Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Allogeneic sensitization is more effective than xenogeneic sensitization in eliciting gal-mediated skin graft rejection1

The generation of Gal knockout (KO) pigs is likely to be an important advance in xenotransplantation. However, recent reports suggesting that expression of Gal may not be completely eliminated raise the possibility of a continuing anti-Gal immune response. The authors used a Gal-mismatched skin graft model to study cell-mediated anti-Gal rejection. Gal KO mice on a BALB/c or C57BL/6 background were sensitized with allogeneic or xenogeneic (rat) Gal-positive skin grafts and underwent transplantation with a secondary skin graft solely mismatched for Gal 21 days later. Most allograft-sensitized recipients rejected the secondary graft (n=26 [96%]) compared with less than half of xenograft-sensitized recipients (n=25 [44%]). An immunoglobulin (Ig) M response was detected in some xenograft-sensitized but not allograft-sensitized recipients. No recipients developed detectable anti-Gal IgG. The authors’ findings contrast with previous reports that xenografts are more potent than allografts in eliciting an anti-Gal response and suggest that a predominantly cell-mediated response can mediate rejection.
Association of dyslipidaemia with macular oedema and hard exudates in diabetic maculopathy.

UNLABELLED Diabetic retinal changes, diabetic maculopathy and prolixferative retinopathy are major causes of loss of vision worldwide in people of working age. In addition to oedema in the area of the macula lutea, diabetic maculopathy is often characterized by white changes termed hard exudates. It has been observed that the appearance of hard exudates is consistent with the appearance of dyslipidaemia, which is typical for diabetic patients. The aim of this paper was to underline the role of elevated serum lipids in the onset of macular oedema and hard exudates. MATERIAL AND METHODS The examined group comprised 38 patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 who had medioretinal changes of the eye fundus as well as changes in the macular area manifested by retinal oedema and the presence of hard exudates. The control group consisted of type 2 diabetic patients without changes associated with diabetic maculopathy. RESULTS The examined group of diabetic patients that manifested diabetic maculopathy had significantly higher values of total lipids (9.49 +/- 2.02 g/L vs. 8.06 +/- 0.84 g/L), triglycerol (2.02 +/- 1.23 mmol/l vs. 1.24 +/- 0.37 mmol/l), total cholesterol (6.03 +/- 1.13 mmol/l vs. 5.21 +/- 0.62 mmol/l) and cholesterol ester (4.02 +/- 0.72 mmol/l vs. 3.48 +/- 0.46 mmol/l) as compared to the control group. Although values of HDL (1.39 +/- 1.01 mmol/l) and LDL (3.69 +/- 1.0 mmol/l) cholesterol were higher in the examined group than in the control one, there were no statistically significant differences (1.39 +/- 1.01 mmol/l vs. 1.30 +/- 0.33 mmol/l) and (3.69 +/- 1.0 mmol/l vs. 3.60 +/- 0.72 mmol/l) respectively. The analysis of the severity of hard exudates and oedema in relation to lipid fractions in the examined group showed that total lipids, total cholesterol and cholesterol were significantly higher than in the subjects where exudates were less severe. CONCLUSION Hyperlipidaemia is a risk factor for the development of hard exudates in diabetic maculopathy.
On group coherence of frames

Group coherence of matrices plays an important role in analyzing the performance of group compressed sensing recovery algorithms (Bajwa and Mixon, 2012). In this paper, we characterize two group coherence metrics: worstcase and average group coherence. First, we establish a fundamental lower bound on worst-case group coherence. We then present deterministic matrix constructions based upon Kronecker products that obtain this lower bound. We also characterize the worst-case group coherence of random subspaces. Finally, we present a flipping algorithm that can improve the average group coherence of a matrix, while maintaining the worst-case group coherence of the original matrix. We provide numerical examples which demonstrate that our proposed deterministic matrix construction performs well in group compressed sensing.
Higher frequency of uncommon 1.5–2 Mb deletions found in familial cases of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Familial 22q11.2 deletions have been reported as a 6%–28% of the total affected cases of 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome (del22q11.2). Different deletion genotypes have been described for this disorder, with a predominant 3 Mb deletion present in 90% of the cases, a less common 1.5–2 Mb deletion in 8%, and atypical smaller deletions in 2%. We have studied 15 cases of del22q11.2 from 6 families (two of them three‐generation families) that were previously diagnosed through FISH. We have sized the deleted region by allele genotyping of 12–16 polymorphic markers in all cases, and we have found three families affected with the 1.5–2 Mb deletion, two affected with the 3 Mb deletion, and one in which the deletion size could not be determined. This predominance of the smaller 1.5–2 Mb deletions in our familial cases differs from the minor frequency observed in sporadic cases of del22q11.2. This finding suggests that small deletions are more linked to familial inheritance than large ones, possibly due to psychosocial or biological factors associated with differences in the phenotype. Deletion sizing on routine diagnosis may help characterizing the inheritability of 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Taking stock: a review of quantitative studies of transposition and implementation of EU law

