Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of moderate variations in macronutrient composition on weight loss and reduction in cardiovascular disease risk in obese, insulin-resistant adults.

BACKGROUND Obese, insulin-resistant persons are at risk of cardiovascular disease. How best to achieve both weight loss and clinical benefit in these persons is controversial, and recent reports questioned the superiority of low-fat diets. OBJECTIVE We aimed to ascertain the effects of moderate variations in the carbohydrate and fat content of calorie-restricted diets on weight loss and cardiovascular disease risk in obese, insulin-resistant persons. DESIGN Fifty-seven randomly assigned, insulin-resistant, obese persons completed a 16-wk calorie-restricted diet with 15% of energy as protein and either 60% and 25% or 40% and 45% of energy as carbohydrate and fat, respectively. Baseline and postweight-loss insulin resistance; daylong glucose, insulin, and triacylglycerol concentrations; fasting lipid and lipoprotein concentrations; and markers of endothelial function were quantified. RESULTS Weight loss with 60% or 40% of energy as carbohydrate (5.7 +/- 0.7 or 6.9 +/- 0.7 kg, respectively) did not differ significantly, and improvement in insulin sensitivity correlated with the amount of weight lost (r = 0.50, P < 0.001). Subjects following the diet with 40% of energy as carbohydrate had greater reductions in daylong insulin and triacylglycerol (P < 0.05) and fasting triacylglycerol (0.53 mmol/L; P = 0.04) concentrations, greater increases in HDL-cholesterol concentrations (0.12 mmol/L; P < 0.01) and LDL particle size (1.82 s; P < 0.05), and a greater decrease in plasma E-selectin (5.6 ng/L; P = 0.02) than did subjects following the diet with 60% of energy as carbohydrate. CONCLUSIONS In obese, insulin-resistant persons, a calorie-restricted diet, moderately lower in carbohydrate and higher in unsaturated fat, is as efficacious as the traditional low-fat diet in producing weight loss and may be more beneficial in reducing markers for cardiovascular disease risk.
Calcium intake and hip fracture risk in men and women: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND The role of total calcium intake in the prevention of hip fracture risk has not been well established. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to assess the relation of calcium intake to the risk of hip fracture on the basis of meta-analyses of cohort studies and clinical trials. RESULTS In women (7 prospective cohort studies, 170,991 women, 2,954 hip fractures), there was no association between total calcium intake and hip fracture risk [pooled risk ratio (RR) per 300 mg total Ca/d = 1.01; 95% CI: 0.97, 1.05]. In men (5 prospective cohort studies, 68,606 men, 214 hip fractures), the pooled RR per 300 mg total Ca/d was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.82, 1.03). On the basis of 5 clinical trials (n = 5666 women, primarily postmenopausal, plus 1074 men) with 814 nonvertebral fractures, the pooled RR for nonvertebral fractures between calcium supplementation (800-1600 mg/d) and placebo was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.05). On the basis of 4 clinical trials with separate results for hip fracture (6,504 subjects with 139 hip fractures), the pooled RR between calcium and placebo was 1.64 (95% CI:1.02, 2.64). Sensitivity analyses including 2 additional small trials with <100 participants or per-protocol results did not substantially alter results. CONCLUSIONS Pooled results from prospective cohort studies suggest that calcium intake is not significantly associated with hip fracture risk in women or men. Pooled results from randomized controlled trials show no reduction in hip fracture risk with calcium supplementation, and an increased risk is possible. For any nonvertebral fractures, there was a neutral effect in the randomized trials.
Enhanced Subcooled Flow Boiling of Water Using Internal Surface Coating

The main objective of the present work, is to study the effect of coating on boiling heat transfer of compressed water entering a vertical tube and leaving at near saturated vapor conditions, while the tube is heated with stream of cross flow hot gases. This is carried out by employing different types of internal tube coatings with different surface roughnesses and thicknesses. Numerical investigation is carried out by using software called EES (Engineering Equation Solver). It is concluded that, the heat transfer enhancement over the smooth tube case reaches 34.063% for the heat transfer coefficient while the pressure drop is higher than that in the case of smooth tube by 64.64%.
Relation of circumferences and skinfold thicknesses to lipid and insulin concentrations in children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

