Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resting microglial cells in vitro: Analysis of morphology and adhesion molecule expression in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures

Neurons in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) are known to preserve morphological and physiological features of the in vivo situation; however, little is known about the properties of microglial cells under these in vitro conditions. In this study, we addressed the question whether microglial cells in OHSCs are initially activated following explantation but return to a resting state during in vitro cultivation. Thus, we analyzed a) microglial cell morphology, b) microglial cell distribution, and c) expression of integrin adhesion molecules as putative markers of microglial activation. Hippocampal slices fixed immediately following explantation showed only resting microglial cells, mainly located in the paraventricular regions. After 3 days in vitro (div) OHSC surfaces were covered by activated microglia, whereas intermediate layers contained fewer microglial cells, giving the slices a sandwich‐like appearance with the intact hippocampal formation being surrounded by glial tissue. After 3 div, microglial cells in intermediate layers of OHSCs showed activated morphology with ovaloid cytoplasm and no or merely few cytoplasmic processes; after 6 div, however, an increasing degree of ramification could be observed. After 9 div, microglia in intermediate layers had almost regained the morphological appearance of resting cells with filigrane cytoplasmic processes extended in all directions. The integrin adhesion molecules LFA‐1 (α and β chains) and VLA‐4 were expressed on most microglial cells with activated morphology, as verified by co‐localization with double immunofluorescence labeling for LFA‐1 or VLA‐4 and Griffonia simplicifolia isolectin B4 (GFS‐B4). In contrast, only low levels of integrin adhesion molecule expression were also found on reactive astrocytes along slice surfaces. However, LFA‐1 or VLA‐4 were never found on ramified microglial cells, and double immunofluorescence labeling of LFA‐1 or VLA‐4 with ramified GFS‐B4+ microglia never occurred. We conclude that a) originally resting microglial cells activated in an early phase of in vitro culture but regain a resting status after at least 6 div; and b) integrin adhesion molecules LFA1 and VLA‐4 are potential markers of microglial activation, as they were found on activated but never on resting microglial cells. This enables further investigations on immunological and electrophysiological features of resting and activated microglial cells under in vitro conditions. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
BMP‐6 over‐expression in prostate cancer is associated with increased Id‐1 protein and a more invasive phenotype

Bone morphogenetic protein‐6 (BMP‐6) has been strongly implicated in prostate cancer development and bone metastasis. Our previous data showed that BMP‐6 mRNA was absent in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, but evident in primary tumours with established secondary skeletal metastases. To examine the role of BMP‐6 in prostate cancer progression, we have developed a BMP‐6‐regulatable, doxycycline‐inducible gene expression system. BMP‐6 induction by doxycycline addition led to increased levels of BMP‐6 RNA and protein, associated with nuclear translocation of SMADs and activation of the downstream target gene Id‐1. BMP‐6 protein did not enhance the proliferation rate of PC3M cells but did significantly increase the rate of migration and invasion in both PC3M and DU145 cells. Increased metalloproteinase (MMP‐1 and MMP‐9) mRNA levels were also observed following BMP‐6 induction. Luciferase reporter assays confirmed BMP‐6‐mediated activation of MMP‐1 and MMP‐9 promoters, indicating direct transcriptional activation of MMPs by BMP‐6. BMP‐6 stimulation also led to an increase in phosphorylation levels of MAPK proteins. We next examined the effects of BMP‐6 on the downstream gene Id‐1 in a cohort of prostate cancer patients. A tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed and samples stained for BMP‐6 and Id‐1 expression. We observed a significant increase in the intensity of staining of epithelial BMP‐6 in the cancer cases compared to the benign cases (Mann–Whitney U test, p < 0.0005) and in the intensity of staining of epithelial Id‐1 in the cancer cases compared to the benign cases (Mann–Whitney U test, p = 0.015). We further observed a significant positive correlation between epithelial staining for Id‐1 and BMP‐6 (p = 0.001) across all samples for both benign and cancer cases. These data demonstrate that BMP‐6 promotes migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells, potentially through activation of Id‐1 and MMP activation. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oropharyngeal teratoma, a rare cause of airway obstruction in neonates

Oropharyngeal teratomas are extremely rare congenital tumours, and because of their location in the upper airway they represent one of the most unusual causes of airway obstruction during the neonatal period. We report a 2-month-old girl who presented with repeated vomiting, failure to thrive and recurrent bouts of stridor and cyanosis since birth. On examination there was a mass originating from the oropharynx. The mass was excised under general anaesthesia by CO2 laser. Histopathological examination revealed a teratoma of the oropharynx. We discuss the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of this case as well as a review of the literature.
A Statistical Approach to Optimize the Spray Drying of Starch Particles: Application to Dry Powder Coating

