Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biologics in organ transplantation

The last two decades have witnessed a pandemic in antibody development, with over 600 entering clinical studies and a total of 28 approved by the FDA and European Union. The incorporation of biologics in transplantation has made a significant impact on allograft survival. Herein, we review the armamentarium of clinical and preclinical biologics used for organ transplantation – with the exception of belatacept – from depleting and IL‐2R targeting induction agents to costimulation blockade, B‐cell therapeutics, BAFF and complement inhibition, anti‐adhesion, and anti‐cytokine approaches. While individual agents may be insufficient for tolerance induction, they provide possibilities for reduction of steroid or calcineurin inhibitor use, alternatives to rejection episodes refractory to conventional therapies, and specialized immunosuppression for highly sensitized patients.
Towards a Dynamic Assessment of Unilateral Spatial Neglect

RESEARCH ARTICLE Towards a Dynamic Assessment of Unilateral Spatial Neglect Andrea Peru, Alice Bollini, Sergio Costanzo, Monica Dainelli, Lea Landucci, Daniele Pezzatini, Alberto Del Bimbo and Maria Pia Viggiano Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health University of Firenze, Florence, Italy Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences University of Verona, Verona, Italy Presidio di Riabilitazione Intensiva Montedomini (PRIM) ASP Montedomini, Firenze, Italy MICC Media Integration and Communication Center University of Firenze, Florence, Italy
Prevention of Eating Disorders among Adolescents

Since eating disorders frequently begin during adolescence, high school students represent a high risk population for the development of these disorders. For this reason, a pilot project for the prevention of eating disorders was instituted at the high school level. The primary goal of this pilot project was to educate students, faculty, and staff at the school about the incidence, symptoms, and consequences of eating disorders. Consultation and referral services were also provided. An evaluation component of the project assessed the informational impact of the prevention program on the students. On a questionnaire designed for the project, a significantly greater number of questions about eating disorders were answered correctly by students who were recipients of the prevention program than by those who were not. The results of this project demonstrate the feasibility of using the high school setting to promote increased awareness of eating disorders and their consequences among high school students.
Intraoperative Knee Anthropometrics: Correlation with Cartilage Wear

Abstract Accurate knee morphology is of value in determining the correct sizing of prosthetic implants. Intraoperative measurement of key linear dimensional variables was carried out on 196 Caucasian knees (osteoarthritic patients: 68 male and 128 female). Of the 196 knees measured, 70 had extensive cartilage degeneration. Statistical analysis was carried out on this large sample size of data. Summary statistics and correlation coefficients between variables were determined and compared between subgroups. Male knees were on average larger than female knees. Higher correlation was found between variables for males than between variables for females. Overall, the patellar dimensions were seen to correlate least well with other anatomical variables. High correlation between femoral variables supports current femoral sizing procedure, although routine patellar resection practices are called into question. Average values for the 70 knees with extensive cartilage degeneration were significantly smaller (P < 0.01) than their counterparts for the other 126 knees. For a measurement not containing cartilage, such as femoral epicondylar width, this difference cannot be accounted for by the loss of cartilage owing to wear. This suggests that, for similar height and weight, a naturally narrower femoral epicondylar width may be associated with severe osteoarthritis.
Family functioning in paediatric obsessive compulsive and related disorders.

OBJECTIVE Research among youths with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has shown a significant relationship between illness severity, treatment outcome, and the family environment yet little work has been undertaken among the broader class of obsessive compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) - Trichotillomania, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), skin picking disorder (SPD), and hoarding. The aim of this study was to (1) review the family functioning literature among paediatric OCRDs, (2) address limitations to previous studies, and (3) highlight areas in need of further research. METHODS A review of the literature was conducted using several databases (i.e., Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect) and employing key search terms (e.g., 'family functioning', 'paediatric OCD'). The resultant articles examined several domains subsumed under the broader heading of family environment including parental mental health, parenting practices, family dynamics, family involvement with symptoms, and family emotional climate. RESULTS The literature reviewed demonstrated a strong relationship between paediatric OCD and adverse family functioning (e.g., parental symptoms of anxiety and depression, family accommodation, family strain and stress, parental guilt and fear) in all identified domains. While family functioning research in paediatric HPD was relatively scant, research suggested similar familial dysfunction (e.g., limited independence, low family cohesion, family violence). Collectively, only 1 article, examining BDD, assessed family functioning within other OCRDs. CONCLUSIONS This review supports the need for further research in the OCRDs. Limitations to the available literature and targeted suggestions for future research are discussed. PRACTITIONER POINTS The domains of family environment in this study indicate specific family functioning deficits that may serve as aetiological and/or maintenance factors in paediatric OCRDs, possibly contributing to the understanding of these complex disorders. The recognition of family deficits in paediatric OCRDs may prove beneficial in developing or bolstering preventative and/or therapeutic interventions. Insufficient number of articles pertaining to family functioning in some paediatric OCRDs (i.e., hoarding, skin picking) inhibits formal conclusions. Magnitudes of family functioning effects were not calculated; therefore, future research should consider meta-analytic analyses.
Effects of Simulation on Nursing Student Stress: An Integrative Review.

