Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality care at the end of life

Worldwide, 56 million people die each year, 85% of these in developing countries. 1 2 Yet little is known about the quality of care they receive at the end of their lives. The movement for improving the quality of care at the end of life is primarily focused on industrialised countries. Until it is seen as a global problem for public health and health systems, efforts to improve it will not make much impact in the world. Quality of care at the end of life is a global public health problem because of the large number of people involved. If each death affects five other people in terms of giving informal care and grieving relatives and friends, the total number of people affected each year by end of life care is about 300 million, or 5% of the world's population. Some of the interventions that could be used to improve care are in the realm of public health. These include large scale, culturally specific, educational programmes for public health workers and the public; population based strategies to destigmatise death and put it into the mainstream of health systems; and changes in social policies in relation to care for orphans. Improving care at the end of life will require research in public health. Of the many papers …
Number and Adhesive Properties of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Patients With In-Stent Restenosis

Objective—Intact endothelialization machinery is essential to facilitate vessel healing after stent placement and to prevent restenosis. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) have been demonstrated in the peripheral blood and shown to display endothelial functional properties, along with the ability to traffic to damaged vasculature. We reasoned that robust in-stent intimal growth could be partially related to impaired endothelialization resulting from reduced circulating EPC number or function. Methods and Results—Sixteen patients with angiographically-demonstrated in-stent restenosis were compared with patients with a similar clinical presentation that exhibited patent stents (n=11). Groups were similar with respect to the use of drugs that could potentially influence EPC numbers. Circulating EPC numbers were determined by the colony-forming unit assay, and their phenotype was characterized by endothelial-cell markers. Adhesiveness of EPC from both groups to extracellular matrix and to endothelial cells was also assayed. Patients with in-stent restenosis and with patent stents displayed a similar number of circulating EPC. Fibronectin-binding was compromised in patients with in-stent restenosis as compared with their controls exhibiting patent stents. Patients with diffuse in-stent restenosis exhibited reduced numbers of EPC in comparison with subjects with focal in-stent lesions. Conclusion—Reduced numbers of circulating EPC in patients with diffuse in-stent restenosis and impaired adhesion of EPC from patients with restenosis provides a potential mechanism mediating the exuberant proliferative process. These markers, if further validated, could provide means of risk stratifying patients for likelihood of developing in-stent restenosis.
Grenzen des „Rational Choice“-Ansatzes

Zusammenfassung Hartmut Esser (1991a) stellt weitgehende Bezüge zwischen dem „Rational-Choice“-Ansatz und der verstehenden Soziologie von Alfred Schütz fest. Er postuliert die Erklärbarkeit alltäglichen Handelns im Rahmen eines durch subjektive Wissenskomponenten angereicherten RC-Modells. Mein Beitrag geht den Quellen der festgestellten Bezüge im Werk von Schütz nach und zeigt, daß bereits in Schütz’ Auseinandersetzung mit der Handlungstheorie Ludwig von Mises’ die Grenzen des RC-Modells erscheinen: Dieses läßt zwar die Selektion von Handlungsbedingungen durch subjektive Wissensvorräte zu, kann aber weder die soziale Genese dieser Vorräte noch ihre selektive Struktur theoretisch erfassen.
Herpes simplex and 'the herpes complex': diverse observations and a unifying hypothesis. The eighth Fleming lecture.

Introduction: The habits of herpes. Herpesviruses may be defined as ‘Viruses of eukaryotes, having single, linear, double-stranded DNA genomes of ⩾120 kbp, which are replicated and packaged into icosahedral nucleocapsids of 100 nm diameter with 162 prismatic capsomers within the nuclei of infected cells and which are then enclosed in protein teguments and glycoprotein and lipid envelopes to give their infectious extracellular forms’ (Honess & Watson, 1977b; Roizman, 1982). A number of additional properties should probably be considered as parts of an improved definition. Thus, the participation of essential virus-coded gene products in the replication of virus DNA (e.g. DNA polymerase, DNA-binding proteins), the formation of concatemeric replicative intermediates and their maturation into progeny genomes by site-specific recombination/cleavage reactions, are likely to prove important general features of productive cycles of herpesvirus growth. The regulation of herpesvirus gene expression during productive infections also has some rudimentary mechanisms in common (see below).
Scaffolding protein SPIDR/KIAA0146 connects the Bloom syndrome helicase with homologous recombination repair

