Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response to CPAP withdrawal in patients with mild versus severe obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

BACKGROUND Patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), even those generally compliant with CPAP therapy, often intermittently discontinue CPAP. STUDY OBJECTIVE Examine the impact of CPAP withdrawal on sleep, sleep disordered breathing (SDB), and daytime function in subjects with varying severity of OSAHS. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTIONS Forty-two subjects (26M/16 F) with OSAHS (AHI4% = 45.2 ± 35.5/h pretreatment) on CPAP for 4 months were evaluated on the second night of CPAP withdrawal. Sleep architecture, SDB indices, and subjective/objective daytime function were assessed pretreatment, on CPAP therapy, and after CPAP withdrawal. Comparisons were made between pretreatment and CPAP withdrawal for the entire group, and for subgroups of mild/moderate (AHI4% < 30/h, n = 22) and severe (AHI4% > 30/h, n = 20) SDB. RESULTS Overall, and for mild/moderate subjects, SDB indices returned to pretreatment values on CPAP withdrawal but with fewer apneas and more hypopneas/RERAs. For severe SDB, the event frequency (AI, AHI4%, and RDI) was lower and O2 desaturation was improved on CPAP withdrawal. Across SDB severity, sleep architecture showed lower %REM (15.6% vs 12.9%, P = 0.009) on the CPAP withdrawal compared to pretreatment. Stanford Sleepiness Score, MSLT, and PVT measures were not significantly different between pretreatment and CPAP withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS Over a wide range of SDB severity CPAP withdrawal results in recurrence of SDB, albeit with less severe O2 desaturation. Subjective/objective daytime function returned to pretreatment levels. Sleep architecture changes on CPAP withdrawal (acute SDB) may reflect reduced sleep pressure compared to pretreatment chronic SDB. Our data suggest detrimental effects of even brief withdrawal of CPAP in subjects with both mild and severe OSAHS. CITATION Young LR; Taxin ZH; Norman RG; Walsleben JA; Rapoport DM; Ayappa I. Response to CPAP withdrawal in patients with mild versus severe obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome. SLEEP 2013;36(3):405-412.
Electrical properties of boron nitride thin films grown by neutralized nitrogen ion assisted vapor deposition

Boron nitride (BN) thin films (containing mixed cBN/hBN phase) have been deposited on Si(100) substrates using neutralized nitrogen beam and electron beam evaporation of boron. All as‐deposited BN films were p type with a room‐temperature carrier concentration in the range of 5×1016 to 1×1017 cm−3. The Mg‐doped BN films showed carrier concentrations in the range of 1.2×1018 cm−3 to 5.2×1018 cm−3 when the Mg cell temperature was varied from 250 to 500 °C. The films were analyzed for both majority elements (B and N) and dopant/impurity (Si, Mg, Fe, etc.) incorporation using secondary ion mass spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy of recoiled ions (MRSI). MRSI is shown to be superior for dopant characterization of boron nitride thin films.
Application of the Dynamic Regulation to Increase L-Phenylalanine Production in Escherichia coli.

Current strategies of strain improvement processes are mainly focused on enhancing the synthetic pathway of the products. However, excessive metabolic flux often creates metabolic imbalances, which leads to growth retardation and ultimately limit the yield of the product. To solve this problem, we applied a dynamic regulation strategy to produce L-phenylalanine (L-Phe) in Escherichia coli. Firstly, we constructed a series of Phe-induced promoters that exhibited different strengths through modification of the promoter region of tyrP. Then two engineered promoters were separately introduced into a Phe-producing strain xllp1 to dynamically control the expression level of one pathway enzyme AroK. Batch fermentation results of the strain xllp3 showed that the titer of Phe reached 61.3 g/l at 48 h, representing a titer of 1.36-fold of the strain xllp1 (45.0 g/l). Moreover, the L-Phe yields on glucose of xllp3 (0.22 g/g) were also greatly improved, with an increase of 1.22-fold in comparison with the xllp1 (0.18 g/g). In summary, we successfully improved the titer of Phe by using dynamic regulation of one key enzyme and this strategy can be applied for improving the performance of strains producing other aromatic amino acids and derived compounds.
How multiple retrievals impact neural reactivation in young and older adults.

