Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of PECAM-1 in the shear-stress-induced activation of Akt and the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in endothelial cells

The application of fluid shear stress to endothelial cells elicits the formation of nitric oxide (NO) and phosphorylation of the endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). Shear stress also elicits the enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of endothelial proteins, especially of those situated in the vicinity of cell-cell contacts. Since a major constituent of these endothelial cell-cell contacts is the platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) we assessed the role of PECAM-1 in the activation of eNOS. In human endothelial cells, shear stress induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of PECAM-1 and enhanced the association of PECAM-1 with eNOS. Endothelial cell stimulation with shear stress elicited the phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS as well as of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). While the shear-stress-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of PECAM-1 as well as the serine phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS were abolished by the pre-treatment of cells with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP1 the phosphorylation of AMPK was unaffected. Down-regulation of PECAM-1 using a siRNA approach attenuated the shear-stress-induced phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS, as well as the shear-stress-induced accumulation of cyclic GMP levels while the shear-stress-induced phosphorylation of AMPK remained intact. A comparable attenuation of Akt and eNOS (but not AMPK) phosphorylation and NO production was also observed in endothelial cells generated from PECAM-1-deficient mice. These data indicate that the shear-stress-induced activation of Akt and eNOS in endothelial cells is modulated by the tyrosine phosphorylation of PECAM-1 whereas the shear-stress-induced phosphorylation of AMPK is controlled by an alternative signaling pathway.
Current controversies around tight glucose control in critically ill patients

Purpose of reviewThis review updates our knowledge on the benefits and risks of tight glucose control by intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients, as well as discussing unanswered questions related to the subject. Recent findingsAt the cellular level, the toxic effects of elevated and highly variable glucose concentration are related to an increase in oxidative stress and to several toxic intracellular derivates generated as by-products of the glycolytic pathway. Clinically, several recent studies have suggested that the optimal target for blood glucose may be higher than the ‘normal’ values of 4.4–6.1 mmol/l for various categories of patients. Also, the variability in glucose level appears to be an important determinant of glucose toxicity. Conflicting data on the hazards of hypoglycaemia are emerging. SummaryPractical recommendations for the implementation of tight glucose control using intensive insulin therapy cannot be disseminated until questions relating to optimal blood glucose level and the corresponding categories of patients have been resolved. The issues of glucose variability and the most efficient method of preventing hypoglycaemia will probably represent important parameters for comparing the safety and quality of protocols used for tight glucose control.
Prevalence of serrated polyps and association with synchronous advanced neoplasia in screening colonoscopy

Background and study aims: Serrated polyps of the large intestine comprise a heterogeneous group of lesions with distinct histological and malignant features. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of serrated polyp subtypes in a cohort of individuals undergoing screening colonoscopy, and to identify associations between the detection of serrated polyp subtypes and advanced neoplasia. Patients and methods: Data on serrated polyps, adenomas, and cancers were collected from participants of a randomized screening trial that compared colonoscopy with computed tomography colonography. Only data from participants in the colonoscopy arm were used. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associations between patients’ age, sex, and prevalence of the different types of serrated polyps and to identify associations between the detection of these polyps and advanced neoplasia (defined as an adenoma ≥ 10 mm, villous component, high grade dysplasia or colorectal cancer). Results: A total of 1426 screen-naïve individuals (51 % male) with a median age of 60 years (IQR 55 – 65) were included. The prevalence of hyperplastic polyps, sessile serrated adenomas/polyps (SSA/Ps), and traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs) was 23.8 %, 4.8 %, and 0.1 %, respectively. SSA/Ps comprised 7.3 % of all polyps. No differences based on age or sex were observed in the prevalence of SSA/Ps. Proximal and large (≥ 10 mm) hyperplastic polyps, as well as proximal and large (≥ 10 mm) SSA/Ps, were associated with synchronous advanced neoplasia. Conclusions: Serrated polyps, including SSA/Ps, were frequently encountered in routine screening colonoscopies. Large and proximal hyperplastic polyps, as well large and proximal SSA/Ps, were associated with advanced neoplasia.
[18F]-2′ -Fluoro-5-methyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil (18F-FMAU) in Prostate Cancer: Initial Preclinical Observations

