Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The macrophage activation marker sMR as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in patients with acute infectious disease with or without sepsis

Abstract Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality. This study aims to assess the utility of the soluble mannose receptor (sMR) as a biomarker of sepsis and mortality in patients hospitalized with suspected infection. Using an in-house ELISA assay the concentration of sMR was analyzed in the serum of patients from three prospective studies. Using Sepsis-3 guidelines, patients were stratified as no infection (NI, n = 68), verified infection without sepsis (NSEP, n = 133) and verified infection with sepsis (SEP, n = 190). Adverse outcome was assessed as death before 28 days. We show that the sensitivity of sMR to predict mortality [area under curve (AUC) = 0.77] exceeded the sensitivity of procalcitonin (PCT, AUC = 0.63), C-reactive protein (CRP, AUC = 0.61) and the macrophage soluble receptor, CD163 (sCD163, AUC = 0.74), while it was less accurate to predict diagnosis of sepsis [AUC(sMR) = 0.69 vs. AUC(PCT) = 0.79, AUC(CRP) = 0.71 and AUC(sCD163) = 0.66]. Median sMR was significantly higher in the group with SEP (0.55 mg/L), compared with the groups without sepsis (NI and NSEP) (0.39 mg/L, p < .0001), and among those who died compared to those who survived (0.89 mg/L vs. 0.44 mg/L, p < .0001). Our results, and the current literature, support further evaluation of sMR as a biomarker of sepsis and mortality among patients hospitalized with suspected infection.
How different in cultural acceptance of tutoring robots serving augmented reality?

The difference of user's perception seems to have been well reflected in the development of robot technology. In this study, we attempted to compare and analyze how cultural features in three different countries i.e. Korea, Japan, and Europe affect parents and children in accommodating tutoring robots for education. It was revealed that parents in Europe representing western countries are generally more inflexible and negative on purchasing tutoring robots than those of Korea and Japan. The expectations of parents on the practical use, service of augmented reality, of tutoring robots turned out to be higher in Korea than in Europe and Japan. Japanese and Europe parents hold more conservative attitudes toward tutoring robots than Korean. In contrast, Korean parents are most liberal and less resistant to educating their children by robots, probably due to the fact that e-Learning is widely used and has just begun to enter r-Learning in the Korean society. The fact that a substantial number of students felt pressed despite positive expectation for contents based on identification in a class may provide useful information in setting up new guidelines for children served augmented reality by tutoring robots.
Early Responses of Periodontal Ligament Cells to Mechanical Stimulus in vivo

Previous studies have indicated that human periodontal ligament cells undergo osteoblastic differentiation via the ERK pathway under mechanical stress in vitro. This study aimed to verify this principle in vivo. The right upper first molars of 25 anesthetized rats were loaded with constant forces of 0.1 N for up to 8 hrs. The untreated contralateral side served as a control. Paraffin-embedded sections were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2/Cbfa1), and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (pERK1/2). In selected areas under tension, the proportions of Runx2-positive and pERK1/2-positive cells increased within 8 hrs of loading, whereas these proportions in selected areas under pressure were significantly lower than those in control teeth. Moreover, there were no significant changes in the number of PCNA-positive cells. Thus, mechanical stimulus up-regulates Runx2, and this regulation may be achieved via the ERK pathway.
High mortality by natural and unnatural causes: a 10 year follow up study of patients admitted to a poisoning treatment centre after suicide attempts.

OBJECTIVE--To describe mortality by suicide and other causes of death in a group of patients who attempted suicide, and to identify predictive factors. DESIGN--10 year follow up study based on records of suicide attempters in 1980. SETTING--Poisoning treatment centre at a general hospital. SUBJECTS--974 patients aged 15 and over referred to the poisoning treatment centre after deliberate self poisoning. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Death by different causes registered in the Danish death cause register. RESULTS--In 10 years of follow up 306 patients died: 103 by suicide, 131 from natural causes, and 31 by accident; five were murdered, and in 36 cases the cause of death was uncertain. The standard mortality ratio was 550. Cause specific standardised mortality rates were 2960 for suicide, 236 for natural causes, 1256 for accidents, and 5459 for uncertain causes. In a Cox regression analysis, high risk factors for subsequent suicide were: more than one previous suicide attempt (relative risk 2.25), living alone (2.28), and age (1.03 per year). Predictors of death by natural causes were receiving a pension (1.69), drug misuse (2.72), more than one previous suicide attempt (2.25), age (1.06 per year), and male sex (2.49). The group of patients fulfilling at least one high risk criterion for later suicide differed significantly from the rest of the patient group in incidence of suicide, but both sensitivity and specificity were low. CONCLUSIONS--Most patients who attempted suicide were at high risk of succeeding because the risk factors, though significant, are not very specific. A strategy to prevent suicide must be directed toward the majority of those who attempt suicide.
Therapist-Assisted, Internet-Based Treatment for Panic Disorder: Can General Practitioners Achieve Comparable Patient Outcomes to Psychologists?

