Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor may improve outcome attributable to neonatal sepsis complicated by neutropenia.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether adjunctive therapy with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) could reverse sepsis-associated neonatal neutropenia and improve neonatal survival compared with conventional therapy in a phase I/II-type trial. STUDY DESIGN An intravenous infusion of rhG-CSF (10 microg/kg/d x 3 d) was administered to 14 septic neutropenic neonates. Neutrophilic responses and outcome of these neonates were compared with 11 concurrently treated, retrospectively selected, case-matched control septic patients identified by using a search of medical records coded for sepsis with neutropenia (>/=24 hours). RESULTS Seven neonates with early-onset sepsis with neutropenia at birth and seven neonates with late-onset sepsis plus neutropenia (all with necrotizing enterocolitis) were entered in the rhG-CSF treatment group. Results were compared with a conventional therapy control group (five early onset, six late onset). No significant differences existed in the birth weight, gestational age, use of antibiotic therapy, magnitude of respiratory support, severity of metabolic acidosis, use of vasopressors, or other supportive therapy between the two groups. In the rhG-CSF-treated group and in the conventionally treated control group, the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) (mean +/- SEM) was 585 +/- 138 and 438 +/- 152, respectively. The ANC increased to more than baseline in the rhG-CSF-treated group by 10-fold versus 2-fold at 24 hours, 18-fold versus 4-fold at 48 hours, 24-fold versus 5-fold at 72 hours (significant by one-way analysis of variance in the rhG-CSF group only), and 29-fold versus 16-fold at 7 to 10 days when compared with the conventional therapy group. There were no nonresponders in the rhG-CSF group by 24 hours after the first dose of study drug. Monocyte cell counts also increased significantly in both groups by 7 days after entry into this protocol but remained within normal range for age. No clinically significant effect on lymphocytes, erythrocytes, or platelet counts was noted. Thirteen patients in the rhG-CSF-treated group (92%; 13 out of 14) and five in the conventionally treated group (55%; 5 out of 11) survived to 28 days after the onset of the signs of sepsis. No adverse effects were noted in the rhG-CSF-treated group. CONCLUSIONS rhG-CSF can increase the neutrophil count in critically ill septic neutropenic neonates. This finding suggests that rhG-CSF may be effective in a therapeutically useful time frame to treat septic neonates with neonatal neutropenia attributable to bone marrow suppression or neutrophil consumption. Future randomized trials are needed to validate the beneficial effects of rhG-CSF and to determine whether any significant side effects of therapy exist.
OPTICAL AND NEAR-INFRARED MONITORING OF THE BLACK HOLE X-RAY BINARY GX 339-4 DURING 2002–2010

We present the optical/infrared (O/IR) light curve of the black hole X-ray binary GX 339-4 collected at the SMARTS 1.3 m telescope from 2002 to 2010. During this time the source has undergone numerous state transitions including hard-to-soft state transitions when we see large changes in the near-IR flux accompanied by modest changes in optical flux, and three rebrightening events in 2003, 2005, and 2007 after GX 339-4 transitioned from the soft state to the hard. All but one outburst show similar behavior in the X-ray hardness–intensity diagram. We show that the O/IR colors follow two distinct tracks that reflect either the hard or soft X-ray state of the source. Thus, either of these two X-ray states can be inferred from O/IR observations alone. From these correlations we have constructed spectral energy distributions of the soft and hard states. During the hard state, the near-IR data have the same spectral slope as simultaneous radio data when GX 339-4 was in a bright optical state, implying that the near-IR is dominated by a non-thermal source, most likely originating from jets. Non-thermal emission dominates the near-IR bands during the hard state at all but the faintest optical states, and the fraction of non-thermal emission increases with increasing optical brightness. The spectral slope of the optical bands indicate that a heated thermal source is present during both the soft and hard X-ray states, even when GX 339-4 is at its faintest optical state. We have conducted a timing analysis of the light curve for the hard and soft states and find no evidence of a characteristic timescale within the range of 4–230 days.
Knee joint mobilization reduces secondary mechanical hyperalgesia induced by capsaicin injection into the ankle joint

