Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adenosine transiently modulates stimulated dopamine release in the caudate–putamen via A1 receptors

Adenosine modulates dopamine in the brain via A1 and A2A receptors, but that modulation has only been characterized on a slow time scale. Recent studies have characterized a rapid signaling mode of adenosine that suggests a possible rapid modulatory role. Here, fast‐scan cyclic voltammetry was used to characterize the extent to which transient adenosine changes modulate stimulated dopamine release (5 pulses at 60 Hz) in rat caudate–putamen brain slices. Exogenous adenosine was applied and dopamine concentration monitored. Adenosine only modulated dopamine when it was applied 2 or 5 s before stimulation. Longer time intervals and bath application of 5 μM adenosine did not decrease dopamine release. Mechanical stimulation of endogenous adenosine 2 s before dopamine stimulation also decreased stimulated dopamine release by 41 ± 7%, similar to the 54 ± 6% decrease in dopamine after exogenous adenosine application. Dopamine inhibition by transient adenosine was recovered within 10 min. The A1 receptor antagonist 8‐cyclopentyl‐1,3‐dipropylxanthine blocked the dopamine modulation, whereas dopamine modulation was unaffected by the A2A receptor antagonist SCH 442416. Thus, transient adenosine changes can transiently modulate phasic dopamine release via A1 receptors. These data demonstrate that adenosine has a rapid, but transient, modulatory role in the brain.
Mouse PSP94 expression is prostate tissue‐specific as demonstrated by a comparison of multiple antibodies against recombinant proteins

Prostate tissue‐specific gene expression is crucial for driving potentially therapeutic genes to target specifically to the prostate. Prostate secretory protein of 94 amino acids (PSP94), also known as β‐MSP (microseminoprotein), is one of the three most abundant secretory proteins of the prostate gland, and is generally considered to be prostate tissue‐specific. We have previously demonstrated that the expression of the rat PSP94 gene is strictly prostate tissue‐specific by an antibody against a recombinant rat PSP94. In order to study prostate targeting utilizing the PSP94 gene in a mouse pre‐clinical experimental model, we need to establish antibodies against mouse PSP94 to confirm if it is prostate tissue‐specific as well. In this study, firstly we raised a polyclonal antibody against a recombinant glutathione‐S‐transferase‐ (GST‐) mouse mature form of PSP94. However, it showed very poor immunoreactivity against prostate tissue PSP94 as tested in Western blotting experiments. Neither antibodies against rat PSP94 nor mouse PSP94 showed significant cross‐reactivity. Thus a second antibody was established against a recombinant mouse mature PSP94 containing N‐terminal polyhistidines, and stronger immunoreactivity against mouse prostate tissue PSP94 was identified in Western blotting experiments. Both of these antibodies showed immunohistochemical reactivity, while the latter showed stronger reactivity in IHC when tested with different fixatives. By studying tissue distribution, we demonstrated that, as with rat PSP94, mouse PSP94 is strictly prostate tissue‐specific in experiments of both Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). This conclusion was also derived from a comparison among antibodies against human, rat, and mouse PSP94, showing very different immunoreactivities in Western blotting and IHC. Finally, a competitive assay between different species was performed. We demonstrated that antibodies against PSP94 from different species (human, primate, rodents) have poor cross‐reactivities. These observations also indicate that the PSP94 gene is a rapidly evolving gene in all species. Results from this study have led to the possibility of utilizing PSP94 as a targeting agent specifically to the prostate in a mouse experimental model. J. Cell. Biochem. 88: 999–1011, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Stock market bubbles and monetary policy effectiveness

