Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Restoration of spermatogenesis by follicle-stimulating hormone despite low intratesticular testosterone in photoinhibited hypogonadotropic Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus).

By exposing male Djungarian hamsters to short-day photoperiods, a hypogonadotropic condition resembling that of hypophysectomized animals can be achieved without resorting to surgery. By use of this animal model, differential effects of gonadotropins on spermatogenesis have been studied revealing that FSH selectively restimulates spermatogenesis up to the level of spermatids. In the present study, we investigated whether FSH (6 IU/day) also restores fertility in hamsters exposed to short-day photoperiods (8L:16D). Animals kept under long-day photoperiod (16L:8D) served as controls. After 8 wk under 8L:16D, gonads were involuted and the animals (n = 9-10 per group) were treated with FSH, or testosterone implants, or both for the following 33 days. An additional group received FSH for 33 days and, for the last 12 days only, FSH plus testosterone to induce copulatory and ejaculatory behavior. The implants caused no increase in intratesticular testosterone as compared to that in short-day controls. All males were paired with adult females for the last 5 days of treatment, and killed thereafter. Litter sizes were determined 22 days later. The examination of the testes by flow-cytometrical techniques revealed qualitatively normal spermatogenesis in animals receiving FSH, whereas testosterone caused an insignificant increase to a few round spermatids. In most FSH-treated animals, sperm were present in the epididymides. In hamsters receiving FSH along with testosterone, treatment resulted in restoration of full fertility as compared to long-day controls. Fertility was also restored in animals receiving testosterone only for the last 12 days of FSH treatment. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Prevalence rate of osteoporosis in the mid - aged and elderly in selected parts of China.

OBJECTIVE To understand the distribution of prevalence rate of osteoporosis in the middle - aged and elderly in parts of China. METHODS Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured and questionnaires were taken for 5593 people aged above 40 years in five administrative areas in China selected by the stratified - multi - steps - cluster sampling method. RESULTS The total prevalence rate of osteoporosis was 16.1%. The prevalence rate among males was 11.5% and among females was 19.9% (P < 0.01). There were also osteoporosis prevalence differences among cities, age groups, gender groups and areas. CONCLUSION The prevention and treatment of osteoporosis are very important for females but also should not be ignored in males.
The association between psychosis and problematical drug use among Australian adults: findings from the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being

Background. The present paper aimed to: (a) provide Australian estimates of the population-level association between psychotic ‘caseness’ and substance use; (b) examine liability to problematical substance use according to ‘caseness’ via the conditional prevalence (prevalence among users); and (c) examine associations between problematical substance use and the number of psychotic symptoms using ordinal logistic regression. Method. Data were from the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being (NSMHWB), a stratified multi-stage probability sample of Australian adults, using a subset of persons under the age of 50 years (N = 6722). A screener assessed the presence of characteristic psychotic symptoms. Associations between ‘case’ status and DSM-IV alcohol, cannabis and other drug use disorders were examined. Ordinal logistic regressions predicting psychosis scores were carried out, including demographic, mental health and drug use variables. Results. Ninety-nine persons (1·2 %) screened positively for psychosis. Regular tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use were much more common among persons screening positively, as were alcohol, cannabis and other drug use disorders. Among alcohol and cannabis users, psychosis ‘cases’ were much more likely to be dependent. Ordinal logistic regressions revealed that regular tobacco use, cannabis and alcohol dependence, and opiate abuse were predictors of psychosis scores. Conclusions. The mental health risks of problematical substance use need to be disseminated to persons at risk of, or suffering from, psychotic illness, and to heavy substance users. Work is needed to develop effective treatment approaches for problematical substance use among persons with psychosis.
Extracellular domains drive homo‐ but not hetero‐dimerization of erbB receptors

