Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High levels of immunoreactive endothelin-1 in human follicular fluids.

Follicular fluids were obtained from 180 follicles of 15 women undergoing follicular aspiration for in-vitro fertilization. Follicular development was induced by a combination of buserelin acetate and human menopausal gonadotrophin. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentrations in human follicular fluids were determined by specific radioimmunoassay. ET-1-like immunoreactivity (ET-1-LI) ranged from 338 to 928 pg/ml. ET-1-LI concentrations in follicular fluids obtained from immature (< 15 mm) follicles were significantly higher than those from mature (15-25 mm) and post-mature (> or = 25 mm) follicles. No correlation was found between the concentration of ET-1-LI, on the one hand, and that of oestradiol, progesterone, testosterone, prolactin, luteinizing hormone, insulin-like growth factor-I, prostaglandin E2 or platelet activating factor on the other, in follicular fluids. However, a significant positive correlation was observed between ET-1-LI concentration and follicle stimulating hormone and IGF-II concentrations, respectively. These data suggest that the high concentration of ET-1 found in follicular fluids may play some physiological role in follicular development.
Cognitive decline in Parkinson disease

Between 25% and 50% of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia within 5 years of their diagnosis.1,2 Until the study by Pigott et al.3 in this issue of Neurology®, few studies had identified patients with PD with normal cognition at baseline and followed them prospectively to find the rate of cognitive decline and the clinical predictors for that decline. They found that the development of cognitive impairment was “common and relatively quick,” with the cumulative incidence of 8.5% cognitive impairment at year 1 and 47.4% at year 6. While it is often difficult to compare findings due to methodologic and sample variation, this appears to be a faster decline than had been shown by Hely et al.,4 who reported 48% of patients with PD to have dementia by 15 years, and Buter et al.,5 who showed that 60% had dementia by 12 years.
Sex‐specific chromosome instability in early human development

The predominance of females segregating chromosome aberrations to their offspring has been explained mostly by selection disadvantage of unbalanced products of spermatogenesis. However, analysis of data from the literature supports the idea that somatic cells of early female embryos are similar to female germ cells in that they are prone to malsegregation. The goal of this study was to compare the sex ratio (male to female ratio) of carriers of presumably mitotic‐occurring chromosome abnormalities to identify any sex biases. In examining the literature, we found a female prevalence in cases of mosaicism associated with uniparental disomy (UPD) (26 male individuals/conceptions and 45 female individuals/conceptions, sex ratio is 0.58, significantly different from 1.06 in newborn population, P = 0.0292). This predominance was highest at gestational age <16 week (8 male and 22 female conceptuses, sex ratio is 0.36, significantly different from expected figure of 1.28, P = 0.0025), which diminished at later stages of fetal development indicating potential correction of trisomies predominantly in females. There is a threefold prevalence of 46,XX/45,X mosaics over 46,XY/45,X mosaics in prenatally diagnosed cases, which also suggests a gender‐specific postzygotic chromosome loss. The male prevalence in Prader–Willi syndrome with maternal UPD of chromosome 15 also can be explained by sex‐specific trisomy correction, with predominant loss of a maternal chromosome causing biparental inheritance and therefore, complete correction of trisomy in females (without UPD). Finally, there is a female predominance in carriers of chromosome rearrangement with pericentromere break (mosaicism for Robertsonian translocation/isochromosome, centric fission, nonacrocentric isochromosome, and whole arm rearrangement), in both prenatal (21 males and 36 females, sex ratio is 0.58, P < 0.0184) and postnatal ill‐defined cases (14 males and 35 females, sex ratio is 0.40, P = 0.001). Thus, the findings presented in this paper suggest that, in addition to reduction in male fertility, and to probable selection against abnormal cell line(s), there are two mechanisms that contribute to female preponderance among carriers of mosaicism: sex‐specific chromosome loss and sex‐specific centromere instability. The data obtained suggest that females may have gonadal mosaicism for aneuploidies and structural rearrangements more often than males. This may lead to the maternal origin bias in offspring with trisomies or structural rearrangements. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of regular training at the same time of day on diurnal fluctuations in muscular performance

