Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nitric oxide and energy metabolism in mammals

Nitric oxide (NO) is a signaling molecule synthesized from L‐arginine by NO synthase in animals. Increasing evidence shows that NO regulates the mammalian metabolism of energy substrates and that these effects of NO critically depend on its concentrations at the reaction site and the period of exposure. High concentrations of NO (in the micromolar range) irreversibly inhibit complexes I, II, III, IV, and V in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, whereas physiological levels of NO (in the nanomolar range) reversibly reduce cytochomrome oxidase. Thus, NO reduces oxygen consumption by isolated mitochondria to various extents. In intact cells, through cGMP and AMP‐activated protein kinase signaling, physiological levels of NO acutely stimulate uptake and oxidation of glucose and fatty acids by skeletal muscle, heart, liver, and adipose tissue, while inhibiting the synthesis of glucose, glycogen and fat in the insulin‐sensitive tissues, and enhancing lipolysis in white adipocytes. Chronic effects of physiological levels of NO in vivo include stimulation of angiogenesis, blood flow, mitochondrial biogenesis, and brown adipocyte development. Modulation of NO‐mediated pathways through dietary supplementation with L‐arginine or its precursor L‐citrulline may provide an effective, practical strategy to prevent and treat metabolic syndrome, including obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia in mammals, including humans. © 2013 BioFactors, 39(4):383–391, 2013
Hand preference by black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) in captivity: Influence of tasks and sexes

Task complexity (Fagot & Vauclair 1991), bimanual complementary role differentiation (Uomini 2009), and the obligate use of a particular hemisphere (Rogers, 2009) have been proposed to explain why hand preferences in non-human primates are often influenced by tasks. We examined how tasks (reaching, carrying, extractive foraging, and object manipulation) and gender influenced hand preference in 11 adult black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) out of a total of 13 known adult captive individuals of this species. A logistic regression was used to analyse 2556 bouts of binary left- vs right- hand use data. The explanatory variables are tasks, gender, and the interaction of tasks and gender. Hand preference is influenced by the task, in that subjects used the right hand significantly more often for extractive foraging and object manipulation than for reaching and carrying. We also found a significant interaction of sex and task: males used the left hand significantly more often than females for reaching and carrying, respectively, but not for extractive foraging or object manipulation. This is the first study on hand preference in R. bieti. As predicted, the hand preference in R. bieti is not a fixed property of the species or sexes but depends on the task.
Melatonin promotes adipogenesis and mitochondrial biogenesis in 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes

Melatonin is synthesized in the pineal gland, but elicits a wide range of physiological responses in peripheral target tissues. Recent advances suggest that melatonin controls adiposity, resulting in changes in body weight. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of melatonin on adipogenesis and mitochondrial biogenesis in 3T3‐L1 mouse embryo fibroblasts. Melatonin significantly increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPAR‐γ), a master regulator of adipogenesis, and promoted differentiation into adipocytes. Melatonin‐treated cells also formed smaller lipid droplets and abundantly expressed several molecules associated with lipolysis, including adipose triglyceride lipase, perilipin, and comparative gene identification‐58. Moreover, the hormone promoted biogenesis of mitochondria, as indicated by fluorescent staining, elevated the citrate synthase activity, and upregulated the expression of PPAR‐γ coactivator 1α, nuclear respiratory factor‐1, and transcription factor A. The expression of uncoupling protein 1 was also observable both at mRNA and at protein level in melatonin‐treated cells. Finally, adiponectin secretion and the expression of adiponectin receptors were enhanced. These results suggest that melatonin promotes adipogenesis, lipolysis, mitochondrial biogenesis, and adiponectin secretion. Thus, melatonin has potential as an anti‐obesity agent that may reverse obesity‐related disorders.
Statin use and fatal prostate cancer

Statins are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in medical practice, and prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among men. Although there has been no consistent evidence that statins affect cancer incidence, including prostate cancer, several reports suggest they may decrease the rate of advanced prostate cancer. However, no study to date has specifically examined statin use and prostate cancer mortality. The authors conducted this population‐based case‐control investigation to examine this association.
Expression of Oct-6, a POU III domain transcription factor, in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE Oct-6, a POU-III domain transcription factor, is expressed in embryonic stem cells and Schwann cells and in neuronal subpopulations during early mammalian development, but its relevance to disorders of cerebral development in humans is untested. This study evaluated the expression of Oct-6 in schizophrenia, a disorder that has been linked with neurodevelopmental abnormalities. METHOD Immunohistochemistry was used to examine Oct-6 expression in the temporal lobe in postmortem tissue from 10 subjects with schizophrenia and 10 matched comparison subjects. Western blot analysis was used to study Oct-6 expression in the frontal and temporal cortex in tissue from an additional three schizophrenic and three matched comparison subjects and in the frontal lobe only in tissue from an additional 10 schizophrenic and 10 matched comparison subjects. RESULTS Extensive Oct-6 immunoreactivity was present in the temporal lobe in all 10 schizophrenic subjects, while very little or no expression was found in the comparison subjects. In schizophrenic subjects, Oct-6 immunoreactivity was found in a subset of cells in the pyramidal cell layer of the hippocampus and in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus. Oct-6 staining was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of Oct-6 in the frontal and temporal cortex in schizophrenic subjects but not in comparison subjects. CONCLUSIONS The presence of Oct-6 expression in the schizophrenic subjects but not in the comparison subjects suggests that Oct-6 may provide a marker for the neuropathology associated with schizophrenia. Further, it may provide a clue to the neurodevelopmental basis of the disease and could be a reliable means to examine the developmental brain abnormalities described in this disorder.
On the relationship between saving and investment: An empirical investigation into causality.

