Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indications and prospects of neural transplantation for chronic neurological diseases

Purpose of reviewThe replacement of damaged cells in the central nervous system (CNS) affected by degenerative disorders represents an attractive therapeutic strategy. The advent of stem cell technology may offer the possibility of generating a large number of renewable, specifically differentiated cells to potentially cure large cohorts of patients. In this review, we discuss current knowledge and issues involved in neural cell transplantation. The most important preclinical and clinical results of cellular transplantation applied to Parkinson's, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis will be summarized. Recent findingsCellular transplantation is emerging as a possible therapy for a variety of incurable neurological disorders. The disorders that will primarily take advantage from neural stem cell grafting are those involving a well defined cell population in a restricted area of the CNS. Several clinical trials have been initiated to assess safety and efficacy of different stem cell-derived products, and promising results have been obtained for disorders such as Parkinson's disease. However, several scientific questions remain unanswered. Among these, the impact of the immunological interaction between host and graft in the particular environment of the CNS still requires additional investigations. SummarySeveral chronic neurological disorders appear to be amenable to cell regenerative therapies. However, safety, efficacy and immunological issues will need to be carefully evaluated beforehand.
Nitric oxide acts as a slow‐down and search signal in developing neurites

Nitric oxide (NO) has been demonstrated to act as a signaling molecule during neuronal development, but its precise function is unclear. Here we investigate whether NO might function at the neuronal growth cone to affect growth cone motility. We have previously demonstrated that growth cones of identified neurons from the snail Helisoma trivolvis show a rapid and transient increase in filopodial length in response to NO, which was regulated by soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) [S. Van Wagenen and V. Rehder (1999) J. Neurobiol. , 39, 168–185]. Because in vivo studies have demonstrated that growth cones have longer filopodia and advance more slowly in regions where pathfinding decisions are being made, this study aimed to establish whether NO could function as a combined ‘slow‐down and search signal’ for growth cones by decreasing neurite outgrowth. In the presence of the NO donor NOC‐7, neurites of B5 neurons showed a concentration‐dependent effect on neurite outgrowth, ranging from slowing at low, stopping at intermediate and collapsing at high concentrations. The effects of the NO donor were mimicked by directly activating sGC with YC‐1, or by increasing its product with 8‐bromo‐cGMP. In addition, blocking sGC in the presence of NO with NS2028 blocked the effect of NO, suggesting that NO affected outgrowth via sGC. Ca2+ imaging of growth cones with Fura‐2 indicated that [Ca2+]i increased transiently in the presence of NOC‐7. These results support the hypothesis that NO can function as a potent slow/stop signal for developing neurites. When coupled with transient filopodia elongation, this phenomenon emulates growth cone searching behavior.
The association between SPINK1 and clinical outcomes in patients with prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Evidence of the prognostic role of serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) in prostate cancer (PCa) is controversial. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the association between SPINK1 and clinical outcomes in PCa. Searches were made of PubMed, Medline, Embase, and the China Biology Medicine disc (CBMdisc) up to January 2017. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess the risk of bias of included studies. RevMan software was used to perform meta-analysis, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) method was employed for assessing the quality of the evidence. Ten studies with 17,161 patients were included in the analysis. Random-effect models were adopted for all outcomes with significant heterogeneities. In patients treated with radical prostatectomy, SPINK1 was associated with biochemical recurrence (BCR) (hazard ratio [HR] =1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–1.97; P=0.04), but not PCa-specific mortality (HR =0.93, 95% CI: 0.33–2.57; P=0.88), and overall survival (OS) (HR =0.89, 95% CI: 0.58–1.35; P=0.57). In metastatic PCa, SPINK1 was significantly associated with castration-resistant PCa-free survival (HR =3.87, 95% CI: 1.87–8.00; P=0.0003) and OS (HR =2.59, 95% CI: 1.16–5.78; P=0.02). However, the quality of the evidence was very low for all study outcome measures. In conclusion, although SPINK1 was not a predictor of PCa mortality or OS among patients who underwent radical prostatectomy, it may have prognostic value in metastatic PCa.
Design and Application of a Multi-Variant Expert System Using Apache Hadoop Framework

