Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship between obstructive sleep apnea severity and brain activation during a sustained attention task.

STUDY OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize cognitive and cerebral correlates of attention and response speed in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and (2) assess the association of performance and brain activation with measures of OSA severity. DESIGN Patients with OSA and controls were compared on performance and brain activation during a sustained attention task. The association of reaction time and brain activation with apnea-hypopnea index, nocturnal hypoxia, and arousals was assessed. SETTING Functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted while participants performed a Go-No-Go task. The 'Go' trials of the Go-No-Go task were used to index attention processing. PARTICIPANTS Fourteen patients with OSA and 14 normal control subjects with equivalent age, body mass index, blood pressure, and education. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Patients with OSA showed decreased brain activation in cingulate, frontal, and parietal regions typically involved in attention tasks, compared with control subjects. Within the patients with OSA, increasing arousal index, but not desaturation index, was associated with slower mean reaction time and with decreased brain activation in areas involved in arousal and attention, response selection, motor response, and decision making. The apnea-hypopnea index, by itself, was not associated with changes in cerebral response. CONCLUSIONS Patients with OSA showed decreased brain activation compared with control subjects during an attention task. The association of arousal index (but not hypoxia) with slow reaction times and brain activation suggests that alertness and reaction times show greater correlations with measures of sleep disruption than with measures of hypoxia.
Dual-System Use and Intermediate Health Outcomes among Veterans Enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans.

OBJECTIVE The concurrent use of multiple health care systems may duplicate or fragment care. We assessed the characteristics of veterans who were dually enrolled in both the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system and a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, and compared intermediate quality outcomes among those exclusively receiving care in the VA with those receiving care in both systems. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING VA and MA quality and administrative data from 2008 to 2009. STUDY DESIGN We used propensity score methods to test the association between dual use and five intermediate outcome quality measures. Outcomes included control of cholesterol, blood pressure, and glycosylated hemoglobin among persons with coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, and diabetes. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS VA and MA data were merged to identify VA-only users (n = 1,637) and dual-system users (n = 5,006). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We found no significant differences in intermediate outcomes between VA-only and dual-user populations. Differences ranged from a 3.2 percentage point (95 percent CI: -1.8 to 8.2) greater rate of controlled cholesterol among VA-only users with CHD to a 2.2 percentage point (95 percent CI: -2.4 to 6.6) greater rate of controlled blood pressure among dual users with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS For the five measures studied, we did not find evidence that veterans with dual use of VA and MA care experienced improved or worsened outcomes as compared with veterans who exclusively used VA care.
Effects of severe spasticity treatment with intrathecal Baclofen in multiple sclerosis patients: Long term follow-up.

BACKGROUND Intrathecal Baclofen is available to treat severe generalized spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) unresponsive to oral drug delivery. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to investigate the effects and the drug dosage of intrathecal Baclofen in a selected population of MS patients, affected by severe spasticity at long term follow-up. METHODS A prospective cohort study of 14 MS patients is presented. Spasticity and pain were periodically assessed and the Baclofen dosage was adjusted. RESULTS The initial Baclofen dosage was 136.2 ± 109.3 μg, then it was increased at 12 months to 228.6 ± 179.2 μg (p < 0.05). The subsequent dose adjustments did not result in significant changes up to 76 months. Spasticity on the lower limbs decreased significantly from pre-implantation assessment (median: 3.5, IQR: 3.0-4.0) to 12 months evaluation (median: 0.5, IQR: 0.0-2.0) (p < 0.001); no further decrease was observed after 24 months (median: 0.5, IQR: 0.0-1.5); when pain was present, it decreased. Some effects on cerebellar symptoms were observed. Botulinum toxin injections were used with intrathecal Baclofen therapy. CONCLUSIONS A reduced spasticity and pain was observed after the intrathecal Baclofen infusion for at least 76 months. To obtain these results a dosage adjustment was needed only in the first year after the implantation.
Galvanic isolation system for multiple gate drivers with inductive power transfer — Drive of three-phase inverter

Medium-voltage motor drive systems, medium-voltage inverters, which have an input voltage and an output voltage of 3.3 kV or 6.6 kV, are widely used in industry applications. In the medium-voltage inverter, robust galvanic isolation among a control circuit and each gate drive supplies is required in order to drive high-voltage switching devices. In present, a transformer, which is designed to satisfy the safety standards, provides galvanic isolation. However, transformers prevent cost reduction of the isolation system. In this paper, the galvanic isolation system using only printed circuit boards are proposed. Moreover, a three-phase inverter is driven using the isolation system in order to confirm the utility of the isolation system. The proposed system transmits power from the transmitting board to six receiving boards using each transmitting coils made on the printed circuit boards. The air gap among the printed circuit boards assumes galvanic isolation. From the experimental results, it is confirmed that the three-phase inverter can be driven by the proposed galvanic isolation system.
Detection of high‐risk human papillomavirus E6 and E7 oncogene transcripts in cervical scrapes by nested RT‐polymerase chain reaction

