Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhaled Carbon Monoxide Accelerates Resolution of Inflammation via Unique Proresolving Mediator–Heme Oxygenase-1 Circuits

Resolution of acute inflammation is an active event accompanied by biosynthesis of specialized proresolving mediators (SPM). We employed a systems approach to determine the impact of CO in resolution active programs during self-limited inflammation in mice. Compared with ambient air, inhaled CO gas (250 ppm) significantly limited PMN infiltration (∼44%, 6 h) into peritoneum and shortened resolution interval from 4 to 2 h. We profiled exudate lipid mediators (LM) via metabololipidomics, CO reduced leukotriene B4 (21 ± 11 versus 59 ± 24 pg/mouse, 6 h), and elevated SPM including resolvin (Rv) D1 (27 ± 4 versus 16 ± 5 pg/mouse) and maresin 1 (26 ± 9 versus 15 ± 3 pg/mouse). With human macrophages, SPM (10 pM–10 nM) elevated heme oxygenase (HO)-1 (∼50%, 8 h). CO also enhanced HO-1 expression and accumulation of RvD1 and RvD5, an action reversed by blockage of a key SPM biosynthesis enzyme 15-lipoxygenase type 1. Compared with normoxia, CO increased ∼30% phagocytosis of opsonized zymosan with human macrophage, which was further enhanced by SPM (∼100%). This CO increased phagocytosis was blocked by 15-lipoxygenase inhibition, and SPM stimulated phagocytosis was diminished by HO-1 inhibition. In murine peritonitis, both pre- and posttreatment with CO inhalation significantly increased macrophages carrying ingested apoptotic PMN in exudates and enhanced PMN apoptosis. Taken together, these results indicate that CO accelerates resolution of acute inflammation, shortens resolution intervals, enhances macrophage efferocytosis, and temporally regulates local levels of lipid mediator/SPM. Moreover, they provide proresolving mechanisms for HO-1/CO, which is part of the SPM-initiated resolution circuit.
Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

&NA; Epidemiologic factors important in acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) are the pathogenic organisms Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, less pathogenic mycoplasma, and endogenous aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Other risk factors for PID include the number of sexual partners, previous PID, previous gonorrhea, and male gonorrhea. The patient's age, IUD use, and social factors may be dependent variables for the development of PID. The diagnosis is often difficult to establish; practical diagnostic methods include a careful history and physical examination, laboratory tests (particularly a cervical Gram stain), culdocentesis, and examination of the male. Laparoscopy should be used when the diagnosis is unclear.
Antimicrobial resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: mechanistic and evolutionary perspectives

Antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains are threatening progress in containing the global tuberculosis epidemic. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics, limiting the number of compounds available for treatment. This intrinsic resistance is due to a number of mechanisms including a thick, waxy, hydrophobic cell envelope and the presence of drug degrading and modifying enzymes. Resistance to the drugs which are active against M. tuberculosis is, in the absence of horizontally transferred resistance determinants, conferred by chromosomal mutations. These chromosomal mutations may confer drug resistance via modification or overexpression of the drug target, as well as by prevention of prodrug activation. Drug resistance mutations may have pleiotropic effects leading to a reduction in the bacterium's fitness, quantifiable e.g. by a reduction in the in vitro growth rate. Secondary so-called compensatory mutations, not involved in conferring resistance, can ameliorate the fitness cost by interacting epistatically with the resistance mutation. Although the genetic diversity of M. tuberculosis is low compared to other pathogenic bacteria, the strain genetic background has been demonstrated to influence multiple aspects in the evolution of drug resistance. The rate of resistance evolution and the fitness costs of drug resistance mutations may vary as a function of the genetic background.
Single-copy Gene Detection Using Branched DNA (bDNA) In Situ Hybridization

We have developed a branched DNA in situ hybridization (bDNA ISH) method for detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in whole cells. Using human cervical cancer cell lines with known copies of HPV DNA, we show that the bDNA ISH method is highly sensitive, detecting as few as one or two copies of HPV DNA per cell. By modifying sample pretreatment, viral mRNA or DNA sequences can be detected using the same set of oligonucleotide probes. In experiments performed on mixed populations of cells, the bDNA ISH method is highly specific and can distinguish cells with HPV-16 from cells with HPV-18 DNA. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the bDNA ISH method provides precise localization, yielding positive signals retained within the subcellular compartments in which the target nucleic acid sequences are localized. As an effective and convenient means for nucleic acid detection, the bDNA ISH method is applicable to the detection of cancers and infectious agents. (J Histochem Cytochem 49:603–611, 2001)
Structural Integrity and Clinical Function of the Subscapularis Musculotendinous Unit after Arthroscopic and Open Shoulder Stabilization

