Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loss of Dkk-1 in Osteocytes Mitigates Alveolar Bone Loss in Mice With Periodontitis

Background: Periodontitis is a highly prevalent infection-triggered inflammatory disease that results in bone loss. Inflammation causes bone resorption by osteoclasts, and also by suppression of bone formation via increase of Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1), an inhibitor of Wnt signaling. Here, we tested the hypothesis that osteocytic Dkk-1 is a key factor in the pathogenesis of periodontitis-induced alveolar bone loss (ABL). Methods: Twelve-week-old female mice with a constitutive deletion of Dkk-1 specifically in osteocytes (Dkk-1fl/fl;Dmp1:Cre) were subjected to experimental periodontitis (EP). Cre-negative littermates served as controls. EP was induced by placing a ligature around the upper 2nd left molar, the contralateral side was used as control. Mice were killed after 11 days and maxillae removed for micro-CT and histological analyses. The mRNA expression of Dkk-1, Runx2, Osteocalcin, OPG, RANKL, RANKL/OPG ratio, LEF-1, and TCF-7 were assessed in maxillae, while mRNA expressions of TNF and IL-1 were evaluated on gingiva using real-time PCR. Blood samples were collected for Dkk-1, CTX, and P1NP measurement by ELISA. Results: The deletion of Dkk-1 in osteocytes prevented ABL in mice with EP, compared to Cre-negative control mice with EP. Micro-CT analysis showed a significant reduction of bone loss (−28.5%) in EP Dkk-1fl/fl;Dmp1:Cre-positive mice compared to their littermate controls. These mice showed a greater alveolar bone volume, bone mineral density, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness after EP when compared to the Cre-negative controls. The local expression in maxillae as well as the serum levels of Dkk-1 were reduced in Dkk-1fl/fl;Dmp1:Cre-positive mice with EP. The transgenic mice submitted to EP showed increase of P1NP and reduction of CTX-I serum levels, and increase of TCF-7 expression. Histological analysis displayed less inflammatory infiltrates, a reduction of TNF and IL-1 expressions in the gingiva and fewer osteoclasts in Cre-positive animals with EP. Moreover, in mice with EP, the osteocytic deletion of Dkk-1 enhanced bone formation due to increased expressions of Runx2 and Osteocalcin and decreased expression of RANKL in maxillae. Conclusion: In summary, Dkk-1 derived from osteocytes plays a crucial role in ABL in periodontitis.
Revisiting the Integration of China Into the World Crude Oil Market: The Role of Structural Breaks

The China’s crude oil futures market (INE market), as it was first launched in late March of 2018, quickly draws much attention from global investors. In reference to the high frequency data, this research explores how well this new product reacts efficiently to international influences and to what extent it can be integrated with traditional benchmarks such as WTI and Brent. The multivariate GARCH models are employed to capture the cross-market time-varying correlations, return and volatility spillovers, which are modified by incorporating the detected structural breaks in the return dynamics to improve the accuracy of model estimates. Empirical results indicate a strong integration of INE market with these international benchmarks. A high but time-varying correlation is observed with recurring highs around 0.7. Spillover effects have included significant bidirectional return and volatility spillovers between the INE and the international benchmark markets. Secondly, INE market appears to interact better with the Brent market than with the WTI market. Thirdly, structural breaks can influence correlations, the portfolio weights and hedge ratios. Lastly, the correlation between crude oil futures markets decreases significantly during the periods when structural breaks caused by economic and/or geopolitical events are identified. These findings have important implications in policy makings and economic decisions on portfolio management and hedging strategies.
Role of FGF10/FGFR2b Signaling in Mouse Digestive Tract Development, Repair and Regeneration Following Injury

