Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resection, Plication, Release--the RPR procedure for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE The surgical management of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction secondary to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has classically consisted of a septal myectomy. To address inconsistent results the extended myectomy or resection (R) and papillary muscle release (R) have been described. Our group introduced a novel addition to the surgical management consisting of an anterior mitral leaflet plication (P). We call the procedure resection - plication- release for repair of complex HCM pathology - the RPR operation. We investigated the mid-term results of all our patients undergoing surgical management for simple and complex HCM pathology. METHODS Forty-two patients have undergone surgery for HCM at our hospital center since we began to look critically at the pathophysiology. Patients received either an extended myectomy alone, a myectomy plus either papillary muscle release or mitral leaflet plication, or the total RPR procedure. Pre and post-operative transesophageal echocardiograms were obtained in all patients to assess LVOT gradient, adequacy of resection and degree of mitral insufficiency. Subsequently, all patients had a trans-thoracic echocardiogram at a mean follow-up period of 3.4 +/- 3.1 years (range, 0.5 to 7). RESULTS Twenty-one patients underwent the full RPR procedure; thirteen received portions of the procedure and only seven underwent myectomy alone (including three with concomitant mitral valve replacement (MVR) for insufficiency unrelated to their obstructive pathology). One patient had an isolated MVR as primary therapy for HCM management. The average age was 56 +/-14 years. The preoperative LVOT obstruction gradient was 137 +/- 45 mm Hg and reduced to 10 +/- 17 mm Hg post-operatively. All patients had mitral insufficiency pre-operatively, grade 3.1 on average (scale 0-4), and reduced post-operatively to trivial, grade 0.2. During the follow-up period, LVOT gradient remained low at 6 +/- 14 mm Hg, and mitral insufficiency remained trivial, grade 0.4 (All p values <0.0001). There were no hospital deaths and overall, no need for reoperations. CONCLUSIONS Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients often present with wide anatomic variation. When these variations are understood, the operative approach should be directed to correct or ameliorate those specific aspects, termed simple or complex pathophysiology. Durable long-term results can be achieved in all patients when the mitral valve pathology is appreciated and appropriately repaired, along with a properly located and adequately sized septal myectomy.
Tumour necrosis factor‐α‐mediated disruption of cerebrovascular endothelial barrier integrity in vitro involves the production of proinflammatory interleukin‐6

The co‐involvement of tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) during blood‐brain barrier (BBB) injury has been reported in various models of neuroinflammation, although the precise functional interplay between these archetypal proinflammatory cytokines remains largely undefined within this context. In the current paper, we tested the hypothesis that TNF‐α‐mediated BBB disruption is measurably attributable in‐part to induction of microvascular endothelial IL‐6 production. In initial experiments, we observed that treatment of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMvECs) with TNF‐α (0–100 ng/mL, 0–24 h) robustly elicited both time‐ and dose‐dependent induction of IL‐6 expression and release, as well as expression of the IL‐6 family receptor, GP130. Further experiments demonstrated that the TNF‐α‐dependent generation of reactive oxygen species, down‐regulation of adherens/tight junction proteins, and concomitant elevation of HBMvEC permeability, were all significantly attenuated by blockade of IL‐6 signalling using either an anti‐IL‐6 neutralizing antibody or an IL‐6 siRNA. Based on these observations, we conclude that TNF‐α treatment of HBMvECs in vitro activates IL‐6 production and signalling, events that were shown to synergize with TNF‐α actions to elicit HBMvEC permeabilization. These novel findings offer a constructive insight into the specific contribution of downstream cytokine induction to the injurious actions of TNF‐α at the BBB microvascular endothelium interface.
Analyzing High-Density ECG Signals Using ICA

The analysis of ECG signals is of fundamental importance for cardiac diagnosis. Conventional ECG recordings, however, use a limited number of channels (12) and each records a mixture of activities generated in different parts of the heart. Therefore, direct observation of the ECG signals collected on the body surface is likely an inefficient way to study and diagnose cardiac abnormalities. This study describes new experimental and analytical methods to capture more meaningful ECG component signals, each representing more directly a physical cardiac source. This study first describes a simply applied method for collecting high-density ECG signals. The recorded signals are then separated by independent component analysis (ICA) to obtain spatially fixed and temporally independent component activations. Results from five subjects show that P-, QRS-, and T-waves can be clearly separated from the recordings, suggesting ICA might be an effective and useful tool for high-density ECG analysis, interpretation, and diagnosis.
Development of a new bombesin analog radiolabeled with lutetium-177: in vivo evaluation of the biological properties in Balb-C mice.

