Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frequency and Spectrum of lacI Mutations in the Liver of Big Blue Mice Following the Administration of Genotoxic Carcinogens Singly and in Series

Transgenic mouse models offer a unique opportunity to study in vivo mutagenicity in any tissue of interest. In this study, the authors have determined the liver mutant frequency (MF) and mutational spectra (MS) of 12 week-old male Big Blue B6C3F1 transgenic mice exposed to the genotoxic carcinogens benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P; 250 mg/kg/day), N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA; 7 mg/kg/day), or N-ethyl-1-nitrosourea (ENU; 50 mg/kg/day) singly (3 daily oral doses) or in series (B[a]P on day 1, NDMA on day 2, and ENU on day 3). All genotoxic agents, alone or in series, increased MF in the liver (three-to sixfold). MS analyses of liver DNA revealed a high percentage of G:C → A:T transitions in the control (88%) and the NDMA (64%) groups. In contrast, B[a]P, ENU, and the series treatment induced a high percentage (≥50%) of transversions. Significantly, 46% (19 out of 41) of the mutations in the series treatment group occurred at CpG dinucleotides, compared to less than 22% in the other treatment groups. The MS from the series exposure was most similar to B[a]P with a high percentage of transversion mutations occurring at guanine nucleotides (36%). These preliminary data suggest that genotoxic carcinogens, when exposed in series, produce a unique MS profile characterized not only by shifts in mutation class but also sequence context.
Syncope in young adults: evidence for a combined medical and psychiatric approach

To determine the principal causes and effects of syncope in young adults, we prospectively evaluated 197 consecutive patients referred to a Syncope Specialty Clinic, comparing young (age 16–39 years, n = 71), middle‐aged (age 40–65 years, n = 70) and elderly (> age 65 years, n = 56) patients. Psychiatric aetiologies were significantly more common in young patients (39% vs. 20% in middle‐aged, and 3.6% in the elderly; P < 0.001), while cardiac aetiologies were rare in the young (2.8% vs. 12% in the middle‐aged, and 16% in the elderly; P < 0.04). These differences were still significant after controlling for gender. Because psychiatric causes are so common in young patients, we evaluated hyperventilation as a bedside test for syncope patients and found it to have a positive predictive value of 59% for psychiatric causes of syncope. Syncope interfered with daily activities in 62% of young patients, and resulted in anxiety or depression in 70% of the young (no difference when compared with other age groups). Thus syncope in young adults can be a disabling medical condition requiring a unique medical and psychological approach to diagnosis and treatment.
Transgenic Mice Expressing Cyan Fluorescent Protein as a Reporter Strain to Detect the Effects of Rotenone Toxicity on Retinal Ganglion Cells

This is the first study using a reporter transgenic model to investigate the effects of an environmental toxin on the retina. Rotenone is a widely used pesticide that inhibits mitochondrial complex I and produces neurotoxicity. Previous studies demonstrated the time course and dose response of rotenone toxicity on retinal ganglion cells (RGC). However, previous analyses of rotenone-induced retinotoxicity provided little detail of the optic nerve axons and cellular pathology. These limitations were successfully surmounted by using a transgenic mouse line shown to express cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) in neurons, including RGC, under regulatory elements of the human the thy1.1 promoter (thy-CFP). Data showed that CFP expression is limited to RGC and their processes in the retina of thy-CFP mice. Eyes exposed to the pesticide rotenone displayed marked alterations in RGC morphology, inner plexiform layer, optic disc, and optic nerves. After 24 h, the number of CFP-labeled RGC was reduced 50%. Correlated with a loss of RGC bodies was an approximate 50% reduction in CFP fluorescence intensity at the optic disc. The findings showed that rotenone-induced degeneration of RGC and their processes can be visualized with exquisite detail in thy-CFP mice, and that this approach may provide a novel and effective way to monitor the association between environmental toxins and neurodegeneration in living animals.
Computational modelling of T-cell formation kinetics: output regulated by initial proliferation-linked deferral of developmental competence

