Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Greater occipital nerve blocks as migraine therapy: A discussion of two recent randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trials

Dear Editor: Although greater occipital nerve block (GONB) had been advocated for decades as migraine therapy, the procedure had not been scientifically studied. Recently two randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) for prophylactic treatment of migraine were published (1,2). The RCTs came to opposite conclusions. The RCT by Dilli et al. concluded that GONB was no better than placebo while the RCT by Inan et al. found that GONB was statistically better than placebo. There were two major differences between the studies. In the Dilli et al. RCT, the anesthetic (bupivacaine) was injected in the conventional one-time administration while in the study by Inan et al. the injections were administered weekly for one month. The placebos were defective in both RCTs. In the Dilli et al. study, the placebo was 1% lidocaine diluted in 2.75ml of saline. This was an attempt to mask the placebo by evoking sensory changes similar to bupivacaine, but the participants were not tested to confirm this assumption. It was also assumed that this small dose of lidocaine would have no effect on the headache. The fact that both placebo and bupivacaine (with methylprednisolone) evoked a 30% positive response suggests that the placebo was successfully masked. The alternative explanation is less tenable; i.e. 1% lidocaine (diluted to 0.08%) was as active as 0.5% bupivacaine and 20mg methylprednisolone. Participants in the Inan et al. study were falsely told that the side effects of injections (such as local numbness) would be unrelated to whether the injection was placebo or verum. Surely some individuals who did not experience scalp numbness recognized or suspected that they had received placebo. They would have no expectation of improvement (the nocebo effect), adding to the nonresponsive group and skewing the negative to positive ratio toward the latter. Of the two RCTs, the Dilli et al. study would appear to be the most valid. But additional RTCs will be needed to confirm these findings. Future protocols should use better placebo masking, e.g. application of topical anesthetic to all groups, and placebo verification by examination and subject questioning.
Activity‐Dependent Changes in Rat Ventral Horn Neurons in vitro; Summation of Prolonged Afferent Evoked Postsynaptic Depolarizations Produce a D‐2‐Amino‐5‐Phosphonovaleric Acid Sensitive Windup

The synaptic responses of lumbar ventral horn neurons including identified flexor motoneurons, to graded stimulation of peripheral nerves have been recorded in vitro in the young rat spinal cord‐hindlimb preparation. Single shock stimulation of low threshold myelinated afferents evoked short latency (< 20 ms) short duration (<1.0 s, 391 ± 42 ms n = 43 SEM) compositive mono‐ and polysynaptic potentials. Recruitment of both thinly myelinated (A delta) and unmyelinated (C) afferent fibres elicited a prolonged postsynaptic depolarization (> 1 s) in all cells. In the majority of cells (67.4%), this depolarization exceeded 4.0 s in duration (8.01 ± 0.4 s, n = 26, maximum 14 s). In the remainder, shorter responses were evoked (< 3.0 s, mean = 1.74 ± 0.4 s, n = 18). In those cells where the postsynaptic response to a single A delta or C fibre strength stimulus exceeded 4 s, low frequency (0.5–1.0 Hz) repetitive stimulation resulted in a temporal summation of the postsynaptic depolarizations, which generated a cumulatively increasing depolarization. This incrementing depolarization was sufficient in 33% of the cells to produce a progressive increase in spike discharge (windup). On cessation of the train of stimuli the depolarization decayed slowly (65 ± 27 s). The N‐methyl D‐aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist D‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonovaleric acid (d‐APV) reduced the duration and amplitude of the prolonged postsynaptic depolarizations elicited by a single shock stimulation of small diameter afferents by 57% and 50% respectively. A smaller effect was produced on the low threshold afferent evoked early excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP) (3% decrease in amplitude and 24% decrease in duration). In the presence of d‐APV the cumulatively incrementing depolarization produced by repetitive stimulation was substantially reduced and windup failed to occur. Activity‐dependent amplifications of primary afferent evoked responses in spinal neurons therefore involves a temporal summation of d‐APV sensitive prolonged postsynaptic depolarizations.
Angiogenic Role of MMP‐2/9 Expressed on the Cell Surface of Early Endothelial Progenitor Cells/Myeloid Angiogenic Cells