During embryonic development, the rudimentary digestive tract is initially a tube-like structure. It is composed of epithelial cells surrounded by mesenchymal cells. Reciprocal epithelial–mesenchymal interactions progressively subdivide this primitive tube into distinct functional regions: the tongue, the pharynx, the esophagus, the stomach, the duodenum, the small intestine, the cecum, the large intestine, the colon, and the anus as well as the pancreas and the liver. Fibroblast growth factors (Fgfs) constitute a family of conserved small proteins playing crucial roles during organogenesis, homeostasis, and repair after injury. Among them, fibroblast growth factor 10 (Fgf10) has been reported to orchestrate epithelial–mesenchymal interactions during digestive tract development. In mice, loss of function of Fgf10 as well as its receptor fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b (Fgfr2b) lead to defective taste papillae in the tongue, underdeveloped and defective differentiation of the stomach, duodenal, cecal, and colonic atresias, anorectal malformation, as well as underdeveloped pancreas and liver. Fgf signaling through Fgfr2b receptor is also critical for the repair process after gut injury. In the adult mice, a malabsorption disorder called small bowel syndrome is triggered after massive small bowel resection (SBR). In wild-type mice, SBR leads to a regenerative process called gut adaptation characterized by an increase in the diameter of the remaining small intestine as well as by the presence of deeper crypts and longer villi, altogether leading to increased intestinal surface. Intestinal stem cells are key for this regeneration process. Induction of Fgf10 expression in the Paneth cells located in the crypt following SBR suggests a critical role for this growth factor in the process of gut adaptation.
Differential Circular RNA Expression Profiles Following Spinal Cord Injury in Rats: A Temporal and Experimental Analysis

Spinal cord injury (SCI), one of the most severe types of neurological damage, results in persistent motor and sensory dysfunction and involves complex gene alterations. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a recently discovered class of regulatory molecules, and their roles in SCI still need to be addressed. This study comprehensively investigated circRNA alterations in rats across a set time course (days 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28) after hemisection SCI at the right T9 site. A total of 360 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified using RNA sequencing. From these, the functions of the exonic circRNA_01477 were further explored in cultured spinal cord astrocytes. Knockdown of circRNA_01477 significantly inhibited astrocyte proliferation and migration. The circRNA_01477/microRNAs (miRNA)/messenger RNA (mRNA) interaction network was visualized following microarray assay. Among the downregulated differentially expressed mRNAs, four of the seven validated genes were controlled by miRNA-423-5p. We then demonstrated that miRNA-423-5p is significantly upregulated after circRNA_01477 depletion. In summary, this study provides, for the first time, a systematic evaluation of circRNA alterations following SCI and an insight into the transcriptional regulation of the genes involved. It further reveals that circRNA_01477/miR-423-5p could be a key regulator involved in regulating the changeable regeneration environment that occurs during recovery from SCI.
The Co-inhibitor BTLA Is Functional in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis and Suppresses Th17 Cells

Objectives: The activation and inhibition of T-cells has been well-studied under physiological conditions. Co-inhibition is an important mechanism to keep effector T-cells in check. Co-inhibitors mediate peripheral self-tolerance and limit the immune response. Dysfunctional co-inhibition is associated with loss of T-cell regulation and induction of autoimmunity. Therefore, we investigated the co-inhibitor B- and T-Lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Methods: Fifty-six AAV patients and 32 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Flow cytometry was performed to investigate the expression of BTLA on T-cells. Double negative T-cells were defined as CD3+CD4−CD8−. To assess the functionality of BTLA, CFSE-labeled T-cells were stimulated in presence or absence of an agonistic anti-BTLA antibody. In addition, impact of BTLA-mediated co-inhibition on Th17 cells was studied. Results: AAV patients in remission had a decreased expression of BTLA on double negative T-cells (CD3+CD4−CD8−). On all other subtypes of T-cells, expression of BTLA was comparable to healthy controls. TCR-independent stimulation of T-cells resulted in down-regulation of BTLA on Th cells in AAV and HC, being significantly lower in HC. Co-inhibition via BTLA led to suppression of T-cell proliferation in AAV as well as in HC. As a result of BTLA mediated co-inhibition, Th17 cells were suppressed to the same extent in AAV and HC. Conclusion: BTLA expression is altered on double negative T-cells but not on other T-cell subsets in quiescent AAV. BTLA-induced co-inhibition has the capacity to suppress Th17 cells and is functional in AAV. Thus, BTLA-mediated co-inhibition might be exploited for future targeted therapies in AAV.
Indices of Effect Existence and Significance in the Bayesian Framework