Many different growth factor ligands, including epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the neuregulins (NRGs), regulate members of the erbB/HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases. These growth factors induce erbB receptor oligomerization, and their biological specificity is thought to be defined by the combination of homo‐ and hetero‐oligomers that they stabilize upon binding. One model proposed for ligand‐induced erbB receptor hetero‐oligomerization involves simple heterodimerization; another suggests that higher order hetero‐oligomers are ‘nucleated’ by ligand‐induced homodimers. To distinguish between these possibilities, we compared the abilities of EGF and NRG1‐β1 to induce homo‐ and hetero‐oligomerization of purified erbB receptor extracellular domains. EGF and NRG1‐β1 induced efficient homo‐oligomerization of the erbB1 and erbB4 extracellular domains, respectively. In contrast, ligand‐induced erbB receptor extracellular domain hetero‐oligomers did not form (except for s‐erbB2–s‐erbB4 hetero‐oligomers). Our findings argue that erbB receptor extracellular domains do not recapitulate most heteromeric interactions of the erbB receptors, yet reproduce their ligand‐induced homo‐oligomerization properties very well. This suggests that mechanisms for homo‐ and hetero‐oligomerization of erbB receptors are different, and contradicts the simple heterodimerization hypothesis prevailing in the literature.
Chlamydomonas alpha-tubulin is posttranslationally modified by acetylation on the epsilon-amino group of a lysine.

Previous work has shown that the principal alpha-tubulin within Chlamydomonas reinhardtii flagellar axonemes differs from the major alpha-tubulin in the cell body. These two variants of alpha-tubulin are related to one another since posttranslational modification of the cell body form converts it to the axonemal form. When flagella are induced to assemble in the absence of de novo protein synthesis, tritiated acetate can be used to posttranslationally label alpha-tubulin in vivo, and under these conditions, no other flagellar polypeptides exhibit detectable labeling [L'Hernault, S. W. , & Rosenbaum, J. L. (1983) J. Cell Biol. 97, 258-263]. In the present report, this labeling method has been used to provide material for chemical analysis of the tritiated moiety that is posttranslationally added to flagellar alpha-tubulin. This radioactivity was volatile after acid hydrolysis, suggesting that the posttranslational modification is the addition of neither an amino acid nor carbohydrate. Treatment of posttranslationally 3H-labeled alpha-tubulin with hydrazine yields radioactive acetylhydrazine, indicating that the moiety involved in posttranslational modification is an acetyl group. Analysis of complete proteolytic digests by thin-layer chromatography has revealed that this acetyl group is located on the epsilon-amino group of a flagellar alpha-tubulin lysine residue.
Increase in Ventricular Tachycardia Frequency After Biventricular Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Upgrade

We report the case of a patient in whom transvenous left ventricular pacing lead placement at the time of a biventricular upgrade led to an exacerbation of clinical monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (MVT). At implant, slow left ventricular pacing repeatedly induced sustained MVT. However, testing of the biventricular pacing showed no MVT inducibility, and the system was implanted. The patient was readmitted due to multiple episodes of the MVT observed at implant. The MVT was controlled with pharmacotherapy, allowing the patient to continue with biventricular pacing. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 14, pp. 1245‐1247, November 2003)
X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE TAFFY (VV254) GALAXIES AND BRIDGE

We present the first X-ray observations of the Taffy galaxies (UGC 12914/5) with the Chandra observatory and detect soft X-ray emission in the region of the gas-rich, radio-continuum-emitting Taffy bridge. The results are compared to Herschel observations of dust and diffuse [C ii] line-emitting gas. The diffuse component of the Taffy bridge has an X-ray luminosity of L X ( 0.5 – 8 keV ) ? > = 5.4 × 1039 erg s−1, which accounts for 19% of the luminosity of the sum for the two galaxies. The total mass in hot gas is (0.8–1.3) × 108 M⊙, which is approximately 1% of the total (H i + H2) gas mass in the bridge, and ∼11% of the mass of warm molecular hydrogen discovered by Spitzer. The soft X-ray and dense CO-emitting gas in the bridge have offset distributions, with the X-rays peaking along the northwestern side of the bridge in the region where stronger far-IR dust and diffuse [C ii] gas is observed by Herschel. We detect nine Ultra Luminous X-ray sources in the system, the brightest of which is found in the bridge, associated with an extragalactic H ii region. We suggest that the X-ray-emitting gas has been shocked—heated to high temperatures and “splashed” into the bridge by the collision. The large amount of gas stripped from the galaxies into the bridge and its very long gas depletion timescale (>10 Gyr) may explain why this system, unlike most major mergers, is not a powerful IR emitter.
Vitamin d status and cardiometabolic risk factors in long-term psychiatric inpatients.

