Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protective Role of Heme Oxygenase-1 in Pancreatic Microcirculatory Dysfunction After Ischemia/Reperfusion in Rats

Objectives: Microcirculatory derangements caused by ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) play a pivotal role in acute and graft pancreatitis. The inducible enzyme heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) has been shown to decrease I/R injury by modulation of capillary perfusion in other organs. It was the aim of this study to evaluate the effect of HO-1 induction on pancreatic microcirculation after I/R. Methods: Rats were randomized into 4 groups: (1) sham controls; (2) 1-hour ischemia and 2-hour reperfusion (I/R); (3) I/R + cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP), an HO-1 inducer; and (4) I/R + CoPP + tin protoporphyrin, an HO inhibitor. Functional capillary density (FCD) and leukocyte endothelium interaction were analyzed using intravital microscopy during reperfusion. Expression of HO-1 mRNA, HO-1 protein, and HO activity were assessed by Northern blot, Western blot, and an HO activity assay. Results: Functional capillary density decreased significantly in the I/R group as compared with sham controls. Cobalt protoporphyrin treatment increased FCD to control values. In contrast, HO inhibition in CoPP-pretreated animals lowered FCD and increased leukocyte endothelium interaction significantly. Cobalt protoporphyrin administration increased HO-1 mRNA, protein, and HO activity, whereas activity of the enzyme was reduced after injection of tin protoporphyrin. Conclusions: Heme oxygenase 1 plays a beneficial role in pancreatic microcirculatory derangements after I/R. This could be of therapeutic relevance after pancreas transplantation and other forms of postischemic pancreatitis.
Building the Next Bioethics Commission

Abstract At every moment, somewhere in the world, a group of men and women are sitting around a table deliberating about an ethical issue posed by medicine and research, whether as a research ethics committee; a hospital or clinical ethics committee; a stem‐cell review committee; a gene transfer research committee; a biobank ethics committee; an ethics advisory committee for a medical or nursing association or nongovernmental organization; a state, provincial, national, or intergovernmental bioethics committee; or an ad hoc panel examining a particular development or case. However, the last national committee in the United States, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, held its final meeting at the end of August 2016 and closed its doors. Should we regret its departure? I believe that the United States would benefit from having another national bioethics advisory body, but I do not think that the commission should simply have continued under a new president in the same form. Instead, looking at the experience of that commission and its six predecessors—who they were, how they worked, the functions they served, and the problems they experienced—we can derive some useful ideas for anyone planning to build the next commission.
Matrix solid-phase dispersion as a tool for phytochemical and bioactivities characterisation: Crataegus oxyacantha L._A case study

Abstract The use of a matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) process to extract polyphenols from hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha L.) a deciduous shrub with an expected rich phytochemical profile, has been evaluated. MSPD extracts of fruits and leaves have an outstanding content of polyphenols, although the particular phenolic profile is solvent dependent. The extracts were analysed by HPLC-DAD for the accurate identification of the major bioactive polyphenols, some of which have never been described for this species. MSPD has proven to be a good alternative to the classic methods of obtaining natural extracts, fast and with low consumption of organic solvents, therefore, environmentally friendly. The bioactivities can be considered also very remarkable, revealing extracts with high levels of antioxidant activity.
Strategies to Induce Marked Prolongation of Secondary Skin Allograft Survival in Alloantigen‐Primed Mice

