Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
REVIEW: The alcohol‐preferring AA and alcohol‐avoiding ANA rats: neurobiology of the regulation of alcohol drinking

The AA (alko, alcohol) and ANA (alko, non‐alcohol) rat lines were among the earliest rodent lines produced by bidirectional selection for ethanol preference. The purpose of this review is to highlight the strategies for understanding the neurobiological factors underlying differential alcohol‐drinking behavior in these lines. Most early work evaluated functioning of the major neurotransmitter systems implicated in drug reward in the lines. No consistent line differences were found in the dopaminergic system either under baseline conditions or after ethanol challenges. However, increased opioidergic tone in the ventral striatum and a deficiency in endocannabinoid signaling in the prefrontal cortex of AA rats may comprise mechanisms leading to increased ethanol consumption. Because complex behaviors, such as ethanol drinking, are not likely to be controlled by single factors, system‐oriented molecular‐profiling strategies have been used recently. Microarray based expression analysis of AA and ANA brains and novel data‐mining strategies provide a system biological view that allows us to formulate a hypothesis on the mechanism underlying selection for ethanol preference. Two main factors appear active in the selection: a recruitment of signal transduction networks, including mitogen‐activated protein kinases and calcium pathways and involving transcription factors such as Creb, Myc and Max, to mediate ethanol reinforcement and plasticity. The second factor acts on the mitochondrion and most likely provides metabolic flexibility for alternative substrate utilization in the presence of low amounts of ethanol.
A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Childhood Abuse on Medical Outcomes in Adulthood

Objective: To summarize the relationship between abuse during childhood and physical health outcomes in adulthood and to examine the role of potential moderators, such as the type of health outcome assessed, gender, age, and the type of abuse. Studies using self-report assessment methods were compared with studies using objective or independently verifiable methods. Method: The current study is a quantitative meta-analysis comparing results from 78 effect sizes across 24 studies including 48,801 individuals. Results: Experiencing child abuse was associated with an increased risk of negative physical health outcomes in adulthood (effect size d = 0.42, 95% Confidence Interval = 0.39-0.45). Neurological and musculoskeletal problems yielded the largest effect sizes, followed by respiratory problems, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders. Effect sizes were larger when the sample was exclusively female and when the abuse was assessed via self-report rather than objective, independently verifiable methods. Conclusions: Child abuse is associated with an increased risk of poor physical health in adulthood. The magnitude of the risk is comparable to the association between child abuse and poor psychological outcomes. However, studies often fail to include a diverse group of participants, resulting in a limited ability to draw conclusions about the population of child abuse survivors as a whole. Important methodological improvements are also needed to better understand potential moderators. CI = confidence interval; ES = effect size.
Risk factors associated with acute pancreatitis in dogs: 101 cases (1985-1990).

The medical records of 101 dogs with acute pancreatitis, diagnosed on the basis of medical histories of acute vomiting, with serum lipase or amylase activity greater than the reference range, or with gross signs of pancreatitis at surgery or histopathologic evidence at necropsy, were evaluated to identify potential risk factors for the development of acute pancreatitis. Age, sex, and breed of dogs with acute pancreatitis were compared with those from a reference population of 100 dogs admitted for other medical emergencies during the same period. Analysis of multiple regression models indicated that dogs > 7 years old were at increased risk for acute pancreatitis. Spayed dogs and castrated male dogs had an increased risk, compared with that of sexually intact males. Similarly, terrier and nonsporting breeds appeared to be at higher risk of developing acute pancreatitis than were other breed types. Most dogs in this study (63/101) had intercurrent diseases, including diabetes mellitus (n = 14), hyperadrenocorticism (n = 12), chronic renal failure (n = 8), neoplasia (n = 17), congestive heart failure (n = 6), and autoimmune disorders (n = 5). Fourteen dogs had undergone anesthesia or surgery in the week before admission; only 3 had undergone abdominal procedures. Recent medication use was listed in 52 of 101 cases. Antibiotics (n = 18) and corticosteroids (n = 18) were most frequently described. Anticancer chemotherapeutic agents (n = 5) and organophosphate insecticides (n = 5) also were listed. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Sonographic estimate of birth weight: relative accuracy of sonographers versus maternal–fetal medicine specialists

