Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tracking Obesity and Its Consequences From Birth to Adulthood : Does Risk Begin in the Womb ?

Obesity is a significant problem in the United States and worldwide and one that is not sufficiently abating despite extensive entreaties in the press and in public service announcements. Hence, great attention has been paid to understanding obesity—from its epidemiology, pathobiology, and to therapeutic approaches. To optimally interpret published reports on obesity, it is necessary to adhere to the definitions of the term. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) define obesity according to criteria aligned directly with subject age. Specifically, in infants and toddlers (age range, birth to age 2 years), high weight for recumbent length is defined as weight for length at or above the 95th percentile of the sex-specific CDC growth charts. In the age range from 2 to 19 years, obesity is defined as body mass index (BMI) at or above the sex-specific CDC BMIfor-age growth charts, and in subjects age>19 years, obesity is defined as BMI≥30. Based on these definitions, the CDC reported that the percentage of individuals meeting the definition of obesity in 2011 to 2012 within these specific age ranges was 8.1%, 16.9%, and 34.9%, respectively. In addition to the potential for great toll on health and self-esteem, the associated complications of obesity, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and certain forms of cancer, impose a high burden on healthcare delivery. The CDC reported that in 2008, the cost of obesity was $147 billion. Notably, the medical costs for those with obesity were $1429 greater annually than for those who were not classified as obese. Of significant concern, the rise in obesity in young people seems to carry significant complications when diabetes mellitus ensues, such as increased levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertension, retinopathy, and microalbuminuria that, although comparable with rates observed in obese adults, seems to progress at accelerated paces compared with those observed in obese adults, according to the Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) study. These considerations underscore the urgency of elucidating mechanisms and therapeutic approaches in obesity to ward off the cardiometabolic, oncological, and other complications that limit health and lifespan. In the past 2 years, multiple reports published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB) addressed the problem of obesity in organisms, such as mice, monkeys, and human subjects. From basic mechanisms of disease, to translational studies and to therapeutic approaches, reports in the journal have provided novel insights on the causes and consequences of obesity. In the sections to follow, we highlight these reports and conclude with new insights into therapeutic strategies.
Pressure mapping to assess seated pressure distributions and the potential risk for skin ulceration in a population of sledge hockey players and control subjects

Abstract Purpose: Ice sledge (or sled) hockey is a fast-paced sport that enables individuals with physical disabilities to play ice hockey. As the attraction to the sport continues to rise, the need for developing better equipment and installing preventative measures for injury will become increasingly important. One such injury includes skin pressure ulceration. Method: A total of 26 subjects including active controls and those with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, limb amputation and traumatic brain injury were studied using a pressure mapping device at the 2012 National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic to determine the risk for skin pressure ulceration and the impact of cushioning and knee angle positioning on seated pressure distributions. Results: Sledge hockey athletes may be at increased risk for skin pressure ulceration based on seated pressure distribution data. This experiment failed to demonstrate a benefit for specialty cushioning in either group. Interestingly, knee angle positioning, particularly, knee extension significantly lowered the average seated pressures. Conclusions: When considering the risk for skin pressure ulceration, knee angle positioning is of particular clinical importance. More research is warranted, specifically targeting novel cushion and sledge designs and larger groups of individuals with sensory loss and severe spinal deformities. Implications for Rehabilitation Ice sledge (or sled) hockey is a fast-paced and growing adaptive sport played at the Paralympic level. Rehabilitation professionals should consider the potential for skin ulceration in this population of athletes. The effects of cushioning used in the sledge design warrants further investigation. Knee angle positioning; particularly, knee extension significantly lowers seated pressures and may reduce the potential for skin ulceration.
Some Observations on the Closure of the Anterior Fontanelle

