Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of ouabain on Ca-45 and C1-36 exchange in isolated rabbit atria.

The effect of ouabain (1 x 10–6 m) on Ca45 and Cl36 exchange in isolated atria has been investigated. Ouabain increases Ca45 influx, but has no effect on efflux. The action on influx is enhanced by an increase of Ca and blocked by an increase of K in the medium. These findings are interpreted to mean that the systolic action of ouabain results from an increase of Ca in the membrane or myoplasm. It is suggested that the known actions of cardiac glycosides on active transport of Na and K are secondary to this action on influx. Ouabain also increased Cl36 influx, having no action Cl36 efflux. This finding suggests that ouabain may increase passive membrane permeability.
Poor survival in glioblastoma patients is associated with early signs of immunosenescence in the CD4 T-cell compartment after surgery

Patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are immunosuppressed and have a broad range of immunological defects in both innate and adaptive immune responses. GBMs are frequently infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a virus capable of causing immunosuppression. In 42 HCMV-positive GBM patients in a clinical trial (VIGAS), we investigated T-cell phenotypes in the blood and assessed their relation to survival. Blood was collected before and 3, 12, and 24 weeks after surgery, and the frequency of T-cell subsets was compared with that in 26 age-matched healthy controls. GBM patients had lower levels of CD3 cells than the controls, but had significantly higher levels of CD4+CD28− T cells before and 3 and 12 weeks after surgery and increased levels of CD4+CD57+ and CD4+CD57+CD28+ T cells at all-time points. These T-cell subsets were associated with both immunosenescence and HCMV infection. GBM patients also had higher levels of γδ T cells at all-times after surgery and lower levels of CD4+CD25+ cells before and 3 weeks after surgery than healthy controls. Overall survival was significantly shorter in patients with higher levels of CD4+CD28− T cells (p = 0.025), CD4+CD57+ T (p = 0.025) cells, and CD4+CD28−CD57+CD28− T cells (p < 0.0004) at 3 weeks after surgery. Our findings indicate that signs of immunosenescence in the CD4+ compartment are associated with poor prognosis in patients with HCMV-positive GBMs and may reflect the HCMV activity in their tumors.
Examining the Mediating Roles of Microblog Use in the Relationships between Narcissism, Social Anxiety, and Social Capital

Microblog is a platform for publishing and sharing short (140 characters or less) messages with others within a user's social network â€“ is an Internet medium that is growing exponentially and changing the way people communicate on the Internet. To explore the effect of microblogging on interpersonal relationships, this study examines the relationships between narcissism, social anxiety, and microblog use and investigates how these psychological attributes and microblog use may affect social capital. Data were gathered through an online survey of 329 young adults aged 21â€“30 in mainland China using snowball sampling technique. Regression results indicate the following: (1) narcissism and social anxiety are positively related to the intensity of microblog use; (2) the intensity of microblog use positively predicts both types of social capital (bridging and bonding); (3) although narcissism has a positive effect on both types of social capital, this effect is partly mediated by the intensity of microblog use; (4) social anxiety is slightly positively related to bridging social capital, and this effect is perfectly mediated by the intensity of microblog use; and (5) there is a suppression effect of the intensity of microblog use between social anxiety and bonding social capital. The effect of the intensity of microblog use suppresses the negative effect of social anxiety on bonding social capital. Details about the findings will be discussed.
Time course of pronuclear formation and fertilisation after insemination in vitro and intracytoplasmic sperm injection of in vitro matured sheep oocytes

