Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining the relationship between fatigue and cognition after stroke: A systematic review

ABSTRACT Many stroke survivors experience fatigue, which is associated with a variety of factors including cognitive impairment. A few studies have examined the relationship between fatigue and cognition and have obtained conflicting results. The aim of the current study was to review the literature on the relationship between fatigue and cognition post-stroke. The following databases were searched: EMBASE (1980–February, 2014), PsycInfo (1806–February, 2014), CINAHL (1937–February, 2014), MEDLINE (1946–February, 2014), Ethos (1600–February, 2014) and DART (1999–February, 2014). Reference lists of relevant papers were screened and the citation indices of the included papers were searched using Web of Science. Studies were considered if they were on adult stroke patients and assessed the following: fatigue with quantitative measurements (≥ 3 response categories), cognition using objective measurements, and the relationship between fatigue and cognition. Overall, 413 papers were identified, of which 11 were included. Four studies found significant correlations between fatigue and memory, attention, speed of information processing and reading speed (r = −.36 to .46) whereas seven studies did not. Most studies had limitations; quality scores ranged from 9 to 14 on the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Checklists. There was insufficient evidence to support or refute a relationship between fatigue and cognition post-stroke. More robust studies are needed.
Another Take on Real Estate's Role in Mixed‐Asset Portfolio Allocations

This article examines real estate's role in institutional mixedâ€ asset portfolios using both privateâ€ and publicâ€ real estate indices, as a means of examining varying real estateâ€ related risk/return opportunities. In so doing, this article also examines the effects of: (1) increasing the investment horizon, (2) placing constraints on the maximum allocation to any one asset class, and (3) varying the risk preferences of investors. The empirical results suggestâ€”using infiniteâ€ horizon returns and all of the caveats that accompany such a perspectiveâ€”that real estate allocations of approximately 10â€“15% of the mixedâ€ asset portfolio represent an upper bound for most investors. For those investors preferring lowâ€ risk portfolios, (unlevered) private real estate is the vehicle serving this allocation preference; for those investors preferring highâ€ risk portfolios, public real estate (with its embedded leverage of 40â€“50%) is the vehicle serving this allocation preferenceâ€”with such vehicles serving as substitutes for a variety of noncore real estate strategies. In some sense, the distinction between private and public real estate is more about the use of leverage. For those investors preferring moderateâ€ risk portfolios, an intermediateâ€ leverage approach seems optimal.
A 2 GHz low power, highly tunable and low phase noise monolithic LC VCO in 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS technology

In this paper, a fully integrated 2 GHz low phase noise LC-tank VCO, designed in 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS technology is presented and analyzed. The phase noise of the VCO has been greatly reduced by means of integrated source degeneration inductors. The phase noise achieved is -108, -125 dBc/Hz and -139 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz, 600 kHz and 3 MHz offsets respectively from the carrier frequency of 2 GHz, with 2.5 V power supply voltage and giving a power consumption of 10.35 mW. A 20.3% wide tuning range is achieved by means of PMOS varactors and a degeneration resistor. The tunability of the designed oscillator covers 380 MHz, from 1.68 GHz up to 2.06 GHz with a VCO gain of 280 MHz/V. The proposed VCO is fully operational under variable conditions including temperature and supply voltage variations from -40/spl deg/C to 85/spl deg/C and 2.5 V /spl plusmn/10%, respectively.
Older Adults' Experiences of Living with Cleft Lip and Palate: A Qualitative Study Exploring Aging and Appearance

