Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in healthy food habits after transition to old age retirement.

BACKGROUND Retirement is one of the major transitions in the life course. However, it is poorly understood how health behaviours, such as food habits, might change after retirement. This study aimed to examine whether healthy food habits change after the transition to old age retirement and whether socio-demographic or health-related factors explain the association between retirement, being continuously employed and healthy food habits at follow-up. METHODS The data were derived from the Helsinki Health Study cohort on the staff of the City of Helsinki, Finland. The baseline questionnaire survey data were collected in 2000-02 and the follow-up in 2007. We included only participants who were aged 55-60 years at baseline and entered old age retirement during the follow-up (n = 1156, 76% women) or remained continuously employed (n = 1269, 79% women). Food habits from a food frequency questionnaire included eight items formed according to the Finnish and Nordic dietary recommendations. Logistic regression models were fitted to examine the associations between retirement, being continuously employed and healthy food habits at follow-up. RESULTS Healthy food habits increased more among retired women than those continuously employed (P = 0.03). At follow-up retired women had healthier food habits than continuously employed women after adjusting for baseline food habits [OR = 1.36 (1.12-1.65)]. Among men, healthy food habits were unassociated with retirement. CONCLUSION Transition to old age retirement is likely to have beneficial effects on food habits among women. This helps prevent major diseases and supports better public health among ageing people.
Which One is Better? Comparison of the Acute Inflammatory Response, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Appendicitis and Alvarado Scoring Systems

Purpose Acute appendicitis (AA) is one of the most common causes of an acute abdomen. The accuracies of the Alvarado and the acute inflammatory response (AIR) scores in the diagnosis of appendicitis is very low in Asian populations, so a new scoring system, the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Appendicitis (RIPASA) system, was designed recently. We applied and compared the Alvarado, AIR, and RIPASA scores in the diagnoses of appendicitis in the Iranian population. Methods We prospectively compared the RIPASA, Alvarado, and AIR systems by applying them to 100 patients. All the scores were calculated for patients who presented with right quadrant pain. Appendectomies were performed; then, the postoperative pathology reports were correlated with the scores. Scores of 8, 7, and 5 or more are optimal cutoffs for the RIPASA, Alvarado, and AIR scoring systems, respectively. The sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values, negative predictive values (NPVs), positive and negative likelihood ratios (LRs) for the 3 systems were determined. Results The sensitivity and the specificity of the RIPASA score were 93.18% and 91.67%, respectively. The sensitivities of the Alvarado and the AIR scores were both 78.41%. The specificities of the Alvarado and the AIR scores were 100% and 91.67%, respectively. The RIPASA score correctly classified 93% of all patients confirmed with histological AA compared with 78.41% for the Alvarado and the AIR scores. Conclusion The RIPASA scoring system had more sensitivity, better NPV, a positive LR, and a less negative LR for the Iranian population whereas the Alvarado scoring system was more specific.
A substudy evaluating treatment intensification on medication adherence among hypertensive patients receiving home blood pressure telemonitoring and pharmacist management

Hypertension is a leading cause of death and major contributor to heart attacks, strokes, heart and kidney failure. Antihypertensive (HTN medication) non‐adherence contributes to uncontrolled hypertension. Effective initiatives to improve uncontrolled hypertension include a team‐based approach with home blood pressure (BP) monitoring. Our study objective was to evaluate whether objectively measured medication adherence was influenced by home BP telemonitoring and pharmacist management.
Customized noise-stimulation intensity for bipedal stability and unipedal balance deficits associated with functional ankle instability.