Background Postoperative subscapularis dysfunction after open shoulder stabilization has recently received increasing attention. The potential advantage of arthroscopic stabilization procedures is that they do not violate the subscapularis musculotendinous unit, which might preserve its structural integrity and clinical function, which would lead to superior clinical results. Hypothesis Arthroscopic shoulder stabilization does not lead to clinical and radiological signs of subscapularis insufficiency. Study Design Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods Twenty-two patients who underwent arthroscopic (group I, n = 12; average age, 30.9 years; mean follow-up, 37 months) or open (group II, n = 10; average age, 28.8 years; mean follow-up, 35.9 months) shoulder stabilization procedure were followed up clinically (clinical subscapularis tests and signs, Constant Score, Rowe Score, Walch-Duplay Score, Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index and Melbourne Instability Shoulder Score) and by magnetic resonance imaging (subscapularis tendon integrity, cross-sectional area, defined muscle diameters, and signal intensity analysis [ratio infraspinatus/upper subscapularis and infraspinatus/lower subscapularis]). A third group (group 0) of 12 healthy volunteers served as a control. Results Clinical signs for subscapularis insufficiency were present in 0% of cases in group I and in 70% of cases in group II. There were no statistically significant differences in either group regarding Constant Score, Rowe Score, Walch-Duplay Score, Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index, and Melbourne Instability Shoulder Score (P > .05). On magnetic resonance image, no subscapularis tendon ruptures were found. The cross-sectional area, the mean vertical diameter, and the mean transverse diameter of the upper and lower subscapularis muscle portion was significantly less in group II than in group 0 (P < .05). The signal intensity analysis revealed the infraspinatus/upper subscapularis ratio was significantly lower in group II than in group I or group 0. The infraspinatus/lower subscapularis ratio did not significantly differ in all 3 groups (P > .05). Conclusion This study confirms previous observations that open shoulder stabilization using a subscapularis tenotomy may lead to atrophy and fatty infiltration of the subscapularis muscle, resulting in postoperative subscapularis dysfunction. As expected, arthroscopic procedures do not significantly compromise clinical subscapularis function and structural integrity. However, no significant differences were observed in the overall outcome.
Limited Attention and Portfolio Choice: The Impact of Attention Allocation on Mutual Fund Performance

This study proposes that the performance of mutual fund managers is linked to how efficiently they allocate attention across assets in their investment set. Motivated by existing models of optimal portfolio choice and rational inattention, we posit that the efficiency of attention allocation increases when a manager chooses larger (smaller) active positions in assets which need more (less) information acquisition effort to resolve uncertainty about future payoffs. We show that the efficiency of attention allocation has a significantly positive impact on future fund performance. Efficient attention allocation has a lesser impact on performance as the total demands on a manager’s limited attention increase.
Developments of microwave microscopy for application to biological samples

In this work, Scanning Microwave Microscopy (SMM) is applied to breast cancer cells MCF-7 treated by fullerene (C60), in order to provide simultaneous topographic and electromagnetic characterization of sample surface. The exceptional properties of fullerene, like its lipophilicity and its ability to be functionalized with proteins and nucleic acids, make its use very promising for drug delivery and anticancer action. Moreover, it could be applied as a marker for cancer cells, or target for further treatment, as it is able to penetrate the cell membrane. Calibration of SMM data is necessary in order to isolate the probe-sample interaction, and to possibly disentangle the topography from the electromagnetic response of the sample. These aspects are discussed in the paper. Use of microwave microscopy could be crucial to investigate the effects of fullerene treatment, and could enable, in the future, deep imaging of its penetration inside the cells.
Evaluation and optimization of smart cities using betweenness centrality

A smart city is an interconnection of a great number of subsystems of a city to facilitate data exchanges with the goal of enhancing a city's efficiency. A number of challenges present themselves with the concept of smart city. Some of them are security and efficiency of networks. In this paper, using the concept of betweenness centrality, we attempt to address those problems. Betweenness Centrality measures the extent to which a node lies on the shortest path(s) of other pairs of nodes. This gives us a fair ides about network traffic and node requirements, which can then be exploited to solve security and efficiency issues.
Osteochondral repair by a novel interconnecting collagen-hydroxyapatite substitute: a large-animal study.

