Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterizing synchrony patterns across cognitive task stages of associative recognition memory

Numerous studies seek to understand the role of oscillatory synchronization in cognition. This problem is particularly challenging in the context of complex cognitive behavior, which consists of a sequence of processing steps with uncertain duration. In this study, we analyzed oscillatory connectivity measures in time windows that previous computational models had associated with a specific sequence of processing steps in an associative memory recognition task (visual encoding, familiarity, memory retrieval, decision making, and motor response). The timing of these processing steps was estimated on a single‐trial basis with a novel hidden semi‐Markov model multivariate pattern analysis (HSMM‐MVPA) method. We show that different processing stages are associated with specific patterns of oscillatory connectivity. Visual encoding is characterized by a dense network connecting frontal, posterior, and temporal areas as well as frontal and occipital phase locking in the 4–9 Hz theta band. Familiarity is associated with frontal phase locking in the 9–14 Hz alpha band. Decision making is associated with frontal and temporo‐central interhemispheric connections in the alpha band. During decision making, a second network in the theta band that connects left‐temporal, central, and occipital areas bears similarity to the neural signature for preparing a motor response. A similar theta band network is also present during the motor response, with additionally alpha band connectivity between right‐temporal and posterior areas. This demonstrates that the processing stages discovered with the HSMM‐MVPA method are indeed linked to distinct synchronization patterns, leading to a closer understanding of the functional role of oscillations in cognition.
Resveratrol: Inhibitory Effects on Metastatic Cell Behaviors and Voltage-Gated Na+ Channel Activity in Rat Prostate Cancer In Vitro

Resveratrol, a natural plant phenolic found at high concentration in red grapes, has been suggested to have a range of health benefits. Here, we tested its effects on metastatic cell behaviors. The strongly metastatic rat prostate MAT-LyLu cells were used as a model. At 20 μM, resveratrol had no effect on cellular proliferation or viability. However, it suppressed significantly 1) lateral motility by up to 25%; 2) transverse motility by 31%; and invasion by 37%. It also increased the cells’ adhesion to substrate by 55%. Electrophysiologically, resveratrol inhibited voltage-gated Na+ channel (VGSC) activity that has been shown previously to promote metastatic cell behaviors. This effect was dose-dependent with an IC50 of ∼50 μM. Voltage dependencies of current activation and peak were not affected but steady-state inactivation was shifted to more hyperpolarized potentials and recovery from inactivation was slowed. Coapplication of resveratrol with the highly specific VGSC blocker tetrodotoxin did not result in any additive effect on inhibition of both 1) VGSC activity and 2) metastatic cell behaviors. These results suggest 1) that a significant mode of action of resveratrol is VGSC blockage and 2) that resveratrol has promise as a natural antimetastatic agent.
Two Cases of Cellulitis in the Course of African Tick Bite Fever: A Fortuitous Association?

In African tick bite fever (ATBF), inoculation eschar – resulting from disruption of the cutaneous barrier – may be a risk factor for cellulitis. We report 2 cases of ATBF associated with cellulitis. A 77-year-old woman was referred for severe leg cellulitis upon returning from sub-Saharan Africa. She developed erythematous macules. Rickettsia africae was detected by PCR assay from a skin biopsy specimen, and ATBF diagnosis was confirmed. A 75-year-old man was hospitalized after his return from Zimbabwe for a maculopapular exanthema and erysipelas-like rash of the leg. The diagnosis of cellulitis associated with ATBF was confirmed by PCR and serological methods. Both patients were treated for ATBF and cellulitis by a combination of doxycycline and β-lactam antibiotics, and both had a good recovery. Inoculation eschar may be a risk factor for cellulitis; thus, we hypothesize a non-fortuitous association between ATBF and cellulitis.
Age Differences in Expected Satisfaction with Life in Retirement

