Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early Parental Abuse and Daily Assistance to Aging Parents With Disability: Associations With the Middle-Aged Adults’ Daily Well-being

Objectives The current study examined the within-person association between providing daily assistance to aging parents with disability and adult children's daily mood in the context of early relationship with parents. Methods We used data from 782 participants and 5,758 daily interviews from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher, with 248 people self-reported providing daily assistance ranging from 1 to 8 days out of the entire daily-interview period. Multilevel models were fit to examine the moderating effect of physical and emotional abuse from parents in early life on the associations between daily assistance to parents today and yesterday and daily mood. Additional analyses were conducted to examine whether the moderating effect of parental abuse remained when the assistance was provided for other family members and friends. Results Providing assistance today and yesterday to parents had immediate and lagged associations with higher negative affect when adult children experienced childhood emotional abuse from parents. No significant findings were found for daily positive affect. The moderating effect of parental abuse became nonsignificant when the assistance was provided to other family members or friends. Discussion Daily assistance to parents with disability needs to be examined in the context of the relationship history with parents. The impact of childhood abuse can linger long after the actual incident. Frequent early emotional abuse from parents was associated with greater distress when the middle-aged provided daily assistance to their aging parents.
AMP-activated Protein Kinase Is Required for the Lipid-lowering Effect of Metformin in Insulin-resistant Human HepG2 Cells*

The antidiabetic drug metformin stimulates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity in the liver and in skeletal muscle. To better understand the role of AMPK in the regulation of hepatic lipids, we studied the effect of metformin on AMPK and its downstream effector, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), as well as on lipid content in cultured human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Metformin increased Thr-172 phosphorylation of the α subunit of AMPK in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In parallel, phosphorylation of ACC at Ser-79 was increased, which was consistent with decreasing ACC activity. Intracellular triacylglycerol and cholesterol contents were also decreased. These effects of metformin were mimicked or completely abrogated by adenoviral-mediated expression of a constitutively active AMPKα or a kinase-inactive AMPKα, respectively. An insulin-resistant state was induced by exposing cells to 30 mm glucose as indicated by decreased phosphorylation of Akt and its downstream effector, glycogen synthase kinase 3α/β. Under these conditions, the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC was also decreased, and the level of hepatocellular triacylglycerols increased. The inhibition of AMPK and the accumulation of lipids caused by high glucose concentrations were prevented either by metformin or by expressing the constitutively active AMPKα. The kinase-inactive AMPKα increased lipid content and blocked the ability of metformin to decrease lipid accumulation caused by high glucose concentrations. Taken together, these results indicate that AMPKα negatively regulates ACC activity and hepatic lipid content. Inhibition of AMPK may contribute to lipid accumulation induced by high concentrations of glucose associated with insulin resistance. Metformin lowers hepatic lipid content by activating AMPK, thereby mediating beneficial effects in hyperglycemia and insulin resistance.
Distributions of GABAA, GABAB, and benzodiazepine receptors in the forebrain and midbrain of pigeons

Autoradiographic and immunohistochemical methods were used to study the distributions of GABAA, GABAB and benzodiazepine(BDZ) receptors in the pigeon fore‐ and midbrain. GABAA, GABAB and BDZ binding sites were found to be abundant although heterogeneously distributed in the telencephalon. The primary sensory areas of the pallium of the avian telencephalon (Wulst and dorsal ventricular ridge) tended to be low in all three binding sites, while the surrounding second order belt regions of the pallium were typically high in all three. Finally, the outermost rind of the pallium (termed the pallium externum by us), which surrounds the belt regions and projects to the striatum of the basal ganglia, was intermediate in all three GABAergic receptors types. Although both GABAA and benzodiazepine receptors were abundant within the basal ganglia, GABAA binding sites were densest in the striatum and BDZ binding sites were densest in the pallidum. Among the brainstem regions receiving GABAergic basal ganglia input, the anterior and posterior nuclei of the ansa lenticularis showed very low level of all three receptors, while the lateral spiriform nucleus and the ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra complex contained moderate abundance of the three binding sites. The dorsalmost part of the dorsal thalams (containing nonspecific nuclei) was rich all three binding sites, while the more ventral part of the dorsal thalamus (containig specific sensory nuclei), the ventral thalamus and the hypothalamus were poor in all three binding sites. The pretectum was also generally poor in all three, althrough some nuclei displayed higher level of one or more binding sites. The optic tectum, inferior colliculus, and central gray were rich in all three sites, while among the isthmic nuclei, the parvicellular isthmic was nucleus was conspicuously rich in BDZ sites. The REsults show a strong correlation of the regional abundance of GABA binding sites with previously described distributions of GABAergic fibers and terminals in the avaian forebrain and midbrain. The distribution of these binding sites is also remarkably similar to that in mammals, indicating a conservative evolution of forebrain and midbrain GABA systems systems among amniotes. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Role of manual aspiration in treating pneumothorax after computed tomography-guided lung biopsy

