Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potentials and Limitations of Bile Acids and Probiotics in Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder classified as Type 1 (T1D) or Type 2 (T2D). T1D is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of the -cells of the pancreas resulting in a partial or complete lack of insulin production and the inability of the body to control glucose homeostasis (Akerblom et al. 2002). T1D is also known as juvenile-onset diabetes because it manifests at a young age (Bruno et al. 2005). As it requires the patient to inject insulin to supplement the partial or complete lack of insulin production by the pancreas, it is also called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). T2D, formerly known as noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes, is a metabolic disorder with onset most common in middle age and later life (Campbell 1991). T2D may be controlled by diet and exercise and, unlike T1D, does not always require the use of insulin (Campbell 2004). However, the term “noninsulin-dependent” is a misnomer since many patients require insulin therapy at some time in the course of their disease. T2D is often associated with obesity, hypertension and insulin resistance and can result in the complete destruction of beta-cells of the pancreas leading to T1D (Campbell 2004; Weiss & Caprio 2006). The prevalence of T1D and T2D are on the rise worldwide, which has generated a strong drive towards developing preventative measures as well as cure. Recent data published by the International Diabetes Federation highlighted the severity of diabetes epidemic. Data show that the disease is currently affecting 246 million people worldwide, with 46% of all those affected in the 40-59 age group. Previous figures underestimated the scope of the problem, while even the most pessimistic predictions fell short of the current figure. It is predicted that the total number of people living with diabetes will increase to 380 million within twenty years if no new and substantially more effective drugs are produced (Moore et al. 2003a; Rosenbloom et al. 1999). On 2007, the health costs of diabetes have exceeded 200 billion dollars only in the US. This adds to the cost generated from higher rate of hospitalization, higher mortality rate, and impaired performance of workers with diabetes. This has generated a strong drive towards developing preventative measures as
Distribution of Practice and Metacognition in Learning and Long-Term Retention of a Discrete Motor Task

Abstract This study examined judgments of learning and the long-term retention of a discrete motor task (golf putting) as a function of practice distribution. The results indicated that participants in the distributed practice group performed more proficiently than those in the massed practice group during both acquisition and retention phases. No significant differences in retention performance were found as a function of three retention intervals (1, 7, and 28 days). Echoing actual acquisition scores, participants in the distributed practice group predicted more proficient retention performance than did those in the massed practice group. Although all participants predicted more proficient performance than was actually achieved, the difference between predicted and actual performance failed to reach significance.
Individualized covariance profile of cortical morphology for auditory hallucinations in first‐episode psychosis

Neocortical phenotype of cortical surface area (CSA) and thickness (CT) are influenced by distinctive genetic factors and undergo differential developmental trajectories, which could be captured using the individualized cortical structural covariance (ISC). Disturbed patterns of neocortical development and maturation underlie the perceptual disturbance of psychosis including auditory hallucination (AH). To demonstrate the utility of selected ISC features as primal biomarker of AH in first‐episode psychosis (FEP) subjects experiencing AH (FEP‐AH), we employed herein a support vector machine (SVM). A total of 147 subjects (FEP‐AH, n = 27; FEP‐NAH, n = 24; HC, n = 96) underwent T1‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging at 3T. The FreeSurfer software suite was used for cortical parcellation, with the CSA‐ISC and CT‐ISC then calculated. The most informative ISCs showing statistical significance (P < 0.001) across every run of leave‐one‐out group‐comparison were aligned according to the absolute value of averaged t‐statistics and were packaged into candidate feature sets for classification analysis using the SVM. An optimal feature set comprising three CSA‐ISCs, including the intraparietal sulcus, Broca's complex, and the anterior insula, distinguished FEP‐AH from FEP‐NAH subjects with 83.6% accuracy (sensitivity = 82.8%; specificity = 85.7%). Furthermore, six CT‐ISCs encompassing the executive control network and Wernicke's module classified FEP‐AH from FEP‐NAH subjects with 82.3% accuracy (sensitivity = 79.5%; specificity = 88.6%). Finally, extended sets of ISCs related to the default‐mode network distinguished FEP‐AH or FEP‐NAH from HC subjects with 89.0–93.0% accuracy (sensitivity = 88.4–93.4%; specificity = 89.0–94.1%). This study established a distinctive intermediate phenotype of biological proneness for AH in FEP using CSA‐ISCs as well as a state marker of disease progression using CT‐ISCs. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1051–1065, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Local outbreaks of Operophtera brumata and Operophtera fagata cannot be explained by low vulnerability to pupal predation