In this study an attempt is made to examine the saving-investment relationship, an issue which has received particular attention in the economic literature. To this end, the seven major OECD countries were considered to determine the direction of causation between private domestic saving and private domestic investment within the framework of Granger causality tests. We specified three different causal models for purposes of investigating the relationship between the two macroeconomic aggregates of saving and investment. The first two causal models were bivariate with the difference being the manner in which we determined the lag term structures. We then investigated the effects of interest rate and income on the causal relationship between saving and investment within a multivariate causal framework which constituted our third model. Within each model, three different measures of saving and investment were considered: the nominal values, the real values and the propensities.
Protocol for Real-Time PCR Identification of Anthrax Spores from Nasal Swabs after Broth Enrichment

ABSTRACT A mass-screening protocol for the diagnosis of anthrax from nasal swabs based on an enrichment step in liquid medium was devised. Incubation for growth was performed in autoclavable vials and racks which allow real-time PCR analysis of sterilized cultures. A dual-color PCR was set up with primers and probes for the chromosomal marker rpoB and the plasmid marker lef. Specific primer and probe sets were designed for the differentiation of Bacillus anthracis from B. cereus and for the differentiation of the Sterne vaccine strain from field isolates and the Ames strain, which was used in the recent anthrax bioterrorist attack. The present protocol thus combines the high specificity and sensitivity of real-time PCR with excellent biosafety and the low hands-on time necessary for the processing of large numbers of samples, which is extremely important during control programs involving the processing of large numbers of samples.
Neuropsychological study of underweight and "weight-recovered" anorexia nervosa compared with bulimia nervosa and normal controls.

OBJECTIVE To compare executive, memory and visuospatial functioning of DSM-IV anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and normal controls (NC). METHOD A comparison of women involving: (i) 16 AN with body mass indices (BMI) < or = 17.5 kg/m(2); (ii) 12 AN with BMI > 18.5 kg/m(2) for at least 3 months; (iii) 13 BN; and (iv) 16 NC participants was performed with groups of similar age and intelligence. Groups were assessed with EDE-12, MADRS, HAMA, Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) battery, and Bechara tasks. RESULTS Significant impairments in CDR Power of Attention were present in underweight AN and BN participants. CDR Morse Tapping was significantly impaired in all clinical groups. The BN and weight-recovered AN groups were significantly impaired on CDR immediate word recall. The BN group alone was significantly impaired on CDR delayed word recall. CONCLUSION Attentional impairment is similar in AN and BN. Impaired motor tasks in AN persist after "weight-recovery" and are similar to impairments in BN. BN may be discriminated from AN on word recall.
Efficacy of liver graft washout as a function of the perfusate, pressure, and temperature

Donor graft washout can be impaired by colloids in organ preservation solutions that increase the viscosity and agglutinative propensity of red blood cells (RBCs) and potentially decrease organ function. The colloid‐induced agglutinative effects on RBCs and RBC retention after liver washout with Ringer's lactate (RL), histidine tryptophan ketoglutarate solution, University of Wisconsin solution, and Polysol were determined as a function of the washout pressure (15 or 100 mm Hg) and temperature (4 or 37°C) in a rat liver washout model with 99mTc‐pertechnetate–labeled RBCs. Colloids (polyethylene glycol in Polysol and hydroxyethyl starch in University of Wisconsin) induced RBC agglutination, regardless of the solution's composition. RL was associated with the lowest degree of 99mTc‐pertechnetate–labeled RBC retention after simultaneous arterial and portal washout at 37°C and 100 mm Hg. RL washout was also associated with the shortest washout time. A single portal washout with any of the solutions did not result in differences in the degree of RBC retention, regardless of the temperature or pressure. In conclusion, no differences were found in portal washout efficacy between colloidal solutions, histidine tryptophan ketoglutarate, and RL. Simultaneous arterial and portal washout with RL at 37°C and 100 mm Hg resulted in the least RBC retention and the shortest washout time. Liver Transpl 19:843‐851, 2013. © 2013 AASLD.
Study of effects of low level microwave field by method of face masking

