Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interleukin-27 rs153109 polymorphism and the risk for immune thrombocytopenia

Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the interleukin-27 (IL-27) genes with the risk for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). In this case-control study, the genotyping of IL-27 rs153109 polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). In ITP patients, the frequencies of GG, GA and AA genotypes, and G and A alleles were 9.7%, 58.5%, 31.8%, 38.9% and 61.1%, respectively. There was no significant difference in genotype and alleles distribution between the ITP patient and the healthy controls (p = 0.68 and 0.80, respectively). Similar results were found between the two groups when stratified by the age and disease course including non-chronic adult, chronic adult, non-chronic childhood, and chronic childhood. In conclusion, the IL-27 polymorphism may not be involved in susceptibility to ITP in a Chinese population.
Co-operation between particulate and soluble guanylyl cyclase systems in the rat renal glomeruli.

ANP and NO act via different receptors, although inducing the common intracellular messenger - cyclic GMP. However, interaction between both factors remains unclear. Our observations suggested that in the rat kidney glomeruli, activities of the ANP- and NO-dependent guanylyl cyclase systems may be mutually compensated. To check this, we have tested effects of ANP and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on cGMP synthesis and relaxation of glomeruli contracted with angiotensin II. The glomeruli were isolated from Wistar rats receiving saline (Control), dexamethasone (DEX), deoxycorticosterone (DOCA) or N-c-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (NAME) for 1 or 2 days. In the DEX glomeruli exposed to 100 microM SNP, rate of cGMP synthesis was significantly higher then in the Control (26.3 vs 16.0 pmol/mg.prot./2 min., P<0.05), while 1 microM ANP was markedly less effective (2.8 vs 16.7 pmol/mg.prot./2 min in Control, P<0.01). On the contrary, in NAME group 1 microM ANP stimulated cGMP synthesis up to 35.6 pmol/mg.prot. /2 min whereas efficacy of SNP was slightly suppressed. High correlation coefficient (r = 0.979, p<0.01) indicates interrelationship between NO- and ANP-dependent cGMP synthesis. Ability of the glomeruli to relax in response to ANP or SNP was in accord to their ability to cGMP generation. This was confirmed by high correlation (r = 0.845, p<0.001) between degree of relaxation and rate of cGMP synthesis. Our results support strongly the hypothesis that both, ANP and NO dependent systems co-operate in regulation of the function of kidney glomeruli.
Diastolic ventricular interactions in endurance-trained athletes during orthostatic stress.

Enhanced left-ventricular (LV) compliance is a common adaptation to endurance training. This adaptation may have differential effects under conditions of altered venous return. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the effect of cardiac (un)loading on right ventricular (RV) cavity dimensions and LV volumes in endurance-trained athletes and normally active males. Eight endurance-trained (Vo(2max), 65.4 +/- 5.7 ml.kg(-1). min(-1)) and eight normally active (Vo(2max), 45.1 +/- 6.0 ml.kg(-1). min(-1)) males underwent assessments of the following: 1) Vo(2max), 2) orthostatic tolerance, and 3) cardiac responses to lower-body positive (0-60 mmHg) and negative (0 to -80 mmHg) pressures with echocardiography. In response to negative pressures, echocardiographic analysis revealed a similar decrease in RV end-diastolic cavity area in both groups (e.g., at -80 mmHg: normals, 21.4%; athletes, 20.8%) but a greater decrease in LV end-diastolic volume in endurance-trained athletes (e.g., at -80 mmHg: normals, 32.3%; athletes, 44.4%; P < 0.05). Endurance-trained athletes also had significantly greater decreases in LV stroke volume during lower-body negative pressure. During positive pressures, endurance-trained athletes showed larger increases in LV end-diastolic volume (e.g., at +60 mmHg; normals, 14.1%; athletes, 26.8%) and LV stroke volume, despite similar responses in RV end-diastolic cavity area (e.g., at +60 mmHg: normals, 18.2%; athletes, 24.2%; P < 0.05). This investigation revealed that in response to cardiac (un)loading similar changes in RV cavity area occur in endurance-trained and normally active individuals despite a differential response in the left ventricle. These differences may be the result of alterations in RV influence on the left ventricle and/or intrinsic ventricular compliance.
Role of the Listeria monocytogenes 2-Cys peroxiredoxin homologue in protection against oxidative and nitrosative stress and in virulence.

