart rate (FHR). Loss of variability and deceleration patterns are known to be associated with foetal distress. Decelerations and foetal bradycardia have been described after any type of effective labour analgesia. This review addresses the questions if certain analgesic techniques and/or analgesics lead to clinically relevant FHR changes, what is their aetiology, and how we should manage these FHR changes.
Anethum Graveolens Linn (Umbelliferae) Extract Attenuates Stress-induced Urinary Biochemical Changes and Improves Cognition in Scopolamineinduced Amnesic Rats

Purpose : Anethum graveolens Linn. (Umbelliferae, A. graveolens) is a widely used spice with a long history of traditional medicinal use for the treatment of various ailments. The present study examines the anti-stress and cognition-improving effects of A. graveolens extract in a rat model. Methods : Urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and ascorbic acid were estimated as biomarkers for evaluating antistress activity in rats. Conditioned avoidance response using Cook’s pole climbing apparatus in normal and scopolamine-induced amnestic rats was used to assess cognitive-improving activities. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay was used to evaluate antioxidant activity. Results : Daily administration of A. graveolens at doses of 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight 1 h prior to induction of stress inhibited stress-induced urinary biochemical changes in a dose-dependent manner without altering the levels in normal control groups. Changes in cognition (as determined by the acquisition), retention and recovery in rats were dose-dependent. The extract also produced significant lipid peroxidation inhibition in both rat liver and brain, compared to a reference standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid. Conclusion : The aqueous extract of A. graveolens exhibited significant anti-stress, antioxidant and memory enhancing activities. The study provides a scientific basis for the traditional use of the plant as a culinary spice in foods.
Outcome of full-thickness skin grafts used to close skin defects involving the distal aspects of the limbs in cats and dogs: 52 cases (2005-2012).

OBJECTIVE To describe the outcome of full-thickness skin grafts used to close skin defects involving the distal aspects of the limbs in cats and dogs and identify factors associated with outcome. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 20 cats and 32 dogs with a skin defect involving the distal aspect of a limb that received 58 full-thickness skin grafts between 2005 and 2012. PROCEDURES Data regarding patient signalment, location and cause of the skin defect, surgical and anesthetic duration, and postoperative bandaging protocol were obtained from the medical records. Graft outcome was assessed by interpreting descriptions in the records; skin viability over ≥ 75% of the graft area between 7 and 14 days after surgery was considered a successful outcome. RESULTS For 4 of the 58 grafts, graft outcome could not be determined from the medical record. For the remaining grafts, success rate was significantly higher for grafts placed in cats (17/22 [77%]) than in dogs (12/32 [38%]). The overall complication rate was 50%; complications included skin graft failure, donor site dehiscence, and bandage-induced sloughing of skin adjacent to the graft recipient site. In addition to species, anatomic location of the skin defect was identified as a prognostic indicator of graft outcome. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Full-thickness skin grafting had a higher success rate in cats than in dogs. Skin grafts applied to the antebrachium, compared with other locations on the distal aspects of the limbs, were associated with a poorer prognosis.
(dC‐dA)n.(dG‐dT)n sequences have evolutionarily conserved chromosomal locations in Drosophila with implications for roles in chromosome structure and function.

In situ hybridization of (dC‐dA)n. (dG‐dT)n to the polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster reveals a clearly non‐random distribution of chromosomal sites for this sequence. Sites are distributed over most euchromatic regions but the density of sites along the X chromosome is significantly higher than the density over the autosomes. All autosomes show approximately equal levels of hybridization except chromosome 4 which has no detectable stretches of (dC‐dA)n. (dG‐dT)n. Another striking feature is the lack of hybridization of the beta‐heterochromatin of the chromocenter. The specific sites are conserved between different strains of D. melanogaster. The same overall chromosomal pattern of hybridization is seen for the other Drosophila species studied, including D. simulans, a sibling species with a much lower content of middle repetitive DNA, and D. virilis, a distantly related species. The evolutionary conservation of the distribution of (dC‐dA)n. (dG‐dT)n suggests that these sequences are of functional importance. The distribution patterns seen for D. pseudoobscura and D. miranda raise interesting speculations about function. In these species a chromosome equivalent to an autosomal arm of D. melanogaster has been translocated onto the X chromosome and acquired dosage compensation. In each species the new arm of the X also has a higher density of (dC‐dA)n. (dG‐dT)n similar to that seen on other X chromosomes. In addition to correlations with dosage compensation, the depletion of (dC‐dA)n. (dG‐dT)n in beta‐heterochromatin and chromosome 4 may also be related to the fact that these regions do not normally undergo meiotic recombination.
The Location of Tryptophan, N-acetyltryptophan and α-Chymotrypsin in Reverse Micelles of AOT: A Fluorescence Study¶

