Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does a stressful psychosocial work environment mediate the effects of shift work on cardiovascular risk factors?

OBJECTIVES Associations between shift work, chronic psychosocial work stress, and 2 important cardiovascular risk factors, hypertension and atherogenic lipids were studied. The hypothesis was tested that psychosocial work stress, as defined by the model of effort-reward imbalance, mediates the effects of shift work on cardiovascular risk. METHODS Altogether 2288 male participants aged 30-55 years in the baseline screening of the Swedish WOLF (work organization, lipids, and fibrinogen) study underwent a clinical examination and answered a standardized questionnaire measuring shiftwork schedules, effort-reward imbalance at work, and health-adverse behavior. RESULTS In addition to the direct effects of shift work on cardiovascular risk, mediating effects of effort-reward imbalance at work were found. The respective odds ratios (OR) ranged from 2.18 to 2.27 for hypertension and from 1.34 to 1.45 for atherogenic lipids. While the effects remained significant after extensive confounder control concerning hypertension, part of the observed effect on atherogenic lipids was due to behavioral influences. CONCLUSIONS Despite obvious limitations, the results indicated that a stressful psychosocial work environment acts as a mediator of health-adverse effects of shift work on hypertension and, partly, atherogenic lipids. In terms of occupational health the findings call for a more comprehensive assessment of the health risks associated with shift work.
Allelic Variation in Paralogs of GDP-l-Galactose Phosphorylase Is a Major Determinant of Vitamin C Concentrations in Apple Fruit1[C][W][OA]

To identify the genetic factors underlying the regulation of fruit vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid [AsA]) concentrations, quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies were carried out in an F1 progeny derived from a cross between the apple (Malus × domestica) cultivars Telamon and Braeburn over three years. QTL were identified for AsA, glutathione, total antioxidant activity in both flesh and skin tissues, and various quality traits, including flesh browning. Four regions on chromosomes 10, 11, 16, and 17 contained stable fruit AsA-QTL clusters. Mapping of AsA metabolic genes identified colocations between orthologs of GDP-l-galactose phosphorylase (GGP), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and nucleobase-ascorbate transporter within these QTL clusters. Of particular interest are the three paralogs of MdGGP, which all colocated within AsA-QTL clusters. Allelic variants of MdGGP1 and MdGGP3 derived from the cultivar Braeburn parent were also consistently associated with higher fruit total AsA concentrations both within the mapping population (up to 10-fold) and across a range of commercial apple germplasm (up to 6-fold). Striking differences in the expression of the cv Braeburn MdGGP1 allele between fruit from high- and low-AsA genotypes clearly indicate a key role for MdGGP1 in the regulation of fruit AsA concentrations, and this MdGGP allele-specific single-nucleotide polymorphism marker represents an excellent candidate for directed breeding for enhanced fruit AsA concentrations. Interestingly, colocations were also found between MdDHAR3-3 and a stable QTL for browning in the cv Telamon parent, highlighting links between the redox status of the AsA pool and susceptibility to flesh browning.
Modulation of Signal Proteins: A Plausible Mechanism to Explain How a Potentized Drug Secale Cor 30C Diluted beyond Avogadro's Limit Combats Skin Papilloma in Mice

In homeopathy, ability of ultra-high diluted drugs at or above potency 12C (diluted beyond Avogadro's limit) in ameliorating/curing various diseases is often questioned, particularly because the mechanism of action is not precisely known. We tested the hypothesis if suitable modulations of signal proteins could be one of the possible pathways of action of a highly diluted homeopathic drug, Secale cornutum 30C (diluted 1060 times; Sec cor 30). It could successfully combat DMBA + croton oil-induced skin papilloma in mice as evidenced by histological, cytogenetical, immunofluorescence, ELISA and immunoblot findings. Critical analysis of several signal proteins like AhR, PCNA, Akt, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, NF-κB and IL-6 and of pro-apoptotic proteins like cytochrome c, Bax, Bad, Apaf, caspase-3 and -9 revealed that Sec cor 30 suitably modulated their expression levels along with amelioration of skin papilloma. FACS data also suggested an increase of cell population at S and G2 phases and decrease in sub-G1 and G1 phages in carcinogen-treated drug-unfed mice, but these were found to be near normal in the Sec cor 30-fed mice. There was reduction in genotoxic and DNA damages in bone marrow cells of Sec Cor 30-fed mice, as revealed from cytogenetic and Comet assays. Changes in histological features of skin papilloma were noted. Immunofluorescence studies of AhR and PCNA also suggested reduced expression of these proteins in Sec cor 30-fed mice, thereby showing its anti-cancer potentials against skin papilloma. Furthermore, this study also supports the hypothesis that potentized homeopathic drugs act at gene regulatory level.
Achieving AWGN Capacity Under Stochastic Energy Harvesting

