Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytokine‐stimulated release of decay‐accelerating factor (DAF; CD55) from HT‐29 human intestinal epithelial cells

Expression of DAF (CD55) is enhanced on colonic epithelial cells of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and stool DAF concentrations are increased in patients with active disease. Cytokines are known to modulate DAF expression in various human cells, and lesions of UC reveal altered profiles of cytokine production. In this study, we evaluate the effects of various cytokines, IL‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, and interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ), on the synthesis and kinetics of DAF protein in HT‐29 human intestinal epithelial cells. Using flow cytometry and an ELISA, we found that HT‐29 cells constitutively express DAF on the cell surface and spontaneously release DAF into the culture supernatant under standard culture conditions. When the culture supernatant was centrifuged at 100 000 g, nearly a half of DAF was precipitated, indicating that one half of the released DAF was present as a membrane‐bound form and the other half as a soluble form. Analysis of the culture supernatant of biotin surface‐labelled HT‐29 cells suggested that the soluble form DAF was derived by secretion from within the cell or by cleavage from the cell surface. Among the cytokines, IL‐4 markedly, and IL‐1β moderately, enhanced the expression and the release of DAF. Actinomycin D, cycloheximide, and brefeldin A inhibited the increase in DAF release induced by IL‐4 and IL‐1β stimulation. These results suggest that DAF is released from intestinal epithelial cells in response to cytokine stimulation and that IL‐4 and IL‐1β are possible cytokines involved in DAF release into the colonic lumen of patients with UC.
Cardiovascular risk factors in chronic kidney disease.

Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of morbid-ity and premature mortality in chronic kidney disease.While it is well established that patients with kidney fail-ure (chronic kidney disease stage 5) are at high risk ofcardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality [1], pa-tients with earlier stages of chronic kidney disease alsoexperience a high rate of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascu-lar events [2]. Recent guidelines and position statementshave therefore deﬁned chronic kidney disease as a car-diovascular risk equivalent, and patients in all stages ofchronickidneydiseaseareconsideredinthe“highestriskgroup” for development of cardiovascular disease [3]. We propose that patients with chronic kidney dis-ease are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease forseveralreasons(Fig.1):(
Fluoride tablet programs in healthy elderly subjects: distribution of fluoride in saliva and plaque with tablets in different sites

Based on root caries data and oral sugar clearance pattern, vestibular surfaces of upper incisors and lower molars may be regarded as risk areas along with the proximal surfaces. The aim of the present study was to use this information in improving fluoride tablet programs for the elderly. Six healthy elderly males with full dental arches took part. Flavored and unflavored tablets dissolved passively either under the tongue or in the vestibule close to the root caries risk areas. Salivary fluoride was determined at five to six intra-oral sites with a micro-sampling technique at intervals up to 10 min tablet use. Plaque samples were collected from single tooth surfaces before and after tablet use, and analyzed for total fluoride and total protein by micro-techniques. Salivary fluoride exposure to root caries risk areas was strongly increased when fluoride tablets were placed in the vestibule in these areas. The unflavored tablet gave higher fluoride retention in saliva than did the flavored brand. Plaque fluoride levels tended to be above baseline in the first couple of hours after tablet use, and then to decline. In the caries risk areas, at vestibular surfaces of lower posterior and upper incisor teeth, most of the fluoride taken up in plaque had been lost after 5 h and a bread meal, whereas in the non-risk areas it was largely retained. The study demonstrated that fluoride exposures to the vestibular caries risk areas can be strongly increased by placing fluoride tablets close to them. An unflavored tablet seemed to give higher exposures than a flavored one. The rapid loss of fluoride from plaque in slow clearance risk areas indicates that more than one daily treatment would be required for elderly caries risk subjects.
A long-term study of the efficacy and acceptability of a single-rod hormonal contraceptive implant (Implanon) in healthy women in China.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the contraceptive efficacy, cycle control and acceptability of Implanon, a new single-rod, progestogen-only contraceptive implant. METHODS In a non-comparative, open, multicenter study, a contraceptive implant containing the progestogen etonogestrel was inserted into 200 healthy women. The study duration was 2 years, with an optional extension up to 4 years. RESULTS Women were exposed to Implanon for 644.6 woman-years. There were no pregnancies during the study. Per 90-day reference period, the median number of bleeding-spotting days ranged between 18 and 21 and the median number of bleeding-spotting episodes was two. The mean overall incidence of prolonged bleeding fell markedly during the study, from 69% in the first reference period to 26% in the 16th period. The most common adverse events were related to disturbed bleeding pattern and amenorrhea. Heavy or prolonged bleeding caused 18 subjects to withdraw from the study. Only a few subjects discontinued the study early due to irregular bleeding (2%) or amenorrhea (2%). A slight increase in mean body weight was observed. The implant was removed in an average time of 2.9 min. CONCLUSIONS Implanon demonstrated excellent contraceptive efficacy for 4 years of use and was well tolerated. The incidences of prolonged bleeding and amenorrhea both fell markedly with continued implant use. Because of its single-rod design, Implanon was quickly removed with few complications and proved to be a highly acceptable method of contraception.
Persistent bounded disturbance rejection for discrete-time delay systems