Research on expected quality of life in retirement has focused on the perceptions of individuals either living in retirement or nearing retirement age. In this article, data are reported that examine expectations of (future) retirement quality of life among younger and middle-aged adults. Toward this end, a new scale–the Satisfaction with Life in Retirement Scale–is introduced. As part of the study, a pair of age-specific, theoretically-driven, hierarchically-structured path models were tested in which individuals' perceptions of future retirement satisfaction were regressed on indicators of financial knowledge, future time perspective, financial risk tolerance, and parental financial values. Models from both age groups were successful in accounting for variability in perceptions of future retirement satisfaction; however, age differences in the model were observed. The results of this investigation have implications for retirement counselors and intervention specialists who seek to cultivate positive perceptions of late life among individuals of different ages.
Eating Fish and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Population-Based, Prospective Follow-Up Study

Van Woudenbergh et al. (1) report that consumption of lean but not of fatty fish was associated prospectively with a significant increase in risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes, not accounted for by differences in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) consumption. They further report that this risk was abolished by adjustment for intakes of selenium, cholesterol, and vitamin …
Fatigue in ankylosing spondylitis: its prevalence and relationship to disease activity, sleep, and other factors.

OBJECTIVE To assess the symptom of fatigue in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with regard to its prevalence and its relationship to disease activity and other factors. METHODS A self-administered questionnaire, including visual analog scales to assess fatigue, other components of disease activity, and functional ability (the Bath AS Functional Index, BASFI) was sent to 350 patients with AS. Questionnaires were completed and returned by 295 patients (84% response rate). Statistical analyses were descriptive and predictive and included t tests, chi-squared tests, and multiple regression. RESULTS Sixty-five percent of the patients (n = 192) described fatigue as a major symptom (F+ group) while 31% (n = 91; F- group) did not consider it to be important (4% noncommittal). Excluding fatigue, the mean of a disease activity composite score was significantly higher in the F+ group (5.26, standard deviation (SD) + or - 2.33) than in the F- cohort (3.67, SD + or - 2.09, p <0.001). The former group also had significantly worse scores on the functional index (BASFI mean 5.87, SD + or - 2.42 vs 4.29. SD + or - 2.46, p <0.001). Of the total, 55% had, on occasion, suffered fatigue without accompanying pain or stiffness. After controlling for other factors, pain (p <0.001), functional disability (BASFI, p <0.001) and stiffness (p <0.05) were significantly associated with level of fatigue. The F+ group reported more sleep disturbance, with 41 % (compared to 26% of the F- group) waking more than 3 times a night (p = 0.04). In addition, usual fatigue on waking was more common in the F+ group (71 vs 36%, p <0.001). CONCLUSION (1) Fatigue is a major symptom in the majority of patients with AS, in particular those with more severe disease; (2) fatigue is more likely to occur with active disease but may also occur as a lone symptom. (3) those with severe fatigue function less well; and (4) the management of fatigue remains an enigma - exercise, for example, having only an equivocal effect.
Right Iliac Fossa Pain Treatment (RIFT) Study: protocol for an international, multicentre, prospective observational study

Introduction Patients presenting with right iliac fossa (RIF) pain are a common challenge for acute general surgical services. Given the range of potential pathologies, RIF pain creates diagnostic uncertainty and there is subsequent variation in investigation and management. Appendicitis is a diagnosis which must be considered in all patients with RIF pain; however, over a fifth of patients undergoing appendicectomy, in the UK, have been proven to have a histologically normal appendix (negative appendicectomy). The primary aim of this study is to determine the contemporary negative appendicectomy rate. The study’s secondary aims are to determine the rate of laparoscopy for appendicitis and to validate the Appendicitis Inflammatory Response (AIR) and Alvarado prediction scores. Methods and analysis This multicentre, international prospective observational study will include all patients referred to surgical specialists with either RIF pain or suspected appendicitis. Consecutive patients presenting within 2-week long data collection periods will be included. Centres will be invited to participate in up to four data collection periods between February and August 2017. Data will be captured using a secure online data management system. A centre survey will profile local policy and service delivery for management of RIF pain. Ethics and dissemination Research ethics are not required for this study in the UK, as determined using the National Research Ethics Service decision tool. This study will be registered as a clinical audit in participating UK centres. National leads in countries outside the UK will oversee appropriate registration and study approval, which may include completing full ethical review. The study will be disseminated by trainee-led research collaboratives and through social media. Peer-reviewed publications will be published under corporate authorship including ‘RIFT Study Group’ and ‘West Midlands Research Collaborative’.
Cost-Effectiveness of Cilostazol, Naftidrofuryl Oxalate, and Pentoxifylline for the Treatment of Intermittent Claudication in People With Peripheral Arterial Disease