Abstract The spectroscopic properties of α-chymotrypsin (α-Chym), l-tryptophan (Trp) and N-acetyl-l-tryptophan (NAT) solubilized in hydrated reverse micelles of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate in iso-octane were followed by fluorescence as a function of the amount of intramicellar water and initial pH. The lack of pH dependence observed for Trp in these systems, as opposed to what occurs in bulk water, and the similarities found for the protein in both media foresee different locations of these probes. In reverse micelles, fluorescence quenching studies using acrylamide emphasize the existence of structural alterations within the protein when its global charge changes from positive (pH = 7) to negative (pH = 10). The ensemble of the data points to an interfacial location of the zwitterionic Trp, an intermediate region of less tightly bound water for the location of the anionic Trp and NAT and an almost bulk water environment for α-Chym.
On the number of inference regions of deep feed forward networks with piece-wise linear activations

Abstract: This paper explores the complexity of deep feed forward networks with linear pre-synaptic couplings and rectified linear activations. This is a contribution to the growing body of work contrasting the representational power of deep and shallow network architectures. In particular, we offer a framework for comparing deep and shallow models that belong to the family of piecewise linear functions based on computational geometry. We look at a deep rectifier multi-layer perceptron (MLP) with linear outputs units and compare it with a single layer version of the model. In the asymptotic regime, when the number of inputs stays constant, if the shallow model has $kn$ hidden units and $n_0$ inputs, then the number of linear regions is $O(k^{n_0}n^{n_0})$. For a $k$ layer model with $n$ hidden units on each layer it is $\Omega(\left( {n}/{n_0}\right)^{k-1}n^{n_0})$. $\left({n}/{n_0}\right)^{k-1}$ grows faster then $k^{n_0}$ when either $n$ goes to infinity or $k$ goes to infinity and $n > 2n_0$. We consider this as a first step towards understanding the complexity of these models and specifically towards providing suitable mathematical tools for future analysis.
Acid shock induction of RpoS is mediated by the mouse virulence gene mviA of Salmonella typhimurium

Salmonella typhimurium encounters a variety of acid stress situations during growth in host and nonhost environments. The organism can survive potentially lethal acid conditions (pH <4) if it is first able to adapt to mild or more moderate acid levels. The molecular events that occur during this adaptive process are collectively referred to as the acid tolerance response and vary depending on whether the cells are in log- or stationary-phase growth. The acid tolerance response of logarithmically growing cells includes the participation of an alternate sigma factor, sigmaS (RpoS), commonly associated with stationary-phase physiology. Of 51 acid shock proteins (ASPs) induced during shifts to pH 4.4, 8 are clearly dependent on sigmaS for production (I. S. Lee, J. Lin, H. K. Hall, B. Bearson, and J. W. Foster, Mol. Microbiol. 17:155-167, 1995). The acid shock induction of these proteins appears to be the result of an acid shock-induced increase in the level of sigmaS itself. We have discovered that one component of a potential signal transduction system responsible for inducing rpoS expression is the product of the mouse virulence gene mviA+. MviA exhibits extensive homology to the regulatory components of certain two-component signal transduction systems (W. H. Benjamin, Jr., and P. D. Hall, abstr. B-67, p. 38, in Abstracts of the 93rd General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology 1993, 1993). Mutations in mviA (mviA::Km) caused the overproduction of sigmaS and sigmaS-dependent ASPs in logarithmically growing cells, as well as increases in tolerances to acid, heat, osmolarity and oxidative stresses and significant decreases in growth rate and colony size. Mutations in rpoS suppressed the mviA::Km-associated defects in growth rate, colony size, ASP production, and stress tolerance, suggesting that the effects of MviA on cell physiology occur via its control of sigmaS levels. Western blot (immunoblot) analyses of sigmaS produced from natural or arabinose-regulated promoters revealed that acid shock and MviA posttranscriptionally regulate sigmaS levels. Turnover experiments suggest that MviA regulates the stability of sigmaS protein rather than the translation of rpoS message. We propose a model in which MviA or its unknown signal transduction partner senses some consequence of acid shock, and probably other stresses, and signals the release of sigmaS from proteolysis. The increased concentration of sigmaS drives the elevated expression of the sigmaS-dependent ASPs, resulting in an increase in stress tolerance. The avirulent nature of mviA insertion mutants, therefore, appears to result from inappropriate sigmaS-dependent gene expression during pathogenesis.
GABAA receptors mediate the attenuating effects of a 5‐HT3 receptor antagonist on methamphetamine‐induced behavioral sensitization in mice