In energy harvesting communication systems, an exogenous recharge process supplies energy necessary for data transmission and the arriving energy can be buffered in a battery before consumption. We determine the information-theoretic capacity of the classical additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel with an energy harvesting transmitter with an unlimited sized battery. As the energy arrives randomly and can be saved in the battery, codewords must obey cumulative stochastic energy constraints. We show that the capacity of the AWGN channel with such stochastic channel input constraints is equal to the capacity with an average power constraint equal to the average recharge rate. We provide two capacity achieving schemes: save-and-transmit and best-effort-transmit. In the save-and-transmit scheme, the transmitter collects energy in a saving phase of proper duration that guarantees that there will be no energy shortages during the transmission of code symbols. In the best-effort-transmit scheme, the transmission starts right away without an initial saving period, and the transmitter sends a code symbol if there is sufficient energy in the battery, and a zero symbol otherwise. Finally, we consider a system in which the average recharge rate is time varying in a larger time scale and derive the optimal offline power policy that maximizes the average throughput, by using majorization theory.
Investigational agents for treatment of AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma

AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a neoplasm that results from the co-infection of HIV and KS herpesvirus/human herpesvirus-8 (KSHV/HHV8). Targeting HIV with highly active antiretroviral therapy has attenuated the natural history of this disease. Recent discoveries have elucidated the role of multiple signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of AIDS-related KS. In particular, KSHV/HHV8-specific gene products, including a G-protein-coupled receptor (vGPCR) and a homolog of human IL-6 (vIL-6), have been implicated in the development of tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. In addition, KSHV/HHV8 can modulate cellular growth and angiogenic pathways to augment malignant transformation and potentiate growth. This article discusses the main signaling pathways that are implicated in the pathogenesis of AIDS-related KS, reviews recently completed clinical trials and anticipates the future direction of molecularly targeted agents in this disease.
Spatial Clustering Applied to Health Area

The significant volume of work accidents in the cities causes an expressive loss to society. The development of Spatial Data Mining technologies presents a new perspective for the extraction of knowledge from the correlation between conventional and spatial attributes. One of the most important techniques of the Spatial Data Mining is the Spatial Clustering, which clusters similar spatial objects to find a distribution of patterns, taking into account the geographical position of the objects. Applying this technique to the health area, will provide information that can contribute towards the planning of more adequate strategies for the prevention of work accidents. The original contribution of this work is to present an application of tools developed for Spatial Clustering which supply a set of graphic resources that have helped to discover knowledge and support for management in the work accidents area.
The Plasmodium berghei RC strain is highly diverged and harbors putatively novel drug resistance variants

