Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cachectin/tumor necrosis factor: a possible mediator of cancer anorexia in the rat.

Cachectin/tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a macrophage product which may have a role in cancer cachexia. Recombinant human cachectin/TNF (Cetus Corporation) was administered i.p. twice daily to male F344 rats at varying, nonlethal dosages for either 5 or 10 days, and daily rat food intake and body weight were measured. There was a dose-dependent cachectin/TNF-induced decline in food intake and body weight gain over the treatment period. However, after 1 day rats became tolerant to these effects and increased food intake and gained body weight despite receiving cachectin/TNF. Rats were subsequently inoculated with a transplantable methylcholanthrene-induced sarcoma, and survival was measured. Rats previously treated with high-dose (either 100 or 200 micrograms/kg/day) cachectin/TNF survived significantly longer following tumor inoculation than did control rats given saline or rats given 10 micrograms/kg/day of cachectin/TNF. Analysis of tumor growth curves and tumor weight indicated that high-dose cachectin pretreatment did not retard tumor growth. Analysis of food intake and tumor burden following tumor inoculation indicated that high-dose cachectin pretreatment decreased the reduction in food intake associated with progressive tumor growth and allowed rats to withstand a greater tumor burden at death. Rats immunized with low-dose human cachectin/TNF developed high IgG titers against human TNF, but failed to demonstrate the same protection against a methylcholanthrene-induced tumor challenge as rats made tolerant with repetitive twice daily high-dose cachectin/TNF. The observation of reduced cancer-associated anorexia and increased survival of tumor-bearing rats associated with previous tolerance to exogenous cachectin/TNF strengthens the contention that endogenously produced cachectin may be a factor in the pathogenesis of cancer anorexia in the tumor-bearing rat. The mechanism of this tolerance is unclear but does not appear to be a humoral immune response.
Responses to Orientation Discontinuities in V1 and V2: Physiological Dissociations and Functional Implications

Segmenting the visual image into objects is a crucial stage of visual processing. Object boundaries are typically associated with differences in luminance, but discontinuities in texture also play an important role. We showed previously that a subpopulation of neurons in V2 in anesthetized macaques responds to orientation discontinuities parallel to their receptive field orientation. Such single-cell responses could be a neurophysiological correlate of texture boundary detection. Neurons in V1, on the other hand, are known to have contextual response modulations such as iso-orientation surround suppression, which also produce responses to orientation discontinuities. Here, we use pseudorandom multiregion grating stimuli of two frame durations (20 and 40 ms) to probe and compare texture boundary responses in V1 and V2 in anesthetized macaque monkeys. In V1, responses to texture boundaries were observed for only the 40 ms frame duration and were independent of the orientation of the texture boundary. However, in transient V2 neurons, responses to such texture boundaries were robust for both frame durations and were stronger for boundaries parallel to the neuron's preferred orientation. The dependence of these processes on stimulus duration and orientation indicates that responses to texture boundaries in V2 arise independently of contextual modulations in V1. In addition, because the responses in transient V2 neurons are sensitive to the orientation of the texture boundary but those of V1 neurons are not, we suggest that V2 responses are the correlate of texture boundary detection, whereas contextual modulation in V1 serves other purposes, possibly related to orientation “pop-out. ”
Auxological Evaluation of 'Non-Identical Twins'

Type of study: cross-sectional; target population: children aged 6-15 born on the same day. Sample: non-randomized, composed of 377 children from 4 urban and 4 rural areas of Mures county. Inclusion criteria: identical birth date; exclusion criteria: children born small for gestational age, cardiac, renal disorders, malabsorption, rickets and refusal to participate. Variables: sex, environment, birth length, birth weight, height, weight, waist, arm span, sitting height and breastfeeding period. The study was approved by the local ethics committee and a written consent was obtained for every child. Statistical analysis used M.O. Excel and Graph Pad InStat with a level of significance 0.05.
Nonlinear three-dimensional gravity–capillary solitary waves

