Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mind–body interventions for vasomotor symptoms in healthy menopausal women and breast cancer survivors. A systematic review

Abstract Mind–body therapies are commonly recommended to treat vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats (HFNS). The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence to date for the efficacy of different mind–body therapies to alleviate HFNS in healthy menopausal women and breast cancer survivors. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified using seven electronic search engines, direct searches of specific journals and backwards searches through reference lists of related publications. Outcome measures included HFNS frequency and/or severity or self-reported problem rating at post-treatment. The methodological quality of all studies was systematically assessed using predefined criteria. Twenty-six RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Interventions included yoga (n = 5), hypnosis (n = 3), mindfulness (n = 2), relaxation (n = 7), paced breathing (n = 4), reflexology (n = 1) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (n = 4). Findings were consistent for the effectiveness of CBT and relaxation therapies for alleviating troublesome vasomotor symptoms. For the remaining interventions, although some trials indicated beneficial effects (within groups) at post-treatment and/or follow up, between group findings were mixed and overall, methodological differences across studies failed to provide convincing supporting evidence. Collectively, findings suggest that interventions that include breathing and relaxation techniques, as well as CBT, can be beneficial for alleviating vasomotor symptoms. Additional large, methodologically rigorous trials are needed to establish the efficacy of interventions on vasomotor symptoms, examine long-term outcomes and understand how they work.
Gestational age within normal range and infants’ health and temperament at 3-months of age

Abstract Objective: To examine the association between gestational age (GA) at birth across the normal GA spectrum (37–41 weeks) and the temperament and health of 3-month old infants. Methods: The sample comprised 242 “low-risk” mothers and infants without chronic illnesses or severe pregnancy complications. Infant temperament was defined by three constructs: Negative Affectivity (NA), Extraversion, and Regulation, assessed by parents’ reports on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire. Infants’ health was defined as the number of nonroutine doctors’ visits attended by the infants since their release from the hospital after birth. Analyses employed a continuous measure of GA to assess outcomes across GAs and a categorical measure (37, 38, 39–41 weeks GA) to examine contrasts. Results: Extraversion was positively related to GA primarily due to the lower scores of infants born at 37 weeks compared to infants born at 39–41 weeks GA. NA showed a similar effect. The odds of infants born at 37 weeks attending a nonroutine medical visit were 2.8 times that of infants born full-term. Discussion: Infants born at 37 weeks GA express less affect and use more nonroutine medical services than do infants born at 39–41 weeks GA. The findings underscore the importance of considering the risks of pregnancy prolongation with the developmental risk associated with early-term delivery.
Top Theories for the Etiopathogenesis of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

BackgroundDespite considerable advances in the past few decades, there is no generally accepted “top theory or theories” of the etiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). This article aims to provide an overview of the current main hypothetical “concepts” on the etiopathogenesis of AIS. MethodsAn extensive literature review on hypothetical concepts on the etiology and etiopathogenesis of AIS. ResultsConcepts of etiopathogenesis in AIS were summarized and highlighted under 6 subgroups: genetics factors, abnormalities in nervous system, abnormal skeletal growth, hormones and metabolic dysfunction, biomechanical factors, and environmental and life style factors. An integrative model on the etiopathogenesis of AIS is proposed. ConclusionsThe current knowledge is still fragmented and many fundamental questions have remained to be answered. In moving forward in the perusal of further advancement of our understanding of the etiopathogenetic mechanisms and future evidence-based prevention and management of AIS, multidisciplinary and multicenter innovative research collaboration is imminently important and necessary. Clinical RelevanceWith a relatively comprehensive review on the current understanding on the etiology and etiopathogenesis of AIS, the article would help to stimulate further innovative thoughts, research, and especially collaborative research in this area of great interest.
Analysis of an artificially selected GS‐NS0 variant with increased resistance to apoptosis

