Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nocturnal Integrated Gonadotropin Concentrations in Evaluating Pubertal Transition in Girls

We assessed the utility of measuring the physiological levels of gonadotropins as a diagnostic tool for pubertal onset in girls. Two methods of gonadotropin measurements were compared: the standard frequent sampling method, in which blood samples were drawn every 20 min, and the multiple integrated sampling method, in which samples were obtained continuously at 30 min intervals by a withdrawal pump. The two methods were examined simultaneously overnight in a group of eight girls at different stages of puberty. The following parameters of both LH and FSH secretion, calculated by PULSAR program, were highly correlated between these methods: area under the curve (AUC), mean levels, mean from smoothed baseline and mean peak height. The diagnostic value of multiple integrated sampling of gonadotropins (performed over 6 h) was then assessed in five prepubertal girls and six girls at early puberty (Tanner stages 2 and 3), in whom peak gonadotropins levels in response to GnRH stimulation test were in the prepubertal range. Several parameters of LH (but none of FSH) were significantly higher (p<0.05) in early pubertal compared to prepubertal girls: AUC (5.61 +/- 2.40 vs 2.39 +/- 1.41), mean levels (0.52 +/- 0.21 vs 0.23 +/- 0.14), smoothed mean level (0.43 +/- 0.18 vs 0.18 +/- 0.11) and peak area (0.27 +/- 0.08 vs 0.11 +/- 0.06). We conclude that the technically simple method of multiple integrated sampling is useful in detecting pubertal transition and is superior to the GnRH-stimulation test. This method can be used in selective cases when the stimulation test yields equivocal results.
A previously undiagnosed case of Gerstmann‐Sträussler‐Scheinker disease revealed by PRNP gene analysis in patients with adult‐onset ataxia

Ataxia is a frequently reported symptom in prion diseases (PD) and it is characteristic of Gerstmann‐Sträussler‐Scheinker syndrome (GSS), a genetic PD mainly related to the P102L mutation in the PRNP gene. Our aim was to screen for the P102L and other six known PRNP gene mutations (P105L, A117V, Y145X, E200K, D202N, and V210I) a group of 206 consecutive patients diagnosed with adult‐onset cerebellar ataxia of unknown origin. The patients, negative for the most common acquired and genetic forms, were analyzed using a combination of restriction endonuclease digestion and pyrosequencing; eight, affected by ataxia and cognitive dysfunction, were also sequenced for the PRNP gene. One patient resulted to be heterozygous for the P102L mutation. Retrospectively, the clinical picture was consistent with a “classical” GSS phenotype. In conclusion, the screening for the P102L mutation, or even the sequencing of the PRNP gene should be taken in consideration in patients with late‐onset ataxia (>50 years). © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
Behavioral lifestyle and mental health status of Japanese factory workers.

BACKGROUND Lifestyle factors, sometimes associated with physical health and mortality, have also been known to be associated with mental health status. This study seeks to correlate behavioral lifestyles with major components of mental health among Japanese factory workers. METHOD We administered the 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and a questionnaire concerning eight personal health practices to 2,132 male and 668 female factory workers at a camera-manufacturing company in Japan. RESULTS There were strong negative relationships of a higher total number of favorable lifestyles as indicated by the Health Practice Index (HPI) to psychological distress and its components: somatic symptoms, anxiety-insomnia, and social dysfunction. After controlling for the effects of confounding factors that included age, marital status, and somatic condition, multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that five of the eight health factors among male workers--mental stress, nutritional balance, eating breakfast regularly, physical exercise, and working hours--were significantly related to the grade of psychological distress or its three components. Among female workers, five health practices, i.e., mental stress, physical exercise, sleeping hours, working hours, and cigarette smoking, were significantly associated with the grade of psychological distress or its three components. CONCLUSION Good health practices might be individually and as a whole associated with better mental health status in factory workers.
Activation of the Mouse Histone Deacetylase 1 Gene by Cooperative Histone Phosphorylation and Acetylation