The Bloom syndrome gene product, BLM, is a member of the highly conserved RecQ family. An emerging concept is the BLM helicase collaborates with the homologous recombination (HR) machinery to help avoid undesirable HR events and to achieve a high degree of fidelity during the HR reaction. However, exactly how such coordination occurs in vivo is poorly understood. Here, we identified a protein termed SPIDR (scaffolding protein involved in DNA repair) as the link between BLM and the HR machinery. SPIDR independently interacts with BLM and RAD51 and promotes the formation of a BLM/RAD51-containing complex of biological importance. Consistent with its role as a scaffolding protein for the assembly of BLM and RAD51 foci, cells depleted of SPIDR show increased rate of sister chromatid exchange and defects in HR. Moreover, SPIDR depletion leads to genome instability and causes hypersensitivity to DNA damaging agents. We propose that, through providing a scaffold for the cooperation of BLM and RAD51 in a multifunctional DNA-processing complex, SPIDR not only regulates the efficiency of HR, but also dictates the specific HR pathway.
Face Motor Cortex Neuroplasticity Associated with Alterations in the Oral Environment of the Adult Rat

Neuroplastic changes in motor representations within the primary motor cortex (M1) have been described after peripheral manipulations and implicated in motor learning and adaptation processes. It is unclear whether dental manipulations, which may result in altered oral sensorimotor functions, are associated with analogous changes within face-M1. This project applied intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) and recordings of evoked muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity to test if changes occur in the ICMS-defined motor representations of tongue-protrusion (genioglossus, GG) and jaw-opening (anterior-digastric, AD) muscles within face-M1 and adjacent face primarysomatosensory cortex (face-S1) following trimming or extraction of the rat’s rightmandibular incisor, or a change in diet consistency.ICMS mapping was carried out in anaesthetised adult male rats. Consistent with previous findings, AD and GG had extensive motor representations showingconsiderable overlap in naive and sham control rats. AD and GG motor representationswere also found within face-S1. Left and right AD (LAD, RAD) had significantly largerrepresentations with shorter onset latency of ICMS-evoked EMG responses withincontralateral face-M1.A change in diet consistency for 2-3 weeks was not associated with significantchanges in AD and GG motor representations within face-M1. Compared to control rats,iii incisor trimming out of occlusion for a period of 1 week resulted, 1 day later, in asignificantly longer GG onset latency in ipsilateral than in contralateral face-M1; 1 week later, despite a regain of normal occlusion, GG and GG/AD overlapping representations were significantly larger and the centre of gravity (at AP 4.0) was significantly deeper in contralateral than in ipsilateral face-M1. Incisor extraction was associated, 1 week later, with significantly larger RAD and RAD/GG overlapping representations and a lateralshift of LAD and RAD centre of gravity. Extraction also induced significant changes in AD and GG motor representations within the contralateral face-S1.These novel findings indicate that face-M1 can undergo neuroplastic changes inassociation with intraoral manipulations and also suggest similar neuroplasticcapabilities for face-S1 motor outputs. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of face-M1 and face-S1 in sensorimotor adaptations to an altered oral state and provide the basis for several future studies.
Intramyocardial Stem Cell Injection in Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: Functional Recovery and Reverse Remodeling