Peroxiredoxins contribute to protection of some bacteria against reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) and reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNIs). Listeria monocytogenes, a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen, interacts with ROIs and RNIs during infection. In this study, we investigated the involvement of the 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (Prx) homologue in L. monocytogenes in the protection against ROIs and RNIs and in virulence through the construction of an in-frame prx deletion mutant. The Δprx mutant had increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide and cumene hydroperoxide compared to the wild-type strain. The mutant also exhibited an increased susceptibility to the nitric oxide-generating compound S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) and 3-morpholinosydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN-1), a peroxynitrite donor. Furthermore, a diminished virulence of the Δprx mutant relative to the wild-type was observed in C57BL/6 mice, but not in inducible nitric oxide synthase-deficient mice. The results suggest that Prx protects L. monocytogenes against oxidative and nitrosative stress in vitro and in vivo and that the prx-encoded polypeptide thereby is involved in L. monocytogenes virulence.
Gray matter trophism, cognitive impairment, and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis

Background: Cognitive impairment and depression frequently affects patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the relationship between the occurrence of depression and cognitive impairment and the development of cortical atrophy has not been fully elucidated yet. Objectives: To investigate the association of cortical and deep gray matter (GM) volume with depression and cognitive impairment in MS. Methods: Three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted scans were obtained from 126 MS patients and 59 matched healthy controls. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests and depression with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Using FreeSurfer and FIRST software, we assessed cortical thickness (CTh) and deep GM volumetry. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) variables explaining depression and cognitive impairment were investigated using factorial and classification analysis. Multivariate regression models correlated GM abnormalities with symptoms severity. Results: Compared with controls, MS patients exhibited widespread bilateral cortical thinning involving all brain lobes. Depressed MS showed selective CTh decrease in fronto-temporal regions, whereas cognitive impairment MS exhibited widespread fronto-parietal cortical and subcortical GM atrophy. Frontal cortical thinning was the best predictor of depression (C-statistic = 0.7), whereas thinning of the right precuneus and high T2 lesion volume best predicted cognitive impairment (C-statistic = 0.8). MADRS severity correlated with right entorhinal cortex thinning, whereas cognitive impairment severity correlated with left entorhinal and thalamus atrophy. Conclusion: MS-related depression is linked to circumscribed CTh changes in areas deputed to emotional behavior, whereas cognitive impairment is correlated with cortical and subcortical GM atrophy of circuits involved in cognition.
Percutaneous ethanol injection therapy in post‐transplant patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism

Persistent hyperparathyroidism is frequent in postrenal transplant patients. Percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) is an alternative for treatment of patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism but it was not described in postrenal transplant patients. We report our experience with PEIT to control hyperparathyroidism in the post‐transplant period. We performed PEIT under ultrasonographic guidance and local anesthesia in eight patients because of persistent secondary hyperparathyroidism after renal transplantation. Indications for PEIT were: high intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels with hypercalcemia, hypophosphatemia, osteopenia and/or bone pain. All patients had at least one visible parathyroid nodule by ultrasonography. Biochemical assays were performed immediately before PEIT, between 1 and 7 days after last PEIT, and a mean of 8.0 ± 2.8 months after PEIT. Serum iPTH and calcium levels decreased significantly after treatment and remained unchanged until final control. Serum iPTH decreased from 286.9 ± 107.2 to 154.6 ± 42.2 pg/ml (P < 0.01) after PEIT (percentual reduction 36.5 ± 9.5%). This response was significantly correlated to total ethanol volume used (r: 0.94, P < 0.0001). Hypercalcemia disappeared in six of eight patients treated. Only minor complications were registered. There were no changes in renal function related to the treatment. Our findings show that PEIT is a useful and safe alternative for patients with persistent post‐transplant secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Digitalisation, automation and upgrading in global value chains – factory economy actors versus lead companies