Since the introduction of angiogenic cell therapy using early endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), myeloid angiogenic cells (MACs) have been expected to be useful in treating ischemic diseases. In order to elucidate the angiogenic properties of MACs/EPCs, we clarified the characteristics of MACs as compared to M2 macrophages (Mϕs). Comparison of the gene expression profiles of MACs and late EPCs revealed that MACs expressed greater amounts of metalloproteinase (MMP)‐9. It should be noted that the profile of MMP‐2/9 expression on the cell surface of MACs was similar to that of M2 Mϕs, and that cell surface MMP‐2/9 might be an active form based on molecular size. In addition, the invasion of MACs was prohibited not only by MMP‐2/9 inhibitor, but also by the hyaluronidase treatment that caused the down‐regulation of MMP‐9 on the cell surface of MACs and inhibited their invasion activity. These results indicate that cell surface MMP‐2/9 plays an important role in the high invasion ability of MACs. The conditioned medium of both MACs and M2 Mϕs stimulated tube formation of endothelial cells in vitro. MACs caused an increase in vessel formation in in vivo models through the production of IL‐8. We propose that the role of MACs with cell surfaces expressing MMP‐2/9 is rapidly invading ischemic tissue. J. Cell. Physiol. 9999: 2763–2775, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Viper Venom Disintegrins and Related Molecules

Abstract The term “disintegrin” was first used in 1990 to describe a group of viper venom-derived, nonenzymatic small proteins that shared numerous structural and functional properties. These proteins, which have been found in a great number of viper species studied since that time possess both a remarkable sequence homology and an equally notable variability in potency and selectivity in their interactions with integrin receptors. The discovery that small disintegrins may actually have been derived from much larger mosaic proteins possessing catalytic activity, and that species other than snakes (both plant and animal) produce proteins containing disintegrin-like domains, has led to much research related to both the proteins themselves and the receptors to which they bind. The purpose of this review is to discuss the literature and the authors'own data on the structure and function of disintegrins and their relevance to the studies on proteins containing disintegrin-like domains, such as hemorrhagins and ADAMs.
Beyond the Monolith: The Role of Bonding, Bridging, and Linking Social Capital in the Cycle of Adaptive Capacity

ABSTRACT A case-study approach was used to understand the role of social capital in the cycle of adaptive capacity in three rural, forest communities in Washington State. The study reveals social capital to be a critical ingredient in the resolution of diverse community development events. The findings enhance our understanding of the impacts of social capital on community outcomes by dividing the concept into three types—bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. Social capital does not translate linearly into community outcomes. Generally, community members stressed the importance of bridging social capital to achieve community-wide desired outcomes. Yet strong bridging social capital had no potency when linking social capital with key power brokers was absent. Finally, the case-study approach reveals how social capital is created and can be built up or depleted. The findings are applicable to community development practitioners, rural community leaders, and public land managers that interface with forest communities.
Dietary survey and total dietary fiber intake in patients with irritable bowel syndrome attending a tertiary referral hospital.

