Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Mechanisms Involved in the Increased Renal Elimination of Bromosulfophthalein During Cholestasis: Involvement of Oatp1

The kidneys and liver are the major routes for organic anion elimination. We have recently shown that acute obstructive jaundice is associated with increased systemic and renal elimination of two organic anions, p-aminohippurate and furosemide, principally excreted through urine. This study examined probable adaptive mechanisms involved in renal elimination of bromosulfophthalein (BSP), a prototypical organic anion principally excreted in bile, in rats with acute obstructive jaundice. Male Wistar rats underwent bile duct ligation (BDL rats). Pair-fed sham-operated rats served as controls. BSP renal clearance was performed by conventional techniques. Renal organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1 (Oatp1) expression was evaluated by immunoblotting and IHC. Excreted, filtered, and secreted loads of BSP were all higher in BDL rats compared with Sham rats. The higher BSP filtered load resulted from the increase in plasma BSP concentration in BDL rats, because glomerular filtration rate showed no difference with the Sham group. The increase in the secreted load might be explained by the higher expression of Oatp1 observed in apical membranes from kidneys of BDL animals. This likely adaptation to hepatic injury, specifically in biliary components elimination, might explain, at least in part, the huge increase in BSP renal excretion observed in this experimental model. (J Histochem Cytochem 57:449–456, 2009)
The Effect of Cement Dust Exposure on Hematological and Cytogenetic Studies of Cement Workers

The study measured haematological and cytogentic parameters in workers occupationally exposed to cement dust in order to test the hypothesis that cement dust exposure may perturb these functions. Assessments of haematological, and cytogentic were performed in 30 workers occupationally exposed to cement dust and 30 matched unexposed controls. The RBC level has no significant change and WBC level has a significant increased whereas Differential Leucocyte count of monocyte and basophils significantly decreased in the cement workers, while there was no significant difference in the neutrophils. Eosinophils and lymphocytes showed significantly increased in cement workers. The platelet count, MCV, RDW, PCT, PDW, MCH, MCHC were significantly decreased. The Hgb content and PCV were significantly increased. TB, DB and IB were not statistically significant. In the cytogentic analysis, the chromosomal aberration was not found in control group as well as cement worker. These results suggest that occupationally exposure to cement dust may perturb haemopoietic while preserving the genotoxic.
Regulation of CRH-induced secretion of ACTH and corticosterone by SOM230 in rats.

OBJECTIVE Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing's syndrome is biochemically characterized by increased plasma concentrations of ACTH inducing hypersecretion of cortisol. Somatostatin is known to inhibit ACTH secretion, and in vitro data have shown the inhibition of ACTH secretion by agonists activating sst2 and sst5 receptors. The present study aimed to determine the inhibitory effect of the multireceptor ligand SOM230, compared with the sst2-preferring agonist octreotide, on corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-stimulated secretion of ACTH and corticosterone in rats. METHODS Secretion of ACTH and corticosterone was induced by i.v. application of CRH (0.5 microg/kg) in rats pretreated 1 h before by i.v. application of SOM230 (1, 3, or 10 microg/kg), octreotide (10 microg/kg) or NaCl 0.9%. RESULTS SOM230 (3 and 10 microg/kg) inhibited CRH-induced ACTH release by 45+/-3% and 51+/-2%, respectively, and corticosterone release by 43+/-5% and 27+/-16%, respectively. 10 microg/kg of octreotide tended to be less potent at inhibiting ACTH release (34+/-6% inhibition) and did not alter the secretion of corticosterone. CONCLUSION SOM230 has a stronger inhibitory effect on ACTH and corticosterone secretion than octreotide in rats. This difference can be explained by its higher affinity to sst1, sst3 and especially sst5 receptors compared with octreotide.
The medical home transformation in the Veterans Health Administration: an evaluation of early changes in primary care delivery.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of medical home implementation on primary care delivery in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING/STUDY DESIGN We link interview-based qualitative data on medical home implementation to quantitative outcomes from VHA clinical encounter data. We use a longitudinal analysis with provider fixed effects (taking advantage of variation in timing of implementation and allowing each provider to serve as a control for him or herself) to test whether patient-aligned care team (PACT) implementation was associated with changes in organizational processes and patient outcomes. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Among 683 PCPs, caring for 321,295 patients, the uptake of eight of nine PACT structural changes significantly increased from July 2010 to June 2012 as did the percentage of primary care appointments occurring by telephone and hospital discharges contacted within 2 days of discharge. We found that PACT implementation was associated with significant improvements in 2-day post-hospital discharge contact, but not primary care visits occurring by telephone or within 3 days of the requested date. We found no association between medical home implementation and rates of emergency department use by patients. CONCLUSIONS Medical home implementation at the VHA resulted in large changes in the structure of care but few changes in patient-level outcomes. These results highlight both the complexity of studying the effect of the medical home as well as implementing this model to change primary care delivery.
Study on a Poisson's equation solver based on deep learning technique

