Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The J Chain Is Essential for Polymeric Ig Receptor-Mediated Epithelial Transport of IgA1

Local production of secretory (S)IgA provides adaptive immunologic protection of mucosal surfaces, but SIgA is also protective when administered passively, such as in breast milk. Therefore, SIgA is a potential candidate for therapeutic administration, but its complex structure with four different polypeptide chains produced by two distinct cell types complicates recombinant production. The J chain is critical in the structure of SIgA because it is required for efficient polymerization of IgA and for the affinity of such polymers to the secretory component (SC)/polymeric (p)IgR. To better understand the role of the J chain in SIgA production, we have generated various mutant forms of the human J chain and analyzed the function of these mutants when coexpressed with IgA. We found that the C terminus of the J chain was not required for the formation of IgA polymers, but was essential for the binding of pIgA to SC. Likewise, we found that two of the intrachain disulfide bridges (Cys13:Cys101 and Cys109:Cys134) were also required for the binding of pIgA to SC but, interestingly, not for IgA polymerization. Conversely, the last intrachain disulfide bridge (Cys72:Cys92) was not essential for either of these two J chain functions. Finally, we demonstrated that the presence of only Cys15 or Cys69 was sufficient to support polymerization of IgA, but that these polymers were mostly noncovalently stabilized. Nevertheless, these polymers bound free SC with nearly the same affinity as pIgA containing wild-type J chain, but were transcytosed by pIgR-expressing polarized epithelial cells at a reduced efficiency.
A Highly Integrated 1-Bit Phase Shifter Based on High-Pass/Low-Pass Structure

This letter presents a highly integrated 1-bit 90 ° phase shifter based on high-pass/low-pass structure for 60 GHz beamforming applications using a standard 65 nm CMOS process. In order to overcome the limitation of the conventional low-pass only phase shifter, the combination of high-pass/low-pass network was utilized as a 1-bit phase shifter. By integrating a high pass network into the low-pass network with low loss single-pole single throw (SPST) switches that adapt a resistive body floating technique, the proposed phase shifter achieves average 5 dB IL and less than ±0.18 dB of insertion loss flatness and 1 dB rms amplitude error over the whole band in a small chip area of 0.16 mm 2 including pads.
ADHD Is Associated With a “Western” Dietary Pattern in Adolescents

Objective: To examine the relationship between dietary patterns and ADHD in a population-based cohort of adolescents. Method: The Raine Study is a prospective study following 2,868 live births. At the 14-year follow-up, the authors collected detailed adolescent dietary data, allowing for the determination of major dietary patterns using factor analysis. ADHD diagnoses were recorded according to International Classification of Deiseases, 9th Revision coding conventions. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between scores for major dietary pattern and ADHD diagnoses. Results: Data were available for 1,799 adolescents, and a total of 115 adolescents had an ADHD diagnosis. Two major dietary patterns were identified: “Western” and “Healthy. ” A higher score for the Western dietary pattern was associated with ADHD diagnosis (odds ratio = 2.21, 95% confidence interval = 1.18, 4.13) after adjusting for known confounding factors from pregnancy to 14 years. ADHD diagnosis was not associated with the “Healthy” dietary pattern. Conclusion: A Western-style diet may be associated with ADHD.
A new compact high-Q resonator with μ-near zero metamaterial and microwave bandpass filter applications

In this paper, a new high-QL resonator using a combination of SIR (Stepped Impedance Resonator) shaped hairpin resonator, interdigital capacitor, and meander line with μ-near zero (MNZ) metamaterial is suggested. Interdigital capacitor is applied to a resonator to get high-QL performance and to obtain μ-near zero characteristic for size reduction. Also, the compact elliptic function and slow-wave bandpass filters (BPFs) with the proposed MNZ resonators are suggested. The proposed BPFs has compact size and low insertion losses at the center frequency of 10 GHz.
Visuospatial memory and learning in first-episode schizophreniform psychosis and established schizophrenia: a functional correlate of hippocampal pathology?