The oncogenic potential of the high‐risk human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes (types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 and 68) depends on the expression of the two viral oncogenes E6 and E7. Thus, the detection of HPV E6/E7 oncogene transcripts could serve as a factor in the evaluation of a risk of development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and its progression to cervical cancer. A nested RT‐PCR assay for the detection of E6/E7 oncogene transcripts of all known high‐risk HPV genotypes was established. In the study described, 779 high‐risk HPV‐DNA‐positive cervical scrapes exhibiting all grades of CIN, including non‐dysplastic cervical mucosa (CIN 0), were examined. Spliced E6/E7 oncogene transcripts of all the high‐risk HPVs were detected in numerous samples, with an overall detection rate of 47%. In 227 cases with agreement between the cytologic and histologic findings, the prevalence increased with lesion severity: CIN 0, 18%; CIN I, 58%; CIN II, 77%; CIN III, 84%. Multiple transcriptionally active high‐risk HPVs were detected in 12% (33/279) of patients with multiple high‐risk HPV infections. This work sets the stage for a prospective follow‐up study currently being undertaken to evaluate the prognostic relevance of the detection of high‐risk HPV E6/E7 oncogene transcripts for the persistence of a high risk HPV infection, and the possible evolution and further development of a CIN. Future applications of the assay described may include the monitoring of women in studies investigating antiviral treatment or vaccination. J. Med. Virol. 74:107–116, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Liquidity: A New Monetarist Perspective

This essay surveys the new monetarist approach to liquidity. Work in this literature strives for empirical and policy relevance, plus rigorous foundations. Questions include: What is liquidity? Is money essential in achieving desirable outcomes? Which objects can or should serve in this capacity? When can asset prices differ from fundamentals? What are the functions of commitment and collateral in credit markets? How does money interact with credit and intermediation? What can and should monetary policy do? The research summarized emphasizes the micro structure of frictional transactions, and studies how institutions like monetary exchange, credit arrangements, or intermediation facilitate the exchange process.
Statin-stimulated nitric oxide release from endothelium.

BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence that loss of endothelium-derived NO is a major factor in cardiovascular complication events, and that NO might exert antiatherosclerotic actions. The beneficial effects of HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) therapy in atherosclerosis outweigh those expected from simply lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and may be related to the direct action in the endothelium. Based on these concepts, in the studies described here, the effect of new statin derivatives on nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (O2-) release in bovine endothelial cells was tested. MATERIAL AND METHODS Highly sensitive electrochemical NO and O2--microsensors were placed near the surface of endothelial cells, and the concurrent kinetics of NO and O2-- release were measured in situ. RESULTS All tested statins stimulated NO release. The peak concentration of NO after stimulation with 1 Kmol/l Lovastatin, 1 Kmol/l Atorvastatin, 1 Kmol/l Pravastatin, or 1 Kmol/l Simvastatin was about 77%, 73%, 72%, and 44% lower, respectively, as compared with the NO peak concentration after stimulation with 1 Kmol/l calcium ionophore A23187 (receptor-independent agonist). The tested statins stimulated NO release in a modest way, which resulted in diminishing O2- generation during activation of nitric oxide synthase. Moreover, the kinetics of O2- release after administration of the statins suggested that these compounds may also scavenge O2-. The NO/O2- peak concentration ratio after the NOS agonists administration was as follows: 7.51 for CaI, 6.56 for Lovastatin, 6.00 for Atorvastatin, 4.17 for Pravastatin and 6.25 for Simvastatin. CONCLUSIONS The tested statins, i.e. Lovastatin, Atorvastatin, Pravastatin and Simvastatin demonstrate variable potency to enhance the NO/O2- concentration ratio after stimulation of NOS, resulting in an increase of NO bioavailability in endothelial cells.
Good results from combining etanercept to prevailing DMARD therapy in refractory juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of etanercept added to prevailing drug therapy in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) whose disease was refractory to conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment, including combinations of different DMARDs. METHODS Data on 31 JIA patients with a disease resistant to conventional DMARD treatment were retrospectively collected from medical records and assessed for a one-year period after the introduction of etanercept or to the time of cessation of the drug due to a lack of efficacy or side effects. Efficacy was assessed based on the normal laboratory indexes of inflammation and changes in the following parametres: number of DMARDs used and intraarticular (i.a.) glucocorticoid injections. The numbers of inpatient days needed were also recorded. RESULTS Etanercept was well tolerated. Only two patients stopped discontinued the treatment because of allergic rash, after 3 weeks of treatment in one case and after 4 months in another. In two cases the treatment was discontinued because of a lack of efficacy. During the treatment, there was a significant decrease in the number of DMARDs used and the i.a. glucocorticoid injections needed as well as in the dose of per oral glucocorticoids. The laboratory parameters also improved. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the number of inpatient days per 3-month period before and during the etanercept treatment. CONCLUSION The addition of etanercept to conventional DMARD therapy in children with the most severe cases of JIA leads to an excellent clinical response during the first 12 months. The tolerability of the drug is good in combination therapy with various DMARDs.
Twenty-four-hour measurement of IOP in rabbits using rebound tonometer.