We assessed the cost-effectiveness of cilostazol, naftidrofuryl oxalate, and pentoxifylline for intermittent claudication due to peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in adults whose symptoms continue despite a period of conventional management. A Markov decision model was developed to assess the lifetime costs and benefits of each vasoactive drug compared to no vasoactive drug and with each other. Regression analysis was undertaken to model the relationship between maximum walking distance and utility. Resource use data were sourced from the literature and sensitivity analyses were undertaken. Naftidrofuryl oxalate is more effective and less costly than cilostazol and pentoxifylline and has an estimated cost per quality-adjusted life year gained of around £6070 compared to no vasoactive drug. The analysis uses effectiveness evidence from a network meta-analysis. In contrast to previous guidelines recommending cilostazol, the analysis suggests that naftidrofuryl oxalate is the only vasoactive drug for PAD which is likely to be cost-effective.
Agriculture and settlement formation along the East African coast

L'article propose un examen du developpement des communautes agricoles et de leur habitat sur la cote et a l'interieur des terres de l'Afrique orientale (Kenya et vallee de Tana) au Ier millenaire apr J.-C. L'auteur s'interesse particulierement aux connexions entre l'interieur des terres et les habitats swahilis anciens de la cote et des iles, ainsi qu'a la distribution et a la datation des sites de l'Age du Fer ancien de tradition Kwale et des sites a tradition ceramique Tana
Cardiac Ion Channel Effects of Tolterodine

Tolterodine is a muscarinic antagonist widely used in the treatment of urinary incontinence. Although tolterodine has not been reported to alter cardiac repolarization, it is chemically related to other muscarinic antagonists known to prolong cardiac repolarization. For this reason, we studied the effects of tolterodine on cardiac ion channels and action potential recordings. Using patch-clamp electrophysiology, we found that tolterodine was a potent antagonist of the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) K+ channel, displaying an IC50 value of 17 nM. This potency was similar to that observed for the antiarrhythmic drug dofetilide (IC50 of 11 nM). Tolterodine block of HERG displayed a positive voltage dependence, suggesting an interaction with an activated state. Tolterodine had little effect on the human cardiac Na+ channel at concentrations of up to 1 μM. Inhibition of L-type Ca2+ currents by tolterodine was frequency-dependent with IC50 values measuring 143 and 1084 nM at 1 and 0.1 Hz, respectively. Both tolterodine and dofetilide prolonged action potential duration in single guinea pig myocytes over the concentration range of 3 to 100 nM. However, prolongation was significantly larger for dofetilide compared with tolterodine. Tolterodine seems to be an unusual drug in that it blocks HERG with high affinity, but produces little QT prolongation clinically. Low plasma levels after therapeutic doses combined with mixed ion channel effects, most notably Ca2+ channel blockade, may serve to attenuate the QT prolonging effects of this potent HERG channel antagonist.
A Prevalence and Management Study of Acute Pain in Children Attending Emergency Departments by Ambulance

