Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Structured Skill and Unstructured Practice During Intensive Bimanual Training in Children With Unilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Background. High-intensity training aims to improve hand function in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP). However, the extent to which skill training is required is not known. Objectives. To compare the effects of intensive bimanual training with and without structured progression of skill difficulty, on manual dexterity, bimanual hand use, daily functioning, and functional goals in children with USCP. Method. Twenty-two children were randomized to structured practice group (SPG) or unstructured practice group (UPG), and received 6 h/d training during 15 days. Children from the SPG were engaged in fine and gross motor bimanual activities, with skill progression and goal training. Children from UPG performed the same activities without skill progression or goal training. Participants were evaluated before, immediately and 6 months after training by a physical therapist blinded to group allocation. The primary outcomes were the Jebsen-Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) and Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA). Secondary outcomes included the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), and ABILHAND-Kids. Results. Both groups showed similar improvements in the JTTHF, AHA, ABILHAND-Kids, COPM-satisfaction, and PEDI (P < .05). A significant interaction in the COPM-performance scale (P = .03) showed superior improvements of the SPG immediately, but not 6 months, after the intervention. Conclusions: Children from both groups demonstrated improvements in dexterity and functional hand use. This suggests that for intensive bimanual approaches, intensive training at such high doses may not require structured practice to elicit improvements. However, there may be immediate added benefit of including goal training.
High Temperature Induced Anthocyanin Inhibition and Active Degradation in Malus profusion

The red fleshed fruits of Malus profusion represent gradual color loss during high temperature in summer, potentially due to active degradation of anthocyanin. The objective of this study was to examine both physiological and molecular evidence of anthocyanin degradation. Malus crabapple fruits were exposed to either room temperature (RT = 18 ± 2°C: 25 ± 2°C) or high temperature (HT = 33 ± 2°C: 25 ± 2°C) regimens (12 h: 12 h) under hypoxic (2%) or normoxic (21%) oxygen levels. The results showed that the concentration of cyanidin 3-galactoside (cy-3-gal) was dramatically reduced following HT treatments due to a significant down-regulation of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes (MpCHS, MpDFR, MpLDOX, MpUFGT, and MpMYB10). Among other repressor MYBs, MpMYB15 expression was high following HT treatment of the fruit. HT led to the generation of a substantial concentration of H2O2 due to enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) content and cell sap pH value. Similarly, transcript levels of MpVHA-B1 and MpVHA-B2 were reduced which are involved in the vacuolar transportation of anthocyanin. The enzymatic degradation of anthocyanin was eventually enhanced coupled with the oxidative activities of peroxidase (POD) and H2O2. Conversely, the RT treatments potentially enhanced anthocyanin content by stabilizing physiological attributes (such as MDA, H2O2, and pH, among others) and sustaining sufficient biosynthetic gene expression levels. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that the transcription of MpPOD1, MpPOD8 and MpPOD9 genes in fruit tissues was up-regulated due to HT treatment and that hypoxic conditions seems more compatible with the responsible POD isoenzymes involved in active anthocyanin degradation. The results of the current study could be useful for understanding as well as elucidating the physiological phenomenon and molecular signaling cascade underlying active anthocyanin degradation in Malus crops.
Update on the current status of cytomegalovirus vaccines

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is ubiquitous in all populations, and is the most commonly recognized cause of congenital viral infection in developed countries. On the basis of the economic costs saved and the improvement in quality of life that could potentially be conferred by a successful vaccine for prevention of congenital HCMV infection, the Institute of Medicine has identified HCMV vaccine development as a major public health priority. An effective vaccine could potentially also be beneficial in preventing or ameliorating HCMV disease in immunocompromised individuals. Although there are no licensed HCMV vaccines currently available, enormous progress has been made in the last decade, as evidenced by the recently reported results of a Phase II trial of a glycoprotein B vaccine for the prevention of HCMV infection in seronegative women of childbearing age. HCMV vaccines currently in clinical trials include: glycoprotein B subunit vaccines; alphavirus replicon particle vaccines; DNA vaccines; and live-attenuated vaccines. A variety of vaccine strategies are also being examined in preclinical systems and animal models of infection. These include: recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus vaccines; recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara; replication-deficient adenovirus-vectored vaccines; and recombinant live-attenuated virus vaccines generated by mutagenesis of cloned rodent CMV genomes maintained as bacterial artificial chromosomes in Escherichia coli. In this article, we provide an overview of the current state of clinical trials and preclinical development of vaccines against HCMV, with an emphasis on studies that have been conducted in the past 5 years. We also summarize a number of recent advances in the study of the biology of HCMV, particularly with respect to epithelial and endothelial cell entry of the virus, which have implications for future vaccine design.
The enteric nervous system is not essential for the propulsion of gut contents in fetal mice.