ABSTRACT Histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) is a major regulator of chromatin structure and gene expression. Tight control of HDAC1 expression is essential for normal cell cycle progression of mammalian cells. HDAC1 mRNA levels are regulated by growth factors and by changes in intracellular deacetylase activity levels. Stimulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade by anisomycin or growth factors, together with inhibition of deacetylases by trichostatin A (TSA), leads to stable histone H3 phosphoacetylation and strongly induced HDAC1 expression. In contrast, activation of the nucleosomal response by anisomycin alone results only in transient phosphoacetylation of histone H3 without affecting HDAC1 mRNA levels. The transcriptional induction of the HDAC1 gene by anisomycin and TSA is efficiently blocked by H89, an inhibitor of the nucleosomal response. Detailed studies of the kinetics of histone acetylation and phosphorylation show that the two modifications are synergistic and essential for induced HDAC1 transcription. Activation of the HDAC1 gene by anisomycin together with TSA or by growth factors is accompanied by phosphoacetylation of HDAC1 promoter-associated histone H3. Our results present evidence for a precise regulatory mechanism which allows induction of the HDAC1 gene in response to proliferation signals and modulation of HDAC1 expression dependent on intracellular deacetylase levels.
Two-level total disc replacement vs. fusion: any difference in reoperation rate?

In this issue of the Clinical Spine Surgery , Radcliff et al. report on the results of five-year follow-up of reoperation rates in a prospective and randomized trial comparing 2-level lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) vs. fusion. 2-level lumbar TDR is a relatively novel procedure and its role in the surgical treatment of degenerative disc disease (DDD) should be fully scrutinized in comparison to 2-level fusion. However, it should be uncommon for an investigator to hold a well-controlled prospective randomized study with appropriate number of patients in long-term follow-up. Au fond there are few high-level studies reporting long-term reoperation rates in comparison between 2-level TDR and 2-level fusion. The current study comparing 2-level TDR and fusion in many patients is certainly a high-level and rare study despite its limitations, as this study includes well controlled, randomized, and longer-term follow-up research compared to the other relevant studies in the literature. As the authors indicated, this study was based on a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational device exemption comparing TDR to fusion for the treatment of symptomatic 2-level contiguous lumbar DDD.
Harmonic Optimization of Rationally Synchronized Oscillators

A new optimization technique is presented for the design of synchronized oscillators with a rational ratio between the input- and output-frequency. The synchronization bandwidth is increased through the generation of the optimum harmonic components of the oscillator- and the input-signal by means of a multi-harmonic load. The synchronization loci are calculated for different values of these harmonic components by means of the use of an auxiliary generator. A 5-3.75 GHz rationally synchronized oscillator has been designed and optimized to obtain a maximum synchronization bandwidth, obtaining a good agreement between the simulated and experimental results.
Performance analysis of deliberately clipped OFDM signals

We analyze the performance of the clipped orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system in terms of peak power reduction capability and degradation of channel capacity. The clipping is performed on the baseband OFDM signals with and without oversampling, followed by the ideal low-pass filter. First, the effect of the envelope clipping on the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) and the instantaneous power of the band-limited OFDM signal is studied. We then discuss the channel capacity of the oversampled and clipped OFDM signals over the additive white Gaussian noise and ideally interleaved Rayleigh fading channels. The capacity is calculated based on the assumption that the distortion terms caused by the clipping are Gaussian. It is shown that the SNR penalty due to the clipping can be considerably alleviated by using optimal coding and reducing the information data rate. The results are justified by the simulation results using near optimal turbo codes.
Attribute-based encryption with encryption and decryption outsourcing

In this paper we propose a new scheme for ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption that allows outsourcing of computationally expensive encryption and decryption steps. The scheme constitutes an important building block for mobile applications where both the host and users use mobile devices with limited computational power. In the proposed scheme, during encryption the host involves a semi-trusted proxy to encrypt a partially encrypted (by the host) message according to an access policy provided by the host. The proxy is unable to learn the message from this partially encrypted text. A user can only decrypt the stored ciphertext if he possesses secret keys associated with a set of attributes that satisfies the associated policy. To reduce computational load in the decryption step, the user, in his turn, involves a semi-trusted proxy (e.g. a cloud) by deploying the scheme of Green et al. (2011). The cloud is given a transformation key that facilitates construction of an El Gamal-ciphertext from the original ciphertext if the user's attributes satisfy the ciphertext. This El Gamal-ciphertext can be then efficiently decrypted on the user's resource-constrained device. The resulting ABE scheme with encryption and decryption outsourcing is proven to be secure in the generic group model
Traditional and geometric morphometrics detect morphological variation of lower pharyngeal jaw in Coris julis (Teleostei, Labridae)

