Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Limited correlation between human thymus and blood NKT cell content revealed by an ontogeny study of paired tissue samples

NKT cells are a CD1d‐restricted T cell subset with strong immunoregulatory properties. Human NKT deficiencies are associated with autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and several types of cancer, yet there is little understanding of how the human NKT cell pool develops or is maintained. In this study, we present the first detailed analysis of human NKT cells from donor‐matched postnatal thymus and blood samples. In mice, NKT cells are a thymus‐dependent population that migrates to the periphery at an immature stage. Our data show that human NKT cells also undergo early stages of development in the thymus, forming a CD4+CD161–/low population that predominates neonatal thymic and blood NKT cell pools. CD4– and CD161+ NKT cells accumulate with age in the blood, but not thymus, to the point that they dominate the NKT cell compartment in adult blood. This is consistent with the post‐thymic maturation of NKT cells exported from the thymus at the putatively immature CD4+CD161–/low stage. Interestingly, while thymus and peripheral NKT cell frequencies vary widely between patients and are relatively stable between age groups, there is no clear relationship between the NKT cell frequency in thymus and blood.
Down-regulation of long non-coding RNA TUG1 inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the expression level of TUG1 and one of its transcript variants (n377360) in osteosarcoma cells and assess the role of TUG1 in proliferation and apoptosis in the U2OS cell line. METHODS TUG1 and n377360 expression levels in patients with osteosarcomas and the U2OS human osteosarcoma cell line were evaluated using real-time quantitative PCR. U2OS cells were transected with TUG1 and n377360 siRNA or non-targeting siRNA. MTS was performed to assess the cell proliferation and flow cytometry was applied to analyze apoptosis. RESULTS We found significantly higher TUG1 and n377360 expression levels in osteosarcoma tissues compared with matched non-tumorous tissues. In line with this, suppression of TUG1 and n377360 expression by siRNA significantly impaired the cell proliferation potential of osteosarcoma cells. Furthermore, inhibition of TUG1 expression significantly promoted osteosarcoma cell apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS The overexpression of TUG1 and n377360 in osteosarcoma specimens and the functional role of TUG1 and n377360 regarding cell proliferation and apoptosis in an osteosarcoma cell line provided evidence that the use of TUG1 or n377360 may be a viable but an as yet unexplored therapeutic strategy in tumors that over express these factors.
Frequency of sub‐clinical cerebral edema in children with diabetic ketoacidosis

Abstract: Symptomatic cerebral edema occurs in approximately 1% of children with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). However, asymptomatic or subclinical cerebral edema is thought to occur more frequently. Some small studies have found narrowing of the cerebral ventricles indicating cerebral edema in most or all children with DKA, but other studies have not detected narrowing in ventricle size. In this study, we measured the intercaudate width of the frontal horns of the lateral ventricles using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children with DKA during treatment and after recovery from the DKA episode. We determined the frequency of ventricular narrowing and compared clinical and biochemical data for children with and without ventricular narrowing. Forty‐one children completed the study protocol. The lateral ventricles were significantly smaller during DKA treatment (mean width, 9.3 ± 0.3 vs. 10.2 ± 0.3 mm after recovery from DKA, p < 0.001). Children with ventricular narrowing during DKA treatment (22 children, 54%) were more likely to have mental status abnormalities than those without narrowing [12/22 vs. 4/19 with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores below 15 during therapy, p = 0.03]. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that a lower initial PCO2 level was significantly associated with ventricular narrowing [odds ratio (OR) = 0.88, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.78–0.99, p = 0.047). No other variables analyzed were associated with ventricular narrowing in the multivariate analysis. We conclude that narrowing of the lateral ventricles is evident in just over half of children being treated for DKA. Although children with ventricular narrowing did not exhibit neurological abnormalities sufficient for a diagnosis of ‘symptomatic cerebral edema’, mild mental status abnormalities occurred frequently, suggesting that clinical evidence of cerebral edema in children with DKA may be more common than previously reported.
The energy density of laser light differentially modulates the skin morphological reorganization in a murine model of healing by secondary intention

