Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of rehabilitation treatment of the upper limb in multiple sclerosis patients and predictive value of neurophysiological measures.

BACKGROUND Dysfunctions of the upper limbs occur in the 66% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. To date, no data, about the persistence of the effects of a rehabilitation treatment and no prognostic markers of functional improvement, have been established. AIM The aim of this study was to define clinical data supporting the efficacy of a rehabilitation treatment in MS patients with upper limb impairment and to find prognostic factors for functional improvement. DESIGN Pre-post comparison prospective study. SETTING Two tertiary Italian MS centres: Rome and Siena. POPULATION Twenty-five consecutive MS patients were tested for eligibility. METHODS We multidimensionally evaluated 25 consecutive patients with MS-related upper limbs impairment through clinical objective, patient-oriented and neurophysiological measures pre and post a16-week rehabilitation treatment on upper limb sensorimotor function. RESULTS We found a significant improvement in the Nine Hole Peg Test (9-HPT) at either sides, both at an immediate post-training visit (T1) (left: P=0.018, right: P=0.004) and at a 12-week postintervention assessment visit (T2) (left: P=0.033, right: P=0.022). We also found a positive correlation between the 12-week post-training changes in the 9-HPT and the N14-P20 interpeak of the somatosensory evoked potentials, (rho=0.374, P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that a rehabilitation treatment can lead to an improvement of the upper limb motor performance in MS patients which continues to persist even after 3 months of treatment-discontinuation suggesting a possible role of rehabilitation in neuroplasticity changes. Moreover, we found, in the latency of the N14-P20 interpeak, a possible prognostic marker for the effects of a upper limb rehabilitation treatment in MS patients. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT The N14-P20 interpeak could be used as a prognostic marker of the effects of rehabilitation of the upper limb.
Transient Electromagnetic Scattering of a Metallic Object Buried in Underwater Sediments

In this paper, we study the electromagnetic scattering of a conducting and permeable sphere buried in sea sediments. Instead of taking a uniform conducting medium in the previous work, we model marine environments as a layered medium that consists of the air, the sea, and the sediment. We adopt an integral equation technique to compute time-harmonic solutions for background and scattered fields under fundamental source excitations, i.e., vertical and horizontal magnetic dipoles. The corresponding transient scattering responses to causal step waveform are computed through the digital sine transform. The derived fundamental solutions provide convenient formulas tailored for three-layer medium modeling. The numerical experiments demonstrate that the scattered responses computed in the different backgrounds are approaching almost to the same decays at late times. However, the background fields can significantly mask the scattered responses. Subtracting assumed uniform background responses from “measured” total fields in the three-layered medium cannot provide a correct scattering response in the interested time range, i.e., 0.1-25 ms. To remove the background fields, we propose a conceptual gradiometer system that has receiver cubes installed radially symmetric with respect to a transmitting antenna. The results demonstrate that the suitable differential combinations are able to yield the scattering responses that well agree with those of a free space as the layered background fields in these combined receivers are equal and their influence are automatically canceled out.
Topoisomerase IIalpha gene amplification predicts favorable treatment response to tailored and dose-escalated anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy in HER-2/neu-amplified breast cancer: Scandinavian Breast Group Trial 9401.

