Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial outcomes of anxious first graders: a seven‐year follow‐up

This study examined the concurrent and long‐term psychosocial outcomes associated with anxiety symptoms among a community sample of predominately low‐income African Americans (N=149; 72 females). We classified first graders as high or low anxious using child, parent, and teacher reports. Academic, social, and psychological outcomes were assessed in the first and eighth grades. Logistic regressions with concurrent data revealed that highly anxious children were significantly more likely to score lower on measures of academic achievement and peer acceptance, but higher on measures of depression and aggression compared to their low‐anxious peers. Longitudinal analyses revealed that high‐anxious first graders, compared to their low‐anxious peers, scored significantly lower on measures of academic achievement, aggression, and peer acceptance; and higher on measures of anxiety and depression in the eighth grade. Importantly, outcomes varied depending on informant. Findings suggest that, similar to European American youth, early‐onset anxious symptoms in African American children are associated with both concurrent and long‐term academic, social, and psychological difficulties. Depression and Anxiety 24:410–420, 2007. Published 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.†
Transradial Coronary Angiography--Insights to the One-Catheter Concept.

Transradial coronary angiography (TRC) can be performed applying only one catheter fitting into the right and left coronary ostia (R/LCO). In this bicentric study (n = 2953), we analyzed the ostial performance of the Tiger_II_catheter widely used in TRC. Compared to Judkins catheters, the Tiger_II is frequently associated with ostial instability within the LCO but fits better into the RCO-irrespective of tube size. Judkins catheters generally need more peri-procedural contrast and radiation exposure. TRC may be started using a 5F_Tiger_II on the right side in order to be switched to 5F Judkins in case of propable LCO instability.
Rectal cancer surgery without mechanical bowel preparation

Eight randomized clinical trials and two meta‐analyses recently questioned the value of preoperative mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) in colorectal surgery. However, very few patients having rectal surgery were included in these studies. The aim of this study was to assess whether rectal cancer surgery can be performed safely without MBP.
Role of Rhinovirus in Hospitalized Infants With Respiratory Tract Infections in Spain

Background: Rhinovirus is a recognized cause of common cold, proven to cause asthma exacerbations in children. In Spain, no description exists, as yet, as to the degree of burden rhinovirus infections represent among hospitalized infants. Our aim was to describe rhinovirus infections in hospitalized children, under 2 years of age, and to compare these with patients infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Patients and Methods: The prospective study was performed between September 2003 and July 2005, in children <2 years of age, admitted at the Severo Ochoa Hospital (Leganés, Madrid) with fever or respiratory tract infection and with positive rhinovirus detection in the nasopharyngeal aspirate samples. Virologic diagnosis was made by multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and for some virus by direct immunofluorescent assay in nasopharyngeal samples. Demographic and clinical data of those patients with rhinovirus infection were described and compared with a group of 86 patients, infected only with RSV, randomly selected from the same population. Results: We detected 85 children admitted to hospital with rhinovirus infection. Rhinovirus was the cause of 25% of all admissions, among the total of 340 under 2-year olds diagnosed with fever or respiratory tract infection. Rhinovirus was the second viral agent identified, after RSV. Clinical diagnosis was recurrent wheezing in 48.2%; bronchiolitis in 36.5%; and pneumonia in 3.5%. Fever was present in 60% of the patients. Radiologic infiltrates were found in 22.4% of the children. In 50.6% of the infants, oxygen saturation under 95% was detected, at the time of admission. Hypoxia was present in RSV-infected children more frequently (P = 0.005). Also, in this group, final diagnosis was, most frequently, bronchiolitis (P = 0.0001), and rhinovirus-infected patients were most frequently males (P = 0.004). Conclusions: Rhinovirus was detected in hospitalized infants with respiratory tract disease and was the second most common virus after RSV. In our experience, it was the second etiologic agent associated with recurrent wheezing in hospitalized children, under the age of 2 years.
Ex Vivo Bioluminescence Detection of Alcelaphine Herpesvirus 1 Infection during Malignant Catarrhal Fever

