Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post-Traumatic brain injury (TBI) presenting with Guillain-Barre syndrome and elevated anti-ganglioside antibodies: a case report and review of the literature

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a demyelinating polyneuropathy resulting in sensory, motor and autonomic symptoms. The severity of the disease can range from mild to severe but it is classically described as an ascending demyelinating process. Initially thought to be the sequelae of a bacterial or viral infection, the clinical symptoms of post-infective GBS can present up to 4 weeks after sentinel injury. A rarely defined post-surgical GBS has been since described after major cranial, cardiothoracic and gastro-intestinal surgery. Post traumatic GBS is an even more unusual presentation with very few cases reported in contemporary academic literature. We present a case of GBS presenting two weeks after non-operative traumatic brain injury (TBI) and a review of the literature.
Factors Influencing Patients’ Attitudes to Exchange Electronic Health Information in Saudi Arabia: An Exploratory Study

Health Information Exchange (HIE) systems electronically transfer patients’ clinical, demographic, and health-related information between different care providers. These exchanges offer improved health care quality, reduced medical errors and health care costs, increase patient safety and organizational efficiency. However, technologies cannot bring such improvements if patients are reluctant to share personal health information which could impede the success of HIE system. The purpose of this study is to identify different factors that determine patients’ acceptance for sharing their medical information among different care provider. Based preliminary on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) combined with patients’ perspective an integrated model is proposed. A questionnaire survey is conducted to measure the proportion of respondents’ willingness to share their information with the residence of the eastern province of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A sample of 300 respondents over 18 years of age is collected. Basic descriptive statistical analysis, reliability and validity assessment is conducted to analyze data and measure the goodness of model. Furthermore, Structural Equation Modelling is used to test research hypothesis. The finding shows that perceived benefit, perceived risk, subjective norms and attitude are the main predictors of patients’ willingness or unwillingness to share their health information. The study revealed that more attention should be directed to these factors during the design and implementation of future HIE system to avoid expected barriers.
Steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome and allergy.

The large and detailed survey by Meadow et al.1 2 on the incidence of allergic features in steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) differs in some ways from our recent findings.3 In 42 SRNS children associated with minimal glomerular changes we could not find a statistically significant difference between the frequency of allergic disorders, the serum levels of total IgE, and the incidence of allergen specific IgE antibodies in serum as detected by RAST,* and furthermore there were fewer positive skin prick tests. Our data do not support the hypothesis that IgE mediated hypersensitivity plays a general role in the pathogenesis of SRNS, but they strengthen the view that in a small group of children with SRNS who are characterised by the coincidence of a clear history of allergy, a positive skin prick test, and high specific IgE antibodies to certain allergens, this pathogenesis must be considered. Some discrepancies between the results of Meadow et al. and our own study must be owing to differences in the selection of patients and control subjects as well as to the interpretation of skin tests and laboratory data. As in other investigations4 the great majority of children in the Leeds study had a SRNS characterised by frequent relapses, whereas 26% of our patients were non-relapsers or ones who seldom relapsed in whom the proportion of positive atopic histories or abnormal allergic tests was low. Of 16 cases in our steroid-dependent group (which had the highest number of relapses) five were labelled as atopic, a proportion similar to that in the whole British series.1 The control population studied by Meadow et al. may be biased by the exclusion of children with primary atopy, in contrast to our own controls. Our criteria for accepting a skin test or RAST as pathological were stricter; a weal of 2 mm diameter regarded by Meadow et al. as a positive skin test was classified as 1+ (negative) by us. Results of RASTs were graded in our study, and classified as pathological only if
Components of the DNA Methylation System of Chromatin Control Are RNA-binding Proteins*

The view that autosomal gene expression is controlled exclusively by protein trans-acting factors has been challenged recently by the identification of RNA molecules that regulate chromatin. In the majority of cases where RNA molecules are implicated in DNA control, the molecular mechanisms are unknown, in large part because the RNA·protein complexes are uncharacterized. Here, we identify a novel set of RNA-binding proteins that are well known for their function in chromatin regulation. The RNA-interacting proteins are components of the mammalian DNA methylation system. Genomic methylation controls chromatin in the context of transposon silencing, imprinting, and X chromosome dosage compensation. DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) catalyze methylation of cytosines in CGs. The methyl-CGs are recognized by methyl-DNA-binding domain (MBD) proteins, which recruit histone deacetylases and chromatin remodeling proteins to effect silencing. We show that a subset of the DNMTs and MBD proteins can form RNA·protein complexes. We characterize the MBD protein RNA-binding activity and show that it is distinct from the methyl-CG-binding domain and mediates a high affinity interaction with RNA. The RNA and methyl-CG binding properties of the MBD proteins are mutually exclusive. We speculate that DNMTs and MBD proteins allow RNA molecules to participate in DNA methylation-mediated chromatin control.
lac repressor forms loops with linear DNA carrying two suitably spaced lac operators.