In this paper, we provide evidence on the role of conventional monetary policy in the dynamics of stock market bubbles. We analyze the response of stock market returns to monetary policy shocks but condition the analysis on both the direction of monetary policy surprises and business conditions. Following a two-step approach, we first use a structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model to identify a proxy variable of monetary policy shocks, and then we apply a conditional regression to contemporary stock market returns and these monetary policy shocks to extract the implicit relationship between these variables in different scenarios. Our results show that monetary policy does not impact on stock market returns in a significant form in the scenario defined by positive shocks and expansion periods, i.e. the lower effectiveness of restrictive monetary policy shocks coincides with the phase of the business cycle in which bubbles arise.
One‐week therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication: ranitidine bismuth citrate plus medium‐dose clarithromycin and either tinidazole or amoxycillin

One‐week ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC)‐based triple regimens may be effective for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori. We evaluated the efficacy of two short‐term RBC‐based eradicating therapies including RBC plus medium‐dose clarithromycin and either tinidazole or amoxycillin.
Teratogenic effects of cadmium in rats.

The teratogenic effects of subcutaneous injections of cadmium in CD rats were investigated. Injections of 4–12 mg/kg CdCl2 on 4 consecutive days beginning on days 13–16 of gestation resulted in a dose-related rise in the fetal death rate, decrease in fetal weight, arid increase in the rate of anomalies. The anomalies included micrognathia, cleft palate, clubfoot, and small lungs. The lung/body weight ratios were significantly reduced in fetuses of animals injected with 8 mg/kg CdCl2 on days 14–17 of gestation. The data indicate that this was a specific retardation and not merely a reflection of differential organ growth rates and overall fetal growth retardation.
Own voice qualities (OVQ) in hearing-aid users: There is more than just occlusion

Abstract Objective: Hearing-aid users’ problems with their own voice caused by occlusion are well known. Conversely, it remains essentially undocumented whether hearing-aid users expected not to have occlusion-related problems experience own-voice issues. Design: To investigate this topic, a dedicated Own Voice Qualities (OVQ) questionnaire was developed and used in two experiments with stratified samples. Study sample: In the main experiment, the OVQ was administered to 169 hearing-aid users (most of whom were expected not to have occlusion-related problems) and to a control group of 56 normally-hearing people. In the follow-up experiment, the OVQ was used in a cross-over study where 43 hearing-aid users rated own voice for an open fitting and a small-vent earmould fitting. Results: The results from the main experiment show that hearing-aid users (without occlusion) have more problems than the normal-hearing controls on several dimensions of own voice. The magnitude of these differences was found to be generally larger than the differences observed between the open fitting and the small-vent fitting in the follow-up experiment. Conclusions: This suggests that own voice is a potentially important concern, even for hearing-aid users who are not expected to have occlusion-related problems. Sumario Objetivo: Son bien conocidos los problemas que tienen los usuarios de auxiliares auditivos con su propia voz, causada por la oclusión. Por el contrario, ha permanecido esencialmente indocumentado, si los usuarios de auxiliares auditivos que no tienen problemas relacionados con la oclusión, experimentan estos problemas con su propia voz. Diseño: Para investigar este tema, se desarrolló un cuestionario de Cualidades de la Propia Voz (OVQ) y se usó en dos experimentos con muestras estratificadas. Muestra de Estudio: En el experimento principal, el OVQ se presentó a 169 usuarios de auxiliares auditivos (la mayoría de los cuales se esperaba no tuviera problemas relacionados con la oclusión) y a un grupo control de 56 normo-oyentes. En el experimento de seguimiento, el OVQ se usó en un estudio cruzado en el que 43 usuarios de auxiliares auditivos clasificaron sus voces a partir de una adaptación abierta y una con molde de baja ventilación. Resultados: Los resultados del experimento principal muestran que los usuarios de auxiliares auditivos (sin oclusión) tienen más problemas que los normo-oyentes del grupo control, en algunos parámetros de su propia voz. Se encontró que la magnitud de estas diferencias fue generalmente mayor que las observadas entre la adaptación abierta y la de baja ventilación, en el experimento de seguimiento. Conclusiones: Esto sugiere que la propia voz es un tema potencialmente importante incluso para usuarios de auxiliares auditivos en quienes no se espera que tengan problemas relacionados con la oclusión.
cAMP response element modulator α controls IL2 and IL17A expression during CD4 lineage commitment and subset distribution in lupus