In this work we describe the first results of radiolabeling with lutetium-177 ((177)Lu) and in vivo biodistribution and pharmacokinetics studies in normal Balb-c mice of a new bombesin analog (BEFG2)--DOTA-Phe-X-BBN(6-14), where X is a spacer of two aminoacids. Bombesin (BBN) is an amphibian analog of human gastrin releasing peptide (GRP). Development of radiolabeled BBN derivatives as agents for diagnostic imaging and systemic radiotherapy has increased considerable because of the observation that GRP receptors (GRPr) are over-expressed in a variety of human tumor cells, such as prostate tumor cells. (177)Lu-labeled peptides are attractive due to the excellent radiophysical properties and commercial availability of the radiometal. BEFG2 was successfully labeled with high yield and kept stable for more than 96 hours at 2-8 degrees C and 1 hour in human plasma. Data analysis obtained from the in vivo studies showed that the amount of BEFG2 present in plasma decreased rapidly and became almost undetectable at 60 min p.i. , indicating rapid peptide excretion, which is performed mainly by renal pathway. In addition, biodistribution and single photon emission tomography showed low abdominal accumulation of (177)Lu-DOTA- Phe-X-BBN(6-14), indicating that this analog is a potential candidate for tumors target therapy.
Local control for identifying subgroups of interest in observational research: persistence of treatment for major depressive disorder

Caregivers are regularly faced with decisions between competing treatments. Large observational health care databases provide a golden opportunity for research on heterogeneity in patient response to guide caregiver decisions, due to their sample size, diverse populations, and real‐world setting. Local control is a promising tool for using observational data to detect patient subgroups with differential response on one treatment relative to another. While standard data mining approaches find subgroups with optimal responses for a particular population, detecting subgroups that reveal treatment differences while also adjusting for confounding in observational data is challenging. Local control utilizes unsupervised clustering to form non‐parametric patient‐level counterfactual treatment differences and displays them as an observed distribution of effect‐size estimates. Classification and regression trees (CART) then find the factors that drive the greatest outcome differentiation between treatments. In this manuscript, we demonstrate the use of this two‐step strategy using local control plus CART to identify depression patients most (least) likely to benefit from treatment with duloxetine relative to extended‐release venlafaxine. Prior medication costs and age were found to be factors most associated with differential outcome, with prior medication costs remaining as an important factor after sensitivity analyses using a second dataset. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Contribution of MxB Oligomerization to HIV-1 Capsid Binding and Restriction

ABSTRACT The alpha interferon (IFN-α)-inducible restriction factor myxovirus B (MxB) blocks HIV-1 infection after reverse transcription but prior to integration. MxB binds to the HIV-1 core, which is composed of capsid protein, and this interaction leads to inhibition of the uncoating process of HIV-1. Previous studies suggested that HIV-1 restriction by MxB requires binding to capsid. This work tests the hypothesis that MxB oligomerization is important for the ability of MxB to bind to the HIV-1 core. For this purpose, we modeled the structure of MxB using the published tertiary structure of MxA. The modeled structure of MxB guided our mutagenic studies and led to the discovery of several MxB variants that lose the capacity to oligomerize. In agreement with our hypothesis, MxB variants that lost the oligomerization capacity also lost the ability to bind to the HIV-1 core. MxB variants deficient for oligomerization were not able to block HIV-1 infection. Overall, our work showed that oligomerization is required for the ability of MxB to bind to the HIV-1 core and block HIV-1 infection. IMPORTANCE MxB is a novel restriction factor that blocks infection of HIV-1. MxB is inducible by IFN-α, particularly in T cells. The current work studies the oligomerization determinants of MxB and carefully explores the contribution of oligomerization to capsid binding and restriction. This work takes advantage of the current structure of MxA and models the structure of MxB, which is used to guide structure-function studies. This work leads to the conclusion that MxB oligomerization is important for HIV-1 capsid binding and restriction.
Der Muttersprachliche Unterricht in der Sekundarstufe

