Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serotonin and early cognitive development: variation in the tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene is associated with visual attention in 7-month-old infants.

BACKGROUND Allelic variation in the promoter region of a gene that encodes tryptophan hydroxylase isoform 2 (TPH2), a rate-limiting enzyme of serotonin synthesis in the central nervous system, has been associated with variations in cognitive function and vulnerability to affective spectrum disorders. Little is known about the effects of this gene variant on cognition during development and about possible intermediate developmental steps that lead to the adult phenotype. Here, we examined the hypothesis that the TPH2 -703 may act during early stages of development and bias the acquisition of elementary cognitive processes involved in attention and emotion regulation. METHODS Seven-month-old infants (n = 66) were genotyped for the TPH2 -703 G/T polymorphism (rs4570625) and tested for the efficiency of attention shifts from a stimulus at fixation to a new stimulus in the visual periphery. RESULTS Compared to TPH2 G/G homozygotes, infants with the T-carrier genotype exhibited a significantly higher number of missing attention shifts. This genotype effect tended to be particularly pronounced when infants had to disengage from an affectively salient stimulus before shifting attention to the peripheral stimulus. The results also showed that TPH2 genotype was indirectly associated, via its effect on attention disengagement, with temperamental emotion regulation (soothability). CONCLUSIONS Together, these results implicate serotonin system genes in early cognitive development and suggest variations in the early-emerging cognitive capacities as a potential developmental precursor of individual differences in emotion regulation and vulnerability to affective disorders.
Genetic Predictors of Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Background: Experimental evidence has demonstrated an antineoplastic role for vitamin D in the colon, and higher circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are consistently associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Genome-wide association studies have identified loci associated with levels of circulating 25(OH)D. The identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from four gene regions collectively explain approximately 5% of the variance in circulating 25(OH)D. Methods: We investigated whether five polymorphisms in GC, CYP2R1, CYP24A1, and DHCR7/NADSYN1, genes previously shown to be associated with circulating 25(OH)D levels, were associated with colorectal cancer risk in 10,061 cases and 12,768 controls drawn from 13 studies included in the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO) and Colon Cancer Family Registry (CCFR). We conducted a meta-analysis of crude and multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios and associated confidence intervals for SNPs individually, SNPs simultaneously, and for a vitamin D additive genetic risk score (GRS). Results: We did not observe a statistically significant association between the 25(OH)D-associated SNPs and colorectal cancer marginally, conditionally, or as a GRS, or for colon or rectal cancer separately. Conclusions: Our findings do not support an association between SNPs associated with circulating 25(OH)D and risk of colorectal cancer. Additional work is warranted to investigate the complex relationship between 25(OH)D and colorectal cancer risk. Impact: There was no association observed between genetic markers of circulating 25(OH)D and colorectal cancer. These genetic markers account for a small proportion of the variance in 25(OH)D. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 22(11); 2037–46. ©2013 AACR.
Are barn owls a biological control for gophers? Evaluating effectiveness in vineyards and orchards

Author(s): Moore, Thomas; Van Vuren, Dirk; Ingels, Chuck | Abstract: Several rodent species cause damage in vineyards and orchards. Current efforts to reduce chemicals used to control rodents are encouraging development of alternative practices, such as biological control. For several years growers in California have been installing artificial owl nest boxes to attract barn owls with the hope of reducing rodents, especially gophers, through predation. Effectiveness of barn owls as biological control of gophers in vineyards and orchards is unknown. The purpose of the study was to use growers surveys and diet analysis to assess the effectiveness of installing barn owl nest boxes to control gophers. Surveys of growers that installed artificial nest boxes reported that 40% of boxes were occupied within six months of installation. Of those growers with occupied nest boxes, however, only 23% felt that barn owls were effective in controlling gophers on their lands. The diet results indicated that barn owls most frequently prey upon gophers and voles. Barn owls prey upon both adult and juvenile gophers, and juvenile gophers were especially vulnerable during spring and summer. The findings provide little evidence that barn owls are effective in controlling gophers. With further research the approach might prove useful, but only when used in concert with other control approaches such as trapping and rodenticides.
Analysing housing market affordability in Northern Ireland: towards a better understanding?

