Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of controlled dehydration on sleep quality and quantity: A polysomnographic study in healthy young adults

Dehydration is associated with several alternations in body homeostasis involving both physiological and mental aspects. In addition some studies have reported a negative effect of dehydration on subjectively assessed sleep‐related parameters. The aim of the current study was to examine for the first time the effect of controlled dehydration on sleep quality and quantity using the gold‐standard method of polysomnography. Twelve healthy male volunteers participated in this study (23.4 ± 0.8 years). Participants performed an in‐house full polysomnographic assessment in two different occasions taking place in random order: (i) in a dehydrated state; and (ii) in a euhydrated state. In the dehydration scenario, the participants were allowed to consume only 1.25 L of non‐caffeinated fluids, while during the euhydrated state participants had to drink at least 3 L of non‐caffeinated fluids during the last 24 hr before the polysomnographic study. Urine specific gravity was assessed by refractrometry on collection day in order to assess hydration status. Participants who did not fulfil the hydration criteria were rescheduled. All participants successfully completed the two polysomnographic studies without any complaints or adverse effects reported. No significant differences were found in any of the examined indices of sleep quality and quantity between the dehydration and euhydration scenarios (p > .05). This is the first study to show that controlled mild dehydration does not seem to affect sleep quality and quantity in young healthy adults. More research is necessary to further verify these conclusions and assess whether other parameters are involved in the manifestation of sleep disturbances.
Effects of an Acute Bout of Static Stretching on 40 m Sprint Performance: Influence of Baseline Flexibility

This study investigated the effect of stretching on sprint performance. Ten trained male subjects (age 22 ± 2.3 yrs; body mass 77.1 ± 6.9 kg; height 179 ± 5.5 cm) were randomly assigned to “Rest” and “Stretch” conditions. A low intensity 5 min running warm-up was followed by either 12 min of inactivity (Rest) or lower-limb stretches (Stretch). Subjects walked for 60 s before completing three maximal effort 40 m sprint trials. There were no statistically significant differences in measures of sprint performance between conditions (p > 0.05); however, there was a significant correlation between baseline sit-and-reach scores and mean change in mean velocity between conditions (r = –0.68; p = 0.03). There was a tendency for stretching to negatively effect sprint performance in subjects with comparatively high baseline flexibility. An acute bout of stretching did not exert a significant effect on sprint performance under prescribed conditions.
Cytopathogenesis of Sendai Virus in Well-Differentiated Primary Pediatric Bronchial Epithelial Cells

ABSTRACT Sendai virus (SeV) is a murine respiratory virus of considerable interest as a gene therapy or vaccine vector, as it is considered nonpathogenic in humans. However, little is known about its interaction with the human respiratory tract. To address this, we developed a model of respiratory virus infection based on well-differentiated primary pediatric bronchial epithelial cells (WD-PBECs). These physiologically authentic cultures are comprised of polarized pseudostratified multilayered epithelium containing ciliated, goblet, and basal cells and intact tight junctions. To facilitate our studies, we rescued a replication-competent recombinant SeV expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (rSeV/eGFP). rSeV/eGFP infected WD-PBECs efficiently and progressively and was restricted to ciliated and nonciliated cells, not goblet cells, on the apical surface. Considerable cytopathology was evident in the rSeV/eGFP-infected cultures postinfection. This manifested itself by ciliostasis, cell sloughing, apoptosis, and extensive degeneration of WD-PBEC cultures. Syncytia were also evident, along with significant basolateral secretion of proinflammatory chemokines, including IP-10, RANTES, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-8. Such deleterious responses are difficult to reconcile with a lack of pathogenesis in humans and suggest that caution may be required in exploiting replication-competent SeV as a vaccine vector. Alternatively, such robust responses might constitute appropriate normal host responses to viral infection and be a prerequisite for the induction of efficient immune responses.
Core Design and Optimization for Better Misalignment Tolerance and Higher Range of Wireless Charging of PHEV