In this article, we provide a novel solution to the problem of persistent bounded disturbance rejection in linear discrete-time systems with time-varying delays. The solution is developed based on the tools of invariant set analysis and Lyapunov-function method. As an integral part of the solution, we derive less conservative sufficient conditions on robust attractor for discrete-time systems with delays in terms of strict linear matrix inequalities to guarantee the desired ℓ1-performance. A robust state-feedback controller is designed and the associated gain is determined using strict LMIs. The developed results are tested on a representative example.
Improvement of Mobility and Stability in Oxide Thin-Film Transistors Using Triple-Stacked Structure

In this letter, amorphous indium-zinc-oxide thin film transistors (α-IZO TFTs) with a multilayered structure of an active layer were investigated by embedding a different indium-content layer: 1) the low-indium layer contacted with dielectric to reduce defect states and block off the drift of photoinduced holes and 2) the high indium layer to provide a conductive path with reducing scattering centers. In the multilayered structure, the α-IZO TFTs with high mobility and good photoinduced stability could be achieved. The fabricated TFT exhibited a field-effect mobility of 50.4 cm2/Vs, which is thrice that of the single-layer device, an appropriate threshold voltage of 0.31 V, a low subthreshold swing of 0.14 V/decade, and a good negative bias illumination temperature stresses stability.
Association between IL-8 rs 4073 polymorphisms and osteosarcoma risk in Chinese population : a case control study

Background: Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is an angiogenic chemokine that plays a potent role in both development and progression of many human malignancies. Patients and methods: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted among 109 patients with osteosarcoma and 109 healthy controls to investigate the possible association between the IL-8 rs4073 polymorphisms and the risk of osteosarcoma. Results: Significant differences of genotype distribution were observed between osteosarcoma cases and controls at the IL-8 rs4073 genotypes. Compared with the IL-8 -251T/A homozygote TT, the heterozygous TA genotype was associated with significantly increased risk for osteosarcoma (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.28-3.75, P = 0.014); the AA genotype was associated with increased risk for osteosarcoma (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.11-3.98, P = 0.025). TA and AA combined variants were associated with increased risk for osteosarcoma compared with the TT genotype (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.19-3.86, P = 0.012). Moreover, the genotype AA of IL-8 -251T/A carried a higher risk of osteosarcoma metastasis and later Enneking stages, compared with the TT genotype. Conclusion: Our results showed that the IL-8 rs4073 genotype was associated with increased risk for development and metastasis of osteosarcoma in Chinese Han population.
Determining Anxieties in Relation to Ambient Intelligence—Explorative Findings from Hospital Settings

Through 16 problem-focused interviews in three German surgical clinics, anxieties that affect the adoption of ambient intelligence in healthcare were investigated. This research reveals 17 anxieties, grouped into 5 categories containing implementation anxieties of ambient intelligence in hospitals. The results expand the basis in theory underlying technology-related anxieties of medical professionals and offer theoretical and practical implications, leading to an initial basis for decisions regarding the implementation of ambient systems.
A Hybrid Inductive-Ultrasonic Link for Wireless Power Transmission to Millimeter-Sized Biomedical Implants

Ultrasound has recently been utilized for efficient wireless power transmission (WPT) to biomedical implants with millimeter (mm) dimensions and below. However, the power transmission efficiency (PTE) of ultrasonic links reduces significantly in mediums with different acoustic impedances. This brief presents a hybrid inductive-ultrasonic WPT link for powering mm-sized implants that utilizes two cascaded co-optimized inductive and ultrasonic links for WPT through bone/air and tissue, respectively. The ultrasonic link is first optimized based on the implant depth (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol {d_{\mathrm{ us}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and load (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol {R_{L}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) to find the optimal geometries for ultrasonic transducers and operation frequency (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol {f_{p}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>). Then, the inductive link is optimized at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol {f_{p}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> to drive the transmitter (Tx) transducer. A hybrid link was optimized and measured to transfer power to a receiver (Rx) transducer with the diameter of 1.1 mm, loaded by <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol {R_{L}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 2.5 k <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol {\Omega }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and located at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol {d_{\mathrm{ us}} = 3}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm inside castor oil, as the tissue model. The Tx coil was placed in air and spaced from the Rx coil by 3 cm, resulting in a total powering distance (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${d}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of 6 cm. At the optimal <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol {f_{p}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 1.1 MHz, the hybrid link achieved a considerable measured PTE of 0.16%.
The Novel Leptospiral Surface Adhesin Lsa20 Binds Laminin and Human Plasminogen and Is Probably Expressed during Infection

