Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacological plasticity of GABAA receptors at dentate gyrus synapses in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy

In the lithium–pilocarpine model (Li‐pilocarpine) of temporal lobe epilepsy, GABAA receptor‐mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (GABAA IPSCs) were recorded in dentate gyrus granule cells (GCs) from adult rat hippocampal slices. The properties of GABAA IPSCs were compared before and after superfusion of modulators in control conditions (Li‐saline rats) and in Li‐pilocarpine rats 24–48 h and 3–5 months (epileptic rats) after status epilepticus (SE). The mean peak amplitude of GABAA IPSCs increased by about 40% over Li‐saline values in GCs 24–48 h after SE and remained higher in epileptic rats. In Li‐pilocarpine rats, studied at 24–48 h after SE, diazepam (1 μm) lost 65% of its effectiveness at increasing the half‐decay time (T50%) of GABAA miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs). Diazepam had no effects on mIPSC T50% in epileptic rats. The benzodiazepine ligand flumazenil (1 μm), acting as an antagonist in Li‐saline rats, exhibited a potent inverse agonistic effect on GABAA mIPSCs of GCs from Li‐pilocarpine rats 24–48 h and 3–5 months after SE. The neurosteroid allopregnanolone (100 nm), which considerably prolonged GABAA mIPSCs in Li‐saline rats, totally lost its effect in rats studied 24–48 h after SE. However, this decrease in effectiveness was transient and was totally restored in epileptic rats. In addition to the up‐regulation in the number of receptors at individual GC synapses, we propose that these ‘epileptic’ GABAA receptors possess benzodiazepine binding sites with altered allosteric properties. The failure of benzodiazepine and neurosteroid to potentiate inhibition early after SE may be a critical factor in the development of epileptogenesis and occurrence of seizures.
[Safety and efficacy of omalizumab for the treatment of allergic rhinitis:Meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials].

Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety of omalizumab in patients with allergic rhinitis(AR) in a meta-analysis of clinical trial results, and provide evidence for the clinical treatment of AR.Method:Pubmed, Medline, Cochrane and Embase were searched through August 2014 using the terms 'allergic rhinitis, omalizumab, efficacy, safety, and randomized controlled trial(RCT)'without language restriction. Relevant reviews, publications, and abstracts of meetings were also retrieved. RevMan5.3 software was used for meta-analysis after data extraction. Result: Nine RCTs were included(n =1764). Of the 1764 participants,859 patients were treated by omalizumab and the other 905 received a placebo.The meta-analysis revealed that patients treated with omalizumab had significantly reduced total and individual symptoms scorescompared with the placebo group(P <0.05). And there was no significantly differences in adverse events between placebo and omalizumab(P <0.05). The WMD rate and 95%CI were as follows：total nasal symptom scores(0.04, - 0.10 to 0.19), rhinorrhea(-0.32, -0.44 to -0.21), nasal stuffiness(-0.33,-0.38 to -0.27), nasal itching (-0.08,-0.25 to 0.09), and sneezing(-0.24, -0.27 to -0.21), and non-nasal symptoms scores(0.30,0.04 to 0.55). Conclusion:Compared to the placebo,omalizumab can effectively and safely reduce symptoms scores of patients with AR.
Epidermal development, growth control, and homeostasis in the face of centrosome amplification

Significance The full extent to which centrosome amplification might directly contribute to human disease is poorly understood. We generated a mouse model for the induction of centrosome amplification in the skin, a tissue that remains proliferative even after its development. We uncover defects in stratification of the epidermis during development, which can be attributed to mitotic errors. The skin exhibits remarkable resiliency by clearing out these defective cells via a cell death program, however. Despite sustained centrosome amplification, adult animals are healthy and do not develop tumors or skin abnormalities. Our findings challenge the role for centrosome amplification in the initiation of skin tumorigenesis and demonstrate that certain tissues are better able to cope with its burden. As nucleators of the mitotic spindle and primary cilium, centrosomes play crucial roles in equal segregation of DNA content to daughter cells, coordination of growth and differentiation, and transduction of homeostatic cues. Whereas the majority of mammalian cells carry no more than two centrosomes per cell, exceptions to this rule apply in certain specialized tissues and in select disease states, including cancer. Centrosome amplification, or the condition of having more than two centrosomes per cell, has been suggested to contribute to instability of chromosomes, imbalance in asymmetric divisions, and reorganization of tissue architecture; however, the degree to which these conditions are a direct cause of or simply a consequence of human disease is poorly understood. Here we addressed this issue by generating a mouse model inducing centrosome amplification in a naturally proliferative epithelial tissue by elevating Polo-like kinase 4 (Plk4) expression in the skin epidermis. By altering centrosome numbers, we observed multiciliated cells, spindle orientation errors, and chromosome segregation defects within developing epidermis. None of these defects was sufficient to impart a proliferative advantage within the tissue, however. Rather, impaired mitoses led to p53-mediated cell death and contributed to defective growth and stratification. Despite these abnormalities, mice remained viable and healthy, although epidermal cells with centrosome amplification were still appreciable. Moreover, these abnormalities were insufficient to disrupt homeostasis and initiate or enhance tumorigenesis, underscoring the powerful surveillance mechanisms in the skin.
Determinants of wheat noodle color.

