Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of spinal cord lesions on milk ejection in the rabbit.

To investigate the location of the spinal cord fibers related to the induction of oxytocin release by suckling, the effect of diverse spinal lesions on milk removal was studied in lactating rabbits. Spinal cord hemisection resulted in blockage of milk ejection when the litter was restricted to suckling the nipples of the same side as the lesion. In contrast, suckling ofthe contralateral nipples readily elicited milk ejection. Destruction of the dorsal funiculi did not inhibit milk removal. Large bilateral lesions of the ventrolateral funiculi blocked milk ejection. These results suggest that the spinal pathway for milk ejection in the rabbit is ipsilateral and uncrossed, and it courses in the ventrolateral funiculi. (Endocrinology 83: 615,1968)
Clinical and radiological features

Ankylosing hyperostosis is a condition in which new bone is laid down on the right antero-lateral aspect of the dorsal vertebrae and across the intervertebral spaces forming spurs or bridges. The lumbar and cervical spines, pelvis, hips, and knees may also be involved. There is no single approved name for this condition. Oppenheimer (1942) described 'Calcification and ossification of vertebral ligaments'. Forestier and Rotes-Querol (1950) named it 'senile ankylosing hyperostosis of the spine', but in later works (Forestier and Lagier, 1971) the adjective 'senile' was omitted when the condition was described in younger patients. Smith, Pugh, and Polley (1955) described 'physiologic vertebral ligamentous calcification' and Haijkova, Streda, and Skrha (1965) 'hyperostotic spondylosis'. Beardwell (1969) termed this condition 'ankylosing vertebral hyperostosis' and Julkunen, Heinonen, and Py6rala (1971) referred to 'hyperostosis of the spine'. Bywaters and Forestier (1967) presented a revised system for nomenclature of spinal diseases at the 6th European Congress of Rheumatology. They advised that this condition be named 'ankylosing hyperostosis', and this is the terminology which we have adopted. An association with diabetes mellitus has been shown by several authors, including Boulet and Mirouze, (1954), Hajkova' and others (1965), Bywaters, Doyle, and Oakley (1966), and Ott, Perkovac, and Regehr (1967). Julkunen and others (1971) found an association with diabetes and obesity. Boulet, Serre, and Mirouze (1954) suggested that this condition is due to an increased production of growth hormone occurring when the secretion of gonadal hormones declines, and in fact, Julkunen, Karava, and Viljanen (1966) found six cases of hyperostosis of the spine in 21 acromegalic patients. Beardwell (1969) showed a familial incidence and relationship with tylosis in a Greek Cypriot family. Ott (1953) and Smith and others (1955) considered the disease to be an exaggerated form of osteoarthrosis of the spine. Although many European authors have described the clinical, radiological, and pathological features of ankylosing hyperostosis, there has been no report of a series of patients with this condition from this country. This paper describes the clinical and radiological features of a series of patients seen at various hospitals in the East End of London. Particular reference has been made to the possible association with acromegaly.
The effect of inoculation of pea plants with mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium on nitrogen and phosphorus assimilation

The study evaluated the response of pea ( Pisum sativum cv. Avola) to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) species Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices and Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae, strain D 293, regarding the growth, photosynthesis, nodulation and nitrogen fixation activity. Pea plants were grown in a glasshouse until the flowering stage (35 days), in 4 kg plastic pots using leached cinnamonic forest soil (Chromic Luvisols – FAO) at P levels 13.2 (P1) and 39.8 (P2) mg P/kg soil. The obtained results demonstrated that the dual inoculation of pea plants significantly increased the plant biomass, photosynthetic rate, nodulation, and nitrogen fixation activity in comparison with single inoculation with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae strain D 293. On the other hand, coinoculation significantly increased the total phosphorus content in plant tissue, acid phosphatase activity and percentage of root colonization. The effectiveness of coinoculation with Rhizobium leguminosarum and Glomus mosseae was higher at the low phosphorus level while the coinoculation with Glomus intraradices appeared to be the most effective at higher phosphorus level.
Serum Proteins in NZB/B1 and Related Strains of Mice.∗