Heterogeneity in gene expression and phenotypic traits is an inherent feature within the “clonal” cell lines used for biopharmaceutical production. This feature can allow the selection of cell lines with improved phenotypes and adaptation to growth under preferential conditions to improve productivity or provide a platform to study the molecular basis of improved characteristics. A repeated process of extended batch culture of a recombinant antibody producing GS‐NS0 myeloma cell line generated a stable variant cell line displaying increased resistance to both environmental stresses and chemical apoptosis inducers, and resulted in extended culture viability and increased antibody production. An interesting feature of the variant cell line was an altered metabolic state with consumption of lactate as the culture progressed. The variant cell line also showed altered expression of proteins associated with autophagy suggesting a role for this process in extending cell survival in culture. Targeted transcriptomic analysis was carried out on the parental and variant cell lines using a qRT‐PCR array containing a panel of apoptosis‐associated genes to elucidate both the predominant apoptotic pathways in the NS0 cell line with batch culture progression, and the altered gene expression contributing to increased survival in the variant line. Results indicated a balance between pro‐ and anti‐apoptotic signaling is triggered with the onset of cell death in the NS0 cell line. Pro‐survival pathways such as NFκB signaling and the unfolded protein response were implicated along with death receptor, endoplasmic reticulum stress and p53 mediated apoptotic pathways. The identification of altered gene expression in the variant cell line also provides several potential targets for cell engineering strategies to create improved cell lines for production. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:880–892. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Parametric sensitivity analysis and reduction of a detailed nutritional model of plant cell cultures

A kinetic model of plant nutrition described by Cloutier et al. (Cloutier et al., 2008. Biotechnol Bioeng 99:189–200) is progressively simplified so as to obtain a predictive model that describes the evolution of the biomass and the extracellular and intracellular concentrations of three determining nutrients, that is, free intracellular nitrogen, phosphate, and carbohydrate compounds. Three techniques of global sensitivity analysis are successively applied to assess the model parameter influence and potential correlation. The resulting dynamic model is able to predict plant growth for the two most encountered plant bioprocesses, namely suspension cells and hairy roots. Bioeng. 2011; 108:1108–1118. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Understanding the intracellular effect of enhanced nutrient feeding toward high titer antibody production process

One of the major goals in cell culture process development for therapeutic antibody production is to develop methods to reach high titer in classical fed‐batch processes. This goal is often achieved through the optimizations of expression vector, cell line, media and cell culture process controls to increase cell specific productivity, viable cell density, and culture longevity. During process optimization for a selected production cell line, cell specific productivity (qP) can vary significantly with culture conditions. Therefore, identifying strategies to maintain maximal specific productivity throughout the entire fed‐batch culture and to eliminate cellular/process bottlenecks that prevent high levels of antibody production would be crucial for further advancements in this area. In this work, specific productivity was increased and maintained at high level throughout the course of the culture by the optimization of feed media and feeding strategy. Through the enhancement of nutrient feeding, final titer was increased by 2.5‐fold from the platform fed‐batch process and reached 7.5 g/L. In addition, further insight upon possible cellular bottlenecks in high yield antibody production was obtained by comparing the levels of heavy chain (HC) and light chain (LC) mRNA and the levels of intracellular antibody between the non‐optimized and optimized feeding processes. The mRNA levels of the two processes were measured and exhibited no significant difference suggesting that transcription is not the bottleneck. When intracellular antibody level was studied, the relatively constant level of HC, LC, and intact antibody between days 9 and 14 suggested that translation could be the rate‐limiting step under the non‐optimized nutrient feeding condition due to the dramatic drop of qP to roughly zero which correlated with the depletion of tyrosine as one of the key amino acids for protein synthesis. Finally, accumulation of unassembled HC but not intact antibody was observed at days 14–18 under the enhanced feeding condition, implying that folding and assembly may be the bottleneck toward the end of the culture. Bioeng. 2011; 108:1078–1088. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Stiffness of photocrosslinked RGD‐alginate gels regulates adipose progenitor cell behavior