ABSTRACT Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1), carried by wildebeest asymptomatically, causes malignant catarrhal fever (WD-MCF) when cross-species transmitted to a variety of susceptible species of the Artiodactyla order. Experimentally, WD-MCF can be reproduced in rabbits. WD-MCF is described as a combination of lymphoproliferation and degenerative lesions in virtually all organs and is caused by unknown mechanisms. Recently, we demonstrated that WD-MCF is associated with the proliferation of CD8+ cells supporting a latent type of infection in lymphoid tissues. Here, we investigated the macroscopic distribution of AlHV-1 infection using ex vivo bioluminescence imaging in rabbit to determine whether it correlates with the distribution of lesions in lymphoid and nonlymphoid organs. To reach that goal, a recombinant AlHV-1 strain was produced by insertion of a luciferase expression cassette (luc) in an intergenic region. In vitro, the reconstituted AlHV-1 luc + strain replicated comparably to the parental strain, and luciferase activity was detected by bioluminescence imaging. In vivo, rabbits infected with the AlHV-1 luc + strain developed WD-MCF comparably to rabbits infected with the parental wild-type strain, with hyperthermia and increases of both CD8+ T cell frequencies and viral genomic charge over time in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in lymph nodes at time of euthanasia. Bioluminescent imaging revealed that AlHV-1 infection could be detected ex vivo in lymphoid organs but also in lung, liver, and kidney during WD-MCF, demonstrating that AlHV-1 infection is prevalent in tissue lesions. Finally, we show that the infiltrating mononuclear leukocytes in nonlymphoid organs are mainly CD8+ T cells and that latency is predominant during WD-MCF.
Effects of Navigation Speed on Motion Sickness Caused by an Immersive Virtual Environment

This study investigated the effects of navigation speed on the level of motion sickness during and after a 30-min head-steered virtual environment. Root-mean-squares for 8 speeds in the fore-and-aft axis were 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 24, 30, and 59 m/s. Participants were 96 Chinese men. Both the nausea and vection ratings increased significantly with speeds increasing from 3 m/s to 10 m/s. At speeds exceeding 10 m/s, the ratings stabilized. Navigation speeds were found to significantly affect the onset times of vection and nausea but did not affect their rates of increase with duration of exposure. For the various Simulator Sickness Questionnaire scores, navigation speed had a significant influence on only the oculomotor subscore. Actual or potential applications of this research include the prediction of sickness associated with simulation tours in a virtual environment at different navigation speeds.
Narrow Linewidth DFB Lasers Emitting Near a Wavelength of 1064 nm

We report on the realization of narrow linewidth high power DFB diode lasers emitting near 1064 nm in stable longitudinal and lateral single mode. The linewidth is analyzed in dependence of the output power for lasers with cavity lengths of 1 and 2 mm by means of a heterodyne beat note technique. The minimum intrinsic linewidth is 22 kHz FWHM (full width at half maximum, at 100 μ s time scale) for an output power of 150 mW and a cavity length of 2 mm. The minimum total linewidth is mainly determined by technical noise and corresponds to 234 kHz FWHM at an output power of 70 mW. The influence of current noise on the linewidth is investigated and compared for different cavity lengths. Re-broadening at high output power is only observed for the contribution of technical noise to the linewidth. The intrinsic linewidth shows the theoretically expected 1/Pout-dependence at all power levels.
Exposure of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients to Particulate Matter: Relationships between Personal and Ambient Air Concentrations

ABSTRACT Most time-series studies of particulate air pollution and acute health outcomes assess exposure of the study population using fixed-site outdoor measurements. To address the issue of exposure misclassification, we evaluate the relationship between ambient particle concentrations and personal exposures of a population expected to be at risk of particle health effects. Sampling was conducted within the Vancouver metropolitan area during April-September 1998. Sixteen subjects (non-smoking, ages 54-86) with physician-diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) wore personal PM2 5 monitors for seven 24-hr periods, randomly spaced approximately 1.5 weeks apart. Time-activity logs and dwelling characteristics data were also obtained for each subject. Daily 24-hr ambient PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were measured at five fixed sites spaced throughout the study region. SO4 2-, which is found almost exclusively in the fine particle fraction and which does not have major indoor sources, was measured in all PM2 5 samples as an indicator of accumulation mode particu-late matter of ambient origin.
Aging, Reproduction, and the Melatonin Rhythm in the Siberian Hamster