This study investigates the influence of gallium–arsenide (GaAs) laser photobiostimulation applied with different energy densities on skin wound healing by secondary intention in rats. Three circular wounds, 10 mm in diameter, were made on the dorsolateral region of 21 Wistar rats weighting 282.12 ± 36.08 g. The animals were equally randomized into three groups: Group SAL, saline solution 0.9%; Group L3, laser GaAs 3 J/cm2; Group L30, laser GaAs 30 J/cm2. Analyses of cells, blood vessels, collagen and elastic fibres, glycosaminoglycans and wound contraction were performed on the scar tissue from different wounds every 7 days for 21 days. On day 7, 14 and 21, L3 and L30 showed higher collagen and glycosaminoglycan levels compared to SAL (P < 0.05). At day 21, elastic fibres were predominant in L3 and L30 compared to SAL (P < 0.05). Type‐III collagen fibres were predominant at day 7 in both groups. There was gradual reduction in these fibres and accumulation of type‐I collagen over time, especially in L3 and L30 compared with SAL. Elevated density of blood vessels was seen in L30 on days 7 and 14 compared to the other groups (P < 0.05). On these same days, there was higher tissue cellularity in L3 compared with SAL (P < 0.05). The progression of wound closure during all time points investigated was higher in the L30 group (P < 0.05). Both energy densities investigated increased the tissue cellularity, vascular density, collagen and elastic fibres, and glycosaminoglycan synthesis, with the greater benefits for wound closure being found at the density of 30 J/cm2.
Adenosine receptor inhibition attenuates the suppression of postexercise cutaneous blood flow

Skin blood flow (SkBF) is an important avenue for heat loss; however, it is rapidly suppressed after exercise despite persistently high core and muscle temperatures. This has been ascribed to altered active vasodilation; however, recent work has identified a role for adenosine receptors in the decrease in SkBF following passive heating. In this study, we examined whether adenosine receptors are involved in the postexercise regulation of SkBF by infusion of 4 mm theophylline (a non‐selective adenosine receptor antagonist) via microdialysis. We show that adenosine receptors have a major role in modulating postexercise SkBF, as evidenced by a marked elevation during theophylline infusion compared to a control site. These results help us to better understand the mechanisms underlying the postexercise reduction in SkBF and subsequently heat loss which is associated with heat‐related illness and/or injury.
Who Runs the Internet? - Classifying Autonomous Systems into Industries

The Internet consists of a network of Autonomous Systems (ASs). To understand which kind of organizations control those ASs can help to better assess the Internet structure in terms of economic interests and reliability. The current paper proposes a novel classification approach by combining ASspecific data with business data from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Furthermore, more detailed industry classes than in previous works are considered, inspired by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Using our methodology on a recent data set, we were able to classify 56.69 % of the considered ASs into industries. This lays a foundation for our future work on investigating the important players of the Internet backbone as well as their economic interests and risks.
The epidermal growth factor receptor is not a receptor for vaccinia virus

It has been suggested that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a receptor for vaccinia virus. Other reports, although not specifically addressing this question, did not support such a role for the EGFR. We addressed this issue by using wild-type virus and a virus growth factor deletion mutant, as well as sets of cells that do not express EGFR or have been transfected with the human gene for EGFR. The expression of virus growth factor by vaccinia virus or of EGFR by the target cells influenced neither virus adsorption to cells nor penetration. These results indicate that the EGFR is not a receptor for vaccinia virus.
Peer Training of Community Health Workers to Improve Heart Health Among African American Women