OBJECTIVE Low vitamin D levels are common in psychiatric patients, but a need for vitamin D supplementation in these individuals remains controversial. Low vitamin D levels are reportedly associated with high prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, and both are common in psychiatric patients, but the relationship between diagnosis and severity of illness and cardiometabolic risk status and the effect of vitamin D treatment on them is not known. We studied these relationships and effect of vitamin D(3) treatment on them in 290 long-term psychiatric inpatients. METHOD All patients admitted to the hospital during April 2009-March 2010 who agreed to 25-hydroxyvitamin-D testing were included. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) score, body mass index, blood pressure, and fasting levels of blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured at baseline, and changes after vitamin D(3) treatment for up to 12 months were observed. For the purposes of this study, 25-hydroxyvitamin-D levels < 32 ng/mL were considered as "low"; < 20 ng/mL, as "insufficient"; and < 12 ng/mL, as "deficient. " RESULTS A serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D level < 32 ng/mL was found in 90.0% of patients, and a level <20 ng/mL was found in 48.6% of patients. A BPRS score > 36 was present in 56.0% of patients; obesity, in 75.7%; hypertension, in 44.8%; low HDL-C, in 43.6%; high triglycerides, in 31.2%; high LDL-C, in 17.8%; and increased glucose, in 14.6%. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D levels correlated poorly with BPRS score and the other variables listed above (R, -0.02 to -0.22). After vitamin D(3) treatment, 25-hydroxyvitamin-D level increased to ≥ 20 ng/mL in all patients and ≥ 32 ng/mL in 85% of patients, but despite > 124% increase in mean 25-hydroxyvitamin-D level, mean improvement in other variables was < 12%. CONCLUSIONS Nearly half of our patients had vitamin D levels < 20 ng/mL, putting them at risk for poor bone health and requiring vitamin D supplementation. Cardiometabolic risk factors were also highly prevalent, but correlated poorly with vitamin D levels in their severity. Increasing vitamin D levels to ≥ 32 ng/mL was not associated with improvement in BPRS score or any cardiometabolic risk factor, emphasizing that intensification of therapeutic measures other than vitamin D supplementation is required.
Differential carbon dioxide sensitivity in childhood anxiety disorders and nonill comparison group.

BACKGROUND To examine the relationship between respiratory regulation and childhood anxiety disorders, this study considered the relationship between anxiety disorders and symptoms during carbon dioxide (CO(2)) exposure, CO(2) sensitivity in specific childhood anxiety disorders, and the relationship between symptomatic and physiological responses to CO(2). METHODS Following procedures established in adults, 104 children (aged 9-17 years), including 25 from a previous study, underwent 5% CO(2) inhalation. The sample included 57 probands with an anxiety disorder (social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and panic disorder) and 47 nonill comparison subjects. Symptoms of anxiety were assessed before, during, and after CO(2) inhalation. RESULTS All children tolerated the procedure well, experiencing transient or no increases in anxiety symptoms. Children with an anxiety disorder, particularly separation anxiety disorder, exhibited greater changes in somatic symptoms during inhalation of CO(2)-enriched air, relative to the comparison group. During CO(2) inhalation, symptom ratings were positively correlated with respiratory rate increases, as well as with levels of tidal volume, minute ventilation, end-tidal CO(2), and irregularity in respiratory rate during room-air breathing. CONCLUSIONS Childhood anxiety disorders, particularly separation anxiety disorder, are associated with CO(2) hypersensitivity, as defined by symptom reports. Carbon dioxide hypersensitivity is associated with physiological changes similar to those found in panic disorder. These and other data suggest that certain childhood anxiety disorders may share pathophysiological features with adult panic disorder.
The Effect of Lycopene Addition on the Chemical Composition, Sensory Attributes and Physicochemical Properties of Steamed and Grilled Turkey Breast

