Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Unusual Presenting Symptom in an Atypical Case of Acute Inflammatory Polyradiculopathy: Facial Pruritus

Ad dress for Cor res pon den ce/Ya z›fl ma Ad re si: Ayşegül Gündüz MD, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, İstanbul, Turkey Phone: +90 212 414 31 65 E-mail: draysegulgunduz@yahoo.com Re cei ved/Ge lifl Ta ri hi: 22.12. 2013 Ac cep ted/Ka bul Ta ri hi: 04.03. 2014 Itchiness is the desire for mechanical irritation of the skin and it may result from various dermatological and sometimes neurological diseases. Neurological causes for itch are relatively unknown and frequently overlooked. Here, we report a case of possible acute inflamatory polyradiculopathy who had facial pruritus and diplopia as the initial symptoms. Diagnosis of our patient was delayed because initial diplopia and pruritus complaints were considered as nonspecific and unrelated to the nervous system. We suggest that pruritus may be a remarkable neurological finding especially when it is accompanied by other neurological symptoms. (Turkish Journal of Neurology 2015; 21:74-6)
Prevalence of Immunosuppression Among US Adults, 2013.

Prevalence of Immunosuppression Among US Adults, 2013 The number of immunosuppressed adults in the United States is unknown but thought to be increasing because of both greater life expectancy among immunosuppressed adults due to improvements in medical management, as well as new indications for immunosuppressive treatments.1-4 Immunosuppression increases the risks and severity of primary or reactivation infections; its prevalence has implications for food and water safety, tuberculosis control, vaccine programs, infection control strategies, outbreak preparedness, travel medicine, and other facets of public health.1 We present data on the prevalence of self-reported immunosuppressed adults in the United States.
Extracellular ADP regulates lesion‐induced in vivo cell proliferation and death in the zebrafish retina

Regeneration and growth that occur in the adult teleost retina by neurogenesis have been helpful in identifying molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cell proliferation and differentiation. In this report, we demonstrate that endogenous purinergic signals regulate cell proliferation induced by a cytotoxic injury of the adult zebrafish retina which mainly damages inner retinal layers. Particularly, we found that ADP but not ATP or adenosine significantly enhanced cell division as assessed by 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine incorporation following injury, during the degenerative and proliferative phase of the regeneration process. This effect of ADP occurs via P2Y1 metabotropic receptors as shown by intra‐ocular injection of selective antagonists. Additionally, we describe a role for purinergic signals in regulating cell death induced by injury. Scavenging of extracellular nucleotides significantly increased cell death principally seen in the inner retinal layers. This effect is partially reproduced by blocking P2Y1 receptors suggesting a neuroprotective function for ADP, which is derived from extracellular ATP probably released by dying cells as a consequence of the ouabain treatment. This study demonstrates a crucial role for ADP as a paracrine signal in the repair of retinal tissue following injury.
Electric currents in networks of interconnected memristors.

Chua [IEEE Trans. Circuit Theory 1, 507 (1971). ] argued that, in addition to the standard resistors, capacitors, and inductors, there must be a fourth fundamental element in electrical circuits, which he called a memory resistor or memristor. Strukov et al. [Nature (London) 453, 80 (2008)] showed how memristive behavior arises in some thin semiconducting films. Unlike other passive elements, however, a memristor with large sizes cannot be fabricated, because scale up of a memristor to dimensions of the order of microns causes loss of the memristive effect by decreasing the width of the doped region relative to the overall size of the memristor. A microscale memristor is, however, essential to most of the potential applications. One way of fabricating such a microscale memristor without losing the memristive effect is to make a network of very small interconnected memristors. We report the results of numerical simulations of electrical currents in such networks of interconnected memristors, as well as memristors and Ohmic conductors. The memristor networks exhibit a rich variety of interesting properties, including weakly and strongly memristive regimes, a possible first-order transition at the connectivity threshold, generation of second harmonics in the strongly memristive regime, and the universal dependence of the network's strength on the frequency. Moreover, we show that the polarity of the memristors can play an important role in the overall properties of the memristor network, in particular its speed of switching, which may have a potentially important application to faster computers. None of these properties are exhibited by linear resistor networks, or even by nonlinear resistor networks without a memory effect.
Cap and polyA tail enhance translation initiation at the hepatitis C virus internal ribosome entry site by a discontinuous scanning, or shunting, mechanism.