The time course of sperm decondensation, oocyte activation, pronuclear formation and the possible causes of abnormalities after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) were examined. Frozen-thawed and pooled fresh semen from three different rams were washed and capacitated for ICSI or IVF. In vitro matured oocytes were cultured after sperm injection for 0.5, 0.75, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 18, 21 and 23 h, and oocytes were cultured after in vitro insemination for the same times other than 18 and 23 h. All oocytes were cultured in bicarbonate-buffered synthetic oviduct fluid medium (BSOF) supplemented with 2% oestrous sheep serum. A total of 746 metaphase II oocytes were injected with a single spermatozoon and 986 oocytes were inseminated for IVF. The earliest oocyte activation after ICSI was observed at 0.5 h, when 14.8% of oocytes were in anaphase II; this was earlier than after IVF, when only 6.4% of the oocytes exhibited anaphase II 1 h after insemination. Decondensing spermatozoa were first observed 1 h after ICSI and 3 h after insemination for IVF. The earliest female and male pronuclei after ICSI were observed at 2 and 3 h respectively, while the female and male pronuclei after IVF were observed at 4 h after insemination. The overall fertilisation rate was lower after ICSI (28.6%) than IVF (70.4%) but the percentage of abnormal fertilisation was not different between ICSI (8.7%) and IVF (15.2%). It was concluded that the fertilisation events were more advanced for ICSI than IVF, using injection and insemination time as reference points. The formation of male and female pronuclei were asynchronous after ICSI, in contrast to IVF when they appeared simultaneously at 4 h. Abnormalities found in fertilisation after ICSI may therefore be induced by the injection technique.
Thermooptic planar polymer Bragg grating OADMs with broad tuning range

Tunable optical add/drop multiplexers (OADMs) were achieved by combining thermally tunable planar polymer Bragg gratings with optical circulators. The gratings exhibit better than 45-dB reflection with no detectable out-of-band reflection. Apodization was utilized to achieve strong sidelobe suppression, and symmetric gratings with uniform strength across the core and cladding layers were used to minimize coupling to cladding modes. These OADMs have a high-bandwidth utilization (BWU) factor of 0.92, with a minimum channel spacing of 75 GHz. They are tunable at a rate of -0.256 nm//spl deg/C. Tuning over a 20-nm range was demonstrated with a single device.
Socioeconomic inequalities in the use of dental care services in Europe: what is the role of public coverage?

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to analyse inequalities in the use of dental care services according to socioeconomic position (SEP) in individuals aged ≥50 years in European countries in 2006, to examine the association between the degree of public coverage of dental services and the extent of inequalities, and specifically to determine whether countries with higher public health coverage show lower inequalities. METHODS We carried out a cross-sectional study of 12 364 men and 14 692 women aged ≥50 years from 11 European countries. Data were extracted from the second wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE 2006). The dependent variable was use of dental care services within the previous year, and the independent variables were education level as a measure of SEP, whether services were covered to some degree by the country's public health system, and chewing ability as a marker of individuals' need for dental services. Age-standardized prevalence of the use of dental care as a function of SEP was calculated, and age-adjusted indices of relative inequality (RII) were computed for each type of dental coverage, sex and chewing ability. RESULTS Socioeconomic inequalities in the use of dental care services were higher in countries where no public dental care cover was provided than in countries where there was some degree of public coverage. For example, men with chewing ability from countries with dental care coverage had a RII of 1.39 (95%CI: 1.29-1.51), while those from countries without coverage had a RII of 1.96 (95%CI: 1.72-2.23). Women without chewing ability from countries with dental care coverage had a RII of 2.15 (95%CI: 1.82-2.52), while those from countries without coverage had a RII of 3.02 (95%CI: 2.47-3.69). CONCLUSIONS Dental systems relying on public coverage seem to show lower inequalities in their use, thus confirming the potential benefits of such systems.
Chronic sleep restriction impairs spatial memory in rats

Although numerous experimental investigations have evaluated the neurobehavioral effects of either short periods of total sleep deprivation or selective rapid eye movement sleep deprivation, few studies have examined the effects of chronic sleep restriction (CSR). Long-Evans rats were deprived of sleep by the automated movement of activity wheels for 18 h/day for 5 consecutive days from 16:00 to 10:00 h, and were allowed 6 h/day of sleep opportunity (10:00–16:00 h; lights on from 10:00 to 22:00 h). Activity wheels were intermittently activated on a 3 s on : 12 s off schedule for the CSR condition, whereas a schedule of 36 min of continuous wheel movement in every 3 h was used for a cage movement control condition. A cross-over design was used with rats serving in both the CSR and the movement control conditions with 2 days of rest between conditions. Water maze acquisition training occurred at 16:00 h immediately after the 6-h sleep opportunity on each of the first 4 days, followed by a probe trial on day 5 to assess spatial memory recall. Although the rate of learning/acquisition was not affected by the daily 18 h of CSR, the day 5 recall of the platform location was impaired on three different probe trial measures. Thus, CSR impaired spatial memory, but did not affect the rate of learning/acquisition in the water maze.
Core ADHD Symptom Improvement With Atomoxetine Versus Methylphenidate

