Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuroprotective effects of sulforaphane after contusive spinal cord injury.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to oxidative stress, calcium mobilization, glutamate toxicity, the release of proinflammatory factors, and depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) at the site of injury. Induction of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway can alleviate neurotoxicity by protecting against GSH depletion, oxidation, intracellular calcium overload, mitochondrial dysfunction, and excitotoxicity. Sulforaphane (SF), an isothiocyanate derived from broccoli, is a potent naturally-occurring inducer of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway, leading to upregulation of genes encoding cytoprotective proteins such as NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1, and GSH-regulatory enzymes. Additionally, SF can attenuate inflammation by inhibiting the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway, and the enzymatic activity of the proinflammatory cytokine macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF). Our study examined systemic administration of SF in a rat model of contusion SCI, in an effort to utilize its indirect antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to decrease secondary injury. Two doses of SF (10 or 50 mg/kg) were administered at 10 min and 72 h after contusion SCI. SF (50 mg/kg) treatment resulted in both acute and long-term beneficial effects, including upregulation of the phase 2 antioxidant response at the injury site, decreased mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines (i.e., MMP-9) in the injured spinal cord, inactivation of urinary MIF tautomerase activity, enhanced hindlimb locomotor function, and an increased number of serotonergic axons caudal to the lesion site. These findings demonstrate that SF provides neuroprotective effects in the spinal cord after injury, and could be a candidate for therapy of SCI.
Grip force behavior during object manipulation in neurological disorders: Toward an objective evaluation of manual performance deficits

The control of prehensile finger forces is an essential feature of skilled manual performance. The basic aspects of healthy grip force behavior have been well documented. In healthy subjects, grip force is precisely adjusted to the mechanical object properties. Grip force is always slightly higher than the minimum necessary to prevent the object from slipping. When we move a hand‐held object, grip force is modulated in parallel with movements‐induced load fluctuations without an obvious delay. The absence of a temporal delay between grip and load force profiles suggests that the central nervous system is able to predict the load variations before the intended manipulation and consequently regulates grip force in anticipation. Feedback from the grasping fingertips is used to adjust the level of applied fingertip force efficiently to the actual loading requirements. Pathologic grip force control affects the efficiency of produced force and the precision of the temporal coupling between grip and load force profiles. Here, we review the characteristics of pathologic grip force behavior in various neurological disorders. Detailed examination of grip force control is simple and well suited for the objective evaluation of impaired motor function of the hand and its rehabilitation. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
Estimating Vietnam’s income mobility in 2004 – 2008: a test – retest correlation approach

The economic growth of Vietnam in the 1990s has been a popular topic among the economists because there are many aspects of it are subjected to development studies. This paper attempts to explore one of these aspects, the income mobility of the economy, during the period 2004-2008 by estimating expenditure mobility, using Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey (VHLSS) data. This is done by applying a methodology that Heise (1969) developed in his work on test-retest correlations, to reduce the classical upward bias due to measurement errors. We estimate the mobility to be 0.035 to 0.092 which indicate a low mobility in Vietnam. This estimation allows us to draw out some implications about income inequality in Vietnam.
A COMMUNITY-BASED SCREENING CAMPAIGN FOR THE DETECTION OF DIABETES MELLITUS AND HYPERTENSION IN THE EASTERN PROVINCE, SAUDI ARABIA: METHODS AND PARTICIPATION RATES

Objective: To describe a community-based diabetes and hypertension screening campaign, the percentage of screened positive individuals, identified the participation rate, and the factors affecting the participation. Campaign design and methods: A community-based screening campaign whose main objective was the screening for diabetes and hypertension was conducted in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia for three and half months in the year 2004. A structured questionnaire was used. Diabetes mellitus was diagnosed on the basis of repeated detection of a fasting blood sugar equal to or more than 126 mg/dl, and hypertension when the blood pressure was 140/90 mm Hg or more. Results: Of the 650,000 target population, 214,381 (33%) participated, and 197,681 questionnaire were completed. Of the number of individuals screened, 31,711 (16%) were positive for abnormal blood pressure and /or glucose, and needed confirmation of their results. Only 17296 (54.5%) of them were referred to health facilities for confirmation of results Conclusion: Community screening campaigns for diabetes mellitus and hypertension is extremely efficient in identifying undiagnosed diabetic and hypertensive individuals. The most successful strategy for the screening and confirmation of results was through PHCCs, especially in the rural areas, where there was good organization and strict adherence to guidelines on methodology.
RNA Folding in Transcription Elongation Complex