Appropriate expression of IL-2 plays a central role during the priming and differentiation of T cells. A tight balance between IL-2 and the effector cytokine IL-17A is essential for immune homeostasis. Epigenetic mechanisms have been documented as a key component of cytokine regulation during lineage commitment. The molecular mechanisms that induce chromatin remodeling are less well understood. We investigated epigenetic regulators that mediate the diametric expression of IL-2 and IL-17A in naive, central memory, and effector memory CD4+ T cells. We demonstrate that cAMP response modulator (CREM)α contributes to epigenetic remodeling of IL2 in effector memory T cells through the recruitment of DNMT3a. CREMα also reduces CpG-DNA methylation of the IL17A promoter. CREMα expression is regulated at the epigenetic level by CpG-DNA methylation, which allows increased CREMα expression in effector memory CD4+ T cells. T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) express increased levels of CREMα and exhibit a phenotype that is similar to effector memory CD4+ T cells with epigenetically predetermined expression patterns of IL-2 and IL-17A. We conclude that CREMα mediates epigenetic remodeling of the IL2 and IL17A gene during T-cell differentiation in favor of effector memory T cells in health and disease.
Share Buybacks and Gender Diversity

We find that board gender diversity increases the likelihood that firms announce a buyback but long-term excess returns are significantly smaller when there is larger female representation on the board. This is consistent with the governance hypothesis: gender diversity makes it more likely that firms buy back stock to reduce agency costs of free cash flow. But because gender diversity improves the quality of public information disclosure repurchases are less driven by market timing. Moreover, when the quality of monitoring is lower because board members sit on many other boards, long-term excess returns are larger.
Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid: can operative management be based solely on fine-needle aspiration?

BACKGROUND Fine-needle aspiration cytology is sensitive for detecting malignancies such as papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Because fine-needle aspiration specificity for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is variable, routine intraoperative frozen section is often advocated. STUDY DESIGN To define the roles of fine-needle aspiration and frozen section in papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland, we reviewed data from 82 patients who underwent thyroidectomy between August 1989 and August 1995 for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid cytology. Results of fine-needle aspirations were grouped into three categories: diagnostic of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid; diagnostic of follicular-variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid; or suspicious for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. Definitive diagnoses were made on permanent histology. RESULTS A fine-needle aspiration revealing papillary carcinoma of the thyroid was 98 percent specific for cancer or 100 percent specific for follicular-variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. A fine-needle aspiration that was suspicious for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (n = 24) was only 54 percent specific for cancer. On the basis of gross intraoperative findings, 5 of these 24 patients underwent total thyroidectomy without frozen section, and all had carcinoma. The other 19 had frozen section analysis. Of the 5 patients with cancer detected by frozen section, 4 had cancer on permanent histology. Findings on frozen section demonstrated a follicular neoplasm in the other 14 patients, of which 4 ultimately were cancer. CONCLUSIONS When papillary carcinoma of the thyroid or follicular-variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is definitively diagnosed on fine-needle aspiration, the surgeon can perform definitive thyroidectomy without frozen section because of the high specificity for cancer. If the fine-needle aspiration is suspicious for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, the incidence of cancer is 54 percent, and patients with these conditions should undergo surgery with frozen section. When either gross findings or frozen sections suggest malignancy, definitive thyroidectomy can be performed because 90 percent of such cases will be cancer. If frozen section is not diagnostic of malignancy, a thyroid lobectomy/isthmusectomy is recommended because 71 percent have a benign lesion. This systematic approach to papillary carcinoma of the thyroid will obviate unnecessary frozen sections while maintaining excellent diagnostic specificity.
Prognostic Impact of Postoperative Complications in 502 Patients With Surgically Resected Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Single-institution Study

