Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Birth outcomes following prenatal exposure to antidepressants.

BACKGROUND Antidepressant use during pregnancy and the peripartum period is common despite the absence of clear evidence-based guidelines to direct clinical use of these compounds. METHOD We compared obstetrical and neonatal outcomes as recorded in medical records among 84 pregnant women with major depressive or anxiety disorders (DSM-IV criteria) who took antidepressants during pregnancy (cases) versus a 2:1 age- and parity-matched control group of 168 unexposed women. Women in the case group had sought psychiatric consultation regarding the use of medication from the Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital between 1996 and 2000. RESULTS There were no significant differences among cases versus controls and their offspring, with respect to various neonatal and obstetrical outcomes, including gestational age and weight, although 1-minute Apgar scores were slightly lower in exposed infants. Admissions to the special care nursery were more frequent, but briefer and based on relatively minor indications, among case newborns. There were no significant differences in neonatal outcomes between exposures to serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) and tricyclic (TCA) antidepressants. CONCLUSION This retrospective cohort study found no evidence of major increases in risk of adverse obstetrical or neonatal outcomes following prenatal exposure to antidepressants, nor between SRIs and TCAs. Larger, prospective studies with specific neurobehavioral measures are required to resolve current uncertainties about safe and effective use of antidepressants by pregnant women.
A Quantitative Study of Intracranial Calcification in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

Abnormalities in calcium homeostasis have been reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in the neurofibrillary tangle disorders of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia occurring in the Pacific. In order to more fully evaluate calcium physiology in AD, we analyzed the size of pineal and choroid plexus calcifications, using X-ray computed tomography, in 23 patients with probable AD and 18 healthy age-matched control subjects. The area occupied by calcification was measured from hard copies of the data by two independent observers who were blind to the diagnosis. There were no differences in the areas occupied by pineal or choroid plexus calcifications between the two groups. These data suggest that AD is not accompanied by alternations in intracranial calcium deposition in pineal gland or choroid plexus.
On the Bandwidth of High-Impedance Frequency Selective Surfaces

In this letter, the bandwidth of high-impedance surfaces (HISs) is discussed by an equivalent circuit approach. Even if these surfaces have been employed for almost 10 years, it is sometimes unclear how to choose the shape of the frequency selective surface (FSS) on the top of the grounded slab in order to achieve the largest possible bandwidth. Here, we will show that the conventional approach describing the HIS as a parallel connection between the inductance given by the grounded dielectric substrate and the capacitance of the FSS may induce inaccurate results in the determination of the operating bandwidth of the structure. Indeed, in order to derive a more complete model and to provide a more accurate estimate of the operating bandwidth, it is also necessary to introduce the series inductance of the FSS. We will present the explicit expression for defining the bandwidth of a HIS, and we will show that the reduction of the FSS inductance results in the best choice for achieving wide operating bandwidth in correspondence with a given frequency.
Factors that influence the attitude of East European residents in Spain towards living kidney donation

Emigration from East European (EE) countries into the South East of Spain (SES) is becoming more common. The objective of this study was to analyse the attitude towards living kidney donation in this group. A sample of residents (n = 320) in the SES who come from EE was obtained randomly and stratified by a respondent’s nationality (November‐05 to April‐06). Attitude was evaluated using a validated questionnaire that was completed anonymously and was self‐administered. Control group: native Spanish citizens. The questionnaire completion rate was 83% (n = 265). A total of 83% (n = 220) were in favor of related living donation. Attitude is similar to that of the urban control group (P = 0.0534) and more positive than that prevalent in the rural setting (P < 0.001). The variables that were related to attitude included: a respondent’s marital status (P < 0.001); the country of origin (P = 0.014); attitude towards deceased donation (P < 0.001); having discussed the subject within the family (P < 0.001); a respondent’s belief that he might need a transplant organ (P = 0.002) and concern about possible ‘mutilation’ after donation (P < 0.001). There is a favorable attitude towards related living kidney donation among EE who are resident in the SES and this attitude is closely related to attitude towards deceased donation, the attitude of one’s family and feelings of reciprocity.
Auditory Neurophysiologic Responses and Discrimination Deficits in Children with Learning Problems