We hypothesized that imaging-based assessment of cellular proliferation in prostate cancer may improve tumor characterization. We therefore evaluated the biodistribution and effect of androgen on tumor uptake of the cellular proliferation imaging marker [18F]-2'-fluoro-5-methyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil (18F-FMAU) in xenograft mouse models of human prostate cancer. Castrated and noncastrated athymic male mice were implanted with androgen-independent PC3 and androgen-sensitive CWR22 human prostate cancer cells. Dynamic micro–positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography was performed for 1 hour followed by 10-minute static scans at 2 and 3 hours. Animals were sacrificed after imaging for biodistribution studies and immunohistochemical staining of tumors for androgen receptor and Ki-67/MIB expression. 18F-FMAU uptake was significantly higher in all major organs of the castrated animals in comparison with noncastrated mice, with the highest uptake in liver and the lowest uptake in muscle and bone. When compared to PC3 tumors, CWR22 xenografts showed significantly higher tumor to muscle (2.56 ± 0.30 vs 1.99 ± 0.30, p 5.008) and tumor to liver (1.72 ± 0.12 vs 1.26 ± 0.17, p = .0003) uptake ratios in the noncastrated animal at the 3-hour time point. Androgen receptor and Ki-67/MIB expressions were higher in CWR22 than in PC3 xenografts. Our initial preclinical observations suggest that there may be an association between androgen signaling and thymidine metabolism and that 18F-FMAU PET may be useful in prostate tumor characterization.
Randomized controlled trial of strength training in post‐polio patients

Many post‐polio patients develop new muscle weakness decades after the initial illness. However, its mechanism and treatment are controversial. The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that: (1) after strength training, post‐polio patients show strength improvement comparable to that seen in the healthy elderly; (2) such training does not have a deleterious effect on motor unit (MU) survival; and (3) part of the strength improvement is due to an increase in voluntary motor drive. After baseline measures including maximum voluntary contraction force, voluntary activation index, motor unit number estimate, and the tetanic tension of the thumb muscles had been determined, 10 post‐polio patients with hand involvement were randomized to either the training or control group. The progressive resistance training program consisted of three sets of eight isometric contractions, three times weekly for 12 weeks. Seven healthy elderly were also randomized and trained in a similar manner. Changes in the baseline parameters were monitored once every 4 weeks throughout the training period. The trained post‐polio patients showed a significant improvement in their strength (P < 0.05). The magnitude of gain was greater than that seen in the healthy elderly (mean ± SE, 41 ± 16% vs. 29 ± 8%). The training did not adversely affect MU survival and the improvement was largely attributable to an increase in voluntary motor drive. We therefore conclude that moderate intensity strength training is safe and effective in post‐polio patients. Muscle Nerve 27: 332–338, 2003
What's on YOUR Facebook profile? Evaluation of an educational intervention to promote appropriate use of privacy settings by medical students on social networking sites

Background The rise of social media has led to growing concerns about the potential implications of ‘unprofessional’ postings by physicians and medical students on individuals, institutions, and the medical profession. Relevant and effective guidelines have been difficult to develop and enforce, and there is a need for students and physicians to consider how their online activities may be perceived in the context of their professional roles. The purpose of this project was to examine the Internet presence of a graduating Canadian medical school class by scanning students’ public profiles on the social media site Facebook, incorporate this information into an educational activity addressing professionalism and social media, and evaluate the impact of this activity on student behavior. Methods A systematic search for public Facebook profiles of each member of the class was conducted, and data were collected on the types of publicly visible material. These were presented as part of an educational session on social media and professionalism. One month later, the Facebook search was repeated. Results Of 152 students in the class, profiles were found for 121 (79.8%). The majority of students used appropriately restrictive privacy settings; however, a significant minority had publicly visible information, including comments, photographs, location, and status as a medical student. The educational innovation was well received with more than 90% of students agreeing that this topic was important and well addressed. A follow-up search found that many students had altered their privacy settings to make less information publicly available. Conclusions A small but significant proportion of students share potentially unprofessional content on social media. An interactive educational intervention, which includes specific disclosure of how participants appear to others on social media, resulted in a significant change in student behavior.
Isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) from dairy cows in China

Eleven thousand five hundred and eighty non-blood samples from dairy cows were subjected to mycobacterium culture and genotyping. As a result, a total of 142 isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MBTC) were identified. Among them, 65 were Mycobacterium tuberculosis , while 77 Mycobacterium bovis . The genotype of M. tuberculosis strains was mainly Beijing family. In addition, the isolation rates of MTBC were 33.89% for lung lymph nodes, 2.81% for nasal swabs, and 3.95% for pharyngeal swabs from cattle positive to tuberculin skin test, respectively. This evidence implied that M. tuberculosis infection in cattle is a new risk to public health and should be paid more attention. Key words : Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, cows, tuberculosis, zoonosis.
Verbalization of Emotion in Chronic Pain Patients and their Psychological Adjustment