Background: Pneumothorax is the most common complication after computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsy. The presence of a pneumothorax per se does not complicate patient management, but an increasing pneumothorax, making chest tube placement necessary, is highly problematic. Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and limitations of simple aspiration of air from the pleural space to prevent increased pneumothorax and avoid chest tube placement in cases of pneumothorax following CT-guided lung biopsy. Material and Methods: The subjects of our study were 642 consecutive lung lesions in 594 patients for which percutaneous needle lung biopsies were performed using CT guidance. While patients were on the CT scanner table, percutaneous manual aspiration was performed in all patients with a non-small pneumothorax demonstrated on post-biopsy chest CT images. The frequency of pneumothorax, management of each such case, and factors influencing the incidence of worsening pneumothorax that finally required chest tube placement were evaluated. Results: Post-biopsy pneumothorax occurred in 243 of 642 (38%) procedures. Of the 243 cases, 112 were treated with manual aspiration immediately after biopsy. In 210 (86.4%), the pneumothorax had resolved completely on follow-up chest radiographs without chest tube placement. Only 33 patients required chest tube placement. Requirement of chest tube insertion significantly increased in parallel with the degree of pneumothorax as shown on post-biopsy CT images. The rate of chest tube insertion was statistically higher in subjects with values for aspirated air above 543 ml. Conclusion: Percutaneous manual aspiration of biopsy-induced pneumothorax performed immediately after biopsy may prevent worsening of pneumothorax and avoid chest tube placement. The amount of aspirated air can be predictive of the requirement for chest tube placement.
Effects of free-range access on production parameters and meat quality, composition and taste in slow-growing broiler chickens.

Demand for meat from free-range broiler chickens is increasing in several countries. Consumers are motivated by better animal welfare and other product attributes such as quality and taste. However, scientific literature is not unanimous about whether free-range access influences quality, composition, and taste of the meat. Because chickens normally do not use free-range areas optimally, it is possible that provision of more suitable shelter will lead to more pronounced differences between chickens raised indoors and outdoors. In this study, an experiment with 2 production rounds of 600 slow-growing broilers each was performed. In each round, 200 chickens were raised indoors (IN), 200 had free-range access to grassland with artificial shelter (AS), and 200 had free-range access to short-rotation coppice with willow (SRC). Free-range use, feed intake, and growth were monitored, and after slaughter (d72) meat quality, composition, and taste were assessed. Free-range use was higher in SRC than in AS chickens (42.8 vs. 35.1%, P < 0.001). IN chickens were heavier at d70 than AS and SRC chickens (2.79 vs. 2.66 and 2.68 kg, P = 0.005). However, feed intake and conversion did not differ. Breast meat of chickens with free-range access was darker (P = 0.021) and yellower (P = 0.001) than that of IN chickens. Ultimate pH was lower (5.73 vs. 5.79; P = 0.006) and drip loss higher (1.29 vs. 1.09%; P = 0.05) in IN versus AS chickens. The percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids was higher in AS than in IN meat (35.84 vs. 34.59%; P = 0.021). The taste panel judged breast meat of SRC chickens to be more tender (P = 0.003) and less fibrous (P = 0.013) compared to that of AS and IN chickens, and juicier compared to the IN chickens (P = 0.017). Overall, free-range access negatively affected slaughter weight, but positively affected meat quality, taste, and composition. Only a few differences between AS and SRC were found, possibly due to limited differences in free-range use.
Information and Online Reviews