OBJECTIVES Hepatitis C virus (HCV) does not replicate in vitro, suggesting that cultured cells may lack factors that are essential for efficient use of HCV messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Here, we have studied the efficiency of HCV mRNA translation compared with translation of capped and polyadenylated mRNAs in human cells. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS We have generated noninfectious minivirus mRNAs from an infectious HCV genome. These mRNAs were transfected into human cells, and the translation efficiency was determined. RESULTS Hepatitis C virus mRNAs under control of the HCV internal ribosome entry site (IRES) were inefficiently translated compared with capped and polyadenylated mRNAs. Addition of a cap and a polyA tail on the HCV mRNAs revealed that these structures interacted with the hepatitis C IRES in a synergistic manner to load ribosomes onto the HCV mRNAs, thereby strongly enhancing translation. The positive effect of the cap and the polyA tail on initiation of translation at the initiator AUG embedded in the HCV IRES was the result of a discontinuous scanning, or shunting, mechanism. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrated that recruitment of ribosomes to the HCV mRNAs was inefficient in dividing cultured cells. Factors that are necessary for efficient translation of the HCV mRNAs in hepatocytes may be absent or inactive in cultured cells. This may be one reason for the inefficient replication of the HCV in vitro.
Adiabatic Mass Loss in Binary Stars. III. From the Base of the Red Giant Branch to the Tip of the Asymptotic Giant Branch

The distinguishing feature of the evolution of close binary stars is the role played by the mass exchange between the component stars. Whether or not the mass transfer is dynamically stable is one of the essential questions in binary evolution. In the limit of extremely rapid mass transfer, the response of a donor star in an interacting binary becomes asymptotically one of adiabatic expansion. We use the adiabatic mass-loss model to systematically survey the thresholds for dynamical timescale mass transfer over the entire span of possible donor star evolutionary states. We also simulate mass-loss process with isentropic envelopes, the specific entropy of which is fixed to be that at the base of the convective envelope, to artificially mimic the effect of such mass loss in superadiabatic surface convection regions, where the adiabatic approximation fails. We illustrate the general adiabatic response of donor stars at different evolutionary stages. We extend our study to a grid of donor stars with different masses (from 0.1 to 100 M⊙ with Z = 0.02) and at different evolutionary stages. We proceed to present our criteria for dynamically unstable mass transfer in both tabular and graphical forms. For red giant branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) donors in systems with such mass ratios, they may have convective envelopes deep enough to evolve into common envelopes on a thermal timescale, if the donor star overfills its outer Lagrangian radius. Our results show that the RGB and AGB stars tend to be more stable than previously believed, and this may be helpful to explain the abundance of observed post-AGB binary stars with an orbital period of around 1000 days.
Is There a Connection?

Ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) remains challenging, particularly as the duration of continuous AF before the procedure increases. Attainment of durable pulmonary vein (PV) isolation remains a fundamental goal in this population; continuous retriggering from focal peri-PV sources (both automaticity and localized reentry) as a potential mechanism for maintaining persistent AF was documented more than a decade ago.1 An area of continuing debate centers on the extent of additional atrial ablation outside the PV antra required for long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm. Two studies published in this issue of Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology highlight important clinical aspects of this debate.
Development and Validation of the Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales

The Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales were developed to assess self-efficacy for performing helping skills, managing the counseling process, and handling challenging counseling situations. Factor analyses of data from 345 students in undergraduate and graduate counseling courses yielded 6 factors. Factor-derived scale scores produced adequate internal consistency and short-term test–retest reliability estimates. The scale scores were strongly related to scores on an existing measure of counseling self-efficacy, weakly related to social desirability, sensitive to change over the course of a 1-semester practicum, and able to differentiate among students with differing levels of counseling experience. The scale scores were also related to interests, occupational goals, outcome expectations, and affective experience related to the counselor role. Implications for future research and training applications are considered. Counseling psychology and related helping professions have long been engaged in efforts to understand and promote the process of counselor development (Russell, Crimmings, & Lent, 1984). One particularly promising approach has involved the extension of Bandura’s (1986, 1997) general social– cognitive theory to the study of counselor development. Research has been particularly aimed at the social– cognitive construct of self-efficacy or, more specifically, counselor self-efficacy, referring to counselors’ beliefs about their ability to perform counseling-related behaviors or to negotiate particular clinical situations (Larson & Daniels, 1998). Such beliefs may be important at two levels. First, coun
Transparent, Thermally Stable and Mechanically Robust Superhydrophobic Surfaces Made from Porous Silica Capsules

Therefore, superhydrophobic coatings are self-cleaning and anticorrosive. Lately, many artifi cial surfaces have been investigated with regard to their wetting dynamics [ 7–10 ] as well as their chemical, mechanical, [ 11–13 ] and thermal stability. [ 14 ] If the super hydrophobic surface were even transparent, the range of possible applications could be expanded to glass-based substrates such as goggles or windshields [ 15–18 ] and, equally important, prevent an effi ciency degradation of solar cells by pollution accumulation. [ 19–21 ] Clearly, the coatings must be easy to fabricate, mechanically resistant, and long-term stable. So far, none of the existing methods fulfi lled all these requirements. Mechanical robustness is particularly critical because the dual scale roughness can easily be destroyed irreversibly leading to a rapid decrease of the contact angle and an increase of contact angle hysteresis. [ 22 ]
Correlation between plasma total homocysteine and copper in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