Joint mobilization is a treatment approach commonly used by physical therapists for the management of a variety of painful conditions. However, the clinical effectiveness when compared to placebo and the neurophysiological mechanism of action are not known. The purpose of this study was to establish that application of a manual therapy technique will produce antihyperalgesia in an animal model of joint inflammation and that the antihyperalgesia produced by joint mobilization depends on the time of treatment application. Capsaicin (0.2%, 50 μ l) was injected into the lateral aspect of the left ankle joint and mechanical withdrawal threshold assessed before and after capsaicin injection in Sprague‐Dawley rats. Joint mobilization of the ipsilateral knee joint was performed 2 h after capsaicin injection for a total of 3 min, 9 min or 15 min under halothane anaesthesia. Control groups included animals that received halothane for the same time as the group that received joint mobilization and those whose limbs were held for the same duration as the mobilization (no halothane). Capsaicin resulted in a decreased mechanical withdrawal threshold by 2 h after injection that was maintained through 4 h. Both 9 and 15 min of mobilization, but not 3 min of mobilization, increased the withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimuli to baseline values when compared with control groups. The antihyperalgesic effect of joint mobilization lasted 30 min. Thus, joint mobilization (9 or 15 min duration) produces a significant reversal of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia induced by intra‐articular injection of capsaicin.
The Risk of Venous Thromboembolism with Different Generation of Oral Contraceptives; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Oral contraceptives (OCs) are considered as one of the most common risk factor of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in childbearing age. Some of the recent researches indicate that the odds of VTE may be even higher with newer generations of OCs. The present meta-analysis was designed to evaluate the effect of different generation of OCs on the occurrence of VTE. Methods: Two researchers independently ran a thorough search in Pubmed, ISI Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL and Scopus databases regarding study keywords including thromboembolic event, thromboembolism, embolism, thromboembolic, thrombotic and thrombosis, combined with oral contraceptive. The outcomes were the incidence of diagnosed thromboembolism, such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and cerebral venous thrombosis. Based on the heterogeneity of the studies, random effect model was used and pooled odds ratio was reported. Results: Three cohort and 17 case-control studies with 13,265,228 subjects were entered into meta-analysis. Analysis showed that the odds of VTE in women taking OCs are more than three-fold (OR=3.13; 95% CI: 2.61-3.65). The risk of VTE in women taking first-, second- and third-generation OCs are 3.5 fold (OR=3.48; 95% CI: 2.01-4.94), 3 fold (OR=3.08; 95% CI: 2.43-3.74) and 4.3 fold (OR=4.35; CI: 3.69‒5.01), respectively. Conclusion: It seems that the risk of VTE is not same between different generations of OCs, so that third-generation has highest risk. Taking second and third-generation OCs increases the risk of VTE up to 3 and 4.3 fold, respectively. The researchers of the present study suggest that more trials be designed in relation to the effect of newer generations of OCs in different communities.
Structural Insights into Dissimilatory Sulfite Reductases: Structure of Desulforubidin from Desulfomicrobium Norvegicum

Dissimilatory sulfite reductases (dSiRs) are crucial enzymes in bacterial sulfur-based energy metabolism, which are likely to have been present in some of the earliest life forms on Earth. Several classes of dSiRs have been proposed on the basis of different biochemical and spectroscopic properties, but it is not clear whether this corresponds to actual physiological or structural differences. Here, we describe the first structure of a dSiR from the desulforubidin class isolated from Desulfomicrobium norvegicum. The desulforubidin (Drub) structure is assembled as α2β2γ2, in which two DsrC proteins are bound to the core [DsrA]2[DsrB]2 unit, as reported for the desulfoviridin (Dvir) structure from Desulfovibrio vulgaris. Unlike Dvir, four sirohemes and eight [4Fe–4S] clusters are present in Drub. However, the structure indicates that only two of the Drub coupled siroheme-[4Fe–4S] cofactors are catalytically active. Mass spectrometry studies of purified Drub and Dvir show that both proteins present different oligomeric complex forms that bind two, one, or no DsrC proteins, providing an explanation for conflicting spectroscopic and biochemical results in the literature, and further indicating that DsrC is not a subunit of dSiR, but rather a protein with which it interacts.
Morphology and surface brightness evolution of z∼1.1 radio galaxies