Background The current first line drugs for treating uncomplicated malaria are artemisinin (ART) combination therapies. However, Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to ART and partner drugs are spreading, which threatens malaria control efforts. Rodent malaria species are useful models for understanding antimalarial resistance, in particular genetic variants responsible for cross resistance to different compounds. Methods The Plasmodium berghei RC strain (PbRC) is described as resistant to different antimalarials, including chloroquine (CQ) and ART. In an attempt to identify the genetic basis for the antimalarial resistance trait in PbRC, its genome was sequenced and compared with five other previously sequenced P. berghei strains. Results We found that PbRC is eight-fold less sensitive to the ART derivative artesunate than the reference strain PbANKA. The genome of PbRC is markedly different from other strains, and 6,974 single nucleotide variants private to PbRC were identified. Among these PbRC private variants, non-synonymous changes were identified in genes known to modulate antimalarial sensitivity in rodent malaria species, including notably the ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 1 gene. However, no variants were found in some genes with strong evidence of association with ART resistance in P. falciparum such as K13 propeller protein. Discussion The variants identified in PbRC provide insight into P. berghei genome diversity and genetic factors that could modulate CQ and ART resistance in Plasmodium spp.
Percept-Genesis of the Mother-Child Separation Theme among Panic and Asthma Patients

A stimulus portraying a mother figure who is leaving a baby alone on the floor (Separation Theme) was presented tachistoscopically at increasing exposure times, according to the method of the Defense Mechanism Test, to three sex-matched groups of 31 normal subjects, 31 patients with bronchial asthma, and 31 patients with Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia. The frequency of several codings was significantly higher in both clinical groups compared with normal controls. Asthma patients were characterized by reports of the child seen as a statue and of contact or fusion between mother and child. Agoraphobic patients employed different strategies, centered on the mother rather than on the child and mainly represented by the denial of mother's action, e.g., she is not leaving, she is entering. The findings support the hypothesis of a difference in defensive organization between neurotic and psychosomatic patients.
Precise Quantitative Information Flow Analysis Using Symbolic Model Counting

Quantitative information flow analyses (QIF) are a class of techniques for measuring the amount of confidential information leaked by a program to its public outputs. QIF analyses can be approximative or precise, offering different trade-offs. In this paper, we lift a particular limitation of precise QIF. We show how symbolic model counting replaces explicit leak enumeration with symbolic computation, thus eliminating the associated bottleneck.
Differential Appearance of DNase I-hypersensitive Sites Correlates with Differential Transcription of Pgk Genes during Spermatogenesis in the Mouse*

Two functional genes encoding phosphoglycerate kinase are differentially expressed during spermatogenesis in the mouse. Expression of the X-linked Pgk-1 gene is repressed coincident with X chromosome inactivation during prophase of meiosis I. At this same stage, expression of the autosomal Pgk-2 gene is initiated by tissue-specific mechanisms. To investigate the role of chromatin structure in these processes, we have examined the appearance and disappearance of DNase I-hypersensitive (DH) sites in each gene, and correlated this with transcriptional activity as measured by nuclear run-off analysis at specific stages of spermatogenesis. Our results demonstrate that the occurrence of DH sites is related to periods of active transcription. Results with the Pgk-1 gene indicate that transcriptional inactivation of the X chromosome in spermatogenic cells may not be as complete as that in somatic cells, and that maximum repression may be limited to a very transient period during the pachytene stage of first meiotic prophase. Results with the Pgk-2 gene indicate that DH sites appear coincident with, or just prior to, transcriptional activation of this gene. The implications of these results are discussed with respect to the role of X chromosome inactivation in spermatogenic cells and the developmental order of molecular events that regulate differential gene expression during spermatogenesis.
A 30-Year Follow-Up of the Dallas Bed Rest and Training Study: II. Effect of Age on Cardiovascular Adaptation to Exercise Training

