Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ontogeny of γ‐aminobutyric acid‐immunoreactive neuronal populations in the forebrain and midbrain of the sea lamprey

Although brain organization in lampreys is of great interest for understanding evolution in vertebrates, knowledge of early development is very scarce. Here, the development of the forebrain and midbrain γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)‐ergic systems was studied in embryos, prolarvae, and small larvae of the sea lamprey using an anti‐GABA antibody. Ancillary immunochemical markers, such as proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), calretinin, and serotonin, as well as general staining methods and semithin sections were used to characterize the territories containing GABA‐immunoreactive (GABAir) neurons. Differentiation of GABAir neurons in the diencephalon begins in late embryos, whereas differentiation in the telencephalon and midbrain was delayed to posthatching stages. In lamprey prolarvae, the GABAir populations appear either as compact GABAir cell groups or as neurons interspersed among GABA‐negative cells. In the telencephalon of prolarvae, a band of cerebrospinal fluid‐contacting (CSF‐c) GABAir neurons (septum) was separated from the major GABAir telencephalic band, the striatum (ganglionic eminence) primordium. The striatal primordium appears to give rise to most GABAir neurons observed in the olfactory bulb and striatum of early larval stages. GABAir populations in the dorsal telencephalon appear later, in 15–30‐mm‐long larvae. In the diencephalon, GABAir neurons appear in embryos, and the larval pattern of GABAir populations is recognizable in prolarvae. A small GABAir cluster consisting mainly of CSF‐c neurons was observed in the caudal preoptic area, and a wide band of scattered CSF‐c GABAir neurons extended from the preoptic region to the caudal infundibular recess. A mammillary GABAir population was also distinguished. Two compact GABAir clusters, one consisting of CSF‐c neurons, were observed in the rostral (ventral) thalamus. In the caudal (dorsal) thalamus, a long band extended throughout the ventral tier. The nucleus of the medial longitudinal fascicle contained an early‐appearing GABAir population. The paracommissural pretectum of prolarvae and larvae contained a large group of non‐CSF‐c GABAir neurons, although it was less compact than those of the thalamus, and a further group was found in the dorsal pretectum. In the midbrain of larvae, several groups of GABAir neurons were observed in the dorsal and ventral tegmentum and in the torus semicircularis. The development of GABAergic populations in the lamprey forebrain was similar to that observed in teleosts and in mouse, suggesting that GABA is a very useful marker for understanding evolution of forebrain regions. The possible relation between early GABAergic cell groups and the regions of the prosomeric map of the lamprey forebrain (Pombal and Puelles [ 1999 ] J. Comp. Neurol. 414:391–422) is discussed in view of these results and information obtained with ancillary markers. J. Comp. Neurol. 446:360–376, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Monitoring of Effectiveness and Safety of Colistin for Therapy in Resistant Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections in Hospitalized Patients at Siriraj Hospital.

OBJECTIVE To monitor the effectiveness and safety of colistin for therapy in resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections at Siriraj Hospital 10 years after colistin was first introduced in Thailand at Siriraj Hospital in 2005. MATERIAL AND METHOD Study subjects were hospitalized adult patients with documented Gram-negative bacterial infections that received parenteral colistin (Colistate) for longer than 48 hours between October 2014 and June 2015. Patient information regarding demographics, characteristics of infections, antibiotic therapy, clinical outcomes, microbiological responses, and nephrotoxicity were identified and retrieved from patient medical records. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS One hundred thirty eight patients were included in the study. Many of the patients were elderly males. The most common type of infection was pneumonia and A. baumannii was the most common cause of infection. Nearly all isolates of A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa were resistant to carbapenems. A loading dose of colistin (300 mg) was given in 94.9% of patients. Only 19.6% of patients received colistin alone. Most patients received concomitant antibiotics, especially carbapenems, and piperacillin-tazobactam. Favorable clinical outcome was observed in 71.7% of patients at the end of colistin therapy. Patient mortality at the end of colistin therapy and at 30 days after colistin therapy was completed was 23.2% and 39.9%, respectively. Microbiological eradication of target bacteria at the end of colistin therapy was found in 50.0% of patients. Overall incidence of acute kidney injury was 39.9%, with most cases classified as either risk (20.3%) or injury (13%). Colistin-related renal dysfunction was reversible in most cases. CONCLUSION Colistin remains the principal antibiotic in carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Colistin's effectiveness and safety is still rated as moderate for therapy in difficult-to-treat resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections.
Spinal lesion level in spina bifida: a source of neural and cognitive heterogeneity.