Summary Serum gamma globulin levels of young NZW and NZB-NZC mice were found to be similar to those of 4 control inbred strains. Serum gamma globulin levels of young NZC and NZB-NZW mice were somewhat higher than those of the controls, whereas the levels were significantly higher in young NZB mice. In all strains studied the gamma and beta globulin levels were significantly higher at 16 to 19 months than at 3 or 9 months. We wish to thank Mrs. Susan Vanek and Miss Mary Ellen Wilsterman for technical assistance.
Uganda's HIV/AIDS Success Story: Reviewing the Evidence

Once the frontline of global concerns and efforts against the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Uganda now stands as a global model of successful intervention against the epidemic. The storyline of success has been argued on claims of declining rates of prevalence and incidence, themselves attributable to specific and deliberate government policy and related interventions. While the story has captivated policymakers, practitioners, and academics, few have dared to challenge its validity. The aim of this article is to subject to critical analysis the foundation on which such a narrative has been constructed. Both epidemiological studies and literature on policy and programs is analyzed. Also discussed is the HIV/AIDS policy itself and the potential influence of politics in telling the success story. The article concludes that the evidence is not as conclusive as the rhetoric suggests, and suggests that celebrations of success may be premature.
Symptoms and Helicobacter pylori: Any Link?

To the Editor: It is still a matter of debate whether Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) causes symptoms in idiopathic dyspepsia because no clear indication came out from epidemiological or interventional studies (1). However, some authors observed that H. pylori infection in idiopathic dyspepsia patients is associated with epigastric pain (2, 3). A considerable number of studies has demonstrated that H. pylori strains harbouring the CagA gene are more virulent that CagA negative strains, for being more frequently associated to peptic ulcer. However, little is known as to whether CagA positive strains are associated with the occurrence of symptoms in dyspeptics. We recently conducted a large epidemiological study on the serological and histological prevalence of H. pylori infection in 3,281 patients throughout Italy undergoing endoscopy for the first time (4). At enrollment, a 10 ml blood sample was taken from each participant in the study for the determination of anti-H. pylori IgG and anti-CagA reactivity by a commercial ELISA assay (Eurospital, Trieste, Italy). Together with endoscopic diagnosis, the presence of five dyspeptic symptoms was recorded in these patients (present or absent), namely, belching, pyrosis, postprandial fullness, vomiting, and epigastric pain. After exclusion of patients with gastric cancer or borderline serology, a series of 3,163 patients with idiopathic dyspepsia, peptic ulcer, or esophagitis were available for multivariate analysis; the presence of epigastric pain was strongly associated with the diagnosis of duodenal and gastric ulcer (OR 6.03, p < 0.001; OR 2.67, p < 0.001, respectively). This association also persisted in a model adjusted for H. pylori infection. No association was observed between any of the above-mentioned symptoms and esophagitis.
Effectiveness of Biofeedback Therapy in the Treatment of Anterior Resection Syndrome After Rectal Cancer Surgery

