Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consequences of perinatal hormone manipulation on the adult sexual behavior of female rats.

Consequences of perinatal hormone manipulation on the adult sexual b ehavior of female rats were investigated. The animals were injected wit h oil prenatal or prolonged postnatal testosterone propionate (TP) or cyproterone acetate (Cyp A). Prenatal TP decreased quality and rate of lordotic response. Postnatal TP also impaired female behavior but increased the complete male compulatory rate. Prenatal Cyp A reduced the copulatory rate (p less than .01) while prenatal TP increased it (p less than .05). Both prenatal and postnatal TP produced equally large ( p less than .05) increases in number of complete copulations. Rats receiving prenatal Cyp A showed marked reductions in the percentage of animals displaying complete copulations while those who received only po stnatal Cyp A were unaffected. These results suggest that gonadal stero id levels present during prenatal and postnatal developmental stages determine the direction and degree of differentiation of adult rat sexual behavior and that male behavior in normal females is based on pre natal androgenic modifications of the nervous system.
Signaling pathways implicated in α‐melanocyte stimulating hormone‐induced lipolysis in 3T3‐L1 adipocytes

Melanocortins, besides their central roles, have also recently been reported to regulate adipocyte metabolism. In this study, we attempted to characterize the mechanism underlying α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone (MSH)‐induced lipolysis, and compared it with that of the adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH) in 3T3‐L1 adipocytes. Similar to ACTH, MSH treatment resulted in the release of glycerol into the cell supernatant. The activity of hormone‐sensitive lipase, a rate‐limiting enzyme, which is involved in lipolysis, was significantly increased by MSH treatment. In addition, a variety of kinases, including protein kinase A (PKA) and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) were also phosphorylated as the result of MSH treatment, and their specific inhibitors caused a reduction in MSH‐induced glycerol release and HSL activity, indicating that MSH‐induced lipolysis was mediated by these kinases. These results suggest that PKA and ERK constitute the principal signaling pathways implicated in the MSH‐induced lipolytic process via the regulation of HSL in 3T3‐L1 adipocytes. J. Cell. Biochem. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Patients with IgA nephropathy exhibit high systemic PDGF-DD levels.

BACKGROUND Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a central mediator of mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (GN). In experimental mesangioproliferative GN, PDGF-DD serum levels, unlike PDGF-BB, increased up to 1000-fold. METHODS We assessed disease activity in 72 patients with GN, established a novel PDGF-D ELISA and then determined their PDGF-DD levels. In parallel, we studied renal PDGF-DD mRNA expression by RT-PCR. RESULTS PDGF-DD serum levels in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) were significantly higher (1.67 +/- 0.45 ng/ml) and in patients with lupus nephritis significantly lower (0.66 +/- 0.86 ng/ml) compared to healthy controls (1.17 +/- 0.46 ng/ml), while patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous GN and ANCA-positive vasculitis did not differ from controls. The subgroup of IgAN patients with elevated PDGF-DD levels (27% of samples) did not differ in their clinical features from those with normal PDGF-DD levels. In IgAN patients with repetitive PDGF-DD determinations, most exhibited only minor fluctuations of serum levels over time. Intrarenal PDGF-DD mRNA expression did not differ between controls and patients, suggesting an extrarenal source of the elevated PDGF-DD in IgAN. CONCLUSIONS Serum PDGF-DD levels were specifically elevated in patients with IgAN, in particular in those with early disease, i.e. preserved renal function. Our data support the rationale for anti-PDGF-DD therapy in mesangioproliferative GN.
Treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer: the M. D. Anderson experience.