BACKGROUND Based on their chemical extraction, dietary fibers are classified into crude fibers and total dietary fibers (TDF). TDF gives the best estimate of fiber content in the diet. Whereas data on intake of crude fibers are available, there is a lack of data on intake of TDF in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). AIM We assessed the TDF and its source in the diet of patients with IBS and healthy controls (HC). METHODS Based on their predominant symptoms, 81 patients with IBS (according to Rome II criteria) were categorized into constipation-predominant (IBS-C, n=48), diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D, n=16) and mixed type (IBS-M, n=17). Information was collected on fiber supplementation and preference for high-fiber food. A pretested, open-ended, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to collect dietary information on food groups and TDF. Age- and sex-matched healthy individuals (n=89) were recruited as HC. The mean (SD) age of patients and HC was 36.5 (11.4) years (59 men), and 36 (12) years (62 men), respectively. RESULTS Thirty-nine patients (48%) were taking medicinal fiber supplements, of which 28 patients were taking supplements daily (2.10 [0.84] teaspoon full). The mean daily TDF intake was 51.7 (23.1) g vs. 52.3 (21.6) g for patients and HC, respectively (p=0.8). The intake of TDF was similar in patients having less (n=41) or more (n=40) preference for fiber-rich foods (55 [23] g vs. 47 [22] g, p=0.16). The daily mean cereal intake in patients was significantly lower than that in HC (322 g vs. 404 g, p=0.001). However, consumption of fruits (150 g vs. 80 g, p=0.001) and vegetables (348 g vs. 219 g, p=0.006) was higher in patients in comparison with HC. There was a positive correlation between TDF with cereals (p=0.001), pulses (p=0.001), vegetables and fruits (p=0.033) in patients with IBS but only with cereals (p=0.001) in HC. CONCLUSION The intake of TDF in patients with IBS and HC is much higher than the dietary recommendation for healthy Indians. Patients with IBS consumed more fruits and vegetables rather than cereals as compared with HC.
Chemokines in Cancer

Chemokines are chemotactic cytokines that control the migration of cells between tissues and the positioning and interactions of cells within tissue. The chemokine superfamily consists of approximately 50 endogenous chemokine ligands and 20 G protein–coupled seven-transmembrane spanning signaling receptors. Chemokines mediate the host response to cancer by directing the trafficking of leukocytes into the tumor microenvironment. This migratory response is complex and consists of diverse leukocyte subsets with both antitumor and protumor activities. Although chemokines were initially appreciated as important mediators of immune cell migration, we now know that they also play important roles in the biology of nonimmune cells important for tumor growth and progression. Chemokines can directly modulate the growth of tumors by inducing the proliferation of cancer cells and preventing their apoptosis. They also direct tumor cell movement required for metastasis. Chemokines can also indirectly modulate tumor growth through their effects on tumor stromal cells and by inducing the release of growth and angiogenic factors from cells in the tumor microenvironment. In this Masters of Immunology primer, we focus on recent advances in understanding the complex nature of the chemokine system in tumor biology with a focus on how the chemokine system could be used to augment cancer immunotherapeutic strategies to elicit a more robust and long-lasting host antitumor immune response. Cancer Immunol Res; 2(12); 1125–31. ©2014 AACR.
Oxidative DNA Damage and Tubulointerstitial Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy

Background: Oxidative stress is an important pathogenetic factor in underlying diabetic complications. Recently, 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) has been reported to serve as a new sensitive biomarker of the oxidative DNA damage in vivo. We studied the relationship between oxidative DNA damage and tubulointerstitial injury in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Methods: Type 2 diabetic patients (n = 25) and healthy control subjects (n = 20) were studied. The urine concentrations of 8-OHdG were measured by a competitive ELISA. The severity of the glomerular changes was graded using Gellman’s criteria, and the severity of the tubulointerstitial lesions was determined by a semiquantitative estimate of the space occupied by the fibrous tissue and/or interstitial infiltrates. Results: The urinary 8-OHdG excretion were significantly higher in the diabetics than in the healthy controls, and tended to increase with severity of the glomerular diffuse lesion, but it was not significant. The urinary 8-OHdG excretion significantly increased with severity of the tubulointerstitial lesion. Conclusions: Oxidative stress may contribute to the progression of tubulointerstitial injury in patients with diabetic nephropathy.
On automated generation of checker units from hardware assertion languages

