Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism and reversibility of uremic left ventricular hypertrophy following long-term antihypertensive therapy.

BACKGROUND Prolonged antihypertensive therapy might be less effective in reversing the left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in uremics bearing the deleted (DD) allele of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene than in patients with the inserted (II) allele or in those heterozygous (ID) for the gene. METHODS Thirteen DD and 17 II + ID hemodialyzed uremics were followed-up with yearly echocardiography and 24-hour blood pressure (BP) monitoring over five years while on an antihypertensive therapy that included ACE inhibitors as first line drugs. RESULTS In the II + ID group there were significant decreases of the left ventricular mass index (LVMi) and of both systolic and diastolic BPs. These changes were less pronounced in the DD group, but the difference was not statistically significant given the wide overlap between the two groups. Further analysis of the data revealed that the only factor associated to a decreased LVMi was the decrease of the systolic BP irrespective of the ACE gene genotype of each individual patient. CONCLUSIONS The ACE-gene genotype does not necessarily predict the extent to which LVMi will be lowered by ACE-inhibitors therapy. The LVH of hypertensive uremics is amenable by long-term antihypertensive therapy provided that it results in significantly decreased systolic blood pressure.
Census tract socioeconomic and physical environment and cardiovascular mortality in the Region of Madrid (Spain)

Background Features of the area might contribute to differences in cardiovascular mortality. The census tract distribution of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and cerebrovascular disease mortality in the Region of Madrid and its association with deprivation and environmental variables were examined in this study. Methods Cross-sectional, ecological study covering 3906 census tracts (median of around 1000 inhabitants), using mortality data (population aged <75 years) for 1996–2003, as well as socioeconomic deprivation and other environmental indicators (subjective perceptions of pollution, background noise, lack of green spaces and delinquency) drawn from the 2001 census. Standardised mortality ratios were calculated. Smoothed census tract relative risks were calculated using the Besag–York–Mollié model. Relative risks (RRs) of dying and their 95% credibility intervals (95% CI) were calculated according to the indicators considered (with the fourth quartile, Q, being the most unfavourable situation). Maps were plotted depicting the distribution of the posterior probability of RR>1. Results Census tracts with excess mortality were mostly located in the city of Madrid. Mortality increased with deprivation: RRs of IHD and stroke mortality in Q4 with respect to Q1 were 1.42 (95% CI 1.31 to 1.54) and 1.66 (95% CI 1.45 to 1.88) for men, and 1.54 (95% CI 1.33 to 1.79) and 1.52 (95% CI 1.29 to 1.76) for women respectively. Associations with deprivation decreased only slightly when perceived lack of green spaces and delinquency were included in the model. In men, subjective perceptions of areas remained associated with cardiovascular mortality after adjustment for deprivation. Conclusion Deprivation and subjective perceptions of physical environmental characteristics are ecologically associated with cardiovascular disease mortality.
Identification of bipolar cell subtypes by protein kinase C-like immunoreactivity in the goldfish retina

Abstract Subtypes of bipolar cells were identified by protein kinase C (PKC)-like immunoreactivity in the goldfish retina. The PKC-like immunoreactivity was visualized by either the avidin/biotin peroxidase method or immunofluorescence method. In frozen cross sections and in wholemounts, the monoclonal antibody against α species of PKC reacted with ON-type bipolar cells, identified by the location of axon terminals in sublamina b of the inner plexiform layer. OFF-type bipolar cells (identified by the location of the axon terminal in sublamina a of the inner plexiform layer) were not immunoreactive. The immunoreactive cells consisted of two subtypes; the rod-dominant ON-type with a large soma and a large bulbous axon terminal, and the cone-dominant ON-type with a small soma and small axon terminal. Antibodies against β and γ species of PKC did not react with any bipolar cells. Of the isolated bipolar cells, enzymatically dissociated from the goldfish retina, 59% were immunoreactive to the monoclonal antibody against α species of PKC. The immunoreactive isolated cells also consisted of two morphological types. Each of them had a morphology typical either to rod-dominant ON-type or to cone-dominant ON-type.
Impact of High-Inoculum Staphylococcus aureus on the Activities of Nafcillin, Vancomycin, Linezolid, and Daptomycin, Alone and in Combination with Gentamicin, in an In Vitro Pharmacodynamic Model