Early observers (Elsasser, 1843; Friedleben, 1860; Roger, 1859) have claimed that the dimensions of the anterior fontanelle of the human skull increase from the time of birth until about the age of 9 months, and that it is, as a rule, closed at the age of 18 months. Scammon (1923), reviewing this literature, challenged these observations on the grounds that the material studied involved European children of the poorer classes, many of them born prematurely, and many suffering from rickets. He argued that the observations did not necessarily apply to the 'better nourished and more rapidly growing American children', but he did not publish any figures of his own to substantiate his views. Zahorsky (1944) published observations on the date of closure of the anterior fontanelle in American children. Since his subjects were all seen in private practice they probably do not represent an accurate cross-section of the population. He estimated closure of the fontanelle by palpation and tried to correlate the time when it occurred with the type of feed the infants had received in the first four months of life. Aisenson (1950) examined 1,677 New York children in his health clinic and estimated that the mean age of closure of the anterior fontanelle was 13 * 5 months.
Adeno-associated virus Rep78 protein and terminal repeats enhance integration of DNA sequences into the cellular genome

Two adeno-associated virus (AAV) elements are necessary for the integration of the AAV genome: Rep78/68 proteins and inverted terminal repeats (ITRs). To study the contribution of the Rep proteins and the ITRs in the process of integration, we have compared the integration efficiencies of three different plasmids containing a green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression cassette. In one plasmid, no viral sequences were present; a second plasmid contained AAV ITRs flanking the reporter gene (integration cassette), and a third plasmid consisted of an integration cassette plus a Rep78 expression cassette. One day after transfection of 293 cells, fluorescent cells were sorted by flow cytometry and plated at 1 cell per well. Two weeks after sorting, colonies were monitored for stable expression of GFP. Transfection with the GFP plasmid containing no viral sequences resulted in no stable fluorescent colonies. Transfection with the plasmid containing the integration cassette alone (GFP flanked by ITRs) produced stable fluorescent colonies at a frequency of 5.3% +/- 1.0% whereas transfection with the plasmid containing both the integration cassette and Rep78 expression cassette produced stable fluorescent colonies at a frequency of 47% +/- 7.5%. Southern blot analysis indicated that in the presence of Rep78, integration is targeted to the AAVSI site in more than 50% of the clones analyzed. Some clones also showed tandem arrays of the integrated GFP cassette. Both head-to-head and head-to-tail orientations were detected. These findings indicate that the presence of AAV ITRs and the Rep78 protein enhance the integration of DNA sequences into the cellular genome and that the integration cassette is targeted to AAVS1 in the presence of Rep78.
Long-term observation of indirect lymphography using gadolinium-loaded polyethylenimine-entrapped gold nanoparticles as a dual mode CT/MR contrast agent for rabbit lingual sentinel lymph node identification

Abstract Conclusions: The rabbit lingual sentinel lymph node (SLN) could be long-term visualized by indirect lymphography using gadolinium-loaded polyethylenimine-entrapped gold nanoparticles (Gd-Au PENPs) as CT/MR dual-modal contrast agent. Objective: To investigate duration and intensity of rabbit lingual SLN enhancement using Gd-Au PENPs as a CT/MR dual-modal contrast agent. Methods: Twelve rabbits were randomly divided into indirect CT lymphography (CT-LG) and MR lymphography (MR-LG) groups. In each group, two rabbits received unilateral injection and four received bilateral injection of Gd-Au PENPs in the sub-mucosa of the tongue. Then the enhancement characteristics of SLN were investigated. Results: The enhanced SLNs were observed in 100% in all rabbits by indirect CT-LG and MR-LG simultaneously at 1 min after injection. Then SLN enhancement was improved rapidly and the first peaks were observed at 25 min for CT-LG and 1 h for MR-LG, respectively, then SLN enhancement decreased gradually to a minimum at 2 h for CT-LG and 3 h for MR-LG. Afterwards, the enhancement intensity increased again and second peaks were observed at 24 h for both CT-LG and MR-LG. Hereafter, the intensity dropped slowly and weak enhancement was also observed at the 40th week for CT-LG and 31st day for MR-LG. Black-stained SLNs were visualized in 100% at autopsy in all rabbits.
Null mutations of NT-3 and Bax affect trigeminal ganglion cell number but not brainstem barrelette pattern formation