Introduction. Training community health workers (CHWs) builds a workforce that is essential to addressing the chronic disease crisis. This article describes a highly replicable CHW training program that targets heart disease risk among African American women. Background. African American women suffer disproportionately from heart disease mortality and morbidity. Well-trained CHWs are uniquely positioned to close this disparity gap. Method. We used a Learning Circle approach to train CHWs in heart health education. The curriculum blended web-based, self-directed learning and in-person peer coaching. CHWs learned through (a) peer-to-peer sharing, (b) problem solving and brainstorming, and (c) leadership and experiential activities. Training evaluation measures were CHWs’ (a) self-confidence, (b) heart health knowledge, (c) satisfaction with training, (d) training retention, and (e) replication of training within 90 days after training. Results. This training resulted in appreciable effects on four of five outcome measures. Heart health knowledge increased significantly among experienced CHWs (p = .011). CHWs were satisfied with training and retention was 100%. CHWs initiated and subsequently delivered 122 person hours of community heart health education and CHW training in their communities. Discussion/Conclusion. CHW heart health training using Learning Circles is a practical and replicable method of training CHWs and holds significant potential for building capacity in resource-poor community organizations.
Constancy and variability of gallbladder ejection fraction: impact on diagnosis and therapy.

UNLABELLED The main objective of this study was to test the constancy and variability of gallbladder (GB) ejection fraction (EF) in long-term studies to (a) determine whether EF ever becomes normal once it is low, (b) determine how long it takes for the EF to become abnormal once it is found to be normal, (c) explore the cause of low EF, and (d) define objective parameters for biliary and nonbiliary abdominal pain. METHODS Fifty-two patients (42 women, 10 men) who underwent quantitative cholescintigraphy twice (total studies, 104), over a mean period of 38.54 mo between studies, were chosen for retrospective analysis. They were divided into the following groups: control (n = 13; nonbiliary abdominal pain), chronic acalculous cholecystitis (CAC) (n = 27; biliary abdominal pain), chronic calculous cholecystitis (CCC) (n = 6; biliary abdominal pain), and opioid (n = 6; nonbiliary abdominal pain). The last group had received an opioid before cholecystokinin-8 (CCK-8) infusion in one study but not in the other study. A GBEF value of > or =35% was considered normal with a 3-min infusion and > or =50% as normal with a 10-min infusion of CCK-8. RESULTS The mean GBEF value was reproducible between the 2 sequential studies in the control group (66.0% +/- 20.5% vs. 73.9% +/- 17.7%), CAC group (24.4% +/- 22.3% vs. 16.9% +/- 10.9%), and CCC group (20.8% +/- 20.9% vs. 27.5% +/- 34.5%) but not in the opioid group (14.8% +/- 14.6% vs. 56.5% +/- 31.7%). The severity of GBEF reduction in CAC increased with time: 7.2% +/- 8.1% within 12 mo, 16.1% +/- 14.9% in 13-47 mo, and 23.5% +/- 21.3% in 48-168 mo. None of the 27 patients with CAC developed a gallstone as detected by ultrasound during the study period. In 5 patients with CAC, a mean period of 52.6 +/- 28.9 mo was required for conversion from normal to a low EF. CCK-induced cystic duct spasm is the etiology for low EF in both CAC and CCC. CONCLUSION Normal and low GBEF values are reproducible in long-term studies. Once the EF reaches a low value, it does not return to normal, and a normal value requires many years to become abnormal. CCK-induced cystic duct spasm is the cause of low GBEF in CAC and CCC, and the severity of EF reduction is similar for both. Exclusion of opioid intake immediately before the study is critical before attributing a low GBEF value to an irreversible GB motor dysfunction.
Subject Perception Semantic Model for Information Retrieval in Tourism

With the continued growth of tourism multimedia information made available through the World Wide Web, more efficient and accurate retrieval approaches are leading to an increasing demand. Most existing information retrieval approaches are based upon keywords and therefore provide limited capabilities to capture the query requirements. However, a complete understanding of search requirements is essential for improving the effectiveness of retrieval. To achieve this goal, we propose a novel subject perception semantic model (SPSM) for searching tourism information, which allows the customized query threshold to retrieve tourism information. In this model, we present the definition of Subject Hierarchy Graph to support semantic search capabilities, and propose computing methods of subject perception to quantify the semantics of query requirements. The experiments show that SPSM obtained encouraging performances.
Effects of Metrical Foot Structure on Syllable Timing