Noodles are a leading food in the world, and color is a key determinant of consumer acceptance. In this review the two prominent forms of wheat noodles are considered: white salted and alkaline. Many of the preparation and evaluation strategies are the same for both, with prominence placed on 'brightness' (L*) or a lack of discoloration (ΔL*), and the absence of 'specks. ' All raw noodles darken over time. Increasing the protein content of flours almost always translates into darker noodles. Greater discoloration is also associated with higher flour extraction rates, higher ash contents, and higher starch damage. Increasing storage time, dough water absorption, and temperature all often lead to greater discoloration. There is a large range in noodle color variation, and much of this variation is associated with genetics. Consequently, much research has been devoted to methods of screening germplasm, either as whole seeds, meals, flours, or noodle sheets. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is a primary culprit in noodle discoloration and has guided much of the research on noodle color. It is now possible to select germplasm with very low levels of PPO through the use of efficacious phenotype screens and the use of molecular markers. The success of this research has provided the opportunity to select wheat breeding lines with nil PPO activity, and to combine favorable alleles at multiple PPO loci. Yet, when noodles are prepared, we continue to observe discoloration. As our ability to minimize PPO activity increases, this 'non-PPO' discoloration has become more important. Perhaps the 'holy grail' is a noodle that never discolors, and has the 'perfect' level of a* (redness, zero? ) and b* (yellowness/creaminess). Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Convergence of the Iterates in Mirror Descent Methods

We consider centralized and distributed mirror descent (MD) algorithms over a finite-dimensional Hilbert space, and prove that the problem variables converge to an optimizer of a possibly nonsmooth function when the step sizes are square summable but not summable. Prior literature has focused on the convergence of the function value to its optimum. However, applications from distributed optimization and learning in games require the convergence of the variables to an optimizer, which is generally not guaranteed without assuming strong convexity of the objective function. We provide numerical simulations comparing entropic MD and standard subgradient methods for the robust regression problem.
Compliance with recommendations for follow-up care in Latinos: the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study.

PURPOSE To determine rates of follow-up eye and health care in the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES), a population-based sample of Latinos. METHODS Participants received a complete ophthalmic examination and were referred to a local healthcare provider for follow-up care, if ocular or systemic disease was found. Participants receiving referrals were later contacted by telephone and interviewed in their language of choice (English or Spanish) by a trained bilingual interviewer, to determine follow-up rates, and to discuss the barriers preventing follow-up care. RESULTS Of 430 referred participants, 335 (78%) completed the follow-up survey; 278 (68%) of the responders obtained follow-up care. Among the 108 (32%) individuals who did not seek follow-up care, 54 (50%) cited cost of care as the main reason, while 30 (28%) indicated a lack of knowledge as to where to go for care, and 18 (17%) indicated the unavailability of health care. Logistic regression analyses (controlling for acculturation, co-morbid conditions, and patients' prior knowledge of their diagnoses) revealed that participants with insurance coverage, diagnosis with a systemic disease, and higher educational level were more likely to have received follow-up care. CONCLUSION More than two thirds of the participants reported seeking the recommended follow-up care. Although cost, availability of services, and convenience of accessing care were found to be major barriers to obtaining health care, higher education, insurance coverage, and prior knowledge of the disease, were associated with receiving recommended care. Knowledge of barriers to seeking health care is important when developing community based healthcare programs directed toward the Latino population.
Selected Properties of Heat-Treated Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) Wood

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on properties including oven-dry density, weight loss, surface roughness, shear strength, and hardness of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.). The anatomical structures of samples were also examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Two different heat treatment schedules, with temperatures of 130°C and 160°C and 3 and 7 h exposure times, were considered for the experiment. A stylus method was employed to evaluate the surface properties of heat-treated samples. Three roughness parameters, average roughness (Ra), mean peak-to-valley height (Rz), and maximum roughness (Rmax), were determined from the surface of specimens and used to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on the surface properties. The shear strength of samples bonded with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) adhesive was also measured. All properties of the samples exposed to different heat treatment schedules were significantly different (p = 0.05) from each other. The results of this study demonstrated that the oven-dry density, surface roughness, shear strength, and hardness of the samples decreased, while their weight loss increased slightly, with increasing heat treatment temperature and time.
A new method for assessment of the sludge disintegration degree with the use of differential centrifugal sedimentation