PURPOSE To observe the Intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements over a 24-h period in New Zealand white rabbits. METHODS Thirty-four normal New Zealand white rabbits (68 eyes) were included in this study. The IOP values were determined with a rebound tonometer (RBT, Icare VET). Measurements were always obtained in the right eye first. RESULTS The data showed that there was no significant difference in IOP between measurements, which indicated that the RBT showed good repeatability in this study (P = 0.920). There was no statistically significant difference between genders (P = 0.943). The IOP in right eyes was a little higher than left eyes (F = 45.96, P < 0.001). Comparison of the true IOP and RBT results over the entire pressure range (8-100 mmHg) revealed a statistically significant difference between them (P < 0.001). The mean difference between the RBT and true IOP (RBT-True IOP) was -22.65 ± 9.52 mmHg with 95% confidence interval (-27.1, -18.2 mmHg). In the light period (7 AM to 7 PM), the IOP was a little lower than during the dark period (8 PM to 6 AM); 9 AM and 2 PM were the lowest measurements (10 mmHg, 9.625 mmHg), and 10 AM (14.125 mmHg)was the highest measurement during the 24-h period. CONCLUSIONS The IOP obtained by RBT underestimated the true IOP but the RBT had a good repeatability in IOP measurements. In the light period (7 AM to 7 PM), the IOP was a little lower than during the dark period (8 PM to 6 AM), which may be beneficial to the intervention therapy observation of glaucoma research in rabbits.
Single-unit selectivity to azimuthal direction and sound pressure level of noise bursts in cat high-frequency primary auditory cortex.

1. The azimuth and sound pressure level (SPL) selectivities of single-unit responses recorded in primary auditory cortex of barbiturate-anesthetized cats were studied by the use of broadband noise bursts delivered in the free field from a moveable loud-speaker. The experiments were carried out with cats located inside a quasianechoic sound-isolation chamber. We studied 71 units with relatively stable response properties. All units were located in the frequency representation between 5.8 and 31 kHz. The data obtained for each unit were displayed as an azimuth-level response area, a contour plot that displays the distribution of response magnitude as a joint function of SPL and azimuth at 0 degrees elevation. From these, azimuth and level functions were obtained to derive descriptors of azimuth and level selectivity. 2. Sensitivity to sound-source azimuth was assessed from the modulation of the average azimuth function (average of azimuth functions obtained to each SPL of noise that was presented) for each unit. The sample was arbitrarily divided into a high-directionality (HD) group (66%) whose average azimuth functions had modulation values of greater than or equal to 75% and a low-directionality (LD) group (34%). The distinction between HD and LD groups was made so that we could analyze the characteristics of units likely to be involved in the representation of sound-source azimuth. 3. There is an overrepresentation of the contralateral sound field and the midline in the sample of HD units. The preferred sector for each unit was defined as the range of azimuths within the frontal sound field throughout which unit response was greater than or equal to 75% of maximum. Each unit was classified as either midline preferring (17%, the midpoint of the preferred sector, i.e., best azimuth, was located within 5 degrees of the midline), contralateral preferring (60%), or ipsilateral preferring (23%). The ratio of contralateral- to ipsilateral-preferring units was 2.5:1. A higher proportion of units had best azimuths located in the 10 degrees sector centered on the midline than in any other 10 degrees sector of the frontal sound field. 4. In one animal, recordings were obtained at seven closely spaced sites in layer IV from single- and multiunit responses, which were narrowly tuned to both azimuth and SPL. The units located along a 1-mm length of an isofrequency strip were tuned to similar frequencies and SPLs but had five distinctly different directional preferences distributed throughout the entire frontal sound field. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Enriched environment exposure regulates excitability, synaptic transmission, and LTP in the dentate gyrus of freely moving rats