Ausgehend von einer Statistik des Unterrichtsministeriums die besagt, dass ein groser Anteil des Muttersprachlichen Unterrichts in der Primarschule stattfindet, wurden die Forschungsfragen formuliert: Warum ist die erstsprachliche Forderung auch im Sekundarschulalter notwendig? Warum sind die Angebote fur den Gegenstand in der Sekundarschule gering? Welche Moglichkeiten gibt es, um die Situation zu verbessern? Aus Sicht der Spracherwerbsforschung ergab die Analyse, dass die Muttersprache eine wichtige Voraussetzung fur das Zweitsprachenlernen darstellt, positive Auswirkungen auf die kognitiven Fahigkeiten und das affektive Selbstbild der Migrantenkinder hat. Zuletzt wurden die positiven Auswirkungen gesellschaftlicher Mehrsprachigkeit als eindeutiges Argument fur den Muttersprachlichen Unterricht beschrieben. Es folgt eine Bestandsaufnahme des Muttersprachlichen Unterrichts im Sekundarschulbereich. Anhand von Gesetzen, Lehrplanen, Unterrichtsmaterialien und Statistiken wurden die historische Entwicklung und die derzeitige Situation des Gegenstandes untersucht. Die Analyse zeigte, dass die Randstandigkeit des Gegenstandes in der Sekundarstufe historisch gewachsen ist. Hauptproblematiken in der Organisation: Umsetzung als Freifach oder Unverbindliche Ubung sowie Mindestteilnahmezahlen. In den Interviews wurde das Spannungsfeld zwischen Theorie und Praxis ersichtlich: Alle InterviewpartnerInnen berichteten von positiven Erfahrungen durch den Unterricht, trotzdem ist die Umsetzung dieser theoretischen Ansichten in der Praxis nicht ausreichend. Die Hauptproblematik besteht in der fehlenden Wertschatzung gegenuber Migranten- und Minderheitensprachen. Diese systematische Ablehnung fuhrt dazu, dass die Wichtigkeit des Gegenstandes von politisch-organisatorischer Seite nicht anerkannt wird. Daraus folgen weitere Probleme: Ressourcenmangel und organisatorische Randstandigkeit. Es ergaben sich folgende Forderungen: vollwertige Anerkennung der Migrantensprachen, Erhohung der Ressourcen im Sekundarschulbereich, Muttersprachlicher Unterricht als verpflichtender Gegenstand / Wahlpflichtfach im Regelunterricht.
Effects of Temperature — Heavy Metal Interactions, Antioxidant Enzyme Activity and Gene Expression in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Seedlings

In this study, the effect of heat and chromium (Cr) heavy metal interactions on wheat seedlings ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Ç-1252 and Gun91) was investigated by measuring total chlorophyll and carotenoid levels, catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) antioxidant enzyme activities, and MYB73 , ERF1 and TaSRG gene expression. Examination of pigment levels demonstrated a decrease in total chlorophyll in both species of wheat under combined heat and heavy metal stress, while the carotenoid levels showed a slight increase. APX activity increased in both species in response to heavy metal stress, but the increase in APX activity in the Gun91 seedlings was higher than that in the Ç-1252 seedlings. CAT activity increased in Gun91 seedlings but decreased in Ç-1252 seedlings. These results showed that Gun91 seedling had higher resistance to Cr and Cr + heat stresses than the Ç-1252 seedling. The quantitative molecular analyses implied that the higher resistance was related to the overexpression of TaMYB73, TaERF1 and TaSRG transcription factors. The increase in the expression levels of these transcription factors was profound under combined Cr and heat stress. This study suggests that TaMYB73, TaERF1 and TaSRG transcription factors regulate Cr and heat stress responsive genes in wheat.
Studies of cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar fluid lavage from patients with interstitial lung diseases

Cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with eosinophilic pneumonia (n=7), allergic alveolitis (n=11), (cryptogenic) fibrosing alveolitis (n=8), sarcoidosis (n=10) were determined, as well as levels in control samples from healthy non‐smoking volunteers (n=11). Fibronectin levels were increased in all the patient categories, the highest absolute levels of fibronectin (100‐fold increase) being found in eosinophilic pneumonia and allergic alveolitis. TGF‐β (transforming growth factor‐β) was significantly elevated in allergic alveolitis only. There was a significant difference between allergic alveolitis on the one hand and both sarcoidosis and fibrosing alveolitis on the other. Tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) was significantly increased in eosinophilic pneumonia and allergic alveolitis; allergic alveolitis and fibrosing alveolitis differed significantly in this respect. Platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB (PDGF‐BB) levels were significantly elevated in allergic alveolitis and fibrosing alveolitis. It was found that the level of PDGF‐BB was significantly decreased in the case of sarcoidosis, with no overlapping with allergic alveolitis or fibrosing alveolitis. Interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) was decreased in all patient categories. A significant difference in extent of the decrease was found between allergic alveolitis and sarcoidosis. The interstitial lung diseases thus differed in the pattern of cytokines expressed, indicating that these cytokines could well be a part of the pathogenic process, and also that the measurement of cytokine levels could be diagnostically useful.
Converters with high boost, energy storage and bi-directional power flow in energy systems

This paper reviews the existing structures for converter stages in renewable energy and motor drive systems that offer high voltage gain at the input of an inverter. The inverter may also connect the DC supply to the utility grid. For traction motor drives in vehicle and rail transport and in high-frequency transformer connected grids, bi-directional power flow capability is also required. Cascaded high-boost non-isolated DC stage which offers multi-stage or multi-level DC inputs and output connections is the focus of attention in this paper. The high voltage DC supply to the inverter allows connections to inverters for motor drive and utility at the required voltage level. This arrangement may lead to reduced battery management issues and reduced size of storage elements, flexibility of connections with several input DC supplies at different levels, and improved reliability through series/parallel connection of converters with some redundancy. Several options for the high-boost stage which are currently available will be reviewed. This will be followed by considerations for energy storage elements and converters suitable for bi-directional power transfer capabilities. Converter topologies and control issues using a high-frequency link for bi-directional power flow between two AC grids will also be discussed.
Secretion of Proinflammatory Cytokines and Chemokines during Amphotericin B Exposure Is Mediated by Coactivation of Toll-Like Receptors 1 and 2

ABSTRACT Amphotericin B (AmB) is a ligand of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). Here, we demonstrate the participation of TLR1 in AmB-induced cell activation that led to the secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-8. Hence, TLR2-TLR1 coactivation serves as the underlying mechanism for the proinflammatory toxicities associated with AmB.
PGC-1-Related Coactivator: Immediate Early Expression and Characterization of a CREB/NRF-1 Binding Domain Associated with Cytochrome c Promoter Occupancy and Respiratory Growth

ABSTRACT PGC-1-related coactivator (PRC) was initially characterized as a transcriptional coactivator that shares structural and functional features with PGC-1α. Both coactivators interact with nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF-1) and activate NRF-1 target genes required for respiratory chain expression. Here, we establish that PRC belongs to the class of immediate early genes that are rapidly induced in the transition from quiescence to proliferative growth. As observed for other members of this class, the rapid serum induction of PRC mRNA does not require de novo protein synthesis and inhibition of protein synthesis stabilizes PRC mRNA, leading to its superinduction. Previous work indicated that PRC activation of cytochrome c expression occurs through cis-acting elements that bind both NRF-1 and CREB. Here, we demonstrate that, like NRF-1, CREB binds PRC in vitro and exists in a complex with PRC in cell extracts. Both CREB and NRF-1 bind the same sites on PRC, and the interaction with CREB requires the CREB b-Zip DNA binding domain. Moreover, a CREB/NRF-1 interaction domain on PRC is required for its trans activation of the cytochrome c promoter and a PRC subfragment containing this domain inhibits respiratory growth on galactose when expressed in trans from a lentivirus vector. Finally, PRC associates with the cytochrome c promoter in vivo and its occupancy of the promoter is markedly elevated in response to serum induction of quiescent fibroblasts. The results establish that PRC is an immediate early gene product that can target key transcription factors as an early event in the program of cellular proliferation.
A prediction model of performance in level II fieldwork in physical disabilities.

