Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of occurrence of hallux valgus based on images from podoscope in children

Inroduction and aim of the study. Hallux valgus is a deformity where there is a lateral deviation of the proximal phalanx of the big toe. The objective of the study was investigation of the occurrence of hallux valgus based on the image from a podoscope in children, examination of the effect of ill-fitted footwear on the development of this complaint. The study covered 184 children, aged 7-13. The children were examined in their underwear, without shoes and socks. Body weight and body height was measured. The image of the feet on a podoscope was done at full load. The hallux valgus angle α, the Clarke’s angle and the Wejsflog’s index were calculated. The software calculated the correct size of the footwear which should be worn by the children. This size was compared with the size of the shoes which a child had during the examination. Results. The problem of hallux valgus affects 26% of the children. Hallux valgus more frequently concerned the left foot. In 8% of cases hallux valgus concerned both feet. Conclusions. Hallux valgus in the examined group more often concerned girls than boys. The hallux valgus angle α increased with age. Children who had a normal hallux valgus angle α had higher values of the Clarke’s angle. In the group
Specific and generic stem biomass and volume models of tree species in a West African tropical semi-deciduous forest

Specific and generic and models of in a Abstract The quantification of the contribution of tropical forests to global carbon stocks and climate change mitigation requires availability of data and tools such as allometric equations. This study made available volume and biomass models for eighteen tree species in a semi-deciduous tropical forest in West Africa. Generic models were also developed for the forest ecosystem, and basic wood density determined for the tree species. Non-destructive sampling approach was carried out on five hundred and one sample trees to analyse stem volume and biomass. From the modelling of volume and biomass as functions of diameter at breast height (Dbh) and stem height, logarithmic models had better predictive capabilities. The model validation showed that in absence of data on height, models using Dbh only as variable was an alternative. The comparison of basic wood densities to data published in literature enabled to conclude that the non-destructive sampling was a good approach to determining reliable basic wood density. The comparative analysis of species-specific models in this study with selected generic models for tropical forests indicated low probability to identify effective generic models with good predictive ability for biomass. Given tree species richness of tropical forests, the study demonstrated the hypothesis that species-specific models are preferred to generic models, and concluded that further research should be oriented towards development of specific models to cover the full range of dominant tree species of African forests.
Invited Review: How sleep deprivation affects gene expression in the brain: a review of recent findings

Cirelli, Chiara. Invited Review: How sleep deprivation affects gene expression in the brain: a review of recent findings. J Appl Physiol 92: 394–400, 2002. —The identification of the molecular correlates of sleep and wakefulness is essential to understand the restorative processes occurring during sleep, the cellular mechanisms underlying sleep regulation, and the functional consequences of sleep loss. To determine what molecular changes occur in the brain during the sleep-waking cycle and after sleep deprivation, our laboratory is performing a systematic screening of brain gene expression in rats that have been either sleeping or spontaneously awake for a few hours and in rats that have been sleep deprived for different periods of time ranging from a few hours to several days. So far, ;10,000 transcripts expressed in the cerebral cortex have been screened. The expression of the vast majority of these genes does not change either across behavioral states or after sleep deprivation, even when forced wakefulness is prolonged for several days. A few hours of wakefulness, either spontaneous or forced by sleep deprivation, increase the expression of the same small groups of genes: immediate-early genes/transcription factors, genes related to energy metabolism, growth factors/adhesion molecules, chaperones/heat shock proteins, vesicleand synapse-related genes, neurotransmitter/hormone receptors, neurotransmitter transporters, and enzymes. Sleep, on the other hand, induces the expression of a few unknown transcripts whose characterization is in progress. Thus, although the characterization of the molecular correlates of behavioral states is not yet complete, it is already apparent that the transition from sleep to waking can affect basic cellular functions such as RNA and protein synthesis, neural plasticity, neurotransmission, and metabolism. The pattern of changes in gene expression after long periods of sleep deprivation is unique and does not resemble that of shortterm sleep deprivation or spontaneous wakefulness. A notable exception is represented, however, by the enzyme arylsulfotransferase, whose induction appears to be proportional to the duration of previous wakefulness. Arylsulfotransferase in rodents plays a major role in the catabolism of catecholamines, suggesting that an important role for sleep may be that of interrupting the continuous activity, during wakefulness, of brain catecholaminergic systems.
DDDT_A_336643 305..314

The progesterone receptor (PR) modulates estrogen receptors α (ERα) action in breast cancer; it is an upregulated target gene of ER, and its expression is dependent on estrogen. PR is also a valuable prognostic biomarker in breast cancer, especially in hormone-positive breast cancer. High expression of PR is more frequently observed in tumors with a better baseline prognosis (ie, luminal A) than tumors with a poor baseline prognosis (ie, luminal B). In the following review, we present the role of PR in breast cancer, including the genomic characteristics and pathways in breast cancer, PR and endocrine therapy.
Ca 2 1 -Permeable Channels in the Plasma Membrane of Arabidopsis Pollen Are Regulated by Actin Microﬁlaments 1