OBJECTIVES Aging can reduce the specificity with which memory episodes are represented as distributed patterns of brain activity. It remains unclear, however, whether repeated encoding and retrieval of stimuli modulate this decline. Memory repetition is thought to promote semanticization, a transformative process during which episodic memory becomes gradually de-contextualized and abstracted. Because semantic memory is considered more resilient to aging than context-rich episodic memory, we hypothesized that repeated retrieval would impact cortical reinstatement differently in young versus older adults. METHODS We re-analyzed data from young and older adults undergoing fMRI while repeatedly viewing and recalling short videos. We derived trial-unique multivariate measures of similarity between video-specific brain activity patterns elicited at perception and at recall, which we compared between age groups at each repetition. RESULTS With repetition, memory representation became gradually more distinct from perception in young adults, as reinstatement specificity converged downward toward levels observed in the older group. In older adults, alternative representations that were item-specific but orthogonal to patterns elicited at perception became more salient with repetition. DISCUSSION Repetition transformed dominant patterns of memory representation away and orthogonally from perception in young and older adults, respectively. Although distinct, both changes are consistent with repetition-induced semanticization.
Properties of whole human IgG molecules produced by the expression of cloned anti-DNA antibody cDNA in mammalian cells.

Antibodies to DNA are believed to play an important role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). High affinity IgG antibodies which show marked specificity for double stranded DNA (dsDNA) are particularly closely linked to the occurrence and severity of tissue damage. Sequence analysis of mouse and human monoclonal antibodies has previously suggested that mutations in the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) play a major role in determining these binding properties. In many cases such mutations increase the overall number of basic residues in the CDRs. To further elucidate the role played by such mutations it is important to develop methods of expressing cloned autoantibody cDNA in the form of functional whole immunoglobulin molecules. We describe a system in which autoantibody VH and VL cDNA from monoclonal human anti-DNA antibodies, B3 and WRI176 were cloned into separate vectors which allowed their expression as whole heavy and whole light chains respectively. By cotransfecting mammalian cells with pairs of heavy and light chain vectors it was possible to produce whole IgG molecules from each of the four possible VH/VL combinations. Only antibody produced by homologous VH and VL pairs bound DNA, suggesting that in these autoantibodies both chains are important in conferring this property.
Prompt reversal of a severe complement activation by eculizumab in a patient undergoing intentional ABO‐incompatible pancreas and kidney transplantation

Summary We describe the presumably first intentional ABO‐incompatible deceased‐donor kidney and pancreas transplantation with a severe antibody‐mediated rejection during a rebound of isoagglutinins. Rejection was successfully treated with eculizumab, which inhibits the terminal pathway of complement. Complement analysis (C3, C3d,g, and a modified assay of classical complement‐related hemolytic function) documented complement activation and confirmed that eculizumab completely blocked complement function. At 6 months, the patient had normal kidney and pancreas function, and histological evaluations revealed no evidence of sustained graft damage. This successful transplantation suggests that ABO barriers can safely be overcome without extensive preconditioning, when the complement inhibitor eculizumab is included.
Annual circulating testosterone levels in captive and free-ranging male armadillos (Dasypus novemcincuts).

Mean circulating concentrations and seasonal changes in plasma testosterone over 3 years were similar in free-ranging and captive male armadillos. The highest concentrations were seen in the summer months, i.e. at the time of maximum breeding, but the relatiely high values at other times and the inability of ACTH to restore dexamethasone-suppressed testosterone concentrations confirms that testicular function continues throughout the year. There was a gradual rise in plasma testosterone to adult levels from the 5th to the 9th month of life in captive-born males, indicating that sexual maturity is reached within the first year of life and that captivity is not deleterious to Leydig cell function.
Stroke and treatment with nasal CPAP