BACKGROUND: Although anterior resection syndrome commonly occurs after anal sphincter-saving surgery, no standard treatment option is currently available. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of biofeedback in patients with anterior resection syndrome after sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer. DESIGN: This study was a retrospective review of data collected during the course of treatment. SETTINGS: Patients were treated at a teaching hospital (Asan Medical Center) in Seoul, Korea, from January 2003 through December 2008. PATIENTS: Patients who received biofeedback therapy for anterior resection syndrome after rectal cancer surgery were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Cleveland Clinic Florida fecal incontinence score, number of bowel movements per day, a visual analog scale for assessing patient satisfaction, and anorectal manometry were used to assess outcome of biofeedback treatment. RESULTS: After biofeedback therapy, significant improvements were observed in fecal incontinence score (P < .001), number of bowel movements (P < .001), and anorectal manometry data (maximum resting pressure, P = .010; maximum squeeze pressure, P = .006; rectal capacity, P = .003). Compared with patients who started biofeedback treatment less than 18 months after surgery, those who started biofeedback at 18 months or longer after surgery showed greater improvements in fecal incontinence score (P = .032). Only patients with fecal incontinence as the primary symptom showed significant improvements in all variables, including fecal incontinence score, P < . 001; defecation frequency, P < . 001; and anorectal manometry (maximum resting pressure, P = .027; maximum squeeze pressure, P = .021; rectal capacity, P = .004). Patients who received radiation therapy in addition to surgery reported a significantly higher satisfaction score than those receiving surgery alone (P = .041). LIMITATIONS: This is a nonrandomized retrospective study. Anorectal manometry was not regularly performed in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Biofeedback therapy produced significant clinical benefits for patients with severe fecal incontinence and may be an effective treatment for patients with anterior resection syndrome after surgery for rectal cancer.
Social and Ethical Issues in the Use of Familial Searching in Forensic Investigations: Insights from Family and Kinship Studies

Since its origins in the mid-1980s, DNA profiling has become the most powerful tool for identification in contemporary society. Practitioners have deployed it to determine parentage, verify claims to identity in various civil contexts, identify bodies in wars and mass disasters, and infer the identity of individuals who have left biological traces at crime scenes. Thus DNA profiling can be used to implicate or exonerate individuals from participation in particular social relations and activities; this affords it a growing importance in major social institutions such as the family, the criminal justice system, immigration services, and health services. There are key state, security, civil liberty, personal, and commercial considerations surrounding the reliability and social implications of DNA profiling in establishing the identities of “family members,” “claimants,” “customers,” “suspects,” and “citizens. ” Given that DNA profiling is increasingly influential in forensic inquiries, the recently-developed practice in the UK of “familial searching” of DNA databases has the potential to become a significant aspect of investigations.
Dose-dependent pathophysiological changes in cattle experimentally infected Dictyocaulus viviparus.

In two trials five calves were each experimentally infected on three consecutive days with a total number of either 30 Dictyocaulus viviparus larvae per kg body weight (trial A) or 3 larvae/kg body weight (trial B). Five calves served as non-infected controls. Infected cattle in trial A developed severe clinical signs of dictyocaulosis and one calf died 37 days post infection (p.i.), whereas all cattle in trial B remained clinically healthy. Weight gains in both trials were not statistically different. Haemoglobin concentrations, packed cell volume (PCV), number of erythrocytes and leucocytes, blood pH and albumin concentrations were in the physiological range in all groups. Infected cattle in trial A showed increases in respiratory rates, body temperature, serum protein concentrations, and blood eosinophil counts and decreases in oxygen partial pressure. Infected cattle in trial B showed increased blood eosinophil counts. Antibody formation in infected cattle of both trials showed a similar pattern. Excretion of larvae from infected cattle reflected the different infection doses. Microbiological examinations showed an increase of facultatively pathogenic bacteria in the lung fluid.
Clozapine and urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence may occur in patients with severe mental illness. Psychosis and neuroleptic medication have both been implicated, but there has been a lack of systematic evaluation of the precise relationship between these phenomena. Incontinence has been recognized as a complication of clozapine treatment and we examined this in 16 consecutively treated patients. Thirteen were established on therapeutic doses, one of whom was excluded from further study due to pre-existing incontinence. Retrospective assessment revealed that nocturnal incontinence was experienced by five of the remaining 12 patients, occurring in the first 3 months of treatment and resolving spontaneously in all cases. Incontinence was documented in the case notes in only one of the five cases and there was a tendency for affected patients to be embarrassed and reluctant to report it to staff. Specific enquiry may be necessary to elicit this phenomenon and incontinence should be considered as a possible factor in poor compliance with clozapine.
Tumor‐induced changes in the phenotype of blood‐derived and tumor‐associated T cells of early stage breast cancer patients