In this work, we investigated the feasibility of applying deep learning techniques to solve 2D Poisson's equation. A deep convolutional neural network is set up to predict the distribution of electric potential in 2D. With training data generated from a finite difference solver, the strong approximation capability of the deep convolutional neural network allows it to make correct prediction given information of the source and distribution of permittivity. Numerical experiments show that the predication error can reach below one percent, with a significant reduction in CPU time compared with the traditional solver based on finite difference methods.
Catatonia in Alcohol Withdrawal: A Case Report

ly within a week. Mr. B. had a significant history of similar symptoms on alcohol withdrawal 2 years before and had shown a similar response to lorazepam. The patient fulfilled the criteria for catatonia as per DSM-IV-TR, within the period of withdrawal from alcohol, in the absence of delirium. There was no psychosocial stress beyond the normal range for the patient. Neurological and systemic causes for catatonia were ruled out in the patient through biochemical blood investigations (electrolytes, renal and liver function tests and blood sugar), CSF examination and computed tomography brain imaging. In the context of alcohol, catatonia has been reported in delirium [5] , in benzodiazepine withdrawal [6] and in alcohol withdrawal [3] . Changes in GABA transmission have been postulated as mechanisms in catatonia [1] , alcohol withdrawal [7] and benzodiazepine action. Motor symptoms in catatonia have been explained to be the result of alteration in a ‘top-down modulation’ of caudate and other basal ganglia by GABAergic mediCatatonia is a neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by alterations in motor behavior, thought and vigilance [1, 2] . Catatonia in alcohol withdrawal is extremely rare. There is only 1 case report in humans [3] and another in animals [4] . We present a case where catatonia was the presenting feature of alcohol withdrawal. Mr. B. , a 30-year-old male, presented with a 15-year history of alcohol dependence (DSM-IV-TR) in March 2008. After 2 days of abrupt cessation of alcohol use, he developed symptoms of decreased sleep and psychomotor agitation lasting for 1 day, followed by stupor, mutism, negativism, rigidity, posturing, echopraxia and autonomic disturbances. The patient’s mood appeared to be predominantly anxious and he was agitated. His Bush Francis catatonia rating scale score was 18. He was immediately started on a trial of intravenous lorazepam t.i. d. The response to lorazepam was dramatic and the patient was completely symptom free within 1 day. He was detoxified with lorazepam and his withdrawal symptoms subsided completeReceived: March 29, 2010 Accepted after revision: July 29, 2010 Published online: January 12, 2011
New PCR Primer Pairs Specific for Cryptococcus neoformans Serotype A or B Prepared on the Basis of Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Fingerprint Pattern Analyses