PURPOSE Amplification of the HER-2/neu and topoisomerase IIalpha (TOP2A) genes has been linked to the effects of anthracyclines. Their role in predicting the outcome of anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer patients has remained controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS The present substudy of the Scandinavian Breast Group trial 9401, in which an epirubicin-based regimen (nine courses of tailored and dose-escalated fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide [FEC]) was compared with three or four courses of standard FEC followed by bone marrow-supported high-dose chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, thiotepa, and carboplatin), included high-risk breast cancer patients (with eight or more positive axillary lymph nodes or at least five nodes with additional poor prognostic indicators). Amplification of HER-2/neu was determined retrospectively in paraffin-embedded tumor tissue sections by chromogenic in situ hybridization. TOP2A was tested only in HER-2/neu-amplified tumors. RESULTS HER-2/neu amplification alone, which was present in 32.7% of the tumors, was a strong prognostic factor for short relapse-free (P = .0034) and overall survival (P = .0008) but showed no direct association with treatment assignment. TOP2A coamplification, which was present in 37% of HER-2/neu-amplified tumors, was associated with better relapse-free survival in patients treated with tailored and dose-escalated FEC (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.45; P = .049). A statistical multivariate Cox's regression analysis confirmed the predictive significance of TOP2A coamplification (HR = 0.30; P = .020) in HER-2/neu-amplified tumors. There was no such association in patients with HER-2/neu-amplified tumors without TOP2A gene amplification. CONCLUSION Coamplification of HER-2/neu and TOP2A may define a subgroup of high-risk breast cancer patients who benefit from individually tailored and dose-escalated adjuvant anthracyclines.
Diabetes mellitus, exocrine pancreatic deficiency, hypertrichosis, hyperpigmentation, and chronic inflammation: confirmation of a syndrome

Abstract: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized by dysregulation of the immune system leading to inflammation and selective destruction of pancreatic beta cells. Mild to moderate pancreatic exocrine insufficiency is found in patients with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes mellitus may also be part of a syndrome occasionally involving hair and skin abnormalities. We report our observations on two siblings with insulin‐dependent diabetes, severe exocrine pancreatic deficiency, pigmented hypertrichotic skin patches with induration and chronic inflammation. The first sibling presented at the age of 9 months with hypertrichosis and hyperpigmentation, particularly on her back and legs and then developed diabetes mellitus at the age of 4 yr. The second sibling presented with exactly the same clinical features but at a later age of 12 yr. Both siblings had severe pancreatic exocrine deficiency with chronic persistent inflammation. Some of the clinical features in these siblings resemble those described by Prendiville et al. although our patients had additional features. The chronic inflammatory response in both siblings is highly suggestive of some form of immune dysregulation. The presence of consanguinity in the parents and similarity of clinical features in the siblings are suggestive of a novel autoimmune disorder, possibly secondary to autosomal recessive inheritance.
Incorporation of Pol into Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Gag Virus-Like Particles Occurs Independently of the Upstream Gag Domain in Gag-Pol

ABSTRACT By using particle-associated reverse transcriptase (RT) activity as an assay for Pol incorporation into human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag virus-like particles (VLPs), it has been found that truncated, protease-negative, Gag-Pol missing cis Gag sequences is still incorporated into Gag VLPs, albeit at significantly reduced levels (10 to 20% of the level of wild-type Gag-Pol). In this work, we have directly measured the incorporation of truncated Gag-Pol species into Gag VLPs and have found that truncated Gag-Pol that is missing all sequences upstream of RT is still incorporated into Gag VLPs at levels approximating 70% of that achieved by wild-type Gag-Pol. Neither protease nor integrase regions in Pol are required for its incorporation, implying an interaction between Gag and RT sequences in the Pol protein. While the incorporation of Gag-Pol into Gag VLPs is reduced 12-fold by the replacement of the nucleocapsid within Gag with a leucine zipper motif, this mutation does not affect Pol incorporation. However, the deletion of p6 in Gag reduces Pol incorporation into Gag VLPs four- to fivefold. Pol shows the same ability as Gag-Pol to selectively package tRNALys into Gag VLPs, and primer tRNA3Lys is found annealed to the viral genomic RNA. These data suggest that after the initial separation of Gag from Pol during cleavage of Gag-Pol by viral protease, the Pol species still retains the capacity to bind to both Gag and tRNA3Lys, which may be required for Pol and tRNA3Lys to be retained in the assembling virion until budding is completed.
Comparing Prenatal Providers' Approaches to Four Different Risks: Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, and Domestic Violence