ABSTRACT A novel method for assessing the disintegration degree (DD) of waste activated sludge (WAS) with the use of differential centrifugal sedimentation method (DCS) was shown herein. The method was validated for a WAS sample at four levels of disintegration in the range of 14.4–82.6% corresponding to the median particle size range of 8.5–1.6 µm. From the several sludge disintegration methods used (i.e. microwave, alkalization, ultrasounds and peroxydisulfate activated by ultrasounds), the activated peroxydisulfate disintegration resulted in the greatest DD 83% and the smallest median particle size of WAS. Particle size distribution of pretreated sludge, measured by DCS, was in a negative correlation with the DD, determined from soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD; determination coefficient of 0.995). Based on the obtained results, it may be concluded that the DCS analysis can approximate the WAS disintegration degree. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Screen for MicroRNA and Drug Interactions in Breast Cancer Cell Lines Points to miR-126 as a Modulator of CDK4/6 and PIK3CA Inhibitors

Background: Breast cancer (BC) represents the most common cancer in women worldwide. Due to its heterogeneous nature, breast cancer management might benefit from differential treatments toward personalized medicine. Additionally, drug resistance is a common phenomenon. We systematically investigated the effect of 14 different drugs administered on BC cell lines in combination with microRNAs (miRNA, miR). Methods: Thirty-eight miRNAs, all associated with BC by clinical and molecular parameters including progression, prognosis and subtypes, were tested for their effects on the viability of 12 different BC cell lines. Four miRNAs with the strongest impact on viability were further assayed in combination with 14 BC drugs. Mann–Whitney U-test with Bonferroni correction was used for statistical analysis. Results: In a miRNA only pre-screen we observed effects on BC cell lines' viability for 34 out of 38 candidate miRNAs. We then identified 14 miRNA/drug combinations for which the combination IC50 was lower than that of both miRNA and drug as single agents. miR-181a, paired with GSK1070916, Doxorubicin, XL765 and AMG511, was the only miRNA active on the triple negative (TNBC) MDA-MB-468 cell line. miR-126 was the only miRNA (in combination with CDK4/6 or PIK3CA inhibitors) with significant effects on cell lines from different subtypes: MCF7 (Luminal) and MDA-MB-453 (HER2+). Because of its activity on different BC subtypes, we investigated the genome wide effects of miR-126 using transcriptomics and confirmed that expression of miR-126 in BC cell lines affected cell cycle and mitosis. Conclusion: Our results show that a combination treatment with miRNAs, in particular miR-181a, miR-326, miR-9 and miR-126, enhance the activity of specific BC drugs in vitro, even on the most aggressive BC subtypes, HER2+ and TNBC. Finally, as expected from its drug interactions, based on a whole transcriptome study we could confirm a role for miR-126 in cell cycle regulation.
Cerebral Oxygenation as a Monitoring Parameter for Mortality During Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

There are no recommended guidelines for monitoring parameters during venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO). We evaluated whether regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2) could be a monitoring parameter for mortality during V-A ECMO. We retrospectively searched our database for adult patients who underwent V-A ECMO between April 2015 and October 2016 and identified 21 patients with rScO2 data. Their baseline and clinical characteristics during the first 7 days (vital signs, arterial blood gas results, ECMO variables, rScO2, Swan-Ganz catheter parameters, transthoracic echocardiography parameters, and outcomes) were collected and evaluated for associations with 28 day mortality. The survivor group (12 patients, 57.1%) had higher rScO2 values and lower lactate levels, compared with the nonsurvivor group (nine cases, 42.9%) during the first 7 days. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves were 0.87 for right rScO2 (p < 0.001) and 0.86 for left rScO2 (p < 0.001). The optimal cutoff values for right and left rScO2 were 58% (sensitivity: 78.7%, specificity: 83.3%) and 57% (sensitivity: 80.0%, specificity: 70.8%), respectively. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that the risks of 28 day mortality were higher among patients with a right rScO2 of <58% and a left rScO2 of <57%, compared with patients with a right rScO2 of ≥58% and a left rScO2 of ≥57% (both, p < 0.001). We suggest that rScO2 may be used as a monitoring parameter for 28 day mortality among patients undergoing V-A ECMO.
Potential use of nir and visible spectroscopy to analyze chemical properties of thermally treated wood

The modification of wood by thermal treatments produces characteristic changes in its chemical composition and surface color and can improve the structural and esthetic quality. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the potential of near infrared and visible spectroscopy to predict the modifications in chemical composition of Eucalyptys grandis and Pinus taeda after thermal treatment. Near infrared and visible spectra were collected directly on the longitudinal surface of wood samples. The thermally modified wood of both species showed higher content of lignin and extractives than the untreated wood. There was darkening of thermally modified wood, as a result of chemical modification caused by heat. The Near infrared/visible technique identified the groups that were modified by treatment. NIR and visible spectroscopy can be used to predict chemical composition of natural or thermally treated Eucalyptus grandis and Pinus taeda.
Associations of stress and depressive symptoms with cancer in older Mexican Americans.

