Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of Na+/H+ exchanger 1 allosteric balance by its localization in cholesterol‐ and caveolin‐rich membrane microdomains

The Na+/H+ exchanger 1, which plays an essential role in intracellular pH regulation in most tissues, is also known to be a key actor in both proliferative and apoptotic processes. Its activation by H+ is best described by the Monod–Wyman–Changeux model: the dimeric NHE‐1 oscillates between a low and a high affinity conformation, the balance between the two forms being defined by the allosteric constant L0. In this study, influence of cholesterol‐ and caveolin‐rich microdomains on NHE‐1 activity was examined by using cholesterol depleting agents, including methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (MBCD). These agents activated NHE‐1 by modulating its L0 parameter, which was reverted by cholesterol repletion. This activation was associated with NHE‐1 relocation outside microdomains, and was distinct from NHE‐1 mitogenic and hormonal stimulation; indeed MBCD and serum treatments were additive, and serum alone did not change NHE‐1 localization. Besides, MBCD activated a serum‐insensitive, constitutively active mutated NHE‐1 (625KDKEEEIRK635 into KNKQQQIRK). Finally, the membrane‐dependent NHE‐1 regulation occurred independently of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases, especially Extracellular Regulated Kinase activation, although this kinase was activated by MBCD. In conclusion, localization of NHE‐1 in membrane cholesterol‐ and caveolin‐rich microdomains constitutes a novel physiological negative regulator of NHE‐1 activity. J. Cell. Physiol. 216: 207–220, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pulmonary vein anatomy and long-term outcome after multi-electrode pulmonary vein isolation with phased radiofrequency energy for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

AIMS We evaluated the effect of pulmonary vein (PV) anatomical characteristics on PV isolation (PVI) and long-term efficacy of ablation with phased radiofrequency (RF) energy and pulmonary vein ablation catheter (PVAC) multi-electrode catheter. METHODS AND RESULTS Before the procedure, PV anatomy was visualized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Consecutive patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were treated with the PVAC with successful acute isolation. Follow-up was performed at 3, 6, and 12 months with electrocardiogram and 7-day Holter recording at 6 and/or 12 months. Symptomatic patients received additional event recording. In 110 patients a pre-procedure cardiac MRI was performed. Ninety-seven (88%) had a separate left superior PV and separate left inferior PV, all patients had a separate right superior PV and separate right inferior PV. Fourteen (13%) had a left PV with common trunk and 27 (25%) had a separate right middle PV (RMPV). After a follow-up of 1 year, 57 of 110 (52%) patients were free of AF without anti-arrhythmic drug. No specific anatomical variable that was related to long-term failure could be found. There was a trend for patients with larger veins (>24 mm) or separate RMPV to have a lower efficacy. The number of applications per vein or procedure did not influence long-term outcome. CONCLUSIONS In patients who have undergone PVI with phased RF energy and PVAC multi-electrode ablation, long-term efficacy is not significantly affected by PV anatomy or number of applications, although a trend for reduced efficacy is seen for PV with diameter >24 mm, and presence of RMPV.
A survey of the attitudes of chronic psychiatric patients living in the community toward their medication

Because non‐compliance with antipsychotic drug therapy is both common and associated with a substantially increased risk of acute relapse, depot medication must be preferred for most schizophrenic out‐patients. Yet there is a perception that depot medication is unpopular among patients. In the survey of out‐patients reported here, the great majority of patients receiving either oral or depot neuroleptics (with or without oral augmentation) would, given a free choice, elect to continue with their present dose form (94% and 87%, respectively). In virtually all cases, the choice of route was made by the treating physician and readily accepted by the patient. These findings suggest that physicians should more often recommend and prescribe depot medication when antipsychotic maintenance therapy is indicated.
How Silent Is Silent Reading? Intracerebral Evidence for Top-Down Activation of Temporal Voice Areas during Reading

As you might experience it while reading this sentence, silent reading often involves an imagery speech component: we can hear our own “inner voice” pronouncing words mentally. Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have associated that component with increased metabolic activity in the auditory cortex, including voice-selective areas. It remains to be determined, however, whether this activation arises automatically from early bottom-up visual inputs or whether it depends on late top-down control processes modulated by task demands. To answer this question, we collaborated with four epileptic human patients recorded with intracranial electrodes in the auditory cortex for therapeutic purposes, and measured high-frequency (50–150 Hz) “gamma” activity as a proxy of population level spiking activity. Temporal voice-selective areas (TVAs) were identified with an auditory localizer task and monitored as participants viewed words flashed on screen. We compared neural responses depending on whether words were attended or ignored and found a significant increase of neural activity in response to words, strongly enhanced by attention. In one of the patients, we could record that response at 800 ms in TVAs, but also at 700 ms in the primary auditory cortex and at 300 ms in the ventral occipital temporal cortex. Furthermore, single-trial analysis revealed a considerable jitter between activation peaks in visual and auditory cortices. Altogether, our results demonstrate that the multimodal mental experience of reading is in fact a heterogeneous complex of asynchronous neural responses, and that auditory and visual modalities often process distinct temporal frames of our environment at the same time.
An International Comparative Study on Cyber Security Strategy