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is an effect of time of day on the adaptation to strength training at maximal effort. Fourteen participants took part in this experiment. Their peak anaerobic power (Wingate anaerobic test) and peak knee extension torque at six angular velocities (1.05, 2.10, 3.14, 4.19, 5.24 and 6.29 rad · s -1 ) were recorded in the morning (between 07:00 and 08:00 h) and in the evening (between 17:00 and 18:00 h) just before and 2 weeks after a 6 week course of regular training. Seven of them trained only in the morning and seven only in the evening. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant group 2 pre-/post-training 2 time of day interaction effect for peak torque and peak anaerobic power. Before training, in both groups, peak torque and peak anaerobic power were significantly higher in the evening than in the morning. After training, there was no significant difference in peak torque and peak anaerobic power between the morning and the evening for the morning training group. In contrast, in the evening training group, peak torque and peak anaerobic power were higher in the evening than in the morning. As a result of training, both peak torque and peak anaerobic power increased from their initial values as expected. The morning training group improved their peak anaerobic power significantly in the morning and in the evening, the absolute increase being larger in the morning than in the evening. The evening training group did not improve their peak anaerobic power in the morning, whereas it improved significantly in the evening. Although peak torque was significantly improved by training in the morning and evening in both groups, the absolute increase was greater in the morning than in the evening in the morning training group, whereas the opposite was the case for the evening training group. These results suggest that training twice a week at a specific hour increases the peak torque and the peak anaerobic power specifically at this hour and demonstrates that there is a temporal specificity to strength training.
Effect of fundoplication on transient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxation and gas reflux

Background Fundoplication is used widely to treat severe gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease. Difficulty in belching and increased flatulence are common side‐effects. Transient lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) relaxation is important to help vent gas from the stomach. The effect of fundoplication on LOS function and gas reflux was therefore investigated.
Memory-Efficient and Ultra-Fast Network Lookup and Forwarding Using Othello Hashing

Network algorithms always prefer low memory cost and fast packet processing speed. Forwarding information base (FIB), as a typical network processing component, requires a scalable and memory-efficient algorithm to support fast lookups. In this paper, we present a new network algorithm, Othello hashing, and its application of a FIB design called concise, which uses very little memory to support ultra-fast lookups of network names. Othello hashing and concise make use of minimal perfect hashing and relies on the programmable network framework to support dynamic updates. Our conceptual contribution of concise is to optimize the memory efficiency and query speed in the data plane and move the relatively complex construction and update components to the resource-rich control plane. We implemented concise on three platforms. Experimental results show that concise uses significantly smaller memory to achieve much faster query speed compared to existing solutions of network name lookups.
Early invasive cervical cancer: CT and MR imaging in preoperative evaluation - ACRIN/GOG comparative study of diagnostic performance and interobserver variability.