Background Mental illness is an escalating concern worldwide. The management of disorders such as anxiety and depression largely falls to family doctors or general practitioners (GPs). However, GPs are often too time constrained and may lack the necessary training to adequately manage the needs of such patients. Evidence-based Internet interventions represent a potentially valuable resource to reduce the burden of care and the cost of managing mental health disorders within primary care settings and, at the same time, improve patient outcomes. Objective The present study sought to extend the efficacy of a therapist-assisted Internet treatment program for panic disorder, Panic Online, by determining whether comparable outcomes could be achieved and maintained when Panic Online was supported by either GPs or psychologists. Methods Via a natural groups design, 96 people with a primary diagnosis of panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia) completed the Panic Online program over 12 weeks with the therapeutic assistance of their GP (n = 53), who had received specialist training in cognitive behavioral therapy, or a clinical psychologist (n = 43). Participants completed a clinical diagnostic telephone interview, conducted by a psychologist, and a set of online questionnaires to assess panic-related symptoms at three time periods (pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6 month follow-up). Results Both treatments led to clinically significant improvements on measures of panic and panic-related symptomatology from pretreatment to posttreatment. Both groups were shown to significantly improve over time. Improvements for both groups were maintained at follow-up; however, the groups did differ significantly on two quality of life domains: physical (F1,82 = 9.13, P = .00) and environmental (F1,82 = 4.41, P = .04). The attrition rate was significantly higher among those being treated by their GP (χ 2 1 = 4.40, P = .02, N = 96). Conclusions This study provides evidence that Internet-based interventions are an effective adjunct to existing mental health care systems. Consequently, this may facilitate and enhance the delivery of evidence-based mental health treatments to increasingly large segments of the population via primary care systems and through suitably trained health professionals.
Q‐ and L‐type calcium channels control the development of calbindin phenotype in hippocampal pyramidal neurons in vitro

Cultured immature hippocampal neurons from embryonic 17‐day‐old rats were used to explore activity‐dependent regulation of neuronal phenotype differentiation in the developing hippocampus. The calbindin‐D28k phenotype of the pyramidal neurons appeared during the first 6 days in culture, and was expressed by 12% of the cells on day 6. Daily stimulation with 50 mm KCl during the first 5 days in vitro increased the number of calbindin‐D28k‐positive pyramidal neurons without affecting neuronal survival. This effect was prevented by buffering extracellular Ca2+. Omega‐agatoxin‐IVA‐sensitive Q‐type and nitrendipine‐sensitive L‐type voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) carried Ca2+ currents and Ca2+ influx in immature pyramidal neurons at somata level. Blockade of these channels inhibited calbindin‐D28k phenotype induced by 50 mm KCl. Conversely, glutamate‐activated Ca2+ channel antagonists did not affect the KCl‐induced calbindin‐D28k phenotype. Chronic blockade of Q‐ and/or L‐type VGCCs downregulated the normal calbindin‐D28k development of immature pyramidal neurons without affecting neuronal survival, the somatic area of pyramidal neurons or the number of GABAergic‐positive (γ‐aminobutyric acid) interneurons. However, at later developmental stages, Q‐type VGCCs lost their ability to control Ca2+ influx at somata level, and both Q‐ and L‐type VGCCs failed to regulate calbindin‐D28k phenotype. These results suggest that Q‐type channels, which have been predominantly associated with neurotransmitter release in adult brain, transiently act in synergy with L‐type VGCCs to direct early neuronal differentiation of hippocampal pyramidal neurons before the establishment of their synaptic circuits.
Heterogeneity of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells in the mouse revealed by molecular phenotyping