Abstract Trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons innervate the grid-like array of whisker follicles on the face of the mouse. Central TG axons project to the trigeminal (V) brainstem nuclear complex, including the nucleus principalis (PrV) and the spinal subnucleus interpolaris (SpVi), where they innervate barrelettes that are organized in a pattern that recapitulates the whisker pattern on the face. Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) supports a population of TG cells that supply slowly adapting mechanoreceptors in the whisker pad. We examined mice at embryonic day 17 (E17) and on the day of birth (P0) with null mutations of NT-3, Bax, a proapoptotic gene associated with naturally occurring cell death, and Bax/NT-3 double knockout (KO) mutants to determine if: (1) the number of TG cells would be reduced; (2) eliminating the Bax gene would rescue the NT-3-dependent neurons; and (3) the central projections of the rescued axons in the Bax/NT-3 double KO mice would fail to develop the barrelette patterns in the PrV and SpVi subnuclei. In mice at E17, NT-3−/− mutants had 65% fewer TG neurons than found in age-matched wild-type (WT) mice, and at P0, the number was reduced by 55% (p < 0.001 for both). Bax null mutant mice at E17 had 132% of the WT number of TG cells (p < 0.001), although the numbers returned to WT levels by P0. Bax/NT-3 double KO mice at E17 had TG cell numbers equal to those seen in WT, but the double KO failed to retain WT TG neuron numbers in P0 mice (39% fewer cells; p < 0.001). In all cases of reduced experimental neuron numbers, and in the E17 Bax−/− mice with supernumerary cells, the barrelette patterns in the PrV and SpVi were normal. Only a slight qualitative reduction in overall barrelette field area and clarity of barrelettes were seen. These results suggest that NT-3 is not necessary for barrelette pattern formation in the brainstem.
Protein kinase C-dependent activation of P44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and heat shock protein 70 in signal transduction during hepatocyte ischemic preconditioning.

AIM To investigate the significance of protein kinase C(PKC), P44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) and heat shock protein (HSP)70 signal transduction during hepatocyte ischemic preconditioning. METHODS In this study we used an in vitro ischemic preconditioning (IP) model for hepatocytes and an in vivo model for rat liver to investigate the significance of protein kinase C (PKC), P44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P44/42 MAPKs) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) signal transduction in IP. Through a normal liver cell hypoxic preconditioning (HP) model in which cultured normal liver cells were subjected to 3 cycles of 5 min of incubation under hypoxic conditions followed by 5 min of reoxygenation and subsequently exposed to hypoxia and reoxygenation for 6 h and 9 h respectively. PKC inhibitor, activator and MEK inhibitor were utilized to analyze the phosphorylation of PKC, the expression of P44/42 MAPKs and HSP70. Viability and cellular ultrastructure were also observed. By using rat liver as an in vivo model of liver preconditioning (3 cycles of 10-min occlusion and 10-min reperfusion), in vivo phosphorylation of PKC and P44/42MAPKs, HSP70 expression were further analyzed. AST/ALT concentration, cellular structure and ultrastructure were also observed. All the data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS Similar results were obtained in both in vivo and in vitro IP models. Compared with the control without IP (or HP), the phosphorylation of PKC and P44/42 MAPKs and the expression of HSP70 were obviously increased in IP (or HP) treated model in which cytoprotection could be found. The effects of preconditioning were mimicked by stimulating PKC with 4beta phorobol-12-myristate13-acetate (PMA). Conversely, inhibiting PKC with chelerythrine abolished the protection given by preconditioning. PD98059, inhibitor of MEK (the upstream kinase of P44/42MAPKs), also reverted the cytoprotection exerted by preconditioning. CONCLUSION The results demonstrate that preconditioning induces a rapid activation of P44/42MAPKs and PKC activation plays a pivotal role in the activation of P44/42 MAPKs pathway that participates in the preservation of liver cells. HSP expression is regulated by signals in PKC dependent P44/42 MAPKs pathway.
Psychological and Metabolic Correlates of Obesity in African-Americans and Caucasians