Objective To explore older adults' experiences of living with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P), focusing on aging and appearance. Design An exploratory-descriptive qualitative study. Participants Individual semi-structured interviews (five via telephone, one face-to-face) conducted with six adults between the ages of 57 and 82 years. Results Interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, which resulted in five themes: cleft across the life span, keeping up appearances, being one of a kind, resilience and protection, and cleft in an ever-changing society. A CL/P had an ongoing impact on participants' lives, although its relevance shifted over time and some aspects of life (e.g., romantic relationships, decisions about having children of their own) were particularly affected. Participants seemed at ease living with CL/P as an older adult and considered it an important aspect of their identity, yet they still described feeling isolated at times and had little contact with other people with a cleft. They felt that health care could be more considerate to the needs of older people with a cleft, particularly around dentistry and information provision. Participants thought societal attitudes toward visible differences had changed over the years, but not necessarily for the better. A paradox was evident between reports of being noticed by others because of their cleft and simultaneously feeling invisible or ignored because of their age. Conclusions These findings have implications for provision of care for older adults with a CL/P and for younger people with a CL/P who will be the older generation of the future.
HPLC-Based Activity Profiling for GABAA Receptor Modulators in Searsia pyroides Using a Larval Zebrafish Locomotor Assay

Abstract A dichloromethane extract from leaves of Searsia pyroides potentiated gamma aminobutyric acid-induced chloride currents by 171.8 ± 54% when tested at 100 µg/mL in Xenopus oocytes transiently expressing gamma aminobutyric acid type A receptors composed of α 1 β 2 γ 2s subunits. In zebrafish larvae, the extract significantly lowered pentylenetetrazol-provoked locomotion when tested at 4 µg/mL. Active compounds of the extract were tracked with the aid of HPLC-based activity profiling utilizing a previously validated zebrafish larval locomotor activity assay. From two active HPLC fractions, compounds 1 – 3 were isolated. Structurally related compounds 4 – 6 were purified from a later eluting inactive HPLC fraction. With the aid of 1H and 13C NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry, compounds 1 – 6 were identified as analogues of anacardic acid. Compounds 1 – 3 led to a concentration-dependent decrease of pentylenetetrazol-provoked locomotion in the zebrafish larvae model, while 4 – 6 were inactive. Compounds 1 – 3 enhanced gamma aminobutyric acid-induced chloride currents in Xenopus oocytes in a concentration-dependent manner, while 4 – 6 only showed marginal enhancements of gamma aminobutyric acid-induced chloride currents. Compounds 2, 3, and 5 have not been reported previously.
Involvement of microtubules and Rho pathway in TGF‐β1‐induced lung vascular barrier dysfunction

Transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) is a cytokine critically involved in acute lung injury and endothelial cell (EC) barrier dysfunction. We have studied TGF‐β1‐mediated signaling pathways and examined a role of microtubule (MT) dynamics in TGF‐β1‐induced actin cytoskeletal remodeling and EC barrier dysfunction. TGF‐β1 (0.1–50 ng/ml) induced dose‐dependent decrease in transendothelial electrical resistance (TER) in bovine pulmonary ECs, which was linked to increased actin stress fiber formation, myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, EC retraction, and gap formation. Inhibitor of TGF‐β1 receptor kinase RI (5 μM) abolished TGF‐β1‐induced TER decline, whereas inhibitor of caspase‐3 zVAD (10 μM) was without effect. TGF‐β1‐induced EC barrier dysfunction was linked to partial dissolution of peripheral MT meshwork and decreased levels of stable (acetylated) MT pool, whereas MT stabilization by taxol (5 μM) attenuated TGF‐β1‐induced barrier dysfunction and actin remodeling. TGF‐β1 induced sustained activation of small GTPase Rho and its effector Rho‐kinase; phosphorylation of myosin binding subunit of myosin specific phosphatase; MLC phosphorylation; EC contraction; and gap formation, which was abolished by inhibition of Rho and Rho‐kinase, and by MT stabilization with taxol. Finally, elevation of intracellular cAMP induced by forskolin (50 μM) attenuated TGF‐β1‐induced barrier dysfunction, MLC phosphorylation, and protected the MT peripheral network. These results suggest a novel role for MT dynamics in the TGF‐β1‐mediated Rho regulation, EC barrier dysfunction, and actin remodeling. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparative expression analysis of the neurogenins in Xenopus tropicalis and Xenopus laevis