ABSTRACT Thirty-three strains of Cryptococcus neoformans were isolated from clinical specimens, including specimens from AIDS patients in Brazil, and were classified into two serotypes; we detected 31 and 2 strains of serotypes A and B, respectively. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprint pattern analyses of these strains of serotypes A and B showed that the patterns were similar for strains of each serotype when three 10-mer primers were used as the RAPD primers. Comparative studies of the fingerprint patterns of the study isolates with those of the reference strains also showed that the RAPD patterns for strains of each serotype were related and that most of the fingerprint bands existed commonly for all strains of each serotype tested. The common RAPD bands (an approximately 700-bp band for serotype A and an approximately 450-bp band for serotype B) were extracted and the DNA sequences were determined. Using this information, we prepared two and one PCR primer pairs which were expected to be specific for C. neoformans serotypes A and B, respectively. Use of each PCR primer combination thus prepared for serotype A or B was 100% successful in identifying the respectiveC. neoformans serotypes, including the 33 clinical isolates tested in the present study. Among these combinations, one for serotype A was found to amplify DNA from C. neoformans serotype B as well as serotype A. Serotype B-specific PCR primer pairs amplified DNA from not only serotype B strains but also from serotype C strains. The usefulness of other serotype-specific PCR primers for clinical C. neoformans isolates is discussed.
Immunoelectrophoretic analysis of antigenic constituents of Seibert fractions of mycobacterial culture filtrates. Identification with the proposed United States-Japan reference nomenclature.

Immunoelectrophoresis, using as reference materials the concentrated culture filtrate and homologous goat antiserum developed by the Mycobacterial Antigen Subcommittee of the United States—Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program, was used to study the constitution of mycobacterial culture filtrate fractions prepared by the classical chemical methods of Seibert. It was possible to identify most of the antigens present in the Seibert fractions and to relate them to the United States—Japan nomenclature.
Effects of Sex Hormones on Cardiovascular and Hematologic Responses to Chronic Hypoxia in Rats

Summary Castrated male rats exposed to high altitude (4000 m) for 5-6 weeks developed right ventricular hypertrophy, increased hematocrits and increased levels of 2,3-DPG. Treatment with testosterone increased right ventricular weight, hematocrit and 2,3-DPG levels. The effects of high altitude and testosterone on right ventricular hypertrophy were additive. Estrogen treatment decreased hematocrit whereas progesterone had no effect. Neither female hormone affected 2,3-DPG levels or right ventricular hypertrophy. The results suggest that sex differences in the degree of right ventricular hypertrophy at high altitude and in the incidence of diseases marked by hypoxia and right heart failure may be more a function of disadvantages associated with the male hormone, testosterone, than with advantages associated with the female hormones, progesterone and estrogen.
Influence of RGS 2 on Anxiety-Related Temperament , Personality , and Brain Function

Context: Although anxiety disorders are heritable, their genetic and phenotypic complexity has made the identification of susceptibility genes difficult. Wellvalidated animal models and intermediate phenotypes provide crucial tools for genetic dissection of anxiety. The gene encoding regulator of G protein signaling 2 (Rgs2) is a quantitative trait gene that influences mouse anxiety behavior, making its human ortholog (RGS2) a compelling candidate gene for human anxiety phenotypes.
Inside risks: the uses and abuses of biometrics