ABSTRACT Objective: We explored prenatal care providers' methods for addressing four behavioral risks in their pregnant patients: alcohol use, smoking, drug use, and domestic violence. Design: We used qualitative, purposively sampled, focus group data. Setting: Groups met in professional focus group settings. Participants: We conducted six focus groups (five with OB/Gyn physicians, one with nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives), with a total of N = 49. Measurements: The moderator used a focus group guide with open-ended questions, with probes where appropriate. Findings: Providers' discussions reflected differences in how they approach each risk, including: (1) ambivalence about abstinence messages for alcohol; (2) relative comfort and confidence about assessing smoking and counseling to reduce smoking; (3) disparities across practice settings for toxicology screening for drugs; and (4) discomfort and pessimism with domestic violence. Investigators also analyzed providers' statements for each risk within the framework of the “Five A's” construct (Assess, Advise, Agree, Assist, and Arrange) for evaluating risk behavior interventions. Conclusions: A comparison of each risk across the Five A's illuminates the gaps between recommended and actual prevention methods and suggests directions for development of interventions and educational efforts.
Testing Pleistocene refugia theory: phylogeographical analysis of Desmognathus wrighti, a high‐elevation salamander in the southern Appalachians

During the colder climates of the Pleistocene, the ranges of high‐elevation species in unglaciated areas may have expanded, leading to increased gene flow among previously isolated populations. The phylogeography of the pygmy salamander, Desmognathus wrighti, an endemic species restricted to the highest mountain peaks of the southern Appalachians, was examined to test the hypothesis that the range of D. wrighti expanded along with other codistributed taxa during the Pleistocene. Analyses of genetic variation at 14 allozymic loci and of the 12S rRNA gene in the mtDNA genome was conducted on individuals sampled from 14 population isolates throughout the range of D. wrighti. In contrast to the genetic patterns of many other high‐elevation animals and plants, genetic distances derived from both molecular markers showed significant isolation by distance and genetic structuring of populations, suggesting long‐term isolation of populations. Phylogeographical analyses revealed four genetically distinct population clusters that probably remained fragmented during the Pleistocene, although there was also evidence supporting recent gene flow among some population groups. Support for isolation by distance is rare among high‐elevation species in unglaciated areas of North and Middle America, although not uncommon among Plethodontid Salamanders, and this pattern suggests that populations of D. wrighti did not expand entirely into suitable habitat during the Pleistocene. We propose that intrinsic barriers to dispersal, such as species interactions with other southern Appalachian plethodontid salamanders, persisted during the Pleistocene to maintain the fragmented distribution of D. wrighti and allow for significant genetic divergence of populations by restricting gene flow.
A Unique Nodavirus with Novel Features: Mosinovirus Expresses Two Subgenomic RNAs, a Capsid Gene of Unknown Origin, and a Suppressor of the Antiviral RNA Interference Pathway

ABSTRACT Insects are a reservoir for many known and novel viruses. We discovered an unknown virus, tentatively named mosinovirus (MoNV), in mosquitoes from a tropical rainforest region in Côte d'Ivoire. The MoNV genome consists of two segments of positive-sense RNA of 2,972 nucleotides (nt) (RNA 1) and 1,801 nt (RNA 2). Its putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase shares 43% amino acid identity with its closest relative, that of the Pariacoto virus (family Nodaviridae). Unexpectedly, for the putative capsid protein, maximal pairwise identity of 16% to Lake Sinai virus 2, an unclassified virus with a nonsegmented RNA genome, was found. Moreover, MoNV virions are nonenveloped and about 50 nm in diameter, larger than any of the known nodaviruses. Mature MoNV virions contain capsid proteins of ∼56 kDa, which do not seem to be cleaved from a longer precursor. Northern blot analyses revealed that MoNV expresses two subgenomic RNAs of 580 nt (RNA 3) and 292 nt (RNA 4). RNA 4 encodes a viral suppressor of RNA interference (RNAi) that shares its mechanism with the B2 RNAi suppressor protein of other nodaviruses despite lacking recognizable similarity to these proteins. MoNV B2 binds long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and, accordingly, inhibits Dicer-2-mediated processing of dsRNA into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Phylogenetic analyses indicate that MoNV is a novel member of the family Nodaviridae that acquired its capsid gene via reassortment from an unknown, distantly related virus beyond the family level. IMPORTANCE The identification of novel viruses provides important information about virus evolution and diversity. Here, we describe an unknown unique nodavirus in mosquitoes, named mosinovirus (MoNV). MoNV was classified as a nodavirus based on its genome organization and on phylogenetic analyses of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Notably, its capsid gene was acquired from an unknown virus with a distant relationship to nodaviruses. Another remarkable feature of MoNV is that, unlike other nodaviruses, it expresses two subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs). One of the sgRNAs expresses a protein that counteracts antiviral defense of its mosquito host, whereas the function of the other sgRNA remains unknown. Our results show that complete genome segments can be exchanged beyond the species level and suggest that insects harbor a large repertoire of exceptional viruses.
Broad-band characterization of magnetic and dielectric thin films using a microstrip line