BACKGROUND The effects of stress on nursing students' health and learning is important to educators. The purpose of this review was to critically integrate the literature related to the stress that nursing students experience regarding high-fidelity simulation (HFS). METHOD Literature from multiple search engines and databases was systematically searched. Keywords and Boolean combinations included nursing students, simulation, stress, anxiety, and self-efficacy. Qualitative or quantitative studies published in English between 2010 and 2015 and studies including the effects of simulation on nursing student anxiety and stress were included. Seventeen studies were chosen. RESULTS Overall, students reported either moderate or high stress associated with simulation, but they rated the HFS experience as a valuable learning tool. CONCLUSION This review demonstrated student acceptance of simulation as a learning strategy. However, more high-quality studies are needed to investigate techniques that can be implemented to decrease the negative effects of simulation stress on nursing students. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(3):139-144. ].
Business models dynamics for start-ups and innovating e-businesses

As technology, market and regulation conditions change rapidly, e-business companies frequently have to reinvent their business models. This paper examines which external drivers are most decisive in changing business models during the phases of service development, roll-out and commercialisation. After a qualitative study, 45 longitudinal case descriptions were surveyed on the business model dynamics of start-up and established e-business companies. Technology and market forces turned out to be more decisive, while regulation plays only a minor role. While external drivers are moderately important over time for established companies, their impact on start-up business models is largest during service development and it fades over time.
Genetic and environmental variation in the LH response of ovariectomized sheep to LH-RH.

The influence of breed and season on the sensitivity of the pituitary gland of sheep to LH-RH was assessed. Ovariectomized ewes of 3 breeds (Finnish Landrace, Scottish Blackface and Tasmanian Merino) with differing normal breeding seasons and with differing ovulation rates were injected (i.v.) with 3 doses of LH-RH (1.56, 6.25 or 25.0 micrograms) at 3 different times of the year covering the anoestrous and the breeding seasons of intact ewes; 9 ewes of each breed (3 per sub-class) were examined on the first and third occasions, 6 (2 per sub-class) on the second. The response was measured in terms of the concentration of LH in peripheral plasma 20, 40, 60 and 80 min after injection. Time of year, but not the breed of sheep, affected the magnitude of the response; the data indicated that the duration of LH secretion was greater during the breeding season than during anoestrus. It was concluded that changes in the spontaneous activity of the hypothalamus/hypophysis could contribute to seasonal changes in LH secretion independently of the modifying effects of gonadal steroids. Such variation in unmodulated activity apparently does not contribute to the differences in ovulation rate among the 3 breeds.
Differential Immune Cell Chemotaxis Responses to Acute Psychological Stress in Alzheimer Caregivers Compared to Non-caregiver Controls

Objective: Caregiving for a spouse with Alzheimer’s disease is associated with alterations in various immune cell responses. Chemotaxis of immune cells to chemokines is an important factor involved in lymphocyte migration, which plays an essential role in inflammatory responses to infection and may also be involved in atherogenesis. However, the effects of chronic stress on chemotaxis have not been investigated. The objective of this study was to examine lymphocyte chemotaxis to chemokines, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), and a beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproteronol (ISO), in response to an acute stressor in Alzheimer’s caregivers. Correlations between immune cell chemotaxis and epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were also examined. Methods: Caregivers (n = 18) and noncaregiver controls (n = 9) completed a public speaking task. Blood was drawn before and immediately after the task for changes in chemotaxis to FMLP, SDF-1, and ISO, and for epinephrine and norepinephrine levels. Results: Caregivers had reduced chemotaxis to FMLP, SDF-1, and ISO in response to the speech task, compared with non-caregivers. Also, the direction of the correlations between chemotaxis to FMLP, SDF-1, and ISO and epinephrine levels differed between groups. Conclusions: These findings suggest that immune cells released into circulation in response to acute stress are altered in caregivers. Group differences in immune responses may be due to sympathetically mediated alterations, which may have implications for caregivers’ ability to successfully mount viable immune responses, as well as, atherogenesis. AD = Alzheimer’s disease; ANOVA = analysis of variance; FMLP = N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine; ISO = isoproterenol; PBMC = peripheral blood mononuclear cell; SAM = sympathetic-adrenal medullary; SDF-1 = stromal cell-derived factor-1; UCSD = University of California, San Diego.
Kronenberg Carbohydrate specificity of the recognition of diverse glycolipids by natural killer T cells