Rationale: Transcatheter, intramyocardial injections of bone marrow–derived cell therapy produces reverse remodeling in large animal models of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Objective: We used cardiac MRI (CMR) in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction related to remote myocardial infarction (MI) to test the hypothesis that bone marrow progenitor cell injection causes functional recovery of scarred myocardium and reverse remodeling. Methods and Results: Eight patients (aged 57.2±13.3 years) received transendocardial, intramyocardial injection of autologous bone marrow progenitor cells (mononuclear or mesenchymal stem cells) in LV scar and border zone. All patients tolerated the procedure with no serious adverse events. CMR at 1 year demonstrated a decrease in end diastolic volume (208.7±20.4 versus 167.4±7.32 mL; P=0.03), a trend toward decreased end systolic volume (142.4±16.5 versus 107.6±7.4 mL; P=0.06), decreased infarct size (P<0.05), and improved regional LV function by peak Eulerian circumferential strain in the treated infarct zone (−8.1±1.0 versus −11.4±1.3; P=0.04). Improvements in regional function were evident at 3 months, whereas the changes in chamber dimensions were not significant until 6 months. Improved regional function in the infarct zone strongly correlated with reduction of end diastolic volume (r2=0.69, P=0.04) and end systolic volume (r2=0.83, P=0.01). Conclusions: These data suggest that transcatheter, intramyocardial injections of autologous bone marrow progenitor cells improve regional contractility of a chronic myocardial scar, and these changes predict subsequent reverse remodeling. The findings support the potential clinical benefits of this new treatment strategy and ongoing randomized clinical trials.
Genetic basis of secondary osteoarthritis in dogs with joint dysplasia.

909 O is a condition characterized by the destruction of articular cartilage, resulting in pain and dysfunction of the affected joint. Over time, articular cartilage degenerates with fibrillation, fissures, ulceration, and eventual full-thickness loss of the joint surface. Outgrowths of bone at the margin of the affected joints appear in later life, which cause joint pain and stiffness. It is now recognized that osteoarthritis is probably the result of a group of overlapping distinct diseases, which may have different etiologies but similar biological, morphologic, and clinical outcomes. Additionally, it should be appreciated that the disease processes can involve the entire joint, including the subchondral bone, ligaments, joint capsule, synovial membrane, and periarticular muscles. At present, osteoarthritis is the most commonly observed nontraumatic orthopedic condition of dogs in the United Kingdom. More than 20% of dogs that are > 1 year of age are estimated to be affected by osteoarthritis.
Amino Acid Cerebrospinal Fluid/Plasma Ratios in Children: Influence of Age, Gender, and Antiepileptic Medication

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of age, gender, and antiepileptic therapy on amino acid cerebrospinal fluid/plasma ratios in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS. Concentrations of 17 amino acids measured by ion-exchange chromatography with ninhydrin detection in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid from 68 patients with neurologic diseases were used to calculate their cerebrospinal fluid/plasma ratios (70 measurements; 28 female patients [29 punctures] and 40 male patients [41 punctures]). Age dependence and the effects of gender and antiepileptic medication on amino acid cerebrospinal fluid/plasma ratios were investigated by linear multiple regression analysis, and nonstandardized predicted mean values for 2 age groups were calculated (cutoff: 3 years old). RESULTS. The cerebrospinal fluid/plasma ratios ranged between 0.02 for glycine and 0.93 for glutamine. Age had a significant influence on cerebrospinal fluid/plasma ratios for valine, isoleucine, leucine, and tyrosine, with higher ratios in younger children. Gender had a significant influence only on the glutamine cerebrospinal fluid/plasma ratio (female patients had lower ratios). Cerebrospinal fluid/plasma ratios of glutamine and tyrosine were significantly elevated by valproate therapy and those of serine, asparagine, glutamine, valine, methionine, and phenylalanine by phenobarbital therapy. No significant influence of age, gender, and antiepileptic drugs was detectable on cerebrospinal fluid/plasma ratios of threonine, proline, glycine, alanine, histidine, ornithine, lysine, and arginine. CONCLUSIONS. Cerebrospinal fluid/plasma ratios, especially for essential neutral amino acids and for serine, asparagine, and glutamine were influenced to different degrees by age, gender, and antiepileptic therapy.
Carrier based modulation with capacitor balancing for three-level neutral-point-clamped qZS inverter