This article describes the preparation of starch particles, by spray drying, for possible application to a dry powder coating process. Dry powder coating consists of spraying a fine powder and a plasticizer on particles. The efficiency of the coating is linked to the powder morphological and dimensional characteristics. Different experimental parameters of the spray-drying process were analyzed, including type of solvent, starch concentration, rate of polymer feeding, pressure of the atomizing air, drying air flow, and temperature of drying air. An optimization and screening of the experimental parameters by a design of the experiment (DOE) approach have been done. Finally, the produced spray-dried starch particles were conveniently tested in a dry coating process, in comparison to the commercial initial starch. The obtained results, in terms of coating efficiency, demonstrated that the spray-dried particles led to a sharp increase of coating efficiency value.
Hashing-Based Scalable Remote Sensing Image Search and Retrieval in Large Archives

Large-scale remote sensing (RS) image search and retrieval have recently attracted great attention, due to the rapid evolution of satellite systems, that results in a sharp growing of image archives. An exhaustive search through linear scan from such archives is time demanding and not scalable in operational applications. To overcome such a problem, this paper introduces hashing-based approximate nearest neighbor search for fast and accurate image search and retrieval in large RS data archives. The hashing aims at mapping high-dimensional image feature vectors into compact binary hash codes, which are indexed into a hash table that enables real-time search and accurate retrieval. Such binary hash codes can also significantly reduce the amount of memory required for storing the RS images in the auxiliary archives. In particular, in this paper, we introduce in RS two kernel-based nonlinear hashing methods. The first hashing method defines hash functions in the kernel space by using only unlabeled images, while the second method leverages on the semantic similarity extracted by annotated images to describe much distinctive hash functions in the kernel space. The effectiveness of considered hashing methods is analyzed in terms of RS image retrieval accuracy and retrieval time. Experiments carried out on an archive of aerial images point out that the presented hashing methods are much faster, while keeping a similar (or even higher) retrieval accuracy, than those typically used in RS, which exploit an exact nearest neighbor search.
Role of Exercise Training in Cardiovascular Autonomic Dysfunction and Mortality in Diabetic Ovariectomized Rats

Diabetes and menopause markedly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of exercise training on cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction and on total mortality in diabetic female rats undergoing ovarian hormone deprivation. Female Wistar rats were divided into ovariectomized groups: sedentary and trained controls and sedentary and trained diabetic rats (streptozotocin, 50 mg/kg IV). Trained groups were submitted to an exercise training protocol on a treadmill (8 weeks). The baroreflex sensitivity was evaluated by heart rate responses to arterial pressure changes. Heart rate variability was determined using the SD of the basal heart rate. Vagal and sympathetic tonus were evaluated by pharmacological blockade. Diabetes impaired baroreflex sensitivity (≈55%), vagal tonus (≈68%), and heart rate variability (≈38%). Exercise training improved baroreflex sensitivity and heart rate variability in control and diabetic groups in relation to their sedentary groups. Trained control rats presented increased vagal tonus compared with that of sedentary ones. The sympathetic tonus was reduced in the trained diabetic group as compared with that of other studied groups. Significant correlations were obtained between heart rate variability and vagal tonus with baroreflex sensitivity. Mortality, assessed during the training period, was reduced in trained diabetic (25%) rats compared with mortality in sedentary diabetic rats (60%). Together, these findings suggest that decreases in baroreflex sensitivity and heart rate variability may be related to increased mortality in female diabetic subjects and that improved autonomic regulation induced by exercise training may contribute to decreased mortality in this population.
Does ‘healing’ benefit patients with chronic symptoms? A quasi-randomized trial in general practice

This study was designed to examine the effects of a healer seeing chronically ill patients in a large semirural practice. The 57 patients were allocated alternately either to receive ten weekly healing sessions or to become waiting-list controls. Two weeks after completion of ‘healing’ 22 (81%) of the 27 study patients thought their symptoms had improved and 15 of these thought they had improved substantially. Study patients scored better than controls on both measures of symptoms (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), on anxiety and depression ratings (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) and on general function measured by the Nottingham Health Profile (P < 0.01). Treatment differences were still evident three months later for one of the measures of symptom change (P <0.05) and for both anxiety and depression ratings (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The percentages of natural killer cells (CD16, CD56) did not change greatly in either group. These results suggest that healing may be an effective adjunct for the treatment of chronically ill patients presenting in general practice. They do not distinguish between any specific effects of spiritual healing and non-specific effects such as relaxation; for further investigation, randomized controlled trials will be needed.
Knowledge Forum as a catalyst for fostering knowledge-building communities

We describe how many of the classrooms using Knowledge Forum, developed by Scardamalia and Bereiter (1991 and 1994), embody the characteristics of communities that are known for their creative innovations, such as Ionia in early Greece where science first developed, Cremona Italy in the middle ages where the art of violin making was perfected, and Silicon Valley in modern America where the technology revolution blossomed. We examine the underlying mechanisms used to foster knowledge creation in Knowledge Forum classrooms. We describe two particular schools where Knowledge Forum has been used extensively, and how the teachers are using Knowledge Forum as a tool to foster knowledge creation among their students.
Frequency and Severity of Adverse Drug Events by Medication Classes: The JADE Study.