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell (ipRGC) types can be distinguished by their dendritic tree stratification and intensity of melanopsin staining. We identified heavily stained melanopsin‐positive M1 cells branching in the outermost part of the inner plexiform layer (IPL) and weakly melanopsin‐positive M2 cells branching in the innermost layer of the IPL. A third type can be distinguished by the displacement of the soma to the inner nuclear layer and has morphological similarities with either M1 cells or M2 cells, and is termed here displaced or M‐d cells. The aim of the present study was to examine the phenotypic traits of ipRGC types. Using whole retinae from adult mice, we performed immunohistochemistry using melanopsin immunostaining and a number of antibodies directed against proteins typically expressed in retinal ganglion cells. The majority of M1 and M2 ipRGCs expressed Isl‐1, microtubule associated protein‐2 (MAP2), γ‐synuclein, and NeuN, whereas Brn3 transcription factor and the different neurofilaments (NF68, NF160, NF200) were able to discriminate between ipRGC subtypes. Brn3 was expressed preferentially in M2 cells and in a small subpopulation of weakly melanopsin‐positive M‐d cells with similarities to M2 cells. All three neurofilaments were primarily expressed in large M2 cells with similarities to the recently described alpha‐like M4 cells, but not in M1 cells. Expression of NF68 and NF160 was also observed in a few large M‐d ipRGCs. These findings show that ipRGCs are not a phenotypically homogenous population and that specific neuronal markers (Brn3 and neurofilament) can partly distinguish between different ipRGC subtypes. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:912–932, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of topical 2% cyclosporine A on the corneas of dogs subjected to lamellar keratoplasty with a graft of equine pericardium preserved in glycerin: clinical and morphological evaluation

The effects of topical 2% cyclosporine A on the cornea of dogs subjected to experimental lamellar keratoplasty with an equine pericardial graft were evaluated. Ten dogs were grouped to be evaluated 3, 7, 15, 30 and 60 days after surgery. Animals received bilateral grafts followed by the application of a 2% cyclosporine A ointment on the left eye (treated eye) and the ointment base on the right eye (control eye) twice a day. The ophthalmic evaluation showed profound bilateral blepharospasm, photophobia and a mucous secretion until the 7th day after surgery; corneal vascularization starting in the limbus was observed as early as the 3rd day in both eyes; opacification and vascularization were more intense in the treated cornea on days 15 and 30 after surgery. Vascularization was still evident on the 60th day, and looked similar in treated eyes and control eyes. The histologic evaluation showed a complete bilateral reepithelization and corneal vascularization three days after the surgery; intense vascularization in both eyes on days 15 and 30, that was much more pronounced in the treated cornea; and a bilateral predominance of polymorphonuclear cells until day 15, and mononuclear cells on day 30. Intact epithelium and stroma with new vessels, as well as graft absorption, in both eyes, were seen on the 60th day. The lamellar keratoplasty with equine pericardial graft was an effective model to study the inflammatory kinetics and corneal vascularization phenomenon. In this study, cyclosporine A did not inhibit corneal vascularization and it did not interfere in the corneal cicatricial process.
Mechanisms of white matter damage in multiple sclerosis

Glia cells are mediators as well as targets of the chronic inflammatory process in the central nervous system of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. They are involved in the control of autoimmunity, in the propagation and termination of the inflammatory reaction, in the induction of demyelination and neurodegeneration, and in remyelination and scaring. Demyelination, as well as neuronal and GLIA cell damage are induced by different immunological mechanisms including components of the adaptive and innate immune system. Oxidative injury resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction is one important mechanism of tissue injury. It is in part driven by the inflammatory response and the production of oxygen radicals mainly in microglia and macrophages. With increasing age of the patients and disease progression, oxidative injury is further amplified by additional mechanisms including central nervous system damage related microglia activation, progressive mitochondrial damage, and age‐dependent iron accumulation within the human central nervous system. The inflammatory mechanisms associated with lesion formation in MS are to a large extent reflected in experimental models of inflammatory demyelination, such as autoimmune encephalomyelitis. This is not the case for the amplification mechanisms of oxidative injury, which mainly operate in the progressive stage of the disease. GLIA 2014;62:1816–1830
Effects of Sociodemographic Characteristics and Personality Traits on Career Development

The aim of this study was to identify which employees’ sociodemographic characteristics and personality traits affected their career development. The research was conducted on a sample of 462 employees, aged between 30 and 55. The final analysis of covariance model included only characteristics which had previously been identified as having significant effect and relations with career development: gender, age, education level, years of work experience with the current employer, total years of work experience, financial status, and all Big Five traits. It was determined that the following characteristics had a significant effect on career development: gender, years of work experience with the current employer, and financial status, from the set of sociodemographic characteristics, as well as Conscientiousness, from the personality traits. Sociodemographic characteristics and personality traits, especially Conscientiousness, represent significant determinants in career development.
The assessment of dependence in the study of stressful life events: validation using a twin design