Children with learning problems often cannot discriminate rapid acoustic changes that occur in speech. In this study of normal children and children with learning problems, impaired behavioral discrimination of a rapid speech change (/dα/versus/gα/) was correlated with diminished magnitude of an electrophysiologic measure that is not dependent on attention or a voluntary response. The ability of children with learning problems to discriminate another rapid speech change (/bα/versus/wα/) also was reflected in the neurophysiology. These results indicate that some children's discrimination deficits originate in the auditory pathway before conscious perception and have implications for differential diagnosis and targeted therapeutic strategies for children with learning disabilities and attention disorders.
Cytotaxonomic and Molecular Analysis ofSimulium (Edwardsellum) damnosumsensu lato (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Abu Hamed, Sudan

Abstract The northernmost focus forOnchocerca volvulusLeuckhart (Nematoda: Onchocercidae), the causative agent of human onchocerciasis, is found along the Nile near the town of Abu Hamed in Sudan. The vector forO. volvulusat this focus is a single monomorphic population ofSimulium (Edwardsellum) damnosumTheobald. This black fly population is limited to a small area between the fourth and fifth cataracts of the Nile River that is isolated geographically from all other populations ofS. damnosumsensu lato. Phylogenies produced from cytological analyses and sequence data derived from the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 and 16S rRNA genes indicate that Abu Hamed black flies are similar to, but distinct from, the savanna-dwelling sibling species ofS. damnosums.l. ,Simulium (Edwardsellum) damnosumsensu strictu Theobald, andS. (Edwardsellum) sirbanumVajime & Dunbar. The DNA sequence and the cytological data support the hypothesis that the black fly population present in Abu Hamed may represent a new sibling species ofS. damnosums.l. We propose that this population be informally designated as the hamedense form of theSimulium damnosumcomplex.
Prenatal development of hematopoietic and hormone-producing cells in the chicken adenohypophysis.

The developmental sequence of markers for hematopoietic, hormone-producing, and folliculo-stellate cells in the chicken adenohypophysis is described using immunohistochemical staining techniques. Hematopoietic cells are detected in cryosections of the adenohypophysis starting from 10- or 12-day embryos, using chicken-specific monoclonal antibodies against the leukocyte common antigen (CD45) and the macrophage antigen CVI-ChNL-68.1, respectively. During the second half of embryonic development, CVI-ChNL-68.1-positive macrophages, which are also found in several lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues of the embryo, progressively populate the adenohypophysis, simultaneously with the maturation of the different hormone-producing cell types in their characteristic topographical location. In cryosections of embryonic chicken adenohypophyses, from day 10, distinct cell populations gradually become immunoreactive to chicken-specific monoclonal antibodies against proopiomelanocortin, the beta-subunit of luteinizing hormone, growth hormone, and prolactin. At hatching, these pituitary hormones are immunohistochemically detectable in a topographical pattern corresponding to the known distribution of hormone-producing cells in the adult chicken adenohypophysis. However, in the hatchling, there is no immunoreactivity to the S100 protein, a marker characteristic for the non-hormone-producing folliculo-stellate (FS) cells in the adult adenohypophysis, although FS cells in the 4-week-old chicken show a strong immunoreactivity to a polyclonal antiserum against bovine S100. Immunoreactivity to the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-class II of the chicken) is also absent in the embryonic adenohypophysis, thereby corroborating the absence of these characteristic markers of dendritic cells (MHC class II) and FS cells (S100) in the perinatal adenohypophysis, as in the rat. It is concluded that, whereas early macrophages populate the adenohypophysis simultaneously with the maturation of hormone-producing cells (i.e., during the second half of embryonic development), the FS cell-specific expression of S100 protein does not take place before hatching, and neither does the expression of MHC-class II antigens in the embryonic chicken adenohypophysis.
Hairy and enhancer of split 6 prevents hepatic lipid accumulation through inhibition of Pparg2 expression

Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a master regulator for white adipocyte differentiation and lipid storage. The increased level of hepatic PPARγ2 isoform reprograms liver for lipid storage and causes abnormal fat accumulation in certain pathophysiologic conditions. The current study aimed to investigate a role of transcriptional repressor hairy and enhancer of split 6 (HES6) in the regulation of Pparg2 expression and hepatic steatosis induced by diet. Liver‐specific overexpression of Hes6 using adenovirus reduced Pparg2 messenger RNA levels by 90% and hepatic triglyceride accumulation by 22% compared to the levels in mice injected with an adenoviral empty vector with Western diet feeding. In sharp contrast, silencing Hes6 gene expression using short hairpin RNA increased hepatic lipid accumulation and Pparg2 messenger RNA levels by 70% and 4‐fold, respectively. To locate hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α) binding site(s), through which repressional activity of HES6 is mediated, a 2.5‐kb Pparg2 promoter‐driven luciferase reporter was constructed for transient transfection assays. Subsequently, chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays were performed. An HNF4α binding consensus sequence was identified at 903 base pairs upstream from the transcription start site of Pparg2. Deletion or point mutation of the sequence in a luciferase reporter containing the Pparg2 promoter abolished HNF4α‐mediated activation in HeLa cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays further confirmed direct recruitment and binding of HNF4α to the site. Gene expression analysis with liver samples from subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis suggested that the axis of the Hes6–Hnf4a–Pparg2 transcriptional cascade is also responsible for hepatic fat accumulation in humans. Conclusion: HES6 represses Pparg2 gene expression, thereby preventing hepatic lipid accumulation induced by chronic Western diet feeding or pathophysiologic conditions. (Hepatology Communications 2017;1:1085–1098)
Migraine and cardiovascular disease in women and the role of aspirin: Subgroup analyses in the Women’s Health Study

Background: Migraine with aura (MA) has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The role of aspirin on this association remains unclear. Methods: Post-hoc subgroup analyses of the Women’s Health Study, a randomized trial testing 100 mg aspirin on alternate days in primary prevention of CVD among 39,876 women aged ≥45. Results: During 10 years, 998 major CVD events were confirmed in 39,757 women with complete migraine information. Aspirin reduced risk of ischaemic stroke (relative risk, RR, 0.76, 95% CI 0.63–0.93) but not other CVD. Migraine or MA did not modify the effect of aspirin on CVD except for myocardial infarction (MI) (p for interaction = 0.01). Women with MA on aspirin had increased risk of MI (RR 3.72, 95% CI 1.39–9.95). Further exploratory analyses indicate that this increased risk is only apparent among women with MA on aspirin who ever smoked or had history of hypertension (p for interaction<0.01). Conclusions: In post-hoc subgroup analyses, aspirin had similar protective effects on ischaemic stroke for women with or without migraine. By contrast, our data suggest that women with MA on aspirin had increased risk of MI. The small number of outcome events in subgroups, the exploratory nature of our analyses, and lack of plausible mechanisms raise the possibility of a chance finding, which must caution the interpretation.
Remodelling at the calyx of Held–MNTB synapse in mice developing with unilateral conductive hearing loss