Tumor‐induced immune suppression has mainly been studied in patients with advanced cancer. Despite the fact that they are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy, patients with early stage cancers were under‐represented in these studies. We analyzed blood and tumor‐derived T cells from patients with stage 1 (n = 20), stage 2 (n = 23) or stage 3 (n = 1) breast cancer and found that, even early stage tumors induced T cell differentiation. Breast cancer patients had significantly more circulating CD8+ memory and fewer CD8+ naïve T cells than healthy controls (n = 10). Up‐regulation of CD69 and PD1 on cancer patient T cells suggests previous activation, and increased expression of the chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR3 on CD8+ T cells indicates that their homing capacity differs from that of healthy individuals. Comparison of blood‐derived and tumor‐associated T cells from patients with different metastatic status and tumor grades revealed that tumor progression and aggressiveness seem to favor the expansion of memory T cells over naive T cells. We have previously shown that immunosuppression in this patient population is stronger in the tumor than in the blood. Here, we report signs of exhaustion, such as loss of CD28, on tumor‐associated as compared to blood‐derived CD8+ T cells, despite the fact that tumor‐associated T cells are predominantly effector memory cells and express high levels of CD69. The finding that the presence of a tumor potentially induces immunosenescence early during tumorigenesis indicates that efficient immunotherapy might be difficult even in patients with early stage cancer due to T cell exhaustion and tolerance.
Current Perspectives in Autism Spectrum Disorder: From Genes to Therapy

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a constellation of neurodevelopmental presentations with high heritability and both phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. To date, mutations in hundreds of genes have been associated to varying degrees with increased ASD risk. A better understanding of the functions of these genes and whether they fit together in functional groups or impact similar neuronal circuits is needed to develop rational treatment strategies. We will review current areas of emphasis in ASD research, starting from human genetics and exploring how mouse models of human mutations have helped identify specific molecular pathways (protein synthesis and degradation, chromatin remodeling, intracellular signaling), which are linked to alterations in circuit function and cognitive/social behavior. We will conclude by discussing how we can leverage the findings on molecular and cellular alterations found in ASD to develop therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders.
SYNERGETICS FRAMEWORK FOR HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGE CLASSIFICATION

Abstract. In this paper a new classification technique for hyperspectral data based on synergetics theory is presented. Synergetics – originally introduced by the physicist H. Haken – is an interdisciplinary theory to find general rules for pattern formation through selforganization and has been successfully applied in fields ranging from biology to ecology, chemistry, cosmology, and thermodynamics up to sociology. Although this theory describes general rules for pattern formation it was linked also to pattern recognition. Pattern recognition algorithms based on synergetics theory have been applied to images in the spatial domain with limited success in the past, given their dependence on the rotation, shifting, and scaling of the images. These drawbacks can be discarded if such methods are applied to data acquired by a hyperspectral sensor in the spectral domain, as each single spectrum, related to an image element in the hyperspectral scene, can be analysed independently. The classification scheme based on synergetics introduces also methods for spatial regularization to get rid of "salt and pepper" classification results and for iterative parameter tuning to optimize class weights. The paper reports an experiment on a benchmark data set frequently used for method comparisons. This data set consists of a hyperspectral scene acquired by the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer AVIRIS sensor of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory acquired over the Salinas Valley in CA, USA, with 15 vegetation classes. The results are compared to state-of-the-art methodologies like Support Vector Machines (SVM), Spectral Information Divergence (SID), Neural Networks, Logistic Regression, Factor Graphs or Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM). The outcomes are promising and often outperform state-of-the-art classification methodologies.
Regulation of Arsenic Trioxide-induced Cellular Responses by Mnk1 and Mnk2*

