Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disc hydration measured by magnetic resonance imaging in relation to its compressive stiffness in rat models

Abstract The in vivo effects of body dehydration on the water content and compressive stiffness of rat intervertebral disc (IVD) and vertebral body were investigated. Thirty-one rats were divided into three dietary groups: water restricted (WR), pair fed (PF) and ad libitum (AL). The in vivo water content of L4-5 IVD was measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Water contents of L4-5 IVD were also determined using the wet/dry weight method after killing. Compressive stiffness of the L5 vertebral body and the L3-4 motion segment were determined. Results showed that the water content of L4-5 IVD was significantly less in the WR group than in the PF and AL groups as measured by the wet/dry weight method; likewise, MRI water content was also less in the WR group. The material stiffness of the IVD was significantly greater in the WR than in the PF and AL groups. However, there was no significant difference in material stiffness of the L5 vertebral body for the WR group in comparison with the PF and AL groups. It was also found that the stiffness of the IVD was significantly lower than that of the vertebral body. This study suggests that the dehydrated matrix of the IVD may be responsible for a stiffer disc that may lead to a less flexible spine.
Structure and mechanism of the ATPase that powers viral genome packaging

Significance Many viruses use a molecular motor to pump DNA into a preformed protein shell called the capsid, a process that is essential for the formation of infectious virus particles. The ATPase machine powering this process is the strongest known biological motor. However, the structure and mechanism of this motor are unknown. Here, we derive a structural model of the ATPase assembly using a combination of X-ray crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering, molecular modeling, and biochemical data. We identify residues critical for ATP hydrolysis and DNA binding, and derive a mechanistic model for the translocation of DNA into the viral capsid. Our studies introduce a model for ATPase assembly and illustrate how DNA is pumped with high force. Many viruses package their genomes into procapsids using an ATPase machine that is among the most powerful known biological motors. However, how this motor couples ATP hydrolysis to DNA translocation is still unknown. Here, we introduce a model system with unique properties for studying motor structure and mechanism. We describe crystal structures of the packaging motor ATPase domain that exhibit nucleotide-dependent conformational changes involving a large rotation of an entire subdomain. We also identify the arginine finger residue that catalyzes ATP hydrolysis in a neighboring motor subunit, illustrating that previous models for motor structure need revision. Our findings allow us to derive a structural model for the motor ring, which we validate using small-angle X-ray scattering and comparisons with previously published data. We illustrate the model’s predictive power by identifying the motor’s DNA-binding and assembly motifs. Finally, we integrate our results to propose a mechanistic model for DNA translocation by this molecular machine.
Multi-Detector Row Computed Tomographic Evaluation of Bronchopleural Fistula: Correlation With Clinical, Bronchoscopic, and Surgical Findings

Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of multi-detector row computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of bronchopleural fistula (BPF) and to correlate CT features with clinical, bronchoscopic, and surgical findings. Methods: Twenty-four patients had a final diagnosis of BPF. Thin-section axial and coronal multiplanar reformation images from multi-detector row CT datasets were assessed by 2 radiologists in consensus. The CT direct sign of BPF was a fistulous tract between the bronchus or lung and pleural space. The indirect signs were air bubbles beneath the bronchial stump or suspected fistula. Results: Computed tomography demonstrated fistulous tract (central type, 3; peripheral type, 11) or indirect signs of BPF (central type, 3; peripheral type, 6), whereas bronchoscopy demonstrated 2 fistula openings (all central type) and indirect signs of BPF (central type, 2; peripheral type, 1). Conclusions: Thin-section axial and multiplanar reformation images are helpful in the diagnosis of BPF. Multi-detector row CT can be an initial diagnostic modality of BPF.
Extended lamivudine treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B enhances hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion rates: Results after 3 years of therapy

A study in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B showed that treatment with lamivudine for 1 year significantly improves liver histology and enhances hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion compared with placebo. Fifty‐eight patients from this 1‐year study have received long‐term treatment with lamivudine 100 mg; the outcome of 3 years of lamivudine is reported here. Before treatment, all patients had detectable HBeAg. HBeAg seroconversion (HBeAg‐negative, anti‐HBe–positive), hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐DNA suppression, alanine transaminase (ALT) normalization, emergence of YMDD variant HBV, liver histology, and long‐term safety were assessed. After 3 years of continuous treatment with lamivudine 100 mg daily, 40% (23 of 58) of patients achieved HBeAg seroconversion. In patients with baseline serum ALT >2× upper limit of normal (ULN), the rate of HBeAg seroconversion was 65% (17 of 26). Median serum HBV‐DNA concentrations were below the level of detection, and median ALT concentrations were within the normal range throughout 3 years of treatment. YMDD variant HBV emerged in 33 of 58 (57%) patients during the 3 years, of whom 9 (27%) achieved HBeAg seroconversion (6 after emergence of YMDD variant HBV). ALT levels and histologic scores after emergence of YMDD variant HBV did not show major deterioration. Lamivudine was well tolerated during 3 years of therapy. In conclusion, these data in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B show enhanced seroconversion rates with extended lamivudine treatment. Up to two thirds of patients with moderately elevated pretreatment ALT achieved HBeAg seroconversion after 3 years of therapy.
Persistent infection, inflammation, and functional impairment in older Latinos.