OBJECTIVES Until recently, treatment options for patients with progressive, radioactive iodine-resistant differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) have been limited. In our clinical practice, we have begun to use sorafenib and sunitinib for patients with progressive DTC who are not able or willing to participate in clinical trials. In this paper, we describe the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center's experience with the off-label use of these tyrosine kinase inhibitors for DTC. METHODS Adult patients were included if they had a diagnosis of radioactive iodine-refractory DTC, were treated with single agent sorafenib or sunitinib, and had both baseline and at least one follow-up scan for restaging purposes. All imaging data were collected, as well as the TSH-suppressed thyroglobulin (Tg) levels corresponding to each scan date. The primary endpoints were radiographic response and progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary objectives were tissue-specific radiographic responses and correlation of Tg with overall response. RESULTS We identified 33 patients from our clinical database. Fifteen patients (nine women, six men) met inclusion criteria, with a median age of 61 yr (range, 38-83 yr). Eight patients had papillary and seven had follicular thyroid carcinoma. Sorafenib was used in 13 and sunitinib in two, including one patient who failed prior sorafenib therapy. All patients had evidence of progressive disease (PD) before start of therapy, with a median PFS of only 4 months. Best response in target lesions was: partial response (PR) in three (20%), stable disease (SD) in nine (60%), and PD in three (20%). Clinical benefit (PR+SD) was 80%. The sunitinib patient previously refractory to sorafenib had a 38% reduction in tumor size. The most noticeable organ-specific response was observed in lung (median change, -22%) compared to lymph nodes (median change, 0%). Pleural disease and nonirradiated bone metastases demonstrated PD. All histological subtypes had similar responses. The median PFS was 19 months. The median overall survival has not yet been reached, but at 2 yr of follow-up, overall survival is 67%. Log Tg correlated with radiographic response (P = 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS Sorafenib and sunitinib appear to be effective in patients with widely metastatic, progressive DTC, with most patients achieving SD or PR, despite having PD at baseline. The most noticeable responses occurred in the lungs in contrast with minimal changes in nodal metastases and PD in pleural and nonirradiated bone metastases, suggesting a tissue-specific response to therapy. Log Tg significantly correlated with response to treatment and therefore may have value as a surrogate marker of response.
Functional organization of a visual area in the posterior bank of the superior temporal sulcus of the rhesus monkey

1. Anatomical studies have shown the cortex of the posterior bank of the superior temporal sulcus to receive a projection from visual cortical areas, including areas 17, 18 and 19. In this paper the response of single neurones in this area to simple visual stimulation is reported. Ten monkeys were studied.
Prevalence and impacts of upper limb morbidity after treatment for breast cancer: a cross-sectional study of lymphedema and function.

A cross-sectional study screened lymphedema, impaired upper limb function (ULF) and quality of life (QOL) in women post-breast cancer. Women attending review appointments who had completed surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, were without recurrence, and could complete questionnaires in English were invited. Medical records were reviewed and questionnaires completed: the Morbidity Screening Tool (MST), Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for breast cancer QOL questionnaire (FACTB+4). The vertical perometer (400T) measured percentage upper limb volume difference (%LVD), with 10% or greater difference diagnosed as lymphedema. Of 617 participants (mean age 62.3y, SD 10.0; mean time since treatment 63.0 months, SD 46.6), sufficient questionnaire data were available for 613 and perometry data for 417. Using the MST, 21.9% self-reported impaired ULF, 19.8% lymphedema, and 9.2% both. Based on %LVD, 26.5% had lymphedema. Histogram analysis for individuals in the first eight twelve-month intervals after treatment found impaired ULF prevalence peaked at three to five years and lymphedema at three years. Significantly worse function (DASH) and QOL (FACT B+4) resulted for those with morbidity (p<0.000). This provides evidence that impaired ULF and lymphedema negatively affect QOL years after treatment and are not necessarily linked.
An investigation of silence and a scrutiny of transparency: Re-examining gender in organization literature through the concepts of voice and visibility