The Neurogenin (Ngn 1–3) family of proneural basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors are key regulators of vertebrate neurogenesis. In the developing vertebrate nervous system, the Ngns are essential for the commitment to a neuronal fate and participate in the specification of neuronal cell‐type identity. Xenopus laevis is widely used as a model system to study the early events of vertebrate neurogenesis, however, only Ngnr‐1, which is most closely related to the mammalian Ngn2, has been described and characterized. Presently, we describe a comparative expression analysis of the Ngn1–3 in X. tropicalis and X. laevis embryos. The Xenopus Ngns are present in overlapping, as well as unique regions of the nervous system starting at gastrula stages, suggesting distinct roles for this important family of transcriptional factors in the establishment of the amphibian nervous system. Developmental Dynamics 238:451–458, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ischemic preconditioning preserves proton leakage from mitochondrial membranes but not oxidative phosphorylation during heart reperfusion

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of mitochondria in the recovery of cardiac energetics induced by ischaemic preconditioning at reperfusion. Isolated rat hearts were aerobically perfused (control), subjected to global ischaemia and reperfusion (reperfusion), or subjected to 3 brief cycles of ischaemia/reperfusion and then to the protocol of reperfusion (preconditioning). At the end of the perfusion, antimycin A was delivered to the heart for 25 min, to inhibit mitochondrial respiration and stimulate glycolysis. The increased amount of lactate released in the coronary effluent was correlated with the number of viable cells producing this end‐product of glycolysis. Preconditioned hearts released 18% more lactate than reperfused hearts (p < 0.05). This result indicates that preconditioning partially preserved cell viability, as was also evidenced by the MTT assay performed on cardiac biopsies. The difference between antimycin A‐stimulated and basal lactate concentration, representing the contribution of mitochondria to the overall energetics of cardiac tissue, was also 18% more elevated in the preconditioned hearts than in the reperfused hearts (p < 0.01). The study of the respiratory function of mitochondria isolated at the end of perfusion, showed that preconditioning did not improve the oxygen‐dependent production of ATP (state 3 respiration, ADP/O). On the contrary, state 4 respiration, which is related to proton leakage, was 35.0% lower in the preconditioned group than reperfusion group (p < 0.05). Thus, preconditioning ameliorates cardiac energetics by preserving cell death, but without affecting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondria can contribute to cell survival by the attenuation of proton leak from inner membrane. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interactive effects of growth hormone and oestrogen on vascular responses in hypophysectomised female rats.

OBJECTIVE Growth hormone (GH) and oestrogen (E(2)) are associated with beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and it is therefore of great interest to study their interactive effects on haemodynamics and vascular function. DESIGN AND METHODS Female hypophysectomised (Hx) rats were treated for seven days with GH, E(2) or a combination of the hormones. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR) and plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) were measured. Contractile properties and endothelial function were studied in isolated resistance arteries using the wire-myograph technique. RESULTS Hypophysectomy, per se, caused a fall in SBP and HR, while vascular adrenergic reactivity (sensitivity to applied noradrenaline) was enhanced. Impaired acetylcholine-induced relaxation and basal release of nitric oxide, suggests endothelial dysfunction after Hx. After supplementation with GH, SBP remained low while HR increased towards the control level. GH increased plasma IGF-I, but had no effect on vascular contractility or endothelial responses. E(2) replacement resulted in blunted plasma IGF-I, while the vascular adrenergic and serotonergic responses were reinforced. Endothelial function was not improved after E(2) treatment. When GH and E(2) were given in combination, the GH-induced increase in body weight, plasma IGF-I levels and HR were counteracted by E(2). Moreover, the anticipated reinforcement of the vascular serotonergic response by E(2) was reduced. Neither E(2) nor GH+E(2) affected SBP. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that GH and E(2) might have interactive effects on haemodynamic and metabolic parameters, but not on the contractility or endothelial function of resistance arteries, in Hx female rats.
CD4+ T Cells, Including Th17 and Cycling Subsets, Are Intact in the Gut Mucosa of HIV-1-Infected Long-Term Nonprogressors