Objective: To compare the relative accuracy of predicting birth weight among registered diagnostic medical sonographers versus maternal-fetal medicine specialists. Study design: Over 7 months all patients who delivered within 2 weeks and had sonographic measurements of femur length and head and abdominal circumferences by sonographers and physicians were included in the analysis. The exclusion criteria were multiple gestation and anomalous fetuses. Receiver operating-characteristic curves (ROC) were constructed to determine the ability to detect intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR; birth weight < 2500 g) and macrosomia (birth weight ≥ 4000 g) among term (gestational age ≥ 37 weeks) parturients. A level of p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Among 365 patients recruited, the mean gestational age was 37.3 ± 2.4 weeks with a mean birth weight of 3083 ± 72.5 g. Among term patients the prevalence of IUGR was 7.5% (18/238) and of macrosomia 12% (29/238). A significantly higher percentage of predictions were within 10% of the birth weight when obtained by sonographers (70%) than physicians (54%; p < 0.0001). Registered sonographers were significantly more likely to detect IUGR than the specialists (area under the ROC curves 0.97 ± 0.02 vs. 0.92 ± 0.02, respectively; p = 0.02). Both groups had similar accuracy in detecting macrosomic fetuses (area under the ROC curves 0.92 ± 0.02 for sonographers and 0.90 ± 0.02 for physicians; p = 0.40). Conclusions: Prediction of birth weight is significantly more accurate when sonographers rather than maternal-fetal medicine specialists perform the ultrasonographic examination.
An analysis of stance and voice in research articles across Chinese and British cultures, using the appraisal framework

Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Pro-apoptotic and Growth-inhibitory Effect of IFN-β-Overexpressing Canine Adipose Tissue-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Against Melanoma Cells.

BACKGROUND Canine melanoma is the most common type of tumor in dogs. We investigated the effects of canine interferon-beta (cIFN-β)-overexpressing adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (cATMSCs) on apoptosis and proliferation of canine melanoma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Expression of IFN-β in cATMSCs was confirmed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. Flow cytometry was performed for cell-cycle analysis and apoptotic cell quantification of LMeC (melanoma) cells. Protein expression of cyclin D1, procaspase-3, activated caspase-3, and Bcl-2 homologous antagonist killer (Bak) was evaluated by western blot analysis. RESULTS Decreased proportions of cells in S- and G0/G1 phases were observed in parallel with decreased cyclin D1 expression in LMeC cells treated with cIFN-β-cATMSC-conditioned media. Protein expression of active forms of caspase 3 and Bak increased in response to treatment with cIFN-β-cATMSC-conditioned media. CONCLUSION IFN-β overexpression by cATMSCs was associated with pro-apoptotic and growth-inhibitory effects on canine melanoma cells. The antitumor effects of these cells have therapeutic potential for the treatment of canine melanoma.
Political and Economic Institutions and Economic Performance: Evidence from Kosovo

Abstract This study examines Kosovo’s attempts to create efficient political and economic institutions while assuming that if these institutions cannot perform well and the market economy will also fail. Thus, the main aim of this paper is to understand the reasons behind institutional and economic failure. A qualitative research approach that we used is based on a longitudinal perspective and a set of secondary data which are analyzed by using Qualitative Content Analysis technique. Our findings suggest that the state-building period which was administrated by the international organizations created problems such as polarizations in views, duality and imbalance in power distribution and illegitimacy of the governing institutions. These problems are more or less reflected in other institutions in the following independence period. Moreover, due to continuing and deepening political fragmentation and tension amongst the local parties, attempts to create well-functioning and supporting institutions have not yet produced fruitful results. With such institutional performance Kosovo has not yet been able to create a functioning market economy and to overcome economic challenges.
Do Personality Traits Predict Functional Impairment and Quality of Life in Adult ADHD? A Controlled Study

Objective: To examine the association of personality traits and characteristics on quality of life and functioning in adults with ADHD. Method: Participants were adults with (n = 206) and without ADHD (n = 123) who completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q), and the Social Adjustment Scale–Self-Report (SAS-SR). Participants also provided information on academic, motor vehicle operation, legal, social, familial, and occupational functioning. Outcomes were examined using stepwise linear regression, logistic regression (for binary outcomes), and negative binomial regression (for count outcomes) controlling for ADHD symptoms, psychiatric comorbidity, and executive dysfunction. Results: Adults with ADHD significantly differed from controls across nearly all TCI personality domains. On average, adults with ADHD endorsed more novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and self-transcendence, and less reward dependence, persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness. Personality traits and characteristics, especially self-directedness, significantly predicted functional impairments even after controlling for ADHD symptoms, executive function deficits, and current psychiatric comorbidities. Conclusion: In adults with ADHD, personality traits exert unique associations on quality of life and functional impairment across major life domains, beyond the relations expected of and associated with ADHD symptoms and other associated psychiatric conditions and cognitive vulnerabilities. Addressing personality traits in adults with ADHD may lead to improvements in quality of life and reductions in functional impairment.
Restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with the angiotensin-II type-1 receptor 1166A/C polymorphism but not with polymorphisms of angiotensin-converting enzyme, angiotensin-II receptor, angiotensinogen or heme oxygenase-1

