Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vivo sequential study of skeletal muscle capillary permeability in diabetic rats: effect of anthocyanosides.

Alterations in the capillary filtration of macromolecules are well documented in diabetic patients and experimental diabetes. Various flavonoids including anthocyanosides and ginkgo biloba extracts have been shown to be effective against experimentally induced capillary hyperfiltration. The aim of the present study was to test the effects of anthocyanosides on capillary filtration in diabetic rats. For this purpose, we have validated the use of our previously described in vivo method for measurement of the capillary filtration of albumin (CFA) in rats. Male Wistar rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes were randomized in 3 groups to receive either ginkgo biloba (group A), Vaccinium myrtillus (group B), or no treatment (group C). The isotopic test of CFA consisted of intravenously injecting 99mtechnetium-labeled albumin, inducing venous compression on a hindquarter, and measuring radioactivity externally on the limb before, during, and after removal of venous compression. After removal of the tourniquet, the radioactivity curve decreased. Interstitial albumin retention (AR) and the ratio of the amplitudes of the low- and high-frequency peaks (LF/HF ratio), an index of lymphatic function obtained by the fast Fourier transform of the last part of the radioactivity curve, were calculated. In STZ-treated animals, the isotopic test was performed at a mean age of 97 days (time 1) and after 6 weeks (time 2) and 12 weeks (time 3) of treatment, ie, 6 and 12 weeks after time 1. At time 1, AR was significantly higher in the 3 diabetic groups than in the control rats, without a significant difference between these groups. In group B, AR decreased significantly (P = .015) at times 2 and 3. In group C, AR increased significantly (P < .0005) from time 1 to time 3. In group A, AR increased slightly (NS) between time 1 and time 3. In groups A and C, the LF/HF ratio significantly increased with time (P < .0005) and the levels at time 3 were significantly higher versus control rats (P < .0001). In group B, the LF/HF ratio remained unchanged from time 1 to time 3 and similar to the values found in the control rats. In conclusion, these data show that (1) this new in vivo noninvasive method can be used to study CFA in skeletal muscle in diabetic rats, (2) it is reproducible and may be repeated over several months to evaluate spontaneous microcirculatory changes, and (3) anthocyanosides appear to be effective in preventing the increase in CFA and the failure of lymphatic uptake of interstitial albumin in diabetic animals.
Course of patients with histories of aggression and crime after discharge from a cognitive-behavioral program.

OBJECTIVE Patients exhibiting aggressive or criminal behavior present a challenge to treaters and caregivers. After discharge from an inpatient facility, such patients are at high risk of rehospitalization and rearrest. A long-term behaviorally based cognitive skills program was developed and administered to a group of such high-risk inpatients. The authors report the results of a postdischarge follow-up of this group. METHODS After patients entered the inpatient treatment program, their psychiatric and criminal histories were recorded, and a battery of psychological measures were administered, including IQ tests and the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. After discharge, multiple sources were used to obtain information about patients' outcomes. RESULTS Eighty-five patients were followed for between six months and two years after discharge. Thirty-three of these patients (39 percent) remained stable in the community, 35 (42 percent) were rehospitalized, and 17 (20 percent) were arrested. Several variables that were ascertained before discharge predicted rehospitalization or arrest rates: comorbid antisocial personality disorder, higher score on the Psychopathy Checklist, history of arrests for violent crimes, and history of a learning disability. In addition, patients who developed substance use problems or did not adhere to medication treatment after discharge were more likely to be rehospitalized or arrested. CONCLUSIONS Arrest rates were low compared with those observed in studies with similar populations. Although this outcome may be attributable to the treatment program, this naturalistic study could not prove that. The predictors of poor outcome may be used to develop a follow-up treatment program that focuses more resources on patients who are at the highest risk.
Effect of intracellular pH on spontaneous Ca2+ sparks in rat ventricular myocytes