Cytosolic free Ca 2 1 and actin microﬁlaments play crucial roles in regulation of pollen germination and tube growth. The focus of this study is to test the hypothesis that Ca 2 1 channels, as well as channel-mediated Ca 2 1 inﬂuxes across the plasma membrane (PM) of pollen and pollen tubes, are regulated by actin microﬁlaments and that cytoplasmic Ca 2 1 in pollen and pollen tubes is consequently regulated. In vitro Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) pollen germination and tube growth were signiﬁcantly inhibited by Ca 2 1 channel blockers La 3 1 or Gd 3 1 and F-actin depolymerization regents. The inhibitory effect of cytochalasin D (CD) or cytochalasin B (CB) on pollen germination and tube growth was enhanced by increasing external Ca 2 1 . Ca 2 1 ﬂuorescence imaging showed that addition of actin depolymerization reagents signiﬁcantly increased cytoplasmic Ca 2 1 levels in pollen protoplasts and pollen tubes, and that cytoplasmic Ca 2 1 increase induced by CD or CB was abolished by addition of Ca 2 1 channel blockers. By using patch-clamp techniques, we identiﬁed the hyperpolarization-activated inward Ca 2 1 currents across the PM of Arabidopsis pollen protoplasts. The activity of Ca 2 1 -permeable channels was stimulated by CB or CD, but not by phalloidin. However, preincubation of the pollen protoplasts with phalloidin abolished the effects of CD or CB on the channel activity. The presented results demonstrate that the Ca 2 1 -permeable channels exist in Arabidopsis pollen and pollen tube PMs, and that dynamic actin microﬁlaments regulate Ca 2 1 channel activity and may consequently regulate cytoplasmic Ca 2 1 .
NDT_A_258074 3071..3079

Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China Purpose: Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are at high risk of cognitive impairment. In addition to persistent seizures and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), genetic factors also play an important role in the progression of cognitive deficits in TLE patients. Defining a cognitive endophenotype for TLE can provide information on the risk of cognitive impairment in patients. This study investigated the cognitive endophenotype of TLE by comparing neuropsychological function between patients with TLE, their unaffected siblings, and healthy control subjects. Patients and Methods: A total of 46 patients with TLE, 26 siblings, and 33 control subjects were recruited. Cognitive function (ie, general cognition, shortand long-term memory, attention, visuospatial and executive functions, and working memory) was assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tests. Differences between groups were evaluated by analysis of covariance, with age and years of education as covariates. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to evaluate data that did not satisfy the homogeneity of variance assumption. Pairwise comparisons were adjusted by Bonferroni correction, with a significance threshold of P<0.05. Results: Patients with TLE showed deficits in the information test (P<0.001), arithmetic test (P=0.003), digit symbol substitution test (P=0.001), block design test (BDT; P=0.005), and backward digit span test (P=0.001) and took a longer time to complete the Hayling test Part A (P=0.011) compared to controls. Left TLE patients tended to have worse executive function test scores than right TLE patients. The siblings of TLE patients showed deficits in the BDT (P=0.006, Bonferroni-corrected) relative to controls. Conclusion: Patients with TLE exhibit cognitive impairment. Executive function is worse in patients with left TLE than in those with right TLE. Siblings show impaired visuospatial function relative to controls. Thus, cognitive deficits in TLE patients have a genetic component and are independent of seizures or AED use.
NSS_A_297707 339..348

1Department of Sleep Medicine, Shantou University Mental Health Center, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, People’s Republic of China; 2Sleep Medicine Center, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; 4Sleep Medicine Center, Translational Neuroscience Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China Background: Sympathetic activation is a primary mechanism mediating increased blood pressure (BP) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the relationships between overweight/obesity, sympathetic activation and BP in OSA are not well understood. We hypothesized that increased sympathetic drive is associated with increased BP in normal weight, but not in overweight/obese males with OSA. We therefore examined the effects of body mass index (BMI) on the association between sympathetic activation and BP in males with OSA. Methods: We studied 115 males with OSA recruited consecutively from clinic. Twenty-fourhour urinary norepinephrine was used to assess sympathetic activation. Blood pressure was measured both in the evening and in the morning. Hypertension was defined based on either BP measurements or an existing diagnosis. Linear and logistic regressions were conducted to examine the associations between sympathetic activation and both BP and risk of hypertension. Results: We found 24-hour urinary norepinephrine levels were associated with systolic and diastolic BP (SBP, β=0.157, p=0.082; DBP, β=0.212, p=0.023) and mean arterial pressure (MAP, β=0.198, p=0.032) after adjusting for confounders. Interestingly, these associations were modified by overweight/obesity. After adjusting for confounders, increased 24-hour urinary norepinephrine levels were significantly associated with elevated SBP (β=0.454, p=0.012), DBP (β=0.399, p=0.041), and MAP (β=0.432, p=0.023) in normal weight, but not in overweight/obese patients (all p>0.2). Similar findings were observed in the associations between 24-hour urinary norepinephrine levels and hypertension. Conclusion: Sympathetic activation is associated with elevated BP in normal weight but not in overweight/obese males with OSA, suggesting that BMI may moderate the association between sympathetic activation and BP in males with OSA.
3-D measurement of aortic annulus dimensions using area or circumference for TAVR valve sizing. Does it make a difference?