This paper presents a literature review of all quantitative (statistical) studies of compliance with EU law. The paper introduces and makes use of a new online database http://www.eif. oeaw.ac. at/implementation/ which presents a detailed and comprehensive overview and classification of the existing quantitative research on transposition and implementation of EU directives in the member states. The study discusses and compares the different conceptualizations and operationalizations of compliance used, the list and specifications of the explanatory variables included in the models, the hypotheses proposed, and, most importantly, the findings of the literature. While the academic field has made progress in terms of assessing the scale and dimensions of the transposition failures in the EU, the causal inferences advanced in the existing literature are often weakly supported and sometimes contradictory when all studies are considered. The literature review suggests that only causal relationships that are specific for a certain time period, policy area, country, or type of legislation can be supported by empirical data, which means that broad generalizations about compliance in the EU might be impossible to uncover. The paper also suggests that decomposing the implementation process into its component stages, incorporating more rigorously the interactions between the Commission and the member states, and paying closer attention to the multilevel structure of the data in the statistical models can benefit future research on compliance in the EU.
More evidence for reach out and read: a home-based study.

OBJECTIVE Reach Out and Read (ROR), a clinic-based literacy program, has been shown to improve literacy outcomes in impoverished children. No study has used direct observation to assess a child's home literacy environment or to control for important confounders, such as the quality of the home environment. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the frequency of ROR encounters that a family receives during well-child visits and a child's home literacy profile, while accounting for important confounders, such as the quality of the home environment. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted of 137 children (aged 18-30 months) who received pediatric well-child care at the Yale-New Haven Hospital Primary Care Center. The number of ROR encounters that the family received was determined though parent interview, direct observation, and a review of the medical record. After a brief waiting room interview, a home visit was conducted. An assessment of the child's home literacy environment was completed on the basis of 10 variables that were obtained from parent report and direct observation within the home. These variables were summed to form a Child Home Literacy Index. The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment, a standardized measure of the nurturing quality of the home environment, was also administered. Hierarchical linear regression was conducted to determine the significance of ROR on a child's home literacy environment. RESULTS A total of 100 families completed both a waiting room interview and a home visit. Families received between 0 and 6 books in the ROR program. A total of 93% of families reported reading to their children, but only 35% of parents identified reading as a favorite activity of their child and 45% of parents reported that this was a favorite joint activity. Hierarchical linear regression demonstrated that increasing frequency of ROR encounters contributed a small but significant portion of the variance explaining a child's home literacy profile (5%), with this model accounting for a total of 19% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS A modest literacy intervention, such as ROR, can have a significant impact on a child's home literacy environment.
Acupuncture-related modulation of pain-associated brain networks during electrical pain stimulation: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