Abstract In the present study, variation in the morphology of the lower pharyngeal element between two Sicilian populations of the rainbow wrasse Coris julis has been explored by the means of traditional morphometrics for size and geometric morphometrics for shape. Despite close geographical distance and probable high genetic flow between the populations, statistically significant differences have been found both for size and shape. In fact, one population shows a larger lower pharyngeal element that has a larger central tooth. Compared to the other population, this population also has medially enlarged lower pharyngeal jaws with a more pronounced convexity of the medial-posterior margin. The results are discussed in the light of a possible more pronounced durophagy of this population.
Decreased haloperidol‐induced potentiation of zif268 mRNA expression in the nucleus accumbens shell and the dorsal lateral striatum of rats lacking cholecystokinin‐A receptors

Evidence suggests that endogenous cholecystokinin (CCK), a neuropeptide that modulates brain dopamine function, may contribute to the therapeutic and motor effects of antipsychotic drugs via activation of CCK‐A receptors in the mesolimbic and nigrostriatal pathways, respectively. To determine if CCK modulates the effects of antipsychotic drugs through CCK‐A receptors, we measured the haloperidol‐induced zif268 mRNA response in the nucleus accumbens (NA) shell, NA core, and dorsal lateral striatum (DLS) in Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats that lack CCK‐A receptors due to a spontaneous mutation. OLETF rats and normal Long Evans rats were treated with subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of saline or haloperidol (2 mg/kg). In situ hybridization was performed and zif268 mRNA expression was quantified. The haloperidol‐induced expression of zif268 mRNA was significantly decreased in the DLS (P < 0.01) and the NA shell (P < 0.05), but not in the NA core, in OLETF rats compared to LETO rats. These data suggest that CCK‐A receptor mechanisms may contribute to the therapeutic and the extrapyramidal motor effects associated with antipsychotic drug treatment. Synapse 43:134–138, 2002. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Aryl Ketones from Acronychia pedunculata with Cyclooxygenase‐2 Inhibitory Effects

1‐[2,4‐Dihydroxy‐6‐methoxy‐3,5‐bis(3‐methylbut‐2‐en‐1‐yl)phenyl]ethanone (1), and a new aryl ketone, named acrovestenol (2), were isolated as cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) inhibitory principles from a CH2Cl2 extract of the bark of Acronychia pedunculata by a bioassay‐guided fractionation procedure. Compound 2 inhibited COX‐2 with an IC50 value of 142.0±2.15 μM, compared to the COX‐2 inhibitory reference compound NS‐398 with an IC50 value of 11.3±1.12 μM. Compound 1 inhibited COX‐2‐catalyzed PG biosynthesis with 68% at a concentration of 500 μM. The structures were determined by UV, IR, and 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR, including TOCSY, HSQC‐DEPT, and HMBC, and MS investigations.
Relationship between Gleason score and apparent diffusion coefficients of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in prostate cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION We assessed the correlation between the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and pathological Gleason score (GS) of prostate cancer patients. METHODS A total of 125 patients who underwent multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging before radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer were included in this study. ADC values were compared with different GS. We used receiver operating characteristic analysis and determined the ADC cutoff value to differentiate tumours with a GS of 6 from those with a GS ≥7. RESULTS We identified 34 patients (27.2%) with a GS of 6; 33 patients (26.4%) with a GS of 7; 22 patients (17.6%) with a GS of 8; and 36 patients (28.8%) with a GS of ≥9. The mean ADC value for disease with a GS of 6 was 0.914 ± 0.161 ×10-3 mm2/s; GS of 7: 0.741 ± 0.164 ×10-3 mm2/s; GS of 8: 0.679 ± 0.130 ×10-3 mm2/s; and GS of ≥9: 0.593 ± 0.089 ×10-3 mm2/s. An ADC value of 0.830 ×10-3mm2/s was the best cutoff value to identify prostate cancer with a GS of 6. CONCLUSIONS We observed an inverse relationship between GS and ADC value. Moreover, a cutoff ADC value may help differentiate disease with a GS of 6 from disease with a GS ≥7.
Rapsynoid/Partner of Inscuteable Controls Asymmetric Division of Larval Neuroblasts in Drosophila