Background—Aerobic power declines with age. The degree to which this decline is reversible remains unclear. In a 30-year longitudinal follow-up study, the cardiovascular adaptations to exercise training in 5 middle-aged men previously trained in 1966 were evaluated to assess the degree to which the age-associated decline in aerobic power is attributable to deconditioning and to gain insight into the specific mechanisms involved. Methods and Results—The cardiovascular response to acute submaximal and maximal exercise were assessed before and after a 6-month endurance training program. On average, &OV0312;o2max increased 14% (2.9 versus 3.3 L/min), achieving the level observed at the baseline evaluations 30 years before. Likewise, &OV0312;o2max increased 16% when indexed to total body mass (31 versus 36 mL/kg per minute) or fat-free mass (44 versus 51 mL/kg fat-free mass per minute). Maximal heart rate declined (181 versus 171 beats/min) and maximal stroke volume increased (121 versus 129 mL) after training, with no change in maximal cardiac output (21.4 versus 21.7 L/min); submaximal heart rates also declined to a similar degree. Maximal AVDo2 increased by 10% (13.8 versus 15.2 vol%) and accounted for the entire improvement of aerobic power associated with training. Conclusions—One hundred percent of the age-related decline in aerobic power among these 5 middle-aged men occurring over 30 years was reversed by a 6-month endurance training program. However, no subject achieved the same maximal &OV0312;o2 attained after training 30 years earlier, despite a similar relative training load. The improved aerobic power after training was primarily the result of peripheral adaptation, with no effective improvement in maximal oxygen delivery.
Chapter 2 Human Cytomegalovirus ( HCMV ) Infection in Sub-Saharan Africa

There have been over 25 published studies which present HCMV IgG seroprevalence data for sub-Saharan Africa patient groups and cohorts of healthy blood donors (Table 1). Up to eight different serology assays were used and older pre-ELISA methods might have slightly underestimated prevalence [1]. Antibodies to HCMV are generally present in high titres in seropositive individuals, so the use of different assays is unlikely to have had a major effect [2]. Hence, comparing these studies is primarily confounded by the diverse range of patient groups tested. Few studies stratify by age, or they do so using different groupings. Most of the studies use convenience samples, which do not provide accurate population-based estimates of prevalence.
The impact of post-transcriptional regulation in the p53 network

The p53 transcription factor regulates the synthesis of mRNAs encoding proteins involved in diverse cellular stress responses such as cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, autophagy and senescence. In this review, we discuss how these mRNAs are concurrently regulated at the post-transcriptional level by microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), which consequently modify the p53 transcriptional program in a cell type- and stimulus-specific manner. We also discuss the action of specific miRNAs and RBPs that are direct transcriptional targets of p53 and how they act coordinately with protein-coding p53 target genes to orchestrate p53-dependent cellular responses.
ANÁLISIS DE LA PERCEPCIÓN DEL CLIMA MOTIVACIONAL, NECESIDADES PSICOLÓGICAS BÁSICAS, MOTIVACIÓN AUTODETERMINADA Y CONDUCTAS DE DISCIPLINA DE ESTUDIANTES ADOLESCENTES EN LAS CLASES DE EDUCACIÓN FÍSICA

RESUMEN El objetivo del estudio fue analizar las relaciones entre la percepcion del clima motivacional, los mediadores psicologicos, la motivacion autodeterminada y la disciplina, asi como que variables motivacionales predecian la disciplina e indisciplina. Para ello, se pasaron el Cuestionario de orientacion al aprendizaje y al rendimiento en las clases de educacion fisica (LAPOPECQ), la Escala de Motivacion Educativa (EME), la Escala de medicion de las Necesidades Psicologicas Basicas (BPNES) y el Inventario de conductas de Disciplina-Indisciplina en educacion fisica (ICDIEF) a 155 estudiantes de segundo ciclo de la E.S. O y 1.o de Bachillerato. Los resultados mostraron que la disciplina se relacionaba positiva y significativamente con el clima tarea, la motivacion intrinseca y extrinseca, y negativa y significativamente con la desmotivacion. Por otro lado, la disciplina fue predicha positivamente por el clima tarea, y la indisciplina positivamente por la desmotivacion, el clima ego y el mediador competencia, y negativamente por el mediador autonomia. Por consiguiente, se deberia fomentar fundamentalmente un clima motivacional que implique a la tarea en las clases de educacion fisica, evitando que los estudiantes cayeran en la desmotivacion, favoreciendo la satisfaccion de las necesidades psicologicas basicas y, consecuentemente, las formas de motivacion mas autodeterminadas. Palabras clave: metas de logro, autodeterminacion, mediadores psicologicos, disciplina, jovenes estu
Perseveration and Strategy in a Novel Spatial Self-Ordered Sequencing Task for Nonhuman Primates: Effects of Excitotoxic Lesions and Dopamine Depletions of the Prefrontal Cortex