Hirschsprung’s disease is a congenital disorder in which enteric neurones are absent from variable lengths of the terminal region of the bowel. The condition presents as failure to pass meconium, severe constipation, colonic distension, and sometimes enterocolitis. Treatment for Hirschsprung’s disease requires the surgical removal of the aganglionic segment. Mutant mice lacking enteric neurones in all or a major part of the gastrointestinal tract die soon after birth.1 Thus, after birth, the enteric nervous system is crucial for normal intestinal motility in both mice and humans. During fetal development, amniotic fluid is swallowed, while epithelial cells, mucous, and bile are discharged into the intestine, and progress in an anal direction.2 Little is known about the mechanisms controlling gastrointestinal motility in fetal life. Some infants with aganglionosis extending into the ileum present with features of meconium ileus, …
Complement Activated C4d Immunoreactive Oligodendrocytes Delineate Small Cortical Plaques in Multiple Sclerosis

C4d-immunoreactive complement-activated oligodendrocytes (C4d-CAOs) have been described in several neurodegenerative diseases but have not been studied in multiple sclerosis (MS). Here we report that such CAOs delineate miniature MS plaques of 300-500 mum diameter. They are devoid of myelin and are surrounded by a rim of activated microglia intermingled with the C4d-CAOs. Although C4d-immunostained periaxonal oligodendroglial processes are often swollen, the axons of passage appear undamaged and extend through the demyelinated plaque area. No immunostaining with other components of the complement cascade (C1q-C9) was observed in association with these miniature plaques. However, in large MS lesions, C1q-C9 immunoreactive fibers were present, indicating complete activation of the complement cascade in these more developed lesions. It is possible that the miniature plaques, bordered by C4d-CAOs, represent the earliest stage of plaque development, preceding even the larger, transient plaques frequently observed in serial MRI studies. The association of CAOs with miniature areas of demyelination suggests a direct attack on oligodendroglial cells by the early complement components as an initiating event in MS. Incomplete complement activation indicates that this step may be reversible, whereas full and persistent activation as observed in large MS lesions may lead to death of oligodendroglia with permanent axonal damage.
Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in neonatal diabetes mellitus

Abstract: A 1.2‐kg premature baby boy with severe intrauterine growth retardation developed diabetes on d 2 of life. The computed tomography scan of the pancreas failed to show the tail, indicating agenesis of the dorsal anlage. Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) had been used for the subsequent 26 months. Complications, such as hypoglycemia, were minimal.
Bile duct injuries following laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Introduction: Bile duct injuries occur rarely but are among the most dreadful complications following cholecystectomies. Methods: Prospective registration of bile duct injuries occurring in the period 1992–2013 at a tertiary referral hospital. Results: In total, 67 patients (47 women and 20 men) with a median age of 55 (range 14–86) years had a leak or a lesion of the bile ducts during the study period. Total incidence of postoperative bile leaks or bile duct injuries was 0.9% and for bile duct injuries separately, 0.4%. Median delay from injury to repair was 5 days (range 0–68 days). In 12 patients (18%), the injury was discovered intraoperatively. Bile leak was the major symptom in 59%, and 52% had a leak from the cystic duct or from assumed aberrant ducts in the liver bed of the gall bladder. Following the Clavien–Dindo classification, 39% and 45% were classified as IIIa and IIIb, respectively, 10% as IV, and 6% as V. In all, 31 patients had injuries to the common bile duct or hepatic ducts, and in these patients, 71% were treated with a hepaticojejunostomy. Of patients treated with a hepaticojejunostomy, 56% had an uncomplicated event, whereas 14% later on developed a stricture. Out of 36 patients with injuries to the cystic duct/aberrant ducts, 30 could be treated with stents or sphincterotomies and percutaneous drainage. Conclusion: Half of injuries following cholecystectomies are related to the cystic duct, and most of these can be treated with endoscopic or percutaneous procedures. A considerable number of patients following hepaticojejunostomy will later on develop a stricture.
Identification of the hepatitis B virus factor that inhibits expression of the beta interferon gene