Asymmetric cell division generates daughter cells with different developmental fates. In Drosophila neuroblasts, asymmetric divisions are characterized by (1) a difference in size between the two daughter cells and (2) an asymmetric distribution of cell fate determinants, including Prospero and Numb, between the two daughter cells. In embryonic neuroblasts, the asymmetric localization of cell fate determinants is under the control of the protein Inscuteable (Insc), which is itself localized asymmetrically as an apical crescent. Here, we describe a new Drosophila protein, Rapsynoid (Raps), which interacts in a two-hybrid assay with the signal transduction protein Galpha(i). We show that Raps is localized asymmetrically in dividing larval neuroblasts and colocalizes with Insc. Moreover, in raps mutants, the asymmetric divisions of neuroblasts are altered: (1) Insc is no longer asymmetrically localized in the dividing neuroblast; and (2) the neuroblast division produces two daughter cells of similar sizes. However, the morphologically symmetrical divisions of raps neuroblasts still lead to daughter cells with different fates, as shown by differences in gene expression. Our data show that Raps is a novel protein involved in the control of asymmetric divisions of neuroblasts.
Haplotype structure and population genetic inferences from nucleotide-sequence variation in human lipoprotein lipase.

Allelic variation in 9.7 kb of genomic DNA sequence from the human lipoprotein lipase gene (LPL) was scored in 71 healthy individuals (142 chromosomes) from three populations: African Americans (24) from Jackson, MS; Finns (24) from North Karelia, Finland; and non-Hispanic Whites (23) from Rochester, MN. The sequences had a total of 88 variable sites, with a nucleotide diversity (site-specific heterozygosity) of . 002+/-. 001 across this 9.7-kb region. The frequency spectrum of nucleotide variation exhibited a slight excess of heterozygosity, but, in general, the data fit expectations of the infinite-sites model of mutation and genetic drift. Allele-specific PCR helped resolve linkage phases, and a total of 88 distinct haplotypes were identified. For 1,410 (64%) of the 2,211 site pairs, all four possible gametes were present in these haplotypes, reflecting a rich history of past recombination. Despite the strong evidence for recombination, extensive linkage disequilibrium was observed. The number of haplotypes generally is much greater than the number expected under the infinite-sites model, but there was sufficient multisite linkage disequilibrium to reveal two major clades, which appear to be very old. Variation in this region of LPL may depart from the variation expected under a simple, neutral model, owing to complex historical patterns of population founding, drift, selection, and recombination. These data suggest that the design and interpretation of disease-association studies may not be as straightforward as often is assumed.
Triplet combination with irinotecan plus oxaliplatin plus continuous-infusion fluorouracil and leucovorin as first-line treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer: a multicenter phase II trial.

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of irinotecan (CPT-11) in combination with oxaliplatin (L-OHP) plus fluorouracil (5-FU)/leucovorin (LV) (de Gramont regimen) as first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (MCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-one patients with MCC who had not received prior therapy for metastatic disease were enrolled. Their median age was 60 years; performance status (World Health Organization) was 0 in 12, 1 in 14, and 2 in five patients; 19 patients (61%) had prior surgery, and 14 (45%) had adjuvant chemotherapy. CPT-11 was administered on day 1 at 150 mg/m(2) as a 90-minute intravenous (IV) infusion; L-OHP was administered on day 2 at 65 mg/m(2) as a 2-hour IV infusion; and on days 2 and 3, LV 200 mg/m(2) preceded 5-FU administration of 400 mg/m(2)/d initial IV bolus dose followed by 600 mg/m(2)/d 22-hour IV continuous infusion. The regimen was repeated every 2 weeks. RESULTS All patients were assessable for toxicity and 30 for response to treatment. Complete response was achieved in two patients (6.5%) and partial response in 16 (51.6%) (overall response rate, 58.1%; 95% confidence interval, 40.7% to 75.4%); eight patients (25.8%) had stable disease, and five (16.1%) had disease progression. The median duration of response was 9 months, and the median time to disease progression was 13 months. Neutropenia grade 3 to 4 occurred in 14 patients (45%) and febrile neutropenia in two (6%). Diarrhea grade 3 to 4 was observed in 10 patients (32%), neurotoxicity grade 3 to 4 in three (9%), and asthenia grade 3 in two (10%). No treatment-related death has occurred. CONCLUSION The triplet combination of 5-FU/LV + CPT-11 + L-OHP is a highly active regimen with manageable toxicity as front-line treatment in MCC.
Validation of the Omron HEM-9210T by the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2: 2013 with two novel cuffs wide-range and extra-large