Little attention has been paid to the issue of emotional verbalization in people undergoing chronic situations. We addressed this issue in the present study focusing on chronic pain patients. Our study investigated the verbalization of their health-related emotions, as well as the role of interpersonal variables on patients’ disclosure, and their relation to their psychological adjustment. Results indicate that chronic pain patients talk more frequently about their illness with their intimates. Yet, the medical staff represents a favored sharing target as it elicits the highest satisfaction degree. Results also reveal that others’ social constraint behavior and lack of credibility of sufferers’ health status negatively predict patients’ psychological adjustment. Therefore, the social environment appears to play a significant part in patients’ well-being.
Performance of Language-Coordinated Collective Systems: A Study of Wine Recognition and Description

Most of our perceptions of and engagements with the world are shaped by our immersion in social interactions, cultural traditions, tools and linguistic categories. In this study we experimentally investigate the impact of two types of language-based coordination on the recognition and description of complex sensory stimuli: that of red wine. Participants were asked to taste, remember and successively recognize samples of wines within a larger set in a two-by-two experimental design: (1) either individually or in pairs, and (2) with or without the support of a sommelier card—a cultural linguistic tool designed for wine description. Both effectiveness of recognition and the kinds of errors in the four conditions were analyzed. While our experimental manipulations did not impact recognition accuracy, bias-variance decomposition of error revealed non-trivial differences in how participants solved the task. Pairs generally displayed reduced bias and increased variance compared to individuals, however the variance dropped significantly when they used the sommelier card. The effect of sommelier card reducing the variance was observed only in pairs, individuals did not seem to benefit from the cultural linguistic tool. Analysis of descriptions generated with the aid of sommelier cards shows that pairs were more coherent and discriminative than individuals. The findings are discussed in terms of global properties and dynamics of collective systems when constrained by different types of cultural practices.
Transneuronal pathways to the vestibulocerebellum

The α‐herpes virus (pseudorabies, PRV) was used to observe central nervous system (CNS) pathways associated with the vestibulocerebellar system. Retrograde transneuronal migration of α‐herpes virions from specific lobules of the gerbil and rat vestibulo‐cerebellar cortex was detected immunohistochemically. Using a time series analysis, progression of infection along polyneuronal cerebellar afferent pathways was examined. Pressure injections of >20 nanoliters of a 108 plaque forming units (pfu) per ml solution of virus were sufficient to initiate an infectious locus which resulted in labeled neurons in the inferior olivary subnuclei, vestibular nuclei, and their afferent cell groups in a progressive temporal fashion and in growing complexity with increasing incubation time. We show that climbing fibers and some other cerebellar afferent fibers transported the virus retrogradely from the cerebellum within 24 hours. One to three days after cerebellar infection discrete cell groups were labeled and appropriate laterality within crossed projections was preserved. Subsequent nuclei labeled with PRV after infection of the flocculus/paraflocculus, or nodulus/uvula, included the following: vestibular (e.g., z) and inferior olivary nuclei (e.g., dorsal cap), accessory oculomotor (e.g., Darkschewitsch n.) and accessory optic related nuclei, (e.g., the nucleus of the optic tract, and the medial terminal nucleus); noradrenergic, raphe, and reticular cell groups (e.g., locus coeruleus, dorsal raphe, raphe pontis, and the lateral reticular tract); other vestibulocerebellum sites, the periaqueductal gray, substantia nigra, hippocampus, thalamus and hypothalamus, amygdala, septal nuclei, and the frontal, cingulate, entorhinal, perirhinal, and insular cortices. However, there were differences in the resulting labeling between infection in either region. Double‐labeling experiments revealed that vestibular efferent neurons are located adjacent to, but are not included among, flocculus‐projecting supragenual neurons. PRV transport from the vestibular labyrinth and cervical muscles also resulted in CNS infections. Virus propagation in situ provides specific connectivity information based on the functional transport across synapses. The findings support and extend anatomical data regarding vestibulo‐olivo‐cerebellar pathways. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Review of the clinical applications and technological advances of circulating tumor DNA in cancer monitoring

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) released by tumor cells, termed ctDNA, closely reflects the heterogeneity of primary cancers and their metastases. As a noninvasive, real-time monitoring biomarker, ctDNA is a promising tool for detecting driver gene mutations, assessing tumor burden and acquired resistance, and early diagnosis. However, isolation and enrichment of cfDNA is a big challenge due to the high degree of DNA fragmentation and its relatively low abundance in the bloodstream. This review aims to provide insights into the recent technological advances in acquisition of optimal quality cfDNA, the use of preservatives, isolation methods, processing timelines, and detection techniques. It also describes clinical applications of ctDNA in cancer patient management.
Trade and Terrorism: A Disaggregated Approach