In this paper, a design and optimization method of ferrite core is proposed for wireless charging system of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to improve its misalignment tolerance and minimize the core loss. While optimizing for higher misalignment tolerance, the primary focus is given to maintain uniform flux density in the core to minimize the core loss. An excessive use of core increases the weight and loss of the system, which need to be minimized through optimal design. Moreover, the flux density changes with misalignment, and the misalignment probability for car parking could be different in different direction. Hence the directional probability of misalignment needs to be considered during core design. In this paper, a core structure is proposed for a circular and bar-shaped core to achieve uniform flux density and an optimization method is proposed based on sequential nonlinear programming algorithm in FEA. Compared to typical uniform thickness core structure, in an optimized core, the core loss per unit volume is reduced by 30% for circular core and by 39% for bar-shaped core and the core volume per unit core loss is reduced by 17.5% in optimized circular shaped core.
Heart rate and blood pressure control in obesity – how to detect early dysregulation?

Obesity is accompanied by many severe complications including various cardiovascular disorders. An impairment of cardiovascular control by autonomic nervous system could be one of the possible links between obesity and cardiovascular complications development. The aim of this study was to compare spontaneous heart rate and systolic blood pressure oscillations reflecting cardiovascular autonomic control of young obese subjects with normal control subjects by linear and nonlinear methods and to find sensitive markers of early autonomic dysregulation. Continuous recordings of beat‐to‐beat systolic blood pressure and RR intervals from ECG were obtained from 40 obese subjects (25 female, age 14·2 [13·1–16·1] (median [interquartile range]) years) and gender and age matched non‐obese control subjects. In addition to linear measures (time and frequency domain), we performed recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) and multiscale entropy analysis for both signals. While no significant differences in heart rate and systolic blood pressure dynamics were detected by linear measures and MSE, analysis of recurrence plots from RR intervals time series showed significant differences – indices trapping time and maximal length of vertical from RQA were significantly higher in obese compared to control group. We conclude that heart rate and blood pressure control by autonomic nervous system in young obese subjects is relatively well preserved. However, novel RQA‐related measures are able to detect early subtle abnormalities in cardiac autonomic control in obese subjects indicating decreased signal complexity.
Insulin resistance – a common link between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Evidence suggests that diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may share an underlying cause(s), a theory known as the ‘common soil’ hypothesis. Insulin resistance is central both to the progression from normal glucose tolerance to type 2 diabetes and to a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors known as the metabolic syndrome. These risk factors include visceral obesity and dyslipidaemia characterized by low levels of high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertriglyceridaemia and raised small dense low‐density lipoprotein particle levels. Changes in adipose tissue mass and metabolism may link insulin resistance and visceral obesity, a condition that is common in type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, weight reduction, increased physical activity, metformin and acarbose have been shown to reduce the development of type 2 diabetes in genetically predisposed subjects and may decrease the high cardiovascular risk of patients with diabetes. Some fatty acid derivatives can affect energy metabolism by activating peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors (PPARs), nuclear receptors that play a key role in energy homeostasis. These receptors represent an ideal therapeutic target for reducing cardiovascular risk, because they are involved in the regulation of both insulin action and lipid metabolism. In addition to lifestyle changes, PPARγ agonists such as thiazolidinediones are frequently beneficial and have been shown to ameliorate insulin resistance, while activation of PPARα (e.g. by fibrates) can lead to improvements in free fatty acid oxidation and lipid profile, and a reduction in cardiovascular events. The development of agents with both PPARα and PPARγ activity promises added benefits with amelioration of insulin resistance, delayed progression to and of type 2 diabetes and a reduction of CVD.
Effects of Service Quality Policies in the Tourism Sector Performance: An Empirical Analysis of Spanish Hotels and Restaurants