Background. Despite a number of studies that have indicated impaired memory function in patients with schizophrenia, there have been few that have used a sensitive measure of right medial temporal lobe pathology. Given the reported findings of reduced hippocampal volume in schizophrenia, we used a theoretically sensitive test of the right medial temporal lobe to determine the nature of the visuospatial memory deficit in the disorder. Methods. Seventy-six patients (37 with a first-episode schizophreniform psychosis, and 39 with established schizophrenia) were compared with 41 comparison subjects on a number of tests of visuospatial memory. These included spatial working memory, spatial and pattern recognition memory and a pattern-location associative learning test. Results. Both patient groups displayed recognition memory deficits when compared to the comparison group. However, only those patients with established schizophrenia (of 9 years duration on average) were impaired on the associative learning test. Conclusions. The results indicate either a progressive decline in visuospatial associative learning ability over the course of the disorder, or that poor visuospatial associative learning is a marker for poor prognosis. In addition, these results have implications for our understanding of the role of the right medial temporal lobe in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
Reasons behind the non-application of the activity based costing system in developing countries, case of Lebanon

The Activity Based Costing (ABC) system, despite its spread in the developed countries and the recognition of its importance in the developing countries, is not adopted in the service industry in Lebanon while costing output. With the service industry contributing to more than seventy percent of the GDP in Lebanon, this makes it a subject of interest to justify the non-application of the ABC system in this sector. In this study, the authors seek to examine the reasons behind the reluctance of decision makers from applying the ABC system from the following perspectives: the lack of training of employees and the management’s support, the top management’s perception of the system’s high consumption of time and financial resources, the difficulty of collecting data, and the necessity to change the internal culture and the commitment of controllers. The study relies on prior research undertaken on this topic in different countries. A sample of 50 respondents from different service industries like banking, auditing, education and insurance provided the data of this study through answering the questionnaires and interviews. Two questionnaires are used; the first distributed to ABC system users and the second for non ABC users, also five interviews are conducted with senior level managers. The questionnaires are self-administered in order to increase the response rate, given the fact that the direct contact in the Lebanese culture proves to generate more efficient and effective data than the indirect contact. Hypotheses are developed stating the most significant reasons that are tested through survey and interviews. The data collected elaborates the companies’ point of view regarding the implementation of the ABC system as well as the employees’ and management’s personal opinions about it. The data is analyzed using the SPSS program and the results reveal that the real factors prohibiting the application of the ABC system are the lack of commitment of controllers and employees, the necessity to change the internal culture, the availability of financial and time resources and the satisfaction with the current costing system. The employees’ knowledge and training are not major obstacles in implementing the ABC, similarly for the difficulty in data collection about cost drivers. Other factors for this non-application appear to be the priorities of companies in other considerations, and the lack of technology. The outcome of the study provides a vital insight into the reasons behind such lag in the adoption of the ABC system in developing countries like Lebanon.
High post-treatment platelet reactivity is associated with a high incidence of myonecrosis after stenting for non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes

Summary High post-treatment platelet reactivity (HPPR= adenosine diphosphate [ADP] 10 µM-induced platelet aggregation > 70%) identifies low responders to dual antiplatelet therapy with increased risk of recurrent cardiovascular (CV) events after stenting for non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTEACS). This study was designed to compare the incidence of periprocedural myocardial infarction (MI) after stenting for NSTEACS patients between non-responders to dual antiplatelet therapy defined by HPPR and normo-responders. One hundred ninety NSTE-ACS consecutive patients undergoing coronary stenting were included in this prospective study. They received 250 mg aspirin and a 600 mg loading dose of clopidogrel at least 12 hours (h) before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A single post-treatment blood sample was obtained before PCI to analyze maximal intensity of ADP-induced platelet aggregation, and troponin levels were analyzed before PCI, and 12 and 24 h after PCI. Troponin I was considered elevated if > 0.4 ng/ ml. HPPR was present in 22% of patients (n=42). Periprocedural MI occurred significantly more frequently in patients with HPPR than in the normo-responders (43% vs. 24%, p=0.014). After being correlated with recurrent ischemic events after stenting for NSTE-ACS, the HPPR seems to be also a marker of increased risk of periprocedural MI for NSTE-ACS patients.
Treatment of ureteric stones. Comparison of laser and pneumatic lithotripsy.