ABSTRACT Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease caused by pathogenic species of Leptospira. In this work, we report the cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of two predicted leptospiral outer membrane proteins, LIC11469 and LIC11030. The LIC11469 protein is well conserved among leptospiral strains, while LIC11030 was identified only in L eptospira interrogans. We confirmed by surface proteolysis of intact leptospires with proteinase K that these proteins are most likely new surface leptospiral proteins. The recombinant proteins were evaluated for their capacity to attach to extracellular matrix (ECM) components and to plasminogen. The leptospiral protein encoded by LIC11469, named Lsa20 (leptospiral surface adhesin of 20 kDa), binds to laminin and to plasminogen. The binding with both components was not detected when Lsa20 was previously denatured or blocked with anti-Lsa20 antibodies. Moreover, Lsa20 binding to laminin was also confirmed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Laminin competes with plasminogen for binding to Lsa20, suggesting the same ligand-binding site. Lsa20-bound plasminogen could be converted to enzymatically active plasmin, capable of cleaving plasmin substrate d-valyl-leucyl-lysine-p-nitroanilide dihydrochloride. Lsa20 was recognized by antibodies in confirmed-leptospirosis serum samples, suggesting that this protein is expressed during infection. Taken together, our results indicate that Lsa20 is a novel leptospiral adhesin that in concert with the host-derived plasmin may help the bacteria to adhere and to spread through the hosts.
A configurable simulation model for mixed-criticality multi-processor systems-on-chips

The area of mixed-criticality systems builds upon an increasing trend towards integrating components with different levels of safety assurance on a single shared platform. The ever-increasing functionality alongside with the strict requirements that must be met by such systems has led to an enormous growth in the complexity at the system level, which augments the cognitive complexity. This demands the validation of the design, as an erroneous behavior of the system is not affordable and it might cause human or tremendous financial losses. Simulation environments provide designers a practical feedback about the behavior of the simulated systems and serve as a proof-of-concept for complex technologies and solutions. In addition, simulation enables the designer to spot those artifacts and behaviors that in the real operation are not perceptible or measurable. This paper presents a simulation model for mixed-criticality networks-on-chips, that supports transmission of time-triggered, rate-constrained and best-effort messages. The presented simulation model has been implemented and validated in the Gem5 simulator system as an extension layer to the network interface of the Garnet network and is available as an open-source project. The proposed model can be used for the evaluation of time-triggered communication schedules or as a fault-injection framework to investigate the behavior of the network in case of design or runtime faults.
Cell cycle and tissue of origin contribute to the migratory behaviour of human fetal and adult mesenchymal stromal cells

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are potential cells for cellular therapies, in which the recruitment and migration of MSC towards injured tissue is crucial. Our data show that culture‐expanded MSC from fetal lung and bone marrow, adult bone marrow and adipose tissue contained a small percentage of migrating cells in vitro, but the optimal stimulus was different. Overall, fetal lung‐MSC had the highest migratory capacity. As fetal bone marrow‐MSC had lower migratory potential than fetal lung‐MSC, the tissue of origin may determine the migratory capacity of MSC. No additive effect in migration towards combined stimuli was observed, which suggests only one migratory MSC fraction. Interestingly, actin rearrangement and increased paxillin phosphorylation were observed in most MSC upon stromal cell‐derived factor‐1α or platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB stimulation, indicating that this mechanism involved in responding to migratory cues is not restricted to migratory MSC. Migratory MSC maintained differentiation and migration potential, and contained significantly less cells in S‐ and G2/M‐phase than their non‐migrating counterpart. In conclusion, our results suggest that MSC from various sources have different migratory capacities, depending on the tissue of origin. Similar to haematopoietic stem cells, cell cycle contributes to MSC migration, which offers perspectives for modulation of MSC to enhance efficacy of future cellular therapies.
The “Endless Trip” among the NPS Users: Psychopathology and Psychopharmacology in the Hallucinogen-Persisting Perception Disorder. A Systematic Review

Hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is a syndrome characterized by prolonged or reoccurring perceptual symptoms, reminiscent of acute hallucinogen effects. HPPD was associated with a broader range of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)-like substances, cannabis, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), psilocybin, mescaline, and psychostimulants. The recent emergence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) posed a critical concern regarding the new onset of psychiatric symptoms/syndromes, including cases of HPPD. Symptomatology mainly comprises visual disorders (i.e., geometric pseudo-hallucinations, haloes, flashes of colors/lights, motion-perception deficits, afterimages, micropsia, more acute awareness of floaters, etc.), even though depressive symptoms and thought disorders may be comorbidly present. Although HPPD was first described in 1954, it was just established as a fully syndrome in 2000, with the revised fourth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). HPPD neural substrates, risk factors, and aetiopathogenesys still largely remain unknown and under investigation, and many questions about its pharmacological targets remain unanswered too. A critical mini review on psychopathological bases, etiological hypothesis, and psychopharmacological approaches toward HPPD, including the association with some novel substances, are provided here, by means of a literature search on PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases without time restrictions, by using a specific set of keywords. Pharmacological and clinical issues are considered, and practical psychopharmacological recommendations and clinical guidelines are suggested.
The Ketogenic Diet: One Decade Later

The ketogenic diet, a high fat, adequate protein, low carbohydrate diet, has, during the past decade, had a resurgence of interest for the treatment of difficult-to-control seizures in children. This review traces its history, reviews its uses and side effects, and discusses possible alternatives and the diet’s possible mechanisms of action. Finally, this review looks toward possible future uses of the ketogenic diet for conditions other than epilepsy.
FBN2, FBN1, TGFBR1, and TGFBR2 analyses in congenital contractural arachnodactyly

FBN2, FBN1, TGFBR1, and TGFBR2 were analyzed by direct sequencing in 15 probands with suspected congenital contractural arachnodactyly (CCA). A total of four novel FBN2 mutations were found in four probands (27%, 4/15), but remaining the 11 did not show any abnormality in either of the genes. This study indicated that FBN2 mutations were major abnormality in CCA, and TGFBR and FBN1 defects may not be responsible for the disorder. FBN2 mutations were only found at introns 30, 31, and 35 in this study. Thus analysis of a mutational hotspot from exons 22 to 36 (a middle part) of FBN2 should be prioritized in CCA as previously suggested. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Debye screening in strongly coupled N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills plasma

Using the AdS/CFT correspondence, we examine the behavior of correlators of Polyakov loops and other operators in N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory at non-zero temperature. The implications for Debye screening in this strongly coupled non-Abelian plasma, and comparisons with available results for thermal QCD, are discussed.
Normal face-based judgements of social characteristics despite severely impaired holistic face processing

Initial evidence indicates that face-based judgements of socially relevant characteristics such as people's trustworthiness or attractiveness are linked to the configural/holistic processing of facial cues. What remains a matter of debate, however, is whether such processing is actually necessary for normal social judgements to occur and whether it resembles the type of integrative processing as required for facial identification. To address these issues, we asked a well-characterized case of acquired prosopagnosia (PS) with a marked deficit in holistic processing for face identity to rate a series of faces on several dimensions of social relevance. PS provided ratings within the normal range for most of the social characteristics probed (i.e., aggression, attractiveness, confidence, intelligence, sociability, trustworthiness). Her evaluations deviated from those of healthy controls only when facial dominance was concerned. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the inability to integrate facial information during face individuation does not necessarily translate into a generalized deficit to evaluate faces on social dimensions.
Treatment of L5‐S1 Spondyloptosis by staged L5 Resection With Reduction and Fusion of L4 Onto S1 (Gaines Procedure)

Study Design and Objectives A retrospective study was performed on the two-stage Gaines procedure for the treatment of spondyloptosis, evaluating indications, techniques, results, and patient satisfaction. Summary of Background Data Sixteen consecutive patients from two institutions were Included. Their average age was 24 years. Average follow-up was 3.9 years, with 11 patients included in follow-up 2 or more years. Ten patients (63%) had a preoperative neurologic deficit-three with cauda equina syndrome, one with foot drop. All patients had severe back or radicular symptoms and significant disability or severe deformity. Methods Patient examinations, interviews, chart review, and radiographic measurements all were performed Independently. A subjective questionnaire was administered to each patient comparing preoperative with postoperative changes in pain, function, and appearance, as well as their overall outcome assessment. Results Postoperatively, 12 patients (75%) had early neurologic deficits, with seven of these having had a preoperative deficit. Four of these seven had a persistent deficit at follow-up, one with a permanent foot drop and three with documented weakness that was still improving at follow-up. The patient with preoperative foot drop remained unchanged, and the remaining seven patients with early deficit all recovered within 1 year. All three patients with preoperative cauda equina syndrome recovered postoperatively. The subjective questionnaire results revealed extremely high patient satisfaction. They reported significant improvement in pain, function, and appearance. Conclusions Despite the relatively high complication rate, with appropriate patient selection, planning, and surgical technique, this procedure appears to be a sound method for treating severe cases of spondyloptosis, yielding very high patient satisfaction.