Tetrameric lac repressor may bind to two lac operators on one DNA fragment and induce the intervening DNA to form a loop. Electron microscopy, non‐denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and DNase I protection experiments were used to demonstrate such DNA loops, where the distance between the centres of symmetry of the two lac operators varies between 63 and 535 bp. Formation of a DNA loop is favoured by correct phasing of the two lac operators and a low concentration of both components of the reaction. When a large excess of lac repressor over DNA is used, a ‘tandem’ structure is observed, in which both lac operators are occupied independently by two repressor tetramers. When the concentrations of both lac repressor and lac operator are high, a ‘sandwich’ structure is observed, in which two DNA molecules are connected by two lac repressor tetramers in trans.
COMPARISON OF THEOPHYLLINE AND ENPROFYLLINE EFFECTS ON HUMAN NEUTROPHIL SUPEROXIDE PRODUCTION

1. We investigated effects of theophylline (widely used for the treatment of asthma) and enprofylline (a new xanthine derivative with negligible adenosine antagonism) on O2‐ production by human neutrophils with n‐formyl‐methionylleucyl‐phenylalanine (FMLP) stimulation.
Vortioxetine: a New Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder

ABSTRACT Introduction: Vortioxetine is a structurally novel medication that has recently been approved for treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). This medication is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor that also has a number of other potentially relevant effects on serotoninergic receptors, which may differentiate the drug’s effects from those of current first-line antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Areas Covered: This article will review the basic clinical pharmacology of vortioxetine, summarize the major clinical trials that were performed prior to approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), discuss relevant post-marketing studies of this drug, and offer expert commentary on the significance of this new agent in clinical practice. Pre-approval studies were identified as all randomized, placebo-controlled studies of vortioxetine listed on clinicaltrials.gov. Other referenced studies were identified via a MEDLINE database literature search in August 2015 using the key search terms, vortioxetine and Lu AA21004, combined with additional terms that included pharmacological profile, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, adverse effects, side effects, safety, major depression, and major depressive disorder. We identified relevant systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized trials and preclinical studies of importance. Expert Opinion: Results of placebo-controlled trials suggest efficacy and an overall safety profile comparable to existing first-line antidepressants. The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting and constipation. Results of several studies indicate that vortioxetine may have therapeutic effects on cognition (e.g., memory and executive functioning) that exceed that of standard antidepressants. Disadvantages include cost and the current paucity of long-term efficacy data from large clinical trials. The authors suggest that vortioxetine is currently a good second-line antidepressant option and shows promise, pending additional long-term data, to become a first-line antidepressant option.
A neurobiological basis of social attachment.

OBJECTIVE Although an inability to form normal social attachments characterizes many forms of psychopathology, there has been little study of the neural basis of social bond formation. The primary purpose of this article is to describe a novel approach to the neurobiology of attachment. METHOD The author reviews animal research on two closely related neuropeptides, oxytocin and vasopressin, implicated in the central mediation of attachment behaviors. These neuropeptides appear to be important for the initiation of pair bonds and parental behaviors as well as the infant's response to social separation. RESULTS Both cellular and molecular studies have begun to reveal the mechanisms by which oxytocin and vasopressin neural pathways are regulated, leading to a preliminary understanding of how these hormones act within the brain to influence complex social behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Although their function in the human brain has yet to be demonstrated, the available evidence suggests that oxytocin and vasopressin may prove to be important in the pathophysiology of clinical disorders, such as autism, characterized by an inability to form normal social attachments.
Role of Dorsomedial Striatum Neuronal Ensembles in Incubation of Methamphetamine Craving after Voluntary Abstinence

We recently developed a rat model of incubation of methamphetamine craving after choice-based voluntary abstinence. Here, we studied the role of dorsolateral striatum (DLS) and dorsomedial striatum (DMS) in this incubation. We trained rats to self-administer palatable food pellets (6 d, 6 h/d) and methamphetamine (12 d, 6 h/d). We then assessed relapse to methamphetamine seeking under extinction conditions after 1 and 21 abstinence days. Between tests, the rats underwent voluntary abstinence (using a discrete choice procedure between methamphetamine and food; 20 trials/d) for 19 d. We used in situ hybridization to measure the colabeling of the activity marker Fos with Drd1 and Drd2 in DMS and DLS after the tests. Based on the in situ hybridization colabeling results, we tested the causal role of DMS D1 and D2 family receptors, and DMS neuronal ensembles in “incubated” methamphetamine seeking, using selective dopamine receptor antagonists (SCH39166 or raclopride) and the Daun02 chemogenetic inactivation procedure, respectively. Methamphetamine seeking was higher after 21 d of voluntary abstinence than after 1 d (incubation of methamphetamine craving). The incubated response was associated with increased Fos expression in DMS but not in DLS; Fos was colabeled with both Drd1 and Drd2. DMS injections of SCH39166 or raclopride selectively decreased methamphetamine seeking after 21 abstinence days. In Fos-lacZ transgenic rats, selective inactivation of relapse test-activated Fos neurons in DMS on abstinence day 18 decreased incubated methamphetamine seeking on day 21. Results demonstrate a role of DMS dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the incubation of methamphetamine craving after voluntary abstinence and that DMS neuronal ensembles mediate this incubation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In human addicts, abstinence is often self-imposed and relapse can be triggered by exposure to drug-associated cues that induce drug craving. We recently developed a rat model of incubation of methamphetamine craving after choice-based voluntary abstinence. Here, we used classical pharmacology, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and the Daun02 inactivation procedure to demonstrate a critical role of dorsomedial striatum neuronal ensembles in this new form of incubation of drug craving.
Diadenosine Polyphosphates and Atrial Natriuretic Peptide are Antiproliferative in Rat Mesangial Cells