ABSTRACT We evaluated the impact of high (9.5 log10 CFU/g) and moderate (5.5 log10 CFU/g) inocula of methicillin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA and MRSA, respectively) on the activities of nafcillin, linezolid, vancomycin, and daptomycin, alone and in combination with gentamicin in an in vitro pharmacodynamic model with simulated endocardial vegetations over 72 h. Human therapeutic dosing regimens for nafcillin, daptomycin, vancomycin, linezolid, and gentamicin were simulated. At a moderate inoculum, nafcillin (MSSA only), vancomycin, and daptomycin demonstrated equivalent and significant (P < 0.01) bactericidal (99.9% kill) activities (decreases of 3.34 ± 1.1, 3.28 ± 0.4, and 3.34 ± 0.8 log10 CFU/g, respectively). Bactericidal activity was demonstrated at 4 h for nafcillin and daptomycin and at 32 h for vancomycin. Linezolid demonstrated bacteriostatic activity over the course of the study period. At a high inoculum, daptomycin exhibited bactericidal activity against both MSSA and MRSA by 24 h (decrease of 5.51 to 6.31 ± 0.10 log10 CFU/g). Nafcillin (versus MSSA), vancomycin, and linezolid (MSSA and MRSA) did not achieve bactericidal activity throughout the 72-h experiment. The addition of gentamicin increased the rate of 99.9% kill to 8 h for daptomycin (P < 0.01) and 48 h for nafcillin (MSSA only) (P = 0.01). The addition of gentamicin did not improve the activity of vancomycin or linezolid for either isolate for the 72-h period. Overall, high-inoculum Staphylococcus aureus had a significant impact on the activities of nafcillin and vancomycin. In contrast, daptomycin was affected minimally and linezolid was not affected by inoculum.
Species and functional diversity accumulate differently in mammals

Aim Whether the gradients of global diversity conform to equilibrium or non-equilibrium dynamics remains an unresolved question in ecology and evolution. Here, we evaluate four prominent hypotheses which invoke either equilibrium (more individuals, niche diversity) or non-equilibrium dynamics (diversification rate, evolutionary time) to explain species richness and functional diversity of mammals worldwide. Location Global. Methods We combine structural equation modelling with simulations to examine whether species richness and functional diversity are in equilibrium with environmental conditions (climate, productivity) or whether they vary with non-equilibrium factors (diversification rates, evolutionary time). We use the newest and most inclusive phylogenetic, distributional and trait data for mammals. Results We find that species richness and functional diversity are decoupled across multiple regions of the world. While species richness correlates closely with environmental conditions, functional diversity depends mostly on non-equilibrium factors (evolutionary time to overcome niche conservatism). Moreover, functional diversity plateaus with species richness, such that species-rich regions (especially the Neotropics) host many species that are apparently functionally redundant. Main conclusions We conclude that species richness depends on environmental factors while functional diversity depends on the evolutionary history of the region. Our work further challenges the classic notion that highly productive regions host more species because they offer a great diversity of ecological niches. Instead, they suggest that productive regions offer more resources, which allow more individuals, populations and species to coexist within a region, even when the species are apparently functionally redundant (the more individuals hypothesis). Together these findings demonstrate how ecological (the total amount of resources) and evolutionary factors (time to overcome niche conservatism) might have interacted to generate the striking diversity of mammals and their life histories.
A Longitudinal Study on Influence of Primary Facial Deformities on Maxillofacial Growth in Patients with Cleft Lip and Palate