Online review aggregators, such as TripAdvisor, HotelClub and OpenTable help consumers identify the products and services that best match their preferences. The goal of this study is to understand the impact of online review aggregators on firms and consumers. We adopt Salop’s circular city model in which consumers initially do not know the locations of the firms in the product space. The firms decide whether or not to be listed on an online review aggregator’s website and choose their prices. When a firm resorts to the aggregator, its location and price become observable to the consumers who visit the website. We consider two different scenarios, depending on the possibility for online firms to offer discounts to the consumers who book online. We show that in equilibrium not all firms will go online – some will remain offline. Online firms attract more customers than their offline counterparts due to reduced mismatch costs, but face a tougher price competition. Comparing the equilibrium prices, profits and the number of firms that go online across the scenarios, we derive interesting conclusions from the private and the social standpoints.
Dendritic cells, B cells and the regulation of antibody synthesis

Summary: Dendritic cells (DC) are usually thought of as antigen‐presenting cells for T cells. However, recent studies from our laboratory and those of others have shown that they have important roles in B‐cell activation and regulation of antibody synthesis. Rat DC make short term interactions with resting B cells and these interactions can be stimulated by cross‐linking molecules on either cell surface. These DC can retain antigen in native form for at least 36 h in vivo and in vitro and can subsequently release it for recognition by B cells. In vivo antibody responses induced by antigen‐pulsed DC are skewed towards IgG. In vitro, naive B cells incubated with antigen‐pulsed DC subsequently secrete IgM and IgG when cultured with an antigen‐specific CD4+ T‐cell line, whereas if B cells are incubated with antigen without DC, only IgM is produced. These observations show that DC play an important role in the initiation of and regulation of antibody synthesis.
Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial for neurological recovery after surgery for metastatic spinal cord compression in prostate cancer

Abstract Background. Spinal cord compression is an oncological and surgical emergency. Delays in referral and diagnosis may influence functional outcome. It is therefore important to identify patients who will regain or maintain the ability to walk after surgery. The aim of the present study was to examine current practice for referral and diagnosis of prostate cancer patients with spinal cord compression and to identify prognostic factors for neurological outcome after surgery. Patients and methods. The study includes 68 consecutive patients with prostate cancer who underwent surgery due to neurological compromise. Intervals from onset of neurological symptoms to referral, diagnosis, and treatment were analyzed in relation to functional outcome. The prognostic significance of preoperative clinical parameters on gait function one month after surgery was evaluated. Results. Patients who were referred from local hospitals had longer delay to surgery than those who directly presented to the cancer center (p = 0.004). The rate of diagnosis with MRI increased through the week and peaked on Friday, with few patients being diagnosed during weekends. The ability to walk before surgery, hormone-naive prostate cancer, and/or shorter time from loss of ambulation were associated with more favorable neurological outcome. In patients with hormone-refractory disease who were unable to walk before surgery regaining ambulation was associated with: duration of paresis < 48 hours (p = 0.005), good preoperative performance status (p = 0.04), preoperative PSA serum level < 200 ng/ml (p = 0.03), and surgery with posterior decompression and stabilization (p = 0.03). Conclusion. Early diagnosis and rapid treatment of spinal cord compression in prostate cancer patients is crucial for neurological recovery. Raising awareness of the condition among patients at risk and among physicians is of outmost importance as well as improving local and regional guidelines for treatment.
Erbium-activated silica-hafnia: A reliable photonic system

Sol gel-derived silica-hafnia is a reliable and flexible binary system that has proved to be suitable for rare earth doping and fabrication of amorphous and glass ceramic planar waveguides as well as for improving thermal stability of spherical microresonators. Here we present an overview concerning fabrication protocols and structural, optical and spectroscopic assessment of SiO2-HfO2 waveguides activated with Er3+ ions. In order to put in evidence the reliability and versatility of the silica-hafnia system for photonics applications three different confined structures are briefly presented: i) amorphous waveguides; ii) glass-ceramic waveguides; iii) coated microspheres.
Herbivore exploits orally secreted bacteria to suppress plant defenses