ABSTRACT During acute human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, there is a massive depletion of CD4+ T cells in the gut mucosa that can be reversed to various degrees with antiretroviral therapy. Th17 cells have been implicated in mucosal immunity to extracellular bacteria, and preservation of this subset may support gut mucosal immune recovery. However, this possibility has not yet been evaluated in HIV-1-infected long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs), who maintain high CD4+ T cell counts and suppress viral replication in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. In this study, we evaluated the immunophenotype and function of CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood and gut mucosa of HIV-uninfected controls, LTNPs, and HIV-1-infected individuals treated with prolonged antiretroviral therapy (ART) (VL [viral load]<50). We found that LTNPs have intact CD4+ T cell populations, including Th17 and cycling subsets, in the gut mucosa and a preserved T cell population expressing gut homing molecules in the peripheral blood. In addition, we observed no evidence of higher monocyte activation in LTNPs than in HIV-infected (HIV−) controls. These data suggest that, similar to nonpathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection, LTNPs preserve the balance of CD4+ T cell populations in blood and gut mucosa, which may contribute to the lack of disease progression observed in these patients.
Efficient Query Processing in 3D Motion Capture Databases via Lower Bound Approximation of the Gesture Matching Distance

One of the most fundamental challenges when accessing gestural patterns in 3D motion capture databases is the definition of spatiotemporal similarity. While distance-based similarity models such as the Gesture Matching Distance on gesture signatures are able to leverage the spatial and temporal characteristics of gestural patterns, their applicability to large 3D motion capture databases is limited due to their high computational complexity. To this end, we present a lower bound approximation of the Gesture Matching Distance that can be utilized in an optimal multi-step query processing architecture in order to provide efficient query processing. We investigate the performance in terms of accuracy and efficiency based on 3D motion capture databases and show that our approach is able to achieve an increase in efficiency of more than one order of magnitude with a negligible loss in accuracy.
99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT as a Potential Neuroimaging Biomarker in Patients With Restless Legs Syndrome

Background Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological sensory motor disorder of which pathophysiology remains sketchy. The present study was aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy and potential of SPECT-TRODAT imaging in discriminating patients with RLS from normal individuals. Patients and Methods A total of 34 subjects, 22 diagnosed with RLS and 12 classified as normal, were enrolled. Brain SPECT images were acquired 180 minutes after IV injection of 740 to 925 MBq (20–25 mCi) 99mTc-TRODAT-1 using a double-headed &ggr;-camera equipped with high-resolution fan-beam collimators. Regions of interest were drawn over the whole striatum, caudate, and putamen nucleus of each hemisphere on composite images of the 9 slices with the highest basal ganglia activity. The brain SPECT 99mTc-TRODAT-1 imaging was compared with early-stage RLS patients and healthy volunteers groups. Result SPECT imaging in RLS patients showed reduced radioactivity accumulation in the striatum profile. The major abnormal result observed is the significantly reduced uptake in striatal dopamine transporter density and activity. The symmetric striatal uptake was observed, and striatum dopamine transporter destiny was more impaired in patients with RLS disease. SPECT images also showed significant differences between patients and volunteers. Conclusions This study supports that symptoms of restless legs resulted from the striatum of the brain dopaminergic system dysfunction.
Multiplex PCR To Diagnose Bloodstream Infections in Patients Admitted from the Emergency Department with Sepsis