Movie recommender expert systems are valuable tools to provide recommendation services to users. However, the existing movie recommenders are technically lacking in two areas: first, the available movie recommender systems give general recommendations; secondly, existing recommender systems use either quantitative (likes, ratings, etc.) or qualitative data (polarity score, sentiment score, etc.) for achieving the movie recommendations. A novel approach is presented in this paper that not only provides topic-based (fiction, comedy, horror, etc.) movie recommendation but also uses both quantitative and qualitative data to achieve a true and relevant recommendation of a movie relevant to a topic. The used approach relies on SentiwordNet and tf-idf similarity measures to calculate the polarity score from user reviews, which represent the qualitative aspect of likeness of a movie. Similarly, three quantitative variables (such as likes, ratings, and votes) are used to get final a recommendation score. A fuzzy logic module decides the recommendation category based on this final recommendation score. The proposed approach uses a big data technology, “Hadoop” to handle data diversity and heterogeneity in an efficient manner. An Android application collaborates with a web-bot to use recommendation services and show topic-based recommendation to users.
Bone mineral density measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry and novel markers of bone formation and resorption in patients on antiepileptic drugs

In patients on antiepileptic drugs, bone loss has been mainly demonstrated at radial sites using old technology and has been ascribed to drug‐induced vitamin D deficiency rather than to any direct effects of the treatment on bone cells. We examined 38 epileptic patients (24 women and 14 men) aged 20–49 years who were using either carbamazepine or phenytoin or both. Bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine and three femoral sites was measured by dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) and serum and urine markers of bone and mineral metabolism were determined. The latter included the C‐terminal extension peptide of type I procollagen (PICP), a putative serum marker of bone formation, and the cross‐linked carboxyl‐terminal telopeptide of human type I collagen (ICTP), a novel serum marker of bone matrix degradation. In female patients on phenytoin, weight‐ and height‐adjusted BMD was reduced at the femoral neck and the Ward's triangle (p < 0.05) but was at the control level in the other patient groups at all four measurement sites. Compared with controls, the serum concentrations of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D were reduced by 26% (p < 0.01) and by 27% (p < 0.001) in female patients. These changes were independent of the therapy used. They were not present in male patients. For both genders the serum levels of vitamin D binding protein were normal. Both female and male patients had hypocalcemia, but women only showed hypocalciuria. The serum intact parathyroid hormone was 42% higher (p < 0.01) in women and 26% (p = 0.07) in men. The serum markers of bone formation, bone alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and PICP, were higher for both sexes, the percentage elevations being more striking in men (104%, p < 0.001; 66%, p < 0.001; and 63%; p < 0.001, respectively) than in women (33%, p < 0.01; 13%, p = NS; and 27%, p < 0.05, respectively). Serum ICTP was 46% higher (p < 0.001) in women and 22% (p < 0.05) in men. We conclude that in patients on antiepileptic drugs, bone turnover is accelerated independently of the presence of hypovitaminosis D. Such biochemical alterations do not necessarily lead to reduced bone mass, however.
Monocyte‐derived dendritic cells and monocytes migrate to HIV‐Tat RGD and basic peptides