We use K′-band (2.1-µm) imaging to investigate the angular size and morphology of 10 6C radio galaxies, at redshifts 1≤z≤1.4. Two radio galaxies appear to be undergoing mergers, another contains, within a single envelope, two intensity peaks aligned with the radio jets, while the other seven appear consistent with being normal ellipticals in the K band. Intrinsic half-light radii are estimated from the areas of each radio galaxy image above a series of thresholds. The 6C galaxy radii are found to be significantly smaller than those of the more radio-luminous 3CR galaxies at similar redshifts. This would indicate that the higher mean K-band luminosity of the 3CR galaxies reflects a difference in the size of the host galaxies, and not solely a difference in the power of the active nuclei. The size-luminosity relation of the z∼1.1 6C galaxies indicates a 1.0–1.6 mag enhancement of their rest frame R-band surface brightness relative to either local ellipticals of the same size or FRII radio galaxies at z<0.2. The 3CR galaxies at z∼1.1 show a comparable enhancement in surface brightness. The mean radius of the 6C galaxies suggests that they evolve into ellipticals of L∼L* luminosity, and is consistent with their low-redshift counterparts being relatively small FRII galaxies ∼25 times lower in radio luminosity, or small FRI galaxies ∼1000 times lower in radio luminosity. Hence the 6C radio galaxies appear to undergo as much optical and radio evolution as the 3CR galaxies.
A variational radial basis function approximation for diffusion processes

In this paper we present a radial basis function based extension to a recently proposed variational algorithm for approximate inference for diffusion processes. Inference, for state and in particular (hyper-) parameters, in diffusion processes is a challenging and crucial task. We show that the new radial basis function approximation based algorithm converges to the original algorithm and has beneficial characteristics when estimating (hyper-)parameters. We validate our new approach on a nonlinear double well potential dynamical system.
Local Collaborative Representation With Adaptive Dictionary Selection for Hyperspectral Image Classification

Spectral-spatial representation based algorithms have been widely applied in hyperspectral image (HSI) classification, which exploit the fact that pixels in a local patch often have similar spectral reflectance values and probably belong to the same class. Collaborative representation (CR) is a typical supervised classification method for high-dimensional data, which has been widely used for spectral-spatial representation based HSI classification. However, it suffers from the degraded representation of redundant and irrelative pixels when all of the labeled pixels are used as a dictionary for representation. In this letter, a novel method, local CR with adaptive dictionary selection, is proposed to solve this problem, in which we first average the values of pixels from local patches to incorporate the contextual information of neighbors, and then, an adaptive dictionary selection method is presented to select the most similar pixels to each test pixel from the dictionary to reduce the influence of redundant and irrelevant pixels in representation. Experimental results on two HSIs show that the proposed method outperforms some spectral-spatial representation based algorithms in terms of classification accuracy.
New Biocompatible Aliphatic Polyesters as Thermosensitive DrugNanocarriers. Application in Targeting Release Pharmaceutical Systemsfor Local Cancer Treatment

In the present study a new drug delivery system for the treatment of local cancer was developed. Two aliphatic polyesters namely poly(propylene adipate) (PPAd) and poly(propylene pimelate) (PPPim), were used as carriers in order to prepare nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel. The starting materials as well as the nanoparticles were characterized with DSC, SEM and WAXD techniques. The nanoparticles had a mean particle size of 160-190nm and characterized for drug loading content, efficiency and in vitro dissolution at 37oC and 42oC in two different pH buffer solutions (pH 7.4 and pH 6.0). Results showed enhanced release rate of paclitaxel at 42oC compared to 37oC in both pH conditions. The degree of crystallinity plays also an important role to paclitaxel release. The cytotoxicity of the prepared paclitaxel/ polyester nanoparticles was studied in comparison with control samples using two cancer cell lines like Human hepatoma (HepG2) cells and Human Cervical Adenocarcinoma Cells (HeLa). In both cases it was found that cells are in the phase of necrosis or apoptosis after 20h of incubation. Finally, the temperature is also an important factor since this behaviour is faster in 42oC than in 37oC, indicating that the studied polyesters could act as thermosensitive carriers.
Autophagosome maturation in primary rat hepatocytes