1 One of the unresolved questions in studies on population dynamics of forest Lepidoptera is why some populations at times reach outbreak densities, whereas others never do. Resolving this question is especially challenging if populations of the same species in different areas or of closely‐related species in the same area are considered. 2 The present study focused on three closely‐related geometrid moth species, autumnal Epirrita autumnata, winter Operophtera brumata and northern winter moths Operophtera fagata, in southern Finland. There, winter and northern winter moth populations can reach outbreak densities, whereas autumnal moth densities stay relatively low. 3 We tested the hypothesis that a lower vulnerability to pupal predation may explain the observed differences in population dynamics. The results obtained do not support this hypothesis because pupal predation probabilities were not significantly different between the two genera within or without the Operophtera outbreak area or in years with or without a current Operophtera outbreak. 4 Overall, pupal predation was even higher in winter and northern winter moths than in autumnal moths. Differences in larval predation and parasitism, as well as in the reproductive capacities of the species, might be other candidates.
Disinfectant and antibiotic activities: a comparative analysis in Brazilian hospital bacterial isolates

Nosocomial infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. It has been shown that appropriate environmental hygienic and disinfection practices can be very helpful to hospital infection control. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bactericidal activity of some disinfectants against antibiotic-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant hospital bacterial isolates. The susceptibility of 27 clinical isolates to disinfectants and antibiotics was determined by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) Use-Dilution method and by the Kirby-Bauer method, respectively. All strains tested were susceptible to sodium hypochlorite, glutaraldehyde and to the association quaternary ammonium - formaldehyde - ethyl alcohol disinfectants. However, the susceptibility of strains to phenol and to one quaternary ammonium compound was variable. Among twenty-one antibiotic-multiresistant strains (methicillin-resistant staphylococci, Enterococcus spp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Serratia marcescens and Escherichia coli) eleven (52%) and eight (38%) strains were resistant to the quaternary ammonium and phenol compounds, respectively. Among six isolates that demonstrated susceptibility to antibiotics (staphylococci, Enterococcus spp, P. mirabilis, E. cloacae and E. coli) two strains (33%) showed resistance to these disinfectants. The results demonstrated the lack of correlation between antibiotic-susceptibility and susceptibility to disinfectants in hospital strains.
Prospects for primary stroke prevention in children with sickle cell anaemia

This review will focus on the strengths and limitations associated with the current standard of care for primary prevention of ischaemic strokes in children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) ‐ transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) screening followed by regular blood transfusion therapy when TCD measurement is above a threshold defined by a randomized clinical trial (RCT). The theoretical basis for potential alternative strategies for primary prevention of neurological injury in SCA is also discussed. These strategies will include, but will not be limited to: immunizations to prevent bacterial infections, particularly in low income countries; management of elevated blood pressure; and targeted strategies to increase baseline haemoglobin levels with therapies such as hyroxycarbamide or potentially definitive haematopoietic stem cell transplant.
How Do Developers Select and Prioritize Code Smells? A Preliminary Study

Code smells are considered to be indicators of design flaws or problems in source code. Various tools and techniques have been proposed for detecting code smells. The number of code smells detected by these tools is generally large, so approaches have also been developed for prioritizing and filtering code smells. However, the lack of empirical data regarding how developers select and prioritize code smells hinders improvements to these approaches. In this study, we investigated professional developers to determine the factors they use for selecting and prioritizing code smells. We found that Task relevance and Smell severity were most commonly considered during code smell selection, while Module importance and Task relevance were employed most often for code smell prioritization. These results may facilitate further research into code smell detection, prioritization, and filtration to better focus on the actual needs of developers.
Associative learning between odorants and mechanosensory punishment in larval Drosophila