BACKGROUND Increased concentrations of both plasma total homocysteine and copper are separately associated with cardiovascular disease. Correlations between plasma total homocysteine, trace elements, and vitamins in patients with peripheral vascular disease have not been investigated. METHODS The concentrations of trace elements in plasma were determined by the multielement analytical technique of total-reflection x-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Plasma total homocysteine was determined by HPLC. RESULTS In the univariate and multivariate regression analyses, copper was positively correlated with plasma total homocysteine in all subjects (coefficient +/- SE, 0.347 +/- 0.113; P = 0.0026 and coefficient +/- SE, 0.422 +/- 0.108; P = 0.0002, respectively), and in patients with peripheral vascular disease (coefficient +/- SE, 0.370 +/- 0.150; P = 0.016; and coefficient +/- SE, 0.490 +/- 0.151; P = 0.0025, respectively). Correlation between copper and plasma total homocysteine was not detected in healthy control subjects. The concentration of calcium in plasma (67.5 vs 80. 8 microg/g) was significantly lower in the patients than in the control subjects (P = 0.02). When the patients were divided into groups, the patients with suprainguinal lesions had significantly higher copper concentrations (P = 0.04) and significantly lower selenium and calcium concentrations (P = 0.01 and 0.008, respectively) than the healthy subjects. Patients had higher concentrations of autoantibodies against oxidized LDL and concentrations of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance than the healthy subjects (P <0.0001 and P = 0.001, respectively). The concentrations of plasma total homocysteine and alpha-tocopherol were significantly higher, and the concentrations of vitamin B(6) and beta-carotene were lower in the patients than the healthy subjects. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the atherogenicity of homocysteine may be related to copper-dependent interactions.
Genetic Characterization of the Population of Grande Comore Island (Njazidja) According to Major Blood Groups

The Comorian population is historically considered a blend of influences from African Bantus, Arabs, and possibly Austronesians. In this study we present the first genetic data on the current Comorian population. Serologic analysis of the six major blood group systems (ABO, RH, KEL, FY, JK, and MNS) was performed on 164 individuals from Grande Comore Island (Njazidja). In addition, Duffy genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction using allele-specific primers. Our findings establish a high frequency of the Fy(a– b–) phenotype (86%), presenting the same genetic background as in sub-Saharan Africa. Analysis of genetic frequencies, distances, and admixture with other populations indicates that African Bantus made the main contribution to the gene pool (73.2% ± 15.5%). The Arab contribution from the Arabian peninsula was smaller (24.2% ± 7%) and the Indonesian contribution was minor (2.6% ± 9%). The major Bantu contribution was commensurate with the Bantu cultural influence. The contribution from the Arabian peninsula seemed in relation to its permeating religious and linguistic influence. As with the language, the Indonesian contribution to the Comorian gene pool was small. These results are in agreement with historical, sociological, and linguistic data.
Survival analysis with clustered observations of orthodontic brackets

Failures in the bonding of dental bracket are a big concern for orthodontists. Clinical experience suggests that some patients are more prone than others to experience failures. Therefore, it can be expected that in statistical analysis of orthodontic bracket failures, the usual assumption of independence between the observations is violated. An approach to overcome this problem is to apply the frailty model, in which the association between failure times is modelled with a random‐effect term (i.e. frailty). We postulated that brackets of the same subject share the same frailty, that is, a latent common group effect, due to some unknown or unobserved covariates.
Combining linkage and association mapping identifies RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEIN KINASE1 as an essential Arabidopsis shoot regeneration gene

Significance The regeneration of entire plants from explants is an important step in plant production and plant transformation protocols. Despite recent advances in the knowledge on the molecular basis of regeneration, many aspects of the process and the causes of regeneration recalcitrance are still poorly understood. We combined linkage with association mapping to find genes underlying the natural variation of shoot regeneration in Arabidopsis. With this approach, we identified and confirmed the involvement of RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEIN KINASE1 as a previously unknown determinant of shoot regeneration. Because this gene is implicated in abscisic acid signaling, it seems that this hormone might be an important player in this developmental process. De novo shoot organogenesis (i.e., the regeneration of shoots on nonmeristematic tissue) is widely applied in plant biotechnology. However, the capacity to regenerate shoots varies highly among plant species and cultivars, and the factors underlying it are still poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the shoot regeneration capacity of 88 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions and found that the process is blocked at different stages in different accessions. We show that the variation in regeneration capacity between the Arabidopsis accessions Nok-3 and Ga-0 is determined by five quantitative trait loci (QTL): REG-1 to REG-5. Fine mapping by local association analysis identified RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEIN KINASE1 (RPK1), an abscisic acid-related receptor, as the most likely gene underlying REG-1, which was confirmed by quantitative failure of an RPK1 mutation to complement the high and low REG-1 QTL alleles. The importance of RPK1 in regeneration was further corroborated by mutant and expression analysis. Altogether, our results show that association mapping combined with linkage mapping is a powerful method to discover important genes implicated in a biological process as complex as shoot regeneration.
Ganoderma lucidum Prevents Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity through Inhibition of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling and Autophagy-Mediated Apoptosis