Intrinsic transcription termination signal in DNA consists of a short inverted repeat followed by a T-rich stretch. Transcription of this sequence by RNA polymerase (RNAP) results in formation of a “termination hairpin” (TH) in the nascent RNA and in rapid dissociation of the transcription elongation complex (EC) at termination points located 7–8 nt downstream of the base of TH stem. RNAP envelops 15 nt of the RNA following RNA growing 3′-end, suggesting that folding of the TH is impeded by a tight protein environment when RNAP reaches the termination points. To monitor TH folding under this constraint, we halted Escherichia coli ECs at various distances downstream from a TH and treated them with single-strand specific RNase T1. The EC interfered with TH formation when halted at 6, 7, and 8, but not 9, nt downstream from the base of the potential stem. Thus, immediately before termination, the downstream arm of the TH is protected from complementary interactions with the upstream arm. This protection makes TH folding extremely sensitive to the sequence context, because the upstream arm easily engages in competing interactions with the rest of the nascent RNA. We demonstrate that by de-synchronizing TH formation and transcription of the termination points, this subtle competition significantly affects the efficiency of transcription termination. This finding can explain previous puzzling observations that sequences far upstream of the TH or point mutations in the terminator that preserve TH stability affect termination. These results can help understand other time sensitive co-transcriptional processes in pro- and eukaryotes.
The Endothelial Protein C Receptor Supports Tissue Factor Ternary Coagulation Initiation Complex Signaling through Protease-activated Receptors*

Protease-activated receptor (PAR) signaling is closely linked to the cellular activation of the pro- and anticoagulant pathways. The endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) is crucial for signaling by activated protein C through PAR1, but EPCR may have additional roles by interacting with the 4-carboxyglutamic acid domains of procoagulant coagulation factors VII (FVII) and X (FX). Here we show that soluble EPCR regulates the interaction of FX with human or mouse tissue factor (TF)-FVIIa complexes. Mutagenesis of the FVIIa 4-carboxyglutamic acid domain and dose titrations with FX showed that EPCR interacted primarily with FX to attenuate FX activation in lipid-free assay systems. In human cell models of TF signaling, antibody inhibition of EPCR selectively blocked PAR activation by the ternary TF-FVIIa-FXa complex but not by the non-coagulant TF-FVIIa binary complex. Heterologous expression of EPCR promoted PAR1 and PAR2 cleavage by FXa in the ternary complex but did not alter PAR2 cleavage by TF-FVIIa. In murine smooth muscle cells that constitutively express EPCR and TF, thrombin and FVIIa/FX but not FVIIa alone induced PAR1-dependent signaling. Although thrombin signaling was unchanged, cells with genetically reduced levels of EPCR no longer showed a signaling response to the ternary complex. These results demonstrate that EPCR interacts with the ternary TF coagulation initiation complex to enable PAR signaling and suggest that EPCR may play a role in regulating the biology of TF-expressing extravascular and vessel wall cells that are exposed to limited concentrations of FVIIa and FX provided by ectopic synthesis or vascular leakage.
Immunization status of children of employees in a large corporation.

OBJECTIVE To assess immunization levels for children of employees of a large corporation. DESIGN A mail survey of a random sample of employees on the immunization history of one child per family. SETTING US employees of Johnson & Johnson. PARTICIPANTS 1500 employees with children born between 1984 and 1991. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Coverage rates for recommended vaccines at different ages up to 6 years. MAIN RESULTS Only 45.2% and 55.3% of the study children at ages 2 and 6 years were current for all recommended immunizations (65.1% and 70.3%, respectively, excluding the Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine). Using the minimum standard required by many states for school entry, the coverage level at age 6 years was 90.4%. Factors associated with higher immunization rates at age 2 years were the corporate health plan (choices), higher pay level, greater parental formal education, white race, and knowing when to initiate immunization. Lower immunization rates at age 2 years were associated with delayed receipt of the first dose of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine, use of city or county clinics, employee-reported barriers of difficulty leaving work, and provider access problems, but not cost of services. After adjusting for the effects of other variables through logistic regression, race, pay level, and plan choice were no longer significant. Modeling with the remaining variables predicted rates of adequate immunization at age 2 years from 15% to 81%. CONCLUSION Even in this relatively affluent group with good insurance (including immunizations), preschool immunization rates did not reach public health goals. Changing modifiable factors, such as knowing when to initiate immunization, enabling parents to leave work more easily, and improving provider access, might improve preschool immunization rates.
.VO2 is attenuated above the lactate threshold in endurance-trained runners.