The aim of this study was to examine experimentally effects of low level, modulated microwaves on human central nervous system function utilizing the phenomenon of visual masking. Ten healthy volunteers, four males and six females, were exposed to electromagnetic field (450 MHz, 0.16 mW/cm2) with 7 Hz modulation frequency. Two photo series (visual stimuli) of unfamiliar, young male faces were presented to the subjects, one picture after another. All the photos were frontal views of unfamiliar faces, which could be recognized only by their unique combinations of features. The task was to identify the pictures from a group of six photos and to decide which order they were presented in. The phenomenon of visual masking is revealed as anamorphosis in subject's perception of two instantaneous visual stimuli presented within a short time interval. When both stimuli were to be recognized correctly and put in the right order, there was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between the identification of the stimulus with microwave electromagnetic field and sham exposure. Recognition of both stimuli in a pair was better under the sham exposure conditions but the actual difference was only 5%. It was concluded that early stages of visual information processing are overwhelmingly robust and routine (and adaptively significant) activities, so that the low level 7 Hz modulated electromagnetic field effects exerted upon it are extremely weak. Bioelectromagnetics 26:571–577, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Factors associated with Efavirenz discontinuation in a large community-based sample of patients

Efavirenz (EFV) is a potent antiretroviral drug; its use may be limited, however, by psychiatric symptoms that require its discontinuation. We sought to identify the characteristics that placed patients at an elevated risk of discontinuation. Data for this cross-sectional study came from a self-administered questionnaire distributed by French AIDS community associations; it collected information about sociodemographic characteristics, addictive behaviours, treatment regimens, EFV history and depression. Patients remaining on EFV for more than six months were compared with those who stopped taking it. Of the 828 patients who completed the questionnaire, 175 had taken EFV for at least six months, and 152 had discontinued it (median months [IQR] of exposure=4[2–10]). Of these 327 patients (median age=42), 23% were women, 46% were unemployed, 38% had a steady sexual partner and 24% reported a history of multiple depressive episodes. Logistic regression showed that the factors independently associated with EFV discontinuation were female gender (OR[95%CI]=2.2[1.2–3.8]), unemployment (1.8[1.1–2.8]), a steady sexual partner (1.7[1–2.5]) and multiple episodes of depression (2.6[1.5–4.5]). Clinicians should keep in mind the neuropsychiatric risks of EFV during the first year, especially among patients with a history of multiple depressive episodes.
Glomus tumor of the trachea. Report of a case with ultrastructural observation

Extracutaneous glomus tumors are unusual and their occurrence in the trachea has been recognized with extreme rarity. We present a case of surgically resected glomus tumor of the trachea in a 54‐year‐old woman who was initially misdiagnosed as having bronchial asthma because of expiratory wheezing. The tumor, located 7 cm below the vocal cord and 5 cm above the carina, was an intraluminally protruding polypoid mass that measured 1.5 × 1.2 cm and arose from the posterior wall of the trachea with a broad base. Microscopically, the tumor was predominantly of the solid type, but a small proportion of a glomangiomatous component was admixed. Ultrastructural study confirmed the presence of myofibrillar bundles with focal densities and fine pinocytotic vesicles along the plasma membrane. A structure similar to a nonneoplastic glomus was demonstrated in the submucosal layer of the posterior wall away from the tumor margin. This suggests that the tracheal glomus tumor occurs more often in the posterior wall where neuromuscular complex structures may develop more readily.
Exploring the impact of environmental cues on fruit and vegetable consumption in young adults: a randomized controlled pilot

Supervisory Committee: Dr. Patti-Jean Naylor (School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, Faculty of Education) Supervisor Dr. Ryan E. Rhodes (School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, Faculty of Education) Departmental Member Objective: University students have low levels of fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC). There is a paucity of research about changing FVC in this population, including the specific use of environmental cues to influence behaviour change. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of a cue (a modified plate design and/or plate size) on FVC while exploring explicit cognitions and attitudes in first year undergraduates. Methods: This study utilized an experimental pre-post randomized control group design across six weeks, with two recruitment waves. First year full-time University students living off campus and consuming less than six servings of fruits and vegetables were eligible. Participants (n=39) were randomly assigned to intervention with an 8-inch dinner plate displaying recommended portion sizes, with an 8-inch dinner plate with no design, or a control group. All participants completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), 24-hour food recall (24Hr), demographics, anthropometry and intentions toward FVC, with intervention groups receiving a lesson on Canada’s Food Guide in addition to their plate. Results: Eight out of twelve outcome measures had meaningful time by group effect sizes (ɳ 2 >0.06). For fruit frequency (per day), the effect was statistically significant (p=0.03). Adherence to plate use varied (design plate: 0.69±2.38 to 4.23±5.55 times per week; plain plate 3.39±7.31 to 12.80±7.89 times per week) but was low in the designed plate condition (average
Molecular cloning of the temperature-inducible outer membrane protein 1 of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

When Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is shifted from growth at 26 degrees C to growth at 37 degrees C, the synthesis of a plasmid-associated outer membrane protein, protein 1, is induced (Bölin et al., Infect. Immun. 37:506-512). The structural gene of this protein was found to be located on the virulence plasmid pIB1 of Y. pseudotuberculosis. One cosmid hybrid plasmid pBW8 was studied which carried a region of the virulence plasmid. This hybrid plasmid expressed in Escherichia coli K-12 a novel temperature-inducible outer membrane protein which is immunologically related to and has the same molecular weight as protein 1. Protein 1 was purified to homogeneity, and 14 amino acids of the N-terminal end were determined. From this sequence, the tentative corresponding DNA sequence was deduced, and a set of 11-nucleotide-long DNA probes was chemically synthesized. By using these probes in Southern blotting experiments, the genetic location of the N-terminal end of protein 1 was established. By introducing the transposon Tn5 into the virulence plasmid pIB1, mutants were obtained that did not express protein 1. One class of these mutants was still Ca2+ dependent and virulent, suggesting that protein 1 is not a major virulence determinant. Tn5-derived insertion mutants were also obtained which were Ca2+ independent. Such mutants were found to be avirulent. One Ca2+-independent mutant still expressed protein 1, indicating that the regulatory expression of protein 1 is not linked to Ca2+ dependence.
A New Morphological Dataset Reveals a Novel Relationship for the Adzebills of New Zealand (Aptornis) and Provides a Foundation for Total Evidence Neoavian Phylogenetics

ABSTRACT Relationships among Neoaves, a group comprising approximately 95% of all extant birds, are difficult to resolve because of multiple short internodes presumably created by a rapid evolutionary radiation around the K/Pg boundary. This difficulty has plagued both morphological and molecular studies. Compared with molecular studies with extensive taxon and character sampling, morphological datasets have largely failed to provide insight into the phenotypic evolutionary transitions of the neoavian radiation. Extinct neoavian taxa remain an understudied but critical key to resolving relationships among these problematic stem lineages and understanding evolutionary changes in structure and function. Adzebills (Aptornis), some of the most phylogenetically controversial fossil neoavians, are extinct terrestrial birds endemic to New Zealand since at least the early Miocene. Past morphological studies have placed adzebills as a sister taxon to the flightless Kagu of New Caledonia (Rhynochetos jubatus) or to the land- and waterfowl group Galloanseres. Recent molecular studies reveal the Kagu and Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) to be sister taxa, whereas adzebills have been postulated to be within Rallidae (rails, gallinules, and coots) or the sister taxon of Sarothruridae (flufftails) or Ralloidea (finfoots, flufftails, and rails). To better resolve the position of adzebills and begin constructing a fine-scale total evidence phylogenetic dataset for the base of Neoaves, we constructed a new and more comprehensive morphological dataset of 368 discrete osteological characters for 38 extant and two extinct taxa that includes extensive sampling of nearly all neoavian stem lineages. We then combined this dataset with 32 DNA sequences of the slowly evolving nuclear RAG1 and RAG2 genes. Morphological results place adzebills as the sister taxon of trumpeters (Psophia) within core Gruiformes and confirm strong support for a Kagu+Sunbittern sister group (99% bootstrap value). Results for analyses of the combined data were identical, and the adzebill+trumpeter clade was supported by a 99% Bayesian clade credibility value. Although the Kagu+Sunbittern sister group is consistent with recent molecular hypotheses, the adzebill+trumpeter group is novel.
Ovarian Hormones and Migraine Headache: Understanding Mechanisms and Pathogenesis—Part I

Ovarian hormones have a significant effect on the central nervous system of female migraineurs. Reproductive milestones such as menarche, pregnancy, and menopause are associated with changes in the clinical course of migraine headache. Migraine attacks are commonly triggered during declines in serum estrogen levels that occur before and during the time of menstruation. Therefore, substantial clinical evidence suggests that changes in ovarian hormones affect migraine headache. This represents the first of two manuscripts defining the role of ovarian hormones in the pathogenesis of migraine headache. The purpose of the first article will be to review the molecular and neurophysiologic effects of estrogen and progesterone on neurotransmitter systems and pain processing networks relevant to migraine headache. The second manuscript will focus on the clinical studies detailing the influence of estrogen and progesterone on migraine headache.