1 A fall of intracellular pH (pHi) typically depresses cardiac contractility. Among the many mechanisms underlying this depression, an inhibitory effect of acidosis upon the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release channel has been predicted, but not so far demonstrated in the intact cardiac myocyte. In the present work, pHi was manipulated experimentally while confocal imaging was used to record spontaneous ‘Ca2+ sparks’ (local SR Ca2+ release events) in rat isolated myocytes loaded with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fluo‐3. In other experiments, whole cell (global) pHi or [Ca2+]i was measured by microfluorimetry (using, respectively, intracellular carboxy SNARF‐1 and indo‐1). 2 Reducing pHi (i) increased whole cell intracellular [Ca2+] transients induced either electrically or by addition of caffeine, whereas (ii) it decreased spontaneous Ca2+ spark frequency. Conversely, raising pHi increased spontaneous Ca2+ spark frequency. 3 Blocking sarcolemmal Ca2+ influx with 10 mm Ni2+, or reducing external pH by 1.0 unit, had no effect on the pHi‐dependent changes in spontaneous Ca2+ spark frequency. 4 Decreasing pHi over the range 7.78–7.20, decreased Ca2+ spark frequency exponentially as a function of pHi, with frequency declining by ∼33 % for a 0.2 unit fall in pHi. In contrast, over the same pHi range, Ca2+ spark amplitude was unaffected. Intracellular acidosis produced a slight slowing of Ca2+ spark relaxation. 5 The results indicate that, in the intact myocyte, a reduced pHi decreases the probability of opening of the SR Ca2+ release channel. This phenomenon may contribute to the negative inotropic effects of acidosis.
Phyllodistomum spinopapillatum sp. nov. (Digenea: Gorgoderidae), from the Oaxaca killifish Profundulus balsanus (Osteichthyes: Profundulidae) in Mexico, with new host and locality records of P. inecoli: Morphology, ultrastructure and molecular evidence

Phyllodistomum spinopapillatum sp. nov. is described from the urinary bladder of the Oaxaca killifish, Profundulus balsanus Ahl (Profundulidae) in Río Pueblo Viejo and Río Santa Cruz, Oaxaca, southwestern Mexico. The new species is described based on evidence gathered from morphology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and partial sequences of the 28S rRNA gene. Diagnostic characters of the new species of Phyllodistomum Braun 1899 are the presence of spines on the entire body surface and having a ventral sucker almost half the size of oral sucker. The new species possess a large number of dome-like papillae on the body surface with scattered distribution along the hindbody, and these papillae are characteristically spinulated. Phyllodistomum spinopapillatum sp. nov. most closely resembles P. inecoli Razo-Mendivil, Pérez-Ponce de León and Rubio-Godoy, 2013, a parasite of the twospot livebearer Pseudoxiphophorus bimaculatus (Heckel) from Veracruz, in the Atlantic slope of Mexico. In addition to the new species, specimens of P. inecoli were also found parasitising the urinary bladder of cyprinodontiforms such as the Mexican molly Poecilia sphenops Valencienes in a pond at Santa Maria Coyotepec, and in Profundulus sp. in Río Templo, both in Oaxaca, and in the Porthole livebearer Poeciliopsis gracilis (Heckel) in Río San Juan, as well as in Profundulus punctatus (Günter) from Río Nueva Francia, both in Chiapas. The distribution and host range of P. inecoli is extended to freshwaters of the Pacific slope of Mexico, and to other cyprynodontiforms.
Synthesis of S‐Adenosyl‐L‐homocysteine Capture Compounds for Selective Photoinduced Isolation of Methyltransferases