Purpose The purpose of this research is to examine the nature of housing market affordability. Although the problem of housing affordability has been widely discussed, the theoretical underpinnings of the concept have received less attention. It has become increasingly evident that more holistic insights and integrated approaches are needed to provide a platform to define affordability to influence research and policy discourse. Design/methodology/approach Given the increasing importance of affordability within housing policy reform, this paper seeks to “unearth” the most important prognosticators of affordability. The paper uses principal component analysis to determine how affordability, as a key policy tool, should be analysed. In addition, co integration techniques, Granger causality and impulse response analysis are applied to test the movement and shocks of the key affordability indicators and the two common affordability metrics. Findings The principal conclusions stemming from this paper demonstrate that affordability is a multifaceted policy concept influenced by financial access (purchase) costs and the repayment costs of housing services which are correlated and interchangeable but significantly were found not to be co integrated. Originality/value Understanding the nature of housing market affordability remains problem for policy-makers. This paper adds to the debate and empirical understanding of the cyclic nature of affordability and how it is defined. It shows that there are intricate causal short-term relationships between the key affordability indicators. This is problematic for contemporary housing policy and the key directions in which policy must turn.
A Study of the Application of Fitts' Law to Selected Cerebral Palsied Adults

Fitts' Law was applied to the evaluation of discrete aimed arm movements in one dimension performed by 6 adults with cerebral palsy and 6 adults with normal movement. Targets (1.27, 3.81, 6.35, 8.89 cm in width) placed at distances of 20.32, 30.48, 40.64, and 50.80 cm provided Indices of Difficulty of 2.19 to 6.32 bits. A video game was used for the signal to move. The t tests for corrected means showed that the cerebral palsied group had greater reaction and movement times than the normal group. Linear regression analyses for pooled data and for the individual cerebral palsied subjects showed (a) no relationship between reaction time and Index of Difficulty for either group and (b) a negative, linear relationship between reaction time and Index of Difficulty for 1 cerebral palsied subject. Movement time was linearly and positively related to the Index of Difficulty for the normal group but not for the cerebral palsied group. Two cerebral palsied subjects had movement times which conformed to Fitts' Law. While the exceptions to Fitts' Law may be due to the limited range of movement and spasticity caused by severe cerebral palsy, there are indications that two of the cerebral palsied subjects were performing ballistic rather than visually guided aimed movements. Fitts' Law may still apply when the distances and target positions are individualized to conform to subjects' specific limitations and when the signal to move is auditory rather than visual.
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia - trends over three decades.

OBJECTIVES To describe the characteristics of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and respiratory distress syndrome subjects, along with the trends in severity and mortality associated with BPD over the past three decades. METHODS Retrospective study of BPD and respiratory distress syndrome subjects born between 1980 and 2008, and admitted to Montreal Children's Hospital (Montreal, Quebec). Data were abstracted from hospital records. RESULTS Gestational age and birth weight were correlated with the occurrence of BPD with each additional week of gestation and 100 g in birth weight being associated with an OR of developing BPD of 0.77 and 0.89, respectively. BPD severity was associated with male sex, Apgar score and the occurrence of neonatal pneumonia. Significant trends were observed for lower mortality despite lower gestational age and birth weight, greater maternal age and multiple gestations. CONCLUSION Mortality from BPD has improved over the past three decades despite significant trends toward more pronounced prematurity and lower birth weights.
Female sexual dysfunction in patients treated with antidepressant-comparison between escitalopram and fluoxetine.

INTRODUCTION Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor is one of the most widely used antidepressant and commonly associated with female sexual dysfunction (FSD). AIMS This study compares the prevalence of FSD between patients on escitalopram and fluoxetine. The risk factors for FSD were also examined. METHODS A cross-sectional study involved 112 female depressed patients (56 each group) who were in remission (as defined in the fourth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-IV] during the past 2 months with no significant signs or symptoms of the disturbance and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale score of ≤10) from the psychiatric clinic in a university hospital. The rates of sexual dysfunction between the two groups were compared. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The subjects were interviewed by using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Sexual dysfunction was assessed with the Malay Version of the Female Sexual Function Index. RESULTS The prevalence of FSD was 44.6% for all patients, 55.4% for the fluoxetine group, and 33.9% for the escitalopram group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed no significant difference in the risk of FSD between the two groups. Moderate to high dosing was the only significant associated factor for FSD (odds ratio = 4.89, 95% confidence interval = 1.94-12.33). CONCLUSION There was no significant difference in the risk of having FSD between patients treated with fluoxetine or escitalopram. Patients on higher dosage of antidepressant have higher risk of having FSD.
HYPEROSMOTIC-HYPERONCOTIC VERSUS HYPEROSMOTIC-HYPERVISCOUS: SMALL VOLUME RESUSCITATION IN HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK

The aim of this study was to test the effects of using a high-viscosity fluid after small-volume hyperosmotic resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock and to compare this to hyperosmotic followed by hyperoncotic resuscitation. Studies were made in the awake hamster window chamber preparation with the animals subjected to hemorrhage of 50% of blood volume and resuscitated with a small volume of a 7.5% NaCl solution, which was followed within minutes by infusion of 25% of withdrawn volume of either 0.7% or 0.8% alginate solutions (A0.7%, 7.6 cp; and A0.8%, 10.2 cp) or 5% hydroxyethyl starch (HES 5%, 2.1 cp). All modalities of resuscitation returned blood pressure to near baseline values in 5 min, which remained elevated after 90 min with A0.7% and A0.8% but returned to near shock values in 15 min with HES 5%. Microvascular flow and functional capillary density (FCD) followed the same pattern, being significantly higher for the alginate solutions than HES 5% after 90 min. Plasma viscosity 90 min after resuscitation was 2.1 and 2.6 cp for A0.7% and A0.8%, respectively, and 1.1 cP for HES 5%. There was an apparent directly proportional relationship between the concentration of alginate and blood pressure recovery, with blood pressure near normal with A0.8%, and approximately 20 mmHg lower with A0.7%. The recovery of microvascular flow and FCD, although showing a trend toward being more effective with A0.8%, was not significantly different from A0.7% but statistically different and improved relative to HES 5%. The high-viscosity fluids provide a novel small-volume method of resuscitation that maximizes microvascular perfusion for extended periods until surgical control of bleeding is possible. Results show that high-plasma-viscosity resuscitation provides a more consistent and prolonged resuscitation than hyperoncotic treatment. The increase in viscosity presents a gradual recovery in blood pressure and may be used as an alternative for small-volume hypotensive resuscitation, increasing tissue perfusion while potentially limiting hemorrhage in vascular injuries of the major blood vessels.
Alveolar bone height and postcranial bone mineral density: negative effects of cigarette smoking and parity.

BACKGROUND Our objective was to test the association between cemento-enamel junction, alveolar-crest distance (CEJ-AC, as measured on digitized vertical bite-wing radiographs) and postcranial bone mineral density (BMD) relative to clinical, dietary, and demographic variables. METHODS Data were collected in a cross-sectional study of 134 postmenopausal women. CEJ-AC distances were determined from digitized vertical bite-wing radiographs. Lumbar spine and proximal femur BMDs were determined from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometric scans. Correlation analysis and Student t tests were used to identify those variables most associated with CEJ-AC distance. The selected variables were modeled with a backward stepwise regression analysis, with CEJ-AC distance as the dependent variable. RESULTS Parity (number of pregnancies to term), cigarette smoking, and the interaction of lateral spine BMD with cigarette smoking were independent predictors of CEJ-AC distance (P < or =0.05). Statistical models containing these variables accounted for 19% of the variation in CEJ-AC distances. CONCLUSIONS CEJ-AC distance in postmenopausal women is the result of a complicated interaction of many effects, including but not limited to, parity, cigarette smoking, and skeletal BMD.
Associations between TNFAIP3 gene polymorphisms and systemic lupus erythematosus: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine whether the tumor necrosis factor-alpha-inducible protein 3 (TNFAIP3) polymorphisms confer susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in ethnically different populations. METHODS The authors conducted meta-analyses on associations between the TNFAIP3 polymorphisms and SLE susceptibility, using fixed and random effects models. RESULTS A total of eight comparative studies were included in this meta-analysis, which included four Asian, three European, and one African American population. Meta-analysis revealed that an association was found between the minor allele of rs2230926 and SLE in all subjects (odds ratio [OR] 1.848, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.547-2.208, p<1.0×10(-9)). After stratification by ethnicity, the minor allele of rs2230926 was found to be significantly associated with SLE in Asians and Europeans (OR 1.821, 95% CI 1.495-2.219, p<1.0×10(-9); OR 2.251, 95% CI 1.830-2.768, p<1.0×10(-9)). In addition, a significant association was found between the minor allele of the rs5029939 polymorphism and the risk of developing SLE in all study subjects and Europeans (OR 1.804, 95% CI 1.255-2.592, p=0.001; OR 2.145, 95% CI 1.731-2.658, p<1.0×10(-9)). Furthermore, an association was found between the minor allele of rs3757173 and SLE in all study subjects (OR 1.540, 95% CI 1.017-2.331, p=0.041). However, no association was found between SLE susceptibility and rs6922466 (OR 0.953, 95% CI 0.812-1.120, p=0.561). CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis confirms that the TNFAIP3 polymorphisms are associated with SLE susceptibility in different ethnic groups, namely in Asians and Europeans.
Credit Exposure in the Presence of Initial Margin

We leverage the new framework for collateralized exposure modelling in Andersen, Pykhtin, and Sokol (2016) to analyze credit risk on positions collateralized with both variation and initial margin. Special attention is paid to the dynamic BCBS-IOSCO uncleared margin requirements soon to be mandated for bilateral inter-dealer trading in OTC derivatives markets. While these requirements aim to eliminate portfolio close-out risk at the 99th 2-week percentile level, we demonstrate that trade flow effects can result in exposures being reduced significantly less than expected. For example, for a standard fixed-floating interest rate swap, we show in a numerical example that adding initial margin to zero-threshold variation margin may reduce CVA only by a factor of around 4-6. In contrast, theoretical results that exclude trade flow effects will, as we show, predict idealized reductions of approximately x120 for a broad class of risk factor diffusion processes. As proper identification of exposure in the presence of initial margin can be computationally demanding, we supplement our analysis with several practical schemes for speeding up Monte Carlo simulation, estimating IM on a simulation path, and calculating stable and accurate expected exposure numbers. We also briefly discuss potential ways to adjust the margin framework to better deal with exposures arising from trade flow events.
Olfactory modulation of nausea during early pregnancy?

