Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytokine Responses in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Glutamine-enriched Enteral Nutrition

Objective: Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants receiving glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition may present with a lower infection rate, which may result from enhanced antimicrobial innate or Th1 cytokine responses. We investigated whether glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition in VLBW infants increased these cytokine responses following in vitro stimulation of whole blood cells. Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trial, VLBW infants (gestational age <32 weeks and/or birth weight <1500 g) received enteral glutamine supplementation (0.3 g · kg−1 · day−1) or isonitrogenous placebo supplementation (alanine) between days 3 and 30 of life. Cytokine responses following in vitro whole blood cell stimulation with anti-(α)CD3/αCD28 or lipopolysaccharide were analyzed by cytometric bead array at 3 time points: before the start of the study, at day 7 of life, and at day 14 of life. Results: Baseline patient and nutritional characteristics were not different between groups. At least 2 blood samples were analyzed in 25 of 52 (48%) and 38 of 50 (76%) infants in the glutamine-supplemented and control groups, respectively. Glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition was not associated with significant alterations in cytokine responses (interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin [IL]-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10) of peripheral blood cells upon stimulation with either anti-αCD3/αCD28 or lipopolysaccharide. Conclusions: We hypothesize that glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition decreases the infection rate in VLBW infants by influencing the mucosal and not the systemic immune system.
Distribution of a reeler gene‐related antigen in the developing cerebellum: An immunohistochemical study with an allogeneic antibody CR‐50 on normal and reeler mice

We have immunohistochemically investigated the expression of a reeler gene‐related antigen in the mouse cerebellum by using a monoclonal antibody, CR‐50. This antibody probes a distinct allelic antigen present in normal but not in reeler mutant mice, and this antigen is localized in the brain regions in which morphological abnormalities occur in reeler mice (Ogawa et al., Neuron 14: 899‐912, 1995). The developing normal cerebellum showed transient immunoreactivity to CR‐50 in a limited set of neurons and in the extracellular space near the pial surface. An early population of CR‐50‐labeled cells emerged on embryonic day (E) 13 along the dorsal cerebellar surface, comprising the nuclear transitory zone (NTZ). Bromodeoxyuridine labeling revealed the time of origin of these cells to be at E11‐12. From E14 to E18, some CR‐50‐labeled cells were stacked in the inner border of the external granular layer (EGL), whereas others were scattered in deep areas, such as the cerebellar nuclei and the surrounding intermediate zone or white matter. In the first postnatal week, these subcortical structures became immunonegative. However, CR‐50 antigen was continuously produced until the second postnatal week by another population of cells occupying i) the premigratory zone (PMZ), the inner half of the EGL, and ii) the internal granular layer (IGL). These later CR‐50‐positive cells were smaller than the earlier type and showed the morphology typical of granule neurons. Both types of CR‐50‐labeled cells were positive for a DNA‐binding protein, zic. By treating living cerebellar slices with CR‐50, the extracellular antigen was localized as a puncutate staining pattern in the NTZ, PMZ, and molecular layer (ML), but not in the subcortical regions and IGL. Purkinje cells were negative for CR‐50 and aligned as a monolayer adjacent to the PMZ, though their dendritic trees were closely associated with the extracellular CR‐50‐antigen in the PMZ and ML. Staining of dissociated cells suggested that the extracellular antigen is initially present throughout the surfaces of the CR‐50/anti‐zic double positive neurons, and is then rearranged to concentrate on their processes contacting with Purkinje cells. The spatiotemporal expressions of the CR‐50 antigen in the cerebellum are consistent with the possibility that this antigen is involved in cell‐cell interactions related to the histogenetic assembly of Purkinje cells. © 1996 John Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mandarin listeners can learn non-native lexical tones through distributional learning