Stroke patients present a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and those with OSA have a higher mortality after 1 year and poorer functional outcome compared with others. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the acceptance of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) by recent stroke patients with OSA. Recruitment of non‐comatose stroke patients with sufficient consciousness for diagnostic evaluation of OSA was performed and they were treated at home with nasal CPAP after hospital calibration and training on the usage of CPAP. Initial evaluation and regular follow‐up of the home trial of auto‐CPAP was carried out for a duration of 8 weeks. Of 50 initially recruited patients, 32 (100%) responded to the minimum cognitive criteria but seven patients (22%) only used nasal CPAP for 8 weeks. Subject dropout was related to difficulties with CPAP usage as perceived by patient and family members, facial weakness, motor impairment and increase difficulties and discomfort with usage of full‐face mask. The majority of OSA stroke patients rejected CPAP treatment. Better education and support of patients and families, and special training sessions in rehabilitation services, will be needed to improve compliance.
Smooth semiparametric receiver operating characteristic curves for continuous diagnostic tests

We propose a semiparametric kernel distribution function estimator, based on which a new smooth semiparametric estimator of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is constructed. We derive the asymptotic bias and variance of the newly proposed distribution function estimator and show that it is more efficient than the traditional non‐parametric kernel distribution estimator. We also derive the asymptotic bias and variance of our new ROC curve estimator and show that it is more efficient than the smooth non‐parametric ROC curve estimator proposed by Zou et al. (Stat. Med. 1997; 16:2143–2156) and Lloyd (J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 1998; 93:1356–1364). For our proposed estimators, we derive data‐based methods for bandwidth selection. In addition, we present some results on the analysis of two real data sets. Finally, a simulation study is presented to show that our estimators are better than the non‐parametric counterparts in terms of bias, standard error, and mean‐square error. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Study of the Impact of Professional Development on Middle Level Advisors

Abstract Middle level advisors are faculty members whose role is to develop meaningful relationships and to facilitate conversations with a group of 10 to 12 students on a regular basis regarding the students’ academic, personal, and social concerns. This study examines the impact of professional development on middle level advisors’ knowledge, skills, and practices in five New England middle level schools. Thirty-four advisors representing these five diverse schools were randomly assigned to three groups. Group One received professional development after the study was completed. Group Two participated in a three-credit course in advisor knowledge and skills. Group three participated in the course, and each advisor was coached individually for one hour a week for 24 weeks. Results showed improvements in (1) advisor knowledge and skills for both groups who received the course and (2) in practice for advisors who received both the course and the coaching. Mean score differences in the Advisor Knowledge Assessment pre- and post-test, used as a supportive measure, were revealed between the two groups receiving the training and the one which did not. The primary conclusion is that coursework plus coaching may represent a promising quality investment in the preparation of middle level advisors.
Adolescent female rats exhibiting activity‐based anorexia express elevated levels of GABAA receptor α4 and δ subunits at the plasma membrane of hippocampal CA1 spines