BACKGROUND Although body fat patterning has been related to adverse health outcomes in adults, its importance in children and adolescents is less certain. OBJECTIVE We examined the relation of circumference (waist and hip) and skinfold-thickness (subscapular and triceps) measurements to lipid and insulin concentrations among 2996 children and adolescents aged 5-17 y. DESIGN This was a community-based, cross-sectional study conducted in 1992-1994. RESULTS A central or abdominal distribution of body fat was related to adverse concentrations of triacylglycerol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and insulin; these associations were independent of race, sex, age, weight, and height. These associations were observed whether fat patterning was characterized by using 1) waist circumference alone (after adjustment for weight and height), 2) waist-to-hip ratio, or 3) principal components analysis. Compared with a child at the 10th percentile of waist circumference, a child at the 90th percentile was estimated to have, on average, higher concentrations of LDL cholesterol (0.17 mmol/L), triacylglycerol (0.11 mmol/L), and insulin (6 pmol/L) and lower concentrations of HDL cholesterol (-0.07 mmol/L). These differences, which were independent of weight and height, were significant at the 0.001 level and were consistent across race-sex groups. CONCLUSIONS These findings emphasize the importance of obtaining information on body fat distribution, waist circumference in particular, in children. Waist circumference, which is relatively easy to measure, may help to identify children likely to have adverse concentrations of lipids and insulin.
Inference in Hybrid Bayesian Networks with Nonlinear Deterministic Conditionals

To enable inference in hybrid Bayesian networks (BNs) containing nonlinear deterministic conditional distributions, Cobb and Shenoy in 2005 propose approximating nonlinear deterministic functions by piecewise linear (PL) ones. In this paper, we describe a method for finding PL approximations of nonlinear functions based on a penalized mean square error (MSE) heuristic, which consists of minimizing a penalized MSE function subject to two principles, domain and symmetry. We illustrate our method for some commonly used one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional nonlinear deterministic functions such as W=X2 , W=eX , W=X·Y , and W=X/Y . Finally, we solve two small examples of hybrid BNs containing nonlinear deterministic conditionals that arise in practice.
Superspace extrapolation reveals inductive biases in function learning

We introduce a new approach for exploring how humans learn and represent functional relationships based on limited observations. We focus on a problem called superspace extrapolation, where learners observe training examples drawn from an n-dimensional space and must extrapolate to an n+ 1dimensional superspace of the training examples. Many existing psychological models predict that superspace extrapolation should be fundamentally underdetermined, but we show that humans are able to extrapolate both linear and non-linear functions under these conditions. We also show that a Bayesian model can account for our results given a hypothesis space that includes families of simple functional relationships.
Characterization of a transient outward K+ current with inward rectification in canine ventricular myocytes.

The threshold potential for the classical depolarization-activated transient outward K+ current and Cl- current is positive to -30 mV. With the whole cell patch technique, a transient outward current was elicited in the presence of 5 mM 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and 5 μM ryanodine at voltages positive to the K+ equilibrium potential in canine ventricular myocytes. The current was abolished by 200 μM Ba2+ or omission of external K+([Formula: see text]) and showed biexponential inactivation. The current-voltage relation for the peak of the transient outward component showed moderate inward rectification. The transient outward current demonstrated voltage-dependent inactivation (half-inactivation voltage: -43.5 ± 3.2 mV) and rapid, monoexponential recovery from inactivation (time constant: 13.2 ± 2.5 ms). The reversal potential responded to the changes in[Formula: see text] concentration. Action potential clamp revealed two phases of Ba2+-sensitive current during the action potential, including a large early transient component after the upstroke and a later outward component during phase 3 repolarization. The present study demonstrates that depolarization may elicit a Ba2+- and[Formula: see text]-sensitive, 4-AP-insensitive, transient outward current with inward rectification in canine ventricular myocytes. The properties of this K+ current suggest that it may carry a significant early outward current upon depolarization that may play a role in determining membrane excitability and action potential morphology.
Calcium balance in 1-4-y-old children.