Objective The goal of this study was to use three-dimensional (3D) analysis to characterize the primary facial deformities in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and then serially analyze the relationships between facial deformities and maxillofacial growth from infancy to adolescence. Participants Twenty-one Japanese subjects with unilateral cleft lip and alveolus (UCLA) and 20 with UCLP who had been operated on and then followed up for more than 15 years were enrolled in this study. Main Outcome Measures Facial cast models taken at cheiloplasty were scanned with a 3D laser scanner. Lateral cephalographs taken when subjects were 15 years of age or older were traced, and linear and angular measurements were calculated. The correlation between primary facial forms and maxillofacial morphology in adolescence was analyzed. Results Three-dimensional analysis showed larger ocular hypertelorism, wider cleft, greater deviation of the columella base, and more severe retruded position of the affected nasal alar base in subjects with UCLP than those with UCLA. Total surface area of the upper lips in subjects with UCLP was significantly smaller than those with UCLA. Correlation analyses revealed that the width of cleft lip, deviation of the columella base, difference of the nose base width, and surface area of the upper lip were statistically correlated with the maxillary length, the anterior position of the maxillary alveolar base, the posterior facial height, and the high angle of the mandible. Conclusion The subjects who had less severe facial deformities and more tissue volume of the upper lips at cheiloplasty showed better maxillofacial growth.
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Types I and II Differentially Regulate cAMP Response Element-mediated Gene Expression

We have shown that ethanol induces translocation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) to the nucleus, cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation, and cAMP response element-mediated gene transcription in NG108-15 cells. However, little is known about which PKA types regulate this process. We show here that under basal conditions NG108-15 cells contain type I PKA (CβRIβ) primarily in cytosol and type II PKA (CαRIIβ) in the particulate and nuclear fractions. Antagonists of both type I and type II PKA inhibit forskolin- and ethanol-induced cAMP response element-mediated gene transcription. However, only the type II PKA antagonist inhibits forskolin-induced Cα and ethanol-induced Cα and RIIβ translocation to the nucleus and CREB phosphorylation; the type I antagonist is without effect. Our data suggest that forskolin- and ethanol-induced CREB phosphorylation and gene activation are differentially mediated by the two types of PKA. We propose that type II PKA is translocated and activated in the nucleus and induces CREB phosphorylation that is necessary but not sufficient for gene transcription. By contrast, type I PKA is activated in the cytoplasm, turning on a downstream pathway that activates other transcription cofactors that interact with phosphorylated CREB to induce gene transcription.
Prognostic value of combined use of biomarkers of inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and myocardiopathy in patients with ESRD.

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular risk stratification is important in the clinical management of patients with end-stage renal diseases (ESRD) and biomarkers are increasingly used in these patients. METHODS In a cohort of 246 dialysis patients without heart failure at baseline we tested the combined prognostic power of three well-established biomarkers: brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-reactive protein (CRP), and asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA). The independent prognostic value of individual and combined biomarkers was estimated in separate Cox models, including standard risk factors in dialysis patients and comorbidities. RESULTS When the prediction power of the three biomarkers was evaluated individually, BNP, ADMA, and CRP added significant predictive value (P< or = 0.01) to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality models and the explanatory gain attributable to these biomarkers were of similar degree (ranging from 3.3% to 5.7%). When the biomarkers were evaluated jointly, a score based on the BNP-CRP combination, increased by 9.9% (all-cause) and by 10.5% (cardiovascular) the explained mortality variance of standard Cox models and such gain in power was similar to that achieved by the CRP-ADMA combination (all-cause death 9.0% and cardiovascular death 8.4%). Of note, the explanatory gain derived by the simultaneous use of the three biomarkers was very similar (all-cause death 11.6% and cardiovascular death 10.5%) to that achieved by the use of two biomarkers. CONCLUSION These findings indicate a potential role for CRP, BNP, and ADMA to be incorporated into diagnostic and therapeutic strategies aimed at detection and treatment of atherosclerotic complications and at preventing heart failure in the dialysis population.
THE CUES TO BEHAVIOR CHANGE MODEL: INTEGRATION OF THE HEALTH BELIEF MODEL AND THE TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL

OF THESIS THE CUES TO BEHAVIOR CHANGE MODEL: INTEGRATION OF THE HEALTH BELIEF MODEL AND THE TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL Strategic health communication can have a profound effect on interventions designed for changing unhealthy behaviors. Strategic health communication, in the form of cues to action, when combined with the Stages of Change from the Transtheoretical Model and perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, and self-efficacy from the Health Belief Model, becomes a more comprehensive model for the design and implementation of health interventions than the Health Belief Model or the Transtheoretical Model alone. The Cues to Behavior Change Model is the result of the integration of these two largely successful health intervention models.
Assessment of fetal optic chiasm: an echoanatomic and reproducibility study

Our aims were: (1) to perform an echoanatomic correlation study, in order to confirm that the structure identified as the optic chiasm (OC) on ultrasound (US) is indeed this anatomical structure; (2) to assess and compare the reproducibility of two‐ (2D) and three‐(3D) dimensional US in measurement of the OC in normal fetuses; and (3) to assess whether the spatial orientation of the OC changes with increasing gestational age.
Low-Rank Approximation of Matrix Product in One Pass

We consider the following problem: given two matrices A and B, find a rank-r approximation of their product ATB. This type of linear algebra problem has many applications in the machine learning and statistics domain. For example, if A = B, then this general problem reduces to the well-known problem of finding principal components of a given data matrix. Another example is the low-rank approximation of a co-occurrence matrix ATB, where A may be a user-by-query matrix and B may be a user-by-ad matrix, so ATB computes the joint counts for each query-ad pair. As a third example, ATB can be regarded as a cross-correlation matrix between two sets of variables (e.g., two different genomic datasets). A low-rank approximation of their correlation matrix ATB can be used as a tool for understanding the association between different variables (e.g., the canonical-correlation analysis [3]).
In Vitro Determination of Apoptotic Effect of Heparin on Lymphoblasts By Using Flow Cytometric DNA Analysis and Measurements of Caspase-9 Activation and Cytochrome C Level

Heparin induces apoptosis on peripheral neutrophils, mononuclear cells of the healthy controls, and on lymphoblasts of the patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, in vitro. We studied the caspase-9 activity and cytochrome C level as the indicators of the apoptotic effect of heparin on lymphoblasts by the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Twenty samples of the patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were included in the study. Cytochrome C level and caspase-9 activity were concomitantly determined with the percentage of apoptotic lymphoblasts when incubated in 0, 10, and 20 U/mL heparin concentrations at 0, 1, and 2 hours. The percentages of apoptosis of lymphoblasts at the first hour were higher than those at 0 and 2 hours in 10 and 20 U/mL heparin concentrations, separately (P<0.05). The mean percentage of apoptosis of lymphoblasts in 20 U/mL heparin levels was significantly higher than those in 0 and 10 U/mL heparin levels at 1 and 2 hours (P<0.05). The highest apoptotic effect of heparin on lymphoblasts was determined at the first hour in 20 U/mL heparin concentration. The mean caspase-9 activitity at the first hour was significantly higher than the values at 0 and 2 hours in 10 and 20 U/mL heparin levels, separately (P<0.05). The mean caspase-9 activity in 20 U/mL heparin concentration was significantly higher than values in 0 and 10 U/mL heparin concentrations at 1 and 2 hours (P<0.05). The highest caspase-9 activity was determined in 20 U/mL heparin levels at the first hour. The mean cytochrome C level at the first hour was significantly higher than those at 0 and 2 hours in 10 and 20 U/mL heparin concentrations, separately (P<0.05). The highest cytochrome C level was determined in 20 U/mL heparin concentration at the first hour. We claimed that heparin induces the apoptosis of lymphoblasts by the activation of the intrinsic pathway.
Synaptic organization of lobula plate tangential cells in Drosophila: γ‐Aminobutyric acid receptors and chemical release sites