This work investigates how assertion-based verification methods applied to simulations can also be used at application runtime. Such approach can be useful to speed-up verification as well as to implement hardware runtime monitors with respect to safety-critical applications. Existing tools and other related work are presented as well as two use cases which have been developed to benchmark the different approaches. The applicability of such flows in real-world applications is discussed, as well as possible traps and pitfalls when generating hardware out of hardware assertion languages. Finally, an outlook to future work based on the current results is given.
Group II intron endonucleases use both RNA and protein subunits for recognition of specific sequences in double‐stranded DNA

Group II introns use intron‐encoded reverse transcriptase, maturase and DNA endonuclease activities for site‐specific insertion into DNA. Remarkably, the endonucleases are ribonucleoprotein complexes in which the excised intron RNA cleaves the sense strand of the recipient DNA by reverse splicing, while the intron‐encoded protein cleaves the antisense strand. Here, studies with the yeast group II intron aI2 indicate that both the RNA and protein components of the endonuclease contribute to recognition of an ∼30 bp DNA target site. Our results lead to a model in which the protein component first recognizes specific nucleotides in the most distal 5′ exon region of the DNA target site (E2–21 to −11). Binding of the protein then leads to DNA unwinding, enabling the intron RNA to base pair to a 13 nucleotide DNA sequence (E2–12 to E3+1) for reverse splicing. Antisense‐strand cleavage requires additional interactions of the protein with the 3′ exon DNA (E3+1 to +10). Our results show how enzymes can use RNA and protein subunits cooperatively to recognize specific sequences in double‐stranded DNA.
Preserving the architectural heritage by increasing the knowledge of the community: the case of the ancient church of San Pietro di Consavia in Asti

“The first level of safeguard is, obviously, knowledge; to know means […] to document. […] In architecture this problem was conceptually overcome by survey, a composite operation […]” (Cundari, Carnevali, 2000) The safeguard of the Cultural Heritage, as stated in the above mentioned document, involves social and educational aspects. As researchers of survey and representation methods, I think that we can propose methodologies that can actively contribute to widen the knowledge and the understanding of the Cultural Heritage and support its sharing, in the conviction that the safeguard and fruition should go together. The experience that I want to present consists of the case of a historical building that has reached its present condition as a result of a series of factors of aggregation, reshaping, demolition which happened over the life of the building. It is the ancient church of San Pietro di Consavia in Asti, called the “rotunda”, a building of Medieval origin, which was subject to a particular modification and transformation. For the reconstruction of this process of transformation, 3D modelling techniques were applied, to generate digital geometric models of the changes that the monument underwent over time. The visualisation within the 3D model of the internal and external changes and transformations, permits the user to experience visualisation in 3D virtual space, for the various periods during the evolution of the monument. The model has been prepared on the basis of historical, bibliographical and archival analyses integrated with the pre-existent archaeological survey as well as direct and photographic surveys. The results of this work are visible on permanent displays in the building, which is now a museum open to the public, and on the Asti City web site.
The oligomerization of CynR in Escherichia coli

Deletion analysis and alanine‐scanning based on a homology‐based interaction model were used to identify determinants of oligomerization in the transcriptional regulator CynR, a member of the LysR‐type transcriptional regulator (LTTR) family. Deletion analysis confirmed that the putative regulatory domain of CynR was essential for driving the oligomerization of λ repressor‐CynR fusion proteins. The interaction surface of a different LTTR and OxyR was mapped onto a multiple sequence alignment of the LTTR family. This mapping identified putative contacts in the CynR regulatory domain dimer interface, which were targeted for alanine‐scanning mutagenesis. Oligomerization was assayed by the ability of mutant λ repressor‐CynR fusions to assemble in E. coli revealing interesting similarities and differences between OxyR and CynR.
On Coordinated Control of OLTC and Reactive Power Compensation for Voltage Regulation in Distribution Systems With Wind Power