BACKGROUND Few calcium balance data are available from young children on which to base dietary recommendations. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to evaluate the relation between calcium intake and balance in healthy children aged 1-4 y consuming typical American diets. DESIGN Subjects were assigned to a diet with nutrient intakes similar to those of their usual diet. Calcium absorption was assessed by using a dual-tracer stable-isotope technique. Endogenous fecal excretion was measured in a subset of children, and net calcium balance was calculated. RESULTS Mean calcium intake was 551 mg/d (range: 124-983 mg/d), and mean (+/-SEM) calcium retention was 161 +/- 17 mg/d. Both linear and nonlinear modeling of balance data showed that a calcium intake of approximately 470 mg/d led to calcium retention of 140 mg/d, which is the amount that meets expected bone growth needs in children of this age. No evidence was found that calcium intakes of 800 to 900 mg/d reached the threshold intake beyond which no additional increase in calcium retention would occur. CONCLUSIONS Bone growth needs in 1-4-y-old children following American diets are met by a daily calcium intake of approximately 470 mg/d, which suggests that the current Adequate Intake of 500 mg/d is close to the actual Estimated Average Requirement. The benefits and risks of higher calcium intakes consistent with threshold values should be evaluated in a controlled trial before those intakes could be used as a basis for dietary recommendations.
Stereoscopic fluorescence analysis of films, droplets and rivulets

Many experimental techniques have been developed and applied to investigate hydrodynamics of liquid films on solid substrates. Usually, wetting behavior and contact angles are the most important properties for the process considered. A reliable but simple measurement technique has been recently proposed to quantify film thickness and apparent contact angles (Hagemeier et al., 2012). However, this technique leads to ambiguities for any contact angle exceeding 90°. Based on these previous findings an improved version has been derived to solve most open questions. For this purpose, top and sideways images are acquired simultaneously (stereoscopic images) relying on fluorescence. Analyzing the data obtained from both views, a correlation between fluorescence intensity and droplet shape can be derived. Furthermore, advancing and receding contact angles can be obtained in this manner. Measured values are in good agreement with reference data from literature.
Effect of sinoaortic denervation on frequency-domain estimates of baroreflex sensitivity in conscious cats.

In animals and humans, baroreceptor modulation of the sinus node in daily life can be studied by identification of the number of sequences in which systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse interval (PI) linearly decrease or increase for several beats. It is also studied by power spectral analysis of SBP and PI in regions where their powers are coherent, although, in contrast to the sequence method, whether this frequency-domain method specifically reflects the baroreceptor-heart rate reflex has not been adequately tested. We recorded intra-arterial BP for ∼3.5 h in eight conscious cats, first intact and then 7-10 days after sinoaortic denervation (SAD). Sensitivity of baroreceptor-heart rate reflex was assessed in 120-s segments by the square root of the ratio of PI and SBP spectral powers (α) in the regions around 0.1 (MF) and 0.3 (HF) Hz, and coherence between PI and SBP spectral powers in MF and HF regions was computed. SAD increased overall SBP variability and reduced PI variability throughout the frequency range examined. SAD markedly reduced ( P < 0.01) both α-MF (-65.6%) and α-HF (-79.9%) and consistently reduced the number of coherent segments [i.e., where coherence ( K 2) > 0.5] and average coherence values in the MF region. In the HF region, however, SAD did not alter the number of coherent segments, and although average coherence value throughout the HF band was reduced, in restricted portions of the band (different between animals), a high coherence value survived denervation. No significant changes were seen in any measured variables in five sham-operated cats. Thus the frequency-domain method specifically reflects baroreflex modulation of heart rate in the MF region only. In the HF region, in contrast, baroreflex and nonbaroreflex influences on the sinus node both contribute to a variable degree to determination of heart rate responses to BP oscillations. If used to study baroreflex function in daily life, this method should use the coefficient derived from MF data.
CO2 asphyxia increases plasma norepinephrine in rats via sympathetic nerves.