OBJECT The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the level of a spinal lesion is associated with variations in anomalous brain development and neurobehavioral outcomes in children suffering from the meningomyelocele form of spina bifida and hydrocephalus (SBM-H). METHODS Two hundred sixty-eight children with SBM-H were divided into upper (T-12 and above; 82 patients) and lower (L-1 and below; 186 patients) lesion-level groups. Magnetic resonance images were qualitatively coded by radiologists and quantitatively segmented for cerebrum and cerebellum volumes. Psychometric assessments of handedness, intelligence, academic skills, and adaptive behavior were compared between lesion-level groups and also used to determine the number of children who met research-based criteria for mental retardation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and learning disabilities. The magnetic resonance images obtained in children with upper-level spinal lesions demonstrated more qualitative abnormalities in the midbrain and tectum, pons, and splenium, although not in the cerebellum, compared with images obtained in children with lower-level spinal lesions. Upper-level lesions were also associated with reductions in cerebrum and cerebellum volumes, lower scores on measures of intelligence, academic skills, and adaptive behavior, and with a higher frequency of individuals meeting the criteria for mental retardation. Hispanic children (who were also more economically disadvantaged) were more likely to have upper-level lesions and poorer neurobehavioral outcomes, but lesion-level effects were generally independent of ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS A higher level of spinal lesion in SBM-H is a marker for more severe anomalous brain development, which is in turn associated with poorer neurobehavioral outcomes in a wide variety of domains that determine levels of independent functioning for these children at home and school.
High prevalence of overweight children and adolescents in the Practice Partner Research Network.

OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalences of overweight children and adolescents seeking care in 49 Practice Partner Research Network (PPRNet) primary care practices and to compare these rates with national population-based surveys. DESIGN AND SETTING The prevalence of overweight subjects (>95th percentile for age and sex) and subjects at risk for being overweight (>85th percentile for age and sex) was calculated for 30445 children aged 6 through 19 years visiting PPRNet primary care practices from 1995 through 1997. Prevalences were compared with prevalences from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Percentile cutoffs from the National Health Evaluation Survey were used as the baseline standard for the comparisons. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Obesity prevalences. RESULTS Thirty-six percent of boys aged 6 through 11 years and 35% of boys aged 12 through 17 years were either at risk for being overweight or overweight; 20% and 19% were overweight, respectively. Thirty-five percent of girls aged 6 through 11 years and 34% of girls aged 12 through 17 years were either at risk for being overweight or were overweight; 20% and 18% were overweight, respectively. Prevalences of overweight subjects and subjects at risk for being overweight were much greater in patients of PPRNet primary care practices compared with the most recent national survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys III. CONCLUSIONS One in 3 children and adolescents visiting PPRNet primary care practices is at risk for being overweight or is overweight. The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents visiting primary care practices is much greater than that observed in national population-based surveys.
Using repetitive fuzzy method for chaotic time series prediction

In this paper, a new perspective is presented for prediction of chaotic time series by combining the phase space reconstruction and fuzzy approach. Before applying time series to the predictor system, the reconstruction parameters, including embedding dimension and time delay, are determined in an off-line manner by using nearest neighbor and mutual information methods. Then, the structure of the fuzzy system is specified and the input number of fuzzy system is set to the embedding dimensions. According to the embedding dimension and time delay, the phase space is reconstructed point-by-point at the entry of the fuzzy system. Fuzzy system is composed of two separated parts: predictor and tracker. The predictor part forecasts the next point for new entry with fine-tuned parameters using the last step, and the tracker part adjusts the parameters for the next step. This adjustment is done iteratively. The proposed method is compared with some references' results. Simplicity and appropriate speed with sufficient accuracy are the advantages of this method.
Basic phenomena of red blood cell rouleaux formation.

Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Berlin, GermanyInteractions between cellular components of blood such as aggregation, agglutination or adhesionof cells are observed in a variety of normal and pathological conditions in human or other mammals.Rouleaux formation of red blood cells (RBCs) in static blood, platelet adhesion and aggregation in boththrombosis and hemostatic plug formation or leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium are examples of suchinteractions. In the case of RBC, the agglutination of cells is caused, for example, by speciﬁc bindingof immunoglobulins to the surfaces of adjacent cells [24] whilst the aggregation of RBCs or rouleauxformation is caused by ﬁbrinogen in blood plasma [18]. But this rouleaux formation can also be seen, ifthe RBCs are resuspended in electrolyte solutions containing neutral macromolecules like dextran [11]. The aggregation of RBCs is completely reversible and the disaggregation of these rouleaux is readilyachieved by shearing the suspension. Whilst the ﬁbrinogen mediated RBC aggregation increases steadilywith increasing ﬁbrinogen concentration, the dextran mediated RBC aggregation reaches a maximum atdextran concentrations of about 4 g/dl. With dextran having a mean molecular weight M
Activity‐Dependent Phosphorylation of SNAP‐25 in Hippocampal Organotypic Cultures

Abstract: Synaptosomal‐associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP‐25) is thought to play a key role in vesicle exocytosis and in the control of transmitter release. However, the precise mechanisms of action as well as the regulation of SNAP‐25 remain unclear. Here we show by immunoprecipitation that activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by phorbol esters results in an increase in SNAP‐25 phosphorylation. In addition, immunochemical analysis of two‐dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels shows that SNAP‐25 focuses as three or four distinct spots in the expected range of molecular weight and isoelectric point. Changing the phosphorylation level of the protein by incubating the slices in the presence of either a PKC agonist (phorbol 12, 13‐dibutyrate) or antagonist (chelerythrine) modified the distribution of SNAP‐25 among these spots. Phorbol 12, 13‐dibutryate increased the intensity of the spots with higher molecular weight and lower isoelectric point, whereas chelerythrine produced the opposite effect. This effect was specific for regulators of PKC, as agonists of other kinases did not produce similar changes. Induction of long‐term potentiation, a property involved in learning mechanisms, and production of seizures with a GABAA receptor antagonist also increased the intensity of the spots with higher molecular weight and lower isoelectric point. This effect was prevented by the PKC inhibitor chelerythrine. We conclude that SNAP‐25 can be phosphorylated in situ by PKC in an activity‐dependent manner.
On the Conditional Cueing of Credibility Heuristics

When seeking information, Internet users often find multiple communicators co-presenting and expressing their opinions. This study examined how people judge message senders’ credibility in a multi-source environment based on system-generated cues, the consensus among multiple sources, and the effect of receiver’s familiarity with the online platform. Moreover, this research examined the mediating role of source credibility in attitude change in an online consumer-review community. Results indicated that users familiar with a platform were more likely to use system-generated cues for their judgment of credibility along with consensus heuristics, and the combination of heuristics influenced attitude through credibility. However, unfamiliar users relied on consensus heuristics but not system-generated cues. These findings and their theoretical implications are discussed.
Sleep and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical activity : biological processes associated with psychosocial adjustment during childhood and adolescence