Bone-marrow-derived progenitors must continually enter the thymus of an adult mouse to sustain T-cell homeostasis, yet only a few input cells per day are sufficient to support a yield of 5 × 107 immature T-cells per day and an eventual output of 1–2 × 106 mature cells per day. While substantial progress has been made to delineate the developmental pathway of T-cell lineage commitment, still little is known about the relationship between differentiation competence and the remarkable expansion of the earliest (DN1 stage) T-cell progenitors. To address this question, we developed computational models where the probability to progress to the next stage (DN2) is related to division number. To satisfy differentiation kinetics and overall cell yield data, our models require that adult DN1 cells divide multiple times before becoming competent to progress into DN2 stage. Our findings were subsequently tested by in vitro experiments, where putative early and later-stage DN1 progenitors from the thymus were purified and their progression into DN2 was measured. These experiments showed that the two DN1 sub-populations divided with similar rates, but progressed to the DN2 stage with different rates, thus providing experimental evidence that DN1 cells increase their commitment probability in a cell-intrinsic manner as they undergo cell division. Proliferation-linked shifts in eligibility of DN1 cells to undergo specification thus control kinetics of T-cell generation.
The diabetic person beyond a foot ulcer: healing, recurrence, and depressive symptoms.

BACKGROUND Several studies have shown a significant relationship between depressive symptoms and wound healing, but these studies have not assessed the effects of depressive symptoms on diabetic foot prognosis. We specifically designed our study to assess the role of depressive symptoms in healing and recurrence of diabetic foot ulcers. METHODS A consecutive series of 80 type 2 diabetic patients aged 60 years and older with foot ulcers was enrolled in a cohort observational study with a 6-month follow-up. Patients who healed within 6 months of enrollment were included in a 12-month follow-up study for assessment of ulcer recurrence. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the geriatric depression scale. RESULTS Healing was associated with a smaller ulcer area, shorter delay between ulcer onset and treatment, lower glycosylated hemoglobin, and higher ankle-brachial index. Both smoking status and Texas and Wagner scores also had a significant impact on healing. Patients who healed had significantly lower scores on the geriatric depression scale, and those with scores = 10 had a significantly higher risk of not healing at 6 months (relative risk, 3.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-12.2). Patients with a recurrent ulcer (59.3%) showed significantly higher total cholesterol levels, higher scores on the Greenfield index of disease severity and geriatric depression scale, and a higher prevalence of cerebrovascular disease. Depressive symptoms maintained a significant association with persistence and recurrence of ulcer even after adjustment for confounders. CONCLUSIONS Depressive symptoms are associated with impaired healing and recurrence of ulcers in elderly type 2 diabetic patients.
The REDUCED LEAFLET Genes Encode Key Components of the trans-Acting Small Interfering RNA Pathway and Regulate Compound Leaf and Flower Development in Lotus japonicus1[W][OA]

The endogenous trans-acting small interfering RNA (ta-siRNA) pathway plays a conserved role in adaxial-abaxial patterning of lateral organs in simple-leafed plant species. However, its function in compound-leafed species is largely unknown. Using the compound-leafed species Lotus japonicus, we identified and characterized two independent mutants, reduced leaflet1 (rel1) and rel3, whose most conspicuous defects in compound leaves are abaxialized leaflets and reduction in leaflet number. Concurrent mutations in REL genes also compromise flower development and result in radial symmetric floral organs. Positional cloning revealed that REL1 and REL3 encode the homologs of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) SUPPRESSOR OF GENE SILENCING3 and ARGONAUTE7/ZIPPY, respectively, which are key components of the ta-siRNA pathway. These observations, together with the expression and functional data, demonstrated that the ta-siRNA pathway plays conserved yet distinct roles in the control of compound leaf and flower development in L. japonicus. Moreover, the phenotypic alterations of lateral organs in ta-siRNA-deficient mutants and the regulation of downstream targets by the ta-siRNA pathway in L. japonicus were similar to those in the monocots but different from Arabidopsis, indicating many parallels between L. japonicus and the monocots in the control of lateral organ development by the ta-siRNA pathway.
Architectures de réseaux d'accès hybrides analogique & numérique pour la convergence