ABSTRACT Sepsis is caused by a heterogeneous group of infectious etiologies. Early diagnosis and the provision of appropriate antimicrobial therapy correlate with positive clinical outcomes. Current microbiological techniques are limited in their diagnostic capacities and timeliness. Multiplex PCR has the potential to rapidly identify bloodstream infections and fill this diagnostic gap. We identified patients from two large academic hospital emergency departments with suspected sepsis. The results of a multiplex PCR that could detect 25 bacterial and fungal pathogens were compared to those of blood culture. The results were analyzed with respect to the likelihood of infection, sepsis severity, the site of infection, and the effect of prior antibiotic therapy. We enrolled 306 subjects with suspected sepsis. Of these, 43 were later determined not to have infectious etiologies. Of the remaining 263 subjects, 70% had sepsis, 16% had severe sepsis, and 14% had septic shock. The majority had a definite infection (41.5%) or a probable infection (30.7%). Blood culture and PCR performed similarly with samples from patients with clinically defined infections (areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves, 0.64 and 0.60, respectively). However, blood culture identified more cases of septicemia than PCR among patients with an identified infectious etiology (66 and 46, respectively; P = 0.0004). The two tests performed similarly when the results were stratified by sepsis severity or infection site. Blood culture tended to detect infections more frequently among patients who had previously received antibiotics (P = 0.06). Conversely, PCR identified an additional 24 organisms that blood culture failed to detect. Real-time multiplex PCR has the potential to serve as an adjunct to conventional blood culture, adding diagnostic yield and shortening the time to pathogen identification.
Ageing and Health Expenditure: A Panel Data Analysis and Discussion on Industrial Countries

In the present paper an empirical analysis will point out that in all industrial countries ageing population growth causes an even faster increase in health expenditure (% GDP). This phenomenon will affect among others economic growth as well as consumption structure. This phenomenon subsequently creates a serious conflict in alternative economic policies. Data are taken from OECD and their elaboration is made feasible through the Eviews software package.
Dynamic behavior of transcription factors on a natural promoter in living cells

Through the use of photobleaching techniques, we examined the dynamic interaction of three members of the transcrsiption apparatus with a target promoter in living cells. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) interacting protein 1 (GRIP‐1) exhibits a half maximal time for fluorescent recovery (τR) of 5 s, reflecting the same rapid exchange as observed for GR. In contrast, the large subunit (RPB1) of RNA polymerase II (pol II) required 13 min for complete fluorescence recovery, consistent with its function as a processive enzyme. We also observe a complex induction profile for the kinetics of GR‐stimulated transcription. Our results indicate that GR and GRIP‐1 as components of the activating complex are in a dynamic equilibrium with the promoter, and must return to the template many times during the course of transcriptional activation.
Subunit Oligomerization, and Topology of the Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor*

The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) is a tetrameric assembly of highly conserved subunits that contain multiple membrane-spanning sequences in the C-terminal region of the protein. In studies aimed at investigating the oligomerization and transmembrane topology of the type-1 InsP3R, a series of membrane-spanning region truncation and deletion plasmids were constructed. These plasmids were transiently transfected in COS-1 cells, and the resulting expression products were analyzed for the ability to assemble into tetrameric structures. The topology of the membrane-spanning region truncations and the full-length receptor was determined by immunocytochemical analysis of transfected COS-1 cells using complete or selective permeabilization strategies. Our results are the first to experimentally define the presence of six membrane-spanning regions. These results are consistent with the current model for the organization of the InsP3R in the endoplasmic reticulum and show that the truncation mutants are properly targeted and oriented in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, thus making them amenable reagents to study receptor subunit oligomerization. Fractionation of soluble and membrane protein components revealed that the first two membrane-spanning regions were necessary for membrane targeting of the receptor. Sedimentation and immunoprecipitation experiments show that assembly of the receptor subunits was an additive process as the number of membrane-spanning regions increased. Immunoprecipitations from cells co-expressing the full-length receptor and carboxyl-terminal truncations reveal that constructs expressing the first two or more membrane-spanning domains were capable of co-assembling with the full-length receptor. Inclusion of the fifth membrane-spanning segment significantly enhanced the degree of oligomerization. Furthermore, a deletion construct containing only membrane-spanning regions 5 and 6 oligomerized to a similar extent as that of the wild type protein. Membrane-spanning region deletion constructions that terminate with the receptor’s 145 carboxyl-terminal amino acids were found to have enhanced assembly characteristics and implicate the carboxyl terminus as a determinant in oligomerization. Our results reveal a process of receptor assembly involving several distinct yet additive components and define the fifth and sixth membrane spanning regions as the key determinants in receptor oligomerization.