Objective: To investigate the relationship between postoperative complications and long-term survival in patients with surgically resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Summary Background Data: Esophagectomy is the mainstay of curative treatment for ESCC; however, this complex procedure has high risks of postoperative morbidity and mortality. The impact of postoperative complications on long-term survival of such patients remains controversial. Methods: This retrospective single institution study included 502 consecutive patients who had undergone resection of ESCC. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to compute the hazard ratio (HR) for mortality. Results: Postoperative complications (≥Clavien-Dindo classification grade 2) occurred in 217 patients (43%). Overall, postoperative complications did not affect long-term clinical outcomes of these patients. However, patients with pulmonary complications had worse overall survival than those without pulmonary complications [log rank P = 0.0002; univariate HR = 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20–1.88, P = 0.0006; multivariate HR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.05–2.38, P = 0.029]. The effect of pulmonary complications was not significantly modified by clinical or pathological features (P for all assessed interactions >0.05). In addition, postoperative chylothorax was also associated with poor overall survival (log rank P = 0.0021), whereas surgical site infection, recurrent nerve paralysis, cardiovascular complication, and anastomotic leakage were not. Conclusions: Postoperative pulmonary complications may be an independent predictor of poorer long-term survival in patients undergoing resection of ESCCs.
The case for practical clinical trials in psychiatry.

OBJECTIVE Clinical trials in psychiatry frequently fail to maximize clinical utility for practicing clinicians, or, stated differently, available evidence is not perceived by clinicians (and other decision makers) as sufficiently relevant to clinical practice, thereby diluting its impact. To attain maximum clinical relevance and acceptability, researchers must conduct clinical trials designed to meet the needs of clinicians and others who are making decisions about patients' care. The authors present the case for psychiatry's adoption of the practical clinical trials model, which is widely used in research in other areas of medicine. METHOD The authors outline the characteristics and scope of practical clinical trials, give examples of practical clinical trials, and discuss the challenges of using the practical clinical trials model in psychiatry, including issues of funding. RESULTS Practical clinical trials, which are intended to provide generalizable answers to important clinical questions without bias, are characterized by eight key features: a straightforward clinically relevant question, a representative sample of patients and practice settings, sufficient power to identify modest clinically relevant effects, randomization to protect against bias, clinical uncertainty regarding the outcome of treatment at the patient level, assessment and treatment protocols that enact best clinical practices, simple and clinically relevant outcomes, and limited subject and investigator burden. CONCLUSIONS To implement the practical clinical trials model in psychiatry will require stable funding for network construction and maintenance plus methodological innovation in governance and trial selection, assessment, treatment, data management, site management, and data analytic procedures.
Post-Implementation Evaluation of a University Management Information System (UMIS)

The implementation of Management Information Systems (MIS) in educational management and administration is a relatively innovative field which is rapidly evolving because of its high efficiency and effectiveness. There is a relatively small number of research studies reported in the literature evaluating MIS implementations in universities. This case study focuses on the post-implementation evaluation of a Student Information System at Piraeus University of Applied Sciences. As it has been recognized that user satisfaction affects in a great extent the success of information systems, this study aims to derive student users' overall perceptions to the effectiveness of PUAS Student Information System. The methodology used to perform the research was based on D&M IS success and technology acceptance (TAM) models as well as Wixom and Todd framework. A thorough evaluation of the system was conducted by processing and analyzing the research objectives scores, the comment responses, and the respondents' demographic profiles. The research took place during the spring semester of Academic Year 2015-2016 and the sample included students of all PUAS departments. The outcomes of the research suggest that PUAS and its academic community could be greatly benefitted by the implementation of the Student Information System in terms of strategy planning, distributing resources as well as organizational success. Finally, it became clear that constant participative evaluation actions, integrated into the project management process are essential for the future success of PUAS Information System.
EEG in the Elderly: Seizures vs. Syncope