PURPOSE To determine whether a deviation from linearity occurs in the . VO2-speed relationship, above the lactate threshold (LT) in running; and whether the length of the submaximal exercise bouts alters the magnitude of any deviation. METHODS Ten endurance-trained runners (N = 3 state level, N = 4 club level, and N = 3 recreational) (mean +/- SE; age 24.4 +/- 2.8 yr, mass 76.1 +/- 2.2 kg, .VO2 59.3 +/- 10.6 mL.kg-1.min-1) completed a . VO2, LT test and 10 x 4-min submaximal constant load exercise bouts. Data were evenly spread above and below LT, which was fitted by a dual linear regression model. RESULTS There was a significant decrease (51.4%) in slope of the . VO2-speed relationship above LT. The use of 3-min, in comparison with 4-min, submaximal data did not alter the slope of the . VO2-speed regression above LT. There was no significant difference in the . VO2max estimated from the . VO2-speed regression above LT (58.1 +/- 3.3 mL.kg-1.min-1) but a significant difference below LT (63.6 +/- 3.9 mL.kg-1.min-1) to that obtained during the . VO2max test. CONCLUSION Data from the current study suggest that the use of the linear regression of . VO2-speed data below the LT may potentially overestimate the prediction of . VO2 values above LT.
Release from masking due to spatial separation of sources in the identification of nonspeech auditory patterns.

A nonspeech pattern identification task was used to study the role of spatial separation of sources on auditory masking in multisource listening environments. The six frequency patterns forming the signal set were comprised of sequences of eight 60-ms tone bursts. Bursts of masking sounds were played synchronously with the signals. The main variables in the study were (1) the difference in spatial separation in the horizontal plane between signals and maskers and (2) the nature of the masking produced by the maskers. Spatial separation of signal and masker ranged from 0-180 degrees. The maskers were of two types: (1) a sequence of eight 60-ms bursts of Gaussian noise intended to produce predominantly peripherally based "energetic masking" and (2) a sequence of eight 60-ms bursts of eight-tone complexes intended to produce primarily centrally based "informational masking. " The results indicated that identification performance improved with increasing separation of signal and masker. The amount of improvement depended upon the type of masker and the center frequency of the signal patterns. Much larger improvements were found for spatial separation of the signal and informational masker than for the signal and energetic masker. This was particularly apparent when the acoustical advantage of the signal-to-noise ratio in the more favorable of the two ears (the ear nearest the signal) was taken into account. The results were interpreted as evidence for an important role of binaural hearing in reducing sound source or message uncertainty and may contribute toward solving the "cocktail party problem. "
Noise levels encountered in dental clinical and laboratory practice.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to determine the noise levels made by different clinical hand-pieces, laboratory engines, and other significant equipment such as ultrasonic scalers, amalgamators, high-speed evacuation, and other items. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sound levels were measured at four dental practices and three dental laboratories selected as representative of a variety of workplaces to reveal a range of noise. The noise levels were determined using a precision sound level meter, which was positioned at ear level and also at 2 meters distance from the operator. RESULTS Virtually all noise levels at the dental clinics were below 85 dB(A). The noise levels in the dental laboratories had much higher maxima, with some cutting activities, steam cleaning, and sandblasting up to 90 dB(A), and compressed air blasts with a maximum of 96 dB(A). CONCLUSIONS The noise levels in the dental clinics are considered to be below the limit of risk of hearing loss. However, technicians and other personnel who spend many hours in noisy dental laboratories may be at risk if they choose not to wear ear protection.
Human hepatitis delta virus RNA subfragments contain an autocleavage activity.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) contains a single-stranded circular RNA genome of 1.7 kilobases. In this report we demonstrate that subfragments of HDV RNA can undergo autocatalytic cleavage. This cleavage requires at least 500 microM of Mg2+ or Ca2+, is not affected by varying the pH from 5.0 to 9.1, and occurs with RNA fragments as small as 133 nucleotides. The larger RNA fragments containing additional HDV sequences have a lower efficiency of cleavage. Deletion analysis at both ends of RNA subfragments suggested that the catalytic ability of HDV RNA resides in a stretch of no more than 117 nucleotides around the cleavage site. The cleavage occurs at the phosphodiester bond between nucleotides 688 and 689 on the HDV genomic map, generating a 5' fragment with a terminal uridyl 2',3'-cyclic monophosphate residue and a 3' fragment with a guanosyl residue with a 5'-hydroxyl group. The smallest autocleaving RNA does not contain the "hammerhead" sequence required for the autocleavage of other known self-cleaving RNA. The cleavage of HDV RNA occurs at a much faster rate, even at a very low Mg2+ concentration, than that of other "ribozymes. " Thus, HDV RNA represents a distinct class of ribozyme.
Effects of pre‐ and periconceptional undernutrition on arterial function in adult female sheep are vascular bed dependent