ABSTRACT This article investigates the differences in the application and impact of digital technologies between manufacturing subsidiaries and lead companies, the principal orchestrators of global automotive value chains. Utilising a dataset of 10 in-depth interviews with automotive industry actors, we analyse headquarters–subsidiary differences in the patterns of digitalisation-driven upgrading. A theoretical framework is offered that explains why the significant upgrading achievements of manufacturing subsidiaries deploying industry 4.0 technologies will not reduce the gap between lead companies and manufacturing subsidiaries in terms of value generation. We show that the concept of ‘industry 4.0’ is much narrower than that of ‘digitalisation’ and transition to smart factories is only part of the digital transformation story. Industry 4.0 technologies contribute to the upgrading of operations, and enable subsidiaries to take on production-related knowledge-intensive assignments (functional upgrading). Conversely, digitalisation serves lead companies’ strategic differentiation efforts, and facilitates achieving competitive advantage: the latter are crucial for value capture.
PTSD and TBI co-morbidity: Scope, clinical presentation and treatment options

Abstract Primary objective: To summarize the literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their co-morbidity, focusing on diagnosis, clinical symptoms and treatment issues relevant to the clinician. Research design: Review of the literature. Methods and procedures: Pubmed searches were performed using the terms post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, sleep, cognitive, depression, anxiety, treatment and combinations of these terms. Those articles relevant to the objective were included. Main outcomes and results: This study presents pathophysiological, neuroimaging and clinical data on co-morbid PTSD and TBI. It reviews associated conditions, emphasizing the impact of cognitive and sleep problems. It summarizes the emerging literature on treatment effectiveness for co-morbid PTSD and TBI, including psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and cognitive rehabilitation. Conclusions: Both PTSD and TBI commonly occur in the general population, both share some pathophysiological characteristics and both are associated with cognitive impairment and sleep disruption. PTSD and TBI present with a number of overlapping symptoms, which can lead to over-diagnosis or misdiagnosis. Both conditions are associated with co-morbidities important in diagnosis and treatment planning. More research is needed to elucidate what treatments are effective in PTSD and TBI co-morbidity and on factors predictive of treatment success.
Stratégies de récupération et de sélection de l'information lexicale au cours du vieillissement sain : .Evaluation multimodale des mécanismes de réorganisation cérébrale et impact des activités sociales sur les performances de dénomination orale d'objets

Lors du vieillissement sain, et malgre une augmentation de la frequence d’apparition du manque du mot, les personnes âgees manifestent une preservation des performances de denomination orale d’objets (DO), suggerant la mise en place de strategies efficaces de recuperation et de selection de l’information lexicale. Dans ce travail de these, nous avons utilise une approche methodologique multimodale afin d’evaluer la nature de ces strategies. Nous nous sommes plus specifiquement interesses aux mecanismes de reorganisation cerebrale ainsi qu’aux activites sociales comme facteur de reserve cognitive. Ce travail de these se decompose en cinq etudes et aborde une perspective homogene (effet de l’âge) et heterogene (effet des performances) du vieillissement. Nos resultats mettent en evidence l’existence de differents mecanismes de compensation associes au vieillissement sain. Tout d’abord, nous observons que les personnes âgees sont plus lentes que les jeunes adultes lors de la DO, mais obtiennent un taux de precision similaire. D’apres la perspective homogene, le maintien des performances de DO s’expliquerait par le recrutement d’une strategie de nature semantique. Au niveau cerebral, nous observons une augmentation de l’asymetrie intra-hemispherique gauche des regions temporo-parietales chez les personnes âgees, ainsi qu’un transfert de la connectivite normalement observee du gyrus frontal inferieur (GFI) gauche avec le gyrus temporal lateral au gyrus temporal medial gauche. D’apres la perspective heterogene, le maintien des performances de DO s’expliquerait par l’utilisation d’une strategie de nature executive, refletee par une reduction de l’asymetrie inter-hemispherique frontale chez les personnes âgees dont les temps de reponse de DO sont courts. Par ailleurs, nous proposons que l’encodage lexico-phonologique module egalement le taux de precision de DO, via la connectivite effective entre le GFI gauche et le gyrus temporal superieur gauche. Enfin, nous observons une relation significative entre la frequence de participation aux activites sociales, notamment collectives, et les performances de DO. Cette relation est partiellement mediee au niveau cerebral par l’activite du gyrus frontal superieur median gauche, via un mecanisme de reserve neurale. Sur la base de nos resultats, nous proposons un modele neurocognitif des strategies de recuperation et de selection de l’information lexicale, utilisant une approche multimodale et plurifactorielle du vieillissement sain.
The Question of Development