Objective and design:Extracellular Tat released from HIV-1-infected cells is a mitogenic and motogenic factor for endothelial and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)-derived cells and is angiogenic in vivo. Here we show for the first time that Tat induces migration of human dendritic cells in a concentration-dependent manner and that the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) and basic Tat peptides contribute to dendritic and monocyte cell migration. In vivo, Tat stimulates invasion of macrophages into a matrigel sponge. Methods:Monocyte and dendritic cell chemotaxis was assessed using the Boyden chamber assay. Results:Tat induced migration of monocyte-derived dendritic cells at the same levels as the N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe peptide, and of monocytes at levels comparable to RANTES. Peptide mapping of the chemotactic activity of Tat showed that the RGD domain, which has been shown to support integrin-mediated cell migration, and the basic domain which binds and activates the tyrosine kinase receptor KDR on endothelial cells, both had activity. Antibody-blocking experiments indicate that responses to the RGD domain was inhibited by β1 and αvβ3 integrin blocking antibodies. Combination of the Tat RGD and basic peptides did not show additive effects; however, Tat co-operated with macrophage-chemotactic protein or RANTES in inducing monocyte migration. Conclusions:Our results show that Tat can act as a chemoattractant for dendritic cells, and that both the RGD and basic domains are involved in this response. These same domains attract monocytes. The αvβ3 and β1 integrins are equally involved in Tat-induced monocyte migration, while the αvβ3 integrin largely mediates the dendritic cell response to Tat.
Cutting Edge: Histamine Is Required for IL-4–Driven Eosinophilic Allergic Responses

Histamine is an important allergic mediator, and studies have defined roles for both histamine 1 and 4 receptors in allergic airway inflammation. In this study, we show that histamine is necessary to generate IL-4–driven eosinophilic inflammation, as histamine-deficient mice cannot generate eosinophilic lung inflammation in response to intratracheal IL-4 and exogenous histamine restores responsiveness. This is histamine 2 receptor (H2R) dependent because H2R knockout mice fail to respond to IL-4, and a H2R agonist restores inflammation in histidine decarboxylase knockout. Furthermore, alveolar epithelial cells require H2R to produce CCL24, an eosinophil recruitment factor, whereas H2R blockade reduces CCL24 production from wild-type cells. In an allergic inflammation model, H2R knockout mice show significantly reduced eosinophilic inflammation and CCL24 expression. These data demonstrate a previously unidentified role for H2R in allergic inflammation and establishes a synergy between endogenous histamine and IL-4 that supports eosinophilic recruitment to the lung.
Characterization of [3H]Quisqualate Binding to Recombinant Rat Metabotropic Glutamate 1a and 5a Receptors and to Rat and Human Brain Sections

Abstract: We have investigated the binding properties of[3H]quisqualate to rat metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) 1a and 5areceptors and to rat and human brain sections. Saturation isotherms gaveKD values of 27 ± 4 and 81 ± 22 nMfor mGlu1a and mGlu5a receptors, respectively. Several compounds inhibited thebinding to mGlu1a and mGlu5a receptors concentration‐dependently. (S)‐4‐Carboxyphenylglycine,(S)‐4‐carboxy‐3‐hydroxyphenylglycine, and(R,S)‐1‐aminoindan‐1,5‐dicarboxylic acid, which completely inhibited[3H]quisqualate binding to the mGlu5a receptor, were inactive in afunctional assay using this receptor. The distribution and abundance ofbinding sites in rat and human brain sections were studied by quantitativereceptor radioautography and image analysis. Using 10 nM[3H]quisqualate, a high density of binding was detected in variousbrain regions with the following rank order of increasing levels: medulla,thalamus, olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, spinal cord dorsal horn, olfactorytubercle, dentate gyrus molecular layer, CA1‐3 oriens layer of hippocampus,striatum, and cerebellar molecular layer. The ionotropic component of thisbinding could be inhibited by 30 μM kainate, revealing thedistribution of mGlu1+5 receptors. The latter were almost completely inhibitedby the group I agonist (S)‐3,5‐dihydroxyphenylglycine. The bindingprofile correlated well with the cellular sites of synthesis and regionalexpression of the respective group I receptor proteins revealed by in situhybridization histochemistry and immunohistochemistry, respectively.
A novel compressed sensing based method for reconstructing sparse signal using space-time data in airborne radar system