In a previous study we have found that non-tone language speakers are able to form lexical tone categories through extracting frequency distribution in training, but only when attention is directed towards the distribution [12]. This study extends the distributional learning literature by investigating how tone language speakers’ linguistic experience with tones affects their distributional learning of non-native lexical tones. Native Mandarin listeners were presented with a Thai lexical tone minimal pair distributed either unimodally (promoting formation of a single category), or bimodally (promoting two category formation). Assessment of performance in a discrimination task before and after exposure showed that the Bimodal Distribution group improved significantly from Pretest to Posttest whereas the Unimodal group did not. These results suggest that tone language speakers capitalise on their experience in using pitch phonemically to form the appropriate number of lexical tone categories based on the distribution that they hear.
Genes Encoding Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A) and VEGF Receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) and Risk for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the main consequences of prematurity, with notably high heritability. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and its main receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2), have been implicated in the pathogenesis of BPD. Objective: To study whether common polymorphisms of the genes encoding VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 are associated with BPD. Methods: In this association study, six tagging single nucleotide polymorphism (tSNPs) for VEGFA and 25 tSNPs for VEGFR2 were genotyped in a prospectively collected, genetically homogeneous discovery population of 160 infants (44 infants with grade 2-3 BPD) born before 30 completed gestational weeks. The replication population of 328 infants included 120 cases of BPD. Results:VEGFR2 SNP rs4576072 was associated with BPD grade 2-3 with a minor allele frequency in 23.9% of the cases compared to 9.1% in controls (p = 0.0005, odds ratio 3.15, 95% CI: 1.62-6.12) in the discovery population. This association was not observed in the more heterogeneous replication population. Conclusions: In line with the results of recent large-scale genetic studies, our findings indicate that common polymorphisms of the genes encoding VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 are not consistently associated with BPD. This finding does not rule out the involvement of VEGFA and VEGFR2 in BPD pathogenesis since, in addition to common variations within the gene region, other mechanisms also play important roles in the regulation of gene function.
MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM INFECTION IN AN OSTRICH (STRUTHIO CAMELUS)

Abstract Acid-fast organisms were identified by histopathology of granulomatous lesions in an ostrich (Struthio camelus). The organisms were grown in Herrold's egg media with and without mycobactin and identified as Mycobacterium avium. An agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis was performed for detection of antibody for M. avium in this infected ostrich and seven other ostriches that were in contact. The results of the AGID were consistent with the pathologic diagnosis of mycobacteriosis and the isolation of M. avium in the affected ostrich.
It’s Time to Broaden the Replicability Conversation: Thoughts for and From Clinical Psychological Science

Psychology is in the early stages of examining a crisis of replicability stemming from several high-profile failures to replicate studies in experimental psychology. This important conversation has largely been focused on social psychology, with some active participation from cognitive psychology. Nevertheless, several other major domains of psychological science—including clinical science—have remained insulated from this discussion. The goals of this article are to (a) examine why clinical psychology and allied fields, such as counseling and school psychology, have not been central participants in the replicability conversation; (b) review concerns and recommendations that are less (or more) applicable to or appropriate for research in clinical psychology and allied fields; and (c) generate take-home messages for scholars and consumers of the literature in clinical psychology and allied fields, as well as reviewers, editors, and colleagues from other areas of psychological science.
The impact of emotional intelligence and intelligence quotient (IQ) on child anxiety and behavior in the dental setting

Abstract Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of IQ and EQ on child's anxiety and behavior in the dental setting. Materials and methods. One hundred and seven children (age range 7–12 years) were selected. BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (Baron EQ-I: YV) and the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) tests were administered on the first examination session. Children's anxiety and behavior were evaluated using the modified child dental anxiety scale (MCDAS) and the sound, eye and motor (SEM) scales, respectively, during the second session. Results. The mean (SD) age of subjects was 8.48 (1.41) years old. The result revealed a significant negative correlation between children's behavior and total EQ score (p < 0.01) but there was no relationship found between children's behavior and IQ score. A significant positive correlation was found between anxiety scores on MCDAS and SEM (p < 0.01), but no relationship was found between EQ and MCDAS scores. Both anxiety (p < 0.01) and EQ score (p < 0.01) were effective variables in predicting the child's SEM score. Conclusion. The major finding of this research suggested that a high EQ may be more effective than a low EQ in moderating the level of cooperation during dental treatment of children. IQ scores, on the other hand, were related to the child's EQ score (r = 0.20) and age (r = – 0.29).
PHYLOGENETIC ORIGINS OF ANTIBODY STRUCTURE

The sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, has been found to produce specific antibodies after immunization with bacteriophage f2. Antibody activity is localized in 6.6S and 14S fractions of lamprey serum. The 6.6S antibodies were purified by a combination of zone electrophoresis, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. Antigenic analysis of the 6.6S antibodies showed them to be free of other serum proteins and antigenically similar or identical to the 14S fraction. Evidence has been obtained which suggests that the 6.6S immunoglobulins consist of light components (molecular weight 25,000) and heavy components (molecular weight 70,000). In the immunoglobulin, these polypeptides appear to be linked via weak interactions but not by interchain disulfide bonds. Molecular weight analyses support the view that the chains can undergo concentration-dependent dissociation in aqueous solutions. Amino acid analyses showed that the compositions of the light and heavy components were similar and that aspartic acid or asparagine was the predominant amino terminal residue. Starch gel electrophoresis indicated that the subunits of lamprey antibodies are diffusely heterogeneous. The heavy chain mobility corresponded to that of µ-chains and resembled that of heavy chains of shark and sting ray immunoglobulins. In the course of the fractionation a 46S natural hemagglutinin composed of lower molecular weight subunits was isolated. This hemagglutinin did not resemble the lamprey immunoglobulin although it had a similar zone electrophoretic mobility in the β-region. These studies are consistent with the hypothesis that µ-chains were the earliest of the heavy chain classes to emerge and further support the view that the multichain structure of immunoglobulins is a fundamental feature of antibody molecules.
Effect of cigarette smoking on the periodontal health status: A comparative, cross sectional study

Context: Survey. Aims: The objective of the study was to evaluate the periodontal health status among cigarette smokers and non cigarette smokers, and oral hygiene measures. Settings and Design: Cross sectional study. Materials and Methods: The study included 400 male (200 cigarette smokers and 200 non smokers) aged 18-65 years. The subjects were randomly selected from the patients attending dental out-patient department of civil hospital and Himachal Dental College, Sundernagar. Community Periodontal Index (CPI) score was recorded for each patient and a questionnaire was completed by each patient. Statistical Analysis Used: Chi square and t-test. Results: Periodontal condition as assessed by CPI score showed that there was statistically significant difference in the findings between cigarette smokers and non-smokers. Conclusions: Within the limits of this study, positive association was observed between periodontal disease and cigarette smoking. It was found that cigarette smoking was associated with lesser gingival bleeding and deeper pockets as compared to non-smokers.
Abnormal binding of thyroid hormone in sera from patients with Hashimoto's disease.

ABSTRACT Thyroid hormone binding was studied in the sera of 15 patients with Hashimoto's disease by conventional paper and gel electrophoretic techniques utilizing 125I-T4. In 6 out of 15 Hashimoto sera radioactivity distribution was seen at the gamma globulin region, in addition to interalpha globulin and albumin areas. The specificity of thyroxine-gamma globulin protein interaction was established by various concurrent control procedures as well as by radioautography. Furthermore, such abnormal T4-protein interactions were also noticed under varying conditions of pH, buffer and media. When abnormal sera were absorbed with nonradioactive thyroxine (up to 200 μg/ml) prior to electrophoresis, the distribution of 125I-T4 at the gamma globulin region was not affected, while the interalpha radioactivity peak was completely displaced. All but one of these sera showed a high titer of thyroglobulin antibody as determined by Boyden's hemagglutination technique. In one instance, a thyroidectomy specimen showed fai.
Design of a Circularly Polarized Ground Radiation Antenna for Biomedical Applications