Modulation of cell proliferation by vasoactive hormones and growth factors involves also changes in the activity of pH-regulatory transporters. In a preceeding paper (1) we examined the influence of such factors on cellular pHi. Here the influence of the same factors, diadenosine polyphosphates (ApnA), atrial natriuretic peptide, the growth factor PDGF and the Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin, on proliferation of cultured rat mesangial cells was examined by quantification of [3H]-thymidine incorporation. Mesangial cells were synchronised and growth reduced (0.5% FCS for 24 h) before experiments were started. Incubation with Ap3A, Ap4A, Ap5A or Ap6A (all 10 μ) for 24 h all reduced cell proliferation by 30 to 45%. At 0.1 and 1 μM the effects of Ap4A, Ap5A and Ap6A did not reach significance. The antimitogenic effect of Ap5A was not significantly different when cells were incubated for 24, 48 or 72 h. In addition there was no significant difference between the antiproliferative effect of Ap5A in cells of the second, sixth or thirteenth passage. The growth factor PDGF-BB (0.25 nM) resulted in an approximately 3-fold increase in [3H]-thymidine incorporation. This increase in proliferation could be significantly reduced by coincubation with 10 μM Ap5A. The mitogenic effect of PDGF was completely abolished in the presence of the Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin (1 nM), which also significantly reduced basal cell proliferation by approximately 40%. Incubation of mesangial cells with 10 nM ANP for 24 h reduced basal [3H]-thymidine incorporation slightly by approximately 20% and decreased the PDGF-induced stimulation. The antimitogenic effects of these agonists is especially pronounced when cells are stimulated.
Pax-6, Prox 1, and Chx10 homeobox gene expression correlates with phenotypic fate of retinal precursor cells.

PURPOSE To study the expression patterns of the homeobox genes Pax-6, Prox 1, and Chx10 during chick retinal development in vivo and in vitro. METHODS Sections of paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded eyes were obtained at a range of developmental stages. In situ hybridization was carried out on tissue sections using digoxigenin-labeled sense and antisense RNA probes that recognize chicken Pax-6 and Prox 1 (whose sequences were already available), and chicken Chx10 (which was cloned and sequenced as part of this study). Selected developmental stages were also studied by immunocytochemistry with antibodies against Pax-6 and Prox 1, and by Northern blot analysis using 32P-labeled probes. RESULTS Until embryonic day (ED) 5, in situ hybridization shows widespread, diffuse distribution of all three genes. Between ED 6 and ED 8, however, they acquire distinct, topographically specific patterns of expression. The Prox 1 signal is predominantly expressed in the prospective horizontal cell layer of the neuroepithelium, decreases vitreally, and is absent from ganglion cells and the prospective photoreceptor layer. Pax-6 is strongly expressed only in the prospective ganglion-cell and amacrine-cell regions at the same stages, and is not detected in prospective photoreceptors. Chx10 expression becomes concentrated in the future bipolar-cell region of the inner nuclear layer. Similar patterns are maintained by ED 15 through ED 18, after cell differentiation has taken place. Pax-6 and Prox 1 immunoreactive materials showed nuclear localization and a pattern of laminar distribution equivalent to that seen by in situ hybridization. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the differentiated fate of retinal precursor cells may be influenced by Pax-6, Prox 1, or Chx10, this hypothesis is now being tested using dissociated chick embryo retinal cell cultures.
Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Lung: Surgical Results Compared with Squamous Cell and Adenocarcinoma

The outcome of surgery for adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung in 39 patients treated in 1982-1996 was compared with results in squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Adenosquamous carcinoma comprised only 4.2% of all 914 resected primary lung cancers. The cumulative 5-year postoperative survival rate was 22.6% for the adenosquamous tumours. Comparison of survival curves with those for squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma indicated non-significant differences. The incidence of lymph-node metastasis was significantly higher in the patients with adenosquamous carcinoma than in the other patient groups.
Arabidopsis glycosyltransferases as biocatalysts in fermentation for regioselective synthesis of diverse quercetin glucosides