This article presents a review of the literature on gender and organizations through the twin concepts of ‘voice’ and ‘visibility’. In gender studies, as in other areas, the concepts have been used at different levels of abstraction to analyse inequality and exclusion. However, we argue that their potential richness has not been fully exploited and we accordingly produce a ‘framework’ which is based on ‘surface’ and ‘deep’ conceptualizations. These conform broadly to liberal feminist and post-structuralist interpretations respectively. With ‘voice’, we therefore distinguish between the ‘surface’ act of speaking/being heard as discussed within ‘women’s voice’ literature and, at a deeper level, the power of silence as discursive practices eliminate certain issues from arenas of speech and sound. Similarly, we can see visibility as a ‘surface’ state of exclusion and difference while, at a deeper level, conceptualizations can usefully explore the power of ‘invisibility’ and the battle for the (male) norm. Through the concepts of voice and visibility, and through exploring commonalities and tensions between and within the two conceptual levels, we help to illuminate the increasingly diverse field of gender and organizational studies.
The fate of cryopreserved human embryos approaching their legal limit of storage within a West Australian in-vitro fertilization clinic.

Human embryos can only be stored in the first instance for 3 years in Western Australia, according to the West Australian Reproductive Technology Act. Thereafter, an application must be made to the local regulatory body, the Reproductive Technology Council, for an extension. Of the 650 batches of embryos frozen between 8 April 1993 and 31 October 1995, 170 (26.2%) batches were still in storage after 2.5 years. A reminding letter was sent at this time to the couples to whom the embryos belonged, i.e. 6 months before the expiry of the initial storage period, asking for clarification of what was to be done with the embryos. A large proportion of patients (64.7%) chose to either extend the storage period or thaw and transfer the embryos. Curiously, more batches of embryos were discarded (18.8%) than donated to other couples (5.9%). Contact with the patients was lost in a small but significant proportion of cases; more of these had been unsuccessful in their treatment (20.4%) than had achieved a pregnancy (4.3%).
Code-aided synchronization for digital burst communications

This thesis deals with the synchronization of digital communication systems. Synchronization (from the Greek syn (together) and chronos (time)) denotes the task of making two systems running at the same time. In communication systems, the synchronization of the transmitter and the receiver requires to accurately estimate a number of parameters such as the carrier frequency and phase offsets, the timing epoch. In the early days of digital communications, synchronizers used to operate in either data-aided (DA) or non-data-aided (NDA) modes. However, with the recent advent of powerful coding techniques, these conventional synchronization modes have been shown to be unable to properly synchronize state-of-the-art receivers. In this context, we investigate in this thesis a new family of synchronizers referred to as code-aided (CA) synchronizers. The idea behind CA synchronization is to take benefit from the structure of the code used to protect the data to improve the estimation quality achieved by the synchronizers. In a first part of the thesis, we address the issue of turbo synchronization, i.e., the iterative synchronization of continuous parameters. In particular, we derive several mathematical frameworks enabling a systematic derivation of turbo synchronizers and a deeper understanding of their behavior. In a second part, we focus on the so-called CA hypothesis testing problem. More particularly, we derive optimal solutions to deal with this problem and propose efficient implementations of the proposed algorithms. Finally, in a last part of this thesis, we derive theoretical lower bounds on the performance of turbo synchronizers.
Contrast‐Enhanced Ultrasonography With SonoVue