Turmoil has engulfed psychological science. Causes and consequences of the reproducibility crisis are in dispute. With the hope of addressing some of its aspects, Bayesian methods are gaining increasing attention in psychological science. Some of their advantages, as opposed to the frequentist framework, are the ability to describe parameters in probabilistic terms and explicitly incorporate prior knowledge about them into the model. These issues are crucial in particular regarding the current debate about statistical significance. Bayesian methods are not necessarily the only remedy against incorrect interpretations or wrong conclusions, but there is an increasing agreement that they are one of the keys to avoid such fallacies. Nevertheless, its flexible nature is its power and weakness, for there is no agreement about what indices of “significance” should be computed or reported. This lack of a consensual index or guidelines, such as the frequentist p-value, further contributes to the unnecessary opacity that many non-familiar readers perceive in Bayesian statistics. Thus, this study describes and compares several Bayesian indices, provide intuitive visual representation of their “behavior” in relationship with common sources of variance such as sample size, magnitude of effects and also frequentist significance. The results contribute to the development of an intuitive understanding of the values that researchers report, allowing to draw sensible recommendations for Bayesian statistics description, critical for the standardization of scientific reporting.
An alternative methodology for clinical skill-mix review: a pilot case study with a primary health care team

Clinical skill mix is acknowledged to be one solution to the problem of providing high quality health care within a framework of restricted resources within the British National Health Service (NHS), but there are methodological difficulties inherent in its effective implementation. Of particular relevance here is the problem of taking accurate measurements of clinical outcomes following a set of treatment inputs, which contributes to the inconclusive and disappointing results of skill-mix reviews. This paper considers an alternative methodology which, rather than looking at clinical and fiscal outcomes as the primary indices of a successful skill mix, focuses on the relevance of task inputs within a given clinical domain. Using a psychometrically valid and reliable instrument, health care practitioners in a large primary health care team were asked to evaluate both the importance of a range of job tasks to the provision of quality care within their primary care role and their performance on them. Any perceived skill deficits thus revealed could inform either the commissioning of further training to improve performance levels or, alternatively, the future selection of staff to compensate for skills shortfall. The technique, although at an early stage of development for use in this way, is none the less potentially valuable for conducting skill mix-reviews and informing planning and education.
Prospective Analysis of The Insulin-Resistance Syndrome (Syndrome X)

Many studies have shown that hyperinsulinemia and/or insulin resistance are related to various metabolic and physiological disorders including hypertension, dyslipidemia, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. This syndrome has been termed Syndrome X. An important limitation of previous studies has been that they all have been cross sectional, and thus the presence of insulin resistance could be a consequence of the underlying metabolic disorders rather than its cause. We examined the relationship of fasting insulin concentration (as an indicator of insulin resistance) to the incidence of multiple metabolic abnormalities in the 8-yr follow-up of the cohort enrolled in the San Antonio Heart Study, a population-based study of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. In univariate analyses, fasting insulin was related to the incidence of the following conditions: hypertension, decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, increased triglyceride concentration, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Hyperinsulinemia was not related to increased low-density lipoprotein or total cholesterol concentration. In multivariate analyses, after adjustment for obesity and body fat distribution, fasting insulin continued to be significantly related to the incidence of decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased triglyceride concentrations and to the incidence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Baseline insulin concentrations were higher in subjects who subsequently developed multiple metabolic disorders. These results were not attributable to differences in baseline obesity and were similar in Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. These results support the existence of a metabolic syndrome and the relationship of that syndrome to multiple metabolic disorders by showing that elevations of insulin concentration precede the development of numerous metabolic disorders.
The roles of integrin-like proteins, tyrosine phosphorylation and F-actin in hyphal tip growth