Abstract Pain is the most common symptom in the emergency setting and remains one of the most challenging problems for emergency care providers, particularly in the pediatric population. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of acute pain in children attending emergency departments (EDs) in Ireland by ambulance. In addition, this study sought to describe the prehospital and initial ED management of pain in this population, with specific reference to etiology of pain, frequency of pain assessment, pain severity, and pharmacological analgesic interventions. A prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken over a 12-month period of all pediatric patients transported by emergency ambulance to four tertiary referral hospitals in Ireland. All children (<16 years) who had pain as a symptom (regardless of cause) at any stage during the prehospital phase of care were included in this study. Over the study period, 6,371 children attended the four EDs by emergency ambulance, of which 2,635 (41.4%, 95% confidence interval 40.2–42.3%) had pain as a documented symptom on the ambulance patient care report (PCR) form. Overall 32% (n = 856) of children who complained of pain were subject to a formal pain assessment during the prehospital phase of care. Younger age, short transfer time to the ED, and emergency calls between midnight and 6 am were independently associated with decreased likelihood of having a documented assessment of pain intensity during the prehospital phase of care. Of the 2,635 children who had documented pain on the ambulance PCR, 26% (n = 689) received some form of analgesic agent prior to ED arrival. Upon ED arrival 54% (n = 1,422) of children had a documented pain assessment and some form of analgesic agent was administered to 50% (n = 1,324). Approximately 41% of children who attend EDs in Ireland by ambulance have pain documented as their primary symptom. This study suggests that the management of acute pain in children transferred by ambulance to the ED in Ireland is currently poor, with documentary evidence of only 26% receiving prehospital analgesic agents.
Seasonal Variation of Blood Pressure in Normotensive Females Aged 18 to 40 Years in an Urban Slum of Delhi, India

Season is one of the factors affecting blood pressure. The objectives of this study are to quantify the magnitude of seasonal changes in blood pressure among normotensive women aged 18 to 40 years and to find out the association of blood pressure variation between winter and summer with body mass index, temperature, humidity, day length, and salt intake. The study was carried out on 132 women, included 4 home visits during the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Mean increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP)/diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in winter was 11.07/6.79 mm Hg during summer (P < .001). No significant relationship in blood pressure variation with change in environmental variables was observed. Mean increase in SBP/DBP in winter was more among underweight than individuals who were normal/overweight/obese (P < .05). There was significant increase in SBP/DBP during winter compared with summer. This seasonal factor should be considered while evaluating individual blood pressure and comparing community studies.
L'utilisation de la musique comme support de nouveaux apprentissages dans le vieillisement normal et la maladie d'Alzheimer

L’objectif de ce travail de these est d’evaluer le potentiel de la musique comme support mnemotechnique pour l’acquisition de nouvelles informations chez des personnes âgees saines et atteintes de la maladie d’Alzheimer (MA). Les benefices de la musique sur la cognition ont souvent ete mis en evidence, y compris chez des populations âgees ou atteintes de demence. Parallelement, chez des sujets jeunes, l’idee que la musique peut servir de support pour la memoire a ete largement debattue. Pourtant, tres peu d’etudes ont pose cette question aupres de populations âgees ou dans la demence, malgre le besoin persistant de strategies d’intervention dans ce domaine. Dans le present travail, deux etudes sont menees dans une cohorte de 8 participants atteints d’un stade leger de la maladie d’Alzheimer, et 7 participants âges sains apparies en âge et niveau de scolarite. La premiere etude porte sur la memoire verbale, et compare l’apprentissage et la retention de paroles (textes inconnus) presentees de maniere recitee ou chantee. Lorsque les paroles sont chantees, differents degres de familiarite de la melodie sont contrastes. Aussi, l’action motrice etant intimement liee a l’ecoute musicale, nous contrastons deux procedures d’apprentissage impliquant (ou non) la production synchronisee des paroles a memoriser pendant l’encodage : le participant est invite a chanter a l’unisson avec un modele (ou a ecouter simplement sans chanter). Les resultats de cette etude sont presentes et discutes dans les deux premiers articles de la partie experimentale. Ils suggerent globalement que la musique n’aide pas l’apprentissage en rappel immediat ; un effet deletere est meme observe lorsque la melodie utilisee est non familiere. Par contre, la musique favorise la retention a long terme des paroles, principalement pour les participants MA. Elle ne semble cependant pas interagir avec la procedure d’apprentissage impliquant le chant a l’unisson. La seconde etude porte sur l’apprentissage de sequences de gestes. Suivant la meme logique que dans la premiere etude, nous explorons l’influence d’un accompagnement musical (versus apprentissage en silence) et d’une procedure d’apprentissage avec production synchronisee (versus observation) des gestes durant l’encodage. Les resultats (article 3) ne montrent pas non plus d’interaction entre l’accompagnement et la procedure d’apprentissage, mais differents effets de chaque composante sur les deux groupes de participants. Effectuer les gestes en synchronie avec un modele lors de l’encodage est benefique pour les sujets Controles, mais plutot deletere pour les participants MA. Par contre, l’accompagnement musical favorise davantage l’apprentissage chez les sujet MA que chez les Controles. En discussion generale, nous discutons les implications de ces resultats pour la neuropsychologie fondamentale et clinique, et proposons notamment differentes recommandations visant a maximiser ces effets et a les rendre pertinents pour l’usage therapeutique en stimulation cognitive.
Titan's haze structure in 1999 from spatially‐resolved narrowband imaging surrounding the 0.94 μm methane window