OBJECTIVES To study the treatment of ureteric stones by laser lithotripsy (LL) and pneumatic lithotripsy (PL), and to evaluate the results of the two treatment modalities to assess effectiveness, complications and cost benefits. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between January 1993 and February 1994 200 ureteric stones in 194 patients were fragmented intracorporeally, 48 by LL and 152 by PL. The ages of the patients ranged from 31 to 40 years with a male to female ratio of 2:1. All procedures were performed under general/regional anaesthetic in a day-care set-up. Patients were followed at weekly intervals. Re-treatment was carried out at 4 weeks where necessary. RESULTS The majority of the stones treated (84%) were in the lower third of the ureter, 69% measured 7-12 mm in diameter, and 61% were composed of calcium oxalate. Ninety-three per cent of the stones were fragmented in one treatment session. The overall stone-free status at 4 weeks was 95% for PL and 84% for LL. The non-fragmentation rate was 10% for LL and 1% for PL. Post-treatment complications were encountered in 8% of the patients treated by LL and 7% by PL. CONCLUSIONS Our experience shows that PL and LL both provide a safe and effective means of performing intracorporeal lithotripsy for smaller ureteric stones. However, PL is more effective in fragmenting larger and harder stones. Moreover, PL is more user-friendly and highly cost-effective compared with LL.
[Pyrazole sensitive and pyrazole insensitive-alcohol dehydrogenase activities in biopsied livers of patients with alcoholic liver disease].

The correlation of alcoholic liver disease in relation to alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isozyme activity, serum enzyme activity and drinking patterns was studied statistically and the following conclusions were obtained: 1) Total liver ADH (T-ADH) activity was related with a condition of liver disease; the more progressive the lesion, the lower the T-ADH activity. The T-ADH activity was significantly reduced in the cirrhotic liver. The reduction in the T-ADH activity was due to the reduced activity of pyrazole sensitive-ADH (PS-ADH). 2) An increase of several serum-enzyme activities was shown in only the cases with decreased liver PS-ADH activity. Therefore, a correlation between the decrease of the PS-ADH activity and the liver damage was recognized by the serum-enzyme activities. The patient with the cirrhotic liver showed the low activities of both the serum-enzymes and PS-ADH of the liver, suggesting that a reduction in activities of both the serum-enzymes and the liver PS-ADH gives a probable indication of the alcoholic liver cirrhosis. 3) Liver PS-ADH activity was shown to decrease with the increase of daily alcohol intake. On the other hand, the increase of total alcohol intake, daily alcohol intake and the drinking period was shown to be related with the increase of liver pyrazole insensitive-ADH (PI-ADH). This suggests that PI-ADH plays a main role in the metabolism of alcohol of the patient suffering from alcoholic liver disease. 4) Liver cirrhosis was significantly seen in the group where the T-ADH activity was low and the ratio of PI-ADH activity to T-ADH activity was high. This suggested that the increase in the ratio of the PI-ADH activity to T-ADH activity was related with cirrhogenesis.
Childhood Thyrotoxicosis: A Long-term Perspective*

Thyrotoxicosis is a puzzling disorder, especially from the standpoint of aetiology and epidemiology. Basically it represents a disturbance in thyroidal homoeostasis so that there is unrestricted hormone secretion. Clinically this is manifested as hypermetabolism, goitre, and exophthalmos. The overall paediatric contribution to the incidence of thyrotoxicosis is small, the age-group 0-15 years contributing only about 5 % of the total cases. However, this has been one of the commonest thyroid disorders encountered at our Children's Endocrine and Metabolic Clinic, constituting about 45 % of all goitres. The present report summarizes experience with 70 juvenile thyrotoxic patients seen over the 20-year period 194161. The prolonged follow-up in these patients has provided
Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade with 80 and 160 mg valsartan in healthy, normotensive subjects.