Objective: Previous studies comparing atomoxetine and methylphenidate to treat ADHD symptoms have been equivocal. This noninferiority meta-analysis compared core ADHD symptom response between atomoxetine and methylphenidate in children and adolescents. Method: Selection criteria included randomized, controlled design; duration 6 weeks; and assessment of ADHD Rating Scale–IV–Parent Version: Investigator Administered and Scored (ADHDRS) scores. Six-week response rates, defined as ≥40% reduction in ADHDRS total score, were compared using a noninferiority margin of −15%. Results: Seven studies met inclusion criteria (N = 1,368). After 6 weeks, 53.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 48.6%-58.4%) of atomoxetine-treated patients (n = 811) had responded compared with 54.4% (47.6%-61.1%) for methylphenidate (n = 557), with atomoxetine demonstrating noninferiority to methylphenidate (absolute difference −0.9%, 95% CI −9.2%-7.5%). Conclusion: After 6 weeks of treatment atomoxetine and methylphenidate had comparable efficacy in reducing core ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents.
Pacific Interannual and Interdecadal Equatorial Variability in a 1000-Yr Simulation of the CSIRO Coupled General Circulation Model*

Abstract The structure and evolution of, and the mechanisms responsible for, interannual and decadal equatorial variability in a 1000-yr simulation of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) coupled general circulation model are examined. Principal component analysis is applied to the 0–270-m integrated heat content from the model to determine dominant modes of variability. The leading mode of unfiltered variability (annual) is best described by an AR2 null hypothesis with an implied periodic timescale of 6–10 yr. Spatial structures of the leading empirical modes of interannual (10-yr high-pass filtered) and decadal (9-yr low-pass filtered) variability closely resemble observations of interannual ENSO, and decadal ENSO-like variability. The amplitude of tropical SST anomalies is too small by a factor of 2–3 on interannual timescales, but is close to that observed for decadal timescales. For interannual timescales, an equatorial heat budget analysis shows a positive feedbac.
Chronic Copper Toxicosis in Sheep Following the Use of Copper Sulfate as a Fungicide on Fruit Trees

Between January and October 2006, 15 Chios sheep died in a field located near a factory in Orhangazi, Bursa, Turkey. In addition, in May 2007, 2 ewes died after aborting in the same field. Clinical signs in affected animals prior to death were anorexia, hematuria, icterus, incoordination, and ptyalism. Postmortem findings included generalized icterus; yellow, friable livers; distended gallbladders with dense, dark bile; and dark, hypertrophic kidneys with hemorrhage. Copper (Cu) concentrations were measured in multiple specimens of the following: 9 sera, 3 livers, 3 kidneys, 4 plants (including 2 artichoke leaf specimens), 3 soil samples, and 1 drinking water sample. High Cu concentrations were present in the livers, kidneys, and sera of dead sheep, as well as in the vegetation and soil samples from the field. Chronic Cu toxicosis was confirmed as the cause of death attributed primarily to the use of copper sulfate as a fungicide for fruit trees within the field. In addition, factory dust containing Cu might have been an additional factor in the toxicosis.
Congenital lordosis in three Haflinger foals.

This report describes the pathological findings in two of three clinical cases of congenital thoracic lordosis observed in Haflinger foals over a three-year period and comments on the possible influence of heredity in manifestation of the defect. The Haflinger is described as a medium-sized, surefooted, robust horse, used originally as a pulling or packhorse in mountainous terrain in Europe. The name is derived from the small community of Hafling in South Tyrol, Austria. The modern Haflinger breed has been described as one of the most inbred equine breeds in the world (1). Inbreeding is the mating of related individuals; the greater the extent of inbreeding within a population, the lower the frequency of heterozygotes (2). As in purebred stock of any domestic species, inbreeding increases the likelihood of expression of defects transmitted either as autosomal recessives or via the familial influence of multiple gene (polygenic) inheritance (2). From a clinical viewpoint, lordosis in domestic animals refers to a ventral curvature of the spine, and in horses is usually associated with the thoracic segment of the vertebral column. In horses, lordosis (swayback) may be congenital or acquired, with varying degrees of severity (3,4). In one report listing all known congenital defects observed in foals, lordosis is considered to be rare and of unknown etiology (5). In 1989, a purebred Haflinger colt (Foal 1) presented with severe lordosis of the midthoracic spine, which had been present since birth. A necropsy was not done on this foal as it was considered to be an isolated incident. In 1991, a second Haflinger foal (Foal 2) with
Influence of major surgery on the mannan‐binding lectin pathway of innate immunity