2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S Immunological Reviews 0105-2896 Summary: Most T lymphocytes recognize peptide antigens bound to or presented by molecules encoded in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The CD1 family of antigen-presenting molecules is related to the MHC-encoded molecules, but CD1 proteins present lipid antigens, mostly glycolipids. Here we review T-lymphocyte recognition of glycolipids, with particular emphasis on the subpopulation known as natural killer T (NKT) cells. NKT cells influence many immune responses, they have a T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) that is restricted in diversity, and they share properties with cells of the innate immune system. NKT cells recognize antigens presented by CD1d with hexose sugars in a-linkage to lipids, although other, related antigens are known. The hydrophobic alkyl chains are buried in the CD1d groove, with the carbohydrate exposed for TCR recognition, together with the surface of the CD1d molecule. Therefore, understanding the biochemical basis for antigen recognition by NKT cells requires an understanding of how the trimolecular complex of CD1d, glycolipid, and the TCR is formed, which is in part a problem of carbohydrate recognition by the TCR. Recent investigations from our laboratories as well as studies from other groups have provided important information on the structural basis for NKT-cell specificity.
Evaluation of cerebral aneurysms with high-resolution MR angiography using a section-interpolation technique: correlation with digital subtraction angiography.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The objective was to evaluate the results of high-resolution, fast-speed, section-interpolation MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography (DSA), thereby examining the potential use of a primary noninvasive screening test for intracranial aneurysms. METHODS The images were obtained in 39 cerebral aneurysmal lesions from 30 patients with a time-of-flight MR angiographic technique using a 1.5-T superconducting MR system. The total image volume was divided into four slabs, with 48 partitions each. To save time, only 24 phase-encoded steps were measured and interpolated to 48. The parameters used included 30/6.4 (TR/TE), a flip angle of 25 degrees , a 160x512 matrix, a field of view of 150x200, 7 minutes 42 seconds of scan time, an effective thickness of 0.7 mm, and an entire thickness of 102.2 mm. Maximum intensity projection was used for the image analysis, and a multiplanar reconstruction technique was used for patients with intracranial aneurysms. RESULTS Among 39 intracranial aneurysmal lesions in 30 patients, 21 were ruptured and 18 were unruptured. Twelve lesions were less than 2 mm in size, 12 were 3 to 5 mm, 12 were 6 to 9 mm, and three were larger than 10 mm. At initial examinations, 38 of 39 aneurysmal lesions were detected by both MR angiography and DSA, with 97% sensitivity. In confirming aneurysms in neck and parent vessels, multiplanar reconstruction was successful in detecting all 39 aneurysms, whereas MR angiography was successful in detecting 27 (69%) and DSA was successful in detecting 32 (82%) of the lesions. CONCLUSION High-resolution MR angiography with a section-interpolation technique showed equal results to those of DSA for the detection of intracranial aneurysms and may be used as a primary noninvasive screening test. In the evaluation of aneurysms in neck and parent vessels, the concurrent use of MR angiography and multiplanar reconstruction was far superior to the use of either MR angiography or DSA alone.
Distribution of dopamine transporter immunoreactive fibers in the human amygdaloid complex

The nuclei of the human amygdaloid complex can be distinguished from each other on the basis of their cytoarchitecture, chemistry and connections, all of which process the information needed for the different functions (ranging from attention to memory and emotion) of the amygdala. This complex receives dopaminergic input that exerts modulatory effects over its intrinsic network and is critical for reward‐related learning and fear conditioning. To determine the specific distribution of the dopaminergic input through the different nuclei and nuclear subdivisions of this structure we used stereological tools to quantify the fibers containing the dopamine transporter (used to signal the dopaminergic phenotype) in post‐mortem samples from control individuals. Dopaminergic axons targeted every nucleus of the amygdaloid complex, and the density of dopamine transporter‐containing axons varied considerably among its nuclear groups. The central group showed the greatest density of dopamine transporter‐positive fibers, more than double the density of the basolateral group, the second most densely innervated structure. The dopamine transporter‐positive innervation is very scant in the corticomedial group. The density of dopamine transporter‐positive fibers did not vary among the nuclei of the basolateral group – i.e. basal, lateral and accessory basal nuclei – although there were significant density gradients among the subdivisions of these nuclei. These detailed quantitative data on dopamine transporter‐positive innervation in the human amygdaloid complex can offer a useful reference in future studies aimed at analysing putative dysfunctions of this system in diseases involving brain dopamine, such as certain anxiety disorders, Parkinson′s disease and schizophrenia.
Consummatory Successive Negative Contrast in Mice