Objectives The renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is thought to play a major role in the pathophysiology of de-novo restenotic lesions and in-stent restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), is thought to beneficially influence these processes. We examined the effect of pharmacologic as well as genetic RAS interactions on restenosis in a large population of consecutive patients undergoing PCI, and evaluated possible gene–gene interactions in both systems. Methods The GENDER project is a multicenter prospective follow-up study, including 3146 patients after successful PCI. Genotyping in these patients was performed for the ACE gene insertion/deletion, the angiotensinogen 235Met/Thr, T174M and A(–6)G, the angiotensin-II type 1 receptor (AT1R) 1166A/C and T810A, the angiotensin-II type 2 receptor (AT2R) 1675G/A and 3123A polymorphisms and the length polymorphism in the HO-1 promoter region. Results A total of 3104 patients were followed for 10 months. In 2975 patients at least one of the nine genotypes could be determined. The AT1R 1166 CC genotype showed a significant association with TVR; the other polymorphisms did not. RAS-inhibitory drugs were not associated with the incidence of TVR, nor did they interact with any of the investigated polymorphisms. Patients with the ACE I/I polymorphism showed a trend towards a better outcome if they had a short number of repeats in the HO-1 promoter. This relationship was inversely present in carriers of the ACE D/D polymorphism. Conclusion We could only establish a role for the AT1R 1166A/C polymorphism in restenosis after PCI. However, significant gene–gene interaction was suggested for the ACE gene and the HO-1 promotor. The RAS and HO-1 relation in restenosis merits further investigation.
Stable CD8+ T Cell Memory during Persistent Trypanosoma cruzi Infection1

CD8+ T cell responses to persistent infections caused by intracellular pathogens are dominated by resting T effectors and T effector memory cells, with little evidence suggesting that a T central memory (TCM) population is generated. Using a model of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, we demonstrate that in contrast to the T effector/T effector memory phenotype of the majority of T. cruzi-specific CD8+ T cells, a population of cells displaying hallmark characteristics of TCM cells is also present during long-term persistent infection. This population expressed the TCM marker CD127 and a subset expressed one or more of three other TCM markers: CD62L, CCR7, and CD122. Additionally, the majority of CD127high cells were KLRG1low, indicating that they have not been repetitively activated through TCR stimulation. These CD127high cells were better maintained than their CD127low counterparts following transfer into naive mice, consistent with their observed surface expression of CD127 and CD122, which confer the ability to self-renew in response to IL-7 and IL-15. CD127high cells were capable of IFN-γ production upon peptide restimulation and expanded in response to challenge infection, indicating that these cells are functionally responsive upon Ag re-encounter. These results are in contrast to what is typically observed during many persistent infections and indicate that a stable population of parasite-specific CD8+ T cells capable of Ag-independent survival is maintained in mice despite the presence of persistent Ag.
Regional neonatal brain absolute thermometry by 1H MRS

Therapeutic hypothermia is standard care for infants with moderate to severe encephalopathy. 1H MRS thermometry (MRSt) measures regional brain absolute temperature using the temperature‐dependent water chemical shift. This study evaluates the clinical feasibility of MRSt in human neonates, and correlates white matter (WM) and thalamus (Thal) MRSt with conventional rectal temperature (Trectal) measurement. Fifty‐six infants born at term underwent perinatal MRSt for suspected hypoxic–ischaemic brain injury and 33 infants born preterm had MRSt at a term‐equivalent age; 56 of the 89 had Trectal measured after MRSt of either a Thal or posterior WM voxel, or both. MRSt used point‐resolved spectroscopy (no water suppression; TR = 1370 ms; TE = 288 ms; 1.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 cm3 Thal and 1.1 × 1.3 × 1.4 cm3 WM voxels). Time domain data were phase and frequency corrected before summation and motion‐corrupted data were excluded from further analysis using simple criteria [preprocessing + quality assurance (QA)]. Two published water temperature‐dependence calibrations [both using cerebral creatine (Cr), choline (Cho) and N‐acetylaspartate (Naa) as independent reference peaks] were compared. The temperature measurements derived from Cr, Cho and Naa were combined to give a single amplitude‐weighted combination temperature (TAWC). WM and Thal TAWC correlated linearly with Trectal (Thal slope, 0.82 ± 0.04, R2 = 0.85, p < 0.05; WM slope, 0.95 ± 0.04, R2 = 0.78, p < 0.05). Preprocessing + QA improved the correlation between WM TAWC and Trectal (R2 increased from 0.27 to 0.78, p < 0.001). Both calibration datasets showed specific inconsistencies between the temperatures calculated using Cr, Cho and Naa reference peaks when applied to this neonatal dataset. Neonatal MRSt is clinically feasible. Preprocessing + QA improved MRSt reliability in WM. The consideration of MRSt calibration internal biases is necessary before combining MRSt temperatures from multiple reference peaks to obtain TAWC. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Accuracy Improvement of an Inertial Navigation System Brought about by the Rotational Motion