The mannan‐binding lectin (MBL) pathway of complement activation is important in host defence against pathogens and possibly against cancer. We investigated the effect of major surgery on two central components of the MBL pathway; MBL and the MBL‐associated serine protease MASP‐2, and for comparison also measured the interleukin (IL)‐6 and C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels. Serial blood samples were obtained from patients belonging to two different cohorts. Cohort 1 comprised 60 patients undergoing open or laparoscopic colectomy for benign disease (n = 12) or colon cancer (n = 48). Cohort 2 comprised 27 patients undergoing elective, open surgery for colorectal cancer, and was included in order to cover blood sampling between days 2 and 6. As expected, the surgical stress induced a marked acute phase response, as evidenced by a large increase in IL‐6 (18‐fold) and CRP (13‐fold) levels with maximum at 12 h and 2 days, respectively. However, in both cohorts the levels of MBL and MBL‐associated serine protease 2 (MASP‐2) were largely unaffected, except for a minor but significant increase around day 8 in cohort 1. The preoperative levels of IL‐6 and CRP were correlated significantly in both cohorts (r = 0·71, P < 0·0001 and r = 0·65, P = 0·005, respectively). Preoperative MASP‐2 correlated with preoperative CRP (r = 0·59, P = 0·001) and IL‐6 (r = 0·55, P = 0·02) in cohort 2 only. In contrast to the marked effects on the levels of IL‐6 and CRP, the surgery influenced only marginally the two proteins of the MBL pathway.
Expression of prostaglandin H synthase-2 in endotoxic shock induced in rats.

We investigated the expression of prostaglandin H synthase-2 in rats subjected to endotoxic shock. The prostaglandin H synthase activities were assessed by measuring the plasma prostaglandins (PGE2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha) after arachidonic acid administration (3 mg/kg, i.v.). The plasma prostaglandin concentrations increased immediately after administration of arachidonic acid, reached a peak at 30-60 seconds, and then rapidly decreased. Lipopolysaccharide (1 mg/kg, i.v.) also increased the plasma prostaglandin concentrations, reached a peak 1 hour after administration, and then gradually decreased to normal levels. The production of plasma prostaglandin, induced by administration of arachidonic acid, was markedly enhanced in the lipopolysaccharide-treated rats. A low dose of acetylsalicylic acid (3 mg/kg, i.v.) blocked the prostaglandin production in the nontreated rats but not in the lipopolysaccharide-treated rats. In the latter group of rats, a high dose of acetylsalicylic acid (30 mg/kg, i.v.), given 10 to 30 minutes before administration of arachidonic acid, completely blocked the prostaglandin production, but recovery of this production was seen with acetylsalicylic acid (30 mg/kg) treatment at 1 to 2 hours before administration of arachidonic acid. These data suggest that pretreatment with lipopolysaccharide enhances the prostaglandin production by forming newly synthesized prostaglandin H synthase. Immunoblots of the levels of enzyme protein from rat aorta endothelial cells were analyzed. The enzyme protein cross-reacting with antibody against prostaglandin H synthase-2 was increased by lipopolysaccharide treatment in endothelial cells, and was constitutively expressed in the stomach, kidney and liver, but not in the lung and the intestine. The induction of prostaglandin H synthase-2 by lipopolysaccharide treatment was observed only in endothelial cells. The enhancement of the prostaglandin production in lipopolysaccharide-treated rats was blocked by pretreatment with dexamethasone, prior to administration of lipopolysaccharide, this suppression is apparently the result of a decrease of the prostaglandin H synthase-2 protein in endothelial cells, as determined by Western blotting. The enhanced production of prostaglandin, induced by lipopolysaccharide, seems to be due to the in vivo expression of prostaglandin H synthase-2.
Screening mammography under age 50.