Objective The aims of this ANSI/AAMI/ISO validation study were to assess the accuracy of the Omron HEM-9210T, developed to utilize a small cuff, a wide-range cuff, and an extra-large cuff in the adult population. If accurate, the wide-range and extra-large cuffs will be of clinical significance in both medical and self-measurement environments. Methods Individuals were recruited at an independent clinical research center. Eighty-five patients comprised the final analyses. Results The mean±SD of the systolic blood pressure (BP) differences between device and reference were 0.5±5.96 mmHg for analysis criterion 1 and 0.5±4.65 mmHg for criterion 2. The data for diastolic BP were −0.5±5.58 for criterion 1 and −0.5±5.01 mmHg for criterion 2. The HEM-9210T passed the Standard’s requirements for both systolic and diastolic BP. In particular, both the wide-range and extra-large cuffs gave accurate BP values over the range of arm circumferences of 22–42 and 42–50 cm, respectively. Conclusion These newly developed cuffs have great clinical benefit for both medical and self-measurement environments.
DOCUMENTATION OF ETHNOVETERINARY PRACTICES IN DISTRICT JHANG , PAKISTAN

The study was conducted to document the plants used in the traditional veterinary practices in Jhang district of Pakistan. Rapid and participatory rural appraisal techniques were used for collection of information i.e. the interviews and focused group discussions were carried with 253 traditional veterinary healers for a period of one year. From the study area, 46 plant species representing 31 families were documented for the treatment of different infectious and non-infectious ailments. The most frequently reported (≥ 22% respondents) plants included: Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague, Capsicum annuum Linn, Vernonia anthelmintica L. , Foeniculum vulgare Mill, and Allium cepa Linn. Of 46 plants, 33 were indigenous. Materials other than plants are also used as adjunctive therapy for different ailments. A wide variation in the dose, vehicle, part of plant, mode of preparation and administration/application was observed. The efficacy claims and indications for different plants were quite conflicting. The traditional veterinary healers in the study area used diverse plant species in the veterinary practices with varying claims about their efficacies. Controlled studies for the validation of the plant usage are underway in the Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Imperfections of the Three-Dimensional Thermohaline Circulation: Hysteresis and Unique-State Regimes*

Different equilibria of oceanic thermohaline circulation may exist under the same forcing conditions. One of the reasons for the existence of these multiple equilibria is a feedback between the overturning circulation and the advective transport of salt and heat. In an equatorially symmetric configuration, the multiple equilibria arise through symmetry-breaking pitchfork bifurcations when the strength of the freshwater forcing is increased. Here, continuation methods are used to track the fate of the different equilibria under equatorially asymmetric conditions in a three-dimensional, low-resolution ocean general circulation model in an Atlantic-like basin coupled to an energy-balance atmosphere model. The effect of the continental geometry, the presence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), and asymmetric air‐sea interaction on the preference of equilibria are considered. Although all asymmetry-inducing mechanisms favor northern Atlantic sinking states, the open Southern Ocean and ACC are shown to be substantial contributors. The origin of the hysteresis behavior between strong and weak overturning states is clarified in terms of the overall bifurcation picture. The disappearance of a class of southern sinking equilibria because of the combined effects of all asymmetry mechanisms leads to a substantial regime with a unique steady state. The relationship between the hysteresis regime and the unique-state regime provides a larger context for quantitative determination of the relevance of each to climate.