Damage to the prefrontal cortex disrupts the performance of self-ordered sequencing tasks, although the precise mechanisms by which this effect occurs is unclear. Active working memory, inhibitory control, and the ability to generate and perform a sequence of responses are all putative cognitive abilities that may be responsible for the impaired performance that results from disruption of prefrontal processing. In addition, the neurochemical substrates underlying prefrontal cognitive function are not well understood, although active working memory appears to depend upon an intact mesocortical dopamine system. The present experiments were therefore designed to evaluate explicitly the contribution of each of these abilities to successful performance of a novel spatial self-ordered sequencing task and to examine the contribution of the prefrontal cortex and its dopamine innervation to each ability in turn. Excitotoxic lesions of the prefrontal cortex of the common marmoset profoundly impaired the performance of the self-ordered sequencing task and induced robust perseverative responding. Task manipulations that precluded perseveration ameliorated the effect of this lesion and revealed that the ability to generate and perform sequences of responses was unaffected by excitotoxic damage to prefrontal cortex. In contrast, large dopamine and noradrenaline depletions within the same areas of prefrontal cortex had no effect on any aspect of the self-ordered task but did impair the acquisition of an active working memory task, spatial delayed response, to the same degree as the excitotoxic lesion. These results demonstrate that a lesion of the ascending monoamine projections to the pre-frontal cortex is not always synonymous with a lesion of the prefrontal cortex itself and thereby challenge existing concepts concerning the neuromodulation of prefrontal cognitive function.
Almitrine bismesylate: pharmacological review and structure-activity relationships.

In the anaesthetized dog almitrine bismesylate (A) increases ventilation after i.v. injections of more than 100 ug X kg-1. This ventilatory stimulation is due to the specific agonistic action of A on the peripheral chemoreceptors. With lower doses of A no modification of ventilation is recorded even though PaO2 significantly increases. The mechanisms by which A induces pulmonary gas exchange improvement are not clearly demonstrated. A long lasting potentiation of local hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction was initially postulated but more recent experimental results recorded on animals with heterogeneously ventilated lungs do not support this hypothesis. However, a redistribution of pulmonary blood flow due to the transient vasoconstrictor effect of A cannot be excluded: it might divert the blood from the well perfused lung bases towards the less well perfused lung apex. Other authors have demonstrated that undetected small ventilatory changes might improve alveolar ventilation and raise PaO2. The almitrine bismesylate molecule is a successful example of pharmacochemical research applied to bronchopulmonary pathology. By using qualitative structure activity relationships it has been possible to choose from a series of triazine derivatives, this remarkable molecule, exerting a clear tropism for the pulmonary tract with a dual effect improving both ventilatory and gasometric parameters through peripheral chemoreceptor stimulation, and characterized by a rapid onset of action and a durable activity. In this respect, the di-allyl-amino-triazine moiety may be considered as an inducer of gasometric and ventilatory effects. The piperazine nucleus is mainly responsible for the ventilatory/gasometric dissociation and for the kinetics of these pulmonary actions. Finally, the bisparafluorobenzydryl component is a 'modulator' of intensity of gasometric effects.
Understanding Sport Clubs as Sport Policy Implementers

This article aims at developing a theoretical framework for analysing the implementation of sport policy, as it is conducted by voluntary sport clubs at grassroots level. First, three options are presented and discussed: i) a classical top-down implementation model, ii) the governance theory of policy tools, and iii) the Advocacy Coalition Framework. Second, the theoretical perspectives are discussed, and criticized for failing to take sufficiently into account the implementing body of sport policy, namely the voluntary sport clubs. In that respect, an alternative theoretical framework is suggested as a possible solution for analysing the implementation of sport policy; which is the translation perspective of neo-institutionalism. It stresses that, if elements of central policy influence the implementation process at the local level, it does so by the active import, interpretation and implementation of it in the local context. The autonomy of the local sport club in relation to central policy is reinforced by the fact that the activity in sport clubs is mainly done on a voluntary basis.