Background Cisplatin (cis-diaminedichloroplatinum, CDDP) is a broad-spectrum antineoplastic agent. However, CDDP has been blamed for its nephrotoxicity, which is the main dose-limiting adverse effect. Ganoderma lucidum (GL), a medicinal mushroom, has antioxidant and inflammatory activities. Therefore, this study is aimed at finding out the potential nephroprotection of GL against CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity in rats and the possible molecular mechanisms including the EGFR downstream signaling, apoptosis, and autophagy. Methods Rats were given GL (500 mg/kg) for 10 days and a single injection of CDDP (12 mg/kg, i.p). Results Nephrotoxicity was evidenced by a significant increase in renal indices and oxidative stress markers. Additionally, CDDP showed a plethora of inflammatory and apoptotic responses as evidenced by a profound increase of HMGB-1, NF-κB, and caspase-3 expressions, whereas administration of GL significantly improved all these indices as well as the histopathological insults. Renal expression of EGFR showed a similar trend after GL administration. Furthermore, activation of autophagy protein, LC3 II, was found to be involved in GL-mediated nephroprotection correlated with the downregulation of apoptotic signaling, caspase-3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TDT) renal expressions. Conclusion These results suggest that GL might have improved CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and autophagy-mediated apoptosis mechanisms and that inhibition of EGFR signaling might be involved in nephroprotection.
Reducing local oscillator phase noise limitations on the frequency stability of passive frequency standards: tests of a new concept

We report on the experimental test of a new concept for reducing the limitation on short-term frequency stability of passive frequency standards due to local oscillator phase noise. This concept is general and can be applied to many passive frequency standards. Systems that use sinewave modulation to interrogate a stable resonance are limited in short-term frequency stability by phase noise at the second harmonic of the modulation, f/sub m/. This effect limits the fractional frequency stability to approximately /spl sigma//sub v/(/spl tau/7)=0.9(f/sub m///spl nu//sub 0/) (S/sub /spl phi//(2f/sub m/))/sup 1/2//spl tau//sup -1/2/, where /spl nu//sub 0/ is the carrier frequency and S/sub /spl phi//(2f/sub m/) is the phase noise at twice the modulation frequency. (Contributions from higher even harmonics of the modulation generally can be neglected). This new concept uses notch filters at /spl plusmn/2f/sub m/ from the carrier to reduce this effect. Tests on a modified passive rubidium standard demonstrate an improvement of approximately 18 in /spl sigma//sub y/(/spl tau/). The dual notch filters proved to be feasible and were obtained commercially. Measurements suggest that ultimate performances of less than 2/spl times/10/sup -14//spl tau//sup -1/2/ are possible if the atomic resonance has sufficient quality. <<ETX>>
Pitfalls in TDM of Antibiotic Drugs: Analytical and Modelling Issues

The quality assurance program of the Dutch KKGT [Association for Quality Assessment in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and Clinical Toxicology] has been running for more than 25 years. One of these programs concerns TDM of the antibiotic drugs gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin, and vancomycin. We present two issues encountered in a recent survey. In a case of gentamicin monitoring and dose-adjustment, a systematic analytical error in some centers led to a dosing recommendation that differed from that of the organizers. Correction of the analytical results on the basis of a standard control sample resulted in concentration differences of more than 20% and different dosing recommendations in these centers. In a case of vancomycin TDM, the choice of the population model proved to be critical for dose adjustment. We illustrate this example by presenting the plasma profiles derived from the different population models used by the participants.
ROI-Based Reversible Data Hiding Scheme for Medical Images with Tamper Detection

SUMMARY A novel ROI-based reversible data hiding scheme is proposed for medical images, which is able to hide electronic patient record (EPR) and protect the region of interest (ROI) with tamper localization and recovery. The proposed scheme combines prediction error expansion with the sorting technique for embedding EPR into ROI, and the recovery information is embedded into the region of non-interest (RONI) using histogram shifting (HS) method which hardly leads to the overﬂow and un-derﬂow problems. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme not only can embed a large amount of information with low distortion, but also can localize and recover the tampered area inside ROI.