Steady three-dimensional fully nonlinear gravity–capillary solitary waves are calculated numerically in infinite depth. These waves have decaying oscillations in the direction of propagation and monotone decay perpendicular to the direction of propagation. They travel at a velocity $U$ smaller than the minimum velocity $c_{min}$ of linear gravity–capillary waves. It is shown that the structure of the solutions in three dimensions is similar to that found by Vanden-Broeck & Dias (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 240, 1992, pp. 549–557) for the corresponding two-dimensional problem.
Effect of Cigarette Smoking on Blood Lipids – A Study in Belgaum , Northern Karnataka , India

Cigarette smoking is an important and independent risk factor of atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disorders. Apart from active smokers, passive-smokers are also prone for the development of smoking related disorders. Smoking adversely affects the concentration of the plasma lipids and lipoprotein levels. The lipid profile was measured from 100 selected smokers and nonsmokers and the study shows that as the intensity and duration of smoking increases a significant increase in the levels of very low density lipoprotein -cholesterol, low density lipoprotein -cholesterol, triglyceride and total cholesterol are noted in almost all groups of cigarette smokers as compared to nonsmokers. Simultaneously a significant reduction in the level of High density lipoprotein-cholesterol is observed in cigarette smokers as the intensity and duration is increased. These findings add another health enhancing benefit by the cessation of smoking.
A Clinical Study of Prognostic Factors in Typhoid Ileal Perforation: in a Tertiary Hospital

Background & Objectives: Typhoid Ileal perforation is a common problem seen in tropical countries. Over the years advances in the treatment of typhoid fever has decreased the incidence of typhoid ileal perforation. This study is conducted to throw a light on prognostic factors in the surgical outcome of typhoid ileal perforations. Methodology: Fifty consecutive patients clinically diagnosed as having typhoid ileal perforation was taken for the study over a period of 18 months from November2012 to May 2014. Pre-operative patients were investigated for the air under the diaphragm using upright chest X-ray and erect abdomen X-rays. Blood culture and WIDAL tests were done to diagnose the patients that they were suffering from typhoid fever. Patients with general peritonitis due to other causes excluded from the study. Results: Out of 50 patients there were 40 (80%) males and 10 (20%) females, thus the male:female ratio was 4:1. Their ages ranged from 16-58 years. There were 32 patients presented early and 18 patients presented lately. The patients presented to the hospital with spectrum of symptoms. All the patients had pain abdomen to present with. Out of which 29 patients had fever, 33 had dehydration, and 16 had shock on presentation. In these 50 patients 33 patients had single perforations and 17 had multiple perforations. The single perforation was treated with simple closure and resection anastomosis was done in cases of multiple perforations. The patients were observed for complications of surgery. The mean hospital stay was 13.28 days. We lost 6cases. There were 19 cases of wound infection, 12 cases of wound dehiscence, 7 cases of enterocutaneous fistula, 4 cases of respiratory tract infections. The blood culture was positive in 4 cases, and the culture yielded Salmonella typhi. The WIDAL test was positive in 44 cases. There were 13 cases of abdominal fluid culture positive. All yielded the growth of E.coli. Conclusion: Typhoid ileal perforation is one of the most common surgical emergency encountered by the general surgeon. Widal test is still useful in the diagnosis of typhoid fever in our country. The number of perforations and the peritoneal contamination, and the delay in getting medical facility-surgery, shock at the time of presentation at hospital are directly proportional to the morbidity and mortality. Availing early medical facility which is a modifiable risk factor. If timely early medical attention is sought majority of morbidity and mortality can be tackled.
Epidemiology of candidemia in patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumours in Brazil

Candidemia in cancer patients may differ according to the type of cancer. To characterise the epidemiology and outcome of candidemia in cancer patients from Brazilian hospitals, we compared the characteristics of patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) and solid tumours (ST). A retrospective study was performed, based on data collected from laboratory‐based surveillance studies in 18 tertiary care hospitals between March/2003 and December/2007. The characteristics of patients with HM (n = 117) were compared with patients with ST (n = 248). Predictors of 30‐day mortality were identified by uni‐ and multivariate analyses. Candidemia in HM was more likely to occur in the setting of chemotherapy, corticosteroids, neutropenia, mucositis and tunnelled central venous catheter (CVC), whereas surgery, intensive care unit admission and invasive procedures (mechanical ventilation, parenteral nutrition and CVC) were more frequent in ST. The 30‐day mortality rate was higher in the ST group (65% vs. 46%, P = 0.001). Factors significantly associated with 30‐day mortality were older age and intensive care unit admission. Important differences in the epidemiology and outcome of candidemia in HM and ST were observed. The characterisation of the epidemiology is important to drive preventive measures and to select appropriate therapies.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Reduces Pain Sensitivity