Alloreactive memory T cells mediate accelerated rejection. We investigated the effect of polyclonal anti‐T‐cell antibody (ALS) and rapamycin (RAPA) on skin allograft survival in naïve or alloantigen‐primed mice. ALS prolonged graft survival in both naïve and alloantigen‐primed mice. T‐cell depletion by ALS was associated with increased CD4+CD44hiOX40+ and CD8+CD44hiCD122+ memory T cells. Addition of RAPA to ALS extended graft survival in naïve mice, but had no effect on secondary allograft survival in alloantigen‐primed mice. In adoptive transfer experiments, RAPA inhibited alloantigen‐stimulated proliferation and allograft rejection by naïve T cells. In contrast, alloantigen‐primed memory T cells, particularly CD4+CD44hiOX40+ and CD8+CD44hiCD122+ T cells, were resistant to RAPA in response to alloantigen and mediated accelerated rejection in the presence of RAPA. Resistance to RAPA by alloantigen‐primed mice was overcome by the use of high‐dose ALS, which achieved marked prolongation of secondary skin allograft survival (>100 days). Inhibition of CD122+ T cells and/or OX40/OX40L costimulation blockade, combined with low‐dose ALS and RAPA, was also effective. These results demonstrate that tolerance may be achieved in allosensitized individuals by T‐cell depletion‐ and RAPA‐based strategies employing high‐dose ALS or targeting CD122+CD8+ T cells and/or the OX40/OX40L costimulatory pathway.
Phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of seven local varieties of Rosa indica L.

Abstract Rosa indica symbol of godness and beauty known for various healing power, has astringent, sedative, anti-inflammatory and antidepressant qualities. Standard methods were used for qualitative detection of phyto-compounds, and quantitative detection of antioxidants was done using DPPH radical scavenging assay, total phenolics and total flavonoids content were expressed in mg GAE/g dry weight and mg QE/g dry weight. Results revealed phyto-compounds presence in all varieties under study however maximum % inhibition was observed by R. indica var pink perfume (94 ± 0.6) with IC50 value 0.3376 ± 0.01 mg/mL. Highest phenolic and flavonoid content was observed in the leaves extract of R. indica var cardinal red, i.e. 3.3553 ± 0.11 (ethanol) mg of Gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight and 3.736 ± 0.001(ethanol) mg of quercetin equivalents (QE)/g dry weight, respectively, at conc. 0.125 mg/mL. Our finding provides evidence that all varieties of rose contain medicinally important bioactive compounds and justifies their use for treatment of different diseases.
T cells in Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy Are Skewed to Memory Th‐1 Cells in the Presence of a Distinct Th‐2 Population

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in heart transplantation (HTx) patients remains the major complication for long‐term survival, due to concentric neointima hyperplasia induced by infiltrating mononuclear cells (MNC). Previously, we showed that activated memory T‐helper‐1 (Th‐1) cells are the major component of infiltrating MNC in coronary arteries with CAV. In this study, a more detailed characterization of the MNC in human coronary arteries with CAV (n = 5) was performed and compared to coronary arteries without CAV (n = 5), by investigating MNC markers (CD1a, DRC‐1, CD3, CD20, CD27, CD28, CD56, CD68, CD69, FOXP3 and HLA‐DR), cytokines (IL‐1A, 2, 4, 10, 12B, IFN‐γ, and TGF‐β1), and chemokine receptors (CCR3, CCR4, CCR5, CCR7, CCR8, CXCR3 and CX3CR1) by immunohistochemical double‐labeling and quantitative PCR on mRNA isolated from laser microdissected layers of coronary arteries. T cells in the neointima and adventitia of CAV were skewed toward an activated memory Th‐1 phenotype, but in the presence of a distinct Th‐2 population. FOXP3 positive T cells were not detected and production of most cytokines was low or absent, except for IFN‐γ, and TGF‐β. This typical composition of T‐helper cells and especially production of IFN‐γ and TGF‐β may play an important role in the proliferative CAV reaction.
Giving speech a hand: Gesture modulates activity in auditory cortex during speech perception