Objectives To investigate whether nausea and vomiting and olfactory sensitivity are correlated, we determined whether subjects with little or no nausea and vomiting are less sensitive to odours than subjects who indicate a high degree of nausea and vomiting, and whether subjects with relatively low olfactory sensitivity are less prone to nausea and vomiting than subjects with relatively higher olfactory sensitivity.
Two-Stage Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction: A Comparison Between Prepectoral and Partial Subpectoral Techniques

Background: Prosthetic breast reconstruction with prepectoral placement may confer clinical advantages compared with subpectoral placement. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare clinical outcomes following 2-stage reconstruction following prepectoral and partial subpectoral placement of tissue expanders and implants. Methods: A retrospective review of 39 (prepectoral) and 50 (partial subpectoral) patients was completed. Acellular dermal matrix was used in all patients. Mean age was 50.4 and 49.2 years, respectively. Body mass index (BMI) > 30 was noted in 15.4% of prepectoral and 18% of partial subpectoral patients. Radiation therapy was delivered to 38.5% of prepectoral patients and to 22% of partial subpectoral patients. Mean follow-up was 8.7 and 13 months for the prepectoral cohort and partial subpectoral cohorts. Results: The percentage of patients having at least 1 adverse event was 20.5% in the prepectoral and 22% in the partial subpectoral cohorts. The incidence of surgical-site infection and seroma was 8.1% and 4.8%, respectively, for the prepectoral cohort and 4.8% and 2.4%, respectively, for the partial subpectoral cohorts. Device explantation was 6.5% for the prepectoral and 7.2% for the partial subpectoral patients. Explantation did not occur in patients who had radiation or who had a BMI > 30. Four patients (6 breasts—7.2%) required conversion from partial subpectoral to prepectoral because of animation deformity. Conclusions: Prepectoral reconstruction is a viable alternative to partial subpectoral reconstruction. Proper patient selection is an important variable. Prepectoral reconstruction can be safely performed in patients with a BMI < 40 and in patients having postmastectomy radiation therapy.
Evidence of association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene and bipolar disorder

Objective Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in the survival, differentiation, and outgrowth of select peripheral and central neurons throughout adulthood. Growing evidence suggests that BDNF is involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Methods Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the BDNF gene were genotyped in a sample of 1749 Caucasian Americans from 250 multiplex bipolar families. Family-based association analysis was used with three hierarchical bipolar disorder models to test for an association between SNPs in BDNF and the risk of bipolar disorder. In addition, an exploratory analysis was performed to test for an association of the SNPs in BDNF and the phenotypes of rapid cycling and episode frequency. Results Evidence of association (P<0.05) was found with several of the SNPs using multiple models of bipolar disorder; one of these SNPs also showed evidence of association (P<0.05) with rapid cycling. Conclusion These results provide further evidence that variation in BDNF affects the risk for bipolar disorder.
Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects of Ixora coccinea

Abstract Background: The present study was carried out to explore the potential of the ethanol extract of Ixora coccinea L. (IC) leaves as analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic agents using the hot-plate, acetic acid-induced writhing, carrageenan-induced paw edema and brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia tests in rodents. Methods: The extract was prepared by soaking the dried powdered leaves of IC in ethanol for 2 days. The filtrate thus obtained by filtration and evaporation was considered as a stock solution and was used in all experimental models. Results: Oral administration of IC (250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly (p<0.05) increased the reaction time in the hot-plate test. Ixora coccinea (250 and 500 mg/kg) produced 56.14% and 63.16% inhibition (p<0.05) in acetic acid-induced writhing. It also (250 and 500 mg/kg) produced significant (p<0.05) inhibition of paw edema pronounced at 6 h after carrageenan injection. Intraperitoneal administration of IC (250 and 500 mg/kg) lowered the body temperature in brewer’s yeast-induced hyperthermia. Conclusions: Based on the findings, it may be concluded that the IC leaves possessed analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activities. Phytochemical constituents of IC leaves such as flavonoids, tannins, and triterpenes in ethanol extract could be correlated with its observed biological activities.