The present study tested the hypothesis that responsiveness to melatonin, the presence of the melatonin rhythm in circulation, and parameters of the GnRH neuron system are sustained across the aging continuum in Siberian hamsters. Afternoon melatonin injections induced testicular atrophy in 42% of aged males compared to 100% of adult males. The proportion of aged males failing to respond to the melatonin injections was similar to the proportion that failed to undergo testicular regression upon exposure to short days. Exposure to short days induced testicular atrophy in juvenile and adult hamsters; however, regression was incomplete or absent in 43% of aged males. The nocturnal rise in melatonin was similar with regard to duration and peak amplitude, and appropriate with respect to photoperiod in 25-day-old juveniles, adult (5 months), and aged (17 months) hamsters. Neither advanced age nor timed melatonin treatments affected GnRH neuron numbers or distribution. Fertility was maintained in aged and adult males to a comparable extent with respect to latency to first litter and number of pups per litter; reproductive success was dramatically reduced in aged compared to adult females. Because melatonin rhythms accurately reflect day length information throughout the continuum from puberty to advanced age, the present evidence suggests that limitations in testis regression in response to short days or exogenous melatonin in a subset of aged males result from a reduced ability to respond to melatonin. In the wild, failure to undergo testicular regression in the presence of shortening day lengths may extend the breeding season of aged males.
Making Waves in the Stream of Consciousness: Entraining Oscillations in EEG Alpha and Fluctuations in Visual Awareness with Rhythmic Visual Stimulation

Rhythmic events are common in our sensory world. Temporal regularities could be used to predict the timing of upcoming events, thus facilitating their processing. Indeed, cognitive theories have long posited the existence of internal oscillators whose timing can be entrained to ongoing periodic stimuli in the environment as a mechanism of temporal attention. Recently, recordings from primate brains have shown electrophysiological evidence for these hypothesized internal oscillations. We hypothesized that rhythmic visual stimuli can entrain ongoing neural oscillations in humans, locking the timing of the excitability cycles they represent and thus enhancing processing of subsequently predictable stimuli. Here we report evidence for entrainment of neural oscillations by predictable periodic stimuli in the alpha frequency band and show for the first time that the phase of existing brain oscillations cannot only be modified in response to rhythmic visual stimulation but that the resulting phase-locked fluctuations in excitability lead to concomitant fluctuations in visual awareness in humans. This entrainment effect was dependent on both the amount of spontaneous alpha power before the experiment and the level of 12-Hz oscillation before each trial and could not be explained by evoked activity. Rhythmic fluctuations in awareness elicited by entrainment of ongoing neural excitability cycles support a proposed role for alpha oscillations as a pulsed inhibition of cortical activity. Furthermore, these data provide evidence for the quantized nature of our conscious experience and reveal a powerful mechanism by which temporal attention as well as perceptual snapshots can be manipulated and controlled.
Parainfluenza 3 virus: plaque-type variants lacking neuraminidase activity

Virus clones lacking detectable neuraminidase activity (SC-YN and M-YN) as well as those possessing it (LT-910N and LT-YN) were isolated from bovine strains of parainfluenza 3 virus. LT-910N and LT-YN viruses produced large turbid plaques in MDBK cells, and SC-YN virus produced small clear plaques. Incorporation of a bacterial neuraminidase in agar overlay medium made SC-YN virus form large turbid plaques, whereas it made M-YN virus form large clear plaques. However, M-YN virus formed only pinhole plaques or no plaques in the absence of neuraminidase. The exogenous neuraminidase had little effect on the plaque formation of LT-910N and LT-YN viruses. M-YN virus induced extensive syncytial formation, and SC-YN virus produced less extensive syncytial formation. The exogenous neuraminidase enhanced replication of SC-YN and M-YN viruses and reduced syncytial formation by these viruses. The enzyme had little effect on replication and cytopathic effect of LT-910N and LT-YN viruses. The reason for these effects of the exogenous neuraminidase is discussed.
trans-Dichlorido(1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane)manganese(III) tetrafluoridoborate