The identity of the trans-acting factor encoded by the 1,828-bp BamHI DNA fragment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) that suppresses the transcription of the human beta interferon gene was investigated. Each complete and partial open reading frame (ORF) present within the 1,828-bp BamHI HBV DNA fragment was cloned into a simian virus 40 expression vector, and the resulting gene products were assayed for their ability to inhibit the activity of the regulatory DNA region that governs the expression of the beta interferon gene. Only the proteins encoded by the C ORF inhibited the activity of the beta interferon regulatory DNA region; putative proteins encoded by the partial X, P, and S ORFs present in the 1,828-bp BamHI HBV DNA fragment had no effect. A plasmid encoding only the native HBV core antigen, but not one coding for a truncated core antigen, possessed this inhibitory activity. The inhibition by the core antigen was specific for the regulatory elements of the beta interferon gene; none of a variety of viral transcriptional elements was inhibited.
Further studies of the Xavante Indians. 8. Some observations on blood, urine, and stool specimens.

Summary Varying numbers of Xavante Indians from two villages in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil were tested for immunologic status with respect to various diseases and organisms. Among the findings of note were: 1. Positive skin tests to the histoplasmin antigen were encountered in 42.7% of those tested, but there were no certain positives for tuberculin or coccidioimycin. 2. All persons investigated gave positive tests for antibodies to Toxoplasma, usually in high titer. 3. Of those tested, 62% had antibodies to malaria antigens, usually in intermediate titers. 4. There was no serologic evidence (in a small series) for treponemal infections. 5. Between 30 and 80% of those tested, depending on the Salmonella subtype, had antibodies to Salmonella representative of groups A, B, C, and D. 6. Of those tested, 58% were found to have antibodies to Bordetella pertussis. 7. The distribution of titers to three streptococcal antigens suggests moderate contact with this pathogen. 8. Between 71 and 95% of subjects, depending on the specific type, had antibodies to poliomyelitis types I, II, and III. 9. Antibodies to measles were found in 89% of a small series. 10. The results of tests for antibodies against 23 arboviruses isolated in Brazil suggest extensive exposure to the Mayaro and Ilheus viruses, and lesser exposure to a number of others, including yellow fever. Although these findings constitute only a beginning in defining the antibody profile among the Xavante, it is clear that this apparently healthy population has been exposed to a wide variety of what would ordinarily be termed pathogens.
Critical balance in magnetohydrodynamic, rotating and stratified turbulence: towards a universal scaling conjecture

It is proposed that critical balance – a scale-by-scale balance between the linear propagation and nonlinear interaction time scales – can be used as a universal scaling conjecture for determining the spectra of strong turbulence in anisotropic wave systems. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD), rotating and stratified turbulence are considered under this assumption and, in particular, a novel and experimentally testable energy cascade scenario and a set of scalings of the spectra are proposed for low-Rossby-number rotating turbulence. It is argued that in neutral fluids the critically balanced anisotropic cascade provides a natural path from strong anisotropy at large scales to isotropic Kolmogorov turbulence at very small scales. It is also argued that the k−2⊥ spectra seen in recent numerical simulations of low-Rossby-number rotating turbulence may be analogous to the k−3/2⊥ spectra of the numerical MHD turbulence in the sense that they could be explained by assuming that fluctuations are polarised (aligned) approximately as inertial waves (Alfvén waves for MHD).
Pharmacological examination of receptors mediating contractile responses to tachykinins in airways isolated from human, guinea pig and hamster.