The use of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is increasing worldwide. We present our 6-year experience using 3-D TEE and investigate if different sizing methods of the aortic annulus lead to different prosthesis size that may impact on outcome. We investigated 262 patients who underwent TAVR and had 3D TEE datasets of the aortic annulus. We have used the area-derived diameter (D area =2 √(𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎/𝜋) ) and the circumference-derived diameter ( D circ =Circumference/π) to size the prosthesis in separate populations in different time periods. different size, of which 44 (16.7%) would definitely have had a different valve implanted. Using the aortic annulus area or circumference to calculate the annular diameter provides different values. Comparing the two methods, a different prosthesis size could have been implanted in 26.7% of patients. In our series the use of circumference-derived diameter resulted in lower incidence of PVAR. The findings of this study may be independent of the imaging modality and may therefore also apply to CT based aortic annulus measurements, but this needs to be further investigated.
Hashin–Shtrikman bounds and their attainability for multi-phase composites

In this paper, we consider the problem of characterizing the set of the effective tensors of multi-phase composites, including those of conductive materials and elastic materials. We ﬁrst present a novel derivation of the Hashin–Shtrikman (HS) bounds for multi-phase composites and the associated attainment condition. The attainment condition asserts that the HS bound is attainable if, and only if, there exists a second gradient ﬁeld that is constant in all but the matrix phases. By restricting and constructing such second gradient ﬁelds, we obtain a series of sufﬁcient conditions such that the HS bounds are attainable or unattainable. These attainability and unattainability results appear new for a generic situation. For special situations, our attainability and unattainability results recover the results of Milton (1981 Phys. Rev. Lett. 46 , 542–545), Sigmund (2000 J. Mech. Phys. Solids 48 , 397–428), Gibiansky & Sigmund (2000 J. Mech. Phys. Solids 48 , 461–498) and Albin et al. (2007 a J. Mech. Phys. Solids 55 , 1513–1553).
During Allogeneic Activation and CD4 Expression on T Lymphocytes Coregulation of CXC Chemokine Receptor

Upon activation, naive T cells alter their migratory patterns, acquiring the ability to move through peripheral tissues as well as the general lymphoid circulation. Although the mechanisms responsible for these alterations are not well understood, changes in chemokine receptor expression may play a critical role. To investigate these changes, the expression patterns of two chemokine receptors, CXCR3 and CXCR4, were compared on CD4 1 T cells following activation in the MLR. By day 9 of activation, expression of the inﬂammatory chemokine receptor CXCR3 was up-regulated, while expression of the homeostatic chemokine receptor CXCR4 was down-regulated. Alterations in receptor expression occurred almost exclusively on a subpopulation of T cells that expressed higher levels of CD4. These CD4 high T cells demonstrated many characteristics of activated T cells and had undergone division in the MLR. By day 9 of culture, the majority of CXCR3 1 and CXCR4 2 cells had divided and had acquired an activated/memory phenotype (CD45RA 2 CD45RO 1 CD69 1 CD25 1 ). The levels of transcripts for both CXCR3 and CXCR4 were increased upon allo-activation. The discrepancy between levels of CXCR4 mRNA and surface protein was not due to sequestration of the receptor in intracellular compartments, as CXCR4 was not detectable intracellularly. However, intracellular CXCR3 was readily detectable. Finally, cells from allogeneic cultures demonstrated enhanced migration toward IFN-inducible T cell a chemoattractant and reduced migration toward stromal cell-derived factor-1 compared with syngeneic controls, thus suggesting that the observed switch in receptor expression may at least partly contribute to the differential patterns of migration displayed by naive and memory T cells. The Journal of Immunology, 2001, 166: 4870–4878.
Identification and structural characterization of lipid A from Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas taiwanensis using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry

Rationale: Lipid A is a part of the lipopolysaccharide layer, which is a main component of the outer membrane from Gram-negative bacteria. It can be sensed by mammalians to identify the presence of Gram-negative bacteria in their tissues and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of bacterial infections. Lipid A is also used as an adjuvant in human vaccines, emphasizing the importance of its structural analysis. Methods: In order to distinguish and characterize various lipid A species, a liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed. Isolation of lipid A from different bacteria was carried out using a modified Bligh and Dyer extraction following a mild acid hydrolysis. Chromatography was performed using a bifunctional reversed-phase-based stationary phase. High-resolution MS using negative electrospray ionization was applied and MS/MS experiments utilizing high-energy collisional dissociation generated diagnostic product ions, which allowed the assignment of the side chains to distinct positions of the lipid A backbone. Results: The method was applied to lipid A isolations of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), Pseudomonas putida ( P. putida ) and Pseudomonas taiwanensis ( P. taiwanensis ). Various lipid A species were identified by their accurate masses and their structures were characterized using MS/MS experiments. Previously described lipid A structures from E.
Analytical approach for investigation of Hollow Cathode Orifice

: Prediction of hollow cathode orifice is one of the most important goals of a well performed design; engineers need simple design tools for a quantitative prediction of the orifice erosion. A recent work [1] suggests the use of an analytical solution in contrast to two-dimensional numerical models, generally very hard to develop. In this work, a global model is coupled with an analytical orifice model. The orifice model solves a simplified quasi-one dimensional flow with the use of mass balance for each species, diffusion drift equation in the radial direction and convection drift equation for ions in axial direction. The use of Dirichlet boundary conditions for plasma and neutral densities, extracted current and plasma potential allows for a full characterization of quantities involved in the erosion sputtering of the orifice wall. Comparison are given with experimental data and existing literature for neutralizer NSTAR [2] at full power with extracted 3. 26𝐴 and mass flow of 3.7 × 10 −7 𝑘𝑔/𝑠 .
ANALYSIS OF EFFECT OF PROBIOTICS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF GASTRIC DISEASES IN PAKISTAN

: Introduction: Functional medical disorders, by definition, lack objective physical, metabolic, or neurological explanations for their symptom presentations. Diagnosis of these disorders, like diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, is based entirely on subjective complaints. Aims and objectives: The basic aim of the study is to find the role of probiotics for the management of different types of Gastric diseases in Pakistan. Material and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at DHQ hospital, Narowal during 2018 with the permission of ethical committee of hospital. A wide variety of probiotic species are available, but the most investigated are species of Lactobacillus (L acidophilus, L rhamnosus, L bulgaricus, L reuteri, L casei) and Bifidobacterium. Additional probiotic species include Saccharomyces boulardii, Streptococcus and Enterococcus species, Propionibacterium species, and Escherichia coli. We find the role of probiotics in different gastric problems in local population of Pakistan. The data was collected through a questionnaire which describes about the role of probiotics. Results: Probiotics are available in a wide variety of formulations ranging from tablets and powders to yogurts, milk, and juices. Physicians tend to recommend tablets and powders; other formulations are heavily promoted by direct-to-consumer marketing. The role of the diet in health and wellbeing
Assessing Intra-Event Phosphorus Dynamics in Drainage Water Using Phosphate Stable Oxygen Isotopes

A BSTRACT . Quantifying fluxes and pathways of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in tile-drained landscapes has been hampered by a lack of in situ measurements that are sensitive to P fate and transport processes. One potential tool to help understand these dynamics is the oxygen isotope signature of phosphate (  18 O PO4 ); however, its potential benefits and limitations are not well understood for intra-event dynamics at the field scale. The objectives of this study were to quantify intra-event variability of  18 O PO4 signatures in tile drainage water and assess the efficacy of  18 O PO4 to elucidate mechanisms and flow pathways controlling DRP transport to tile drains. We collected water samples during a summer storm event from a subsurface (tile)-drained field located in west-central Ohio and analyzed for  18 O PO4 of DRP. Supplementary water quality measurements, hydrologic modeling, and soil temperature data were used to help understand intra-event  18 O PO4 dynamics. Results of the soil extraction analysis from our study site highlight that the soil water-extractable P (WEP) pool was not in equilibrium with long-term, temperature-dependent water isotope values. This result suggests that P-rich soils may, at least partially, retain their original source signature, which has significant implications for identifying hotspots of P delivery in watershed-scale applications. Results of the storm event analysis highlight that equilibration of leached DRP in soil water creates a gradient between isotopic compositions of pre-event shallow subsurface sources, pre-event deep subsurface sources, and the WEP tied up in surface soils. The current study represents the first intra-event analysis of  18 O PO4 and highlights the potential for phosphate oxygen isotopes as a novel tool to improve understanding of P fate and transport in artificially drained agroecosystems