In the last few years, it has become essential, in order for companies to ensure their survival, to approach the customer and bet on quality. This is due to the importance of tourism in many economies and the increase in supply and demand. For this reason, there are numerous studies found in literature that evaluate the extent to which quality practices impact finances and competitiveness of tourism companies. Furthermore, the usual practice in many of these studies is to classify all types of tourism businesses in the same category, even though there seem to be significant a priori differences between them. The main objects of scrutiny in this study are restaurants and hospitality. The analysis of the aggregate results of two surveys carried out among executives in Spain that employed SEM methodology demonstrates that quality practices have influence, albeit indirectly, on a firm’s performance in a positive way. However, separate analysis of subsamples show disparities between hotels and restaurants. This paper illustrates that, although both subgroups operate in the same sector, they obtain different results from implementing quality policies. Therefore, the specific features and typology of the selected tourism company should be considered.
Uncarboxylated Osteocalcin Induces Antitumor Immunity against Mouse Melanoma Cell Growth

Because of the poor response to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, new treatment approaches by immune-based therapy involving activated T cells are required for melanoma. We previously reported that the uncarboxylated form of osteocalcin (GluOC), derived from osteoblasts, potentially suppresses human prostate cancer cell proliferation by direct suppression of cell growth. However, the mechanisms in vivo have not been elucidated. In this study, we found that GluOC suppressed tumor growth of B16 mouse melanoma transplants in C57Bl/6N wild-type mice. Our data demonstrated that GluOC suppressed cell growth by downregulating phosphorylation levels of receptor tyrosine kinases and inducing apoptosis in vitro. Additionally, stimulation of primary mouse splenocytes with concanavalin A, a polyclonal T-cell mitogen, in the presence of GluOC increased T cell proliferation and their interferon-γ production. Taken together, we demonstrate that GluOC exerts multiple antitumor effects not only in vitro, but also in vivo through cellular immunostimulatory effects against B16 mouse melanoma cells.
Identification of Novel Ssl0352 Protein (NdhS), Essential for Efficient Operation of Cyclic Electron Transport around Photosystem I, in NADPH:plastoquinone Oxidoreductase (NDH-1) Complexes of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803*

Background: Multisubunit NDH-1 complexes of cyanobacterial are involved in CO2 uptake and cyclic electron transfer (CET). Result: Ssl0352, a small unknown protein of Synechocystis 6803, is tightly associated with NDH-1. Deletion of ssl0352 impairs CET but not the NDH-1 assembly. Conclusion: Ssl0352 is a novel NDH-1 subunit, NdhS. Significance: NdhS is important for the function of NDH-1 complexes. Cyanobacterial NADPH:plastoquinone oxidoreductase, or type I NAD(P)H dehydrogenase, or the NDH-1 complex is involved in plastoquinone reduction and cyclic electron transfer (CET) around photosystem I. CET, in turn, produces extra ATP for cell metabolism particularly under stressful conditions. Despite significant achievements in the study of cyanobacterial NDH-1 complexes during the past few years, the entire subunit composition still remains elusive. To identify missing subunits, we screened a transposon-tagged library of Synechocystis 6803 cells grown under high light. Two NDH-1-mediated CET (NDH-CET)-defective mutants were tagged in the same ssl0352 gene encoding a short unknown protein. To clarify the function of Ssl0352, the ssl0352 deletion mutant and another mutant with Ssl0352 fused to yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) and the His6 tag were constructed. Immunoblotting, mass spectrometry, and confocal microscopy analyses revealed that the Ssl0352 protein resides in the thylakoid membrane and associates with the NDH-1L and NDH-1M complexes. We conclude that Ssl0352 is a novel subunit of cyanobacterial NDH-1 complexes and designate it NdhS. Deletion of the ssl0352 gene considerably impaired the NDH-CET activity and also retarded cell growth under high light conditions, indicating that NdhS is essential for efficient operation of NDH-CET. However, the assembly of the NDH-1L and NDH-1M complexes and their content in the cells were not affected in the mutant. NdhS contains a Src homology 3-like domain and might be involved in interaction of the NDH-1 complex with an electron donor.
DEPLETION OF NATURAL KILLER CELLS DOES NOT RESULT IN NEUROLOGIC DISEASE DUE TO SARCOCYSTIS NEURONA IN MICE WITH SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENCY

Sarcocystis neurona is an apicomplexan parasite that is the primary etiologic agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis in horses. Protective immune responses in horses have not been determined, but interferon-γ (IFN-γ) is considered critical for protection from neurologic disease in mice. The role of adaptive and innate immune responses in control of parasites was explored by infecting BALB/c, IFN-γ knockout (GKO), and severe combined immune deficient (SCID) mice with S. neurona (104 sporocysts/mouse). Immune competent BALB/c mice eliminated parasites within 30 days, with no sign of neurologic disease, whereas GKO mice developed fulminant neurologic disease. In contrast, SCID mice remained healthy throughout the experimental period despite the persistence of parasite at low levels in some mice. Treatment with anti–IFN-γ antibody resulted in neurologic disease in infected SCID mice. Although SCID mice lack adaptive immune responses, they have natural killer (NK) cells capable of producing significant quantities of IFN-γ. Therefore, SCID mice were infected with sporocysts of S. neurona and treated with anti-asialo GM1. Depletion of NK cells, confirmed by flow cytometry, did not result in neurologic disease in SCID mice. These results indicate that IFN-γ mediates protection from neurologic disease in SCID mice. Protective levels of IFN-γ may originate from a low number of nondepleted NK cells or from a non-T cell, non-NK cell population.
High calcium diet down-regulates kidney angiotensin-converting enzyme in experimental renal failure.

BACKGROUND Calcium salts are used as phosphate binders in renal failure, while high calcium diet also improves vasorelaxation and enhances natriuresis. The influences of calcium intake on renal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) are largely unknown. METHODS Four weeks after NTX, rats were put on 3.0% or 0.3% calcium diet for 8 weeks (12-week study). In additional experiments, 15 weeks after NTX, rats were put on similar diets for 12 weeks (27-week study). Appropriate blood, urine, and kidney samples were taken. Renal angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin II receptors (AT1, AT2) were examined using autoradiography, ACE also using Western blotting, and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS In the 12-week study, albuminuria increased 5-fold in NTX rats, but only 2-fold in calcium NTX rats on 3.0% calcium. In the 27-week study, high calcium intake decreased blood pressure, retarded progression of renal failure, reduced glomerulosclerosis, interstitial damage, and aortic calcifications, and improved survival from 50% to 92% in NTX rats. In both experiments plasma parathyroid hormone and phosphate were elevated after NTX, and suppressed by high calcium diet, while kidney ACE was down-regulated by 40% or more after increased calcium intake. In the 27-week study renal CTGF was decreased and cortical AT1 receptor density reduced after high calcium diet. CONCLUSION High calcium diet down-regulated kidney ACE, reduced albuminuria and blood pressure, and favorably influenced kidney morphology in experimental renal failure. These findings suggest a link between calcium metabolism and kidney ACE expression, which may play a role in the progression of renal damage.
Vitamin D status of adolescent inpatients in a secure psychiatric hospital

Objective: The objective of the study was to use routinely collected data on vitamin D levels of adolescents detained in a secure psychiatric hospital to see if this at-risk group for vitamin D deficiency do in fact have low vitamin D levels. Methods: Vitamin D blood levels were collated from clinical records of inpatients admitted to Bluebird House, a medium secure adolescent unit, since 2012. Corresponding data were gathered to include gender, ethnic status and age. Blood levels were assessed on admission to the unit and after treatment with vitamin D supplementation, if indicated. Results: Only 3 out of the 35 patients (8.6%) had adequate vitamin D levels (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-OHD] > 50 nmol/l). A total of 23 patients (65.7%) had levels consistent with deficiency (25-OHD < 30 nmol/l) with the remaining 9 patients (25.7%) showing levels indicating possible deficiency (25-OHD 30–50 nmol/l. Conclusions: Vitamin D levels were low in our sample of young people admitted to a secure psychiatric hospital. This is the first published study of vitamin D levels in a secure adolescent psychiatric hospital. The results point to the need for routine prescription of vitamin D to adolescents held in secure conditions such as hospitals, secure children’s homes and youth offender institutes.
Significant reduction in breast cancer risk for Japanese women with interleukin 1B -31 CT/TT relative to CC genotype.