BACKGROUND An 80-mg dose once or twice daily is the dose of valsartan frequently administered for treatment of hypertension. The target dose selected for the Val-HeFT trial in patients with chronic heart failure is 160 mg twice daily. The level and time course of angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1))-receptor blockade achieved by 160 mg valsartan have not been reported. METHODS AND RESULTS Seven normotensive healthy subjects were assigned in random order to receive a single dose of placebo, 80 mg valsartan, and 160 mg valsartan at 7- to 10-day intervals. AT(1)-receptor blockade level (%) was determined by the pressure response to administration of exogenous angiotensin II. The pressure response to angiotensin II was measured at baseline and 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours after oral administration of placebo, 80 mg valsartan, and 160 mg valsartan. Eighty and 160 mg valsartan resulted in a significant and similar level of AT(1)-receptor blockade at 2 and 6 hours compared with placebo. The 160-mg dose resulted in a significantly greater level of AT(1)-receptor blockade than 80 mg at 12 and 24 hours. CONCLUSIONS During the first 6 hours after oral administration of 80 and 160 mg valsartan the level of AT(1)-receptor blockade is similar. However, only 160 mg valsartan provides sustained AT(1)-receptor blockade over 24 hours.
Laser treatment of granuloma annulare: a review

Granuloma annulare (GA) is a benign asymptomatic dermatosis that typically manifests in papules arrayed in annular arrangements. Many methods of treatment have been used with variable degrees of success, but finding a consistent and long‐term treatment has proven a challenge. This study was conducted in order to review and evaluate the latest published research on the use of lasers in the treatment of GA. A systematic search of the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database was performed to identify relevant articles. Seven reports met the inclusion criteria for the review. Evidence for the use of pulsed dye laser, fractional photothermolysis, and excimer laser in the treatment of GA was found. Findings are limited by a lack of well‐designed clinical trials objectively evaluating the use of lasers in the treatment of GA. The literature review found a number of case reports and case series that report successful outcomes of the use of lasers in the treatment of GA. The promising results reported in the literature, coupled with the lack of a well‐designed review on this topic, reflect the importance of this article to the dermatologic literature as it emphasizes the need for larger and better‐designed studies on the use of lasers to treat GA.
Institutions and the support for market reforms

Economic self-interest and social considerations are the key determinants of public support for market reforms in transition countries. However, political strategies that rely mainly on public support for pushing through economic reforms have limited relevance if the prevailing institutional environment is weak or corrupt. Poor governance and under-developed democracy significantly reduce the level of support. A good institutional framework allows the potential gains from reforms to be realized in a beneficial way, while corruption and poor governance deny the prospect of gains for individuals and for society.
Properties of Social Network in an Internet Political Discussion Forum

We present an analysis of the properties of a social network, formed by users participating in one of the most popular Polish political discussion forums, during a period of two years. We find that despite communication motivated mostly by controversy and negative emotions, the resulting social network is remarkably similar to networks found in discussion boards based on similarity of views. All collected messages have been analyzed to determine their content type, author's political sympathies and emotion level. This has allowed us to discover almost complete stability of the political sympathies of the users writing comments during the studied period. Using the data on reader evaluation of the comments we present estimates of the political sympathies of the "silent majority" of forum readers and found that they follow closely the distribution of sympathies of comment authors. The data from the observations are used as the input for an agent based computer simulation model, reproducing many observed statistical characteristics of the forum.
Four New Sesquiterpenes from Curcuma wenyujin and Their Inhibitory Effects on Nitric‐Oxide Production

Four new sesquiterpenes including the novel sesquiterpene lactone (6R)‐dehydroxysipanolinolide (1), two new eudesmane‐type sesquiterpenes, curcolide (2) and curcodione (3), and a new xanthane‐type sesquiterpene, curcumadionol (4), were isolated from Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C. Ling, together with five known ones, 5–9. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The inhibitory effects of compounds 1–9 on nitric‐oxide production in lipopolysaccaride‐activated macrophages were evaluated.
Intramedullary pressure in syringomyelia: clinical and pathophysiological correlates of syrinx distension.