We use narrowband images of Titan obtained in November 1999 to explore the haze vertical structure in Titan's lower atmosphere. The images were taken with the Mount Wilson 2.54 m telescope using the NASA/GSFC‐built Acousto‐Optic Imaging Spectrometer. These images were recorded at five wavelengths surrounding the 0.94 μm methane window and are sensitive to a range of altitudes in Titan's lower atmosphere. We characterize Titan's limb darkening by fitting the Minnaert function limb darkening coefficient k to our data at 0° latitude and compare our observed limb darkening to that predicted from three radiative transfer models. The vertical haze profiles suggest a gap in haze below 75 km, with an increase in haze abundance near the surface.
Regular Exercise Reduces Endothelial Cortical Stiffness in Western Diet–Fed Female Mice

We recently showed that Western diet–induced obesity and insulin resistance promotes endothelial cortical stiffness in young female mice. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that regular aerobic exercise would attenuate the development of endothelial and whole artery stiffness in female Western diet–fed mice. Four-week-old C57BL/6 mice were randomized into sedentary (ie, caged confined, n=6) or regular exercise (ie, access to running wheels, n=7) conditions for 16 weeks. Exercise training improved glucose tolerance in the absence of changes in body weight and body composition. Compared with sedentary mice, exercise-trained mice exhibited reduced endothelial cortical stiffness in aortic explants (sedentary 11.9±1.7 kPa versus exercise 5.5±1.0 kPa; P<0.05), as assessed by atomic force microscopy. This effect of exercise was not accompanied by changes in aortic pulse wave velocity (P>0.05), an in vivo measure of aortic stiffness. In comparison, exercise reduced femoral artery stiffness in isolated pressurized arteries and led to an increase in femoral internal artery diameter and wall cross-sectional area (P<0.05), indicative of outward hypertrophic remodeling. These effects of exercise were associated with an increase in femoral artery elastin content and increased number of fenestrae in the internal elastic lamina (P<0.05). Collectively, these data demonstrate for the first time that the aortic endothelium is highly plastic and, thus, amenable to reductions in stiffness with regular aerobic exercise in the absence of changes in in vivo whole aortic stiffness. Comparatively, the same level of exercise caused destiffening effects in peripheral muscular arteries, such as the femoral artery, that perfuse the working limbs.
Antituberculous effect of silver nanoparticles

The in vitro experiment, involving 1164 strains of the tuberculosis mycobacteria, exhibited a potentiating effect of silver nanoparticles on known antituberculous preparations in respect of overcoming drug-resistance of the causative agent. The in vitro experiment, based on the model of resistant tuberculosis, was performed on 65 white mice. An evident antituberculous effect of the nanocomposite on the basis of silver nanoparticles and isoniazid was proved. Toxicological assessment of the of nanopreparations was carried out. The performed research scientifically establishes efficacy and safety of the nanocomposite application in combination therapy of patients suffering from drug-resistant tuberculosis.