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of lycopene addition to the curing mixture for steamed and grilled breast muscles on the chemical composition, sensory attributes and physicochemical parameters of the final products. The experimental material comprised a total of 48 breast muscles of Hybrid XL turkeys aged 15 weeks and fed commercial pelleted diets. The material was divided into three groups (control, experimental groups I and II). Sixteen breast muscles (8 left and 8 right) were assigned to each group. Control group samples were immediately transported to a laboratory. The remaining 32 muscles were steamed and grilled, where 16 samples were cured before heat treatment. The curing brine contained tomato peel extract standardized for 5% lycopene content. The results of the study indicate that the lycopene increased vitamin E levels and decreased the ash and vitamin A content of the final products. Lycopene also lowered the aroma and flavour scores, and increased the shear force values of the final products. The addition of lycopene lowered the pH of the products measured in a water homogenate and deteriorated the hydration properties of meat. Lycopene increased the darkness and the contribution of redness, which led to an increase in colour saturation and hue values of the evaluated samples. It can be concluded that lycopene exerted antioxidant effects and improved the colour parameters on the external surface and along the cross-section of processed meat. However, the specific flavour of tomatoes deteriorated the sensory attributes of the final products.
DC conduction current, dielectric strength and electroluminescence of standard, nanofilled and microfilled polyetherimide varnishes

Results of DC conduction, breakdown strength and electroluminescence of standard (PEI), nanoscale-fllled and microscale-fllled varnishes are described and analyzed in this communication. Silica (10nm and 400nm) has been used as a filler to increase the lifetime of such varnishes submitted to a partial discharge activity (varnish to be used in rotating machines fed by inverters). Experimental results have shown that the dielectric properties of the nanofilled varnish, which exhibits the higher PD lifetime under a PD stress, are not highly affected by the fillers. On the contrary, the microfilled varnish properties are strongly modified.
Artificial Sense of Slip—A Review

Slip sensing is important in robotic dexterous manipulation and in advanced upper limb prosthetics because it provides useful information for conveniently adapting manipulation forces. In this paper the physical phenomena involved in slip occurrence are briefly examined, as well as the physiological bases of the human “sense of slip. ” Transduction principles and technological approaches, exploited over the years for reproducing the “artificial sense of slip,” are analyzed, with the final aim of identifying the most relevant open issues, as well as research trends.
‘Talking the Talk’: practical and academic self-concepts of early years practitioners in England