Nutrient deprivation of eukaryotic cells elicits a rapid survival response, including the induction of autophagy. Autophagy, or "self-eating", involves the formation of autophagosomes from an unknown membrane source and the sequestration of cytosolic components, including organelles such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and small vesicles. Autophagosomes then fuse with protease-containing endosomes and their contents are degraded. This allows the cell to recycle amino acids and to reuse them for the synthesis of new proteins. To study the formation and fusion of autophagosomes, I have developed in vivo and in vitro assays, based on primary rat hepatocytes cultures. For the in vitro assay, the aim of which is to identify proteins involved in fusion, I have designed specific markers and internalized them into endosomes and autophagosomes. Both vesicle populations have been purified and used to reconstitute fusion in vitro. For the in vivo experiments I expressed the GFP-tagged autophagosomal marker, LC3, in cultured primary rat hepatocytes. By measuring the translocation of GFP-LC3 from a cytosolic pool to newly formed autophagosomes, using a high throughput-imaging system, and by assaying for the lipidation of GFP-LC3, I was able to quantify the rate and magnitude of autophagosome formation and fusion. Starvation led to an increase in the rate of autophagosome formation, and the total number of autophagosomes per cell increased more than two-fold. Autophagosome formation was independent of mTOR, a negative regulator of autophagy in yeast and many cell lines, and could be strongly inhibited by leucine, a regulatory amino acid. I then investigated the role of microtubules in the formation and fusion of autophagosomes, using the microtubule-depolymerising drugs nocodazole and vinblastine. I found that nocodazole treatment reduced the rate of autophagosome formation and completely inhibited their mobility. In addition, both drugs inhibited fusion with endosomes, showing that an intact microtubule network is also required for fusion. Interestingly, vinblastine also strongly stimulated autophagosome formation, even in nutrient-rich medium. This effect was independent of mTOR activity, but required the autophagy proteins Atg5 and Atg6, suggesting that vinblastine affects a novel signalling pathway upstream of autophagy proteins.
Does time ever fly or slow down? The difficult interpretation of psychophysical data on time perception

Time perception is studied with subjective or semi-objective psychophysical methods. With subjective methods, observers provide quantitative estimates of duration and data depict the psychophysical function relating subjective duration to objective duration. With semi-objective methods, observers provide categorical or comparative judgments of duration and data depict the psychometric function relating the probability of a certain judgment to objective duration. Both approaches are used to study whether subjective and objective time run at the same pace or whether time flies or slows down under certain conditions. We analyze theoretical aspects affecting the interpretation of data gathered with the most widely used semi-objective methods, including single-presentation and paired-comparison methods. For this purpose, a formal model of psychophysical performance is used in which subjective duration is represented via a psychophysical function and the scalar property. This provides the timing component of the model, which is invariant across methods. A decisional component that varies across methods reflects how observers use subjective durations to make judgments and give the responses requested under each method. Application of the model shows that psychometric functions in single-presentation methods are uninterpretable because the various influences on observed performance are inextricably confounded in the data. In contrast, data gathered with paired-comparison methods permit separating out those influences. Prevalent approaches to fitting psychometric functions to data are also discussed and shown to be inconsistent with widely accepted principles of time perception, implicitly assuming instead that subjective time equals objective time and that observed differences across conditions do not reflect differences in perceived duration but criterion shifts. These analyses prompt evidence-based recommendations for best methodological practice in studies on time perception.
Elucidating the molecular bases of epigenetic inheritance in non-model invertebrates: the case of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita

Root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne are biotrophic plant parasites that exhibit different life cycles and reproduction modes, ranging from classical amphimixis to obligatory mitotic parthenogenesis (apomixis), depending on the species. Meloidogyne incognita, an apomictic species, exhibits a worldwide distribution and a wide host range affecting more than 3000 plant species. Furthermore, evidences suggest that apomixis does not prevent M. incognita from adapting to its environment in contrast to what is expected from mitotic parthenogenesis that should theoretically produce clonal progenies. This raises questions about mechanisms of genome plasticity leading to genetic variation and adaptive evolution in apomictic animals. We reasoned that epigenetic mechanisms might in part be responsible for the generation of phenotypic variants that provide potential for rapid adaptation. We established therefore a pipeline to investigate the principal carriers of epigenetic information, DNA methylation and post-translational histone modifications. Even if M. incognita possesses the epigenetic machinery i.e., chromatin modifying enzymes, 5-methyl-cytosine and 5-hydroxy-methyl-cytosine content is absent or very weak. In contrast, we demonstrated that the canonical histone modifications are present and chromatin shows typical nucleosome structure. This work is the first characterization of carriers of epigenetic information in M. incognita and constitutes a preamble to further investigate if M. incognita development and its adaptation to plant hosts are under epigenetic control. Our pipeline should allow performing similar types of studies in any non-model organism.
A hydroponic rice seedling culture model system for investigating proteome of salt stress in rice leaf

By using an in vivo hydroponic rice seedling culture system, we investigated the physiological and biochemical responses of a model rice japonica cultivar Nipponbare to salt stress using proteomics and classical biochemical methods. Yoshida's nutrient solution (YS) was used to grow rice seedlings. YS‐grown 18‐day‐old seedlings manifested highly stable and reproducible symptoms, prominently the wilting and browning of the 3rd leaf, reduced photosynthetic activity, inhibition in overall seedling growth, and failure to develop new (5th) leaf, when subjected to salt stress by transferring them to YS containing 130 mM NaCl for 4 days. As leaf response to salt stress is least investigated in rice by proteomics, we used the 3rd leaf as source material. A comparison of 2‐DE protein profiles between the untreated control and salt‐stressed 3rd leaves revealed 55 differentially expressed CBB‐stained spots, where 47 spots were increased over the control. Of these changed spots, the identity of 33 protein spots (27 increased and 5 decreased) was determined by nESI‐LC‐MS/MS. Most of these identified proteins belonged to major metabolic processes like photosynthetic carbon dioxide assimilation and photorespiration, suggesting a good correlation between salt stress‐responsive proteins and leaf morphology. Moreover, 2‐DE immunoblot and enzymatic activity analyses of 3rd leaves revealed remarkable changes in the key marker enzymes associated with oxidative damage to salt stress: ascorbate peroxidase and lipid peroxidation were induced, and catalase was suppressed. These results demonstrate that hydroponic culture system is best suited for proteomics of salt stress in rice seedling.
Progress and Application of Optical Fibre Probes for In Vivo Raman Spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy with optical fibre probes, a kind of vibrational spectroscopy providing detailed information about molecular composition and structure of tissues. The great appeal of Raman spectroscopy lies in its potential for in vivo applications and its ability to therefore direct real-time therapeutic intervention. Objective: The purpose of this study was to discuss optical fibre probes for in vivo Raman Spectroscopy and its clinical implementation. Methods: Important progress of technology and application in medicine were introduced and summarized. Results: Raman spectroscopy equipment with optical fibre probes, meets important prerequisites for the development of tools for in vivo real time tissue analysis, during clinical procedures such as endoscope, biopsy, and surgery. Conclusion: In vivo diagnostic tools are much needed in many fields of medicine to take the sometimes unavoidable guesswork out of current clinical procedures, to avoid long delays caused by ex vivo evaluation of patient material, or to simply replace current invasive methods by noninvasive or less invasive techniques. In vivo Raman spectroscopy may fulfil a role in all of these fields.