It is expected that utilization and expansion of cyber-space on the basis of big data, cloud computing and IoT(Internet of Things) will be a critical factor which determines national competitiveness. In the meantime, cyber threat accompanied by the utilization of cyber space, attacks targeting cyber space, became enhanced and complicated. Besides this, attackers were also more organized with economic and political intention. As a result, damage caused by the attacks targeting cyber-space has already brought about social confusion. This paper analyzes various countries' cyber security strategy by focusing on public-private partnership, which is one of the common grounds of the strategies. Especially, it focuses on how each country establishes institutional framework of the partnership related to infra-protection. The subject of analysis is limited to U. S. A, EU and Japan. Consequently, the countries, to some degree, adopt intervention policy through cyber security strategy, and government control is changing from voluntary self-regulation to enforced self-regulation in general. Additionally, public-partnership is more and more emphasized.
Suicide ideation and attempts and bullying in children and adolescents: psychiatric and general population samples.

BACKGROUND Studies of the relationship between bullying and suicide behavior yield mixed results. AIMS This is the first study comparing frequencies of suicide behavior in four bullying groups (bully, victim, bully/victim, and neither) in two large psychiatric and community samples of young children and adolescents. METHOD Maternal ratings of bullying and suicide ideation and attempts were analyzed for 1,291 children with psychiatric disorders and 658 children in the general population 6-18 years old. RESULTS For both the psychiatric and community samples, suicide ideation and attempt scores for bully/victims were significantly higher than for victims only and for neither bullies nor victims. Differences between victims only and neither victims nor bullies were nonsignificant. Controlling for sadness and conduct problems, suicide behavior did not differ between the four bullying groups. All children with suicide attempts had a comorbid psychiatric disorder, as did all but two children with suicide ideation. CONCLUSION Although the contribution of bullying per se to suicide behavior independent of sadness and conduct problems is small, bullying has obvious negative psychological consequences that make intervention imperative. Interventions need to focus on the psychopathology associated with being a victim and/or perpetrator of bullying in order to reduce suicide behavior.
Maximizing the sum rate in symmetric networks of interfering links under flat power constraints

We consider the power control problem of maximizing the sum rate of a symmetric network of interfering links in Gaussian noise. We consider a static network: there is no time-varying fading and the power allocation is also mandated to be time and frequency flat. All transmitters have a maximum allowable average transmit power, the same for all transmitters. We solve this nonconvex problem by identifying some underlying convex structure, and show that the solution is either one link blasting at full power, or all links blasting at full power. We provide a characterization of the solution in terms of the level of cross-gain between the interfering links. There is a phase transition between these two states, as the cross-gain traverses a threshold.
Prognostic value of Achilles tendon Doppler sonography in asymptomatic runners.

INTRODUCTION Midportion Achilles tendinopathy (MPT) is a common problem in running athletes. Nevertheless, its etiology is not fully understood, and no valid prognostic criterion to predict the development of MPT could be identified to date. The purpose of the present study, therefore, was to evaluate whether power Doppler ultrasonography (PDU) is a suitable method to identify a predisposition to MPT in yet asymptomatic runners. METHODS At 23 major running events, 634 asymptomatic long-distance runners were tested for Achilles tendon thickness, vascularization, and structural abnormalities using a high-resolution PDU device (Toshiba Aplio SSA-770A/80, 12 MHz). In addition, their medical history and anthropometric data were documented. All subjects were contacted 6 and 12 months later and asked about any new symptoms. The collected anamnestic, anthropometric, and ultrasonographic data were subjected to regression analysis to determine their predictive value concerning the manifestation of midportion Achilles tendon complaints (P < 0.05). RESULTS The highest odds ratio (OR) for manifestation of MPT within 1 yr was found for intratendinous blood flow ("neovascularization," OR = 6.9, P < 0.001). An increased risk was also identified for subjects with a positive history of Achilles tendon complaints (OR = 3.8, P < 0.001). A third relevant parameter, just above the level of significance, was a spindle-shaped thickening of the tendon on PDU (Wald χ2 = 3.42). CONCLUSIONS PDU detection of intratendinous microvessels in the Achilles tendons of healthy runners seems to be a prognostically relevant factor concerning the manifestation of symptomatic MPT. This finding lays the foundation for an early identification of a predisposition to MPT as well as prophylactic intervention in as yet asymptomatic runners.
The role of chemo‐attractant lipoxygenase products in the pathogenesis of psoriasis