In this paper, a novel method named as noise driven compressed sensing is proposed to reconstruct the sparse radar scene in a DOA-Doppler plane using the space-time data. In contrary to the existing work related with compressed sensing based STAP technique, which adopts the original sensing matrix, the proposed method is to construct a new sensing matrix with weak coherence through incorporating the measurement noise. The proposed method tries to build an equivalent system of the classical model in compressed sensing, resulting in an equivalent sensing matrix. Inspired by the idea that low coherence guarantees the reconstruction of the sparse vector with large probability, the equivalent sensing matrix is updated iteratively in a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) based framework to reduce the large coherence between a set of specific columns in the original sensing matrix. At the same time, the proposed method tries to preserve most of the information of the original sensing matrix via adjusting a noise related matrix. The simulation results show that the proposed method obtains much less average reconstruction error compared with the existing compressed sensing based STAP methods, and it is also very efficient when coping with measurement noise with low SNR.
Vibration and Noise of an Axial Flow Fan

We describe a mechanical/acoustic study of a short-ducted axial flow fan. The purpose is to compare mechanical noise to that caused by flow phenomena. The eigenfrequencies of the fan are identified through measurement and finite element computations. The fan acoustics is evaluated by beamforming studies using the Phased Array Microphone technique. The acoustic measurement data is processed by the Rotating Source Identifier method. The modal analysis of the fan model and the acoustic experiments reveal that the fan noise is dominated by mechanical noise in the few hundred Hz range and rotating sources of broadband noise above.
Association of physician's sex with risk factor control in treated hypertensive patients from Swedish primary healthcare

Objective To study the association of physician's sex with blood pressure, lipid control, and cardiovascular risk factors in treated hypertensive men and women, stratified for the sex of their physician. Methods In a cross-sectional survey of hypertensive patients, 264 primary care physicians (PCPs), 187 men and 77 women from across Sweden, recruited 6537 treated hypertensive patients (48% men) during 2002–2005, consecutively collected from medical records and registered on a web-based form connected to a central database. Patients were included consecutively in the same order as they visited the healthcare centre. Results Hypertensive women more often reached target systolic/diastolic blood pressure levels (<140/90 mmHg) when treated by female PCPs than when they were treated by male PCPs (32 vs. 24%, P < 0.001). This difference remained when comparing female and male physicians' nondiabetic female patients. Both male and female patients had better control of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels when treated by female PCPs than when treated by male PCPs (total cholesterol <5 mmol/l: women 30 vs. 24%, P < 0.001; men 42 vs. 34%, P < 0.001; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <3 mmol/l: women 39 vs. 33%, P < 0.01; men 41 vs. 35%, P < 0.05). Female PCPs had a higher proportion of treated hypertensive patients with diabetes than did male PCPs but male PCPs had a higher prevalence of treated hypertensive men with microalbuminuria compared with female PCPs. Conclusion Female physicians appeared more often to reach the treatment goal for blood pressure in female patients and cholesterol levels in all patients than did male physicians.
Analysis of leukocyte blood cell for medical diagnosis using sectionalisation

White blood corpuscles is the victim for many kind of diseases due to its count diminution and shape changeability.WBC segmentation from the blood cells are very much needed as it is helpful for doctors to detect diseases like acute leukaemia. In this paper we proposed WBC sectionalisation which is done by means of simple morphological operations along with power law transformation whereas as a result finical leukocytes that incorporate nucleus and cytoplasm can be segmented and depicted. The result shows that the segmented cells are of high accuracy and efficiency. The projected method can also be used for more number of cells or images for obtaining enhanced result.
Sparing of the Second Lumbrical in a Riche–Cannieu Anastomosis: The Nearly All-Ulnar Hand

Abstract The Riche–Cannieu anastomosis (RCA) is an anatomic variant wherein a deep branch of the distal ulnar nerve innervates muscles of the thenar eminence. A few cases in the literature describe an “all-ulnar hand” when the muscles of the thenar eminence get innervation solely from the ulnar nerve without any contribution from the median nerve. Clinically, patients with ulnar mononeuropathies in the setting of an RCA would also have weakness/atrophy of thenar muscles. Conversely, patients with median mononeuropathies would have sparing of these muscles. This case highlights RCA in the setting of carpal tunnel syndrome and documents the persistent innervation of the second lumbrical by the median nerve. No anatomic dissections have disclosed innervation of the second lumbrical by the deep ulnar nerve, negating the concept of the all-ulnar hand.
Protein thermal denaturation is modulated by central residues in the protein structure network