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to examine whether cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1), and C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with functional impairment in older Latinos. METHODS A cross-sectional analysis of a cohort study was conducted with a community-dwelling elderly population. The sample was a subset (N = 1559/1789) of participants in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA) ages 60-101 with available serum samples and functional impairment measures. Baseline serum samples were assayed for levels of immunoglobulin G antibodies to CMV and HSV-1 and for levels of CRP. Several measures were used to assess functional impairment, including activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and walking pace. RESULTS CMV and CRP showed statistically significant graded associations with ADL functional impairment, even after controlling for age and gender. The relationship between CMV and ADL was slightly attenuated, and the confidence interval contained the null value when adjusted for total number of health conditions, body mass index, and household income. Only high levels of CRP were significantly related to ADL and IADL impairment even after adjusting for all other covariates. CONCLUSION Inflammation is clearly linked to physical functioning among aging Latinos. This study also suggests a role for CMV infection in relation to ADL impairment. Further research examining the influence of infection, immune response, and inflammation on longitudinal trajectories of physical functioning is warranted.
Efficient Time and QoS-Aware Selection for Service Composition. (Choix efficace du temps et du QoS pour la composition du service)

Service-Oriented Computing (SOC) paradigm has emerged in last years to support cooperation between loosely coupled services to build complex applications. It involves the description, discovery, selection, and composition of services to support rapid development of complex applications. Usually, theses applications can be specified as abstract business processes and the goal is to select a service for implementing each abstract task. In addition to the functional requirements that must be accomplished, the QoS (Quality of Service) parameters are of paramount importance. Due to the large number of candidate services with same functionalities but offering different QoS values, the selection of the most suitable services for implementing abstract tasks while fulfilling QoS in a timely manner is not trivial. Moreover, in real-world applications, services can have different dependencies between them (i.e., structural and temporal). Considering these dependencies, the selection problem becomes more complex. Additionally, services usually operate in highly uncertain and dynamic environments, which can cause erroneous behaviors during the execution. In this context, it is crucial to tackle the selection problem while considering functional requirements associated with QoS and temporal constraints at design and run-time. In this thesis, we contribute towards addressing the aforementioned challenges. Specifically, the main contributions of this thesis are as follows: (1) We propose pre-processing techniques to allow a scalable service selection without affecting the optimality of the selected solution. (2) We develop an efficient QoS-aware service selection approach that allows selecting the suitable service composition while fulfilling QoS and temporal constraints. The proposed approach can handle complex service selection problems while considering the aforementioned dependencies between services. (3) We propose a heuristic service selection approach to select a close-to-optimal solution based on clustering and constraints decomposition techniques. (4) To deal with dynamic and uncertain environments, we propose a proactive service selection approach for enforcing service composition adaptation at run time. The aim is to take early re-selection actions in order to reduce the possibility of execution interruption and increase the likelihood of finding a feasible solution. This approach deals with QoS uctuations and changes in execution environments during execution (e.g., the availability of a new better service). The different contributions of the proposed approach are implemented and their eff ciency is demonstrated and validated analytically and empirically through experimental results.
Clinical and Histopathologic Characterization of Canine Chronic Ulcerative Stomatitis

Canine chronic ulcerative stomatitis, also known as chronic ulcerative paradental stomatitis, is a painful condition of the oral cavity. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are commonalities in clinical and radiographic features among patients, whether the histopathologic evaluation might inform the pathogenesis, and whether the condition appears similar to human oral mucosal diseases. To do this, we prospectively collected clinical, radiographic, and histopathologic data from 20 dogs diagnosed with the disease. Clinical data were based on a clinical disease activity index, oral and periodontal examination parameters, and full-mouth dental radiographs. The histopathological and immunohistochemical data were based on oral mucosal samples obtained from erosive or ulcerated areas. Our findings revealed that canine chronic stomatitis is clinically characterized by painful oral mucosal ulcers of varying size, pattern, appearance, and distribution, most often associated with teeth with early periodontitis. Histologic examination revealed a subepithelial lichenoid band (interface mucositis) where B cells, T cells, and Forkhead-box protein 3 (FoxP3)– and interleukin-17–expressing cells were present. These cells might play a role in the underlying immune response and an immune-mediated pathogenesis is suspected. The clinical and histopathologic features of this chronic inflammatory mucosal disease in dogs resemble those of oral lichen planus in humans.
The Chain Length of Dietary Saturated Fatty Acids Affects Human Postprandial Lipemia