Afin de realiser la convergence de l'infrastructure optique des reseaux d'acces fixes et mobiles, l'objectif de cette these est d'etudier les solutions pour la distribution de porteuses radio natives a travers des reseaux d'acces optiques typiques. La premiere partie decrit les contextes et les principales proprietes physiques des reseaux d'acces optiques et radio : depuis les systemes Fiber To The Home (FTTH) actuellement deployes et leurs evolutions attendues, en passant par l'actuel systeme radio Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) jusqu'aux exigences des futurs systemes modernes de telephonie mobile. Ceci permet de fixer le cadre de l'environnement optique dans lequel les fonctionnalites Radio over Fiber (RoF) devront etre integrees, et d'anticiper les figures de merite, se rapportant aux systemes radios, auxquelles une attention particuliere devra etre protee durant la mise en oeuvre. La seconde partie montre l'interet et les possibilites de reutiliser l'infrastructure optique des reseaux d'acces fixes pour les systemes de radio distribuee. Ensuite est propose un inventaire des techniques RoF analogiques et numeriques, ainsi qu'une discussion quant a leur integrabilite dans des systemes FTTH courants. La troisieme partie traite du calcul formel et de simulations d'un systeme de transmission RoF analogique, ou la liaison optique est soit passive ou optiquement pre-amplifiee, et voire amplifiee a l'emission. L'objectif est de fournir des resultats numeriques en complement aux resultats pratiques (seconde moitie de la quatrieme partie) pour lesquels le rapport signal a bruit est le souci majeur. Pour cela nous utilisons successivement des expressions formelles, et des resultats numeriques obtenus pour des signaux sinusoidaux et pour des signaux UMTS plus realistes. La quatrieme et derniere partie concerne les resultats experimentaux : d'une part ceux concernant les architectures a base de recepteur APD et a portee etendue grâce a un SOA exploite de maniere bidirectionnelle, et ayant pour figure de merite principale l'EVM ; d'autre part les resultats ayant pour figure de merite l'ACLR, qui pour les systemes radio dans le sens descendant, est un parametre critique, et s'averant etre plus important que l'EVM. C'est pourquoi sont presentees des architectures RoF compatibles avec les budgets PON, permettant de surmonter les non-linearites d'ordre 3 induites par la dispersion chromatique et le chirp du laser, qui degradent les performances de ACLR
A population-based study of Takayasu´s arteritis in eastern Denmark.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the annual incidence of Takayasu's arteritis (TA) in eastern Denmark and to describe the clinical course of Danish TA patients. METHODS All patients living in the eastern part of Denmark and registered with a first-time hospital discharge diagnosis of TA between 1990 and 2009 were identified. The TA diagnoses of the identified patients were confirmed by medical records review. RESULTS A total of 19 TA patients (3 males and 16 females) were included in the study. Two patients were of Asian origin, while 17 were Caucasians. The median patient age at the time of the TA diagnosis was 36 years (range: 19-66 years), and the median time interval between the onset of symptoms attributable to TA and the diagnosis of the disease was 11 months (range: 1-50 months). The estimated mean annual incidence of TA was 0.4 (95% CI: 0.25-0.62) per million. No deaths occurred during a median follow-up period of 11.5 years (range: 0.5-19.5 years). Eleven patients (58%) experienced one or more serious vascular events due to TA. Among these, eight patients developed their vascular complications before the vasculitis diagnosis was established. CONCLUSIONS In the current cohort, serious vascular events affected a large proportion of patients before the TA diagnosis was made or during follow-up. The incidence of TA in Denmark seems to be comparable to the incidence in other regions of Europe.
Taiwanese love styles and their association with self-esteem and relationship quality.

This study is an examination of how Lee's (1973, 1977, 1988) love styles are related to Taiwanese attitudes toward romantic relationships. Traditional literature was explored to ascertain Chinese beliefs about love and customs surrounding courtships and marriage. Taiwanese students at the University of Texas completed the Love Attitudes Scale (C. Hendrick & S. Hendrick, 1990), a measure of Lee's love styles. Six factors were extracted, using a principle components analysis, that were similar in many ways to the love styles derived from American samples, but that reflected Chinese beliefs and attitudes. The relationships of Taiwanese love styles to self-esteem and relationship quality (i.e., satisfaction, the probability of breaking up, and the number of conflicts experienced in a month) suggested the significance of Chinese traditions as well as current social changes in Taiwan.
Effects of potassium, oxygen and carbon dioxide on the steady‐state discharge of cat carotid body chemoreceptors.