Network structural analysis, known as residue interaction networks or graphs (RIN or RIG, respectively) or protein structural networks or graphs (PSN or PSG, respectively), comprises a useful tool for detecting important residues for protein function, stability, folding and allostery. In RIN, the tertiary structure is represented by a network in which residues (nodes) are connected by interactions (edges). Such structural networks have consistently presented a few central residues that are important for shortening the pathways linking any two residues in a protein structure. To experimentally demonstrate that central residues effectively participate in protein properties, mutations were directed to seven central residues of the β‐glucosidase Sfβgly (β‐d‐glucoside glucohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.21). These mutations reduced the thermal stability of the enzyme, as evaluated by changes in transition temperature (Tm) and the denaturation rate at 45 °C. Moreover, mutations directed to the vicinity of a central residue also caused significant decreases in the Tm of Sfβgly and clearly increased the unfolding rate constant at 45 °C. However, mutations at noncentral residues or at surrounding residues did not affect the thermal stability of Sfβgly. Therefore, the data reported in the present study suggest that the perturbation of the central residues reduced the stability of the native structure of Sfβgly. These results are in agreement with previous findings showing that networks are robust, whereas attacks on central nodes cause network failure. Finally, the present study demonstrates that central residues underlie the functional properties of proteins.
The EEG Split Alpha Peak: Phenomenological Origins and Methodological Aspects of Detection and Evaluation

Electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns were analyzed in a group of ambulatory patients who ranged in age and sex using spectral analysis as well as Directed Transfer Function, a method used to evaluate functional brain connectivity. We tested the impact of window size and choice of reference electrode on the identification of two or more peaks with close frequencies in the spectral power distribution, so called “split alpha. ” Together with the connectivity analysis, examination of spatiotemporal maps showing the distribution of amplitudes of EEG patterns allowed for better explanation of the mechanisms underlying the generation of split alpha peaks. It was demonstrated that the split alpha spectrum can be generated by two or more independent and interconnected alpha wave generators located in different regions of the cerebral cortex, but not necessarily in the occipital cortex. We also demonstrated the importance of appropriate reference electrode choice during signal recording. In addition, results obtained using the original data were compared with results obtained using re-referenced data, using average reference electrode and reference electrode standardization techniques.
Asthma, COPD and comorbidities in elderly people

Abstract Co-morbidities are a significant problem in the elderly population but are rarely presented and analyzed for interdependencies among the various coexisting chronic diseases. Objective: The aim of this study was to present a profile of comorbidities in elderly patients with and without asthma and COPD. Methods: Respondents were recruited at 20 sites in Poland. Stratified random sampling from patient databases resulted in 15,973 patients older than 60 years of age. A retrospective analysis of medical history and ICD-10 codes was performed. In addition, patients underwent a spirometry test with a bronchial reversibility test and were administered questionnaires on the prevalence of chronic diseases by doctors. Results: The study population consisted of 1023 asthmatic patients, 1084 patients with COPD and 1076 control subjects without any signs of bronchoconstriction and with correct spirometry. Patients with asthma exhibited a similar distribution of cardiovascular and metabolic co-morbidities as the control group. However, asthmatic patients had a higher prevalence of arterial hypertension and depression with an odds ratio (OR) = 1.48 (95% CI: 1.38–1.62) and OR = 1.52 (95% CI: 1.44–1.68), respectively. Coronary disease (OR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.97–2.33), cor pulmonale (OR = 3.1; 95% CI: 2.87–3.22) and heart failure (OR = 2.71; 95% CI: 2.64–3.11) were predominantly observed in patients with COPD. Patients with severe asthma exhibited a greater predisposition to cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric diseases. Conclusion: Asthma coexisted frequently with arterial hypertension and depression in elderly patients. Patients with COPD have a more exaggerated profile of coexisting diseases, specifically cardiovascular problems.