Understanding the interplay of different cellular proteins and their substrates is of major interest in the postgenomic era. For this purpose, selective isolation and identification of proteins from complex biological samples is necessary and targeted isolation of enzyme families is a challenging task. Over the last years, methods like activity‐based protein profiling (ABPP) and capture compound mass spectrometry (CCMS) have been developed to reduce the complexity of the proteome by means of protein function in contrast to standard approaches, which utilize differences in physical properties for protein separation. To isolate and identify the subproteome consisting of S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine (SAM or AdoMet)‐dependent methyltransferases (methylome), we developed and synthesized trifunctional capture compounds containing the chemically stable cofactor product S‐adenosyl‐L‐homocysteine (SAH or AdoHcy) as selectivity function. SAH analogues with amino linkers at the N6 or C8 positions were synthesized and attached to scaffolds containing different photocrosslinking groups for covalent protein modification and biotin for affinity isolation. The utility of these SAH capture compounds for selective photoinduced protein isolation is demonstrated for various methyltransferases (MTases) acting on DNA, RNA and proteins as well as with Escherichia coli cell lysate. In addition, they can be used to determine dissociation constants for MTase–cofactor complexes.
Expression of granulocyte‐colony‐stimulating factor and its receptor in human Ewing sarcoma cells and patient tumor specimens

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a highly vascular malignancy. It has been demonstrated that both angiogenesis and vasculogenesis contribute to the growth of ES tumors. Granulocyte‐colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF), a cytokine known to stimulate bone marrow (BM) stem cell production and angiogenesis, is routinely administered to ES patients after chemotherapy. Whether ES cells and patient tumor samples express G‐CSF and its receptor (G‐CSFR) and whether treatment with this factor enhances tumor growth was examined.
Circulating microRNAs are new and sensitive biomarkers of myocardial infarction

Aims Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) may represent a novel class of biomarkers; therefore, we examined whether acute myocardial infarction (MI) modulates miRNAs plasma levels in humans and mice. Methods and results Healthy donors (n = 17) and patients (n = 33) with acute ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) were evaluated. In one cohort (n = 25), the first plasma sample was obtained 517 ± 309 min after the onset of MI symptoms and after coronary reperfusion with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); miR-1, -133a, -133b, and -499-5p were ∼15- to 140-fold control, whereas miR-122 and -375 were ∼87–90% lower than control; 5 days later, miR-1, -133a, -133b, -499-5p, and -375 were back to baseline, whereas miR-122 remained lower than control through Day 30. In additional patients (n = 8; four treated with thrombolysis and four with PCI), miRNAs and troponin I (TnI) were quantified simultaneously starting 156 ± 72 min after the onset of symptoms and at different times thereafter. Peak miR-1, -133a, and -133b expression and TnI level occurred at a similar time, whereas miR-499-5p exhibited a slower time course. In mice, miRNAs plasma levels and TnI were measured 15 min after coronary ligation and at different times thereafter. The behaviour of miR-1, -133a, -133b, and -499-5p was similar to STEMI patients; further, reciprocal changes in the expression levels of these miRNAs were found in cardiac tissue 3–6 h after coronary ligation. In contrast, miR-122 and -375 exhibited minor changes and no significant modulation. In mice with acute hind-limb ischaemia, there was no increase in the plasma level of the above miRNAs. Conclusion Acute MI up-regulated miR-1, -133a, -133b, and -499-5p plasma levels, both in humans and mice, whereas miR-122 and -375 were lower than control only in STEMI patients. These miRNAs represent novel biomarkers of cardiac damage.
B‐type natriuretic peptide and extracellular matrix protein interactions in human cardiac fibroblasts

Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) regulate myocardial remodeling by proliferating, differentiating, and secreting extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is anti‐fibrotic, inhibits collagen production, augments matrix metalloproteinases, and suppresses CF proliferation. Recently, we demonstrated that the ECM protein fibronectin (FN) augmented production of BNP's second messenger, 3′, 5′ cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in CFs, supporting crosstalk between FN, BNP, and its receptor, natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPR‐A). Here, we address the specificity of FN to augment cGMP generation by investigating other matrix proteins, including collagen IV which contains RGD motifs and collagen I and poly‐L‐lysine, which have no RGD domain. Collagen IV showed increased cGMP generation to BNP similar to FN. Collagen I and poly‐L‐lysine had no effect. As FN also interacts with integrins, we then examined the effect of integrin receptor antibody blockade on BNP‐mediated cGMP production. On FN plates, antibodies blocking RGD‐binding domains of several integrin subtypes had little effect, while a non‐RGD domain interfering integrin αvβ3 antibody augmented cGMP production. Further, on uncoated plates, integrin αvβ3 blockade continued to potentiate the BNP/cGMP response. These studies suggest that both RGD containing ECM proteins and integrins may interact with BNP/NPR‐A to modulate cGMP generation. J. Cell. Physiol. 225: 251–255, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interleukin-10 (IL-10) Polymorphisms Are Associated with IL-10 Production and Clinical Malaria in Young Children