The durations of syllabic intervals in sentences with different rhythmic structure were examined. Rhythmic structure was defined as the organization of stressed and unstressed syllables into metrical feet — in this case, iambs and anapests. Each sentence contained three metrical feet, and each foot could be either an iamb or an anapest; hence, there were eight sentences of different rhythm types. Six. native speakers of American English each read 24 versions of each of the 8 rhythm types (192 sentences). The utterances were recorded and the durations of each syllable of each foot were measured from sound spectrograms. Statistical analysis indicated that the durations of some syllables were affected by the structure of the foot that contained them. There was also, in most cases, a significant shortening of the stressed syllable of a foot when the following foot was an anapest rather than an iamb. The results were interpreted as indicating that the process by which speech is produced is not strictly concatenative but involves planning which extends to at least two metrical feet at a time.
Rearrangements of the beta-globin gene cluster in apparently typical betaS haplotypes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The majority of the chromosomes with the betaS gene have one of the five common haplotypes, designated as Benin, Bantu, Senegal, Cameroon, and Arab-Indian haplotypes. However, 5-10% of the chromosomes have less common haplotypes, usually referred to as atypical haplotypes. We have demonstrated that most atypical haplotypes are generated by recombinations. The present study was carried out in order to explore whether recombination also occurs in chromosomes with the common (or typical) haplotypes. DESIGN AND METHODS We screened the HS-2 region of the beta-globin gene locus control region (LCR) in 244 sickle cell patients who had typical restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-defined haplotypes of the betaS-gene cluster. For 14 cases in which the expected and the observed LCR repeat-sequence sizes were discrepant, the analysis was extended to other unexplored polymorphic markers of the bS-globin gene cluster, i.e.: pre-Ggamma framework, pre-Ggamma 6-bp deletion, HS-2 LCR (AT)xR(AT)y and pre-beta(AT)xTy repeats, and the intragenic beta-globin gene framework. RESULTS In all 14 cases (15 chromosomes) in which the LCR repeat-sequence sizes were discrepant, a recombination involving a typical 3' segment of the betaS globin gene cluster was demonstrated. In most of the cases, the recombination site was located between the beta-globin gene and the betaLCR. Nine cases involving recombination were detected among 156 Brazilian HbS homozygotes and five among 88 African patients homozygotes for the Benin haplotype. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS. Thus, 3.1% of apparently typical haplotypes linked to the sickle cell gene involve recombinations similar to those that generate the atypical haplotypes, a finding that reinforces the picture of the beta-globin gene cluster as highly dynamic.
The association of occult amniotic fluid infection with gestational age and neonatal outcome among women in preterm labor.

To evaluate the relationships between gestational age, neonatal outcome, and amniotic fluid (AF) bacteria, we obtained AF from women with intact membranes in idiopathic preterm labor. Positive cultures were obtained from 20 (19%) of 105 women. The frequency of positive cultures was inversely related to gestational age: 23-26 weeks, nine of 20; 27-30 weeks, four of 24; and 31-34 weeks, seven of 61 (chi2 for trend, P less than .001). Fusobacterium nucleatum, Bacteroides ureolyticus, and Ureaplasma urealyticum were the most common isolates. Facultative and anaerobic bacteria were more commonly isolated from women at less than 30 weeks' gestation, and Ureaplasma urealyticum was commonly isolated at greater than 30 weeks' gestation. Forty percent of the patients identified as having positive AF facultative and anaerobic cultures by the research laboratory had negative cultures in the clinical laboratory. Clinical characteristics and maternal white blood cell count and differential did not differ between women with and without positive cultures. Elevated C-reactive protein levels and a positive AF Gram stain were the two most sensitive and specific methods to predict positive AF cultures. Women with positive cultures delivered a median of 1.0 day after enrollment, compared with 28.5 days for women with negative cultures. The median gestational age at delivery for women with positive cultures was 27.5 weeks, and the median birth weight was 866 g. Positive AF cultures were associated with respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and neonatal death. If occult AF infection among women in preterm labor is a treatable cause of preterm birth, then treatment could markedly reduce both perinatal morbidity and mortality.
A gain perturbation method to improve the generalization performance for the recurrent neural network misfire detector