Active management strategies such as coordinated on load tap changer (OLTC) voltage control and reactive power compensation (RPC) are frequently suggested for voltage regulation in a distribution system with a high level of distributed generation (DG). This paper proposes a control and coordination algorithm for these two active management strategies. Voltage control through OLTC is achieved by using state estimation (SE) to determine the voltage in the network. To lower the implementation cost of the proposed control strategy, pseudo-measurements are used together with real-time measurement data in the SE. Moreover, the deadband of the automatic voltage control (AVC) relay is relaxed so that the AVC relay acts on the network's maximum or minimum voltage obtained through the SE. This is found to be simpler to realize than adjusting the set point of the AVC relay. Voltage control through RPC is actualized by using integral controllers implemented locally at the wind turbine site. Furthermore, RPC from the local wind turbine is also used to mitigate an overvoltage at a remote bus on the same feeder when the remote wind turbine reaches its regulation limit. The applicability of the proposed voltage regulation algorithm is successfully demonstrated using a case study system.
Climate Change and Pest Management: Unanticipated Consequences of Trophic Dislocation

The growth of plants and insects occurs only above a minimum temperature threshold. In insects, the growth rate depends on the temperature above the threshold up to a maximum. In plants the growth rate above the threshold generally depends on the availability of sunlight. Thus, the relative growth rates of crops and insect phytophages are expected to differ between temperature regimes. We should therefore expect insect pest pressure at a location to change with climate warming. In this study, we used actual and simulated climate data developed for the IPCC 4th Assessment Report to drive linked plant and insect growth models to examine likely changes in insect-crop interaction. Projections of insect-crop dynamics through the 21st century suggest increases in pest pressure over much of the American Midwest, which could result in substantial increases in pesticide use to maintain productivity. Thus, climate warming could cause an increase in agriculture’s carbon footprint.
Realistic measurement protection schemes against false data injection attacks on state estimators

False data injection attacks (FDIA) on state estimators are a kind of imminent cyber-physical security issue. Fortunately, it has been proved that if a set of measurements is strategically selected and protected, no FDIA will remain undetectable. In this paper, the metric Return on Investment (ROI) is introduced to evaluate the overall returns of the alternative measurement protection schemes (MPS). By setting maximum total ROI as the optimization objective, the previously ignored cost-benefit issue is taken into account to derive a realistic MPS for power utilities. The optimization problem is transformed into the Steiner tree problem in graph theory, where a tree pruning based algorithm is used to reduce the computational complexity and find a quasi-optimal solution with acceptable approximations. The correctness and efficiency of the algorithm are verified by case studies.
Correlations of platelet-derived microparticles with thromboxane B2, platelet-activating factor, endothelin-1, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in patients with coronary intermediate lesions

Abstract This study was to investigate the utility of platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs) to detect coronary intermediate lesions. Fifty-two patients with coronary intermediate lesions and 24 subjects with normal coronary arteries were enrolled. In the former group, 31 patients accepted both intravenous ultrasound (IVUS) and fractional flow reserve (FFR). Results showed that the level of PMPs was significantly higher in the intermediate lesion group and PMPs titer was positively correlated with thromboxane B2, platelet activating factor, endothelin-1, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio. The level of PMPs also increased after IVUS/FFR, suggesting platelet activation and endothelial dysfunction.
Analytical modelling of power dissipation and voltage swing of CMOS logic circuit for near-threshold computing

In near threshold computing (NTC), by aggressively scaling down the supply voltage to values near the threshold voltage, considerable reduction in power consumption and improvement in energy efficiency have been observed recently. In contrast to these advantages, there are problems like logic failures, performance variation that comes with NTC approach. Ambient temperature has been found to affect performance as well. In this paper, analytic expression of the power dissipation and the noise margin of a Inverter in near threshold regime have been done. Analysis of 1-bit, 4-bit, 8-bit and 16-bit Carry Look Ahead adders (CLAs) have been done in the near-threshold regime to show the workability of the near threshold logic circuits. Extensive CADENCE simulations have been done to verify the analytical modeling.