Objective: Saturated fats increase total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and are linked to coronary artery disease risk. The effect of variance in chain length of saturated fatty acids (SFA) on coronary artery disease in human postprandial lipemia is not well elucidated. Methods: A total of 20 healthy volunteers were challenged with 3 test meals, similar in fat content (∼31% en) but varying in saturated SFA content and polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratios (P/S). The 3 meals were lauric + myristic acid-rich (LM), P/S 0.19; palmitic acid-rich (POL), P/S 0.31; and stearic acid-rich (STE), P/S 0.22. Blood was sampled at fasted baseline and 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8 hours. Plasma lipids (triacylglycerol [TAG]) and lipoproteins (TC, LDL-C, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol [HDL-C]) were evaluated. Results: Varying SFA in the test meal significantly impacted postprandial TAG response (p < 0.05). Plasma TAG peaked at 5 hours for STE, 4 hours for POL, and 2 hours for LM test meals. Area-under-the-curve (AUC) for plasma TAG was increased significantly after STE treatment (STE > LM by 32.2%, p = 0.003; STE > POL by 27.9%, p = 0.023) but was not significantly different between POL and LM (POL > LM by 6.0%, p > 0.05). At 2 hours, plasma HDL-C increased significantly after the LM and POL test meals compared with STE (p < 0.05). In comparison to the STE test meal, HDL-C AUC was elevated 14.0% (p = 0.005) and 7.6% (p = 0.023) by the LM and POL test meals, respectively. The TC response was also increased significantly by LM compared with both POL and STE test meals (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Chain length of saturates clearly mediated postmeal plasma TAG and HDL-C changes.
Effects of thiocyanate, perchlorate and other anions on thyroidal iodine metabolism.

Rat thyroid lobes were incubated with 131I- in graded concentrations of thiocyanate, perchlorate, nitrate, chlorate and fluoborate. All anions tested inhibited both concentration of inorganic iodide by the thyroid tissue and, in higher concentration, organic binding of that iodide which did enter the thyroid. Both inhibitory phenomena could be reversed by leaching lobes preincubated in effective concentrations of any of these anions. Perchlorate was most effective in inhibiting iodide concentration, while thiocyanate was the most potent inhibitor of organic binding. High concentrations of perchlorate and thiocyanate, the only 2 anions so tested, also inhibited both iodide concentration and organic binding of iodine in vivo. The patterns of inhibition of the various functions indicated that there are qualitative as well as quantitative differences between the various anions, particularly between thiocyanate and the others. (Endocrinology 79: 237,1966)
Impact of High TCP ’ s Initial Window in Congested Links

Recent studies proposed that the permitted TCP initial window be increased from between 2 and 4 segments to 10 segments estimated to about 15KB of data. The increase has been mainly motivated by accelerated Internet growth coupled with high speeds and penetration levels in the world today. Over 95% of Internet traffic are short flows and majority of the traffic is TCP. Previous work have already studied the performance of TCP with IW10, but are not conclusive on the benefits of IW10 for short flows under highly congested links. In this paper we considered congested links to be always fully utilized, which is majorly the case for many links in developing countries. We investigate the impact of IW3 and IW10 on short flows of 9,21 against 10,22 packets on a highly congested link with the aid of experimentation and emulation methods. Obviously our results show better performance in 9,21 packets than 10,22 packets despite very high congestion conditions. Our results also show the TCP with IW3 favours shorter flows of 9,10 packets in terms of shorter flow completion time and higher throughput, under a highly congested link as opposed to TCP with IW10 by previous work. While larger flows of 21,22 packets are slighly favoured by TCP with IW10 because of their bursty property which in turn overwhelm TCP with IW3.
N‐terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide and cognitive decline in older adults at high cardiovascular risk

Elevated levels of N‐terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) are associated with cognitive impairment, which might be explained by cardiovascular diseases or risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of NT‐proBNP with cognitive function and decline in older adults at high risk of cardiovascular disease.
cagA, vacA, and iceA genotypes of Helicobacter pylori in Korean children

Background: Several putative virulence factors for Helicobacter pylori have been identified including cagA, vacA, and iceA. The aims of the present study were to study the distribution of cagA, vacA, and iceA genotypes in children with H. pylori gastritis and to examine the association of genotypes with severity of gastritis.
From attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder to medical stimulant use to the diversion of prescribed stimulants to non-medical stimulant use: connecting the dots.