Adipose progenitor cells (APCs) are widely investigated for soft tissue reconstruction following tumor resection; however, the long‐term success of current approaches is still limited. In order to develop clinically relevant therapies, a better understanding of the role of cell–microenvironment interactions in adipose tissue regeneration is essential. In particular, the effect of extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanics on the regenerative capability of APCs remains to be clarified. We have used artificial ECMs based on photocrosslinkable RGD‐alginate to investigate the adipogenic and pro‐angiogenic potential of 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes as a function of matrix stiffness. These hydrogels allowed us to decouple matrix stiffness from changes in adhesion peptide density or extracellular Ca2+ concentration and provided a physiologically relevant 3D culture context. Our findings suggest that increased matrix rigidity promotes APC self‐renewal and angiogenic capacity, whereas, it inhibits adipose differentiation. Collectively, this study advances our understanding of the role of ECM mechanics in adipose tissue formation and vascularization and will aid in the design of efficacious biomaterial scaffolds for adipose tissue engineering applications. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:1683–1692. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Orthopaedic Conditions in Ras/MAPK Related Disorders

Background The RAS/MAPK disorders [Noonan syndrome, cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome, Costello syndrome, and Leopard syndrome] are heterogenous conditions with phenotypic overlap. Their orthopaedic manifestations are not well defined, and their phenotypic similarity makes differentiating them difficult. Methods We prospectively evaluated 60 individuals: 26 with Noonan syndrome, 32 with CFC syndrome, and 2 with Costello syndrome. Each individual underwent a structured orthopaedic history and physical evaluation by an orthopaedic surgeon, and a syndromic evaluation by a geneticist. Results All groups had a high prevalence of scoliosis (8/26 Noonan syndrome, 8/32 CFC syndrome, and 1/2 Costello). Those with Noonan syndrome or CFC syndrome had a high instance of serious cervical spine disorders, including cervical stenosis, Arnold-Chiari malformation, and syringomyelia in the Noonan syndrome individuals and hydrocephalus, cervical stenosis, torticollis, and Arnold-Chiari in the CFC syndrome individuals. Noonan syndrome manifestations included chronic pain (n=21), pes planus (n=11), pes cavus (n=5), hip contractures (n=5), hand dysfunction (n=3), and hip dysplasia (n=2). Manifestations of CFC syndrome included pes planovalgus (n=20), knee flexion contractures (n=7), hip dysplasia (n=5), elbow flexion contractures (n=4), pedal calluses (n=4), toe crowding (n=4), and hip contractures (n=4). Individuals with Costello syndrome had shorter stature than the other groups and were prone to have hand contractures. Conclusions Orthopaedic manifestations are frequent and diverse in Ras/MAPK disorders and can be used in phenotypic differentiation between these disorders. Level of Evidence II.
Intraconal gauze mass: An unusual complication of orbital fracture repair – a case report

ABSTRACT Gossypiboma and textiloma are terms used to describe tumor-like masses caused by retained gauze or surgical sponges after any operation. It is a rare surgical complication, usually difficult to diagnose due to its variable clinical presentation and nonstandard radiological appearance. We describe here a rare case of orbital gossypiboma in a child after surgical correction of an orbital blowout fracture.
Clonal analysis of the proliferation potential of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells as a function of potency