Abstract Development policies and accompanying theories were an integral part of postwar U.S. foreign policy, designed to deal with the challenges of decolonization and the emergence of independent Third World states. They provided a model for the transition from traditional to modern societies that relied on the works of economists, sociologists, and political scientists, who formed part of the informal collective of modernization scholars identified with major academic institutions. Their objectives were closely aligned with those of U.S. foreign policy. Under very different national and global circumstances, there has been a revival of development and modernization policies that rest on claims of American “exceptionalism” and the commitment to export democracy. In practice, the implementation of such policies has less to do with promoting democracy than assuring compatible political and economic alignments in the states involved. The article that follows offers a critical analysis of the origins and nature of development and modernization policies in both postwar and later years.
SyncBoard - A high accuracy sensor timing board for UAV payloads

The SyncBoard is a reconfigurable sensor timing board that accurately records the Time of Validity (TOV) from sensors, while acting as a protocol conversion tool. It is intended to be usable by people without expertise in hardware development. To allow accurate timing, the SyncBoard has a highperformance microcontroller with a 32-bit timer clock running at a maximum of 100 MHz. By capturing the TOV signal using the Input/Interrupt Capture function of the microcontroller, sensor triggers can be captured with an accuracy of 10 ns, which is sufficient for most UAV applications. The SyncBoard supports sensor input from several commonly used protocols, in addition to simple digital and analog input. Sensors of different rates and data sizes are supported, and TOV detection can be configured to comply with the specifications of the sensor. For usage with very high-bandwidth sensors, such as cameras, the SyncBoard can output an external signal to be used as a trigger for the sensor. To be compatible with most on-board computers on UAVs, the SyncBoard primarily uses a USB interface for configuration and sensor output, but output can also be transmitted by any of the available protocols if needed. The SyncBoard also has functionality to switch on and off power to individual sensors as needed. This paper presents the SyncBoard system and experimental results in unmanned aerial vehicle payload systems for data acquisition.
Glycoprotein IV of bovine herpesvirus 1-expressing cell line complements and rescues a conditionally lethal viral mutant

Glycoprotein IV (gIV) of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1), a homolog of herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D, represents a major component of the viral envelope and a dominant immunogen. To analyze the functional role of gIV during BHV-1 replication, cell line BUIV3-7, which constitutively expresses gIV, was constructed and used for the isolation of gIV- BHV-1 mutant 80-221, in which the gIV gene was replaced by a lacZ expression cassette. On complementing gIV-expressing cells, the gIV- BHV-1 replicated normally but was unable to form plaques and infectious progeny on noncomplementing cells. Further analysis showed that gIV is essential for BHV-1 entry into target cells, whereas viral gene expression, DNA replication, and envelopment appear unchanged in both noncomplementing and complementing cells infected with phenotypically complemented gIV- BHV-1. The block in entry could be overcome by polyethylene glycol-induced membrane fusion. After passaging of gIV- BHV-1 on complementing cells, a rescued variant, BHV-1res, was isolated and shown to underexpress gIV in comparison with its wild-type parent. Comparison of the penetration kinetics of BHV-1 wild type, phenotypically complemented gIV- BHV-1, and BHV-1res indicated that penetration efficiency correlated with the amount of gIV present in virus particles. In conclusion, we show that gIV of BHV-1 is an essential component of the virion involved in virus entry and that the amount of gIV in the viral envelope modulates the penetration efficiency of the virus.
Batch loss regularization in deep learning method for aerial scene classification