B iometrics are seductive. Your voiceprint unlocks the door of your house. Your iris scan lets you into the corporate offices. You are your own key. Unfortunately, the reality isn't that simple. Biometrics are the oldest form of identification. Dogs have distinctive barks. Cats spray. Humans recognize faces. On the telephone, your voice identifies you. Your signature identifies you as the person who signed a contract. In order to be useful, biometrics must be stored in a database. Alice's voice biometric works only if you recognize her voice; it won't help if she is a stranger. You can verify a signature only if you recognize it. To solve this problem, banks keep signature cards. Alice signs her name on a card when she opens the account, and the bank can verify Alice's signature against the stored signature to ensure that the check was signed by Alice. There is a variety of different biometrics. In addition to the those mentioned, there are hand geometry, fingerprints , iris scans, DNA, typing patterns, signature geometry (not just the look of the signature, but the pen pressure, signature speed, and so forth). The technologies are different, some are more reliable, and they'll all improve with time. Biometrics are hard to forge: it's hard to put a false fingerprint on your finger, or make your iris look like someone else's. Some people can mimic others' voices, and Hollywood can make people's faces look like someone else, but these are specialized or expensive skills. When you see people sign their name, you generally know it is them. On the other hand, some biometrics are easy to steal. Imagine a remote system that uses face recognition as a biometric. " In order to gain authorization, take a Polaroid picture of yourself and mail it in. We'll compare the picture with the one we have in file. '' What are the possible attacks here? Take a Polaroid picture of Alice when she's not looking. Then, at some later date, mail it in and fool the system. The attack works because while it is hard to make your face look like Alice's, it's easy to get a picture of Alice's face. And since the system does not verify when and where the picture was taken—only that it matches the picture of Alice's face in the file—it can be fooled. A keyboard fingerprint reader can be similar. If the verification takes …
Incidence of HBV and HCV in Young Orphan Students of Swat

Hepatitis remains major public health problem in the country, also one of the leading causes of death. The present work was conducted to define the incidence of HBV and HCV infections and related risk factors among young orphan students from different areas of District Swat. A total of 175 samples within the age group of 5-17 years were studied of which 109 were males and 66 females. Initially, samples were examined by immunochromatographic assay (ICT) and were further analyzed by PCR method. 61(34.85%) subjects were found positive for HCV by ICT strip and 31 of these were confirmed by PCR, having 20 male and 11 female. The prevalence rate was recorded 17.71 % for HCV in selected areas. Similarly, for HBV a total of 7 (4%) patients were recorded positive by ICT and 3 (2.75 %) male subject were confirmed by PCR. No female subject was found HBV positive. Total HBV prevalence rate was 1.71 %. Disease frequency revealed increasing configuration and massive health education campaign is needed in related areas of Swat regarding hepatitis B and C viral infections. Vaccination at all healthcare channels should be planned to limit its spread.
Rituximab (Anti‐CD20) Therapy of B‐Cell Lymphomas: Direct Complement Killing is Superior to Cellular Effector Mechanisms

Rituximab (IDEC-C2B8, Mabthera(R)) is a chimeric (human-mouse) monoclonal antibody (MoAb) against the B-cell specific CD20-antigen. It has been used for the clinical treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, but variable clinical results suggest that some lymphoma cells remain resistant. In the present study we have evaluated the relative efficiencies of humoral and cell-mediated effector mechanisms complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), antibody-(ADCC), complement-(CDCC) dependent cellular cytotoxicity and apoptosis on lymphoma cell killing by rituximab. Rituximab activated the cytolytic complement (C) cascade and induced a strong CDC, but the rituximab-triggered ADCC and CDCC were relatively ineffective. The CDC was strongly enhanced by antibodies against the C inhibitor CD59 (protectin). Neutralization of CD55 (DAF) and CD46 (MCP) had a similar but weaker effect. Rituximab also induced apoptosis but in a cell line-dependent fashion. The results strongly emphasize the role of direct CDC as the major, fast and efficient effector mechanism of rituximab. In the immunotherapeutic treatment of B-cell lymphomas, it is important to consider the role of C-regulatory proteins as an escape mechanism of the malignant cells. Our results suggest that the effect of rituximab therapy could be enhanced by combining it with neutralization of CD59.
A Behavioral Theory of Market Expansion Based on the Opportunity Prospects Rule

