Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Administration of memantine during withdrawal mitigates overactivity and spatial learning impairments associated with neonatal alcohol exposure in rats.

BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure can disrupt central nervous system development, manifesting as behavioral deficits that include motor, emotional, and cognitive dysfunction. Both clinical and animal studies have reported binge drinking during development to be highly correlated with an increased risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). We hypothesized that binge drinking may be especially damaging because it is associated with episodes of alcohol withdrawal. Specifically, we have been investigating the possibility that NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity occurs during alcohol withdrawal and contributes to developmental alcohol-related neuropathology. Consistent with this hypothesis, administration of the NMDA receptor antagonists MK-801 or eliprodil during withdrawal attenuates behavioral alterations associated with early alcohol exposure. In this study, we investigated the effects of memantine, a clinically used NMDA receptor antagonist, on minimizing ethanol-induced overactivity and spatial learning deficits. METHODS Sprague-Dawley pups were exposed to 6.0 g/kg ethanol via intubation on postnatal day (PD) 6, a period of brain development that models late gestation in humans. Controls were intubated with a calorically matched maltose solution. During withdrawal, 24 and 36 hours after ethanol exposure, subjects were injected with a total of either 0, 20, or 30 mg/kg memantine. The subjects' locomotor levels were recorded in open field activity monitors on PDs 18 to 21 and on a serial spatial discrimination reversal learning task on PDs 40 to 43. RESULTS Alcohol exposure induced overactivity and impaired performance in spatial learning. Memantine administration significantly attenuated the ethanol-associated behavioral alterations in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, memantine may be neuroprotective when administered during ethanol withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS These data have important implications for the treatment of EtOH's neurotoxic effects and provide further support that ethanol withdrawal significantly contributes to FASD.
A comparison study of the uplink performance of W-CDMA and OFDM for mobile multimedia communications via LEO satellites

This article presents a comparison study of the uplink performance of two well-known transmission schemes, W-CDMA and OFDM, for mobile multimedia communications via LEO satellite. In order to provide a framework for a fair comparison we have considered for both schemes common parameters, including identical channel bandwidth, coding/decoding algorithms and similar net data rate. The values of these parameters have been appropriately selected in accordance with the corresponding UMTS system specifications. For W-CDMA, we propose a receiver structure that eliminates ISI for both channel estimation and equalization at the LEO satellite. For OFDM, we propose a system the design of of which is based upon the parameters of W-CDMA for UMTS. For both schemes appropriate transceiver structures are proposed and analyzed and their performance is evaluated in terms of computer simulation. The design of these transceiver structures effectively takes into account the statistical characteristics of the LEO satellite channel, so that the overall system performance is improved. The simulation results evaluating the uplink BER performance for a single user indicate that, although the BER performance of W-CDMA is slightly better than that of OFDM, the performance differences are rather small. Furthermore, these differences in performance become even smaller when channel coding is applied and when LOS conditions between the mobile terminal and the LEO satellite exist. Since these results have not shown a clear-cut winner, further comparative studies are required in order to identify the most appropriate transmission scheme for applications supporting global mobile multimedia communication via LEO satellite networks. Such studies should include determination of the downlink BER performance as well as spectrum efficiency and capacity performance equations for both up and down satellite communication links.
[The role of BET proteins in γ-retrovirus integration].

1071 m/s n° 12, vol. 32, décembre 2016 DOI : 10.1051/medsci/20163212009 14. Gleichman AJ, Spruce LA, Dalmau J, et al. Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis antibody binding is dependent on amino acid identity of a small region within the GluN1 amino terminal domain. J Neurosci 2012 ; 32 : 11082-94. 15. Mikasova L, De Rossi P, Bouchet D, et al. Disrupted surface cross-talk between NMDA and Ephrin-B2 receptors in anti-NMDA encephalitis. Brain 2012 ; 135 : 1606-21. 12. Uhl B, Zuchtriegel G, Puhr-Westerheide D, et al. Tissue plasminogen activator promotes postischemic neutrophil recruitment via its proteolytic and nonproteolytic properties. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2014 ; 34 : 1495-504. 13. Dalmau J, Gleichman AJ, Hughes EG, et al. Anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis: case series and analysis of the effects of antibodies. Lancet Neurol 2008 ; 7 : 1091-8. RÉFÉRENCES
8$\,\times\,$40-Gb/s Optical Coherent Pol-Mux Single Carrier System With Frequency Domain Equalization and Training Sequences

Owing to its low transmitter complexity and low sensitivity to nonlinear impairments, phase noise, and frequency offset, the single carrier system with frequency domain equalization (SC-FDE) is of interest for high-bit-rate optical transmission. In this letter, we experimentally demonstrate a 8×40-Gb/s optical coherent polarization-multiplexed SC-FDE over 2080-km fiber transmission using novel training sequences. The sequences are designed based on Chu and Golay complementary sequences to have binary levels and are fully compatible with the commercial quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) systems. The use of these training sequences helps achieve accurate channel estimation and equalization in full-system demonstration.
Outcome of invasive pneumococcal disease: a UK based study