OBJECTIVE The present case-control study aimed to examine the associations between breast cancer risk and three functional polymorphisms (Interleukin (IL) -1A C-889T, IL-1B C-31T and IL-1RN 86-bp variable number tandem repeat) related to expression of IL-1beta, which combines estrogen receptor. METHODS Cases were 231 patients with breast cancer who had been diagnosed 1 month to 6 years before their enrollment in 1999-2000 at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital. Controls were 186 non-cancer outpatients recruited during the same period at the digestive tract, breast surgery and gynecology clinics. RESULTS There were no differences in the genotype distributions of the IL-1A and IL-1RN polymorphisms, but individuals harboring a IL-1B C-31T T allele (high expression allele) were less frequent among cases (74.3%) than among controls (84.9%). The age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) relative to CC genotype was 0.52 (95% confidence interval, 0.30-0.88) for CT genotype, 0.58 (0.32-1.02) for TT genotype and 0.54 (0.33-0.90) for CT/TT genotype. Subgroup analysis showed that the preventive effect was significantly stronger for postmenopausal women than for premenopausal women (interaction 0.30, 0.11-0.84). CONCLUSIONS Although this is the first report on the association between breast cancer risk and IL-1B C-31T, the observed association seems plausible in a biological sense.
Endoscopic transgastric vs surgical necrosectomy for infected necrotizing pancreatitis: a randomized trial.

CONTEXT Most patients with infected necrotizing pancreatitis require necrosectomy. Surgical necrosectomy induces a proinflammatory response and is associated with a high complication rate. Endoscopic transgastric necrosectomy, a form of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, may reduce the proinflammatory response and reduce complications. OBJECTIVE To compare the proinflammatory response and clinical outcome of endoscopic transgastric and surgical necrosectomy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Randomized controlled assessor-blinded clinical trial in 3 academic hospitals and 1 regional teaching hospital in The Netherlands between August 20, 2008, and March 3, 2010. Patients had signs of infected necrotizing pancreatitis and an indication for intervention. INTERVENTIONS Random allocation to endoscopic transgastric or surgical necrosectomy. Endoscopic necrosectomy consisted of transgastric puncture, balloon dilatation, retroperitoneal drainage, and necrosectomy. Surgical necrosectomy consisted of video-assisted retroperitoneal debridement or, if not feasible, laparotomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary end point was the postprocedural proinflammatory response as measured by serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels. Secondary clinical end points included a predefined composite end point of major complications (new-onset multiple organ failure, intra-abdominal bleeding, enterocutaneous fistula, or pancreatic fistula) or death. RESULTS We randomized 22 patients, 2 of whom did not undergo necrosectomy following percutaneous catheter drainage and could not be analyzed for the primary end point. Endoscopic transgastric necrosectomy reduced the postprocedural IL-6 levels compared with surgical necrosectomy (P = .004). The composite clinical end point occurred less often after endoscopic necrosectomy (20% vs 80%; risk difference [RD], 0.60; 95% CI, 0.16-0.80; P = .03). Endoscopic necrosectomy did not cause new-onset multiple organ failure (0% vs 50%, RD, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.12-0.76; P = .03) and reduced the number of pancreatic fistulas (10% vs 70%; RD, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.17-0.81; P = .02). CONCLUSION In patients with infected necrotizing pancreatitis, endoscopic necrosectomy reduced the proinflammatory response as well as the composite clinical end point compared with surgical necrosectomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN07091918.