The histopathology of chronic, stable plaque psoriasis is characterized by acanthosis with mitotic figures in the lower epidermis, abnormalities of differentiation, vascular dilatation and tortuosity, and leukocyte infiltrates. These infiltrates are composed of neutrophils and mononuclear cells, the former apparently migrating from the dermal papilla, through the Malpighian layer and into the parakeratotic stratum corneum. Mononuclear cells are evident in the superficial dermis and in the lower half of the epidermis (Ragaz & Ackerman, 1979; Soltani & Van Scott, 1972; Helwig, 1958; Pinkus & Mehregan, 1966). The nature of the earliest histopathological change in developing psoriatic lesions is the subject of controversy with, for example, one group (Chowaniec et al, 1981) reporting infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes into the epidermis to be the earliest change, another (Ragaz & Ackerman, 1979) finding a superficial perivascular lymphocyte infiltrate, and yet another (Brody, 1984a, b) reporting mast cell degranulation as the primary event in acute guttate psoriasis. In addition, Braun-Falco and Schmoeckel (1977) found macrophages to be the predominant infiammatory cells in initial psoriatic lesions. In postulating a role for an endogenously released chemical mediator in the genesis of a pathological change, it is important (i) to recover elevated levels of the mediator from the involved tissue in vivo at an appropriate time, (2) to reproduce at least in part the pathological change by introduction ofthe mediator into the tissue in vivo, in appropriate concentrations, (3) to demonstrate mechanisms for the release and removal of the mediator in the involved tissue, (4) to modify the pathological process by administration of specific enzyme inhibitors or receptor antagonists in vivo, (5) to determine the relative amounts of other chemical mediators with similar modes of action in the involved tissue in vivo and (6) to determine whether production ofthe mediator occurs in other lesions, i.e. whether it is specific to the pathological process under study. It is noteworthy that most ofthe above, which are an extension ofthe criteria of Dale (1934), can only be investigated by in vivo studies. We have chosen to examine the role of acidic lipid neutrophil chemo-attractants in the pathogenesis ofthe infiammatory changes in chronic plaque psoriasis. The evidence obtained to date is presented here in six sections, according to the above criteria.
EVALUATION OF THE ANTIBACTERIAL EFFICACY AND THE PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF SOME PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST HUMAN PATHOGENIC BACTERIA

Many studies have investigated the antimicrobial activity of different plant species in various geographical regions in search for new antibiotics. This study investigated the antibacterial property of five aqueous extracts against four pathogenic bacteria (E. coli ATCC, K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis and P. aeruginosa ATCC). The results revealed that all bacteria under study were resistant to more than three antibiotics. The aqueous extract of dry black lime showed the best action as inhibitor agent against tested bacteria, while the aqueous extract of black pepper did not show any effect as inhibitor agent against mentioned bacteria. MIC of aqueous extract of (Dry black lime, Chili pepper and Thyme) was determined for all bacteria, where the MIC of thyme and chili pepper against all bacteria was >10%, while the MIC of dry black lime was 0.5% for K. pneumoniae, 1% for P. mirabilis and 3% for both E. coli ATCC and P. aeruginosa ATCC. The aqueous extract of both plants C. aurantifolia and T. vulgaris cured plasmid content completely in both bacteria P. aeruginosa ATCC and K. pneumoniae respectively, while the aqueous extract of C. aurantifolia cured three plasmids in E. coli ATCC, P. mirabilis and K. pneumoniae. The phytochemical groups of all plant extracts were screened, where all tested plants contain tannins, phenols and saponins, while both black and chili pepper contain flavonoid, alkaloid and phlobatanin, dry black lime and thyme contain anthraquinone and also dry black lime contains coumerin. The anti-mitotic effect of aqueous extract of chili pepper, dry black lime and thyme was investigated on Allium cepa, and it appeared in compassion with control the onions that treated with the extracts for 5 days didn’t show any growth in roots, in addition to those that treated with the mentioned extracts for 24 hrs showed a significant decreasing in mitotic index.
Comparison of the Clinical Efficacy of Salmeterol and Sustained-Release Tulobuterol (Patch) on Inadequately Controlled Asthma Patients on Inhaled Corticosteroids