OBJECTIVE Adverse drug events (ADEs) are a significant concern in daily practice; however, the profile of high-risk drugs remains unclear. Our objective was to categorize high-risk medication classes according to frequency and severity of ADEs. METHODS The JADE study is a prospective cohort study of 3459 hospitalized adult patients. We investigated the ADEs and medications prescribed to the patients. The rate of ADEs for each medication class was calculated by dividing the number of ADEs by the number of patients who received each medication class on admission. RESULTS Overall, 14,435 medications were ordered on admission for patients (median 4; interquartile range, 2-6). Electrolytes and fluids were most frequently prescribed (1876 patients, 54%). Sedatives, antibiotics, peptic ulcer drugs, and analgesics were also commonly prescribed. The frequency was similar in both elderly and younger patients. Among 1010 identified ADEs, antibiotics were most frequently associated with ADEs (31 ADEs per 100 prescribed patients on admission). In patients 65 years and older, corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, laxatives, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and antipsychotics were the 5 most frequent medication classes causing ADEs following antibiotics. In patients younger than 65 years, antibiotics were also the most frequent cause of ADEs, followed by laxatives, lipid-lowering agents, anticonvulsants, and corticosteroids. Among cardiovascular agent-associated ADEs, 46% were fatal or life threatening in elderly patients, whereas antihypertensives were most often associated with fatal or life-threatening ADEs (25%) in younger patients. CONCLUSIONS The medication classes frequently associated with ADEs did not necessarily induce severe ADEs.
Cohesive network reconfiguration accompanies extended training

Human behavior is supported by flexible neurophysiological processes that enable the fine‐scale manipulation of information across distributed neural circuits. Yet, approaches for understanding the dynamics of these circuit interactions have been limited. One promising avenue for quantifying and describing these dynamics lies in multilayer network models. Here, networks are composed of nodes (which represent brain regions) and time‐dependent edges (which represent statistical similarities in activity time series). We use this approach to examine functional connectivity measured by non‐invasive neuroimaging techniques. These multilayer network models facilitate the examination of changes in the pattern of statistical interactions between large‐scale brain regions that might facilitate behavior. In this study, we define and exercise two novel measures of network reconfiguration, and demonstrate their utility in neuroimaging data acquired as healthy adult human subjects learn a new motor skill. In particular, we identify putative functional modules in multilayer networks and characterize the degree to which nodes switch between modules. Next, we define cohesive switches, in which a set of nodes moves between modules together as a group, and we define disjoint switches, in which a single node moves between modules independently from other nodes. Together, these two concepts offer complementary yet distinct insights into the changes in functional connectivity that accompany motor learning. More generally, our work offers statistical tools that other researchers can use to better understand the reconfiguration patterns of functional connectivity over time. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4744–4759, 2017. © 2017 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dissociation of Ultradian and Circadian Phenotypes in Female and Male Siberian Hamsters

Three experiments addressed whether pronounced alterations in the circadian system yielded concomitant changes in ultradian timing. Female Siberian hamsters were housed in a 16L:8D photoperiod after being subjected to a disruptive phase-shifting protocol that produced 3 distinct permanent circadian phenotypes: some hamsters entrained their circadian rhythms (CRs) with predominantly nocturnal locomotor activity (ENTR), others displayed free-running CRs (FR), and a third cohort was circadian arrhythmic (ARR). The period of the ultradian locomotor rhythm (UR) did not differ among the 3 circadian phenotypes; neuroendocrine generation of URs remains viable in the absence of coherent circadian organization and appears to be mediated by substrates functionally and anatomically distinct from those that generate CRs. Pronounced light-dark differences in several UR characteristics in ENTR hamsters were completely absent in circadian arrhythmic hamsters. The disruptive phase-shifting protocol may compromise direct visual input to ultradian oscillators but more likely indirectly affects URs by interrupting visual afference to the circadian system. Additional experiments documented that deuterium oxide and constant light, each of which substantially lengthened the period of free-running CRs, failed to change the period of concurrently monitored URs. The resistance of URs to deuteration contrasts with the slowing of virtually all other biological timing processes, including CRs. Considered together, the present results point to the existence of separable control mechanisms for generation of circadian and ultradian rhythms.
Analog-to-information converter design for low-power acquisition of astrophysical signals