OBJECTIVE Findings of existing functional MRI (fMRI) studies on the neural mechanisms that mediate effects of acupuncture analgesia are inconsistent. This study analyzes the effects of manual acupuncture on pain ratings and brain activation in response to experimental, electrical pain stimuli. DESIGN Fourteen healthy volunteers were examined by using a 1.5-T MRI scanner. The intensity of pain stimuli was adjusted to individual pain ratings on a numeric rating scale. Baseline fMRI was performed during electrical pain stimulation in a blocked design. For the second session, manual acupuncture with repeated stimulation was performed on contralateral acupoints-large intestine 4, liver 3, and stomach 36-before imaging. After imaging, subjective pain ratings and ratings of the de qi sensation were assessed. RESULTS Compared with baseline, volunteers showed modulated brain activity under pain conditions in the cingulate gyrus, insula, primary somatosensory cortex, and prefrontal areas after the acupuncture session. In accordance with the literature, anterior insular and prefrontal activity seemed to be correlated with acupuncture treatment. CONCLUSION This study supports the existence of analgesic acupuncture effects that outlast the needling period. Pain-associated brain areas were modulated in direct response to a preceding acupuncture treatment.
Pioneer Axon Navigation Is Controlled by AEX-3, a Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor for RAB-3 in Caenorhabditis elegans

Precise and accurate axon tract formation is an essential aspect of brain development. This is achieved by the migration of early outgrowing axons (pioneers) allowing later outgrowing axons (followers) to extend toward their targets in the embryo. In Caenorhabditis elegans the AVG neuron pioneers the right axon tract of the ventral nerve cord, the major longitudinal axon tract. AVG is essential for the guidance of follower axons and hence organization of the ventral nerve cord. In an enhancer screen for AVG axon guidance defects in a nid-1/Nidogen mutant background, we isolated an allele of aex-3. aex-3 mutant animals show highly penetrant AVG axon navigation defects. These defects are dependent on a mutation in nid-1/Nidogen, a basement membrane component. Our data suggest that AEX-3 activates RAB-3 in the context of AVG axon navigation. aex-3 genetically acts together with known players of vesicular exocytosis: unc-64/Syntaxin, unc-31/CAPS, and ida-1/IA-2. Furthermore our genetic interaction data suggest that AEX-3 and the UNC-6/Netrin receptor UNC-5 act in the same pathway, suggesting AEX-3 might regulate the trafficking and/or insertion of UNC-5 at the growth cone to mediate the proper guidance of the AVG axon.
Codeine O-demethylation co-segregates with polymorphic debrisoquine hydroxylation.

1. A single oral dose of codeine (25 mg) was given to 132 healthy Swedish Caucasians who had previously been phenotyped with respect to debrisoquine hydroxylation. The 'metabolic ratios' (MR) in urine of codeine O-demethylation (codeine/(morphine (M) + morphine-3- and 6-glucuronides (M3G and M6G) + normorphine], N-demethylation (codeine/(norcodeine (NC) + norcodeine glucuronide + normorphine (NM]) and glucuronidation (codeine/codeine-6-glucuronide (C6G] were calculated following h.p.l.c. analysis of urine samples collected over 8 h. 2. There was a significant correlation between the log MR for debrisoquine hydroxylation and the log MR for codeine O-demethylation (rs = 0.77, P less than 0.001). The poor debrisoquine hydroxylators had MRs of codeine O-demethylation between 8.3 and 55.1, while the values for extensive hydroxylators were between 0.4 and 5.5. 3. The poor debrisoquine hydroxylators excreted significantly less M, M3G, M6G and NM, while the urinary recovery of C6G and NC was significantly higher in these subjects compared to the extensive hydroxylators. 4. The MRs for glucuronidation and N-demethylation did not exhibit a bimodal distribution, and were not related to the MR of debrisoquine hydroxylation. 5. No associations were found between sex, body-weight, smoking habits, age, urine volume or urine pH and the O-demethylation of codeine. 6. The O-demethylation of codeine to form M appears to be under the same polymorphic genetic control as the 4-hydroxylation of debrisoquine.
Enhancement of Web Browser Programming with Guest - Visual Programinng Tool for Non-programmers

Many people have recently become interested in Web 2.0, which is a new Web service concept. Web sites have become sources of information and functionality that enables users to create new content of their own. Using this capability, users have been customizing Web pages as they like. Users are now looking for more versatile browsers that will enable them to edit and display content based on their own creative concepts and preferences. Motivated by this demand, we have been working on a project to develop a state-transition diagram-based Web browser programming scheme that supports participatory Web use and enables the enduser to interact with Web content. We implemented a prototype of our scheme called GUEST. Using GUEST, users can define behaviors of a Web browser easily even if they have no programming experience. However, there are parts of the scheme that are not easy for beginners to use. That is, there are complicated user interfaces that prevent the user from easily gaining an intuitive understanding of how to use GUEST. Therefore, in this paper, we focus on users’ difficulties in using the interface, and introduce a new concept of the design.
AML 1-ETO mediates hematopoietic self-renewal and leukemogenesis through a COX / β-catenin signaling pathway