The abilities of agonists selective for neurokinin (NK)-1 (Ac-[Arg6,Sar9,Met(O2)11]-SP6-11, ASMSP), NK-2 ([beta-Ala8]-NKA4-10) and NK-3 ([Asp5,6,MePhe8]-SP5-11, senktide analog) receptors to contract human bronchus and guinea pig and hamster trachea were studied. The antagonism of these responses by selective antagonists was also examined. In the human bronchus and hamster trachea, [beta-Ala8]-NKA4-10 was the most potent agonist, whereas ASMSP and senktide analog failed to elicit contractions greater than 50% of the maximum response even at concentrations reaching 1 to 3 x 10(-4) M. By contrast, both ASMSP and [beta-Ala8]-NKA4-10 were potent contractile agonists in guinea pig trachea. In all tissues, the selective NK-1 receptor antagonist (2S,3S)-cis-2-(diphenylmethyl)-N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)-methyl]-1-a zab icyclo- [2.2. 2]octan-3-amine (CP 96,345) was without effect on contractile responses to [beta-Ala8]-NKA4-10. Blockade by CP 96,345 of responses to ASMSP was, however, observed in the guinea pig trachea, but not in human bronchus or hamster trachea. Responses to ASMSP in human bronchus and hamster trachea were inhibited by NK-2 antagonists, whereas these compounds had little effect on responses to ASMSP in guinea pig trachea. In all tissue types, responses to senktide analog were inhibited by NK-2 antagonists. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Re: Right hepatic trisectionectomy for hepatobiliary disease: results and an appraisal of its current role.

To the Editor: For evaluation of the “Long-Term Clinical and Biochemical FollowUp in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma,” Cupisti et al collapsed 127 patients with initial neck surgery (including 12 patients with C-cell hyperplasia but no cancer) and 162 patients with various reoperations into a study population of 289 patients. Because of the fundamental differences between the groups, the authors’ approach of pooling all their patients for analysis of survival may not be valid. As a consequence of selection, patients referred for reoperation of medullary thyroid cancer have grown primary thyroid tumors twice as large (median diameters of 20 mm vs. 10 mm; P 0.008) and lymph node metastasis twice as often (83% versus 41%, P 0.001) than medullary thyroid cancer patients undergoing initial neck surgery, yielding lower overall rates of “biochemical cure. ” Even in the face of extensive initial neck dissection, lymph node metastasis in excess of 10 positive lymph nodes and distant metastasis remain recognized determinants of recurrence and cancer-specific morbidity. Patients undergoing reoperations also tend to have a better prognosis. By implication, these patients form a selfselected cohort that cannot die before reoperation, rendering the often protracted time interval between initial neck surgery and reoperation “immortal” for them. In stark contrast, no such immortality guarantee exists for patients undergoing initial surgery. This “immortal time bias” does not allow one to combine patients undergoing initial surgery and reoperations in analysis of survival. Due to the number of patients in either category and the long follow-up of 20 years and more, the authors’ series should lend itself to quantify the magnitude of this special form of selection bias. We wonder whether the authors would be prepared to perform a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis comparing head-to-head their patients with initial neck surgery (excluding the 12 patients with C-cell hyperplasia only) with those who underwent reoperations at the authors’ institution? These data are essential to verify the validity of the authors’ approach of merging patients with disparate baseline characteristics.
Animal Cytogenetics and Comparative Mapping

ABC Fax + 41 61 306 12 34 E-mail karger@karger.ch www.karger. com © 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel 0301–0171/01/0952–0097$17.50/0 Accessible online at: www.karger. com/journals/ccg Abstract. By fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we constructed a chromosome map of 324 site-specific clones and 119 painting clones, which were isolated from a cosmid library of Chinese hamster genomic DNA. The site-specific clones were distributed among all chromosomes except chromosome 10 and the Y chromosome. On the other hand, FISH signals of painting clones were mainly found in heterochromatic regions. First, the various combinations of clones painting centromeric regions suggest that the centromeric heterochromatin of Chinese hamster chromosomes is extremely diverse in its repetitive sequence composition. Second, the long arm of the X chromosome and the whole Y chromosome, both heterochromatic regions, were simultaneously painted by many clones. The pattern of co-localization indicated that a proximal segment of the long arm of the X chromosome matches the complete long arm of the Y chromosome, whereas a distal segment of the long arm of the X chromosome is comparable to the whole short arm of the Y chromosome. Thus, these findings suggest that the corresponding segments of the X and Y-chromosomes have common repeated DNA elements.
Andragogy’s Detectives: A Critique of the Present and a Proposal for the Future