Patients with inadequately controlled asthma on inhaled corticosteroid (400 to 1,600 μg/day chlorofluorocarbon beclomethasone equivalent) were treated with concomitant salmeterol (n = 18) or sustained-release tulobuterol (patch) (n = 18), or the inhaled corticosteroid dose was doubled (add-on) (n = 13) to compare clinical efficacy. (1) At 8 weeks, morning and evening peak expiratory flow rates were significantly improved in the salmeterol group only (p < 0.01). (2) Symptom and sleeplessness scores improved in the order, salmeterol (symptom score; p < 0.0001), inhaled corticosteroid add-on, and tulobuterol groups. (3) Only the salmeterol group showed significant improvement in the total Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score (p < 0.05). (4) No adverse reactions considered related to the study drugs were observed.
A Preliminary Investigation of the Relationship Between Emotion Dysregulation and Partner Violence Perpetration Among Individuals with PTSD and Alcohol Dependence

ABSTRACT This study examines the link between emotion dysregulation and intimate partner violence (IPV) among 77 individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependence. Participants were recruited from a residential substance abuse treatment program as part of the eligibility screening for an institutional review board approved clinical trial examining the efficacy of an exposure-based intervention in individuals dually diagnosed with alcohol dependence and PTSD. Participants reported on PTSD symptoms, alcohol use disorder symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and physical and verbal aggression in their intimate relationships during the past year. Findings demonstrated that difficulties with emotion regulation are associated with physical and verbal IPV perpetration in a clinical sample. Although facets of emotion regulation emerged as significant predictors of IPV in the models, alcohol and PTSD symptom severity did not emerge as predictors of IPV. These findings suggest targeted emotion regulation skills training could benefit substance abusers who engage in IPV and that emotion dysregulation might be an important target for future research aimed at understanding elevated rates of IPV perpetration in mental health samples.
Surgical trainee assessment using a VE knee arthroscopy training system (VE-KATS): experimental results.

Previous work has described the development of a Virtual Environment Knee Arthroscopy Training System (VE-KATS): a collaborative project between the Orthopaedic Department, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Hull, U.K., and the Department of Computer Science, University of Hull, U.K. This work describes the initial results obtained by Orthopaedic Surgical Trainees using VE-KATS. The results showed that differences between individual trainees could be measured using the scoring system incorporated within VE-KATS. There was a weak correlation with the seniority of the surgical trainees.
Representative Trust and Reciprocity: Prevalence and Determinants

This paper provides evidence about the determinants of trust and reciprocal inclinations, that is, a tendency for people to respond in kind to hostile or kind actions, in a representative setting. We investigate the prevalence of reciprocity in the population, the correlation between trust and positive and negative reciprocal inclinations within person, the individual determinants of reciprocity, and the relationship with psychological measures of personality. We find that most people state reciprocal inclinations, in particular in terms of positive reciprocity, as well as substantial heterogeneity in the degree of trust and reciprocity. Trust and positive reciprocity are only weakly correlated, while trust and negative reciprocity exhibit a negative correlation. In terms of determinants, being female and increasing age are associated with stronger positive and weaker negative reciprocal tendencies. Taller people are more positively reciprocal, but height has no impact on negative reciprocity. Psychological traits also affect trust and reciprocity. (JEL D63, J3, J6)
The Environmental Factors Influencing the Development of Atopic Diseases Discussed In 2532 Children

Allergic asthma and rhinitis, atopic dermatitis (AD), urticaria and gastrointestinal allergy, are common diseases of infants and children. It was recently estimated that 14% of children suffer from AD, 8% from food allergy, and 12% from asthma [1,2]. The cumulated incidence of these diseases in adolescents has been estimated between 25-35%, while the prevalence is about 20% [3]. The phenotypic expression of these illnesses varies extensively, being very mild in some cases, severe in many, and even life threatening in others. Specific IgE antibodies to foods and positive challenge tests to a number of food allergens are frequently present in children with these disorders. Cow’s milk (CM) appears to be the most
Mathematical Analysis of Unsteady MHD Blood Flow through Parallel Plate Channel with Heat Source

In the present study, a mathematical model of unsteady blood flow through parallel plate channel under the action of an applied constant transverse magnetic field is proposed. The model is subjected to heat source. Analytical expressions are obtained by choosing the axial velocity; temperature distribution and the normal velocity of the blood depend on y and t only to convert the system of partial differential equations into system of ordinary differential equations under the conditions defined in our model. The model has been analyzed to find the effects of various parameters such as, Hartmann number, heat source parameter and Prandtl number on the axial velocity, temperature distribution and the normal velocity. The numerical solutions of axial velocity, temperature distributions and normal velocity are shown graphically for better understanding of the problem. Hence, the present mathematical model gives a simple form of axial velocity, temperature distribution and normal velocity of the blood flow so that it will help not only people working in the field of Physiological fluid dynamics but also to the medical practitioners.