PURPOSE To retrospectively compare diagnostic performance and interobserver variability for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the pretreatment evaluation of early invasive cervical cancer, with surgical pathologic findings as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS This HIPAA-compliant study had institutional review board approval and informed consent for evaluation of preoperative CT (n = 146) and/or MR imaging (n = 152) studies in 156 women (median age, 43 years; range, 22-81 years) from a previous prospective multicenter American College of Radiology Imaging Network and Gynecologic Oncology Group study of 172 women with biopsy-proved cervical cancer (clinical stage > or = IB). Four radiologists (experience, 7-15 years) interpreted the CT scans, and four radiologists (experience, 12-20 years) interpreted the MR studies retrospectively. Tumor visualization and detection of parametrial invasion were assessed with receiver operating characteristic curves (with P < or = .05 considered to indicate a significant difference). Descriptive statistics for staging and kappa statistics for reader agreement were calculated. Surgical pathologic findings were the reference standard. RESULTS For CT and MR imaging, respectively, multirater kappa values were 0.26 and 0.44 for staging, 0.16 and 0.32 for tumor visualization, and -0.04 and 0.11 for detection of parametrial invasion; for advanced stage cancer (> or =IIB), sensitivities were 0.14-0.38 and 0.40-0.57, positive predictive values (PPVs) were 0.38-1.00 and 0.32-0.39, specificities were 0.84-1.00 and 0.77-0.80, and negative predictive values (NPVs) were 0.81-0.84 and 0.83-0.87. MR imaging was significantly better than CT for tumor visualization (P < .001) and detection of parametrial invasion (P = .047). CONCLUSION Reader agreement was higher for MR imaging than for CT but was low for both. MR imaging was significantly better than CT for tumor visualization and detection of parametrial invasion. The modalities were similar for staging, sharing low sensitivity and PPV but relatively high NPV and specificity.
The Role of Motivations for Eco-driving and Social Norms on Behavioural Intentions Regarding Speed Limits and Time Headway

Eco-driving allows the driver to optimize his/her behaviour in order to achieve several types of benefits: reducing pollution emissions, increasing road safety, and fuel saving. One of the main rules for adopting eco-driving is to anticipate the traffic events by avoiding strong acceleration or braking and maintaining a steady speed when possible. Therefore, drivers have to comply with speed limits and time headway. The present study explored the role of three types of motivation and social norms in predicting French drivers’ intentions to comply with speed limits and time headway as eco-driving practices as well as examine the variations according to gender and age. 1234 drivers with ages between 18 and 75 years old filled in a questionnaire which was presented as part of an online survey aiming to better understand the drivers’ road habits. It included items assessing: a) behavioural intentions to comply with speed limits and time headway according to three types of motivation: reducing pollution emissions, increasing road safety, and fuel saving, b) subjective and descriptive social norms regarding the intention to comply with speed limits and time headway, and c) sociodemographical variables. Drivers expressed their intention to frequently comply with speed limits and time headway in the following 6 months; however, they showed more intention to comply with speed limits as compared to time headway regardless of the type of motivation. The subjective injunctive norms were significantly more important in predicting drivers’ intentions to comply with speed limits and time headway as compared to the descriptive norms. In addition, the most frequently reported type of motivation for complying with speed limits and time headway was increasing road safety followed by fuel saving and reducing pollution emissions, hence underlining a low motivation to practice eco-driving. Practical implications of the results are discussed. Keywords—eco-driving, social norms, speed limits, time
Difficult-to-treat depressions: a primary care perspective.

Depression is common in primary care and more difficult to treat than many clinicians are aware. The goal of treatment is symptomatic remission, and by current estimates 50% or more of patients treated with antidepressant monotherapy may suffer from residual neurovegetative, cognitive, and somatic symptoms. Bipolar disorder, in particular, is more prevalent in primary care than previously recognized, is easily misdiagnosed, and may be a significant source of treatment failure. This article reviews treatment resistance, its causes, and management approaches. Many strategies are straight-forward and within the skill set of primary care clinicians. The use of antidepressants with multiple mechanisms of action may reduce first-order resistance. Antidepressant augmentation strategies (e.g., with lithium or atypical antipsychotics) are often very effective and readily instituted by informed and motivated practitioners.
Automated Microdensitometry and Protein Assays as Measures for Platelet Adhesion and Aggregation on Collagen Coated Slides Under Controlled flow Conditions