Severe forms of hearing loss during development are well known to profoundly alter synaptic structure and function through the auditory neuraxis; however, the pre‐ and postsynaptic modifications that occur during development following moderate forms of unilateral hearing loss remain unknown. We performed anatomical and electrophysiological experiments at the calyx of Held synapse in slices taken from mature mice developing with a unilateral conductive hearing loss and compared populations of synapses in the same animal that were either sound deprived or sound experienced. Compared to normal hearing mice, we found that calyx of Held synapses that were both sound deprived and sound experienced as a result of a unilateral conductive hearing loss were (1) structurally more complex, (2) had smaller synaptic currents and a readily releasable pool size, and (3) were more excitable. Despite these changes in structure and function, spiking fidelity within the populations maintained a continuum as in normal hearing mice such that heterogeneities remained bilaterally symmetric. Preservations in the heterogeneity in spiking fidelity via synaptic remodelling may ensure that a functional stability important for the ability to code sound localization cues is maintained despite asymmetries in hearing experience during development.
The cell composition of infused donor lymphocyte has different impact in different types of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is often used to enhance the graft‐versus‐leukemia (GVL) effect after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT). In this study, we first evaluated the impact of the cell composition of a modified DLI (mDLI) on the prognoses of patients. A total of 194 patients undergoing allo‐HSCT were enrolled and received mDLI for various clinical reasons. The infused cellular components of the mDLI were examined by flow cytometry. The results showed that infusion with a lower dose of CD14+ cells (<0.33 × 108/kg) was an independent risk factor for the occurrence of II–IV acute graft‐versus‐host disease (aGVHD) (HR = 0.104, p = 0.032) in human leukoctye antigen‐identical transplant patients. In addition, a dose of CD14+ cells greater than the 50th percentile was associated with a lower incidence of hematological relapse and longer disease‐free survival (DFS) after the mDLI (relapse: HR = 0.193, p = 0.007; DFS: HR = 0.259, p = 0.016). However, we also found that a greater number of CD14+ cells were an independent risk factor for II–IV aGVHD (HR = 1.758, p = 0.034) in haploidentical allo‐HSCT. In conclusion, our data were the first to demonstrate that the cell composition of a 56 mDLI played a distinct role in different types of allo‐HSCT. This finding provided a novel approach for the development of cellular therapies by manipulating the components of infused cells.
Inhibition of cancer cell proliferation and suppression of TNF-induced activation of NFkappaB by edible berry juice.

BACKGROUND Berries contain several phytochemicals, such as phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins and other flavonoids. There has been growing interest in a variety of potential chemopreventive activities of edible berries. The potential chemopreventive activity of a variety of small berries cultivated or collected in the province of Québec, Canada were evaluated here. MATERIALS AND METHODS Strawberry, raspberry, black currant, red currant, white currant, gooseberry, high-bush blueberry, low-bush blueberry, velvet leaf blueberry, serviceberry, blackberry, black chokeberry, sea buckthorn and cranberry were evaluated for antioxidant capacity, anti-proliferative activity, anti-inflammatory activity, induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. RESULTS The growth of various cancer cell lines, including those of stomach, prostate, intestine and breast, was strongly inhibited by raspberry, black currant, white currant, gooseberry, velvet leaf blueberry, low-bush blueberry, sea buckthorn and cranberry juice, but not (or only slightly) by strawberry, high-bush blueberry, serviceberry, red currant, or blackberry juice. No correlation was found between the anti-proliferative activity of berry juices and their antioxidant capacity (p > 0.05). The inhibition of cancer cell proliferation by berry juices did not involve caspase-dependent apoptosis, but appeared to involve cell-cycle arrest, as evidenced by down-regulation of the expression of cdk4, cdk6, cyclin D1 and cyclin D3. Of the 13 berries tested, juice of 6 significantly inhibited the TNF-induced activation of COX-2 expression and activation of the nuclear transcription factor NFkappaB. CONCLUSION These results illustrate that berry juices have striking differences in their potential chemopreventive activity and that the inclusion of a variety of berries in the diet might be useful for preventing the development of tumors.
A Prospective Study of the Efficacy, Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Enteral Moxifloxacin in the Treatment of Hemodialysis Patients with Pneumonia