In flies, the large tangential cells of the lobula plate represent an important processing center for visual navigation based on optic flow. Although the visual response properties of these cells have been well studied in blowflies, information on their synaptic organization is mostly lacking. Here we study the distribution of presynaptic release and postsynaptic inhibitory sites in the same set of cells in Drosophila melanogaster. By making use of transgenic tools and immunohistochemistry, our results suggest that HS and VS cells of Drosophila express γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in their dendritic region within the lobula plate, thus being postsynaptic to inhibitory input there. At their axon terminals in the protocerebrum, both cell types express synaptobrevin, suggesting the presence of presynaptic specializations there. HS‐ and VS‐cell terminals additionally show evidence for postsynaptic GABAergic input, superimposed on this synaptic polarity. Our findings are in line with the general circuit for visual motion detection and receptive field properties as postulated from electrophysiological and optical recordings in blowflies, suggesting a similar functional organization of lobula plate tangential cells in the two species. J. Comp. Neurol. 502:598–610, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sleep-dependent consolidation of motor skills in patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study investigated whether the altered organization of post-training sleep in patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy (NC) is associated with a lower off-line improvement in the consolidation of motor skills compared with normal subjects. STUDY DESIGN Fourteen drug-naive NC patients, fulfilling the international clinical and polysomnographic diagnostic criteria, and 14 individually-matched controls underwent training at a sequential finger tapping task (FTT) and were re-tested on the next morning (after a night with polysomnographic recording) and after another six nights (spent at home). SETTING Training and retrieval sessions were performed in a controlled laboratory setting. RESULTS FTT performance was worse in NC patients than controls at training and at both retrieval sessions and showed a fairly different time course (slower than in controls) of consolidation. Several sleep indices (lower values of stage-2 NREM sleep and SWS) were compatible with a lower effectiveness of sleep for consolidation of motor skills in NC patients, although no statistically significant relationship was found between such indices and improvement rate. CONCLUSION The consolidation process of motor skills results less effective in NC patients since training and slower than in normal subjects over the week following training. The wider variations in performance scores and sleep parameters of post. -training night in NC patients relative to controls suggest that a) the lower initial consolidation may be due to a less effective encoding consequent to altered prior sleep, and b) the consolidation process over the 24 h following training is negatively influenced not only by the altered characteristics of post-training sleep, but also by the daytime sleepiness following training.
Associations of Host Genetic Variants on CD4+ Lymphocyte Count and Plasma HIV-1 RNA in Antiretroviral Naïve Children

Background: CD4+ T-lymphocyte (CD4) counts and HIV plasma RNA concentration (RNA) are 2 key HIV disease markers. The complex interplay between virus and host genetics may contribute to differences in viral set point and CD4 status. Determining the effects of host genetic variation on HIV disease markers is often complicated by the use of antiretroviral therapy. In this study, the association between genetic variants and baseline HIV RNA and CD4 counts was examined in a large cohort of antiretroviral naïve children. Methods: Specimens from 1053 HIV-infected children were screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms in 78 regions from 17 genes. Linear regression with a robust variance estimator was used to test the association between genetic markers with HIV RNA and CD4 count, controlling for age, race/ethnicity and study. False discovery rate (FDR) controlling was used to adjust for multiple testing. Results: The study population was 60% black, 26% Hispanic and 13% white; median age 2.35 years; 55% female. Baseline median CD4 count was 780/mm3; median log10 HIV RNA was 5.17 copies/mL. For analyses of the associations of genetic makers with baseline CD4 count, 6 HLA and 4 additional markers exhibited P < 0.05, but none met the criteria for statistical significance with FDR controlled at 0.05. For baseline HIV RNA, HLA DRB1*15, DRB1*10, B-27/57, B-14, Cw-8, B-57 were statistically significant with FDR controlled at 0.05. Conclusions: These results provide strong evidence that HLA DRB1*15, DRB1*10, B-27/57, B-14, Cw-8, B-57 are associated with HIV RNA and play a role in HIV pathogenesis in infected children.