Regioselectivity of glycosyltransferases offers an important means to overcome the limitations of chemical synthesis of small molecule glycosides. In this study we explore a large multigene family of UDP‐glucose:glycosyltransferases of Arabidopsis for their potential as novel biocatalysts for in vitro synthesis and whole‐cell catalysis. We used quercetin as a substrate for this study because the flavonol and its glycosides have important medicinal properties and the metabolite provides a complex structure for regioselective glucosylation. We analyzed the activity of 91 recombinant enzymes for in vitro activity toward quercetin and discovered 29 that are capable of glucosylating the substrate. We demonstrate the first enzymic synthesis of a range of glucosides in vitro, including the 3‐O‐, 7‐O‐, 3′‐O‐, and 4′‐O‐monoglucosides, 3,7‐di‐O‐glucoside, and 7,3′‐di‐O‐glucoside. We also show that the regioselectivity of glucosylation can be maintained when the enzymes are used as whole‐cell biocatalysts in Escherichia coli. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rho 1 GTPase activates the (1–3)beta‐D‐glucan synthase and is involved in Schizosaccharomyces pombe morphogenesis.

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cdc42 and Rho1 GTPases were tested for their ability to complement the cwg2‐1 mutant phenotype of a decrease in (1‐3)beta‐D‐glucan synthase activity when grown at the non‐permissive temperature. Only Rho1 is able to partly complement the defect in glucan synthase associated with the cwg2–1 mutation. Moreover, overexpression of the rho1 gene in wild‐type S.pombe cells causes aberrant morphology with loss of polarity and cells with several septa. Under this condition (1–3)beta‐D‐glucan synthase activity is increased four times, but is still dependent on GTP. When S.pombe is transformed with constitutively active rho1 mutant alleles (rho1‐G15V or rho1‐Q64L), cells stop growing and show a very thick cell wall with hardly any septum. Under this condition the level of (1–3)beta‐D‐glucan synthase activity is at least 20 times higher than wild‐type and is independent of GTP. Neither cdc42+ nor the cdc42‐V12G or cdc42‐Q61L constitutively active mutant alleles affect (1–3)beta‐D‐glucan synthase activity when overexpressed in S.pombe. Cells overproducing Rho1 are hypersensitive to inhibitors of cell wall biosynthesis or to cell wall degrading enzymes. We conclude that Rho1 GTPase directly activates (1–3)beta‐D‐glucan synthase and regulates S.pombe morphogenesis.
Familicide: The killing of spouse and children

A familicide is a multiple-victim homicide incident in which the killer's spouse and one or more children are slain. National archives of Canadian and British homicides, containing 109 familicide incidents, permit some elucidation of the characteristic and epidemiology of this crime. Familicides were almost exclusively perpetrated by men, unlike other spouse-killings and other filicides. Half the familicidal men killed themselves as well, a much higher rate of suicide than among other uxoricidal or filicidal men. De facto unions were overrepresented, compared to their prevalence in the populations-at-large, but to a much lesser extent in familicides than in other uxoricides. Stepchildren were overrepresented as familicide victims, compared to their numbers in the populations-at-large, but to a much lesser extent than in other filicides; unlike killers of their genetic offspring, men who killed their stepchildren were rarely suicidal. An initial binary categorization of familicides as accusatory versus despondent is tentatively proposed. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Language: en
The NIHSS-Plus: Improving Cognitive Assessment with the NIHSS

Background: The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) has been criticized for limited representation of cognitive dysfunction and bias towards dominant hemisphere functions. Patients may therefore receive a low NIHSS score despite a fairly large stroke. A broader scale including simple cognitive tests would improve the clinical and research utility of the NIHSS. Methods: We studied 200 patients with acute non-dominant hemispheric stroke who underwent cognitive testing and had MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) within 5 days of presentation. We measured DWI volumes and retrospectively calculated NIHSS scores. We used linear regression to determine the role of selected cognitive tests, when added to the NIHSS, in predicting DWI volume. Results: The NIHSS predicted DWI volume in a univariate analysis, as did total line cancellation and a visual perception task. In a multivariate model, using log-transformed variables, the NIHSS (p = 0.0002), line cancellation errors (p = 0.02) and visual perception (p = 0.004) each improved prediction of total infarct volume. Conclusion: The addition of line cancellation and visual perception tasks significantly adds to the model of NIHSS alone in predicting DWI volume. We propose that these two cognitive tests, which together can be completed in 2–3 minutes, could be combined with the NIHSS to create an “NIHSS-plus” that more accurately represents a patient’s ischemic tissue volume after a stroke. This scale requires further validation in a prospective study.