What explains organizational search and choice when multiple opportunities are available to the decision makers? Drawing on the behavioral view of the firm, and on the attention-based view, this study proposes a theoretical model centered on the opportunity prospects rule to explain market expansion, defined as the extent (how many) and the selection (which) of multiple available opportunities that are actually pursued by competing firms. We test our model using longitudinal, fine-grained data on commercial banks undertaking more than 1,300 opportunity choices. The findings show that firms do use the opportunity prospects rule when exercising market expansion choices and that slack and performance feedback moderate the effects of opportunity prospects. This paper contributes to organizational decision-making research and to the behavioral view of the firm by showing the importance of considering an opportunity-driven approach, by demonstrating the relevance of simplifying rules to explain the search for the consequences of alternatives, by extending recent efforts to provide a more forward-looking perspective to model organization behavior, and by showing when slack and performance feedback moderate the effects on market expansion of the opportunity prospects rule.
A kinetic model of the aggregation of alpha-synuclein provides insights into prion-like spreading Short title : Templated seeding of alpha-synuclein aggregation

a Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK. b Department of Molecular Neuroscience, University College London, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. 1 These authors contributed equally. 2 Correspondence may be addressed to: tpjk2@cam.ac. uk, dk10012@cam.ac. uk Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via alla Cascata, 56/C, 38123 Trento, Italy Present address: Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried-Munich, 82152, Germany. 5 Present address: Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Universidad de Zaragoza, Mariano Esquillor, Edificio I+D, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain.
Prejudice, Social Dominance, and Similarity among People who Favor Integration of Minorities

Abstract This study examines differences in prejudice, perceived similarity, and social dominance in members of the majority who favor integration as a means of minority acculturation. A total of 342 non-Gypsy Spanish participants filled out a questionnaire about their relationship to one of three outgroups: Maghrebians, Gypsies, and Latin Americans. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed that a three-cluster solution was most fitting for every outgroup. ANOVAs applied to the three clusters indicated significant differences in prejudice, perceived similarity, and social dominance. Referring to Gypsies the largest effect size was observed in manifest prejudice (η2 = .63), in Maghrebians, the largest effect size was observed in subtle prejudice (η2 =.77), while for Latin Americans, perceived similarity had the largest effect size η2 ( = .60). The results reveal a need to modify existing measures of integration; we recommend using questionnaires to measure behaviors that members of the majority would be willing to implement.
Experimental study of the excited-state properties and photostability of the mycosporine-like amino acid palythine in aqueous solution

Characterization of the excited states of the mycosporine-like amino acid palythine ( λ _max = 320 nm) in aqueous solutions was achieved experimentally. The low value for the photodegradation quantum yield, (1.2 ± 0.2) × 10^−5, confirms that palythine is highly photostable in air saturated-aqueous solutions. Laser flash photolysis of acetone in the presence of palythine allowed for the observation of a transient spectrum which is consistent with the triplet-triplet absorption of palythine. Kinetic treatment of the transient signals yields a lifetime of the triplet state of ca. 9 ώs and a triplet energy around 330 kJ mol^−1. The photoacoustic calorimetry results are consistent with non-radiative decay as the major fate of excited palythine. A comparison of the photodegradation quantum yields and photophysical properties of palythine with those previously determined for the other mycosporine-like amino acids, shinorine and porphyra-334, suggests that geometrical isomerization around the CN bond may contribute to the rapid deactivation of this group of molecules.
BrainSegNet : A Segmentation Network for Human Brain Fiber Tractography Data into Anatomically Meaningful Clusters

The segregation of brain fiber tractography data into distinct and anatomically meaningful clusters can help to comprehend the complex brain structure and early investigation and management of various neural disorders. We propose a novel stacked bidirectional long short-term memory(LSTM) based segmentation network, (BrainSegNet) for human brain fiber tractography data classification. We perform a two-level hierarchical classification a) White vs Grey matter (Macro) and b) White matter clusters (Micro). BrainSegNet is trained over three brain tractography data having over 250,000 fibers each. Our experimental evaluation shows that our model achieves state-of-the-art results. We have performed inter as well as intra class testing over three patient's brain tractography data and achieved a high classification accuracy for both macro and micro levels both under intra as well as inter brain testing scenario.