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from bone marrow are a heterogeneous ensemble of progenitors and lineage‐committed cells, with a broad range of regenerative properties. Ex vivo expansion to produce sufficient quantities of MSCs is essential for most therapeutic applications. The present study resolves the relationship between proliferation potential of MSCs and their potency. Clonal analysis generated single‐cell derived colonies of MSCs that were classified according to their trilineage potential to exhibit adipo‐ (A), chondro‐ (C), and osteogenesis (O) as a measure of potency. Multipotent OAC clones were highly proliferative with colony‐forming efficiencies that ranged from 35% to 90%; whereas, O clones formed colonies with an efficiency of 5% or less (P < 0.01). Similar trends were evident during ex vivo expansion: for example, the median specific growth rate was 0.85 day−1 (20 h doubling time) for cultures inoculated with OAC clones and was 5‐fold less for inocula of O clones (P < 0.01). OA and OC clones had similar proliferation potentials. More than 75% of cells in subconfluent cultures inoculated with O clones stained positive for senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase activity vs. less than 10% for OAC clones (P < 0.001). Apoptotic cells were in the minority for all potency groups. Preliminary data generated during clonal analysis suggest that osteogenic potential of MSCs to produce mineralized matrix is a function of potency, as well. These results are discussed in the context of the preparation of efficacious MSC therapies by ex vivo expansion. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011;108: 2716–2726. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Vascular closure device: a simple solution for inadvertent arterial catheterization

A 70-year-old male underwent an optical urethrotomy in 2010 for treatment of a dense 3-cm anastomotic urethral stricture. His history is significant for Gleason 9 T2b prostate cancer treated with an uncomplicated prostatectomy in 1998 and external beam radiotherapy in 2003 secondary to local recurrence. His urethral catheter was removed day 3 post-optical urethrotomy. He developed right groin pain radiating to the inner thigh and had difficulty weight bearing on the right leg over the subsequent days. His symptoms intermittently worsened and he presented 5 weeks post-optical urethrotomy to the emergency department with a fever, right groin pain and inability to walk. His C-reactive protein was elevated at 137 mg/L and a urine culture positive for pseudomonas aeruginosa. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of his abdomen and pelvis revealed a hypoechoic lesion in his obturator externus muscle. An initial bone scan showed no area of increased uptake to suggest osteomyelitis. On day 3 of admission, a magnetic resonance imaging showed an extensive collection within the right obturator externus measuring 3.7 ¥ 2.1 cm as well as osteomyelitis of the pubis (Fig. 1). Ultrasound-guided drainage of the collection aspirated 3 mL of purulent material which grew Pseudomonas aeuroginosa. Optical urethrotomy is considered a safe and effective treatment for urethral strictures. The most common complications are fever, bleeding, urinary tract infection, epididymitis, urinary incontinence, urinary extravasation and recurrence of stricture. We postulate that a disruption of the anatomical planes secondary to radiotherapy resulted in the extravasation of urine, from a breach in the corpus spongiosum at time of urethrotomy, into the superficial perineal space which then tracked deep to Colles’ fascia into the medial compartment of the thigh. Pyomyositis is a rare but possible complication of optical urethrotomy, with patients previously treated with local radiotherapy at particular risk.
Clinical uro‐neurophysiological investigation in multiple sclerosis

Subjective complaints of urinary dysfunction are common in multiple sclerosis patients. Uro‐neurophysiological investigation, namely somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) to stimulation of tibial and pudendal nerves, sacral reflex measurements and external anal sphincter electromyography (EMG) were employed in a group of 21 patients with mild to moderate multiple sclerosis and urinary symptoms. Tibial SEP showed abnormality in 86% and pudendal SEP in 48% of patients. Sacral reflexes were abnormal in 33% and external anal sphincter EMG showed abnormalities in 42% of patients (54% of women and 13% of men). Even in multiple sclerosis patients with urinary complaints tibial SEP seem to be more useful in evaluating nervous system dysfunction than pudendal SEP. On the other hand, abnormal pudendal SEP acconmpanied by normal tibial SEP may strengthen the suspicion of a conus lesion, the presence of which is some patients seems to be the cause of otherwise unexplained abnormalities of external anal sphincter EMG and sacral reflexes.
Optically controlled contraction of photosensitive skeletal muscle cells