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is a potent inducer of apoptosis of malignant cells in vitro and in vivo, but the precise mechanisms by which it mediates such effects are not well defined. We provide evidence that As2O3 induces phosphorylation/activation of the MAPK signal-integrating kinases (Mnks) 1 and 2 in leukemia cell lines. Such activation is defective in cells with targeted disruption of the p38α MAPK gene, indicating that it requires upstream engagement of the p38 MAPK pathway. Studies using Mnk1–/– or Mnk2–/–, or double Mnk1–/–Mnk2–/– knock-out cells, establish that activation of Mnk1 and Mnk2 by arsenic trioxide regulates downstream phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E at Ser-209. Importantly, arsenic-induced apoptosis is enhanced in cells with targeted disruption of the Mnk1 and/or Mnk2 genes, suggesting that these kinases are activated in a negative-feedback regulatory manner, to control generation of arsenic trioxide responses. Consistent with this, pharmacological inhibition of Mnk activity enhances the suppressive effects of arsenic trioxide on primary leukemic progenitors from patients with acute leukemias. Taken together, these findings indicate an important role for Mnk kinases, acting as negative regulators for signals that control generation of arsenic trioxide-dependent apoptosis and antileukemic responses.
Unravelling below‐ground plant distributions: a real‐time polymerase chain reaction method for quantifying species proportions in mixed root samples

Knowledge on below‐ground plant distributions is almost lacking to date, despite the fact that such information would be very valuable in understanding below‐ground competition and species‐specific interactions, processes that are expected to shape community structure. Methods available so far for below‐ground species determination have drawbacks that we tried to challenge. Some methods make use of differences in the chemical composition between species, but this is highly variable upon environmental factors. DNA‐based techniques — far less dependent on chemical composition — such as polymerase chain reaction on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) primers can so far only determine presence–absence of a species in a mixed root sample. Here, we present a quantitative DNA‐based technique that allows investigation of relative species abundances in experimental mixed root samples. We used quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on species‐specific markers obtained from intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) analyses in root samples. This molecular technique is novel in the field of root ecology and its development overcame three challenges: (i) determination of species‐specific DNA fragments, (ii) development and optimization of the real time PCR protocol, (iii) designing a data treatment method based on a modified delta–delta‐cycle threshold (CT) analysis. The method gained robustness from using relative DNA abundances in species mixtures rather than absolute concentration readings. This requires accurate multispecies reference series as a calibration. Test samples with different known biomass ratios of all species showed proof of concept of this method. The pro's and contra's of this method are discussed in the light of its contribution to advancing ecological research on below‐ground plant–plant interactions.
Induction motors performance study under various voltage sags using simulation

The main aim of this paper is to study effects of different voltage sags and their intensity on the behavior of induction motors using a simulation approach. For this purpose, necessary simulation was done in Matlab — Simulink first. Then, to ensure the reasonable accuracy of the simulation, some results of simulation were compared with the corresponding results measured in the laboratory. Then effects of intensity of symmetric voltage sag (three phase) and its starting point on the behavior of small and large induction motors was studied using simulation and subsequently, the effects of asymmetric voltage sags (single phase and two phase) has also been studied and finally the conclusion of the study were presented.
Neuron-Specific Enolase and Embryology of the Trabecular Meshwork of the Rat Eye: An Immunohistochemical Study

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is a unique form of the glycolytic enzyme enolase found exclusively in neurons and neuroendocrine tissues. Immunohistochemical techniques in which antineuron-specific enolase antibodies are used have made it possible to map out derivatives of the neural crest in humans. By using affinity-purified antibodies against NSE, we investigated whether the contribution of the neural crest cells to the development of the anterior ocular structures in the rat is similar to that in man. We found that filtration structures in rats show morphologically striking similarities with the analogous region of the human eye. Hence, the rat eye, with certain reservations, is a suitable model for experimental studies on ocular diseases that are characterized by chamber angle anomalies or congenital glaucoma.