The nutritional environment during development and even prior to conception may contribute to cardiovascular risk. In mature adult female sheep, we investigated the effect of preconceptional and periconceptional maternal nutritional restriction on the vascular reactivity of arteries from four vascular beds supplying the heart, thorax, kidney and hindlimb. Welsh Mountain ewes received 100% of nutrient requirements throughout gestation (control group, C, n= 18), or 50% of nutrient requirements for 30 days prior to conception (preconceptional group, PRE, n= 20) or for 15 days either side of conception (periconceptional group, PERI, n= 31) and 100% thereafter. In 3.5‐year‐old female offspring, the left anterior descending coronary (LAD), left internal thoracic (LITA), right renal and second and third order femoral arteries were dissected and their reactivity was assessed by organ bath or wire myography. Vasoconstrictor responses were greater in both LAD and LITA from PERI offspring compared with C (P < 0.01), while vasoconstriction was unaffected by maternal diet in arteries from the renal and femoral circulations (P= n.s.). Endothelium‐dependent and ‐independent vasodilatation was attenuated in third order femoral arteries of PRE and PERI groups compared with C (P < 0.05). Endothelium‐independent vasodilatation was attenuated in both the LAD and renal arteries in the PERI group compared with C (P < 0.05). These data show that moderate maternal undernutrition either prior to or around conception affects vascular function of adult offspring. The effect depends on the timing of the insult, but also on the vascular bed studied and vessel hierarchy in the vascular tree.
Efferent Pathways of the Mouse Lateral Habenula

The lateral habenula (LHb) is part of the habenula complex of the dorsal thalamus. Recent studies of the LHb have focused on its projections to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), which contain γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons that mediate reward prediction error via inhibition of dopaminergic activity. However, older studies in the rat have also identified LHb outputs to the lateral and posterior hypothalamus, median raphe, dorsal raphe, and dorsal tegmentum. Although these studies have shown that the medial and lateral divisions of the LHb have somewhat distinct projections, the topographic specificity of LHb efferents is not completely understood, and the relative extent of these projections to brainstem targets is unknown. Here we have used anterograde tracing with adeno‐associated virus–mediated expression of green fluorescent protein, combined with serial two‐photon tomography, to map the efferents of the LHb on a standard coordinate system for the entire mouse brain, and reconstruct the efferent pathways of the LHb in three dimensions. Using automated quantitation of fiber density, we show that in addition to the RMTg, the median raphe, caudal dorsal raphe, and pontine central gray are major recipients of LHb efferents. By using retrograde tract tracing with cholera toxin subunit B, we show that LHb neurons projecting to the hypothalamus, VTA, median raphe, caudal dorsal raphe, and pontine central gray reside in characteristic, but sometimes overlapping regions of the LHb. Together these results provide the anatomical basis for systematic studies of LHb function in neural circuits and behavior in mice. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:32–60, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Wireless Distributed Storage in Socially Enabled D2D Communications

Wireless distributed storage systems can potentially relieve the centralized traffic burden of base stations (BSs), and further improve system reliability for content sharing in device-to-device (D2D) communications. Mobile devices [i.e., content requesters (CRs)] can not only download their desired contents from serving BSs, but can also get them from neighboring devices [i.e., content helpers (CHs)] with possession of the contents. However, D2D links between CRs and CHs are not necessarily stable, due to user mobility and the time-varying property of wireless links. This paper focuses on the utilization of socially enabled D2D links to deliver the desired contents based on distributed storage. We evaluate the success rate for downloading and repairing in D2D-assisted networks accordingly, by analyzing statistic social interaction information for potential D2D links. Thus, it is necessary to maintain or assign enough qualified D2D links to afford content downloading and repairing from neighboring devices. To reduce the overall system transmission cost, this paper further proposes a hierarchical bi-partite method to guarantee at least k admissible D2D links according to their statistical channel state information, by considering one type of erasure correcting codes, the maximum distance separable code. Simulation results demonstrate the performance and advantage of our proposed scheme.
Convergent pathways of macrophage polarization: The role of B cells

The construction of an inflammatory microenvironment provides the fuel for cancer development and progression. Hence, solid tumors promote infiltration of leukocyte populations, among which tumor‐associated macrophages (TAM) represent a paradigm for cancer‐promoting inflammation. TAM orchestrate various aspects of cancer, including diversion and skewing of adaptive responses, cell growth, angiogenesis, matrix deposition and remodelling, the construction of a metastatic niche and actual metastasis, response to hormones and chemotherapeutic agents. Several lines of evidence indicate that TAM show a remarkable degree of plasticity and functional heterogeneity, suggesting that during tumor progression macrophages undergo a phenotypic “switch”, eventually exhibiting the alternatively activated, “M2”, phenotype that is associated with immunosuppression, promotion of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. Although recent studies have attempted to address the role of microenvironmental signals on TAM “reprogramming”, the interplay between innate and adaptive immunity is emerging as a crucial step of this event. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, a study demonstrates that B1 lymphocytes expressing IL‐10 play a key role in promoting a pro‐tumoral M2‐biased phenotype of macrophages. This article defines a new in vivo pathway of macrophage polarization and suggests that targeting B cells is a possible therapeutic intervention to reinstate anti‐cancer functions by TAM.