We previously showed that 5‐HT3 receptors are involved in the development and expression of methamphetamine (MAP)‐induced locomotor sensitization in mice. Here, we examined whether the dopaminergic or the GABAergic systems areinvolved in the attenuating effects of the 5‐HT3 receptor antagonist MDL72222 on MAP‐induced locomotor sensitization. Quantitative autoradiography of D1 ([3H]SCH23390), D2 ([3H]raclopride) receptor, and GABAA receptor benzodiazepine ([3H]flunitrazepam) binding was carried out in the brains of mice treated with chronic MAP and pretreatment with MDL72222. No significant differences were found in D1 and D2 binding between the two groups, suggesting that the attenuating effects of MDL72222 on MAP‐induced locomotor sensitization is not medicated by D1 and D2 receptors. Postsynaptic dopamine (DA) receptor supersensitivity was measured by challenge with apomorphine, a dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonist, after repeated MAP treatment or pretreatment with MDL72222 before MAP. Apomorphine induced an enhanced locomotor activity in both chronic MAP‐treated mice and mice pretreated with MDL 72222, with no significant differences between the two groups. The binding of [3H]flunitrazepam was significantly decreased in the motor and cingulate cortex, caudate putamen, and nucleus accumbens of mice in the repeated MAP treatment group compared with the control group, and this effect was reversed by pretreatment with MDL72222. This suggested that GABAA benzodiazepine binding sites are involved in the attenuating effects of a 5‐HT3 receptor antagonist on MAP‐induced locomotor sensitization. Synapse 64:274–279, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bevacizumab therapy before autologous stem-cell transplantation for POEMS syndrome.

POEMS is an acronym for a rare multisystemic syndrome encompassing polyneuropathy (P), organomegaly (O), endocrinopathy (E), monoclonal gammopathy (M), skin changes (S) and additional features variably expressed [1]. POEMS syndrome is associated with high vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) serum levels. This angiogenic factor likely plays a pathogenic role, in particular for neuropathy, possibly via alteration of endoneurial vessels [2]. Treatment options are still debated, but recently autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) appears to be effective. This approach for POEMS patients, however, was associated with severe morbidity, mainly respiratory failures that appeared to be related to neuromuscular damage [3]. We report a 45-year-old woman presenting with a rapidly progressive sensorimotor polyneuropathy involving all extremities, multiple sclerotic bone lesions, skin hyperpigmentation and hemangiomas, hepatomegaly, peripheral edema and papilledema. A monoclonal immunoglobulin A k protein was detected (5 g/l) with a bone marrow plasmocytosis (15%). Platelets were 600 · 10/l and cerebrospinal fluid proteins were 30 g/l. Electromyographic and nerve conduction analyses confirmed neuropathy with axonal abnormalities. Within few months appeared walking impossibility, swallowing difficulties and respiratory distress. Serum VEGF was highly elevated at 9700 pg/ml (normal range: 62–707). Steroids treatment was declined by the patient. ASCT was considered at high risk because of her poor condition (Karnofsky score of 50%), neurological defects and respiratory failure. We hypothesized that VEGF inhibition may relieve neuropathy. Bevacizumab therapy was initiated at 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Pain relief was observed after two infusions, followed by major improvement in walking and breathing within 10 weeks. This was correlated with a drop in VEGF level (61 pg/ml) and a significant improvement in electromyographic and nerve conduction studies. Treatment was continued for 4 months, and further clinical improvement was observed, confirmed by electroneuromyography and pulmonary function tests. Hepatomegaly and skin abnormalities remained unchanged. Karnofsky score improved at 80%, allowing ASCT conditioned with melphalan (200 mg/m) to be realized in better conditions. The procedure was well tolerated, and clinical outcome was excellent with a Karnofsky score at 90% 1 year after the procedure. Rapidly evolving neuropathy may hamper to carry out ASCT in POEMS patients. Neurological defects in our POEMS patient has been partially reversed by bevacizumab therapy, further supporting the role of VEGF in this complication. The large biological and clinical heterogeneities of POEMS syndrome could explain variable sensitivities to anti-VEGF therapy [4, 5]. Our report indicates that some patients may benefit from bevacizumab to improve their clinical condition before applying more standard treatments.
Selection of Measurement Method for Detection of Driver Visual Cognitive Distraction: A Review