CONTEXT Stochastic resonance stimulation (SRS) administered at an optimal intensity could maximize the effects of treatment on balance. OBJECTIVE To determine if a customized optimal SRS intensity is better than a traditional SRS protocol (applying the same percentage sensory threshold intensity for all participants) for improving double- and single-legged balance in participants with or without functional ankle instability (FAI). DESIGN Case-control study with an embedded crossover design. SETTING Laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Twelve healthy participants (6 men, 6 women; age = 22 ± 2 years, height = 170 ± 7 cm, mass = 64 ± 10 kg) and 12 participants (6 men, 6 women; age = 23 ± 3 years, height = 174 ± 8 cm, mass = 69 ± 10 kg) with FAI. INTERVENTION(S) The SRS optimal intensity level was determined by finding the intensity from 4 experimental intensities at the percentage sensory threshold (25% [SRS₂₅], 50% [SRS₅₀], 75% [SRS₇₅], 90% [SRS₉₀]) that produced the greatest improvement in resultant center-of-pressure velocity (R-COPV) over a control condition (SRS₀) during double-legged balance. We examined double- and single-legged balance tests, comparing optimal SRS (SRS(opt1)) and SRS₀ using a battery of center-of-pressure measures in the frontal and sagittal planes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Anterior-posterior (A-P) and medial-lateral (M-L) center-of-pressure velocity (COPV) and center-of-pressure excursion (COPE), R-COPV, and 95th percentile center-of-pressure area ellipse (COPA-95). RESULTS Data were organized into bins that represented optimal (SRS(opt1)), second (SRS(opt2)), third (SRS(opt3)), and fourth (SRS(opt4)) improvement over SRS₀. The SRS(opt1) enhanced R-COPV (P ≤ .05) over SRS₀ and other SRS conditions (SRS₀ = 0.94 ± 0.32 cm/s, SRS(opt1) = 0.80 ± 0.19 cm/s, SRS(opt2) = 0.88 ± 0.24 cm/s, SRS(opt3) = 0.94 ± 0.25 cm/s, SRS(opt4) = 1.00 ± 0.28 cm/s). However, SRS did not improve R-COPV over SRS₀ when data were categorized by sensory threshold. Furthermore, SRS(opt1) improved double-legged balance over SRS₀ from 11% to 25% in all participants for the center-of-pressure frontal- and sagittal-plane assessments (P ≤ .05). The SRS(opt1) also improved single-legged balance over SRS₀ from 10% to 17% in participants with FAI for the center-of-pressure frontal- and sagittal-plane assessments (P ≤ .05). The SRS(opt1) did not improve single-legged balance in participants with stable ankles. CONCLUSIONS The SRS(opt1) improved double-legged balance and transfers to enhancing single-legged balance deficits associated with FAI.
Amplified respiratory–sympathetic coupling in the spontaneously hypertensive rat: does it contribute to hypertension?

Sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) is elevated in established hypertension. We tested the hypothesis that SNA is elevated in neonate and juvenile spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats prior to the development of hypertension, and that this may be due to augmented respiratory–sympathetic coupling. Using the working heart–brainstem preparation, perfusion pressure, phrenic nerve activity and thoracic (T8) SNA were recorded in male SH rats and normotensive Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats at three ages: neonates (postnatal day 9–16), 3 weeks old and 5 weeks old. Perfusion pressure was higher in SH rats at all ages reflecting higher vascular resistance. The amplitude of respiratory‐related bursts of SNA was greater in SH rats at all ages (P < 0.05). This was reflected in larger Traube–Hering pressure waves in SH rats (1.4 ± 0.8 versus 9.8 ± 1.5 mmHg WKY versus SH rat, 5 weeks old, n= 5 per group, P < 0.01). Recovery from hypocapnic‐induced apnoea and reinstatement of Traube–Hering waves produced a significantly greater increase in perfusion pressure in SH rats (P < 0.05). Differences in respiratory–sympathetic coupling in the SH rat were not secondary to changes in central or peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity, nor were they related to altered arterial baroreflex function. We have shown that increased SNA is already present in SH rats in early postnatal life as revealed by augmented respiratory modulation of SNA. This is reflected in an increased magnitude of Traube–Hering waves resulting in elevated perfusion pressure in the SH rat. We suggest that the amplified respiratory‐related bursts of SNA seen in the neonate and juvenile SH rat may be causal in the development of their hypertension.
Translation and validation of two evidence-based nursing practice instruments.

BACKGROUND Using existing instruments when assessing nurses' readiness for evidence-based practice facilitates comparison of research findings and adds to nursing knowledge in a global context. AIM The study aims to: (1) translate the Information Literacy for Evidence Based Nursing Practice(©) (ILNP(©)) questionnaire and the Evidence-based Practice Beliefs Scale(©) (EBP Beliefs Scale(©)), (2) assess their appropriateness for use in Iceland, and 3) estimate the psychometric properties of the translated EBP Beliefs Scale [Icelandic-EBP Beliefs Scale (I-EBP Beliefs Scale)]. METHODS The instruments were evaluated for appropriateness and relevancy before translation, and the ILNP(©) was modified to fit the Icelandic context. Translation followed recommended approaches, including back-translation. Pilot testing of both instruments ensued. A random sample of 540 nurses answered and returned the questionnaires. Reliability and validity of the I-EBP Beliefs Scale were tested on 471 complete I-EBP Beliefs Scale. Data were collected in 2007. RESULTS The translated instruments demonstrated clarity and conciseness; however, the ILNP(©) needed to be further modified. For the I-EBP Beliefs Scale, Cronbach's α was 0.86 and Spearman-Brown r was 0.87. Principal components analysis supported the I-EBP Beliefs Scale's construct validity and unidimensional structure. Criterion validity was established by known-groups comparison (t-tests and one-way analyses of variance). CONCLUSIONS The ILNP(©) and the EBP Beliefs Scale(©) can be used in contexts other than those for which they were developed. The I-EBP Scale is a psychometrically sound instrument and its performance supports the validity of the original scale. The instruments can be used to gather valuable information about nurses' readiness for evidence-based practice.
Neuronal Abelson helper integration site-1 (Ahi1) deficiency in mice alters TrkB signaling with a depressive phenotype