Study Objective: To evaluate effects of CPAP on pain sensitivity in severe OSA model of thermal nociception. Baseline FWL in seconds was obtained after the training session. CPAP pressure was titrated on a second night in the laboratory. Two nights after titration, patients returned to sleep in the laboratory on CPAP. FWL was tested in the morning after awakening, after 6-8 wks of CPAP use, and finally (within 6-8 weeks) after 2 nights of discontinuation of CPAP. Mean FWL in seconds (sec) was compared using MANOVAs with nights as the within subject variable. Results: Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) decreased from 50.9 ± 14.5 to 1.4 ± 1.0 with CPAP, and sleep continuity improved. In parallel, FWL increased signifi cantly from a mean baseline of 9.8 ± 1.3 sec to 13.7 ± 5.1 sec (P = 0.01) and with continued CPAP use (5.1 ± 2.3 h nightly) for 6-8 weeks FWL remained elevated (21.1 ± 16.2 sec). After the 2-night CPAP discontinuation, apnea/hypopneas returned and sleep was fragmented (AHI = 32.6 ± 19.8). FWL decreased to 11.6 ± 5.9 sec relative to intermediate-term CPAP use (P = 0.03). Conclusion: CPAP treatment reduces pain sensitivity in OSA patients. Future studies will focus on patients with OSA and chronic pain and identify mediating mechanisms.
Morphology of epithelial keratitis in herpes zoster ophthalmicus. A non-contact photomicrographic in vivo study in the human cornea.

PURPOSE To investigate the in vivo morphology of epithelial changes in acute herpes zoster keratitis. METHODS 10 patients with acute disease. In 7, systemic acyclovir treatment was started at presentation, in 2 < or = 24 hours before, 1 was not treated. The corneae were examined with the slit lamp, followed intermittently for 3-30 days, and photographed at intervals ranging between 1 to 7 days. RESULTS All but one patient had epithelial changes at presentation; all developed new ones. The smallest discernible entities were abnormal cells of about 10-15 microm in diameter, singular or grouped. Larger foci measured about 100-200 microm. 2 patients showed pseudodendrites at presentation, and further 3/9 observed > or = 2 weeks developed them. Some lesions showed white surface plaques. No ulcerations were observed. Healing occurred < or = 10-22 days after the onset of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The study seemed to have followed the natural course of the disease. The rapidly changing morphology in the absence of ulcerative features indicated successive damage counteracted by reparative forces.
Macroeconomic Announcements and Firm-Level Risk Characteristics ∗ PRELIMINARY AND INCOMPLETE . ALL COMMENTS WELCOME

We analyze the impact of macroeconomic announcements at the firm level under the hypothesis that firms which are more exposed to a particular source of systematic risk will react more to the release of macroeconomic news pertaining that risk factor. First, we document the fact that the higher a firm’s labor intensity, the more its beta changes when nonfarm payroll is announced. A portfolio consisting of labor intensive firms sees its beta increase . 05, while a portfolio consisting of capital intensive firms sees its beta fall . 08. Second, we show that high labor-intensity firms react negatively to an unexpected increase in nonfarm payroll, consistent with the idea that the labor pool is shrinking and labor costs are therefore increasing. Third, we build a portfolio that is long stocks that experience high returns on macroeconomic announcement days and short stocks that experience low returns on the same days. This macroeconomic announcement risk factor turns out to be priced in the cross-section of stock returns. Overall, our results support the notion the risk characteristics of stocks change in a significant and predictable fashion when systematic market-wide information is released.
The Hippo transducers TAZ/YAP and their target CTGF in male breast cancer