Background. In the assessment of stressful life events (SLEs), researchers have often tried to evaluate whether individual events are dependent or independent of the respondent's behaviour. We sought to validate this evaluation using a twin methodology. We predicted that dependent SLEs would be more heritable than independent SLEs. Methods. We explored, by twin modelling, the resemblance in two pairs of past-year personal and network SLEs rated individually, by trained interviewers, on a four-point dependence–independence scale. We examined results from two waves of interviews with 785 female–female twin pairs ascertained from a population based registry. Results. Twin model-fitting found no evidence for genetic effects on personal or network independent SLEs. However, familial–environmental factors played an important role in the aetiology of network independent SLEs. For personal and network dependent SLEs, by contrast, three of four analyses suggested a significant aetiological role for genetic factors with estimated heritabilities ranging from 19 to 51%. Conclusions. Our results support the validity of interviewer assessments of dependence versus independence of SLEs. As predicted, these assessments were relatively successful at distinguishing SLEs that were influenced by genetic factors from those that were not.
Superoxide Anions and NO in the Paraventricular Nucleus Modulate the Cardiac Sympathetic Afferent Reflex in Obese Rats

This study was conducted to explore the hypothesis that the endogenous superoxide anions (O2−) and nitric oxide (NO) system of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) regulates the cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) contributing to sympathoexcitation in obese rats induced by a high-fat diet (42% kcal as fat) for 12 weeks. CSAR was evaluated by monitoring the changes of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and the mean arterial pressure (MAP) responses to the epicardial application of capsaicin (CAP) in anaesthetized rats. In obese rats with hypertension (OH group) or without hypertension (OB group), the levels of PVN O2−, angiotensinII (Ang II), Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase were elevated, whereas neural NO synthase (nNOS) and NO were significantly reduced. Moreover, CSAR was markedly enhanced, which promoted the elevation of plasma norepinephrine levels. The enhanced CSAR was attenuated by PVN application of the superoxide scavenger polyethylene glycol-superoxide dismutase (PEG-SOD) and the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and was strengthened by the superoxide dismutase inhibitor diethyldithiocarbamic acid (DETC) and the nNOS inhibitor N(ω)-propyl-l-arginine hydrochloride (PLA); conversely, there was a smaller CSAR response to PLA or SNP in rats that received a low-fat (12% kcal) diet. Furthermore, PVN pretreatment with the AT1R antagonist losartan or with PEG-SOD, but not SNP, abolished Ang II-induced CSAR enhancement. These findings suggest that obesity alters the PVN O2− and NO system that modulates CSAR and promotes sympathoexcitation.
Effects of rilpivirine on human adipocyte differentiation , gene 2 expression and release of adipokines and cytokines 3 4 5 6 7

4 5 6 7 Julieta Díaz-Delfín , Pere Domingo , Ma Gracia Mateo, Ma el Mar Gutierrez, Joan Carles 8 Domingo, Marta Giralt , Francesc Villarroya 9 10 11 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University 12 of Barcelona and CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, and Infectious Diseases Unit, 13 Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Autonomous University of Barcelona and Red de Investigación 14 en SIDA (RIS), Barcelona, Spain. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Prediction of efficacy to pegylated interferon‐α‐2b plus ribavirin in patients with genotype 2 hepatitis C virus using viral response within 2 weeks

Rapid virological response (RVR), defined as serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA negativity at 4 weeks, is the most useful predictor of sustained virological response (SVR) to standard pegylated interferon (PEG IFN) plus ribavirin therapy for patients infected with genotype 2 HCV. The aim of the present study was to predict SVR using viral response within 2 weeks of therapy initiation.
Applying a large strain into graphene using thermal shrinkage of SU-8 resist

We investigated the use of the thermal shrinkage of SU-8 resist for applying strain into graphene grown by the chemical-vapor-deposition (CVD) method. We demonstrate that the shrinkage of resist deposited on top of graphene on a substrate induces a local tensile strain within a distance of 1-2 μm from the edge of the resist. The thermal shrinkage of SU-8 allows us to design the local strain in graphene on substrates. We also show that this method induces a large tensile strain in graphene suspended between two bars of SU-8. We expect that a much larger strain can be induced by suppressing the defects of the CVD-grown graphene.
Indigenous HIV Prevention Beliefs and Practices Among Low-Earning Chinese Sex Workers as Context for Introducing Female Condoms and Other Novel Prevention Options

New interventions to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) among female sex workers are introduced into the context of women’s existing prevention beliefs and practices. These indigenous practices affected implementation of our program to introduce female condoms to women in sex-work establishments in southern China. We used ethnographic field observations and in-depth interviews to document common prevention methods women reported using to protect themselves before and during intervention implementation. Individual, sex-work establishment, and other contextual factors, including sources of information and social and economic pressures to use or reject prevention options, shaped their perceptions and selection of these methods and affected adoption of female condoms as an additional tool. Efforts to improve uptake of effective prevention methods among low-income sex workers require attention to the context and spectrum of women’s HIV/STI prevention practices when introducing innovations such as female condoms, microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis pills, and others, as they become available.