Objective. We investigated the ability of contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography with SonoVue (Bracco SpA, Milan, Italy), a sulfur hexafluoride microbubble contrast agent, to reveal differences between benign and malignant focal splenic lesions. Methods. In a prospective study we investigated 35 lesions in 35 patients (24 male and 11 female; mean age ± SD, 54 ± 15 years) with focal splenic lesions detected by B‐mode ultrasonography. After intravenous injection of 1.2 to 2.4 mL of SonoVue, the spleen was examined continuously for 3 minutes using low–mechanical index ultrasonography with contrast‐specific software. The final diagnosis was established by histologic examination, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. Results. In 14 patients, the splenic lesions were malignant (metastasis, n = 6; non‐Hodgkin lymphoma, n = 6; and Hodgkin lymphoma, n = 2). In 21 patients, the focal splenic lesions were benign (ischemic lesion, n = 6; echogenic cyst, n = 5; abscess, n = 4; hemangioma, n = 3; hematoma, n = 1; hemophagocytosis syndrome, n = 1; and splenoma, n = 1. Typical findings for benign lesions were 2 arrival patterns: no contrast enhancement (neither in the early nor in the parenchymal phase; P < .05) and the beginning of contrast enhancement in the early phase followed by contrast enhancement in the parenchymal phase 60 seconds after injection. In contrast, the combination of contrast enhancement in the early phase followed by rapid wash‐out and demarcation of the lesion without contrast enhancement in the parenchymal phase (60 seconds after injection) was typical for malignant lesions (P < .001). Conclusions. Contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography is helpful in the differentiation between benign and malignant lesions of the spleen.
Path-tracking for articulated vehicles with off-axle hitching

A technique that complements path-tracking controller design procedures based on exact linearization is proposed. The objective is to make these procedures applicable to vehicles whose kinematic model is not necessarily exactly linearizable (as a tractor-trailer with off-axle hitching or a load-haul-dump mining vehicle). A key element of our approach is to control a inexactly linearizable vehicle by associating to it an auxiliary (ghost) vehicle whose model can be exactly linearized and whose behavior satisfies certain compatibility conditions. Main features of this approach are illustrated by considering articulated vehicles with off-axle hitching (which are not exactly-linearizable), and by focusing attention to a geometric path-tracking design procedure recently developed by Sampei et al. (1993, 1995).
Effects of ambient temperature and dietary glycerol addition on growth performance, blood parameters and immune cell populations of Korean cattle steers

Objective This study was performed to evaluate whether ambient temperature and dietary glycerol addition affect growth performance, and blood metabolic and immunological parameters, in beef cattle. Methods Twenty Korean cattle steers (405.1±7.11 kg of body weight [BW], 14.2±0.15 months of age) were divided into a conventional control diet group (n = 10) and a 2% glycerol- added group (n = 10). Steers were fed 1.6% BW of a concentrate diet and 0.75% BW of a timothy hay diet for 8 weeks (4 weeks from July 28th to August 26th and 4 weeks from August 27th to September 26th). Blood was collected four times on July 28th, August 11th, August 27th, and September 26th. Results The maximum indoor ambient temperature-humidity index in August (75.8) was higher (p<0.001) than that in September (70.0), and in August was within the mild heat stress (HS) category range previously reported for dairy cattle. The average daily gain (ADG; p = 0.03) and feed efficiency (p<0.001) were higher in hotter August than in September. Glycerol addition did not affect ADG and feed efficiency. Neither month nor glycerol addition affected blood concentrations of cortisol, triglyceride, or non-esterified fatty acid. Blood concentrations of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, glucose, and albumin were lower (p<0.05) on August 27th than on September 26 th, and blood phosphorus, calcium and magnesium concentrations were also lower on August 27th than on September 27th. Glycerol addition did not affect these blood parameters. Percentages of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells were higher (p<0.05) on July 28th than on August 27th and September 26th. The blood CD8+ T cell population was lower in the glycerol supplemented-group compared to the control group on July 28th and August 27th. Conclusion Korean cattle may not be significantly affected by mild HS, considering that growth performance of cattle was better in hotter conditions, although some changes in blood metabolic and mineral parameters were observed.
HRAS1 and LASS1 with APOE are associated with human longevity and healthy aging