Objectives To investigate the efficacy of oral moxifloxacin (MFLX) as a treatment for pneumonia in hemodialysis (HD) patients and the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of MFLX after oral administration. Methods Thirteen adult patients who required HD due to chronic renal failure were enrolled in the present study, which was performed to investigate the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in HD patients. A standard dose of MFLX (400 mg, once daily) was administered. The therapy was continued, discontinued, or switched to another antibiotic depending on the response of the pneumonia to MFLX. A population PK model was developed using the post-hoc method. Results In total, 13 HD patients with pneumonia (male, n=7; female, n=6) were enrolled in the present study. The evaluation on the 3rd day showed that treatment was successful in 11 patients (84.6%) and that 10 patients were cured (76.9%). In the one case in which MFLX treatment failed, the patient was cured by switching to ceftriaxone (CTRX) (2 g, intravenously) plus levofloxacin (LVFX) (250 mg, orally). The causative bacterium in this male patient was P. aeruginosa. It did not display resistance to fluoroquinolones. One patient had liver dysfunction due to MFLX. The estimated PK parameters of MFLX were as follows: AUC0→24, 61.04±17.74 μg h/mL; Cmax, 5.25±1.12 μg/mL; and Ctrough, 1.15±0.45 μg/mL. The PK parameters of MFLX among the patients in whom adverse events occurred or in whom a cure was not achieved did not differ from those of the other patients to a statistically significant extent. Conclusion MFLX showed good efficacy and safety in HD patients with community-acquired pneumonia and the results of the PK analysis were favorable. Further prospective studies with larger numbers of patients will be needed to draw definitive conclusions.
Barley transcriptome analyses upon interaction with different aphid species identify thionins contributing to resistance

Abstract Aphids are phloem‐feeding insects that cause yield loss on a wide range of crops, including cereals such as barley. Whilst most aphid species are limited to one or few host species, some are able to reproduce on many plants belonging to different families. Interestingly, aphid probing behaviour can be observed on both host and non‐host species, indicating that interactions take place at the molecular level that may impact host range. Here, we aimed to gain insight into the interaction of barley with aphid species differing in their ability to infest this crop by analysing transcriptional responses. Firstly, we determined colonization efficiency, settlement and probing behaviour for the aphid species Rhopalosiphum padi, Myzus persicae and Myzus cerasi, which defined host, poor‐host and non‐host interactions, respectively. Analyses of barley transcriptional responses revealed gene sets differentially regulated upon the different barley–aphid interactions and showed that the poor‐host interaction with M. persicae resulted in the strongest regulation of genes. Interestingly, we identified several thionin genes strongly up‐regulated upon interaction with M. persicae, and to a lesser extent upon R. padi interaction. Ectopic expression of two of these genes in Nicotiana benthamiana reduced host susceptibility to M. persicae, indicating that thionins contribute to defences against aphids.
Hematopoiesis in the human spleen

To assess the capacity of the human spleen to function as a hematopoietic organ, spleen mononuclear cells from patients undergoing splenectomy were cultured to assay CFU‐E, BFU‐E, and CFU‐C. Although the peripheral blood from cases of hereditary spherocytosis, Gaucher disease, Thalassemia major, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura yielded 3–20 BFU‐E/5 × 105 cells plated and 1–7 CFU‐C/5 × 105, suspensions of spleen cells failed to grow colonies. Histologically these spleens did not show extramedullary hematopoiesis. In contrast, peripheral blood from a patient with osteopetrosis (marble bone disease) yielded 130 BFU‐E/5 × 105, 40 CFU‐E/5 × 105, and 9 CFU‐C/5 × 105. The spleen had extensive extramedullary hematopoiesis on microscopy and grew 180 BFU‐E/105, 210 CFU‐E/105, and 25 CFU‐C/105. We conclude that spleens from patients without extramedullary hematopoiesis do not contain committed hematopoietic progenitors in spite of normal precursors in the blood. In osteopetrosis the spleen contained stem cells in a concentration comparable to bone marrow, and the embryonic role of the spleen in blood formation appeared to continue in postnatal life.