Title of Thesis: Psychological and Metabolic Correlates of Obesity in African-Americans and Caucasians Christie S. Oates, Master of Science, 2006 Thesis directed by: Martha M. Faraday, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology The purpose of the present study was to identify whether there are unique biological, behavioral, psychological, and environmental factors specific to AfricanAmericans that may promote the development of obesity. Chronic stress levels and the hormonal and metabolic responses of 63 Caucasian and African-American men and women to two metabolically-relevant events — a metabolic load (standardized meal) and a metabolic demand (standardized exercise) were assessed. The hormonal and metabolic responses included hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hormones (i.e., adrenocorticotropin hormone and cortisol) and insulin responses to a meal. AfricanAmericans reported higher levels of perceived chronic stress, but had lower plasma levels of the stress hormone cortisol than did Caucasians at baseline and throughout both testing sessions. Acute insulin responses and total insulin production to a meal were significantly higher among African-Americans compared to Caucasians. Striking ethnic differences emerged in the psychological factors that mediate responses to stress and predict health behaviors, such that African-Americans reported less social support, less rest/sleep, and more negative appraisal than Caucasians. Overall, the biological (i.e., acute insulin responses and total insulin production in response to a meal) and psychological findings (i.e., higher chronic stress, less social support, less rest/sleep, and
Acid rain mitigation experiment shifts a forested watershed from a net sink to a net source of nitrogen

Significance Acid rain has stripped forests of soil calcium, with consequences for forest health and downstream ecosystems. In 1999, researchers initiated a whole-watershed experiment, with the goal of replacing all the calcium lost. This experiment increased the pH and acid-neutralizing capacity of soils and streamwater, and forest growth increased. In 2010, nitrogen export from the treated watershed began to increase, and by 2013, annual inorganic N losses from the experimental watershed were 30-times higher than from the adjacent reference watershed, a proportional increase only seen in whole-watershed clear-cutting experiments. The discovery that calcium enrichment can convert a watershed from a sink to a source of N suggests unforeseen consequences of acid rain mitigation and provides new insights into watershed dynamics. Decades of acid rain have acidified forest soils and freshwaters throughout montane forests of the northeastern United States; the resulting loss of soil base cations is hypothesized to be responsible for limiting rates of forest growth throughout the region. In 1999, an experiment was conducted that reversed the long-term trend of soil base cation depletion and tested the hypothesis that calcium limits forest growth in acidified soils. Researchers added 1,189 kg Ca2+ ha−1 as the pelletized mineral wollastonite (CaSiO3) to a 12-ha forested watershed within the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Significant increases in the pH and acid-neutralizing capacity of soils and streamwater resulted, and the predicted increase in forest growth occurred. An unanticipated consequence of this acidification mitigation experiment began to emerge a decade later, with marked increases in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) exports in streamwater from the treated watershed. By 2013, 30-times greater DIN was exported from this base-treated watershed than from adjacent reference watersheds, and DIN exports resulting from this experiment match or exceed earlier reports of inorganic N losses after severe ice-storm damage within the study watershed. The discovery that CaSiO3 enrichment can convert a watershed from a sink to a source of N suggests that numerous potential mechanisms drive watershed N dynamics and provides new insights into the influence of acid deposition mitigation strategies for both carbon cycling and watershed N export.
Mathematical models of repopulation and reoxygenation in radiotherapy.