Abstract Mice exposed to a 32% sugar solution during 10 daily sessions later rejected a 4% solution significantly more than control mice always given access to the 4% solution. With 3-h access to the solutions, Group 32-4 consumed significantly less than Group 4-4 during the first postshift session; however, an increase in the consumption level in Group 4-4 from the last preshift to the postshift sessions may have inflated the size of the effect. The phenomenon was clearly demonstrated when mice received 1-h access to the solutions (Experiments 2 and 3). This effect was eliminated by he administration of diazepam (4 mg/kg) during the postshift period (Experiment 3). This is the first demonstration of successive negative contrast in a consummatory response situation with mice. The species generality of successive negative contract in consummatory and instrumental response systems is discussed.
Is fat so bad? Modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress by lipid droplet formation

LDs (lipid droplets) have long been considered as inert particles used by the cells to store fatty acids and sterols as esterified non‐toxic lipid species (i.e. triacylglycerols and steryl esters). However, accumulating evidence suggests that LDs behave as a dynamic compartment, which is involved in the regulation of several aspects of the homoeostasis of their originating organelle, namely the ER (endoplasmic reticulum). The ER is particularly sensitive to physiological/pathological stimuli, which can ultimately induce ER stress. In the present review, after considering the basic mechanisms of LD formation and the signal cascades leading to ER stress, we focus on the connections between these two pathways. Taking into consideration recent data from the literature, we will try to draw possible mechanisms for the role of LDs in the regulation of ER homoeostasis and in ER‐stress‐related diseases.
Logic partitioning

A program and underlying algorithms are described which quasi-optimally partition a set of logic equations into subsets which represent physical packaging entities. The criterion for partitioning is the signal communication between equations. Several different methods of measuring and evaluating the criterion are built into the program as optional strategies. The effectiveness of these and other strategies are compared, based on accumulated experience with the program. The important characteristics of the program and its data structures which allow very efficient computer execution time are described. The plans and techniques for further development of the program are also presented.
Standoff Raman Spectroscopy of Explosive Nitrates Using 785 nm Laser

We have demonstrated that standoff Raman spectra of some nitrates could be obtained at distances ranging from 20 meters to 250 meters using an 11-inch reflecting telescope and a continuous wavelength 785 nm laser of 400 mW power coupled with a small portable spectrometer. The measurements were taken during both day and night, indoors and outdoors, for various integration times. Detection and identification of chemical and biological hazards within the forensic and homeland security contexts requires conducting the analysis in field while adapting a non-contact approach to the hazard. In this paper, we report the adequacy of a standoff Raman system with a 785nm laser for remote detection and identification of ammonium, sodium, and magnesium nitrates in bulk form. The results demonstrate that, as the standoff distances increases, there is a discernible attenuation in the intensity of the Raman signatures of the nitrates. To discriminate the background lights, improve the signal-to-noise ratio and trigger the weak characteristic bands, Raman spectra were also acquired using higher integration time. For the measurements taken at a 100 meter standoff distances, we were able to achieve a signal-to-noise ratio of about 10. For greater distances, due to the difficulty of locating the target using IR laser, a 50 mW green laser pointer at 485 nm wavelength is used before the IR laser is used for acquiring the Raman signals.
The Role of Impairment in the Diagnosis of ADHD

Objective: Current diagnostic criteria for ADHD require the consideration of impairment in making a diagnosis, although clinical and research definitions of ADHD rely more heavily on reported symptoms. This study explored the relationship between impairment and symptoms, variables predictive of impairment, and variation in ADHD identification when impairment criteria are added to symptom criteria. Method: ADHD symptoms and impairment were assessed using archival parent and teacher rating scale data. Results: The results indicated that (a) single impairment measures alone and a global impairment index were, at best, only moderately correlated with symptom reports; (b) predictor variables accounted for a small percentage of the variance in impairment; and (c) the number of children meeting criteria for ADHD diagnosis varied dramatically when impairment measures were considered. Conclusion: Symptoms and impairment are related yet distinct constructs that should be measured independently to determine the presence of ADHD. (J. of Att. Dis. 2008; 11(5) 529-537)
Intensive narrative intervention with four inner-city children: An interrupted time series analysis

This study investigated the effect of a two week intensive narrative intervention program on the narrative abilities of four inner-city children, using an interrupted time-series with removed treatment design. The intervention program focused on teaching five specific story grammar units. The variables of interest in this study were: improvement in story macrostructure, microstructure and language quantity, as well as improvement of scores on standardized narrative tools. All participants showed an improvement in at least one of the narrative skills examined in this study; one of four participants showed an improvement in all of the narrative skills examined in the study. The results of this study indicate that intensive narrative intervention is a viable treatment approach and should be further investigated.