Developing novel therapies that suppress self-renewal of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) may reduce the likelihood of relapses and extend long-term survival of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). AML1-ETO (AE) is an oncogene that plays an important role in inducing self-renewal of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), leading to the development of LSCs. Previously, using a zebrafish model of AE and a whole-organism chemical suppressor screen, we have discovered that AE induces specific hematopoietic phenotypes in embryonic zebrafish through a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and β-catenindependent pathway. Here, we show that AE also induces expression of the Cox2 gene and activates β-catenin in mouse bone marrow cells. Inhibition of COX suppresses β-catenin activation and serial replating of AE mouse HSPCs. Genetic knockdown of β-catenin also abrogates the clonogenic growth of AE mouse HSPCs and human leukemia cells. In addition, treatment with nimesulide, a COX-2 selective inhibitor, dramatically suppresses xenograft tumor formation and inhibits in vivo progression of human leukemia cells. In summary, our data indicate an important role of a COX/β-catenin-dependent signaling pathway in tumor initiation, growth and self-renewal, and provide the rationale for testing potential benefits from common COX inhibitors as a part of AML treatments. For personal use only. on October 24, 2017. by guest www.bloodjournal. org From
Achieving More by Paying Less? How Retailers can Benefit by Bidding Less Aggressively in Paid Search Auctions

Current research on paid search highlights its ability to enhance online as well as offline conversions. Yet, research investigating the impact of placing paid search ads on less prominent positions on subsequent consumer behavior is limited to the online environment. This paper presents a controlled field experiment which investigates whether the targeting of a less prominent ad position can be beneficial for bricks-and-mortar retailers who sell their products via local stores. Preliminary Results indicate that paid search advertising budgets could be allocated more efficiently by targeting less prominent ad positions, thus allowing a bricks-and-mortar retailer with a limited marketing budget to increase the reach of their marketing campaign, attract more consumers to its website and achieve an overall increase in conversions. These findings illustrate that search theory continues to apply in the realm of paid search and that different consumer types are likely to click on differently positioned ads. Advertisers could leverage this behavior to reach preferred types of customers by targeting specific ad positions. Bricks-and-mortar retailers could consider targeting less prominent ad positions when seeking to reduce advertising costs while simultaneously extending their reach to customers and achieve an increase in conversions.
Abnormal fibrinolysis in healthy male cigarette smokers: Role of plasminogen activator inhibitors

The extrinsic fibrinolytic system and its response to cigarette smoking was studied in five healthy male smokers 35–45 years old. Tissue plasminogen activator (t‐PA) release in response to venous occlusion was intact both at 8:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. Acutely smoking two cigarettes neither stimulated fibrinolysis nor changed levels of t‐PA or plasminogen activator inhibitors. Functional plasminogen activator inhibitor (PA‐I) levels and euglobulin lysis times were higher in the smoking group than in a control group matched for age, sex, and body mass. Antigenic levels of PA‐I 1, the PA‐I derived from vascular endothelial cells and platelets, were similar in both groups. While smoking did not acutely alter fibrinolysis in chronic smokers, these individuals had a high frequency of abnormal fibrinolysis characterized by high levels of PA‐I activity. This abnormality is due to either high specific activity of PA‐I 1 or to the presence of other antigenically distinct plasminogen activator inhibitors. Abnormal firbinolysis may be one mechanism contributing to the thrombotic diathesis of cigarette smokers.
Clinical Usefulness of Hydromorphone-OROS in Improving Sleep Disturbances in Korean Cancer Patients: A Multicenter, Prospective, Open-Label Study