In the title manganese(III) complex, [MnCl2(C10H24N4)]BF4 or trans-[MnCl2(cyclam)]BF4 (cyclam is the tetradentate amine ligand 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane), the MnIII ions occupy the center of a distorted octahedron coordinated by all four ligand nitrogen donors in the macrobicyclic cavity and two chloride ions occupy the axial positions. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding involving the coordinated chloride ions and the hydrogen atoms of the cyclam ligand is observed. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding involving the tetrafluoridoborate anion and hydrogen atoms of the cyclam ligand leads to an infinite one-dimensional chain along the a axis. The tetrafluoridoborate and inorganic units are linked by N—H⋯F hydrogen bonds. The structure may be compared with those of analogous compounds [MnCl2(cyclam)]ClO4 and [Mn(CN)2(cyclam)]ClO4.
Opioid system in depression.

It was with great interest that I read the Letter to the Editor of Lichtigfeld and Gillman (2003) about their earlier finding of ‘the variable response to the exogenous opioid, psychotropic analgesic nitrous oxide (PAN) in depressed patients and the suggestion of an underactivity of the endogenous opioid system in depression’. In this context they refer to other findings in this direction such as μ-receptor density and affinity in the brains of suicide victims (Gross-Isseroff et al., 1990) and the successful use of buprenorphine in the treatment of refractory unipolar non-psychotic major depressive disorders (Bodkin et al., 1995).
THE EFFECT OF SOME ANIONS AND CATIONS UPON THE FLUXES AND NET UPTAKE OF SODIUM IN THE LARVA OF AUEDES AEGYPTI (L).

1. Starved 4th-instar larvae of Aades aegypti , when put into deionized water at a density of ten larvae/20 ml. , are able to achieve sodium balance at the low external concentration of 5 µ M Na/l. 2. The balancing process involves a 10% drop in total sodium content, a more or less complete activation of the mechanism for sodium transport, and a reduction in the permeability of the larva to sodium as measured by the net sodium loss into deionized water. It is very probable that most of this reduction occurs in the anal papillae. 3. The relationship between external sodium concentration and sodium influx in larvae previously ‘balanced’ in deionized water is described approximately by the Michaelis equation. The sodium outflux also increases with increasing external sodium concentrations. 4. The net uptake of sodium by ‘balanced larvae’ appears to be significantly greater from solutions of NaCl than from solutions of NaNO 3 NaHCO 3 and Na 2 SO 4 . 5. The ions K + Ca ++ Mg ++ and NH 4 + when present as chlorides stimulate the influx of sodium from 0.1 mM/l. sodium chloride. When present as nitrates or sulphates they either have no effect or cause an inhibition of influx. 6. The results in 4 and 5 suggest that movements of chloride may be important in sodium uptake, and chloride uptake has been found to occur independently of sodium uptake. Measurements of potential difference between haemolymph and medium demonstrate active transport of both sodium and chloride.
Radiated Energy from the 16 October 1999 Hector Mine Earthquake: Regional and Teleseismic Estimates

The amount of seismic energy radiated from an earthquake is a key macroscopic parameter for understanding the physics of earthquakes. To resolve the important details of the earthquake process, we require more accurate estimates of energy than are currently available. In this study, we determine the energy radiated from the M_(w) 7.1 16 October 1999 Hector Mine, California, earthquake using regional data from 67 TriNet stations. Earlier estimates of radiated energy from regional data used empirical path and station attenuation corrections. Here, we remove the path and station attenuation effects by using an empirical Green's function deconvolution. We use one foreshock and four aftershocks as empirical Green's functions and determine the source spectra. The radiated energy at each of the regional stations is computed from these source spectra. The energy estimates from the regional data are tightly clustered, with a mean estimate of 3.0 × 10^(15) J and a standard deviation of 0.9 × 1015 J. To calibrate the teleseismic methods currently used, we compare the energy estimates obtained above with the energy computed using two different teleseismic methods. The first method is based on the conventional National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) method, in which the energy flux at each station is computed by squaring and integrating the corrected velocity spectrum. In the second method, we compute Green's functions for the appropriate source structure and deconvolve these from the mainshock data to obtain the source spectrum at each station. The energy is then calculated from the source spectra. The teleseismic energy estimates have a mean of 1.8 × 10^(15) J and 2.0 × 10^(15) J for the two methods, respectively. The average estimate of radiated energy from teleseismic data is nearly the same as that obtained from the regional data (3 × 10^(15) J). From the mean radiated energy (3 × 10^(15) J) and moment (6 × 10^(19) N m) estimates, the energy-to-moment ratio for the Hector Mine earthquake is 5 × 10^(–5).
Development of an experimental model to study trigeminal nerve-mediated vasodilation on the human forehead