This paper constructs a model of trade consequences of terrorism, where firms in trading nations face different costs arising from domestic and transnational terrorism. Using dyadic dataset in a gravity model, we test terrorism’s effects on overall trade, exports, and imports, while allowing for disaggregation by primary commodities and manufacturing goods. While terrorism has little or no influence on trade of primary products, terrorism reduces trade of manufactured goods. This novel finding pinpoints the avenue by which terrorism harms trade and suggests why previous studies that looked at all trade found modest impacts. Moreover, the detrimental effect of transnational terrorism on total manufactured trade, exports, and imports as well as on various classes of manufactured trade is substantially larger than that of domestic terrorism. Generally, this adverse impact is more pronounced for imports than for exports.
The End of Alchemy: Money, Banking, and the Future of the Global Economy

Something is wrong with our banking system. We all sense that, but Mervyn King knows it firsthand; his ten years at the helm of the Bank of England, including at the height of the financial crisis, revealed profound truths about the mechanisms of our capitalist society. In The End of Alchemy he offers us an essential work about the history and future of money and banking, the keys to modern finance. The Industrial Revolution built the foundation of our modern capitalist age. Yet the flowering of technological innovations during that dynamic period relied on the widespread adoption of two much older ideas: the creation of paper money and the invention of banks that issued credit. We take these systems for granted today, yet at their core both ideas were revolutionary and almost magical. Common paper became as precious as gold, and risky long-term loans were transformed into safe short-term bank deposits. As King argues, this is financial alchemy-the creation of extraordinary financial powers that defy reality and common sense. Faith in these powers has led to huge benefits; the liquidity they create has fueled economic growth for two centuries now. However, they have also produced an unending string of economic disasters, from hyperinflations to banking collapses to the recent global recession and current stagnation. How do we reconcile the potent strengths of these ideas with their inherent weaknesses? King draws on his unique experience to present fresh interpretations of these economic forces and to point the way forward for the global economy. His bold solutions cut through current overstuffed and needlessly complex legislation to provide a clear path to durable prosperity and the end of overreliance on the alchemy of our financial ancestors.
Measurement of ESD plasma propagation on a positively charged ring coupon

Dielectric surfaces such as those on solar arrays are susceptible to surface charging in the space environment. With sufficient charging, a spontaneous arc can occur, triggering an outward-propagating electrostatic discharge plasma. The propagation parameters of this plasma determine the amplitude and duration of potentially damage-inducing current transients. Previous experiments attempting to characterize propagation speeds have used varying geometries, methods, and analysis, yielding widely-varying results. Experiments were conducted at The Aerospace Corporation on a novel test article designed to explicitly measure ESD plasma propagation. Electron beam impingement was used to produce a positive electric potential on dielectric surfaces (a.k.a. “inverted gradient”) and ESD-induced current transients on substrate electrodes were measured. Various propagation parameters are derived and discussed.
Economics of Thai Koi (Climbing Perch, Anabas Testudineus) Farming in Pond in Bangladesh

With the high growth and productivity, Thai koi has opened up a new horizon of pond culture in Bangladesh. However, its growth varied widely year to year causing fluctuations in production. This study was undertaken to explore the farm insight practices in an economic viewpoint by framing a total of 149 farmers from Mymensingh district in Bangladesh. The study analyzed the farm profitability and other farming practices based on a per hectare basis for the three feed categories and determine the feed contribution to production. Among variables, feed alone experienced 73% of the gross production costs, implies a greater influence of feed on production. Though, the gross cost was higher, hence, the cost of producing per kg fish was the lowest for the floating feed. The farm income also varied with the variation of input costs among the feed brands and the performance of floating feed was found to be outstanding. Furthermore, floating feed yielded the best performances in terms of feed conversion ratio or daily mean weight gain of fish. Although, the initial investment is higher with the floating, feed farmers can earn much additional returns from the extra investment compared to other feed technologies. Generally, with an average revenue of fish was US$ 1.59 kg-1 and cost of US$ 1.38 kg-1, Thai koi production is considered to be a profitable agri-business. Finally, the outlook for the Thai koi farming could be very optimistic in filling the upcoming demand of fish, thus greatly improved human nutrition and food security by removing the problems and constraints are identified.