Viewing hand gestures during face‐to‐face communication affects speech perception and comprehension. Despite the visible role played by gesture in social interactions, relatively little is known about how the brain integrates hand gestures with co‐occurring speech. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and an ecologically valid paradigm to investigate how beat gesture—a fundamental type of hand gesture that marks speech prosody—might impact speech perception at the neural level. Subjects underwent fMRI while listening to spontaneously‐produced speech accompanied by beat gesture, nonsense hand movement, or a still body; as additional control conditions, subjects also viewed beat gesture, nonsense hand movement, or a still body all presented without speech. Validating behavioral evidence that gesture affects speech perception, bilateral nonprimary auditory cortex showed greater activity when speech was accompanied by beat gesture than when speech was presented alone. Further, the left superior temporal gyrus/sulcus showed stronger activity when speech was accompanied by beat gesture than when speech was accompanied by nonsense hand movement. Finally, the right planum temporale was identified as a putative multisensory integration site for beat gesture and speech (i.e., here activity in response to speech accompanied by beat gesture was greater than the summed responses to speech alone and beat gesture alone), indicating that this area may be pivotally involved in synthesizing the rhythmic aspects of both speech and gesture. Taken together, these findings suggest a common neural substrate for processing speech and gesture, likely reflecting their joint communicative role in social interactions. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differential cerebellar and cortical involvement according to various attentional load: Role of educational level

Recent imaging studies have evidenced various cerebral patterns dependent on educational level during cognitive tasks in neurodegenerative diseases. Determining relationships between educational status and cerebral activation during cognitive demands in physiological conditions may help to better understand the role of education on cognitive efficacy and functional reorganisation in pathological conditions. We proposed to analyse by functional MRI (fMRI) the relationship between educational status and cerebral activation during various attentional requests in healthy young adults. Twenty healthy young adults completed four successive conditions of a Go/No‐go test of increasing complexity under fMRI. An effect of education was observed on attentional performances. Both in‐scanner response times and cerebral activation increased during the Go/No‐go paradigm. Healthy subjects with higher education exhibited higher activity in cerebellum and lower activity in medial prefrontal and inferior parietal regions compared with the healthy subjects with lower educational levels while performing the conditions of Go/No‐go task. Our data evidence the influence of education on automatized strategies in healthy adults by modulating a functional balance of activation between cerebral cortex and cerebellar regions during attentional processes. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Portal Vein Complications in Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplantation Using Left‐Side Grafts

The aim of this report is to assess the rate of portal vein complications (PVCs), the success rate of treatment for PVCs and the prognosis of patients with PVCs for pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Pre‐ and postoperative records of 521 pediatric LDLTs, using left‐side grafts were retrospectively reviewed. The overall rate of PVC was 9%, with early PVC occurring in nine patients (1.7%) with a mortality rate of 67% and late PVC in 38 patients (7.3%). Fifteen of these patients with late PVC showed complete portal vein occlusion despite various treatments, and in six of them the graft was lost. Histological examination revealed fibrosis in portal areas in 13 patients, around the central veins associated with cholestasis in the parenchyma in 10, and hepatocyte ballooning in 12.
Reproducibility of TMS—Evoked EEG responses

Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with electroencephalography (nTMS‐EEG), allows noninvasive studies of cortical excitability and connectivity in humans. We investigated the reproducibility of nTMS‐EEG in seven healthy subjects by repeating left motor and prefrontal cortical stimulation with a 1‐week interval. TMS was applied at three intensities: 90, 100, and 110% of subjects' motor threshold (MT). The TMS‐compatible neuronavigation system guaranteed precise repositioning of the stimulation coil. The responses were recorded by a 60‐channel whole head TMS‐compatible EEG amplifier. A high overall reproducibility (r > 0.80) was evident in nTMS‐EEG responses over both hemispheres for both motor and prefrontal cortical stimulation. The results suggest that nTMS‐EEG is a reliable tool for studies investigating cortical excitability changes in the test‐retest designs. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regional homogeneity changes in patients with Parkinson's disease