Microscope slides were homogeneously coated over a length of 2 cm with a mixture of soluble and fibrillar collagen and exposed at 37°c and under laminar flow to citrated whole rabbit blood at a flow-rate of 100 ml/min. Surface coverage with platelets (adhesion) and platelet accumulations higher than about 5 μm in height (aggregation) were determined by automated microdensitometry of fuchsine stained ‘en face’ preparations. The platelet mass per unit surface was measured witha modified Lowry technique whose sensitivity was equivalent to 5×105 platelets. Platelet number, amount of protein and surface coverage with platelet accumulations correlated. After a per fusion time of 10 min thrombi up to 30 μm in height and oriented in the direction of flow had developed on the collagen coated area. Surface coverage with platelets was 75% and the amount of deposited protein 1.4 μg/mm2 (2x106 platelets/mm2). On the uncoated surface single platelets predominated; the surface coverage was 20% and the density of platelets 8x104/mm2. Acetylsalicylic acid at 100 μM decreased platelet aggregation by about 80% without affecting adhesion. The new parallel plate per fusion system offers rapid quantitation of platelet-surface and platelet-platelet interaction after exposure to flowing blood and may also be diagnostically useful.
Carbon Catabolite Control of the Metabolic Network in Bacillus subtilis

The histidine-containing protein (HPr) is the energy coupling protein of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent carbohydrate:phosphotransferase system (PTS), which catalyzes the transport of carbohydrates in bacteria. In Bacillus subtilis and close relatives, global regulation of carbon catabolite control occurs on the binding of the complex of CcpA (catabolite control protein A) and P-Ser-HPr (seryl-phosphorylated form of HPr) to the catabolite responsive elements (cre) of the target operons, the constituent genes of which are roughly estimated to number 300. The complex of CcpA and P-Ser-HPr triggers the expression of several genes involved in the formation of acetate and acetoin, major extracellular products of B. subtilis grown on glucose. It also triggers the expression of an anabolic operon (ilv-leu) involved in the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids, which subsequently leads to cell propagation. On the other hand, this complex represses many genes and operons, which include an entrance gene for the TCA cycle (citZ), several transporter genes for TCA cycle-intermediates, some respiration genes, and many catabolic and anabolic genes involved in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate metabolism, as well as for certain extracellular enzymes and secondary metabolites. Furthermore, these bacteria have CcpA-independent catabolite regulation systems, each of which involves a transcriptional repressor of CggR or CcpN. CggR and CcpN are derepressed under glycolytic and gluconeogenic growth conditions, and enhance glycolysis and gluconeogenesis respectively. Another CcpA-independent catabolite repression system involves P-His-HPr (histidyl-phosphorylated form of HPr). P-His-HPr phosphorylates and activates glycerol kinase, whose product is necessary for antitermination of the glycerol utilization operon through GlpP, the antiterminators (LicT and SacT, Y) of several operons for the utilization of less-preferred PTS-sugars, and some transcriptional activators such as LevR for the levan utilization operon. This phosphorylation is reduced due to the decreased level of P-His-HPr during active transport of a preferred PTS-carbohydrate such as glucose, resulting in catabolite repression of the target operons. Thus CcpA-dependent and independent networks for carbon metabolism play a major role in the coordinate regulation of catabolism and anabolism to ensure optimum cell propagation in the presence and the absence of a preferred PTS-carbohydrate.
Masculinity, Femininity, and Masculinity-Femininity: A Phenomenological Study of the MF Scale of the MMPI