Performance in hippocampus‐dependent and other tasks can be improved by exposure to an enriched environment (EE), but the physiological changes in neural function that may mediate these effects are poorly understood. To date, there have been conflicting reports regarding potential mechanisms, such as an increase in basal synaptic transmission, an increase in cell excitability, or altered synaptic plasticity. Here, we reexamined in freely moving animals the conditions under which varying degrees of EE exposure might lead to increases in synaptic or neural function in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Adult male Sprague‐Dawley rats were chronically implanted with stimulating and recording electrodes in the perforant path and dentate gyrus, respectively, and housed singly in standard cages. After stable recordings were established for field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) and population spikes (PSs), the effects of various degrees of periodic novel environment exposure for 19 days were assessed. Exposure to an EE increased fEPSPs, but only when animals were kept in nominally low‐stress housing conditions. An increase in granule‐cell excitability, as evidenced by PS increases, was induced by all environmental treatments with the greatest effect being induced by overnight EE exposure. EE exposure did not change the level of long‐term potentiation (LTP) induced by a moderate high‐frequency tetanus, but continued EE exposure post‐tetanus produced a significantly faster decay of LTP relative to control animals. These results suggest that, in adult animals, EE exposure may augment hippocampal information processing, but may also speed turnover of information in the hippocampus during the maintenance period. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Requirement of glutathione for Sod1 activation during lifespan extension

It has been shown that the activation of cytosolic superoxide dismutase (Sod1) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is only dependent on Ccs1, which is responsible for insertion of copper into the enzyme catalytic center, and that glutathione (GSH) is not necessary for this process. In this work, we addressed an important role of GSH in Sod1 activation by a Ccs1‐dependent mechanism during oxidative stress and its role in yeast lifespan. Exponential cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, treated or not with 0.5 mM menadione for 1 h, were used for evaluation of the effect of a mild oxidative stress pre‐treatment on chronological lifespan. The results showed that menadione induced a lifespan extension in the wild‐type (WT) strain but this adaptive response was repressed in gsh1 and in sod1 strains. Interestingly, menadione treatment increased SOD1 and CCS1 gene expression in both WT and gsh1 strains. However, while these strains showed the same Sod1 activity before treatment, only the WT presented an increase of Sod1 activity after menadione exposure. Glutathionylation seems to be essential for Sod1 activation since no increase in activity was observed after menadione treatment in grx1 and grx2 null mutants. Our results suggest that GSH and glutathionylation are fundamental to protect Sod1 sulfhydryl residues under mild oxidative stress, enabling Sod1 activation and lifespan extension. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Abnormal Frontal Plane Knee Mechanics During Sidestep Cutting in Female Soccer Athletes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Return to Sport

Background: Athletes who have undergone anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) have a high risk of reinjury upon the return to sports participation. While the mechanisms behind this increased risk of reinjury are unknown, it has been suggested that altered knee biomechanics during sports-specific activities may be a contributing factor. Purpose/Hypothesis: To compare frontal plane knee joint angles and moments during a sidestep cutting maneuver in female soccer athletes who have undergone ACLR with those in athletes with no history of knee injury. It was hypothesized that athletes with a history of ACLR would exhibit increased knee abduction angles and knee adductor moments compared with those with no history of injury. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Twelve female soccer players with a history of ACLR served as the experimental group, and 12 female soccer players with no history of knee injury constituted the control group. Three-dimensional kinematics and ground-reaction forces were collected while each participant performed a sidestep cutting maneuver. Variables of interest included the knee abduction angle and knee adductor moment during the early deceleration phase of the cutting maneuver. Independent-samples t tests were used to evaluate differences between groups (P ≤ .05). Results: Participants in the ACLR group exhibited increased average knee abduction angles (ACLR: 3.8° vs control: 1.8°; P = .03) and peak knee adductor moments (ACLR: 1.33 N·m/kg vs control: 0.80 N·m/kg; P = .004) compared with the control group. Conclusion: Female soccer players who have undergone ACLR and returned to sports participation exhibited increased knee abduction angles and knee adductor moments during the early deceleration phase of cutting compared with their healthy counterparts with no history of knee injury. Clinical Relevance: Even though athletes are able to return to sport after ACLR, they are at an increased risk for reinjury. It may be the case that the increased frontal plane knee angles and moments exhibited by these athletes after ACLR could be contributing to this risk for reinjury. Therefore, it is important that rehabilitation programs after ACLR include the restoration of frontal plane knee mechanics.