Significance The role of herbivore-associated microbes in modifying plant defenses has received scant attention. The Colorado potato beetle secretes symbiotic bacteria to wounds to manipulate plant defenses. The bacteria elicit salicylic acid (SA)-regulated defenses, and because SA signaling often negatively cross-talks with jasmonate signaling, plants are unable to fully activate their jasmonate-mediated resistance against the herbivore. From the plants’ perspective, they recognize herbivores not as such, but as microbial threats. We identified the specific bacteria from the beetle secretions and also characterized one of the bacterial effectors responsible for defense suppression. This clever, deceptive strategy for suppressing defenses has not been previously documented. Our results add a significant, unique concept to plant–insect interactions and how herbivores hijack plant defense signaling. Induced plant defenses in response to herbivore attack are modulated by cross-talk between jasmonic acid (JA)- and salicylic acid (SA)-signaling pathways. Oral secretions from some insect herbivores contain effectors that overcome these antiherbivore defenses. Herbivores possess diverse microbes in their digestive systems and these microbial symbionts can modify plant–insect interactions; however, the specific role of herbivore-associated microbes in manipulating plant defenses remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) larvae exploit bacteria in their oral secretions to suppress antiherbivore defenses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). We found that antibiotic-untreated larvae decreased production of JA and JA-responsive antiherbivore defenses, but increased SA accumulation and SA-responsive gene expression. Beetles benefit from down-regulating plant defenses by exhibiting enhanced larval growth. In SA-deficient plants, suppression was not observed, indicating that suppression of JA-regulated defenses depends on the SA-signaling pathway. Applying bacteria isolated from larval oral secretions to wounded plants confirmed that three microbial symbionts belonging to the genera Stenotrophomonas, Pseudomonas, and Enterobacter are responsible for defense suppression. Additionally, reinoculation of these bacteria to antibiotic-treated larvae restored their ability to suppress defenses. Flagellin isolated from Pseudomonas sp. was associated with defense suppression. Our findings show that the herbivore exploits symbiotic bacteria as a decoy to deceive plants into incorrectly perceiving the threat as microbial. By interfering with the normal perception of herbivory, beetles can evade antiherbivore defenses of its host.
Deltoid injections of risperidone long-acting injectable in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Risperidone long-acting injectable was previously approved for treatment of schizophrenia as biweekly injections in the gluteal muscle only. We present data on local injection-site tolerability and safety of risperidone long-acting injectable and comparability of systemic exposure of deltoid versus gluteal injections. METHODS Risperidone long-acting injectable was administered in an open-label, single-dose, two-way crossover study, with patients randomized to receive either 25mg gluteal/37.5mg deltoid crossover in two treatment periods or 50mg gluteal/50mg deltoid injections crossover; each treatment period was separated by an 85-day observation period (Study 1) and an open-label, multiple-dose study (4 sequential 37.5mg or 50mg deltoid injections every 2 weeks) (Study 2). The pharmacokinetic results from both the studies have already been published. RESULTS In Study 1 (n=170), the majority of patients had no local injection-site findings, based on investigator and patient-rated evaluations. In Study 2 (n=53), seven of the 51 patients who received at least two deltoid injections discontinued (primary endpoint). However, none of the discontinuations were due to injection-site related reasons. The 90-percent upper confidence limit of the true proportion of injection-site issue withdrawals was 5.7 percent. No moderate or severe injection-site reactions were reported. CONCLUSION Intramuscular injections via the deltoid and gluteal sites are equivalent routes of administration of risperidone long-acting injectable with respect to local injection-site tolerability. The overall safety and tolerability profile of risperidone long-acting injectable was comparable when administered as an intramuscular injection in the deltoid (37.5mg and 50mg) and gluteal (25mg and 50mg) sites.
Construction of pETNF-P16 plasmid and its expression properties in EC9706 cell line induced by X-ray irradiation.