A ground radiation antenna with circularly polarized (CP) properties is proposed and studied for biomedical applications. A square ground with a small clearance is implemented in the proposed antenna. Reactive components are included to realize the impedance matching, as well as those requirements for the generation of CP waves. Simulations are conducted within a single-layer tissue model to evaluate the antenna's performance. The proposed antenna exhibits a low profile, which is smaller than 1 mm even including two coating layers. The antenna also behaves good robustness to different implant depths and thicknesses of biocompatible coating, due to its wide axial ratio bandwidth ranging from 2.331 to 2.582 GHz. A prototype is fabricated and experimentally demonstrated in a solid skin-mimicking phantom. A measured impedance bandwidth of 621 MHz is achieved for the 2.4-2.48-GHz Industrial Scientific Medical band. Good agreement between simulation and measurement can be observed in the far-field measurement. The link budget is also evaluated, together with an exterior CP patch antenna.
Spectrum of the Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Territory Infarcts

Background and Purpose: The clinical, etiological and stroke mechanisms are defined well before but the detailed clinical and etiologic mechanisms regarding to all clinical spectrum of posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) infarcts were not systematically studied by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Methods: Seventy-four patients with PICA territory ischemic lesion proved by DWI with decreased apparent diffusion coefficient and FLAIR (fluid attenuation inversion recovery) included in our Registry, corresponding to 2% of 3,650 patients with ischemic stroke, were studied. The presence of steno-occlusive lesions in the posterior circulation were sought by magnetic resonance angiography, and reviewed with a three-dimensional rotating cineangiographic method. Results: We found six subgroups of PICA territory infarcts according clinico-topographical relationship: (1) 9 patients with lesion in the territory lateral branch of PICA; (2) 23 patients with an infarct in the territory of medial branch of PICA; (3) 9 patients with a lesion involving both medial and lateral branches of the PICA; (4) 9 patients with cortical infarcts at the boundary zones either between medial and lateral branches of the PICA or between PICA and m/l superior cerebellar artery (SCA); (5) 10 patients with a lesion at the deep boundary zones either between medial and lateral PICA, or between PICA and medial/lateral SCA; (6)14 patients with concomitant multiple lesions in the PICA and in other vertebrobasilar artery territories. The main cause of PICA infarcts was extracranial large-artery disease in 30 patients (41%) patients, cardioembolism and in situ branch disease in 15 patients (20%) each. Conclusions: Multiple PICA territory lesions on DWI were not uncommon and could be caused by multiple emboli originating from break-up of atherosclerotic plaque in the subclavian/innominate-vertebral arterial system. DWI findings of single or multiple small lesions could account for some cases with transient and subtle cerebellar symptoms which have been considered before as ‘vertebrobasilar insufficiency’ without morphologic lesion. Different clinical-DWI correlations allow us to determine better definition of the topographical and etiological spectrum of acute PICA territory lesions, which was previously defined by pathological and conventional MRI studies.
'Candidatus Phytoplasma graminis' and 'Candidatus Phytoplasma caricae', two novel phytoplasmas associated with diseases of sugarcane, weeds and papaya in Cuba.

During 2003, surveys of sugarcane yellow leaf disease and papaya bunchy top-like disease were carried out on plantations in Havana province, Cuba, to determine the roles of weeds and Auchenorrhyncha insects in the epidemiology of these diseases. More than 250 plant and insect samples were collected and indexed by using a nested PCR for phytoplasma 16S rDNA with the generic primer pairs P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16R2. The PCR products were further characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism using HaeIII, AluI, Sau3AI, Tru9I, HhaI, HpaII and TaqI endonucleases, giving patterns that distinguished them from those of the other reference phytoplasmas analysed. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences identified the phytoplasmas present in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.), Cynodon dactylon L. , Conyza canadensis L. Cronq. , Sorghum halepense L. Pers. , Macroptilium lathyroides L. Urb. , Saccharosydne saccharivora (Westwood) and Cedusa spp. , and those in papaya (Carica papaya L.) and Empoasca papayae, as two novel provisional phytoplasma species. We propose that these phytoplasmas should be given Candidatus status, as 'Candidatus Phytoplasma graminis' and 'Candidatus Phytoplasma caricae', respectively.
Defense–Growth Causality: Considerations of Regime-Switching and Time- and Country-Varying Effects