A novel three-dimensional bicomponent substitute made of collagen type I and hydroxyapatite was tested for the repair of osteochondral lesions in a swine model. This scaffold was assembled by a newly developed method that guarantees the strict integration between the organic and the inorganic parts, mimicking the biological tissue between the chondral and the osseous phase. Thirty-six osteochondral lesions were created in the trochlea of six pigs; in each pig, two lesions were treated with scaffolds seeded with autologous chondrocytes (cell+group), two lesions were treated with unseeded scaffolds (cell- group), and the two remaining lesions were left untreated (untreated group). After 3 months, the animals were sacrificed and the newly formed tissue was analyzed to evaluate the degree of maturation. The International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) macroscopic assessment showed significantly higher scores in the cell- and untreated groups when compared with the cell+ group. Histological evaluation showed the presence of repaired tissue, with fibroblast-like and hyaline-like areas in all groups; however, with respect to the other groups, the cell- group showed significantly higher values in the ICRS II histological scores for "cell morphology" and for the "surface/superficial assessment. " While the scaffold seeded with autologous chondrocytes promoted the formation of a reparative tissue with high cellularity but low glycosaminoglycans (GAG) production, on the contrary, the reparative tissue observed with the unseeded scaffold presented lower cellularity but higher and uniform GAG distribution. Finally, in the lesions treated with scaffolds, the immunohistochemical analysis showed the presence of collagen type II in the peripheral part of the defect, indicating tissue maturation due to the migration of local cells from the surroundings. This study showed that the novel osteochondral scaffold was easy to handle for surgical implantation and was stable within the site of lesion; at the end of the experimental time, all implants were well integrated with the surrounding tissue and no signs of synovitis were observed. The quality of the reparative tissue seemed to be superior for the lesions treated with the unseeded scaffolds, indicating the promising potential of this novel biomaterial for use in a one-stage procedure for osteochondral repair.
Supporting Strategic Planning with Interactive Visualization - A Case Study of Patient Flow through a Large Hospital

: Hospitals collect large amounts of data during their daily operation. Next to its immediate primary purpose, this data also contains implicit information that can be used to improve clinical and administrative processes. We present a case study of how strategic infrastructure planning can be supported by the analysis of enriched patient ﬂow through a hospital. Data from various hospital information systems was collected, enriched with topographical and organizational data, and integrated into a coherent data store. Common analysis tools and methods do not support exploration and sense-making well for such large and complex problems. We therefore developed a highly interactive visual analytics application that offers various views onto the data, and provides fast access to details in order to show them in context. The analysts were able to validate their experiences, conﬁrm hypotheses and generate new insights. As a result, several sub-systems of clinics were identiﬁed that will play a central role on the future hospital campus. This approach was successful enough that we envision to extend it towards other process optimization tasks in hospitals.
Antitumor Reactivity of Lymph Node Cells Primed In Vivo With Dendritic Cell-Based Vaccines

Tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cells were used to generate nodal effector T cells in the murine MCA 205 tumor model. Dendritic cells were derived from bone marrow and cultured in granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor/interleukin 4 before pulsation with tumor lysate. Multiple subcutaneous administrations of tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cells (TP-DCs) resulted in an approximately eightfold hypertrophy of the vaccine draining nodes, with an increased influx of dendritic (CD11c + /CD80 + ) cells and B (B220 + ) cells. The vaccine-primed lymph node (VPLN) cells were secondarily activated with anti-CD3/interleukin 2 and exhibited specific interferon-&ggr; release to tumor antigen. The adoptive transfer of TP-DC VPLN cells resulted in regression of established 3-day pulmonary metastases. The antitumor reactivity of TP-DC VPLN cells was comparable to anti-CD3/interleukin 2 activated tumor-draining lymph node cells. However, the admixture of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) with tumor lysate during pulsation of dendritic cells significantly enhanced the induction of tumor-reactive VPLN cells. Tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cells can be used as a strategy to generate effector T cells for adoptive immunotherapy.
Readiness to change drinking behavior in female college students.

OBJECTIVE Motivational interviewing (MI) therapies are effective in reducing high-risk drinking in college populations. Although research supports efficacy of MI prevention strategies in reducing alcohol use, there are little data examining readiness to change (RTC), the underlying theoretical model of MI interventions. The purpose of the present study was to explore RTC variability and drinking behavior and whether MI increases RTC in an intervention group compared with controls. METHOD Two-hundred eighty-five first-year female college students participated in the study. Present analyses focused on those students who consumed alcohol in the month before the study (n = 182). RTC was measured using the Readiness to Change Ruler. RESULTS Analyses were conducted using hierarchical linear modeling. There was significant variability in RTC: 71.86% of variance in RTC was between-person differences, and 28.14% was within-person differences. Higher RTC was associated with lower intentions to drink and future drinking behavior. However, in weeks in which students drank more, they experienced a decrease in RTC. Based on the significant cross-level interaction, the intervention group had significantly higher RTC than controls. CONCLUSIONS These results provided partial support for our hypotheses. The overall theoretical construct of RTC varies both across and within individuals. These results also offer support for the utility of MI-based prevention strategies in increasing RTC within individuals. However, we did not consistently find that these changes related to drinking changes. Findings provide support for both the construct of RTC and utility of MI interventions in changing these beliefs in female college students.
Heterogeneity and Earning Dissatisfaction of Elderly Labourforce in India