v Abbreviations.vi Acknowledgements.viii Chapter 1 : General introduction . 1 1.1 Mechanism of tip growth and cell polarity.1 1.2 Integrins.6 1.2. 1 Structure of integrins.6 1.2. 2 Integrin activation: Current model of outside-in and inside-out signalling . 10 1.2. 3 Integrin-like proteins in oomycetes and fungi.16 1.2. 4 Integrin-like proteins in plants . 19 1.3 Relationship of integrins and tyrosine phosphorylation . 22 1.3. 1 Hemidesmosomes and focal adhesion sites in animal cells . 22 1.3. 2 The presence of tight adhesions in oomycetes fungi and plants . 25 1.3. 3 Protein cytoskeleton: actin and actin binding proteins . 27 1.3. 4 Actin and cell polarity . 28 1.3. 5 Actin and tip growth.30 1.3. 6 Actin-binding proteins (ABPs). 31 1.4 Aims of Thesis . 34 Table of
Closing the health and equalities gap: an international perspective.

This report presents an analysis of official documents on government policies to tackle inequalities in health from 13 developed countries. All countries recognize that health inequalities are caused by adverse socioeconomic and environmental circumstances. However they differ in their definitions of inequalities and in their approaches to tackling the problem. Sweden and Northern Ireland have structured their overall public health policy to tackle the underlying determinants of inequalities in health. England is the only country with a separate comprehensive policy. Most countries also have policies on poverty, social inclusion, and social justice. These are motivated by a concern for human rights and dignity and deal primarily with the underlying causes of health inequalities. While broadly setting the same overarching goal, policies on health inequalities show many different features. Policymakers face two challenges: to ensure that strategies to tackle the macroenvironmental factors feature in policy on inequalities in health, and to ensure that health becomes a prominent issue in social justice policy. Few countries have a coordinated approach to tackling inequalities in health.
The Medicalization of Everyday Life

“Psychiatry is medicalization, through and through. Whatever aspect of psychiatry psychiatrists claim is not medicalization, is not medicalization only if it deals with proven disease, in which case it belongs to neurology, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neurochemistry, neuropharmacology, or neurosurgery, not psychiatry. ” The psychiatrist Thomas Szasz makes this claim in this collection of essays, the first of which was published in 1973. The book (the title plays on Freud’s The Psychopathology of Everyday Life ) is misnamed, however, because it deals almost only with psychiatric illness. Szasz is one of the proponents of the widespread so called anti-psychiatry movement, along with R D Laing, Michel Foucault, and Franco Basaglia. His other books include The Myth of Mental Illness (1960) …
Effect of Sarpogrelate in High fat diet induced Obesity in Rats

Objective: To evaluate the effect of sarpogrelate ( on high fat diet (HFD) induced obesity in rats. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed high fat diet for 8 weeks to induce obesity. At the end of 8 weeks, animals of Group-III were received sarpogrelate (1 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally) and Group-IV were received sibutramine (5 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally) for 3 weeks along with HFD. At the end of 11 week, parameters like body weight, food intake, serum cholesterol, HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol, LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol, VLDL (Very Low Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol, triglyceride and fat mass were measured to assess the efficacy. Results: Sarpogrelate significantly decreased food intake, body weight, serum cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, triglyceride and fat mass whereas significantly increased HDL cholesterol as compared to HFD group. Sarpogrelate also showed significantly lower epididymal and interscapular fat mass as compared to HFD group. Conclusion: Sarpogrelate possesses anticholesterolemic, antihyperlipidemic and antihypertriglyceridemic activity and thereby sarpogrelate might be used in the treatment of obesity. 5-HT receptor antagonist) 2A
Effect of Retrospective Electrocardiography-gating on Quality of High-resolution Computed Tomography Images of the Lung