SUMMARY We tested whether Drosophila larvae can associate odours with a mechanosensory disturbance as a punishment, using substrate vibration conveyed by a loudspeaker (buzz: ). One odour (A) was presented with the buzz, while another odour (B) was presented without the buzz (A/B training). Then, animals were offered the choice between A and B. After reciprocal training (A/B), a second experimental group was tested in the same way. We found that larvae show conditioned escape from the previously punished odour. We further report an increase of associative performance scores with the number of punishments, and an increase according to the number of training cycles. Within the range tested (between 50 and 200 Hz), however, the pitch of the buzz does not apparently impact associative success. Last, but not least, we characterized odour–buzz memories with regard to the conditions under which they are behaviourally expressed – or not. In accordance with what has previously been found for associative learning between odours and bad taste (such as high concentration salt or quinine), we report that conditioned escape after odour–buzz learning is disabled if escape is not warranted, i.e. if no punishment to escape from is present during testing. Together with the already established paradigms for the association of odour and bad taste, the present assay offers the prospect of analysing how a relatively simple brain orchestrates memory and behaviour with regard to different kinds of ‘bad’ events.
Incidence of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Damage and Recovery Following Mandibular Third Molar Surgery: Two Year Prospective Study

Neurosensory disturbance is the most serious complication following surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molar. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) damage after mandibular third molar surgery. Impacted mandibular third molars extracted by a single experienced surgeon under same protocol. Subjective (self-reported) sensory changes were evaluated 1 week after the surgery to determine the IAN damages. Cases with IAN injury were re-evaluated 3 months, 6 months and 1year after the surgery to record the recovery pattern. Data were collected in SPSS software and analyzed using t-test and chi-square tests. 589 impacted third molars in 417 patients were included in this study. 29 (4.92%) cases experienced neurosensory alteration after surgery. However, 27 (93.1%) IAN injuries were recovered after 6 months. While no significant association was found between age or gender and IAN injury rate (P-value > 0.05), surgeries with higher difficulty level had significantly higher rate of IAN injury (P-value < 0.05). Based on the results of the present study, the risk of neurosensory disturbances following mandibular third molar surgery was relatively low and most of the injuries were transient and resolved within 6 months.
Common and rare alleles of the serotonin transporter gene, SLC6A4, associated with Tourette's disorder

To evaluate the hypothesis that functionally over‐expressing alleles of the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene (solute carrier family 6, member 4, SLC6A4) are present in Tourette's disorder (TD), just as we previously observed in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), we evaluated TD probands (N = 151) and controls (N = 858). We genotyped the refined SERT‐linked polymorphic region 5‐HTTLPR/rs25531 and the associated rs25532 variant in the SLC6A4 promoter plus the rare coding variant SERT isoleucine‐to‐valine at position 425 (I425V). The higher expressing 5‐HTTLPR/rs25531 LA allele was more prevalent in TD probands than in controls (χ2 = 5.75; P = 0.017; odds ratio [OR], 1.35); and, in a secondary analysis, surprisingly, it was significantly more frequent in probands who had TD alone than in those who had TD plus OCD (Fisher's exact test; P = 0.0006; OR, 2.29). Likewise, the higher expressing LAC haplotype (5‐HTTLPR/rs25531/rs25532) was more frequent in TD probands than in controls (P = 0.024; OR, 1.33) and also in the TD alone group versus the TD plus OCD group (P = 0.0013; OR, 2.14). Furthermore, the rare gain‐of‐function SERT I425V variant was observed in 3 male siblings with TD and/or OCD and in their father. Thus, the cumulative count of SERT I425V becomes 1.57% in OCD/TD spectrum conditions versus 0.15% in controls, with a recalculated, family‐adjusted significance of χ2 = 15.03 (P < 0.0001; OR, 9.0; total worldwide genotyped, 2914). This report provides a unique combination of common and rare variants in one gene in TD, all of which are associated with SERT gain of function. Thus, altered SERT activity represents a potential contributor to serotonergic abnormalities in TD. The present results call for replication in a similarly intensively evaluated sample. © 2013 Movement Disorder Society
A Model for Interevent Times with Long Tails and Multifractality in Human Communications: An Application to Financial Trading