This paper attempts to find the drivers of choice of various occupations during old age and related earning dissatisfaction. Old age workforce participation in India is largely characterized by distress driven and therefore assumed to be associated with vulnerabilities in working conditions. Findings suggest that relatively disadvantaged elderly participate in the self-employment and casual wage earnings of the unorganised sector. Coupled with age related discrimination, since unorganised sector in India mostly does not follow the "minimum labour standard", the elderly are paid low that aggravates further economic vulnerabilities. The results show that elderly from poor socioeconomic background are more likely to be dissatisfied with their earnings but regional variation contributes significantly in this regard.
A population-specific Mini-Nutritional Assessment can effectively grade the nutritional status of stroke rehabilitation patients in Taiwan.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To determine whether a modified version of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment without body mass index could effectively assess the nutritional risk status of stroke rehabilitation patients in Taiwan. BACKGROUND The Mini-Nutritional Assessment was developed on the basis of clinical data of Western populations. Although widely used, its application to assess stroke rehabilitation patients has been limited. Further, to get best results, population-specific modifications to address anthropometric and lifestyle differences have been suggested, especially for non-Caucasian populations. DESIGN The study assessed the nutritional status of stroke rehabilitation patients who enrolled in the Long-Term Care Service of Taipei. Strokes who were >40 years old, in the program for >1 month and cognitively able to answer the questions were recruited to participate in the study. METHODS An on-site in-person interview with structured questionnaire elicited information on personal data, disease history and healthcare use and answers to the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Activities of Daily Living and the Mini-Nutritional Assessment. Patient's nutritional status was assessed with the Mini-Nutritional Assessment in three versions: the original, population-specific (MNA-TI) and population-specific, without body mass index (MNA-TII). RESULTS The original Mini-Nutritional Assessment rated 24% of patients malnourished and 57% at risk of malnutrition. Similar results, 14 and 64%, respectively, for MNA-TI; and 19 and 57%, respectively, for MNA-TII were observed. CONCLUSION Both the original and the modified versions of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment can effectively rate the nutritional risk status of stroke rehabilitation patients in Taiwan. Version MNA-TII that adopted population-specific anthropometric cut-values but without body mass index can effectively predict the nutritional status of stroke patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The modified scale (MNA-TII) can enhance the application of the tool and timely detection and intervention of undernutrition among stroke rehabilitation patients. It can also help to improve job efficiency of the primary care professionals.
EC-PC spike detection for high performance brain-computer interface

Spike detection is often the first step in neural signal processing. It has profound effects on subsequent steps down the signal processing pipeline. Most existing spike detection algorithms require manual setting of detection threshold, which is very inconvenient for long-term neural interface. Furthermore, these algorithms are usually only evaluated using simulated dataset. Few studies are devoted to evaluating how different spike detection algorithms affect decoding performance in brain-computer interface. We have proposed a new spike detection algorithm called “exponential component - power component” (EC-PC) that offers fully automatic unsupervised spike detection. In this study, we compared the performance of a motor decoding task when different spike detection algorithms were used. EC-PC is shown to produce a higher decoding accuracy compared with other existing algorithms. Our results suggest that EC-PC can help improve motor decoding performance of brain-computer interface.
Crystal structure of 4-bromo-2-[(E)-N-(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)carboximidoyl]phenol dihydrate

In the title hydrate, C16H23BrN2O·2H2O, the organic molecule features a strong intramolecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond. The piperidine ring, in addition, adopts a chair conformation with the exocyclic C—N bond in an equatorial orientation. The water molecules of crystallization are disordered (each over two sets of sites with half occupancy. In the crystal, they associate into corrugated (100) sheets of (H2O)4 tetramers linked by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The organic molecules, in turn, are arranged at both sides of these sheets, linked by water–piperidine O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds.
Euphorbiasteroid reverses P‐glycoprotein‐mediated multi‐drug resistance in human sarcoma cell line MES‐SA/Dx5

In this study, we evaluated whether euphorbiasteroid isolated from Euphorbia lathyris has the potential to reverse P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp)‐mediated multi‐drug resistance (MDR) by using the drug‐sensitive human sarcoma cell line MES‐SA and its MDR counterpart MES‐SA/Dx5. Interestingly, even at low concentrations of euphorbiasteroid (1–3 μM), it efficiently restored the toxicities of anticancer drugs including vinblastine, taxol and doxorubicin in MES‐SA/Dx5 cells. Additionally, the computational Bayesian model for predicting potential P‐gp substrates or inhibitors revealed that euphorbiasteroid showed 97% probability for substrate likeness having similar molecular features with 50 P‐gp substrates. Consistent with this result, the substrate likeness of euphorbiasteroid was also experimentally confirmed by P‐gp ATPase activity assay. In conclusion, our finding suggested that euphorbiasteroid could be a transport substrate for P‐gp that can effectively inhibit P‐gp‐mediated drug transport and reverse resistance to anticancer drugs in MES‐SA/Dx5 cells. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.