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of hydromorphone-OROS (HM-OROS) in reducing sleep disturbance and relieving cancer pain. Materials and Methods One hundred twenty cancer patients with pain (numeric rating scale [NRS] ≥ 4) and sleep disturbance (NRS ≥ 4) were evaluated. The initial HM-OROS dosing was based on previous opioid dose (HM-OROS:oral morphine=1:5). Dose adjustment of the study drug was permitted at the investigator’s discretion. Pain intensity, number of breakthrough pain episodes, and quality of sleep were evaluated. Results A total of 120 patients received at least one dose of HM-OROS; 74 of them completed the final assessment. Compared to the previous opioids, HM-OROS reduced the average pain NRS from 5.3 to 4.1 (p < 0.01), worst pain NRS from 6.7 to 5.4 (p < 0.01), sleep disturbance NRS from 5.9 to 4.1 (p < 0.01), incidence of breakthrough pain at night from 2.63 to 1.53 times (p < 0.001), and immediate-release opioids use for the management of breakthrough pain from 0.83 to 0.39 times per night (p = 0.001). Of the 74 patients who completed the treatment, 83.7% indicated that they preferred HM-OROS to the previous medication. The adverse events (AEs) were somnolence, asthenia, constipation, dizziness, and nausea. Conclusion HM-OROS was efficacious in reducing cancer pain and associated sleep disturbances. The AEs were manageable.
Relation of Physical Activity and Self-Esteem

The aim of this study was to examine the relation between self-esteem appraisal and physical activity testing a convenience sample of 211 individuals, ages 19 to 35 years and selected from the general population after a brief structured interview. They were grouped by sport habits into three distinct groups named Athletes, Nonathletes, and Sedentary people, and then were examined for significant differences in self-esteem scores measured via the Heatherton and Polivy State Self-esteem Scale which assesses three correlated factors, respectively, Performance, Social, and Appearance. As hypothesized, self-esteem scores between-groups differences emerged for the Appearance factor only, and the Sedentary group scored comparatively lower than the other two groups.
Characterization of a hyperpolarization‐activated current in dedifferentiated adult rat ventricular cells in primary culture

1 The presence of a hyperpolarization‐activated pacemaker (If)‐like current was tested in dedifferentiated adult rat ventricular myocytes up to 12 days in primary culture with the whole‐cell patch clamp technique. 2 An If‐like current was found and characterized on freshly isolated and cultured ventricular cells. Both activation and density of the current varied in relation to the stage of dedifferentiation. The current was activated from ‐92.0 ± 2.5 and ‐63.0 ± 1.0 mV at the beginning (4‐day‐cultured cells) and end of the dedifferentiation process (12 days), respectively. Its density measured at ‐170 mV progressively increased from ‐2.34 ± 0.36 to ‐6.12 ± 0.64 pA pF−1 between the two farthest stages of cellular remodelling. In freshly isolated cells the current was activated at ‐108.0 ± 1.5 mV and its current density measured at ‐170 mV was ‐1.97 ± 0.56 pA pF−1. 3 The current was blocked by extracellular CsCl (3 mM) in a voltage‐dependent manner. Modification of reversal potentials obtained at various values of [K+]o (5.4 or 25 mM) and [Na+]o (140 or 30 mM) suggests that the current was carried by both K+ and Na+ ions. 4 It is concluded that the hyperpolarization‐activated inward current, recorded in freshly isolated and in cultured ventricular cells has characteristics similar to those of If. In adult rat ventricular cells it is activated in a non‐physiological potential range, but can be elicited in a more physiological range when the cells are remodelled through a dedifferentiated way. It is suggested that such a current could be implicated in ventricular arrhythmias developed in pathological events.
Cyclosporine and Duchenne muscular dystrophy

meningeal and cerebral involvement. The subacute meningitis and brainstem parenchymal disease preceded multisystem disease, including bilateral chorioretinitis, by several months. A biopsy of the meninges was not done, so we could only assume that his brainstem and meningeal disease was due to WG. After consultation with Dr. Anthony Fauci a t the NIH, this patient was treated with cyclophosphamide/prednisone and made an excellent clinical recovery. We believe our report is the first showing reversal of meningeal disease in WG with immunosuppressive therapy. Our patient has had no recurrence of his granulomatous disease although he has persistent mild neurologic findings and is blind in one eye. He ultimately developed a seizure disorder, but sophisticated imaging studies, not available in the mid-l970s, revealed no new disease.