ABSTRACT: Sleep and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) activity are two biological processes that play a vital role for physical and mental health as well as general well-being. The aim of this cumulative dissertation containing three studies is to complement and extend existing research on the role of sleep and the HPA activity for psychosocial adjustment during childhood and adolescence, as well as in very preterm children and to further extend knowledge on in-home PSG sleep. Taken together, findings showed that less restorative sleep and a shorter sleep duration were associated with poorer psychosocial adjustment during mid- dle childhood and adolescence. A meditational model further showed that less restorative sleep partially accounted for poorer psychosocial adjustment in very preterm children. In ado- lescence, the association of sleep and psychosocial adjustment was mediated by daytime tiredness and behavioral persistence and furthermore, a delayed school start time was associ- ated with longer sleep duration and less daytime tiredness. Additionally, a blunted HPA activ- ity was related to more externalizing problems. Although very preterm children showed a faster decline in evening cortisol levels compared to full-term children, HPA activity did not mediate the association between prematurity and psychosocial adjustment. Furthermore, find- ings showed that sleep assessed via in-home PSG remained stable over one and a half years and thus indicated that in-home PSG constitutes a reliable measure of childrenOs habitual sleep. The present dissertation emphasizes the importance of restorative and sufficient sleep for psychosocial adjustment during middle childhood and adolescents and even more so in very preterm children representing a population of children at risk for poor psychosocial ad- justment.
Cytotoxic T cells to type A influenza virus; viral hemagglutinin induces A‐strain specificity while infected cells confer cross‐reactive cytotoxicity

This paper deals with the generation and specificity of cytotoxic T cells directed to cells infected with type A influenza viruses. Mice were primed in vivo and their spleen cells restimulated in vitro. Four type A viruses with serologically distinct surface proteins are equally effective in secondary stimulation of cytotoxicity regardless of the viral strain used for priming. The resulting cytotoxic cells will lyse cells infected with any of the 4 type A viruses. Cross‐reactivity between type A and B influenza viruses does not occur.
User-Generated Content and Perceived Control : A Pilot Study of Empowering Consumer Decision Making

There is growing interest in understanding of how User-Generated Content (UGC) empowers online consumer behavior. In this paper, we explore the relationships between Consumer Empowerment and Perceived Control (mediated by Self-Efficacy) over the decision making process using UGC. The results of this study reveal that Perceived Control has an influence on intention to use UGC. The findings also suggest that Consumer Empowerment has the capacity to influence Perceived Control, both directly (primarily via Content Empowerment), and indirectly (via Social Empowerment and Process Empowerment, mediated by SelfEfficacy, which in turn influences Perceived Control).
Long-term assessment of systemic inflammation and the cumulative incidence of age-related hearing impairment in the epidemiology of hearing loss study.

BACKGROUND Although research has linked systemic inflammation to various diseases of aging, few studies have examined the potential role it may play in the development of age-related hearing impairment. METHODS Among 1,073 participants free of hearing impairment (pure-tone average 0.5, 1, 2, 4kHz ≤ 25 dB HL) in the population-based Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (1998-2000), serum C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 were measured at three time points (1988-1990, 1998-2000, and 2009-2010), and tumor necrosis factor-α was measured at one time point (1998-2000), whereas hearing impairment was measured again in 2003-2005 and 2009-2010 to determine the 10-year cumulative incidence. RESULTS Inflammatory marker levels from a single time point (1998-2000) were not associated with an increased risk of developing hearing impairment. Associations between long-term serum C-reactive protein levels and incident hearing impairment differed by age (p = .031). Participants less than 60 years with consistently high (>3 mg/L) or increasing levels of serum C-reactive protein over 10 years were nearly two times (hazard ratio: 1.96, 95% confidence interval: 1.19, 3.23) as likely to develop hearing impairment over the subsequent 10-year period, an association not seen in participants more than or equal to 60 years. A statistically significant association (p-trend = .041) was also observed between number of markers in the highest group at baseline and incident hearing impairment in this younger age group. CONCLUSIONS Associations between long-term serum C-reactive protein levels and incident hearing impairment were observed in the cohort as a whole, but differed significantly by age group, with statistically significant associations observed in adults less than 60 years, participants moving through the peak risk period for hearing impairment over the course of the study.
Ghrelin stimulates interleukin‐8 gene expression through protein kinase C‐mediated NF‐κB pathway in human colonic epithelial cells