A measurement method for the broad-band determination (100 MHz-10 GHz) of the permeability and permittivity of thin films with thicknesses of 1-10 /spl mu/m has been developed. The technique is based on the measurement of the S parameters of a microstrip line loaded with the test sample. The S parameters are measured with a network analyzer. Besides its band width, the original feature of this method in comparison with existing techniques lies in the fact that the thin film does not entirely fill the cross section of the cell since it is directly laid on the substrate of the microstrip line. This leads to a simple and reproducible measurement process. It also permits the propagation of the electromagnetic wave along the film width of about a few millimeters, thus increasing the measurement accuracy. Moreover the method remains reliable for the characterization of bulk materials with the same cell and data processing program.
A Mean‐Preserving Increase in Ambiguity and Portfolio Choices

This article investigates under what conditions an increase in ambiguity reduces demand for an uncertain asset (or raises demand for coinsurance). We find that the comparative statics of ambiguity and of risks have structural similarities under the smooth ambiguity aversion model (Klibanoff, Marinacci, and Mukerji, ()). The determinant condition on ambiguity preferences is analogous to that on risk preferences. However, the comparative statics have fundamental differences under the α‐maxmin model (Ghirardato, Maccheroni, and Marinacci, ()). When relative risk aversion is less than 1, only an increase in ambiguity, which broadens support for an investor's belief in the probability of the return distribution in the manner of a strong increase in risk, can reduce demand for an uncertain asset.
Multiple Uses of an Upgraded FMIT Facility

The Fusion Materials Irradiation Test (FMIT) facility was designed to test small samples in fluxes greater than 1015) n cm2-s of fusion-like neutrons. The source of neutrons would be a 0.1 A beam of 35 MeV deuterons stopped in a liquid lithium jet target. During the present construction deferral, pending an international agreement, an expanded mission is being explored. Multiple CW beams in a common accelerator structure could be used to obtain a total steady-state beam current of about 1 A. This could provide for simultaneous multiple uses in up to four or more target areas as described below. For fusion materials, individual CW beams could be simultaneously directed to two or more FMIT targets, greatly improving availability. Alternately, the multiple beams could be combined for testing of large, multi-liter sized components of fusion reactors. At the same time, research in condensed matter could be pursued using both a steady-state and pulsed source of thermal neutrons in separate target areas. A steady-state flux that is an order of magnitude improvement over current reactor sources can be obtained. Moreover, a pulsed source that is comparable to the most intense pulsed sources nearing completion can also be achieved.
Antenna Ratio for Sum-Rate Maximization in Full-Duplex Large-Array Base Station With Half-Duplex Multiantenna Users

This paper analyzes the ratio of transmit antennas to receive antennas at the base station (BS) in full-duplex multiuser multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) systems with large-array BS and half-duplex multiantenna users. We consider a full-duplex BS with a block diagonalization (BD) precoder for downlink transmission and a BD receive filter for uplink reception. We derive the approximated downlink sum-rate considering the inter-user interference, and the uplink sum-rate considering the self-interference (SI), for large numbers of BS antennas. Based on the analysis, we formulate an optimization problem in terms of the ratio of transmit antennas to receive antennas to maximize the sum-rate. The analysis shows that the antenna ratio for maximizing the sum rate converges to the ratio of downlink streams to uplink streams as the number of total BS antennas goes to infinity. Simulation results confirm the analysis and show that the BS using the derived antenna ratio in the full-duplex MU-MIMO system can achieve about a 10~20 b/s/Hz performance gain compared with the BS using an equal number of transmit and receive antennas.
Predictive value of urinary micro-cholesterol (mCHO) levels in patients with progressive glomerular disease.