1. We have studied the effects of intravenous infusions of 0.1 mmol/min KCl (raising arterial potassium from ca. 3.2 to 6.0 mM) on the steady‐state responses of carotid body chemoreceptors to end‐tidal PCO2 and PO2 in the pentobarbitone‐anaesthetized cat. 2. The excitatory effect of these KCl infusions was enhanced by hypoxia and reduced or abolished by hyperoxia. 3. Hypercapnia did not enhance, and usually reduced, excitation by KCl. 4. When similar control discharge frequencies were established by hypoxia or by hypercapnia, a KCl infusion excited the hypoxic discharge by about twice as much as it did the hypercapnic discharge. 5. These observations are not inconsistent with the idea that the mechanism underlying hypoxic excitation of arterial chemoreceptors is one that controls extracellular potassium concentration near the afferent nerve ending. 6. Insofar as potassium‐induced excitation of chemoreceptor discharge is abruptly reduced by hyperoxia it behaves like Asmussen and Nielsen's postulated ‘anaerobic work substance’ and it may therefore contribute to the increased importance of the arterial chemoreflex reported in exercise.
Design of Ternary Signals for MIMO Identification in the Presence of Noise and Nonlinear Distortion

A new approach to designing sets of ternary periodic signals with different periods for multi-input multi-output system identification is described. The signals are pseudo-random signals with uniform nonzero harmonics, generated from Galois field GF(q), where q is a prime or a power of a prime. The signals are designed to be uncorrelated, so that effects of different inputs can be easily decoupled. However, correlated harmonics can be included if necessary, for applications in the identification of ill-conditioned processes. A design table is given for q les 31. An example is presented for the design of five uncorrelated signals with a common period N = 168 . Three of these signals are applied to identify the transfer function matrix as well as the singular values of a simulated distillation column. Results obtained are compared with those achieved using two alternative methods.
Cross-validation of the NCAA Method to Predict Body Fat for Minimum Weight in Collegiate Wrestlers

ObjectiveIn 1998, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) adopted a new rule that required minimum weight testing for collegiate wrestlers. The objective of the study was to cross-validate the method used by the NCAA to estimate minimum weight in collegiate wrestlers. DesignThe NCAA skinfold equation was cross-validated against a criterion value from hydrostatic weighing (HW). SettingThe subjects were tested at the Universities of Wisconsin and Iowa. SubjectsA sample of 93 college wrestlers from the Universities of Wisconsin and Iowa (mean ± SD; age = 20.20 ± 1.67 years, height = 171.98 ± 6.63 cm, weight = 74.44 ± 11.48 kg) were studied. Outcome MeasuresCross-validation included analysis of the standard error of estimate (SEE), total error (TE), and residual plots. ResultsThe mean body fat from the NCAA prediction (10.61 ± 3.58%) was not significantly different than HW (9.70 ± 3.95%). The SEE was low (2.32%), and the TE was low (2.49%). The difference in methods was related to the size of the HW value. The residual plot (y = −0.26x + 3.45, R2 = 0.198) suggests that fat is overestimated in the leaner wrestlers and underestimated in fatter wrestlers. ConclusionThe authors found the NCAA method to be a valid predictor of body fat in this sample of 93 collegiate wrestlers under the conditions of the study. Although some bias was seen across the range of fatness, these data support the NCAA method to estimate body fat in college wrestlers for establishment of minimum weight.
IN VITRO INVESTIGATION OF INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE RISING ON PERIODONTAL TISSUE DURING ENDODONTIC TREATMENT

SUMMARY Various manipulations during endodontic treatment and restoration of endodontic treated teeth can be associated with increase of the temperature in dental structure and periodontal tissue. These manipulations include: mechanical root canal preparation, obturation with warm condensation techniques, root – canal preparation for radicular post. The critical level of temperature, that doesn’t cause irreversible consequences is 43°C. The aim of this study is to investigate the temperature changes on external root surface during endodontic treatment depending of dentin thickness. Thirty six single - rooted, human teeth extracted for prosthetic or periodontal reasons were selected for this study. Teeth were divided into four groups-nine teeth in each one. The temperature changes during mechanical root canal preparation, vertical warm condensation, continious wave of condensation and root canal preparation for radicular post are explored and the results are presented.
Is facial nerve integrity monitoring of value in chronic ear surgery?