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease and its biology is poorly understood. Deregulated Hippo pathway promotes oncogenic functions in female breast cancer. We herein investigated the expression of the Hippo transducers TAZ/YAP and their target CTGF in MBC. Tissue microarrays containing samples from 255 MBC patients were immunostained for TAZ, YAP and CTGF. One hundred and twenty-nine patients were considered eligible. The Pearson's Chi-squared test of independence was used to test the association between categorical variables. The correlation between TAZ, YAP and CTGF was assessed with the Pearson's correlation coefficient. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test were used for estimating and comparing survival curves. Cox proportional regression models were built to identify variables impacting overall survival. Statistical tests were two-sided. Tumors were considered to harbor active TAZ/YAP-driven gene transcription when they co-expressed TAZ, or YAP, and CTGF. Patients whose tumors had the TAZ/CTGF and YAP/CTGF phenotypes experienced shorter overall survival compared with their negative counterparts (log rank p = 0.036 for both). TAZ/CTGF and YAP/CTGF tumors were associated with decreased survival in patients with invasive ductal carcinomas, G3 tumors, hormone receptor-positive tumors, and tumors with elevated Ki-67. Multivariate analyses confirmed that the TAZ/CTGF and YAP/CTGF phenotypes are independent predictors of survival (HR 2.03, 95% CI: 1.06–3.90, p = 0.033; and HR 2.00, 95% CI: 1.04–3.84, p = 0.037 respectively). Comparable results were obtained when excluding uncommon histotypes (TAZ/CTGF: HR 2.34, 95% CI: 1.16–4.73, p = 0.018. YAP/CTGF: HR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.17–4.77, p = 0.017). Overall, the TAZ/YAP-driven oncogenic program may be active in MBC, conferring poorer survival.
Testicular Lymphoma: An Update for Clinicians

Testicular lymphoma is a lethal disease with a median survival of approximately 12 to 24 months. It is the most common testicular malignancy in men older than 60 years of age. Testicular lymphoma has a predilection for widespread dissemination to unusual sites, including the central nervous system, contralateral testis, Waldeyer’s ring, skin, and lung. Doxorubicin based chemotherapy with prophylactic intrathecal chemotherapy and radiation to the contralateral testis seems most promising. This review article will focus on the presentation, pathology, patterns of relapse and challenges in improving the outcome of this disease.
Effect of interferon-alpha on tyrosine hydroxylase and catecholamine levels in the brain of rats.

We investigated the effect of interferon on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and catecholamine levels in the brains of 12-week-old male Wistar rats. Interferon-alpha (300,000 IU/kg/day, s.c.) was administered to rats for 7 days. Locomotor activity of interferon-alpha-treated rats was significantly lower than that of control rats. Norepinephrine and dopamine levels and TH activities in the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and medulla oblongata of interferon-alpha-treated rats were significantly higher than those of control rats. Norepinephrine and dopamine levels and TH activities in the thalamus and hippocampus were not different between interferon-alpha treated and control rats. These results suggest that interferon-alpha-induced depression may be related to change in the catecholamine synthetic pathway in the central nervous system.
Food Supply Chains and Food-Miles: An Analysis for Selected Conventional, Non-local Organic and Other-alternative Foods Sold in Missoula, Montana

The spatial patterns of the conventional food supply chain have played a significant role in increasing the amount of miles food travels before being consumed. As a result, this has increased the amount of energy that is required to transport food from the farm to the table. The food supply chain links production to consumption. However, as food-miles increase, this link becomes obscure. The food supply chain can be described as having two very distinct parts: the conventional food supply chain and the alternative food supply chain. Business consolidation, and large-scale production, processing, distribution and retail characterize the conventional food supply chain. As a result of such economies of scale, the conventional chain is also characterized by standardization of knowledge. The alternative chain, on the other hand, is characterized by direct sales, small-scale production, processing and distribution and by a more transparent market. Certified organic foods began as an alternative to conventional foods. However, certified organic foods have increasingly been criticized for adopting similar business practices as the conventional system and thus travel the same lengths, if not further, than conventional foods. This study is a place-based approach that compares the food-miles and subsequent energy use of the two food supply chains—conventional and alternative—that provide food to retail grocery stores in Missoula, Montana. Energy use is estimated in gallons of diesel and the subsequent byproduct, or emissions, of transportation is estimated in pounds of carbon dioxide. Four of the highest selling retail grocery products; apples, bread, ground beef and milk, are classified into three different categories: “conventional”, “non-local organic” and “other-alternative”. The food-miles, subsequent fuel usage and emissions are also estimated for each of the four products. The study shows a remarkable lack of transparency in the conventional food supply chain and relatively low food-miles, fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions for the other-alternative products.
Frontal cortical afferents facilitate striatal nitric oxide transmission in vivo via a NMDA receptor and neuronal NOS‐dependent mechanism