Resting state brain activity in Parkinson's disease (PD) can give clues to the pathophysiology of the disorder, and might be helpful in diagnosis, but it has never been explored using functional MRI (fMRI). In the current study, we used a regional homogeneity (ReHo) method to investigate PD‐related modulations of neural activity in the resting state. FMRIs were acquired in 22 patients with PD at both before and after levodopa administration, as well as in 22 age‐ and sex‐matched normal controls. In the PD group compared with the healthy controls, we found ReHo decreased in extensive brain regions, including the putamen, thalamus, and supplementary motor area; and increased in some other areas, including the cerebellum, primary sensorimotor cortex, and premotor area. The ReHo off medication was negatively correlated with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) in the putamen and some other regions, and was positively correlated with the UPDRS in the cerebellum. Administration of levodopa relatively normalized ReHo. Our findings demonstrate that neural activity in the resting state is changed in patients with PD. This change is secondary to dopamine deficiency, and related to the severity of the disease. The different neuronal activity at the baseline state should be considered in explaining fMRI findings obtained during tasks. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rosiglitazone Aggravates Nonalcoholic Fatty Pancreatic Disease in C57BL/6 Mice Fed High-Fat and High-Sucrose Diet

Objectives: Evaluate the effect of fenofibrate, bezafibrate, and rosiglitazone on nonalcoholic fatty pancreatic disease and islet peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-&agr; (PPAR-&agr;) and PPAR-&bgr; immunostain in mice fed high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS) diet. Methods: Two-month-old male mice were fed standard chow (n = 10) or HFHS chow (n = 40) for 6 weeks. Afterward, HFHS mice were grouped by treatment: untreated HFHS and HFHS treated with rosiglitazone (HFHS-Ro), fenofibrate (HFHS-Fe), or bezafibrate (HFHS-Bz). Medications were administered for 5 weeks. After treatment, the pancreas was removed and analyzed by morphometry, stereology, and immunohistochemistry. Results: The HFHS-fed mice showed altered fasting glucose (+33%) and insulin (+138%); increased body (+20%) and pancreas (+28%) masses, pancreatic fat (+700%), islet hypertrophy (+38%); and decreased GLUT2 immunostain (−60%). Rosiglitazone reduced fasting glucose and insulin but induced weight gain. Fibrates impeded weight gain, but only bezafibrate prevented islet hypertrophy. The GLUT2 stain was improved in all treatments, and there were no alterations in PPAR-&agr;. There were morphological signs of pancreatitis with fenofibrate, although there were no alterations in amylase and lipase. Rosiglitazone exacerbated pancreatic fat infiltration (+75% vs HFHS group), and bezafibrate increased PPAR-&bgr; expression in pancreatic islets. Conclusions: Rosiglitazone is shown for the first time to exacerbate pancreatic fat infiltration; therefore, precaution has to be taken when rosiglitazone is prescribed to obese patients.
Abnormal connectivity of the sensorimotor network in patients with MS: A multicenter fMRI study

In this multicenter study, we used dynamic causal modeling to characterize the abnormalities of effective connectivity of the sensorimotor network in 61 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with 74 age‐matched healthy subjects. We also investigated the correlation of such abnormalities with findings derived from structural MRI. In a subgroup of subjects, diffusion tensor (DT) MRI metrics of the corpus callosum and the left corticospinal tract (CST) were also assessed. MS patients showed increased effective connectivity relative to controls between: (a) the left primary SMC and the left dorsal premotor cortex (PMd), (b) the left PMd and the supplementary motor areas (SMA), (c) the left secondary sensorimotor cortex (SII) and the SMA, (d) the right SII and the SMA, (e) the left SII and the right SII, and (f) the right SMC and the SMA. MS patients had relatively reduced effective connectivity between the left SMC and the right cerebellum. No interaction was found between disease group and center. Coefficients of altered connectivity were weakly correlated with brain T2 LV, but moderately correlated with DT MRI‐measured damage of the left CST. In conclusion, large multicenter fMRI studies of effective connectivity changes in diseased people are feasible and can facilitate studies with sample size large enough for robust outcomes. Increased effective connectivity in the patients for the simple motor task suggests local network modulation contributing to enhanced long‐distance effective connectivity in MS patients. This extends and generalizes previous evidence that enhancement of effective connectivity may provide an important compensatory mechanism in MS. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regional Analysis on Decadal Variation in Aspects of Water Quality in Three Contrasting Coastal Systems of Ishikawa Coast, Japan