ABSTRACT The role of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in malaria remains poorly characterized. The aims of this study were to investigate (i) whether genetic variants of the IL-10 gene influence IL-10 production and (ii) whether IL-10 production as well as the genotypes and haplotypes of the IL-10 gene in young children and their mothers are associated with the incidence of clinical malaria in young children. We genotyped three IL-10 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 240 children and their mothers from a longitudinal prospective cohort and assessed the IL-10 production by maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs). Clinical episodes of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the children were documented until the second year of life. The polymorphism IL-10 A-1082G (GCC haplotype of three SNPs in IL-10) in children was associated with IL-10 production levels by CBMC cultured with P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes (P = 0.043), with the G allele linked to low IL-10 production capacity. The G allele in children was also significantly associated with a decreased risk for clinical malaria infection in their second year of life (P = 0.016). Furthermore, IL-10 levels measured in maternal PBMCs cultured with infected erythrocytes were associated with increased risk of malaria infection in young children (P < 0.001). In conclusion, IL-10 polymorphisms and IL-10 production capacity were associated with clinical malaria infections in young children. High IL-10 production capacity inherited from parents may diminish immunological protection against P. falciparum infection, thereby being a risk for increased malaria morbidity.
General synthesis method for symmetrical even-order Chebyshev bandpass filter

This paper proposes a general synthesis method for the even-order Chebyshev bandpass filter with equal I/O port impedances. It is prevalently accepted that the even-order Chebyshev filter has unequal I/O terminations due to impedance mismatch at D.C. in its lowpass prototype. In this paper, two symmetrical properties are firstly found among the elements of even-order Chebyshev lowpass ladder network. A symmetrical even-order Chebyshev lowpass network with equal terminations are then proposed based on both properties, which tackles the impedance mismatch with the inverters rather than the load conductance/resistance. Subsequently, a 4th-order Chebyshev bandpass filter based on λ/2 microstrip-line resonators centering at 2.4 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 10.0% are synthesized and fabricated, the measured results provide strong verification for the proposed synthesis method.
Kinematically-Constrained Redundant Cable-Driven Parallel Robots: Modeling, Redundancy Analysis, and Stiffness Optimization

This paper develops a general model for kinematically-constrained redundant cable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs), and studies stiffness improving effects and redundancy resolution of such robots aiming stiffness optimization to minimize their undesired perturbations under external disturbances in a desired direction. In the developed model, assuming an axially flexible model for the cables, motion equation is derived. Considering the role of constrained cables in restriction of CDPR's rotational degrees of freedom, the vibration equation of the moving platform is separated from the equation of motion. The resulted vibration equation is a linear dynamic system with a stiffness matrix formed by the cables’ tension and the constrained cables’ axial stiffness. Based on that, the substantial effects of constrained cables and the potential effects of cables’ tension on the stiffness improvement of CDPRs are shown. Accordingly, the cables’ tension redundancy problem is formulated. Redundancy resolution is studied considering the directional stiffness of the moving platform as the objective function to maximize. This objective function is derived as a linear function of cables’ redundant tensions and the corresponding redundancy problem solved by using a time-efficient method of linear programming. The developed model and the proposed redundancy resolution approach are experimentally tested on an actual warehousing robot to maximize its translational stiffness. Comparison of theoretical and experimental results demonstrates the validity of the proposed optimization approach and the effectiveness of kinematically-constrained actuation method.
Violence among Psychiatric In-Patients at an Interim Secure Unit: Changes in Pattern over a Two-Year Period