Activity‐based anorexia (ABA) is an animal model for anorexia nervosa that has revealed genetic links to anxiety traits and neurochemical characteristics within the hypothalamus. However, few studies have used this animal model to investigate the biological basis for vulnerability of pubertal and adolescent females to ABA, even though the great majority of the anorexia nervosa cases are females exhibiting the first symptoms during puberty. GABAergic inhibition of the hippocampus strongly regulates anxiety as well as plasticity throughout life. We recently showed that the hippocampal CA1 of female mice undergo a dramatic change at puberty onset—from expressing virtually none of the nonsynaptic α4βδ GABAA receptors (GABARs) prepubertally to expressing these GABARs at ∼7% of the CA1 dendritic spine membranes at puberty onset. Furthermore, we showed that this change underlies the enhanced modulation of anxiety, neuronal excitability, and NMDA receptor‐dependent synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus by the stress neurosteroid, THP (3α‐OH‐5α[β]‐pregnan‐20‐one or [allo]pregnanolone). Here, we used quantitative electron microscopy to determine whether ABA induction in female rats during adolescence also elevates the expression of α4 and δ subunits of α4βδ GABARs, as was observed at puberty onset for mice. Our analysis revealed that rats also exhibit a rise of α4 and δ subunits of α4βδ GABARs at puberty onset, in that these subunits are detectable at ∼6% of the dendritic spine membranes of CA1 pyramidal cells at puberty onset (postnatal day 32–36; P32–36) but this drops to about 2% by P40–P44. The levels of α4 and δ subunits at the CA1 spines remained low following exposure of females to either of the two environmental factors needed to generate ABA—food restriction and access to a running wheel for 4 days—from P40 to P44. This pattern contrasted greatly from those of ABA animals, for which the two environmental factors were combined. Within the hippocampus of ABA animals, 12% of the spine profiles were labeled for α4, reflecting a sixfold increase, relative to hippocampi of age‐matched (P44) control females (p < 0.005). Concurrently, 7% of the spine profiles were labeled for δ, reflecting a 130% increase from the control values of 3% (p = 0.01). No measurable change was detected for spine size. The observed magnitude of increase in the α4 and δ subunits at spines is sufficient to increase both tonic inhibition of hippocampus and anxiety during stress, thereby likely to exacerbate hyperactivity and weight loss. Synapse, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Genetic characterization of a novel metallo-beta-lactamase gene, blaIMP-13, harboured by a novel Tn5051-type transposon disseminating carbapenemase genes in Europe: report from the SENTRY worldwide antimicrobial surveillance programme.

OBJECTIVE In 2001, as part of the SENTRY worldwide antimicrobial surveillance programme, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 86-14571A was isolated at a hospital in Rome from a cancer patient with a bloodstream infection. The isolate was resistant to all antibiotics except amikacin, and displayed an imipenem MIC of 64 mg/L that decreased to 8 mg/L in the presence of EDTA. The resistance determinant was investigated. METHODS The resistant determinant was cloned in Escherichia coli using a shotgun cloning approach. RESULTS Sequence analysis revealed the presence of a novel IMP-type metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) gene, blaIMP-13. This encoded a protein displaying most identity to IMP variants: 93% and 92.3% identity, respectively, to IMP-8 and IMP-2 (previously identified in Italy). The protein had 19 amino acid changes from IMP-2 and 17 amino acid changes from IMP-8. The blaIMP-13 gene was found as a gene cassette in the first position of a class 1 integron. A 25 bp inverted repeat sequence IRi was identified 174 bp upstream of the class I integrase, which suggests that the integron is found on a Tn402-like transposon, or defective transposon derivative. This element, in turn, is located in the transposition locus (tnp region) of a Tn21 subfamily transposon that showed most identity to Tn5051, a transposon recently identified from a strain of Pseudomonas putida isolated in New York. Interestingly, the insertion point of the Tn402-like transposon and the sequence of the Tn5051-like genes were identical to those of the genetic element harbouring blaVIM-2 recently identified in Poland. CONCLUSIONS The resistance determinant of P. aeruginosa 86-14571A is a novel IMP-type MBL carried on a composite transposon responsible for wide geographical dissemination of MBL genes in Europe.
Explanations for the acclimation period preceding the mineralization of organic chemicals in aquatic environments

A study was conducted of possible reasons for acclimation of microbial communities to the mineralization of organic compounds in lake water and sewage. The acclimation period for the mineralization of 2 ng of p-nitrophenol (PNP) or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid per ml of sewage was eliminated when the sewage was incubated for 9 or 16 days, respectively, with no added substrate. The acclimation period for the mineralization of 2 ng but not 200 ng or 2 micrograms of PNP per ml was eliminated when the compound was added to lake water that had been first incubated in the laboratory. Mineralization of PNP by Flavobacterium sp. was detected within 7 h at concentrations of 20 ng/ml to 2 micrograms/ml but only after 25 h at 2 ng/ml. PNP-utilizing organisms began to multiply logarithmically after 1 day in lake water amended with 2 micrograms of PNP per ml, but substrate disappearance was only detected at 8 days, at which time the numbers were approaching 10(5) cells per ml. The addition of inorganic nutrients reduced the length of the acclimation period from 6 to 3 days in sewage and from 6 days to 1 day in lake water. The prior degradation of natural organic materials in the sewage and lake water had no effect on the acclimation period for the mineralization of PNP, and naturally occurring inhibitors that might delay the mineralization were not present. The length of the acclimation phase for the mineralization of 2 ng of PNP per ml was shortened when the protozoa in sewage were suppressed by eucaryotic inhibitors, but it was unaffected or increased if the inhibitors were added to lake water. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Efficient Construction of Minimum-Redundancy Codes for Large Alphabets