AIMS To describe the connections among the likelihood of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), medical and non-medical methylphenidate and amphetamine use and the diversion of prescribed methylphenidate in the general adolescent population. DESIGN Cross-sectional self-reported anonymous data from the 2002 Student Drug Use Survey in the Atlantic Provinces. SETTING The Atlantic provinces of Canada. PARTICIPANTS A total of 12,990 students participated. MEASUREMENTS The outcomes were a positive ADHD screening test, medical and non-medical use of methylphenidate, medical and non-medical use of amphetamine and the giving and selling of methylphenidate medication by students with a prescription. The Ontario Child Health Study Hyperactivity Scale was used to screen for ADHD. FINDINGS The prevalence of a positive ADHD screening test was 6% with no significant gender difference. The prevalence of medical and non-medical methylphenidate use and medical and non-medical amphetamine use was 2.0%, 6.6%, 1.2% and 8.7%, respectively. A positive ADHD screening test was independently predictive of these four patterns of use. About 26% of students with prescribed methylphenidate gave or sold some of their medication. Students in a class where at least one student had given or sold some of their prescribed pills had a 1.52-fold increased risk of non-medical methylphenidate use than their counterparts in classes where no giving or selling had taken place. CONCLUSIONS Connections were demonstrated at the population level between ADHD, medical methylphenidate use, the diversion of prescribed methylphenidate and the non-medical use of methylphenidate. The appropriate assessment and management of ADHD are essential to minimize both the risk of diversion and of substance use associated with unrecognized or untreated ADHD.
Stable Alkynyl Glycosyl Carbonates: Catalytic Anomeric Activation and Synthesis of a Tridecasaccharide Reminiscent of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cell Wall Lipoarabinomannan.

Oligosaccharide synthesis is still a challenging task despite the advent of modern glycosidation techniques. Herein, alkynyl glycosyl carbonates are shown to be stable glycosyl donors that can be activated catalytically by gold and silver salts at 25 °C in just 15 min to produce glycosides in excellent yields. Benzoyl glycosyl carbonate donors are solid compounds with a long shelf life. This operationally simple protocol was found to be highly efficient for the synthesis of nucleosides, amino acids, and phenolic and azido glycoconjugates. Repeated use of the carbonate glycosidation method enabled the highly convergent synthesis of tridecaarabinomannan in a rapid manner.
Current Issues in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Health

Compiling a volume dedicated to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) health is like putting together a puzzle; some pieces are in full color and have sharp edges and some pieces are black and white and fuzzy. Simply put, although we know a lot about some health issues such as HIV/AIDS among gay and bisexual men, we know little about other health issues effecting LGBT populations. The body of literature on LGBT health issues is still in its infancy. In fact, in a review of the literature indexed in MEDLINE from 1980-1999, Boehmer (2002) found that literature focusing upon LGBT health comprised only 0.1% of all indexed articles. Of those, 56% were focused upon HIV and STDs, primarily among gay and bisexual men (Boehmer, 2002). Following the publication of a 1999 Institute of Medicine report on lesbian health (Solarz, 1999), and the first ever inclusion of health objectives addressing sexual orientation in 10 of the 28 prevention focus areas for the US included in Healthy People 2010 (HP2010), it has be-
Single Muscle Fibre Contractile Properties in Young and Old Men and Women

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was an age‐related decline in the isometric and isotonic contractile function of permeabilized slow (MHC I) and fast (MHC IIa) single muscle fibres. Vastus lateralis muscle fibres from six young men (YM; 25 ± 1 years), six young women (YW; 25 ± 1 years), six old men (OM; 80 ± 4 years) and six old women (OW; 78 ± 2 years) were studied at 15 °C for in vitro force‐velocity properties, peak force and contractile velocity. Peak power was 23‐28 % lower (P < 0.05) in MHC I fibres of YW compared to the other three groups. MHC IIa peak power was 25–40 % lower (P < 0.05) in OW compared to the other three groups. No difference was found in MHC I and IIa normalized peak power among any of the groups. Peak force was lower (P < 0.05) in the YW (MHC I fibres) and OW (MHC IIa fibres) compared to the other groups. Differences in peak force with ageing were negated when normalized to cell size. No age‐related differences were observed in single fibre contractile velocity of MHC I and IIa fibres. These data show that YW (MHC I) and OW (MHC IIa) have lower single fibre absolute peak power and peak force compared to men; however, these differences are negated when normalized to cell size. General muscle protein concentrations (i.e. total, sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar) from the same biopsies were lower (4–9 %, P < 0.05) in the OM and OW. However, myosin and actin concentrations were not different (P > 0.05) among the four groups. These data suggest that differences in whole muscle strength and function that are often observed with ageing appear to be regulated by quantitative rather than qualitative parameters of single muscle fibre contractile function.