OBJECTIVE The pathophysiological effects of syrinx distension are incompletely understood. Although it is generally assumed that the accumulation of fluid within syrinx cavities can contribute to neurological dysfunction, there are no reports describing intramedullary pressure in syringomyelia. The purpose of the current study was to measure syrinx pressures in patients with progressive clinical deterioration and to correlate these data with neurological deficits and intraoperative physiological findings. METHODS Intramedullary fluid pressure was measured manometrically in 32 patients undergoing syrinx shunting procedures. The data were correlated with syrinx morphology, intraoperative somatosensory evoked potentials, laser Doppler measurements of local spinal cord blood flow (six patients), and neurological findings before and after syrinx decompression. RESULTS Syrinx pressures recorded under atmospheric conditions ranged from 0.5 to 22.0 cm H2O (mean = 7.7 cm). There was a significant elevation of the cardiac pulse (mean = 0.7 cm H2O) and the respiratory pulse (mean = 1.1 cm H2O) that was consistent with raised cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Syrinx pressures decreased to subatmospheric levels after surgical drainage. In 18 of 24 patients with predrainage somatosensory evoked potential abnormalities, syrinx decompression produced a consistent reduction of N20 latencies (mean change = 0.49 ms +/- 0.094 SE right, P = 0.002; 0.61 ms +/- 0.089 SE left, P = 0.001) and a similar but less consistent increase in N20 amplitudes (mean change = 0.17 mV +/- 0.103 SE right, P = 0.115; 0.31 mV +/- 0.097 SE left, P = 0.027). Measurements of local spinal cord blood flow revealed very low baseline values (mean = 12.2 arbitrary units +/- 13.9 standard deviation), which increased to intermediate levels (mean = 144.7 arbitrary units +/- 42.6 standard deviation) after syrinx decompression. Patients with syrinx pressures greater than 7.7 cm H2O tended to have more rapidly progressive symptoms, exhibited greater improvements after shunting, and had a higher incidence of postoperative dysesthetic pain. CONCLUSION The current study is the first to measure intramedullary pressure in a human disease. Evidence is presented that distended syringes are associated with varying levels of raised intramedullary pressure that can accentuate or induce neurological dysfunction by the compression of long tracts, neurons, and the microcirculation. Symptoms referrable to raised intramedullary pressure are potentially reversible by syrinx decompression.
Cutting Edge: Broad Expression of the FoxP3 Locus in Epithelial Cells: A Caution against Early Interpretation of Fatal Inflammatory Diseases following In Vivo Depletion of FoxP3-Expressing Cells1

Dogma that the regulatory T cell (Treg) prevents catastrophic autoimmunity throughout the lifespan relies on the assumption that the FoxP3 locus is transcribed exclusively in Treg. To test the assumption, we used the Rag2−/− and the Rag2−/− mice with the Scurfy (sf) mutation (FoxP3sf/Y or FoxP3sf/sf) to evaluate FoxP3 expression outside of the lymphoid system. Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR revealed FoxP3 expression in breast epithelial cells, lung respiratory epithelial cells, and prostate epithelial cells, although not in liver, heart, and intestine. The specificity of the assays was confirmed, as the signals were ablated by the Scurfy mutation of the FoxP3 gene. Using mice with a green fluorescence protein open reading frame knocked into the 3′ untranslated region of the FoxP3 locus, we showed that the locus is transcribed broadly in epithelial cells of multiple organs. These results refute an essential underlying assumption of the dogma and question the specificity of FoxP3-based Treg depletion.