BACKGROUND Facial nerve injury is a potential complication of otologic surgery as its dissection within the region of the tympanic and mastoid segments is an integral component of middle ear and mastoid surgery. The tympanic segment of the facial nerve is vulnerable as it can be normally dehiscent, and the incidence of dehiscence increases in the presence of chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma. Additionally, during mastoidectomy and posterior tympanotomy, the descending portion of the facial nerve is at risk for iatrogenic injury. Although there is no substitute for knowledge of normal facial nerve anatomy, potential aberrations in the course of the facial nerve, anatomic identification of the facial nerve, and surgical experience, the use of facial nerve integrity monitoring (NIM) during middle ear and mastoid surgery has been advocated as a means to reduce the surgical risk of facial nerve injury. In contrast to neurotologic procedures where it has been widely accepted as standard of care, routine use of facial NIM in otologic surgery remains controversial. In this Triological Society Best Practice review, we examined the evidence regarding the use of facial NIM in otologic surgery.
Surgical Treatment of Hemangiomas of Soft Tissue

Hemangioma is one of the most common soft tissue tumors comprising 7% of all benign tumors. The etiology is unclear. Many treatment modalities for the symptomatic deep subdermal or intramuscular hemangioma have been used, but surgical excision is the preferred treatment. During the past 20 years, 89 patients with soft tissue hemangiomas were treated by surgical excision at the authors’ institution. This study was done to define the clinical characteristics of pathologically proven hemangiomas and to evaluate the outcome of the operative procedures. Intralesional or marginal excision for symptomatic hemangiomas yields satisfactory results for pain relief, functional recovery, and avoidance of recurrence. According to the data a hemangioma of the soft tissues is a benign lesion in which more aggressive surgery (wide or radical excision) or other modalities such as radiation usually are not warranted.
Percutaneous recanalization for Budd-Chiari syndrome: an 11-year retrospective study on patency and survival in 177 Chinese patients from a single center.

PURPOSE To evaluate the long-term outcomes of percutaneous recanalization and determine the predictors of patency and survival in a large case series of Chinese patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS). MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. Informed consent for the procedure was obtained from all patients. Between July 1999 and August 2010, 177 consecutive Chinese patients with primary BCS were treated with percutaneous recanalization and followed up until death or their last clinical evaluation. Recanalization therapeutic strategy and complications were recorded. Cumulative patency and survival rates were assessed with Kaplan-Meier curves. Independent predictors of patency and survival were calculated with the Cox regression model. RESULTS Percutaneous recanalization was technically successful in 168 of the 177 patients (95%). Fifty-one of the 168 patients (30%) were treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) alone and 117 (70%) were treated with a combination of PTA and stent placement. Procedure-related complications occurred in seven of the 168 patients (4%). The cumulative 1-, 5-, and 10-year primary patency rates were 95%, 77%, and 58%, respectively. Independent predictors of reocclusion included increased white blood cell count and use of PTA alone. The cumulative 1-, 5-, and 10-year secondary patency rates were 97%, 90%, and 86%, respectively. Twenty-two patients died during a median follow-up of 30 months (range, 0.25-137 months). The cumulative 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 96%, 83%, and 73%, respectively. Independent predictors of survival included variceal bleeding, increased alkaline phosphatase and blood urea nitrogen levels, and reocclusion. CONCLUSION Percutaneous recanalization could achieve excellent long-term patency and survival in most Chinese patients with BCS. PTA combined with stent placement should be recommended to decrease the frequency of reocclusion and its associated mortality.