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is equipped with an inertial navigation system (INS) in order to understand its own position in real time while it cruises without the communication with the external environment such as a support ship and GPS. Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology has the cruising AUV URASHIMA, and it is also equipped with the INS. However the INS outputs its own absolute position containing the error that increases with time. It means, it is very difficult for URASHIMA to cruise dependent only on the position data outputted by the INS for a long time. So we have proposed the method to improve the performance of the INS, and its effect was confirmed in experiments. In the method, it was put on a turntable with assumption that it is fixed inside URASHIAM and the INS has been rotated by it around one rotation axis according to some rules. Consequently, the INS's position error was decreased by the rotational motion. In order to cause this effect, a precondition had to be met. It was that URASHIMA keeps its own posture to near-horizontal while cruising. However URASHIMA usually cruises with the roll motion which is caused by its shape. So the roll motion such as URASHIMA's one in a sea trial was applied to the turntable, and the INS was rotated in the situation. As the result, the INS's position error was decreased about half of the original one.
Metalloproteinase-dependent Transforming Growth Factor-α Release Mediates Neurotensin-stimulated MAP Kinase Activation in Human Colonic Epithelial Cells*

Expression of the neuropeptide neurotensin (NT) and its high affinity receptor (NTR1) is increased during the course of Clostridium difficile toxin A-induced acute colitis, and NTR1 antagonism attenuates the severity of toxin A-induced inflammation. We recently demonstrated in non-transformed human colonic epithelial NCM460 cells that NT treatment caused activation of a Ras-mediated MAP kinase pathway that significantly contributes to NT-induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion. Here we used NCM460 cells, which normally express low levels of NTR1, and NCM460 cells stably transfected with NTR1 to identify the upstream signaling molecules involved in NT-NTR1-mediated MAP kinase activation. We found that inhibition of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by either an EGFR neutralizing antibody or by its specific inhibitor AG1478 (0.2 μm) blocked NT-induced MAP kinase activation. Moreover, NT stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGFR, and pretreatment with a broad spectrum metalloproteinase inhibitor batimastat reduced NT-induced MAP kinase activation. Using neutralizing antibodies against the EGFR ligands EGF, heparin-binding-EGF, transforming growth factor-α (TGFα), or amphiregulin we have shown that only the anti-TGFα antibody significantly decreases NT-induced phosphorylation of EGFR and MAP kinases. Furthermore, inhibition of the EGF receptor by AG1478 significantly reduced NT-induced IL-8 promoter activity and IL-8 secretion. This is the first report demonstrating that NT binding to NTR1 transactivates the EGFR and that this response is linked to NT-mediated proinflammatory signaling. Our findings indicate that matrix metalloproteinase-mediated release of TGFα and subsequent EGFR transactivation triggers a NT-mediated MAP kinase pathway that leads to IL-8 gene expression in human colonic epithelial cells.
Central Bank Intervention, Bubbles and Risk in Walrasian Financial Markets

The paper investigates the effects of central bank interventions in financial markets, composed of asymmetrically-informed rational investors and noise traders. If the central bank suspects a bubble, it should lift the real risk-free rate to deflate the bubble in “leaning against the wind”. A rise in the real risk-free rate reduces the risk of rational informed investors, and increases the risk of rational uninformed investors. If the central bank intervenes through the nominal risk-free rate and the Fisher arbitrage condition holds, an increase in the nominal rate is transferred to inflation, thereby dampening the policy effect. Conversely, this implies that the central bank can also deflate the bubble by inducing a reduction in inflationary expectations. The effect on the informed investor risk remains ambiguous, while the risk of he uninformed investor grows, but only if they suffer from money illusion.