The objective of this study was to determine whether the plasma norepinephrine (NE) increase in rats exposed to CO2 asphyxia was due to adrenal gland release or sympathetic nerve ending (SNS) release. Plasma NE was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in hypertensive and normotensive rats using the following protocol: control session, CO2 exposure, N2 exposure, reserpine + CO2, and adrenalectomy + CO2. Four strains of male and female rats were used: spontaneously hypertensive rats, Wistar-Kyoto rats, and two congenic strains with different Y chromosomes. The same rats were used throughout the experiment ( n = 80). Blood pressure measured by aortic telemetry increased ∼50-60 mmHg in response to CO2 in all strains. CO2 increased NE 6-10× in all strains and both genders. N2 produced a significant increase in NE (73% of CO2 response). Reserpine significantly decreased (67%) plasma NE after CO2. Adrenalectomy did not significantly reduce the NE response to CO2. In conclusion, the increase in plasma NE after CO2 was associated with SNS release and not adrenal medullary release, was mainly due to hypoxia, and was not a specific response to CO2.
Comparison of monounsaturated fat with carbohydrates as a replacement for saturated fat in subjects with a high metabolic risk profile: studies in the fasting and postprandial states.

BACKGROUND In subjects with a high prevalence of metabolic risk abnormalities, the preferred replacement for saturated fat is unresolved. OBJECTIVE The objective was to study whether carbohydrate or monounsaturated fat is a preferred replacement for saturated fat. DESIGN Fifty-two men and 33 women, selected to have any combination of HDL cholesterol < or = 30th percentile, triacylglycerol > or = 70th percentile, or insulin > or = 70th percentile, were enrolled in a 3-period, 7-wk randomized crossover study. The subjects consumed an average American diet (AAD; 36% of energy from fat) and 2 additional diets in which 7% of energy from saturated fat was replaced with either carbohydrate (CHO diet) or monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA diet). RESULTS Relative to the AAD, LDL cholesterol was lower with both the CHO (-7.0%) and MUFA (-6.3%) diets, whereas the difference in HDL cholesterol was smaller during the MUFA diet (-4.3%) than during the CHO diet (-7.2%). Plasma triacylglycerols tended to be lower with the MUFA diet, but were significantly higher with the CHO diet. Although dietary lipid responses varied on the basis of baseline lipid profiles, the response to diet did not differ between subjects with or without the metabolic syndrome or with or without insulin resistance. Postprandial triacylglycerol concentrations did not differ significantly between the diets. Lipoprotein(a) concentrations increased with both the CHO (20%) and MUFA (11%) diets relative to the AAD. CONCLUSIONS In the study population, who were at increased risk of coronary artery disease, MUFA provided a greater reduction in risk as a replacement for saturated fat than did carbohydrate.
Manipulation of central nervous system histamine or histaminergic receptors (H1) affects food intake in rats.

The reported studies were designed to examine relationships between central nervous system histamine, histaminergic receptors (H1) and food intake in rats. The hypothesis being tested was as follows: "One component of the neuroregulation of food intake involves histaminergic activity in the hypothalamus as influenced by variation of histamine levels and/or H1 receptor concentrations. " We performed combinations of dietary, surgical and pharmacological treatments on male or female rats. We fed groups of male or female rats diets containing either 4 g casein/100 g diet (low protein diet) or 25 q casein/100 g diet (normal protein). Rats with surgical ablation of the paraventricular nucleus did not decrease food intake when fed the low protein diet, whereas adrenalectomized rats did. Increasing central histamine levels decreased food intake, whereas decreasing central histamine increased food intake. Rats injected with histaminergic (H1) antagonists lost the ability to detect low protein diet in short-term experiments and had improved efficiency of weight gain. Rats that were fed the low protein diet or pair-fed the normal protein diet had greater H1 receptor concentrations in whole brain preparations when compared with rats fed the normal protein diet. No differences were noted due to gender. Thus, manipulation of histamine levels affected food intake as hypothesized, i.e., increasing central histamine decreased food in rats fed the normal protein diet, whereas decreasing central histamine or blockade of H1 receptors increased food intake in rats fed the low protein diet.
Regulation of Na+/Ca2+exchange activity by cytosolic Ca2+ in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells stably expressing the bovine cardiac Na+/Ca2+exchanger (CK1.4 cells) were used to determine the range of cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) that activate Na+/Ca2+exchange activity. Ba2+ influx was measured in fura 2-loaded, ionomycin-treated cells under conditions in which the intracellular Na+concentration was clamped with gramicidin at ∼20 mM. [Ca2+]iwas varied by preincubating ionomycin-treated cells with either the acetoxymethyl ester of EGTA or medium containing 0-1 mM added CaCl2. The rate of Ba2+ influx increased in a saturable manner with [Ca2+]i, with the half-maximal activation value of 44 nM and a Hill coefficient of 1.6. When identical experiments were carried out with cells expressing a Ca2+-insensitive mutant of the exchanger, Ba2+influx did not vary with [Ca2+]i. The concentration for activation of exchange activity was similar to that reported for whole cardiac myocytes but approximately an order of magnitude lower than that reported for excised, giant patches. The reason for the difference in Ca2+regulation between whole cells and membrane patches is unknown.
The scaffolding protein JADE1 physically links the acetyltransferase subunit HBO1 with its histone H3–H4 substrate