We consider the problem of calculating minimum-redundancy codes for alphabets in which there is significant repetition of symbol weights. On a sorted-by-weight alphabet of, n symbols and r distinct symbol weights we show that a minimum-redundancy prefix code can be constructed in O(r+r log(n/r)) time, and that a minimum redundancy L-bit length-limited prefix code can be constructed in O(Lr+Lrlog(n/r)) time. When r is small relative to n-which is necessarily the case for most practical coding problems on large alphabets-these bounds represent a substantial improvement upon the best previous algorithms for these two problems, which consumed O(n) time and O(nL) time, respectively. The improved algorithms are also space-efficient.
Translational activities of EF-Tu [G222D] which cannot be reconciled with the classical scheme of the polypeptide chain elongation cycle.

We have developed a cell-free system of E. coli that enables us to study the in vitro translation of natural mRNA mediated by wild-type or mutant EF-Tu. Various mutant EF-Tu species have been analyzed, one of which, EF-Tu [G222D], appeared to be virtually unable to mediate the translation of natural mRNA. Since this mutant factor is able to participate in translation in vivo by suppressing nonsense and frameshift mutations in cooperation with EF-Tu [A375T], a revision of the generally accepted scheme of the elongation cycle has been proposed (Bosch, L., Vijgenboom, E., & Zeef, L.A.H., 1996, Biochemistry 36).
Isthmus and ligament interrelationships: A computerized analysis of the spatial relationships of the hinge structures in unionid mussels

A study of the isthmus and ligament in unionid mussels was undertaken employing methods specifically designed to preserve the in vivo relationships of these interrelated structures. Serial sections of the hard and soft tissues were used for two‐dimensional analysis. From these, a tridimensional computerized reconstruction was developed. Special dissections of the undisturbed isthmus were also utilized. By using such methodologies, a new description of the ligament has been developed employing such terminology as the foliated ligament and the posterior folding laminae. Similarly, for the isthmus, an anterior lyre, a pallial crest, a pallial peduncle, and a posterior lyre are described. Such entities are both morphologically and physiologically related to the shell and ligament.
Oxidative stress and plasma lipoproteins in cancer patients

Objective To evaluate the relation between oxidative stress and lipid profile in patients with different types of cancer. Methods This was an observational cross-sectional. A total of 58 subjects were evaluated, 33 males, divided into two groups of 29 patients each: Group 1, patients with cancer of the digestive tract and accessory organs; Group 2 patients with other types of cancers, all admitted to a public hospital. The plasma levels (lipoproteins and total cholesterol, HDL, and triglycerides, for example) were analyzed by enzymatic kits, and oxidative stress based on thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, by assessing the formation of malondialdehyde. Results In general the levels of malondialdehyde of patients were high (5.00μM) as compared to 3. 31μM for healthy individuals. The median values of lipids exhibited normal triacylglycerol (138.78±89.88mg/dL), desirable total cholesterol values (163.04±172.38mg/dL), borderline high LDL (151.30±178.25mg/dL) and low HDL (31.70±22.74mg/dL). Median HDL levels in Group 1 were lower (31.32mg/dL) than the cancer patients in Group 2 (43.67mg/dL) (p=0.038). Group 1 also showed higher levels of oxidative stress (p=0.027). Conclusion The lipid profile of patients with cancer was not favorable, which seems to have contributed to higher lipid peroxidation rate, generating a significant oxidative stress.