Analog to information converter (AIC) is an energy efficient acquisition system based on Compressed Sensing (CS). This paper presents a new design of an AIC architecture named CS based Non Uniform Sampler (CS-NUS) for acquiring astrophysical signals. The aim is to evaluate its potential power consumption gain against conventional Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). The basic idea behind the NUS is to get samples randomly so that the average sampling frequency is below the conventional Nyquist rate. To do so, we have designed a pseudorandom non uniform clock generator (PNCG) to control a 10bit successive Approximation Register ADC (SAR ADC) in a 65nm CMOS technology. By taking advantage of the CS theory, the designed AIC digitize only 18 % of samples at random while consuming 5 times less than a conventional Nyquist-rate ADC.
The legacy of wetland drainage on the remaining peat in the Sacramento — San Joaquin Delta, California, USA

Throughout the world, many extensive wetlands, such as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California (hereafter, the Delta), have been drained for agriculture, resulting in land-surface subsidence of peat soils. The purpose of this project was to study the in situ effects of wetland drainage on the remaining peat in the Delta. Peat cores were retrieved from four drained, farmed islands and four relatively undisturbed, marsh islands. Core samples were analyzed for bulk density and percent organic carbon. Macrofossils in the peat were dated using radiocarbon age determination. The peat from the farmed islands is highly distinct from marsh island peat. Bulk density of peat from the farmed islands is generally greater than that of the marsh islands at a given organic carbon content. On the farmed islands, increased bulk density, which is an indication of compaction, decreases with depth within the unoxidized peat zone, whereas, on the marsh islands, bulk density is generally constant with depth except near the surface. Approximately 55–80% of the original peat layer on the farmed islands has been lost due to land-surface subsidence. For the center regions of the farmed islands, this translates into an estimated loss of between 2900–5700 metric tons of organic carbon/hectare. Most of the intact peat just below the currently farmed soil layer is over 4000 years old. Peat loss will continue as long as the artificial water table on the farmed islands is held below the land surface.
Effect of ecteinascidin-743 on the interaction between DNA binding proteins and DNA.

Ecteinascidin-743 (ET-743) is a tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Ecteinascidia turbinata, a tunicate growing in mangrove roots in Caribbean. It has been shown to bind in the minor groove of DNA forming covalent adducts by reaction of the N2 of guanine with the carbinolamine moiety. We investigated ET-743 ability to inhibit the binding of different transcription factors to their consensus sequences by using gel shift assays. We have selected three types of factors: (i) oncogene products such as MYC, c-MYB and Maf; (ii) transcriptional activators regulated during the cell cycle as E2F and SRF; and (iii) general transcription factors such as TATA binding protein (TBP), Sp1 and NF-Y. We observed no inhibition of the binding of Sp1, Maf, MYB and MYC. Inhibition of DNA binding was observed for TBP, E2F, SRF at ET-743 concentrations ranging from 50 to 300 microM. The inhibition of binding of NF-Y occurs at even lower concentrations (i.e. 10-30 microM) when the recombinant subunits of NF-Y are preincubated with the drug, indicating that the inhibition of NF-Y binding does not require previous ET-743 DNA binding. Since NF-Y is a trimer containing two subunits with high resemblance to histones H2B and H2A, we have investigated the effect of ET-743 on nucleosome reconstitution. ET-743 caused a decrease of the nucleosomal band at 100 nM, with the complete disappearance of the band at 3-10 microM. These data suggest that the mode of action of this novel anticancer drug is related to its ability to modify the interaction between some DNA binding proteins and DNA.
Robust shear wave speed measurement using comb-push Ultrasound Radiation Force

Measurement of shear wave propagation speed in tissues has clinical significance of indicating tissue stiffness and health state. Spatially Modulated Ultrasound Radiation Force (SMURF) imaging generates a shear wave of known wavelength in the tested material and measures the temporal frequency of the shear wave to determine shear wave propagation speed. Detection in SMURF is relatively simple, but the push beamforming is rather complicated. In this study we propose a new approach for push beamforming for SMURF. The ultrasound transducer elements are divided into several groups with inactive groups interleaving active ones that transmit unfocused push beams simultaneously to form comb-shaped radiation force field. We named such technique as “comb-push”. Both phantom and in vivo muscle results show consistent shear wave propagation speed measurement can be achieved using comb-push. Such a method potentially can be implemented in current commercially available ultrasound imaging systems.