The human enzyme histone acetyltransferase binding to ORC1 (HBO1) regulates DNA replication, cell proliferation, and development. HBO1 is part of a multiprotein histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex that also contains inhibitor of growth family member (ING) 4/5, MYST/Esa1-associated factor (MEAF) 6, and the scaffolding proteins Jade family PHD finger (JADE) 1/2/3 or bromodomain and PHD finger-containing protein (BRPF) 2/3 to acetylate histone H4 H4K5/8/12 or H3K14, respectively. Within this four-protein complex, JADE1 determines histone H4 substrate specificity of the HBO1–HAT complex. However, the mechanism by which JADE1 controls the H4-specific acetyltransferase activity of HBO1 is unknown. Here we used recombinant proteins in vitro to dissect the specific regions and activities of HBO1 and JADE1 that mediate histone H3–H4 acetylation via the HBO1-HAT domain. We found that JADE1 increases the catalytic efficiency of HBO1 acetylation of an H3–H4 substrate by about 5-fold through an N-terminal, 21-residue HBO1- and histone-binding domain and a nearby second histone core–binding domain. We also demonstrate that HBO1 contains an N-terminal histone-binding domain (HBD) that makes additional contacts with H3–H4 independent of JADE1 interactions with histones and that the HBO1 HBD does not significantly contribute to HBO1's overall HAT activity. Experiments with JADE1 deletions in vivo recapitulated these in vitro interactions and their roles in HBO1 histone acetylation activity. Together, these results indicate that the N-terminal region of JADE1 functions as a platform that brings together the catalytic HBO1 subunit with its cognate H3–H4 substrate for histone acetylation.
Intestinal disappearance and portal blood appearance of amino acids in sheep.

The intestinal disappearance and simultaneous arterial inflow and portal appearance of individual amino acids (AA) were studied in sheep fed closed formula, unrefined high (H.P.) and medium (M.P.) protein diets. Gut contents were sampled through four intestinal cannulae and blood was sampled through portal and arterial catheters. The amount of total and amino N that was fed decreased on passage into the duodenum but increased in the jejunum, and then again decreased steadily towards the terminal ileum. The amounts of AA passing into the duodenum were significantly higher when the H.P. rather than the M.P. diet was fed. No dietary differences in AA were noted at the ileo-cecal junction, however, meaning that greater amounts of AA disappeared from the intestine when the H.P. diet was fed. The amounts of AA appearing in portal blood were 30 to 80% of those disappearing from the intestine and were greater in sheep fed the H.P. diet. The amount of AA passing into the duodenum also significantly affected the concentrations of AA in arterial blood. Less [U-14C]glutamic acid than [U-14C]alanine, that was infused into abomasum, was detected in the digesta passing through the pylorus. The same also was true for the unlabeled free form of glutamic acid. The portal appearance of both unlabeled and labeled glutamic acid was negligible, but that of alanine was considerable. Variable amounts of [14C]citrulline, [14C]arginine, and [14C]urea were detected in the blood following the abomasal infusions of labeled glutamic acid or alanine. The portal appearance of these labeled metabolites was always negative, however, implying that they were utilized, and not formed, by gut tissues.