OBJECTIVES A prediction model of performance in physical disabilities fieldwork was generated with grades received in the occupational therapy curriculum and in prerequisite courses. METHOD Grades included those from functional anatomy, neuroanatomy, physical disabilities lecture, physical disabilities clinic, and prerequisite anatomy and physiology courses. Sampling was done collectively over graduated occupational therapy classes from 1987 to 1992 at the University of Puget Sound. A multiple regression analysis was performed and prediction equations were generated for each subscale of the Fieldwork Evaluation for the Occupational Therapist. Equations for combinations of the subscale categories were also produced. RESULTS Adjusted R2 values were found to be less than 10% in all equations. CONCLUSION This poor ability of grades to predict fieldwork performance suggests that future investigation be focused on variables other than grades. Such variables might include student motivation, rapport between the student and fieldwork supervisor, and hospital experience in physical disabilities.
Neutralization of Inhibitory Molecule NG2 Improves Synaptic Transmission, Retrograde Transport, and Locomotor Function after Spinal Cord Injury in Adult Rats

NG2 belongs to the family of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans that are upregulated after spinal cord injury (SCI) and are major inhibitory factors restricting the growth of fibers after SCI. Neutralization of NG2's inhibitory effect on axon growth by anti-NG2 monoclonal antibodies (NG2-Ab) has been reported. In addition, recent studies show that exogenous NG2 induces a block of axonal conduction. In this study, we demonstrate that acute intraspinal injections of NG2-Ab prevented an acute block of conduction by NG2. Chronic intrathecal infusion of NG2-Ab improved the following deficits induced by chronic midthoracic lateral hemisection (HX) injury: (1) synaptic transmission to lumbar motoneurons, (2) retrograde transport of fluororuby anatomical tracer from L5 to L1, and (3) locomotor function assessed by automated CatWalk gait analysis. We collected data in an attempt to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the NG2-Ab-induced improvement of synaptic transmission in HX-injured spinal cord. These data showed the following: (1) that chronic NG2-Ab infusion improved conduction and axonal excitability in chronically HX-injured rats, (2) that antibody treatment increased the density of serotonergic axons with ventral regions of spinal segments L1–L5, (3) and that NG2-positive processes contact nodes of Ranvier within the nodal gap at the location of nodal Na+ channels, which are known to be critical for propagation of action potentials along axons. Together, these results demonstrate that treatment with NG2-Ab partially improves both synaptic and anatomical plasticity in damaged spinal cord and promotes functional recovery after HX SCI. Neutralizing antibodies against NG2 may be an excellent way to promote axonal conduction after SCI.
The relationships among social support and quality of life in persons living with HIV/AIDS in Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, China

Several empirical studies, particularly those conducted in developed countries, have linked social support to quality of life among persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA). However, few studies have been conducted in developing countries, such as China; therefore, the question of any association being present between social support and quality of life in PLWA in China remains unanswered. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the relationships between social support and quality of life among PLWA in the Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces of China. A total of 377 PLWA participated in this study, and questionnaires used included demographics, the Chinese Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36, and a Social Support Rating Scale, all of which were collected through face-to-face interviews between 1 March and 15 April 2013 in six different County Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, and one hospital in the Jiangxi. The health-related quality of life score was 64.7 ± 13.5 (out of a total score of 100), which was significantly lower than the national norm level of 78.2 ± 15.9. The total score of social support was 29.4 ± 7.8 (full score 66). The canonical correlation between social support and quality of participants' lives was shown to be statistically significant (p < 0.0001). The relationship between subjective support and quality of life among PLWA was also significant (p = 0.004). Subjective support and the use of social support showed a positive correlation with vitality, role-physical, and role-emotional, and a negative correlation with body pain. The current study suggests that PLWA with lower social support have diminished quality of life.