This paper develops a panel smooth transition vector autoregressive model to investigate the economic growth–defense causality. This model simultaneously resolves the estimation problems of endogeneity, heterogeneity, and nonlinearity. Empirical results support that the causality is bidirectional, nonlinear, time- and country-varying. Economic growth has a negative impact on military spending and vice versa. The larger the HDI, the smaller the negative causality. Evidently, the increase in the level of country development can reduce the negative impact of military outlays on economic growth. Reducing the ratio of military spending to GDP is beneficial for countries with low HDI scores; however, moderately increasing the share of military expenditure is favorable for countries with extremely high HDI scores. Policy authority needs to set optimal education, health, and economic development shares of GDP for purchasing a maximum economic growth rate.
Asymptotics for Merton Problem with Capital Gain Taxes and Small Interest Rate

We consider the Merton problem with capital gain taxes. Since closed-form solutions are generally unavailable, we provide asymptotic expansions with small interest rate and other parameters, and then obtain an explicit investment and consumption strategy that effectively approximates the optimal strategy. The expansions also offer qualitative and quantitative insights about the effects of various parameters on the optimal strategy. Moreover, we find that the optimal tax-deflated fraction of initial wealth in the risky asset is higher than the "Merton line".
Skeletal muscle fatigue and endurance in young and old men and women.

The effects of increasing age on skeletal muscle fatigue and endurance were assessed in 22 healthy young (14 men and 8 women; mean age, 28 +/- 6 years) and 16 healthy old (8 men and 8 women; mean age, 73 +/- 3 years) individuals. All subjects performed 100 repeated maximum dynamic knee extensions at 90 degrees.s-1 (1.57 rad.s-1) using an isokinetic dynamometer (Cybex II). Peak torque was recorded during every contraction, and for each individual the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), the fatigue rate, the endurance level, and the relative reduction in muscle force were determined. MVC and endurance level were significantly lower in old men and women, but there was no discernible difference in relative muscle force reduction and fatigue rate between young and old individuals. We conclude that thigh muscles of older individuals are weaker than those of younger individuals, but relative to their strength, older individuals have similar properties as younger individuals with respect to muscle fatigue and endurance.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE PROTEIN AND AMINO ACID COMPOSITION OF COWPEA AND SELECTED MUSHROOM SPECIES IN ABAKALIKI , NIGERIA

Cowpea and mushrooms have been indicated in several studies as rich sources of high quality protein among plant foods.One of such reports remarked that mushroom protein is next only to meat protein while cowpea was described as the poor man’s meatin another report. The present study aimed to compare the protein and especially the amino acid composition of the two food resources. Four cowpea subspecies [Vigna unguiculatasesquipedalis (Akidiani) and Vigna unguiculatasesquipedalis (Akidiani), brown and iron beans] and four mushroom species [Auricularia auricula-judae (wood ear mushroom), Pleurotusostreatus (oyster mushroom), Lentinusconnatus and Lentinussajor-caju] were used in the study.The protein was quantified using the micro-Kjeldahl method and calculated from total nitrogen multiplied by a factor of 6.25, whilethe amino acids concentration was determined using the Technicon Sequential MultiSample Amino Acid Analyzer (TSM). The result revealed the cowpeas and mushrooms to have comparable amounts of protein, with the exception of Auriculariaauricula-judae.However, the cowpeas were clearly richer in amino acids including the essential amino acids than the mushrooms. Glutamic acid was the most abundant amino acid in both the cowpea and mushroom proteins while the sulphur-containing amino acids, methionine and cysteine (plus prolinein the mushrooms), were the least abundant. Lysine, leucine and phenylalanine were the most abundant essential amino acids in the cowpeas, but Leucine and threonine in the mushrooms. The Nigerian local vegetable cowpea genotypes, especially V. unguiculatasesquipedalis,was found to be most superior in both protein content and amino acid composition.