This paper presents an enhancement of a carrier based modulation technique designed for generating the switching signals of the three-level neutral-point-clamped quasi-Z source inverter. The main objective of the paper is to design and test by simulation the variation that should be done in the basic carrier based modulation technique in order to balance the voltage between the two capacitors connected by the neutral point of the DC bus.
Interviews of Female Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder Who Dropped out of Group Psychotherapy

Abstract Premature termination from group psychotherapy continues to be a serious problem in the treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Qualitative research is regarded as an important means to shed light upon the complex dynamics leading to dropout. We conducted an interview study with patients having a diagnosis of BPD (n = 8) who dropped out from long-term group psychotherapy as a continuation therapy following intensive day treatment. The group therapists for these patients were interviewed as well (n = 12). The findings suggest the operation of many processes that contribute to dropout. Most significant appeared to be experiences of separation and loss of the day hospital that were not worked through and a failure of the group to regulate and contain the patients’ affects. To integrate patients at risk of premature termination it seems necessary to pay attention to the strong negative emotions that they experience in the group. A higher treatment intensity than weekly group sessions may help to promote more beneficial group processes.
Dual Effect of High-Frequency Stimulation on Subthalamic Neuron Activity

Although it is well known that high-frequency stimulation (HFS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) alleviates the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We investigated the effect of stimulation from low to high frequencies on rat STN neurons in naive and dopamine-depleted slices using whole-cell, current-clamp techniques and on-line artifact suppression. Stimulation at 10 Hz evoked 10 Hz single spikes but did not significantly modify ongoing STN activity. In contrast, at therapeutically relevant frequencies (80-185 Hz), stimulation had a dual effect: it fully suppressed STN spontaneous activity and generated a robust pattern of recurrent bursts of spikes, with each spike being time-locked to a stimulus pulse. Neither the suppression of spontaneous activity nor the generation of spikes was prevented by the antagonists of the metabotropic and ionotropic receptors of glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid. Tetrodotoxin, the Na+ channel blocker, suppressed all HFS-evoked spikes, whereas nifedipin, an L-type Ca2+-channel blocker, abolished the membrane oscillations underlying bursts. Therefore, we conclude that HFS drives the STN neuronal activity by directly activating the neuronal membrane. We suggest that this pattern may remove the deleterious activity of the basal ganglia network in the parkinsonian state and drive target neurons to a high-frequency state of activity, dependent on the characteristics of STN efferent synapses and resonant properties of target membranes.
Cell death in fetal oocytes: Many players for multiple pathways

We devised a short-term culture system allowing us to define novel characteristics of programmed cell death (PCD) of fetal oocytes and to underscore new aspects of this process. Mouse fetal oocytes cultured in conditions allowing meiotic progression underwent apoptotic degeneration as revealed by TUNEL staining, DNA ladder, Annexin V binding, PARP cleavage and, usually, caspase activation. TEM observations show, however, recurrent atypical apoptotic morphologies characterized by the absence of chromatin margination and nuclear fragmentation; oocytes with autophagic and necrotic features are also observed. Moreover, under the fluorescence microscope a subpopulation of TUNEL+ oocytes appear morphologically healthy and do not show detectable caspase activity. Finally, caspase inhibitors are able to slow down, but not to abolish, oocyte cell death, whereas calpain inhibitor I significantly reduces the number of TUNEL+ oocytes after 4 days of culture, and rapamycin (mTOR inhibitor) increases such numbers both at day 3 and 4. These observations together with results showing expression in cultured oocytes undergoing cell death of apoptosis inducing factor and Beclin 1, two important players of caspase-independent and autophagic cell death, respectively, demonstrate that fetal oocytes posses and are able to activate several players of various forms of cell death. However, causal correlation among different cell death pathways in such oocytes remains to be determined and stimuli causing the activation of these pathways in vitro and in vivo also clarified. Addendum to: Lobascio AM, Klinger FG, Scaldaferri ML, Farini D, De Felici M. Analysis of programmed cell death in mouse fetal oocytes. Reproduction 2007; 134:241-52.
Monolayer WS2 enhanced high sensitivity plasmonic biosensor based on phase modulation