Driving distraction is a topic of great interest in the transport safety-research community, because it is now a primary cause of road accidents. A recent report has revealed that distraction is more alarming than previously thought, and a suitable measurement to effectively detect distraction is required. Most agree that driving distraction actually comprises the simultaneous interaction of two or more types of distraction. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to determine the promising method for measuring visual cognitive distraction. We discuss the five common measurement methods for visual and cognitive driving distraction, which include driving performance, driver physical measures, driver biological measures, subjective reports, and hybrid measures. Hybrid measurement of driver’s physical measures (e.g., eye movement) and driver’s biological measures (e.g., electroencephalogram) is better than other methods at detecting types of visual cognitive distraction. This new perspective on measurement methods will help the field of transport safety to determine the best means of detecting and measuring the effect of visual cognitive distraction.
Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases Concomitant with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

The coexistence of Crohn’s disease (CD) and autoimmune thyroid diseases [Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT)] is uncommon, although these conditions involve autoimmune processes. This report reviews the English and Japanese literature, including proceedings regarding coexisting CD and the autoimmune thyroid diseases GD and HT, and discusses cases of concomitant CD and GD (six cases) and CD and HT (12 cases), compared with reported concomitant cases of ulcerative colitis and GD.
Evaluating anxiety and depression symptoms in children and adolescents with prior mild traumatic brain injury: Agreement between methods and respondents

ABSTRACT Psychological functioning can be adversely impacted after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and may be a potential target for intervention. Despite the use of symptom ratings or structured diagnostic interview to assess long-term anxiety and depression symptoms in children and adolescents post-injury, no known studies have considered the agreement between different assessment methods and between respondents. The objectives of this study were to investigate the agreement between symptom ratings and structured diagnostic interview and between children and parents’ symptom reporting. Participants (N = 33; 9–18 years old) were recruited from the Emergency Department and assessed on average 22.8 months (SD = 5.6) after their mTBI. Anxiety and depression symptoms were evaluated via subscales of a questionnaire (Behavior Assessment System for Children) and parts of a computerized structured diagnostic interview (generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive episode; Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children – C-DISC-IV) administered individually to children and their parents. Results showed that the inter-method agreement to identify high levels of anxiety and depression was moderate to perfect in children while it was lower in parents. Although a similar percentage of participants with elevated anxiety or depression were identified by both children and parents, the agreement between youth and parents was variable, ranging from poor to good for anxiety and poor to moderate for depression. These results highlight the importance of collecting youth and parents’ reports of anxiety and depression symptoms and considering potential discrepancies between informants’ answers.
Reference intervals for thyreotropin and thyroid hormones for healthy adults based on the NOBIDA material and determined using a Modular E170®

Abstract Background: The aim of the present study was to establish Nordic reference intervals for thyreotropin (TSH) and the thyroid hormones in heparinized plasma. Methods: We used 489 heparinized blood samples, collected in the morning, from the Nordic NOBIDA reference material, from healthy adults without medication. TSH, thyroxine, free thyroxine, triiodothyronine, free triiodothyronine, and thyroglobulin antibodies (Tg-ab) were measured using assays for Roche Modular E170® and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-ab) were measured using the Brahms Kryptor assay. Results: The measured concentrations for the thyroid hormones, but not TSH, followed a Gaussian distribution. There were more TPO-ab and Tg-ab positive women than men. After exclusion of the TPO-ab and the Tg-ab positive individuals, the reference interval TSH was 0.64 (0.61–0.72) to 4.7 (4.4–5.0) mIU/L. The exclusion of these ab-positive samples also minimized the differences in TSH concentrations between the sexes and the different Nordic countries. For the thyroid hormones, there were only minor differences between the reference intervals between the Nordic populations and between men and women. These reference intervals were unaffected by removal of the TPO-ab and TG-ab positive samples. Conclusions: The upper limit of the TSH reference interval in our study is high compared to some other recent reports. This could be due to blood sampling in the morning. Furthermore, the Roche platform gives slightly higher results than other platforms. The number and distribution of the samples in the NOBIDA material makes it suitable for the determination of hormone Nordic reference intervals. Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:1305–12.
Neuroendocrine tests of monoamine function in man: a review of basic theory and its application to the study of depressive illness

SYNOPSIS Neuroendocrine tests are now available for studying monoamine function in the brains of patients with mental illness. Great care is required in the selection of drugs which act upon specific monoamine receptors to produce specific hormonal responses. Equal care is required in the control of biological variables which may influence hormonal release. Recently reported neuroendocrine studies of depressive illness are assessed in these terms. The results of these studies support the hypothesis that there is defective noradrenergic function in the brains of some patients with depressive illness.