MAMMOGRAPHY IS A SCREENING procedure that has decreased the risk of death from breast cancerby25%to30%,asshownin7randomized studies (TABLE 1). It can detect breast cancer or carcinoma in situ at 5 to10mmindiameter.Mostphysicians cannotreliablydetectlesionssmallerthan 10mmonphysicalexamination,andpatientsgenerallyseekmedicalattentionfor lesions that are 25 mm or larger. Of women with known breast cancer who undergo mammography, 80% to 90% have a positive test result. A negative mammogram result does not preclude clinical breast cancer and should not dissuade physicians from biopsy of a palpable abnormality. The remainder of this article discusses screening mammography only. No controversy exists over diagnostic mammography in any woman or man with a suspicious breast examination finding whether older or younger than 50 years. The most common malpractice suit against primary care physicians is failure to diagnose cancer, and, of these, failure to diagnose breast cancer is most common. A substantially higher proportion of these lawsuits involve women younger than 50 years than what is expected based on their relative incidence of breast cancer.
Neurosteroid vitamin D system as a nontraditional drug target in neuropsychopharmacology

Vitamin D is becoming increasingly recognized as a nontraditional drug target for different brain pathologies. Although widely known for their role in calcium metabolism, vitamin D and its receptor have been linked to several brain disorders, including cognitive decline, epilepsy, affective disorders, and schizophrenia. Here we discuss mounting evidence, and parallel recent clinical and animal behavioral, genetic and pharmacological data to emphasize the emerging role of the neurosteroid vitamin D system in brain function.
Genetic characterization of full-length HIV type 1 genomes from 3 infected paid blood donors in Henan, China.

China is facing increased danger of a widespread HIV-1 epidemic in high-risk populations such as injecting drug users (IDUs) and paid blood donors (PBDs) and of further dissemination from these high-risk populations to the general public. The virus has spread to every province and autonomous region and the government estimates about 840000 infections of which only 89067 have been reported. However prevalence and incidence studies are woefully inadequate and the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS projects that there may be as many as 10 million infected people by 2010. Among all high-risk activities linked to HIV-1 transmission IDU appears to play the most important role in the epidemic thus far. Many of these HIV-infected IDUs reside in southwest provinces such as Yunnan Guangxi and Sichuan which is close to the Golden Triangle where 70% of the worlds heroin is produced. HIV-1 infection through illegal blood collection practices and blood transfusions in the central province of Henan constitutes a second important high-risk activity in China and it has recently generated a tremendous amount of media attention. (excerpt)
Effects of Spinal Cord Stimulation and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting on Myocardial Ischemia and Heart Rate Variability: Further Results from the ESBY Study

In the present study, 24-hour ECG recordings were analyzed from the Electrical Stimulation versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (ESBY) Study where spinal cord stimulation was compared to CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting) in selected patients with severe angina pectoris. During the monitoring period, the spinal cord stimulation was discontinued to evaluate possible long-term effects of this treatment. The number of ischemic episodes and the duration of ischemia decreased in the CABG group at the follow-up when compared to spinal cord stimulation (p < 0.05). In spite of this, the number of anginal attacks decreased (p < 0.0001) in both groups. The fact that the anginal symptoms decreased in the spinal cord stimulation group in spite of discontinued stimulation and lack of effects on ischemic ST changes could indicate a long-term primary analgesic effect of this treatment in addition to the well-documented acute anti-ischemic effect.
The effect of hot isostatic pressing on the strain tolerance of the critical current density found in modified jelly roll Nb/sub 3/Sn wires

The critical current density of Hot Isostatic Pressed (HIP'ed) and unHIP'ed Nb/sub 3/Sn Modified Jelly Roll wires has been measured as a function of magnetic field and of strain at 4.2 K. The reversibility of critical current density was investigated for both wires. The critical current and upper critical field were decreased for the HIP'ed sample. The reduced upper critical field of the HIP'ed wire was found to be less sensitive to strain than the unHIP'ed wire. The index (m) of the flux pinning scaling law is found to have increased from 0.86 to 2.14 as a result of the HIP processing.