The search for longevity‐determining genes in human has largely neglected the operation of genetic interactions. We have identified a novel combination of common variants of three genes that has a marked association with human lifespan and healthy aging. Subjects were recruited and stratified according to their genetically inferred ethnic affiliation to account for population structure. Haplotype analysis was performed in three candidate genes, and the haplotype combinations were tested for association with exceptional longevity. An HRAS1 haplotype enhanced the effect of an APOE haplotype on exceptional survival, and a LASS1 haplotype further augmented its magnitude. These results were replicated in a second population. A profile of healthy aging was developed using a deficit accumulation index, which showed that this combination of gene variants is associated with healthy aging. The variation in LASS1 is functional, causing enhanced expression of the gene, and it contributes to healthy aging and greater survival in the tenth decade of life. Thus, rare gene variants need not be invoked to explain complex traits such as aging; instead rare congruence of common gene variants readily fulfills this role. The interaction between the three genes described here suggests new models for cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying exceptional survival and healthy aging that involve lipotoxicity.
Précis for living in limbo and speaking legibly: Reporting qualitative description of oral tongue cancer experience

240 Sarah H. Kagan is a gerontological nurse. She holds the Lucy Walker Honorary Term Chair as Professor of Gerontological Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania and practices in the Living Well Geriatric Oncology Program at Pennsylvania Hospital. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahHKagan and look for her myths of aging column at http://www.mysuncoast. com/ health/kagan/. Précis for living in limbo and speaking legibly: Reporting qualitative description of oral tongue cancer experience
Long‐term outcome of pharmacological and psychological treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia: a 2‐year naturalistic follow‐up

Two years after completion of a controlled outcome study of treatments for panic disorder with agoraphobia, patients were revisited and interviewed about their complaints. In the initial study, four treatments had been compared: (i) fluvoxamine combined with exposure; (ii) placebo medication plus exposure; (iii) psychological panic management plus exposure: and (iv) exposure alone. Comparison of the results at post‐test had revealed superior efficacy of fluvoxamine combined with exposure over the other three treatments in reducing agoraphobic avoidance. The current naturalistic follow‐up study investigated the long‐term efficacy of the treatments with regard to abatement of complaints and reduced demand for further treatment. In addition, we examined whether patients were able to taper off the study medication without a recurrence of complaints. In total, 71 of the 76 patients of the original trial (93%) were interviewed. Comparison of the mean level of psychopathology at follow‐up revealed no difference between the original treatment groups. The effect in the fluvoxamine plus exposure group was maintained, but was no longer superior, due to further improvements in the other treatment groups. Most patients received additional treatment during the follow‐up period, usually because the 12 treatment sessions in the controlled study had yielded insufficient improvement. There was a trend for patients who received the fluvoxamine plus exposure treatment to require less aftercare than those who received the other treatments. Finally, almost 50% of the patients who had received medication in the original trial were able to taper off the use of fluvoxamine without a recurrence of complaints.
Design and Control of RUPERT: A Device for Robotic Upper Extremity Repetitive Therapy

The structural design, control system, and integrated biofeedback for a wearable exoskeletal robot for upper extremity stroke rehabilitation are presented. Assisted with clinical evaluation, designers, engineers, and scientists have built a device for robotic assisted upper extremity repetitive therapy (RUPERT). Intense, repetitive physical rehabilitation has been shown to be beneficial overcoming upper extremity deficits, but the therapy is labor intensive and expensive and difficult to evaluate quantitatively and objectively. The RUPERT is developed to provide a low cost, safe and easy-to-use, robotic-device to assist the patient and therapist to achieve more systematic therapy at home or in the clinic. The RUPERT has four actuated degrees-of-freedom driven by compliant and safe pneumatic muscles (PMs) on the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. They are programmed to actuate the device to extend the arm and move the arm in 3-D space. It is very important to note that gravity is not compensated and the daily tasks are practiced in a natural setting. Because the device is wearable and lightweight to increase portability, it can be worn standing or sitting providing therapy tasks that better mimic activities of daily living. The sensors feed back position and force information for quantitative evaluation of task performance. The device can also provide real-time, objective assessment of functional improvement. We have tested the device on stroke survivors performing two critical activities of daily living (ADL): reaching out and self feeding. The future improvement of the device involves increased degrees-of-freedom and interactive control to adapt to a user's physical conditions.