Objective: To investigate the effect of retrospective electrocardiography-gating on the quality of highresolution computed tomography images of the lung. Patients and Methods: Between October 2002 and August 2003, a total of 50 patients underwent high-resolution computed tomography of the lung in a multidetector scanner with and without the use of the retrospectively electrocardiography-gated cine scanner mode. On each image, the presence of cardiac artefactrelated star-like features, ‘double tram’, and blurred cardiac borders was assessed independently by 3 radiologists who were blinded to the method of image acquisition. Results: Retrospectively electrocardiography-gated high-resolution computed tomography of the lung significantly reduced all 3 types of artefacts studied when compared with conventional high-resolution computed tomography. Not only was the frequency of each artefact reduced in the 300 gated scans analysed (p < 0.05), but scores for the overall presence of artefacts also more often indicated the presence of only 1 type or the absence of all 3 types of artefact (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Retrospective electrocardiography-gating improves image quality of high-resolution computed tomography scans of the lung by reducing cardiac motion artefacts that may mimic disease.
How random is the characteristic polynomial of a random matrix ?

Abstract Every monic, degree n polynomial in Fq[x;] is the characteristic polynomial of at least one n × n matrix (with entries in the finite field Fq), but they do not appear with equal frequency. There is no a priori reason that the characteristic polynomial of a typical matrix should resemble a typical monic degree n polynomial. Nevertheless, we prove a precise version of the following heuristic statement: ‘Excepting its small factors, the characteristic polynomial of a random matrix is random. ’
Associations Between Chronic Pain and Use of Pharmacotherapy for Smoking Cessation

Associations Between Chronic Pain and Use of Pharmacotherapy for Smoking Cessation. (August 2012) Emily Lynn Zale, B.A., University of Rochester Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Joseph W. Ditre Chronic pain and tobacco dependence are two highly prevalent and comorbid conditions. The rate of smoking among persons in pain may be greater than twice the rate observed in the general population. Smokers tend to experience more adverse paintreatment outcomes than do nonsmokers, and there is mounting evidence to suggest that smokers with comorbid pain disorders may have more difficulty abstaining from tobacco. The main goal of the current study was to examine cross-sectional relations between chronic pain status and past use of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation. We also tested associations between chronic pain status and frequency of past quit attempts. Data were derived from a nationally-representative survey of households in the continental United States. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, substance use, mood and anxiety disorders, and number of attempts to quit smoking, smokers with chronic pain were found to be 1.67 times more likely to endorse past use of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation, relative to smokers with no chronic pain. Chronic pain status was not associated with number of past attempts to quit smoking. These data suggest that smokers with chronic pain are motivated to quit smoking, and
NOSICIELSTWO I ZAKAZENIA PAŁECZKAMI Z RODZINY ENTEROBACTERIACEAE WYTWARZAJĄCYMI SZEROKO SPEKTRALNE BETA-LAKTAMAZY ESBL U PACJENTÓW ODDZIAŁU NIEMOWLĘCEGO KLINIKI PEDIATRII, HEMATOLOGII, ONKOLOGII I ENDOKRYNOLOGII GDAŃSKIEGO UNIWERSYTETU MEDYCZNEGO W LATACH 2002-2005

ESBL- producing bacteria from Enterobacteriaceae family have a great capability to spread in hospital setting. Especially Klebsiella pneumoniae i Escherichia coli create an epidemiological risk both to patients (prolonged hospitalization, higher mortality, more difficult therapy due to high degree of antibiotic resistance) and to hospitals (the need of isolation, use of very expensive antibiotics in case of active infection). Among 1413 3 patients aged 1 day to 5 months hospitalized between 2002 - 2005 in the Department of Infant Pathology and Haemostasis Disorders, ESBL positive strains were isolated in 128 patients (9.06%). As many as 85 children (66% of ESBL positive patients) were admitted to the ward during or after a course of antibiotic treatment. In 37 cases (28.9%) multiantibiotic therapy was used. Cephilosporines were used in 46 cases. Active infection caused by ESBL positive strains was diagnosed in 31 children (24%). Performing bacteriological screening tests on the first day of hospitalization and restrictive isolation management allowed to control the endemic situation.