A common constraint on the application of neural networks to diagnostics and control of mass manufactured systems is that training sets can only be obtained from limited number of system exemplars. As a consequence the variations of dynamic response in the systems pose a problem in obtaining excellent performance for the trained neural networks. In this paper we describe a gain perturbation method (GPM) to improve the generalization performance in neural network diagnostic monitors trained on a data set obtained from one individual vehicle and rested on data from the another vehicle. The results show significant improvement in the generalization performance for neural networks trained with GPM over the ones trained without GPM.
Immunohistochemical Markers of Thyroid Tumors Significance and Diagnostic Applications

Immunohistochemical markers of thyroid tumors can be divided into two major categories: those related to the cell types and those related to the type of pathology. The most important markers in the first category are thyroglobulin and TTF-1 for follicular cells, and calcitonin, CEA, and chromogranin for C cells. Markers in the second category are primarily directed at papillary carcinoma and include cytokeratin 19, high-molecular weight keratin (identifiable with antibody 34βE12), S-100 protein, HBME-1, galectin 3, and p27kip1. At the practical level, cell type-related markers are much more useful than disease-related markers. Markers said to be of prognostic value in medullary carcinomas are calcitonin, bcl-2, and N-myc.
Outcomes of obese and nonobese patients undergoing revision total hip arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of obesity on the incidence of adverse events (surgical site infection, dislocation, re-revision, or > or =1 adverse event), functional outcome, residual pain, and patient satisfaction after revision total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS We conducted a university hospital-based prospective cohort study including 52 obese and 152 nonobese patients with revision THA performed between 1996 and 2006. We used incidence rates, rate ratios, and hazard ratios (HRs) to compare the incidence of events in obese and nonobese patients and in 4 body mass index (BMI) categories (<25, 25-29.9, 30-34.9, > or =35). Functional outcome and pain were measured 5 years postoperative using the Harris Hip Score. RESULTS The incidence rate for > or =1 complication increased with rising BMI (1.8, 3.4, 10.3, and 17.9 cases/100 person-years). The increase was small between normal and overweight patients (adjusted HR 1.5, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.5, 4.7), significantly greater with BMI 30-34.9 (adjusted HR 4.5, 95% CI 1.4, 14.0), and most evident with BMI > or =35 (adjusted HR 10.9, 95% CI 2.9, 41.1). The adjusted HR for surgical site infection (obese versus nonobese) was 4.1 (95% CI 1.1, 15.0) and for dislocation 3.5 (95% CI 1.3, 9.3). Eighty patients had a followup visit at 5 years. Obese patients had moderately lower functional results and higher levels of residual pain, but patient satisfaction was almost similar. CONCLUSION Revision THA is technically challenging, particularly in obese patients, probably due to more difficult anatomic conditions. We found an increased risk of adverse events, notably surgical site infection and dislocation in these patients.
Seeking Arabs but Looking at Indonesians: Snouck Hurgronje’s Arab Lens on the Dutch East Indies

Abstract: Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje (1857-1936) was at his core an Arabist, rather than a scholar of Southeast Asia or even Islam in the Dutch East Indies. An Arab lens is evident in his early work on the Hijaz and in his later scholarship for the Dutch colonial government. Snouck Hurgronje’s work The Acehnese, in particular, evidenced a thoroughly comparative approach, verging at times on a focus outside of Southeast Asia, and throughout a preference for Arab orthodoxy. He found Indonesians to be inferior Muslims, and he saw their indigenous cultural practices as non-Islamic. It is important to remember Snouck Hurgronje’s Arab lens when considering his work and his legacy.
A hybrid PEE-FDTD algorithm for accelerated time domain analysis of electromagnetic waves in shielded structures

A new algorithm for the time domain analysis of electromagnetic waves in shielded structures is presented. The algorithm combines the FDTD with a recently developed partial eigenfunction expansion (PEE) scheme to obtain acceleration in the numerical calculation and savings in computer memory. An example of the application of the algorithm is presented showing an overall speed improvement. <<ETX>>