AIM Recombined plasmid pETNF-P16 was constructed to investigate its expression properties in esophageal squamous carcinoma cell line EC9706 induced by X-ray irradiation and the feasibility of gene-radiotherapy for esophageal carcinoma. METHODS Recombined plasmid pETNF-P16 was constructed and transfected into EC9706 cells with lipofectamine. ELISA, Western blot, and immunocytochemistry were performed to determine the expression properties of pETNF-P16 in EC9706 after transfection induced by X-ray irradiation. RESULTS Eukaryotic expression vector pETNF-P16 was successfully constructed and transfected into EC9706 cells. TNFalpha expressions were significantly increased in the transfected cells after different doses of X-ray irradiation than in those after 0Gy irradiation (1,192.330-2,026.518 pg/mL, P<0.05-0.01), and the TNFalpha expressions and P16 were significantly higher 6-48 h after 2 Gy X-ray irradiation (358.963-585.571 pg/mL, P<0.05-0.001). No P16 expression was detected in normal EC9706 cells. However, there was strong expression in the transfected and irradiation groups. CONCLUSION X-ray irradiation induction could significantly enhance TNFalpha and P16 expression in EC9706 cells transfected with pETNF-P16 plasmid. These results may provide important experimental data and therapeutic potential for gene-radiotherapy of esophageal carcinoma.
Review article: The short‐ and long‐term implications of maternal obesity on the mother and her offspring

Obesity‘s increasing prevalence has reached epidemic proportions in the USA, with close to one‐third of the adult population affected in 2000. Additionally, there is increasing prevalence of obesity in other industrialised areas of the world such as Europe. Of potentially more concern is the potential risks associated with obesity and related metabolic complications in the developing world. The maternal, fetal, peripartum and neonatal complications of obesity in pregnancy have far‐reaching implications for both mother and offspring. Of alarming interest is the increasing rate of obesity among adolescents and the cycle of obesity in future generations it portends. The purpose in this review is to briefly review the maternal perinatal morbidities associated with maternal pregravid obesity. Additionally, we will review evidence of both short‐ and long‐term effect of maternal obesity on the in utero environment as it relates to fetal growth, neonatal body composition and adolescent obesity.
Autoantibodies in neoplasia an unresolved enigma

One hundred sixty‐four sera samples of patients with malignant diseases were analyzed for the presence of autoantibodies to ssDNA, dsDNA, poly(I), Poly(G), cardiolipin, histones, RNP, Sm, Ro(SSA), and La (SSB). No distinction could be made between these patients and a comparative group composed of age‐adjusted healthy subjects when measuring antibody levels to these autoantigens by the ELISA technique. This finding remained valid after further subgrouping of the patients according to age, sex, and histologic origin of the tumor. The authors conclude that in contrast to the known clinical coexistence of neoplasia in autoimmune states, there is no increased incidence of antinuclear autoantibodies in malignant conditions.
Rezultati mjerenja na ispitnoj dizalici topline s bušotinskim izmjenjivačem topline

Pocetkom godine ispitna dizalica topline s busotinskim izmjenjivacem topline na FSB-u pustena je u rad u režimu grijanja. Temperaturni osjetnici koji su zajedno s toplinskom sondom položeni duž izmjenjivaca od 1, 5 do 100 m omogucuju pracenje toplinskog odziva tla za vrijeme rada sustava. Sama dizalica topline voda-zrak opremljena je s magnetskim protokomjerom glikolne smjese, elektronicki upravljanom cirkulacijskom pumpom, mjerilom elektricne snage elektromotora kompresora i temperaturnim osjetnicima. Mjerene velicine prikupljaju se i pohranjuju pomocu akvizicijskog sustava Agilent. Mjereni rezultati u prvih nekoliko mjeseci rada uređaja pokazuju znacajan pad ucinka izmjenjivaca u tlu s vremenom eksploatacije tla, te razlicit lokalni prijelaz topline u tlu duž busotine. Intermitentni rad uređaja pokazao je da se ucinak i toplinski množitelj dizalice topline smanjuju od 15 do 25 % na kraju dana, nakon visesatnog kontinuiranog rada sustava, u odnosu na ucinak u jutarnjim satima.