A monolayer WS<inf>2</inf> enhanced surface plasmon resonance biosensor is proposed. We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that the sensitivity could reach to 3.5×10<sup>4</sup> deg/RIU, which was 300% higher than that of the conventional configuration.
Elemental Causal Learning from Transitions

Much research on elemental causal learning has focused on how causal strength is learned from the states of variables. In longitudinal contexts, the way a cause and effect change over time can be informative of the underlying causal relationship. We propose a framework for inferring the causal strength from different observed transitions, and compare the predictions to existing models of causal induction. According to this framework, transitions where the cause and effect change simultaneously are the most informative about the underlying causal strength. The predictions of this framework are tested in an experiment where subjects observe a cause and effect over time, updating their judgments of causal strength after observing different transitions. The results are largely consistent with the proposed framework, showing that causal learning in longitudinal contexts relies on patterns of transitions – a previously overlooked source of information from which causal strength can be learned.
Acupuncture De Qi in Stable Somatosensory Stroke Patients: Relations with Effective Brain Network for Motor Recovery

Acupuncture has been widely used for treating stroke and De Qi may play an important role. In spite of its acceptance, the neural mechanism underlying acupuncture for motor recovery is still elusive. Particularly, by what extent De Qi sensations can reliably predict the therapeutical acupuncture effect on the mediating recovery from stroke is urgent to investigate. Nine stroke patients were assessed by De Qi, neurological examination, and scanned with acupuncture stimuli across two time points at an interval of two weeks. And we adopted multivariate Granger causality analysis to explore the interregional influences within motor executive brain network during post-acupuncture resting state. Our findings indicated that acupuncture at GB34 can enhance the recovery of stroke mainly by strengthening causal influences between the ipsilesional and contralesional motor cortex. Moreover, centrality of some motor-related regions correlated with clinical variables and thus served as a predictor of stroke recovery. Along the same line, the centrality of these motor-related regions has also high relations with the De Qi sensation. Our findings suggest that De Qi having relatively stable reliability may be essential and used as a predictor to the therapeutic effectiveness of acupuncture for stroke recovery.
The Hippocampus and Cerebellum in Adaptively Timed Learning, Recognition, and Movement

The concepts of declarative memory and procedural memory have been used to distinguish two basic types of learning. A neural network model suggests how such memory processes work together as recognition learning, reinforcement learning, and sensorimotor learning take place during adaptive behaviors. To coordinate these processes, the hippocampal formation and cerebellum each contains circuits that learn to adaptively time their outputs. Within the model, hippocampal timing helps to maintain attention on motivationally salient goal objects during variable task-related delays, and cerebellar timing controls the release of conditioned responses. This property is part of the model's description of how cognitive-emotional interactions focus attention on motivationally valued cues, and how this process breaks down due to hippocampal ablation. The model suggests that the hippocampal mechanisms that help to rapidly draw attention to salient cues could prematurely release motor commands were not the release of these commands adaptively timed by the cerebellum. The model hippocampal system modulates cortical recognition learning without actually encoding the representational information that the cortex encodes. These properties avoid the difficulties faced by several models that propose a direct hippocampal role in recognition learning. Learning within the model hippocampal system controls adaptive timing and spatial orientation. Model properties hereby clarify how hippocampal ablations cause amnesic symptoms and difficulties with tasks which combine task delays, novelty detection, and attention toward goal objects amid distractions. When these model recognition, reinforcement, sensorimotor, and timing processes work together, they suggest how the brain can accomplish conditioning of multiple sensory events to delayed rewards, as during serial compound conditioning.