Background During migraine, trigeminal sensory nerve terminals release calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), inducing nociception and vasodilation. Applied on the skin, capsaicin activates the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channel and releases CGRP from sensory nerve terminals, thus increasing dermal blood flow (DBF). Using capsaicin application and electrical stimulation of the forehead skin, a trigeminal nerve-innervated dermatome, we aimed to develop a model to measure trigeminal nerve-mediated vasodilation in humans. Methods Using laser Doppler imaging, forehead DBF responses to application of capsaicin (0.06 mg/ml and 6.0 mg/ml) and saline, with and without iontophoresis, were studied in healthy subjects. The within-subject coefficient of variation (WCV) of repeated DBF measurements was calculated to assess reproducibility. Results Maximal DBF responses to 6.0 mg/ml capsaicin with and without iontophoresis did not differ (Emax 459 ± 32 and 424 ± 32 arbitrary units (a.u.), WCV 6 ± 4%). In contrast, DBF responses to 0.06 mg/ml capsaicin were significantly larger with than without iontophoresis (Emax 307 ± 60 versus 187 ± 21 a.u., WCV 21 ± 13%). Saline with iontophoresis significantly increased DBF (Emax: 245 ± 26 a.u, WCV 11 ± 8%), while saline application without iontophoresis did not affect DBF. Conclusion Topical application of capsaicin and electrical stimulation induce reproducible forehead DBF increases and therefore are suitable to study trigeminal nerve-mediated vasodilation in humans.
Tracking of chromosome dynamics in live Streptococcus pneumoniae reveals that transcription promotes chromosome segregation

Chromosome segregation is an essential part of the bacterial cell cycle but is poorly characterized in oval‐shaped streptococci. Using time‐lapse fluorescence microscopy and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we have tracked the dynamics of chromosome segregation in live cells of the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Our observations show that the chromosome segregation process last for two‐thirds of the total cell cycle; the origin region segregates rapidly in the early stages of the cell cycle while nucleoid segregation finishes just before cell division. Previously we have demonstrated that the DNA‐binding protein ParB and the condensin SMC promote efficient chromosome segregation, likely by an active mechanism. We now show that in the absence of SMC, cell division can occur over the unsegregated chromosomes. However, neither smc nor parB are essential in S. pneumoniae, suggesting the importance of additional mechanisms. Here we have identified the process of transcription as one of these mechanisms important for chromosome segregation in S. pneumoniae. Transcription inhibitors rifampicin and streptolydigin as well as mutants affected in transcription elongation cause chromosome segregation defects. Together, our results highlight the importance of passive (or indirect) processes such as transcription for chromosome segregation in oval‐shaped bacteria.
Cell-mediated immunity in atherosclerosis

Immunocompetent cells infiltrate atherosclerotic plaques of all stages. Plaque-infiltrating T-cells recognize oxidized LDL and heat shock proteins and this elicits antibody responses that have been proposed as markers of disease activity. Cytokines secreted by activated T-cells may control macrophage activation, scavenger receptor expression and metalloproteinase secretion. Furthermore, cytokines secreted by T-cells and macrophages modulate smooth muscle proliferation, nitric oxide production and apoptosis, and induce endothelial activation. However, both positive and negative signals, as well as feedback loops, may be induced because of the complexity of the immune system. The possibility that some of these signals may be protective against atherosclerosis is currently under investigation in several laboratories. Recent studies in experimental animals show that immunomodulation affects the development of plaques and that immunization with oxidized LDL can inhibit lesion formation. This review provides a brief overview of cellular immunology and an analysis of its potential role in atherogenesis.