Traditionally, the status of workers in early childhood services in England has been low. Foundation degrees and the Early Years Professional Status (EYPS, from September 2013 Early Years Teacher Status) were established with a view to improving the skills and standing of early years practitioners. There appears however to be an ongoing discrepancy between practitioners’ positive commitment to their professional development and the continued focus on the fact that they are somehow lacking and in need of transformation. This paper explores practical and academic self-concepts of early years practitioners, and its association with academic achievement and wider societal perspectives. Individual interviews (n = 10) and three focus group discussions with early years foundation degree students were analysed using a form of discursive psychology. In their arguing and thinking, the practitioners within their self-conceptualisations showed evidence of a transition between two overall identities, one related to their ‘practical identity’ and one related to their ‘educated early years practitioner identity’.
Clinical, autoimmune, and psychiatric parameters correlate with sleep disturbance in patients with systemic sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES Sleep disturbance is an important contributor to poor quality of life in rheumatic disorders. This study aims to test whether clinical, autoimmune and psychological factors are associated with sleep disturbance in systemic sclerosis (SSc) compared to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and controls. METHODS 101 female subjects (SSc=33, RA=34, healthy controls=34) participated in this observational, cross-sectional, parallel group study. Sleep disturbance was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Other assessments included the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Clinical parameters, therapeutic regimen, and serologic status were recorded. RESULTS In SSc patients, PSQI scores were higher than in RA patients and controls. Linear regression analysis showed that in SSc patients PSQI scores was associated with BDI, disease duration, modified Rodnan skin score and VAS, while DAS28 and BDI were associated with PSQI scores in RA patients. Anti-Scl70 and ANA positive SSc patients showed higher PSQI scores compared to those ANA positive only, while no differences were observed in RA patients classified according to rheumatoid factor positivity. SSc patients treated with immunosuppressants had lower PSQI scores compared to those not on therapy, whereas only corticosteroid treatment was significantly associated with higher PSQI scores in RA patients. RA patients with disease activity higher than moderate (DAS28≥3.2) had higher PSQI scores than those with lower than moderate (DAS28<3.2). CONCLUSIONS Longitudinal studies are needed to identify disease-specific patterns associated with sleep disturbances and the influence on sleep function induced by immunosuppressive therapy among rheumatic patients.
Self-esteem as determined by gender differences among Yoruba adolescents in Ibadan, Nigeria: a research note.

This study investigates the influence of gender differences on the expression of self-esteem among Yoruba adolescents. Using a sample of 120 adolescents, 60 males and 60 females, with a mean age of 16.02 years (S.D. = 1.63), the results reveal that male adolescents express higher self-esteem than female adolescents. This finding is attributed to the differing socialization processes for males and females in Yoruba societies.
Citrate alterations in primary and metastatic human prostatic adenocarcinomas: 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy and biochemical study

The objectives of this study were to quantitatively verify the low levels of citrate previously observed in primary human prostatic adenocarcinomas and to determine whether citrate was further reduced in metastatic prostatic cancer. This was accomplished by comparison of citrate concentrations of DU 145 xenografts (a poorly differentiated human prostatic adenocarcinoma cell line grown in nude mice) with concentrations in primary human adenocarcinomas. Following in vivo 1H NMR studies of DU 145 xenografts, citrate concentrations of DU 145 xenografts and surgically removed primary prostatic adenocarcinoma tissue were determined by quantitative high resolution 1H NMR and enzymatic assay. The most significant findings of this study were that citrate concentrations in primary human adenocarcinomas (3.74 ± 0.19 μmolJg wet weight) were significantly lower than those observed for normal and benign hyperplastic (BPH) prostatic tissues. Furthermore there was a further ten‐fold reduction of citrate associated with DU 145 xenografts (0.31 ± 0.028 μmoleJg wet weight) compared with primary prostatic cancer. DU 145 xenografts also exhibited higher levels of uridine diphosphosugars and choline containing metabolites relative to primary prostatic adenocarcinomas. These findings support the hypothesis that citrate is low in primary prostatic cancer and further reduced in metastatic disease.
Gynecomastia as a presenting sign of fibrolamellar carcinoma of the liver.

Gynecomastia is generally a benign occurrence in 39% to 67% of the normal adolescent male population.1,2 Although the etiology of the breast development is not entirely clear, it may be due to a transient increase in serum estradiol leading to an increase in the estradiol to testosterone ratio. Gynecomastia in adolescent boys may also be associated with a variety of pathologic conditions in which there is an elevation in the estradiol to testosterone ratio. Examples of these conditions include Klinefelter syndrome, congenital anorchia, androgen resistance, orchitis, trauma, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, thyrotoxicosis, starvation, cirrhosis, testicular tumors, adrenal tumors, and primary liver carcinoma.3