Ghrelin, a newly identified gastric peptide, is known for its potent activity in growth hormone (GH) release and appetite. Although ghrelin is involved in several other responses such as stress and intestinal motility, its potential role in intestinal inflammation is not clear. Here, we show that expression of ghrelin and its receptor mRNA is significantly increased during acute experimental colitis in mice injected intracolonically with trinitrobenzene sulfate (TNBS). We found by PCR that ghrelin receptor mRNA is expressed in non‐transformed human colonic epithelial NCM460 cells. Exposure of NCM460 cells stably transfected with ghrelin receptor mRNA to ghrelin, increased IκBα phosphorylation and its subsequent degradation. In addition, ghrelin stimulated NF‐κB‐binding activity and NF‐κB p65 subunit phosphorylation, and induced IL‐8 promoter activity and IL‐8 protein secretion. Furthermore, our data show that ghrelin‐induced IκBα and p65 phosphorylation was markedly reduced by pharmacological inhibitors of intracellular calcium mobilization (BAPTA/AM) and protein kinase C (GF 109203X). Pretreatment with BAPTA/AM or GF109203X also significantly attenuated ghrelin‐induced IL‐8 production. Together, our results strongly suggest that ghrelin may be a proinflammatory peptide in the colon. Ghrelin may participate in the pathophysiology of colonic inflammation by inducing PKC‐dependent NF‐κB activation and IL‐8 production at the colonocyte level. J. Cell. Biochem. 97: 1317–1327, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
GENOTOXIC EFFECT OF PEGANUM HARMALA EXTRACTS ON THE GROWTH OF VICIA FABA L . AND DNA USING NUCLEAR MICROSATELLITES

Assessment of genotoxins-induced DNA damage and mutations at molecular level is important in ecogenotoxicology. Treatment with Peganum harmala crude extract can result in cytotoxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. Mutagenesis is indicative of genetic instability and can be assayed using microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs). The application of SSR marker analysis using capillary electrophoresis (CE) apparatus showed differences in SSR profiles within the extract as well as between the two extracts. All the 12 SSR primer pairs used produced amplification products which showed 100% polymorphism. The total number of scoreable loci obtained with the 12 used primers were 112 alleles. Of the 112 alleles detected 12 alleles (10.7 %) were considered as zero alleles. Three alleles produced by various primers were detected at locus VfG_22 to 15 at locus VfG_693 and VfG_873, with an average of 9.3 bands/SSR. The discrimination power of each SSR locus was estimated by the PIC, which ranged from 0.47 for locus VfG_22 to 0.88 for locus VfG_693 with a mean of 0.70. About 83.3% of the 18 alleles observed in untreated samples using the 12 primers disappeared from almost all the treatments with water and ethanol extracts. Statistical analysis of morphometric traits showed significant differences between the two extracts in all studied traits except the percentage of germination and root dry weight which were non significant. However, on the other hand significant differences were observed between treatments and the control for all the traits studied.
Testing aspects of Carl Rogers's theory of creative environments: child-rearing antecedents of creative potential in young adolescents.

Longitudinal data involving 106 children and their parents were used to test preschool child-rearing implications of Carl Rogers's theory of creativity-fostering environments (Rogers, 1954). Indices were developed for each parent and for each mother-father combination that reflected the degree to which the parents' child-rearing practices and interactions with their preschool children matched the recommendations implicit in Rogers's description of a creativity-fostering environment. The three indices of Rogers-prescribed child-rearing practices each correlated positively (rs = .38 to .46) and significantly (all ps less than .001) with a composite index of creative potential in early adolescence, 7 to 11 years later. Rogers-prescribed preschool child-rearing practices also emerged as significant antecedents of adolescent creative potential in regression/path analyses that held constant the influence of sex, preschool intelligence, and preschool creative potential. Theoretical and methodological aspects of the study are discussed.