BACKGROUND Trace amounts of lipids are present in the urine of patients with glomerular disease, raising the possibility that the excess lipids reabsorbed by tubule cells may be toxic to these cells. In the present study, we assessed the prognostic value of micro-cholesterol (mCHO) levels in patients with chronic glomerular disease. METHODS The urinary mCHO levels of healthy subjects and patients with chronic kidney disease were measured by the enzymatic cholesterol cycling (ECC) method with a minimum detection level of 0.10 x 10(-3) mmol/L. First, the urinary mCHO levels of healthy subjects and 320 patients with various glomerular diseases with proteinuria >1000 mg/gCr were measured. Second, correlations of urinary mCHO levels with those of various other molecules, including albumin, IgG, IgM, transferrin, phospholipid, alpha1-microglobulin (alpha1MG), Apo A1, Apo A2, and Apo B, and urinary fatty body counts, were determined. Third, urinary mCHO, total protein (TP), albumin, and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) levels were measured longitudinally over 12 months (20.5 +/- 5.8 months) in 68 nondiabetic patients with impaired renal function [serum creatinine (Cr) > or = 1.5 mg/dL]. Correlations of the concentrations of urinary parameters in the initial 3-month period with the slopes of the reciprocal of creatinine versus time for the entire follow-up period were assessed by the ROC method and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS Urinary mCHO levels of the healthy subjects were 0.06 to 0.72 mg/gCr for males and 0.16 to 2.34 mg/gCr for females. Urinary mCHO levels in subjects with minimal change nephrotic syndrome were significantly lower than those in the patients with other glomerular diseases with massive proteinuria. Urinary mCHO levels correlated significantly with Apo A1 and Apo A2 levels, but not with urinary Apo B levels, in the latter subjects. The correlation coefficient of urinary fatty body counts (a marker of lipoprotein loading tubulopathy) with mCHO was higher than those with TP, albumin, IgG, IgM, and alpha1MG. The urinary mCHO elevation was significantly greater in patients who had a nonselective index of proteinuria than in those with a highly or moderately selective index. In nondiabetic patients with impaired renal function, the urinary mCHO level had a higher predictive value for rapid decline of renal function than TP, albumin, or NAG. CONCLUSION The urinary cholesterol level corresponds to the magnitude of urinary HDL excretion, and correlates with the degree of lipoprotein loading tubulopathy. Measurement of urinary mCHO by the ECC method is a simple and useful tool for predicting progression of chronic glomerular disease.
Long-Term Effect of Interferon on Keratinocytes That Maintain Human Papillomavirus Type 31

ABSTRACT The long-term effects of interferon treatment on cell lines that maintain human papillomavirus type 31 (HPV-31) episomes have been examined. High doses and prolonged interferon treatment resulted in growth arrest of HPV-positive cells, with a high percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis. These effects were not seen with interferon treatment of either normal human keratinocytes or cells derived from HPV-negative squamous carcinomas, which exhibited only slight decreases in their rates of growth. Within 2 weeks of the initiation of treatment, a population of HPV-31-positive cells that were resistant to interferon appeared consistently and reproducibly. The resistant cells had growth and morphological characteristics similar to those of untreated cells. Long-term interferon treatment of HPV-positive cells also resulted in a reduction in HPV episome levels but did not significantly decrease the number of integrated copies of HPV. Cells that maintained HPV genomes lacking E5 were sensitive to interferon, while cells expressing only the E6/E7 genes were resistant. In contrast, cells that expressed E2 from a tetracycline-inducible promoter were found to be significantly more sensitive to interferon treatment than parental cells. This suggests that at least a portion of the sensitivity to interferon could be mediated through the E2 protein. These studies indicate that cells maintaining HPV episomes are highly sensitive to interferon treatment but that resistant populations arise quickly.