This study examines drivers and trends of change in time and space in some coastal water quality parameters and management/cultural practices on the Ishikawa coast, Japan, between 1984 and 2009. Generally, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations varied significantly () across the three coastal compartments (Kanazawa area (KNA), Noto area (NTA), and Nanao area (NNA)), and pH and DO concentrations varied significantly () over the last three decades, suggesting that human perturbation within the last three decades varied along the coast and may be more relative than environmental change impact. Other water quality variables showed different spatial and temporal patterns and implications across the coastal compartments. Although there is a uniform approach to the development of water quality standards in Japan, these results suggest that setting stricter standards may be required by the prefectural government in collaboration with industry, stakeholders groups, and coastal community resource users.
Can structural MRI indices of cerebral integrity track cognitive trends in executive control function during normal maturation and adulthood?

We explored the relationship between structural neuroimaging‐based indices of cerebral integrity and executive control function (ECF) in two groups of healthy subjects: A maturing group (33 subjects; 19–29 years) and a senescing group (38 adults; 30–90 years). ECF was assessed using the Executive Interview (EXIT) battery. Cortical indices of cerebral integrity included GM thickness, intergyral span, and sulcal span, each measured for five cortical regions per hemisphere. Subcortical indices included fractional anisotropy (FA), measured using track‐based‐spatial‐statistics (TBSS), and the volume of T2‐hyperintense WM (HWM). In the maturing group, no significant relationships between neuroanatomical changes and ECF were found; however, there were hints that late‐term maturation of cerebral WM influenced variability in ECF. In the senescing group, the decline in ECF corresponded to atrophic changes in cerebral WM (sulcal and intergyral span) primarily in the superior frontal and anterior cingulate regions. A large fraction of the variability in ECF (62%) can be explained by variability in the structural indices from these two regions. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of different viewing perspectives on somatosensory activations during observation of touch

Previous studies showed that neurons in the monkey premotor cortex became active when performing a particular action and also when observing the same action performed by others. These findings suggest a mirror system for action observation. Recently, bimodal neurons, sensitive both to visual and tactile stimulation, were reported in the parietal cortex, suggesting a potential mirror neuron system for observing and experiencing tactile stimulation. Subsequently, a mirror neuron system for observed touch has been suggested. The current study was designed to determine whether the activation of a sensory mirror system during touch observation is affected by possible attributions of the observed touch to oneself (subjective view) or to somebody else (objective view). In the study, healthy volunteers observed video clips of a touched or nontouched hand either in an egocentric or in an allocentric perspective during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results showed activation of somatosensory cortices when observing the hand being touched in egocentric as well as in the allocentric perspectives. Moreover, somatosensory responses differed depending on the perspective of the observed touch. We discuss the results in terms of a possible mirror neuron system for observed and experienced touch. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Postconcussion syndrome after minor head injury: Brain activation of working memory and attention

After minor head injury (MHI) postconcussive symptoms (PCS) such as memory and attention deficits frequently occur. It has been hypothesised that PCS are caused by microstructural damage to the brain due to shearing injury, which is not detectable with conventional imaging, and may be responsible for a functional deficit. The purpose of this study was to correlate functional magnetic resonance imaging brain activation of working memory and selective attention with PCS. 21 MHI patients and 12 healthy controls were scanned at 3T. Stimulation paradigms were the n‐back and Counting Stroop tasks to engage working memory and selective attention, respectively. Functional data analysis consisted of random effects group analyses, correlating brain activation patterns with the severity of PCS as evaluated with the Rivermead postconcussion symptoms questionnaire. At minimal working memory load, activation was seen in patients with greater severity of PCS in the working memory network. With an increase of working memory load, increase of activation was more pronounced in patients with greater severity of PCS. At high and increased working memory load, activation associated with the severity of PCS was seen in the posterior parietal area, parahippocampal gyrus, and posterior cingulate gyrus. Activation related to selective attention processing was increased with greater severity of PCS. The increased activity in relation to working memory and attention, and the recruitment of brain areas outside the working memory network at high working memory load, may be considered a reflection of the brain's compensatory response to microstructural injury in patients with PCS. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.