OBJECTIVES Cancer outcomes vary by ethnicity and socioeconomic status, particularly among the elderly. Although not well understood, there is increasing evidence that psychosocial issues, including depression, may be particularly influential among older minority groups. The objective of this study was to explore associations of stress and depressive symptoms with prevalent cancer in older Mexican Americans. METHODS Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed on baseline data from the Hispanic EPESE (collected in 1993, 1994) to explore associations of stress and depressive symptoms with prevalent cancer. RESULTS Higher education, income, and acculturation were associated with cancer. In general, people with more education and greater income, men, and those evidencing greater acculturation were more likely to have cancer. People with cancer had also experienced more adverse life events: specific discrete life events, especially losses, were found to be more important than total number of life events. There was evidence of a J curve in the relationship of depressive symptoms with cancer, particularly for women. The presence of between three and seven symptoms was inversely associated with cancer for women, while clinical depression was positively associated with the disease. In addition, depression was positively associated with cancer in men who felt hopeless. CONCLUSIONS In the fastest growing segment of those aged > or =65 in the United States, Mexican Americans, our findings suggest that some psychosocial factors are associated with cancer and have implications for treatment. Consistent with other research, factors associated with cancer generally reflect greater assimilation. Further exploration of subclinical depression in this older group is needed.
The effect of advection at luminosities close to Eddington: The ULX in M 31

The transient, ultra-luminous X-ray source CXOM31 J004253.1+411422 in the Andromeda galaxy is most likely a 10 solar mass black hole, with super-Eddington luminosity at its peak. The XMM-Newton spectra taken during the decline then trace luminosities of 0.86−0.27 LEdd. These spectra are all dominated by a hot disc component, which roughly follows a constant inner radius track in luminosity and temperature as the source declines. At the highest luminosity the disc structure should change due to advection of radiation through the disc. This advected flux can be partly released at lower radii thus modifying the spectral shape. To study the effect of advection at luminosities close to Eddington we employ a fully relativistic slim disc model, SLIMBH, that includes advective cooling and full radiative transfer through the photosphere based on tlusty. The model also incorporates relativistic photon ray-tracing from the proper location of the disc photosphere rather than the mid-plane as the slim disc is no longer geometrically thin. We find that these new models differ only slightly from the non-advective (standard) BHSPEC models even at the highest luminosities considered here. While both discs can fit the highest luminosity data, neither is a very good fit to the lower luminosities. This could indicate a missing physical process that acts in low luminosity discs and subsides as the disc luminosity approaches the Eddington limit.
The Raspberry Pi: A Platform for Replicable Performance Benchmarks?

Replicating results of performance benchmarks can be diﬃcult. A common problem is that researchers often do not have access to identical hardware and software setups. Modern single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi are standardized, cheap, and powerful enough to run many benchmarks, although probably not at the same performance level as desktop or server hardware. In this paper, we use the MooBench micro-benchmark to investigate to what extent Raspberry Pi is suited as a platform for replicable performance benchmarks. We report on our approach to set up and run the experiments as well as the experience that we made.
Medium- and Long-Term Reuse of Trembling Aspen Cavities as Roosts by Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus)

Roost availability may limit some bat populations, implying that there may be a selective advantage associated with the ability to reuse sites on an annual basis. We monitored aspen tree use by Eptesicus fuscus during multi-year studies (spanning up to 10 years) at the same site in Saskatchewan, Canada. We found that reuse of live trees over the medium-term (three years) was common and that, in some instances, reuse over the long-term (nine and 10 years) can occur. Our data also suggest that, over the medium-term, aspen roosts are reused by groups of bats more often than by solitary individuals. Our findings support the hypothesis that cavity roosting bats exhibit between year loyalty, not just to patches of forest but also to specific trees.
The influence of THC:CBD oromucosal spray on driving ability in patients with multiple sclerosis‐related spasticity

Driving ability is a key function for the majority of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to help maintain daily interactions. Both physical and cognitive disability, as well as treatments, may affect the ability to drive. Spasticity is a common symptom associated with MS, and it may affect driving performance either directly or via the medications used to treat it. In this article, we review the evidence relating the antispasticity medicine, Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol:cannabidiol (THC:CBD) oromucosal spray (Sativex®), and its potential impact on driving performance.