College students evaluated responses by a hypothetical man and woman to the MMPI Mf scale's items as making the man or woman “more masculine,” “less masculine,” “more feminine,” and “less feminine. ” These four responses were not mutually exclusive; a “no response” option was also provided. The students' evaluations were coded as bipolar or unipolar. When S placed a behavior along a continuum with masculinity at one pole and femininity at the other, his conceptualization was termed bipolar. on the other hand, if he placed a behavior either along a continuum with less masculine on one end of the dimension and more masculine at the other, or along a continuum leading from less feminine to more feminine, his conceptualization of the hypothetical person's answer to an item was coded as unipolar. on the assumption that unipolar conceptualizations cause elevations on the Mf scale, it was predicted that: (a) Ss would use unipolar dimensions extensively; (b) the 40 sex-discriminating items of the Mf scale of the MMPI would be coded more times as bipolar than the 20 items which do not discriminate between the sexes; (c) the 20 nondiscriminating items would be coded more times as unipolar than the 40 discriminating items; and (d) male Ss who usually elevate on the Mf scale more than females would, in comparison to females, use more unipolar conceptualizations. The results were in the predicted direction for all hypotheses, but the third hypothesis failed to reach statistical significance. The implications of these findings for the construction of more sophisticated Mf measures were discussed.
Neuroprotective effects of lixisenatide and liraglutide in the MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a growth factor. GLP-1 mimetics are on the market as treatments for type 2 diabetes and are well tolerated. These drugs have shown neuroprotective properties in animal models of neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, the GLP-1 mimetic exendin-4 has shown protective effects in animal models of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and a clinical trial in PD patients showed promising first results. Liraglutide and lixisenatide are two newer GLP-1 mimetics which have a longer biological half-life than exendin-4. We previously showed that these drugs have neuroprotective properties in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease. Here we demonstrate the neuroprotective effects in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of PD. MPTP was injected once-daily (20mg/kg i.p.) for 7 days, and drugs were injected once-daily for 14 days i.p. When comparing exendin-4 (10nmol/kg), liraglutide (25nmol/kg) and lixisenatide (10nmol/kg), it was found that exendin-4 showed no protective effects at the dose chosen. Both liraglutide and lixisenatide showed effects in preventing the MPTPinduced motor impairment (Rotarod, open field locomotion, catalepsy test), reduction in Tyrosine Hydroxylase (TH) levels (dopamine synthesis) in the substantia nigra and basal ganglia, a reduction of the pro-apoptotic signaling molecule BAX and an increase in the anti-apoptotic signaling molecule Bcl-2. The results demonstrate that in this study, both liraglutide and lixisenatide are superior to exendin-4, and both drugs show promise as a novel treatment of PD.
Working Memory Deficit in Dyslexia: Behavioral and fMRI Evidence

ABSTRACT Dyslexia is a condition characterized by difficulty of reading given adequate intelligence and educational opportunities, primarily associated with a phonological processing deficit. In this study we show that dyslexic children also show a deficit in working memory compared to a control group, measured with fMRI. A working memory n-back task with three load levels was used. Behavioral data showed that the dyslexics had poorer performance compared to the controls. fMRI data showed that the dyslexics had reduced activation in the prefrontal and parietal cortices and the cerebellum compared with the controls. These results imply a working memory deficit in dyslexia.
Dental Caries Experience and Oral Health Behaviour Among 12-Year-Olds in the City of Tirana, Albania

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of dental caries experience among 12-year-old children in Tirana, Albania, and its relationship with toothbrushing, flossing, sweet consumption, and dental visits. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 12-year-old children (N=372) were selected from three schools in three different areas of Tirana using cluster sampling. Participants� dental status was evaluated using the 1997 World Health Organization caries diagnostic criteria for Decayed, Missing, or Filled Teeth/Surfaces (DMFT, DMFS) by four calibrated examiners. A questionnaire on oral health behaviours was completed by each participant. Ethical approval was obtained from the Albanian Ministry of Health. Informed consent was obtained from the parents by the principals of the schools concerned. Results: The total number of children in the sample was 372, comprising 195 (52.4%) females and 177 (47.6%) males. The mean DMFT was 3.8, DMFS=7.98, Significant Caries (SiC) index =7.06, and the prevalence of caries-free children was 14.5%. The percentage of untreated caries or the ratio of D/DMFT was 0.542 (54.2%). Three hundred and twenty-five (87%) participants reported consuming sweets every day and only 250 (67.%) reported brushing their teeth at least once a day. The children reported making frequent visits to a dentist, often for relief of pain. Conclusions: Dental caries experience was seen to be high among 12-year-old children in Tirana, Albania. This is a challenge for the Dental Public Health Service to improve access to dental care and start preventive programmes.