The empirical literature examining the efficacy of andragogy remains, after over three decades, both inconclusive and beset by considerable variability in definition, resulting in differing approaches to andragogy’s implementation. This empirical record, residing largely in unread dissertations, is critiqued with a view toward establishing criteria for an operational, researchable, consensus-based definition of Knowles’ famous formulation. Seven such criteria are offered. Whether these—or other—criteria reach a kind of critical mass of agreement for future investigators is open for further discussion. But the current muddle of definitions and implementations has effectually stalled research. Unless that discussion reaches some approximate consensus, adult education’s most familiar and most debated theory will remain a fragmented article of faith at best, a fond illusion at worst.
Approximate nearest neighbor search for ℓp-spaces (2 < p < ∞) via embeddings

While the problem of approximate nearest neighbor search has been well-studied for Euclidean space and $\ell_1$, few non-trivial algorithms are known for $\ell_p$ when ($2 < p < \infty$). In this paper, we revisit this fundamental problem and present approximate nearest-neighbor search algorithms which give the first non-trivial approximation factor guarantees in this setting.
The decrease in population bone lead levels in Canada between 1993 and 2010 as assessed by in vivo XRF

Objective and Approach: A study, conducted in Toronto, Canada, between 2009 and 2011, measured the bone lead concentrations of volunteers aged 1–82 years using in vivo x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology. Main results: Bone lead levels were lower compared to Ontario in vivo XRF studies from the early 1990s. In adults, the slope of tibia lead content versus age was reduced by 36–56%, i.e. bone lead levels for a given age group were approximately half compared to the same age group 17 years prior. Further, bone lead levels of individuals fell over that time period. In 2010, an average person aged 57 years had a bone lead level approximately 1/3 less than their bone lead level age 40 years in 1993. Using this data, the half-lives of lead in the tibia were estimated as 7–26 years. Tibia lead levels were found to be low in children. The reduction in bone tibia content in children was not significant (p = 0.07), but using data from additional north eastern US studies, there is evidence that childhood tibia stores are lower than in the 1990s. Significance: In vivo XRF analysis shows that there has been a reduction in the level of lead in bone in Canada over the last two decades. Public health measures have been very successful in reducing ongoing exposure to lead and in reducing bone lead stores.
Inflammation‐Induced Downregulation of Butyrate Uptake and Oxidation Is Not Caused by a Reduced Gene Expression

In ulcerative colitis (UC) the butyrate metabolism is impaired, leading to energy‐deficiency in the colonic cells. The effect of inflammation on the butyrate metabolism was investigated. HT‐29 cells were incubated with pro‐inflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α and/or IFN‐γ) for 1 and 24 h. Cells were additionally stimulated with butyrate to investigate its anti‐inflammatory potential. Butyrate uptake and oxidation were measured using 14C‐labeled butyrate. Gene expression of the butyrate metabolism enzymes, interleukin 8 (IL‐8; inflammatory marker) and villin‐1 (VIL‐1; epithelial cell damage marker) was measured via quantitative RT‐PCR. Significantly increased IL‐8 expression and decreased VIL‐1 expression after 24 h incubation with TNF‐α and/or IFN‐γ confirmed the presence of inflammation. These conditions induced a decrease of both butyrate uptake and oxidation, whereas the gene expression was not reduced. Simultaneous incubation with butyrate counteracted the reduced butyrate oxidation. In contrast, 1 h incubation with TNF‐α induced a significant increased IL‐8 expression and decreased butyrate uptake. Incubation with TNF‐α and/or IFN‐γ for 1 h did not induce cell damage nor influence butyrate oxidation. The inflammation‐induced downregulation of the butyrate metabolism was not caused by a reduced gene expression, but appeared consequential to a decreased butyrate uptake. Increasing the luminal butyrate levels might have therapeutic potential in UC. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 418–426, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.