Mathematical models of the effect of ionizing radiation on tumours have not, so far, received general acceptance, and Wheldon (1989) warns of the dangers of over-generalization. Nevertheless, the construction of models may have a certain value, in that we are forced to define our assumptions with clarity. It is interesting to compare two models which have been described in the columns of the BJR: “Misonidazole in fractionated radiotherapy: are many small fractions best? ” (Denekamp et al, 1980) and “The linear-quadratic formula and progress in fractionated radiotherapy” (Fowler, 1989). The former gives a detailed description of the possible effect of reoxygenation on tumour response, but excludes repopulation. The latter is much concerned with repopulation, but excludes reoxygenation. Evidence that hypoxic cells may be important in the clinical response of tumours has been published recently (Gatenby et al, 1988; Whittle et al, 1990), and it would appear to be logical to combine the two models. Denekamp et.
Social capital and the third way in public health

The construct of social capital has recently captured the interest of researchers in social epidemiology and public health. We review current hypotheses on the social capital and health link, and examine the empirical evidence available as well as its implications for health policy. With regard to theory, we contend that the construct as currently employed in the public health literature, lacks depth compared to its uses in social science. In addition, social capital presents itself as an alternative to materialist structural inequalities (class, gender and race) by bringing to the forefront of social epidemiology an appealing common sense idealist social psychology to which everyone can relate (e.g., good relations with your community are good for your health). The use of social capital invokes a romanticized view of communities without social conflict (e.g., Neo - Tocquevillian nineteenth century associationalism) and favours an idealist psychology over a psychology connected to both material resources and social structure. We argue that the evidence on social capital as a determinant of better health is still scant or ambiguous - depending on the definition that is used. Even if confirmed, social capital hypotheses call for social determinants beyond the proximal realm of social psychology. We also maintain that social capital is used in public health as an alternative to both state-centred economic redistribution (e.g., living wage, full employment, and universal health insurance) and party politics (e.g., gaining control of the executive branch of the government). Social capital represents a ' privatization ' of both economics and politics. Such uses of social capital mirror recent Third Way policies in Germany, UK and US. If Third Way policies end up losing support in Europe, its prominence there might be short lived. In the USA, where the working class is less likely to influence social policy, interest in social capital could be longer lived or, alternatively, could drift in the academic limbo like other psychosocial constructs which at one point were heralded as the next ' big idea '.
Immunohistochemical demonstration of differential substance P‐, met‐ enkephalin‐, and glutamic‐acid‐decarboxylase‐containing cell body and axon distributions in the corpus striatum of the cat

The immunohistochemical localization of neuronal cell bodies and axons reactive for substance P (SP) and methionine‐enkephalin (ME) was investigated in the corpus striatum of the adult cat brain and compared with that of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), synthetic enzyme for γ‐aminobutyric acid. Striatal cell bodies reactive for ME could be identified only in colchicine treated cats, are medium size, ovoid striatal cells, and are found in large numbers in a more or less even distribution throughout the caudate nucleus, putamen, and nucleus accumbens. The striatial region most densely occupied by ME‐immunoreactive cells is the ventral and central part of the caudate head. Modest numbers of larger ME‐reactive neurons are dispersed throughout the entopeduncular nucleus and the pars reticulata of the sub‐stantia nigra. Striatal cells of medium size reactive for SP could be identified, with or without colchicine, in largest numbers in the medial half of the caudal three‐fourths of the putamen and in clusters of irregular size and shape in the head of the caudate nucleus. Cells reactive for SP are also common in layer II and the islands of Calleja of the olfactory tubercle. We could not reliably visualize GAD‐positive cell bodies in the striatum, even with colchicine treatment; however, they could be seen readily in all pallidal structures such as the globus pallidus, ventral pallidum, entopeduncular nucleus, and substantia nigra.
A multiplicative broken‐line model for time series of mean areal rainfall

The multiplicative broken‐line model is proposed as a generalization of the discrete multiplicative cascade to generate time series of mean areal rainfall during a storm. The main advantage of the new model is the ability to specify an outer scale for the cascade which is less than the duration of the event and an arbitrary branching number. Model parameters are estimated for time series of 10 min mean areal rainfall over squares with 16 and 128 km sides. The model output is compared with the measured data and is found to be able to reproduce the power spectra, correlation functions, and probability distributions of the time series at both scales.