Social, technological, and economic time series are divided by events which are usually assumed to be random, albeit with some hierarchical structure. It is well known that the interevent statistics observed in these contexts differs from the Poissonian profile by being long-tailed distributed with resting and active periods interwoven. Understanding mechanisms generating consistent statistics has therefore become a central issue. The approach we present is taken from the continuous-time random-walk formalism and represents an analytical alternative to models of nontrivial priority that have been recently proposed. Our analysis also goes one step further by looking at the multifractal structure of the interevent times of human decisions. We here analyze the intertransaction time intervals of several financial markets. We observe that empirical data describe a subtle multifractal behavior. Our model explains this structure by taking the pausing-time density in the form of a superstatistics where the integral kernel quantifies the heterogeneous nature of the executed tasks. A stretched exponential kernel provides a multifractal profile valid for a certain limited range. A suggested heuristic analytical profile is capable of covering a broader region.
Exploring the Safety and Therapeutic Effects of Deep Pressure Stimulation Using a Weighted Blanket

Abstract This paper presents the results of a concurrent, nested, mixed methods exploratory study on the safety and effectiveness of the use of a 30 lb weighted blanket with a convenience sample of 32 adults. Safety is investigated measuring blood pressure, pulse rate, and pulse oximetry, and effectiveness by electrodermal activity (EDA), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory-10 and an exit survey. The results reveal that the use of the 30 lb weighted blanket, in the lying down position, is safe as evidenced by the vital sign metrics. Data obtained on effectiveness reveal 33% demonstrated lowering in EDA when using the weighted blanket, 63% reported lower anxiety after use, and 78% preferred the weighted blanket as a calming modality. The results of this study will be used to form the basis for subsequent research on the therapeutic influence of the weighted blanket with adults during an acute inpatient mental health admission.
Associations of prenatal maternal smoking with offspring hyperactivity: causal or confounded?

Background The relationship between prenatal tobacco exposure and hyperactivity remains controversial. To mitigate limitations of prior studies, we used a strategy involving comparison of maternal and paternal smoking reports in a historical sample where smoking during pregnancy was common. Method Data were drawn from a longitudinally followed subsample of the Child Health and Development Study (n = 1752), a population-based pregnancy cohort ascertained in 1961–1963 in California. Maternal prenatal smoking was common (33.4%). Maternal and paternal smoking patterns were assessed at three time points by mother report. Hyperactivity was assessed at the mean of age of 10 years based on mother report to a personality inventory. Results Unadjusted, maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with offspring hyperactivity [β = 0.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.11–0.33] and, to a similar degree, when the father smoked (β = 0.18, 95% CI 0.07–0.30). After adjustment, maternal smoking remained robustly predictive of offspring hyperactivity (β = 0.25, 95% CI 0.09–0.40) but father smoking was not (β = 0.02, 95% CI −0.20 to 0.24). When examined among the pairs matched on propensity score, mother smoking was robustly related to offspring hyperactivity whether the father smoked (β = 0.26, 95% CI 0.03–0.49) or did not smoke (β = 0.30, 95% CI 0.04–0.57). By number of cigarettes, associations with hyperactivity were present for 10–19 and 20+ cigarettes per day among mothers. Conclusions In a pregnancy cohort recruited in a time period in which smoking during pregnancy was common, we document associations between prenatal smoking exposure and offspring hyperactivity. Novel approaches to inferring causality continue to be necessary in describing the potential adverse consequences of prenatal smoking exposure later in life.
The optimal immunosuppressive protocol for the portal vein infusion of PGE1 and methylprednisolone in pediatric liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure of unknown etiology