Recent studies suggest that the human Abelson helper integration site-1 (AHI1) gene on chromosome 6 is associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia and autism, two common neuropsychological disorders with depression symptoms. Mouse Ahi1 protein is abundant in the hypothalamus and amygdala, which are important brain regions for controlling emotion. However, the neuronal function of Ahi1 remains unclear. With the Cre–loxP system, we created a mouse model that selectively reduces Ahi1 expression in neuronal cells. Mice with neuronal Ahi1 deficiency show reduced TrkB level in the brain and depressive phenotypes, which can be alleviated by antidepressant drugs or by overexpression of TrkB in the amygdala. Ahi1 deficiency promotes the degradation of endocytic TrkB and reduces TrkB signaling in neuronal cells. Our findings suggest that impaired endocytic sorting and increased degradation of TrkB can induce depression and that this impaired pathway may serve as a previously uncharacterized therapeutic target for depression.
UI driven Android application reduction

While smartphone« and mobile apps have been an integral part of our life, modern mobile apps tend to contain a lot of rarely used functionalities. For example, applications contain advertisements and offer extra features such as recommended news stories in weather apps. While these functionalities are not essential to an app, they nonetheless consume power, CPU cycles and bandwidth. In this paper, we design a UI driven approach that allows customizing an Android app by removing its unwanted functionalities. In particular, our technique displays the UI and allows the user to select elements denoting functionalities that she wants to remove. Using this information, our technique automatically removes all the code elements related to the selected functionalities, including all the relevant background tasks. The underlying analysis is a type system, in which each code element is tagged with a type indicating if it should be removed. From the UI hints, our technique infers types for all other code elements and reduces the app accordingly. We implement a prototype and evaluate it on 10 real-world Android apps. The results show that our approach can accurately discover the removable code elements and lead to substantial resource savings in the reduced apps.
Pyruvate kinase and aspartate-glutamate carrier distributions reveal key metabolic links between neurons and glia in retina

Significance Aerobic glycolysis is a metabolic adaptation that helps cells in a tumor meet high anabolic demands. The M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2) is associated with aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells. Aerobic glycolysis also accounts for most of the Glc metabolized in retinas. We find that photoreceptors (PRs) in retinas, like cancer cells in tumors, express PKM2. We also found very little expression of pyruvate kinase (PK) in Müller glia. We present metabolic flux analyses that show a metabolic relationship between PRs and Müller cells (MCs) that is different from the relationship between some neurons and astrocytes in brain. To compensate for PK deficiency and aspartate/glutamate carrier 1 deficiencies, MCs can fuel their mitochondria with lactate and aspartate produced by PRs. Symbiotic relationships between neurons and glia must adapt to structures, functions, and metabolic roles of the tissues they are in. We show here that Müller glia in retinas have specific enzyme deficiencies that can enhance their ability to synthesize Gln. The metabolic cost of these deficiencies is that they impair the Müller cell’s ability to metabolize Glc. We show here that the cells can compensate for this deficiency by using metabolites produced by neurons. Müller glia are deficient for pyruvate kinase (PK) and for aspartate/glutamate carrier 1 (AGC1), a key component of the malate-aspartate shuttle. In contrast, photoreceptor neurons express AGC1 and the M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase, which is commonly associated with aerobic glycolysis in tumors, proliferating cells, and some other cell types. Our findings reveal a previously unidentified type of metabolic relationship between neurons and glia. Müller glia compensate for their unique metabolic adaptations by using lactate and aspartate from neurons as surrogates for their missing PK and AGC1.
Ultra-Broadband Polarization Splitter-Rotator Based on the Mode Evolution in a Dual-Core Adiabatic Taper

A polarization splitter-rotator (PSR) based on the supermode evolution in a dual-core adiabatic taper with multiple segments is designed. For this dual-core adiabatic taper, one core becomes narrow and the other one becomes wide. The gap between them is kept constant except the input/output parts where these dual cores are separated gradually. When choosing some specific widths for the dual cores, mode hybridization between the TM0 supermode and the TE 1 supermode happens. As a result, when light propagates along the dual-core adiabatic taper, the TM0 supermode launched from the input port can be efficiently converted to the TE1 supermode, which is mainly confined in the core connected to the cross port, and finally one has the TE0 mode output from the cross port. On the other hand, the TE0 mode launched from the input port is confined tightly in the core connected to the through port and finally outputs from the through port with a very low loss. For the structural design of the adiabatic taper, three operation wavelengths of 1450, 1550, and 1650 nm are considered simultaneously so that the PSR works well in a very broad band from 1450 to 1650 nm. Here, the widths of the multiple segments in the taper section are chosen optimally according to the mode hybridization regions of the dual-core waveguide when operating at the wavelengths of 1450, 1550, and 1650 nm. With this design method, the designed PSR based on silicon-on-insulator nanowires is about 240 μm long. The bandwidth is even as large as 300 nm (1450–1750 nm) for an extinction ratio of >16 dB and an excess loss of <0.1 dB in theory.
In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity of AM-833, a new quinolone derivative