As the skeletal muscle cell is an efficient force transducer, it has been incorporated in bio‐microdevices using electrical field stimulation for generating contractile patterns. To improve both the spatial and temporal resolutions, we made photosensitive skeletal muscle cells from murine C2C12 myoblasts, which express channelrhodopsin‐2 (ChR2), one of archaea‐type rhodopsins derived from green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The cloned ChR2‐expressing C2C12 myoblasts were made and fused with untransfected C2C12 to form multinucleated myotubes. The maturation of myotubes was facilitated by electrical field stimulation. Blue LED light pulse depolarized the membrane potential of a ChR2‐expressing myotube and eventually evoked an action potential. It also induced a twitch‐like contraction in a concurrent manner. A contraction pattern was thus made with a given pattern of LED pulses. This technique would have many applications in the bioengineering field, such as wireless drive of muscle‐powered actuators/microdevices. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012;109: 199–204. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Industrial glucoamylase fed‐batch benefits from oxygen limitation and high osmolarity

The market for glucoamylase is large and very competitive and the production process has been optimized through several decades. So far a thorough characterization of the process has not been published, but previous academic reports suggest that the process suffers from severe byproduct formation. In this study we have carried out a thorough characterization of a process as close as possible to the industrial reality. The results show that the oxygen‐limited phases of the process have the highest glucoamylase yields on carbon and that the byproducts are efficiently reused in late phases of the process. An alternative process with low glucose concentration show that high osmolarity is beneficial for the process, and we conclude that oxygen limitation, high osmolarity, and the associated byproduct metabolism are important for the efficiency of the process. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012;109: 116–124. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Drosophila Mutants in Phospholipid Signaling Have Reduced Olfactory Responses as Adults and Larvae

In this paper, we show that mutants in the gene stambhA (stmA), which encodes a putative phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate-diacylglycerol lipase, exhibit a significant reduction in the amplitudes of odor-evoked responses recorded from the antennal surface of adult Drosophila. This lends support to previously published findings that olfactory transduction in Drosophila requires a phospholipid intermediate. Mutations in stmA also affect the olfactory behavior response of larvae. Moreover, there is a requirement for Gqα and phospholipase Cβ function in larval olfaction. The results suggest that larval olfactory transduction, like that of the adult, utilizes a phospholipid second messenger, generated by the activation of Gqα and Plcβ21c, and modulated by the stmA gene product.
Synaptic Organization of Lobula Plate Tangential Cells in Drosophila: Dα7 Cholinergic Receptors

Abstract: The nervous system of seeing animals derives information about optic flow in two subsequent steps. First, local motion vectors are calculated from moving retinal images, and second, the spatial distribution of these vectors is analyzed on the dendrites of large downstream neurons. In dipteran flies, this second step relies on a set of motion-sensitive lobula plate tangential cells (LPTCs), which have been studied in great detail in large fly species. Yet, studies on neurons that convey information to LPTCs and neuroanatomical investigations that enable a mechanistic understanding of the underlying dendritic computations in LPTCs are rare. We investigated the subcellular distribution of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) on two sets of LPTCs: vertical system (VS) and horizontal system (HS) cells in Drosophila melanogaster. In this paper, we describe that both cell types express Dα7-type nAChR subunits specifically on higher order dendritic branches, similar to the expression of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. These findings support a model in which directional selectivity of LPTCs is achieved by the dendritic integration of excitatory, cholinergic, and inhibitory GABA-ergic input from local motion detectors with opposite preferred direction. Nonetheless, whole-cell recordings in mutant flies without Dα7 nAChRs revealed that direction selectivity of VS and HS cells is largely retained. In addition, mutant LPTCs were responsive to acetylcholine and remaining nAChR receptors were labeled by α-bungarotoxin. These results in LPTCs with genetically manipulated excitatory input synapses suggest a robust cellular implementation of dendritic processing that warrants direction selectivity. The underlying mechanism that ensures appropriate nAChR-mediated synaptic currents and the functional implications of separate sets or heteromultimeric nAChRs can now be addressed in this system.