The EEGs of elderly patients with a definite seizure disorder (161 patients; 302 EEGs) were compared to patients with "syncope" (122 patients; 133 EEGs), especially to determine if the latter patients were sufficiently similar to the seizure patients that the syncope could be viewed as a seizure phenomenon. The two groups were similar only by the predominance of females in both groups (61-62%) and otherwise were very different. The seizure group had a higher incidence of (1) etiology (83 vs. 39%), (2) epileptiform discharges (93 vs. 49%), with a different location, more often parasagittal, and different number often with active or very active foci, (3) frontal slow waves, (4) more severe slow wave abnormalities, (5) slower background frequencies, that were less well organized and developed and (6) abnormal records. The conclusion is that the syncope patients as a group are usually not simply seizure patients. Regardless of etiology, the patients with "syncope" (33% with cerebrovascular and 21% cardiac etiologies) showed nearly a 50% incidence of epileptiform discharges, demonstrating a complex interrelationship between cardiac and cerebral mechanisms, which are discussed. The conclusion is that epileptiform activity in elderly patients with syncope is likely to be mildly epileptogenic, and may require additional cardiovascular mechanisms to generate an attack of unconsciousness.
Multiplexed AtheNA multi-lyte immunoassay for ANA screening in autoimmune diseases

Background: Multiplexed assays using fluorescence microspheres is an exciting technology with multiple applications including the detection of antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) and autoantibody profiles. It is a rapid, sensitive and automatic method for simultaneous quantitative detection of several autoantibodies. The aim of our study was to determinate ANA and other autoantibodies to the nine extractable nuclear antigens by the AtheNA Multi-Lyte ANA system and compare the results achieved by this method to the routinely used enzyme immunoassay. Methods: Four hundred eighteen serum samples were tested utililizing the multiplexed method: 96 healthy donors, 86 requested ANA specimens obtained from routine lab, and 236 samples from patients with known autoimmune diseases (43-scleroderma, 113-systemic lupus erythematosus, 38-Sjogren's syndrome, and 42 rheumatoid arthritis). The ANA and antibodies to nine different analytes (SS/A, SS/B, Sm, RNP, Jo-1, Scl-70, dsDNA, Centromere B and Histone) were tested. Results: ANA screening by AtheNA system revealed high concordance of 99 and 97.7% with the enzyme immunoassay test in samples obtained from healthy donors and ANA requested samples, respectively. Evaluation of autoimmune disease-related samples for ANA by AtheNA technology also confirmed a high rate of concordance of 92–97.7% and correlated with the enzyme immunoassay. Positive discrepant results were found for Scl-70 specificity in 12.7% of SLE specimens by AtheNA technology, while all tested sera were negative for this antibody by enzyme immunoassay. Negative discrepant results were observed by the AtheNA system for anti-dsDNA. The sera (15 randomly obtained samples from SLE patients) were positive for anti-dsDNA in 50% of samples in Farr assay and 55% in enzyme immunoassay, respectively. Conclusion: We suggest that the AtheNA technology may be a useful diagnostic tool for ANA screening. Additional investigations are required to compare an analytic performance between AtheNA and routine methods in determination of the individual autoantibody profile.
What Fundamentally Drives Growth? Revisiting the Institutions and Economic Performance Debate

The recent empirical growth literature has proposed three underlying fundamental determinants of economic growth, namely, physical geography, economic integration and institutional quality. This paper unpacks the final determinant into both political-economic institutions as well as the primarily political institution of democratic development. Using both cross-sectional and panel datasets, we show that, properly instrumented, there is no evidence that democracies grow faster or slower than non-democracies. This result is in contrast to much of the more recent literature, which tends to find a weakly positive relationship. Political- economic institutions, however, remain positive and significant determinants of economic growth, which corroborates much of the empirical evidence in the existing literature. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.