Aerial scene classification has been drawn much attention in numerous surveillance applications such as terrain landform analysis and traffic situation assessment. However, due to the diversity of aerial scenes, they present large intra-class variations and make the classification process very challenging. To handle such problems, a batch loss regularization based deep learning method is proposed for aerial scene classification. That is the first work using batch loss to regularize C3D convolution neural network. The batch loss regularization is a new added neural network layer that clusters the deep learned features of each class by penalizing the distances between features and their corresponding clustering centers. By doing so, it can successfully reduce the large intra-class variations and enhance the scene classification performance. And then batch loss is jointly optimized with traditional softmax loss function, which aims to ensure the separability of inter-class features as well as compactness of intra-class features. The extensive experiments are conducted on two dynamic scene datasets as well as two aerial scene datasets and set new state-of-the-art result.
Continuous daily use of cilostazol prevents in-stent restenosis following carotid artery stenting: serial angiographic investigation of 229 lesions

Background Several studies have reported that cilostazol (CLS) may reduce in-stent restenosis (ISR) after carotid artery stenting (CAS). However, it is not known for how long CLS must be continued to prevent ISR. Methods We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected database of patients who underwent elective CAS and follow-up angiography at 3 months and 1 year after the procedure. ISR was defined as stenosis of 50% or greater on digital subtraction angiography. The cumulative incidence rates of angiographic ISR were compared between the three groups, divided according to duration of CLS use : (1) patients who were maintained on CLS for 12 months or more after CAS (12M CLS group, n=70), (2) patients who were treated with CLS for the first 3 months after CAS (3M CLS group, n=23), and (3) patients who did not receive CLS (no CLS group, n=136). Results A total of 229 lesions in 199 patients were included in our analysis. During a median follow-up of 365 days, ISR was detected in 15 lesions. The cumulative ISR rates overall and in the 12M CLS, 3M CLS, and no CLS groups were 5.6%, 0%, 5.0%, and 8.4%, respectively, at 1 year, and the log rank test showed that there was a significant difference between the three groups (p<0.05). Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the 12M CLS group had a significantly lower risk of ISR than the 3M CLS group (adjusted relative risk (aRR) 3.06e-10, 95% CI 0 to 0.51, p<0.05) and the no CLS group (aRR 1.41e-10, 95% CI 0 to 0.15, p<0.001), whereas no difference was found between the 3M CLS group and the no CLS group. Conclusions An overall cumulative ISR rate of 5.6% was documented angiographically at 1 year after CAS. Continuous daily use of CLS (for at least 1 year) may have a beneficial effect on long term prevention of ISR.
Tourism Research on Sustainability: A Bibliometric Analysis

Tourism represents one of the main industries in terms of job creation and economic development while sustainability in tourism represents a worldwide challenge. The objective of the present study is to use a bibliometric approach to review the relevant literature. Bibliometric indicators, such as citations, are used to identify the field structure and the VOSviewer software is used to map the main trends in this area. Over the period 1987–2018, a total of 4647 papers were found in Scopus regarding sustainability issues in tourism. Analysis of the leading journals, authors, institutions, and keywords indicates that: (1) the literature on sustainability issues in the field of tourism is significantly growing; (2) a mere six papers accounted more than 300 citations, but there are several prolific authors; (3) of the 614 sources included in the review, the most important have published 46.7% of the papers; (4) in terms of documents and citations, the United States is the leading country in this topic; (5) according to keyword trend network analysis, sustainability is becoming a strategic approach for companies and tourist destinations. Finally, this subfield within the tourism literature has considerable potential and is expected to continue growing.