The outcome of LTx in pediatric patients with FHF of unknown etiology remains inferior to that of LTx in pediatric patients with cholestatic diseases. A higher incidence of steroid‐resistant severe rejection has been increasingly recognized among the responsible factors. We assessed the efficacy of the administration of steroids and PGE1 via PVI in the management of LTx for FHF in pediatric patients. In our early cohort (1995–2007), seven patients who underwent LTx for FHF of unknown etiology were treated with conventional immunosuppressive therapy (calcineurin inhibitor and a steroid). Seven of eight grafts (one patient underwent re‐LTx) sustained CV and/or CPV associated with ACR, and four patients died of a graft failure or infectious complications that were associated with the treatment for rejection. Of note, the pathological incidence of CV/CPV was significantly higher in recipients with FHF of unknown etiology than in recipients with biliary cholestatic disease during the same study period (87.5% vs. 13.7%, p < 0.00001). From 2008, three patients underwent LTx for cryptogenic FHF with PVI and conventional IS. PVI was well tolerated, and no relevant severe complications were observed. More strikingly, the patients who received PVI overcame biopsy‐proven immunological events and are all currently doing well with excellent graft function after more than five yr. We conclude that PVI is technically safe and effective for preventing severe rejection in pediatric patients who undergo LTx for FHF of unknown etiology and that it does not increase the risk of fatal infectious complications.
Reduced head and brain size for age and disproportionately smaller thalami in child-onset MS

Objective: Whole brain and regional volume measurement methods were used to quantify white matter, gray matter, and deep gray matter structure volumes in a population of patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Subjects included 38 patients (mean age 15.2 ± 2.4 years) and 33 age- and sex-matched healthy control (HC) participants. MRI measures included intracranial volume, normalized brain volume, normalized white and gray matter volume, and volumes of the thalamus, globus pallidus, putamen, and caudate. Because these volumes vary across age and sex in children, we normalized the volume measurements for MS and control groups by computing z scores using normative values obtained from healthy children enrolled in the MRI Study of Normal Brain Development. Results: The intracranial volume z score was significantly lower in the patients with MS (−0.45 ± 1.16; mean ± SD) compared with the HC participants (+0.25 ± 0.98; p = 0.01). Patients with MS also demonstrated significant decreases in normalized brain volume z scores (−1.09 ± 1.49 vs −0.05 ± 1.22; p = 0.002). After correction for global brain volume, thalamic volumes in the MS population remained lower than those of HCs (−0.68 ± 1.72 vs 0.15 ± 1.35; p = 0.02), indicating an even greater loss of thalamic tissue relative to more global brain measures. Moderate correlations were found between T2-weighted lesion load and normalized thalamic volumes (r = −0.44, p < 0.01) and normalized brain volume (r = −0.47, p < 0.01) and between disease duration and normalized thalamic volume (r = −0.58, p < 0.001) and normalized brain volume (r = −0.46, p < 0.01). Conclusions: When compared with age- and sex-matched control subjects, the onset of MS during childhood is associated with a smaller overall head size, brain volume, and an even smaller thalamic volume.
Preparation and evaluation of a noninfectious monkey pox virus vaccine

Monkey pox virus was mechanically disrupted by low temperature and high pressure into soluble and insoluble fractions. Soluble fractions elicited virus-neutralizing antibodies (1:20 to 1:160) in rabbits, whereas the insoluble (in saline) fractions did not (less than 1:5). No infectious virus was detected after the disruption procedure. Rhesus monkeys immunized with the soluble fraction elicited virus-neutralizing (1:1,200), complement-fixing (1:16), and hemagglutinating-inhibiting (1:80 to 1:160) antibody titers and were completely protected against monkey pox virus-induced disease. This model of monkey pox virus subunit vaccine preparation may prove to be useful in developing an efficacious noninfectious vaccinia vaccine for use in high-risk individuals.