A retrospective study of recordings of all violent episodes among in-patients requiring restraint was undertaken over a two-year period during which the nature of admissions to the unit changed to an increase in mentally abnormal offenders (those admitted through the criminal justice system and detained under criminal sections of the Mental Health Act). It was found that those detained under criminal sections were less likely to be aggressive, were of relatively older age and less likely to repeat the violence than their mentally ill counterparts detained under civil sections. In addition to the past history of violence, verbally abusive behaviour was the best predictor of subsequent physical aggression though only a minority of patients displaying serious physical assault showed verbally abusive behaviour. Deterioration in mental health and staff-patient interaction were seen as major contributory factors to aggression which will also explain a greater degree of aggression directed towards the staff. Further comparative analysis of aggressive behaviour of mentally ill patients detained under civil sections and mentally abnormal offenders is warranted.
Artifacts: The downturn of CBCT image

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been accepted as a useful tool for diagnosis and treatment planning in dentistry. Despite a growing trend of CBCT in dentistry, it has some disadvantages like artifacts. Artifacts are discrepancies between the reconstructed visual image and the actual content of the subject which degrade the quality of CBCT images, making them diagnostically unusable. Additionally, structures that do not exist in the subject may appear within images. Such structures can occur because of patient motion, the image capture and reconstruction process. To optimize image quality, it is necessary to understand the types of artifacts. This article aims to throw light on the various types of artifacts associated with CBCT images.
Solution of the multiuser downlink beamforming problem with individual SINR constraints

We address the problem of joint downlink beamforming in a power-controlled network, where independent data streams are to be transmitted from a multiantenna base station to several decentralized single-antenna terminals. The total transmit power is limited and channel information (possibly statistical) is available at the transmitter. The design goal: jointly adjust the beamformers and transmission powers according to individual SINR requirements. In this context, there are two closely related optimization problems. P1: maximize the jointly achievable SINR margin under a total power constraint. P2: minimize the total transmission power while satisfying a set of SINR constraints. In this paper, both problems are solved within a unified analytical framework. Problem P1 is solved by minimizing the maximal eigenvalue of an extended crosstalk matrix. The solution provides a necessary and sufficient condition for the feasibility of the SINR requirements. Problem P2 is a variation of problem P1. An important step in our analysis is to show that the global optimum of the downlink beamforming problem is equivalently obtained from solving a dual uplink problem, which has an easier-to-handle analytical structure. Then, we make use of the special structure of the extended crosstalk matrix to develop a rapidly converging iterative algorithm. The optimality and global convergence of the algorithm is proven and stopping criteria are given.
Gap junctional intercellular communication capacity by gap‐FRAP technique: A comparative study

Gap junctions play an important role in vital functions, including the regulation of cell growth and cell differentiation. Connexins 43 (Cx43) are the most widely expressed gap junction proteins. Cellular localization of phosphorylated Cx43 has been implicated in the capacity of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC). To follow the functionality of GJIC of different cell types, in monolayer cultures, characterized by different patterns of phosphorylated Cx43, we used a fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) technique, and compared two tracers, 5(6)‐carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) and calcein acetoxymethylester (AM). The GJIC capacity was quantified by estimating fluorescence redistribution parameters. The functionality of GJIC was in relation with the staining localization of phosphorylated Cx43 to the cell–cell contact areas, corresponding to gap junctions between contacting cells. GJIC involvement in fluorescence restitution after photobleaching was checked by a gap junction channel inhibition assay. We demonstrated that the choice of the dye did not significantly influence the fluorescence recovery percentages despite a cell line‐dependent CFDA release, whereas it had an important impact on fluorescence kinetic profiles. This study reinforces the interest of the gap‐FRAP approach to quantify modifications in the functionality of gap junctions and, above all, argues about the limits of CFDA for 3‐D future approaches.