AM-833 showed potent activity against members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, Neisseria spp. , and Haemophilus influenzae and good activity against staphylococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Branhamella catarrhalis. Against these bacteria, its activity was roughly comparable to that of norfloxacin and ofloxacin but was slightly less potent than that of ciprofloxacin. This compound also showed good activity against drug-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and gentamicin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The protective effects of a single oral dose of AM-833 on systemic bacterial infections in mice were greater than those of norfloxacin. AM-833 was as effective as ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin against systemic infections with Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and it showed somewhat higher activity against staphylococcal infections than did the other quinolones. AM-833 exhibited good prophylactic activity against E. coli infections. AM-833 also proved effective against localized infections such acute pneumonia and ascending urinary tract infections in mice. The excellent therapeutic efficacy of AM-833 against these systemic and local infections may be a result of its good oral absorption and high levels in tissues.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2–Infected Dendritic Cells Produce TNF-α, Which Enhances CCR5 Expression and Stimulates HIV Production from Adjacent Infected Cells

Prior HSV-2 infection enhances the acquisition of HIV-1 >3-fold. In genital herpes lesions, the superficial layers of stratified squamous epithelium are disrupted, allowing easier access of HIV-1 to Langerhans cells (LC) in the epidermis and perhaps even dendritic cells (DCs) in the outer dermis, as well as to lesion infiltrating activated T lymphocytes and macrophages. Therefore, we examined the effects of coinfection with HIV-1 and HSV-2 on monocyte-derived DCs (MDDC). With simultaneous coinfection, HSV-2 significantly stimulated HIV-1 DNA production 5-fold compared with HIV-1 infection alone. Because <1% of cells were dually infected, this was a field effect. Virus-stripped supernatants from HSV-2–infected MDDCs were shown to enhance HIV-1 infection, as measured by HIV-1–DNA and p24 Ag in MDDCs. Furthermore these supernatants markedly stimulated CCR5 expression on both MDDCs and LCs. TNF-α was by far the most prominent cytokine in the supernatant and also within HSV-2–infected MDDCs. HSV-2 infection of isolated immature epidermal LCs, but not keratinocytes, also produced TNF-α (and low levels of IFN-β). Neutralizing Ab to TNF-α and its receptor, TNF-R1, on MDDCs markedly inhibited the CCR5-stimulating effect of the supernatant. Therefore, these results suggest that HSV-2 infection of DCs in the skin during primary or recurrent genital herpes may enhance HIV-1 infection of adjacent DCs, thus contributing to acquisition of HIV-1 through herpetic lesions.
Increased superoxide in vivo accelerates age‐associated muscle atrophy through mitochondrial dysfunction and neuromuscular junction degeneration

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the etiology of age‐related muscle loss (sarcopenia). However, the underlying mechanisms by which oxidative stress contributes to sarcopenia have not been thoroughly investigated. To directly examine the role of chronic oxidative stress in vivo, we used a mouse model that lacks the antioxidant enzyme CuZnSOD (Sodl). Sod1−/− mice are characterized by high levels of oxidative damage and an acceleration of sarcopenia. In the present study, we demonstrate that muscle atrophy in Sod1−/− mice is accompanied by a progressive decline in mitochondrial bioenergetic function and an elevation of mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species. In addition, Sod1−/− muscle exhibits a more rapid induction of mitochondrial‐mediated apoptosis and loss of myonuclei. Furthermore, aged Sod1−/− mice show a striking increase in muscle mitochondrial content near the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Despite the increase in content, the function of mitochondria is significantly impaired, with increased denervated NMJs and fragmentation of acetylcholine receptors. As a consequence, contractile force in aged Sod1−/− muscles is greatly diminished. Collectively, we show that Sod1−/− mice display characteristics of normal aging muscle in an accelerated manner and propose that the superoxide‐induced NMJ degeneration and mitochondrial dysfunction are potential mechanisms of sarcopenia. —Jang, Y. C. , Lustgarten, M. S. , Liu, Y. , Muller, F. L. , Bhattacharya, A. , Liang, H. , Salmon, A. B. , Brooks, S. V. , Larkin, L. , Hayworth, C. R. , Richardson, A. , and Van Remmen, H. Increased superoxide in vivo accelerates age‐associated muscle atrophy through mitochondrial dysfunction and neuro‐muscular junction degeneration. FASEB J. 24, 1376–1390 (2010). www.fasebj. org