Striatal nitric oxide (NO) signaling plays a critical role in modulating neural processing and motor behavior. Nitrergic interneurons receive synaptic inputs from corticostriatal neurons and are activated via ionotropic glutamate receptor stimulation. However, the afferent regulation of NO signaling is poorly characterized. The role of frontal cortical afferents in regulating NO transmission was assessed in anesthetized rats using amperometric microsensor measurements of NO efflux and local field potential recordings. Low frequency (3 Hz) electrical stimulation of the ipsilateral cortex did not consistently evoke detectable changes in striatal NO efflux. In contrast, train stimulation (30 Hz) of frontal cortical afferents facilitated NO efflux in a stimulus intensity‐dependent manner. Nitric oxide efflux evoked by train stimulation was transient, reproducible over time, and attenuated by systemic administration of either the NMDA receptor antagonist MK‐801 or the neuronal NO synthase inhibitors 7‐nitroindazole and NG‐propyl‐l‐arginine. The interaction between NO efflux evoked via train stimulation and local striatal neuron activity was assessed using dual microsensor and local field potential recordings carried out concurrently in the contralateral and ipsilateral striatum, respectively. Systemic administration of the non‐specific NO synthase inhibitor methylene blue attenuated both evoked NO efflux and the peak oscillation frequency (within the delta band) of local field potentials recorded immediately after train stimulation. Taken together, these observations indicate that feed‐forward activation of neuronal NO signaling by phasic activation of frontal cortical afferents facilitates the synchronization of glutamate driven oscillations in striatal neurons. Thus, NO signaling may act to amplify coherent corticostriatal transmission and synchronize striatal output.
Progesterone production in superovulated holstein heifers and in crossbred recipient of embryo supplemented with betacarotene and tocopherol

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of the intramuscular injection of betacarotene associated to tocopherol on the plasma concentration progesterone of superovulated Holstein heifers (experiment 1) and in crossbred (Bos taurus x Bos indicus) heifers submitted to fixed-time embryo transfer (FTET, experiment 2). In experiment 1, after estrus synchronization and superovulation animals were inseminated 12 and 24 hours after estrus onset and embryos flushed 7 days later. Heifers were allocated randomly to one of three treatments: Control; T800 (800 mg of betacarotene plus 500 mg of tocopherol) and T1200 (1,200 mg of betacarotene plus 750 mg of tocopherol). The treatments were given on the day of ear implant placement and repeated on the first day of superovulation. Blood samples were collected on D0, D5, D9, D12 and D16. In experiment 2, treatments were imposed at intravaginal device insertion (D0). The same experimental design, as in experiment 1, was used. Blood samples were collected on D17 (embryos implanted) for progesterone determination by radioimmunoassay. In experiment 1, average plasma progesterone concentrations after corpora lutea formation (D12 plus D16 means) were 13.7±1.8 ng/ml, 14.5±2.3 ng/ml and 10.8±2.3 ng/ml for control, T800 and T1200, respectively, and did not differ (P=0.44). In experiment 2, progesterone concentrations on D17 in Control (8.88±0.57 ng/ml), T800 (7.48±0.64 ng/ml) and T1200 (5.90±1.33 ng/ml) groups were similar (P=0.11). Results indicate that the supplemental betacarotene and tocopherol injections did not influence peripheral progesterone concentrations in superovulated Holstein donors and crossbreed recipients heifers.