METHODS The records of 106 children aged less than 5 years with invasive disease caused byStreptococcus pneumoniae were reviewed. RESULTS The clinical manifestations were meningitis (37%), upper respiratory tract infection (24%), pneumonia (19%), and occult bacteraemia (18%). One child died and seven had persisting neurological impairment. Five serotypes caused 83% of disease and 92% of the serotypes are included in the seven valent conjugate vaccines which are undergoing trials. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that S pneumoniae infection is associated with a low case fatality rate but substantial morbidity in the UK.
Barriers to the Spread of Neutral Alleles in the Cytonuclear System

Abstract Neutral alleles can eventually pass a hybrid zone and their initial clines generated by a pure diffusion process dissipate with time, irrespective of the presence or absence of physical barriers. However, the transient neutral clines at the nuclear or organelle sites can be reinforced by the cytonuclear disequilibrium generated by diploid seed and haploid pollen dispersal. In this study, the spread of a neutral allele in an ecological zone of hermaphrodite plants is examined under three cytonuclear systems for genomes with contrasting modes of inheritance (paternal, maternal, and biparental inheritance). The results show that the transient neutral clines can exhibit the spatial pattern similar to the selective clines from separate genomes although discordance between them exists. The spread of a neutral allele is not only related to the vectors of seed and pollen dispersal but also to the mode of its inheritance. Pollen dispersal facilitates the direct effects of the selective organelle sites with paternal inheritance on the spread of a neutral nuclear allele. It also enhances its indirect effects on the spread of a neutral organelle allele with maternal inheritance via modifying the cytonuclear disequilibrium. A positive relationship exists between the barriers to the spread of selective nuclear (or organelle) and neutral organelle (or nuclear) alleles. An asymmetric barrier to the spread of the neutral alleles exists on the two sides of the physical barrier, given the presence of symmetric barrier to the spread of the selective alleles. These theoretical predictions highlight the effects of cytonuclear disequilibrium on the spread of a neutral allele and draw attention to our empirical cline analysis with neutral markers.
Growth Hormone and Insulin‐Like Growth Factor I: Nutritional Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Potential

The growth hormone—insulin‐like growth factor I axis has been appreciated for more than 30 years and the effects of malnutrition on this axis for more than 20 years. Over the last decade, advances in molecular biology have permitted enhanced understanding of feedback regulation between growth hormone and IGF‐I at the gene level, including limited information on nutritional influences. Similarly, the availability of recombinant human growth hormone has allowed controlled clinical studies demonstrating its net anabolic actions at hypocaloric dietary energy intake levels and its ability to enhance height velocity in children with various causes of diminished growth. Although investigational use of recombinant IGF‐I in humans has been limited, its actions are likely to complement those of growth hormone during periods of profound dietary energy deficit. From the information presented, two hypotheses are developed. First, recombinant IGF‐I administration will enhance substrate anabolic events during the acutely malnourished state when dietary intake is severely limited. Second, administration of recombinant human growth hormone will accelerate protein anabolism and catch‐up growth during the period of recovery from protein‐energy malnutrition. Given current clinical investigational tools and the availability of both recombinantly‐produced hormones, these are testable hypotheses.
The Implications of Acute Pouchitis on the Long‐Term Functional Results after Restorative Proctocolectomy

Summary: A prospective study was conducted to determine the implications of acute pouchitis on the long‐term functional results of restorative proctocolectomy with J‐pouch ileoanal anastomosis (IPAA). Between July 1988 and June 1996, 137 consecutive patients underwent IPAA for treatment of ulcerative colitis. 127 patients (93%) have been available for followup. All patients completed diaries detailing bowel habits over a 7‐day period at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 months, and yearly after reestablishment of intestinal continuity. Diaries were completed only during time periods in which patients were not suffering from acute symptomatic pouchitis. Patients with chronic pouchitis (n = 7) were excluded from this study leaving 120 patients for analysis. Fifty patients suffered at least one episode of pouchitis (Pouchitis Group). Seventy patients never had pouchitis (No Pouchitis Group). Patients with a history of pouchitis having significantly more bowel movements per day were more likely to ever have minor incontinence (75% vs. 45%, p < 0.005) or major incontinence (37% vs. 17%, p < 0.02). The stools of Pouchitis Group were less likely to be formed (24% vs. 31%, p < 0.001). Pouchitis Group patients also were more likely to wear a protective pad during the day (21% vs. 7% p < 0.04) or during the night (40% vs. 13%, p < 0.001). Even in the absence of clinically active pouchitis, patients who have suffered at least one episode of pouchitis have a poorer long‐term functional result after IPAA. The results of this study suggest that ileal pouchitis may represent a chronic condition that displays episodic symptomatic exacerbations.
Two-level-search sphere decoding algorithm for MIMO detection

Breadth-first search sphere decoding (SD) is considered as one of the most promising methods for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) detection due to its low computational complexity, capability of providing fixed throughput and pipelining features. However, the performance of the conventional breadth-first search SD is significantly degraded if the number of candidate symbols kept at each level of the tree search is not sufficiently large. To solve this problem, we present a novel two-level-search sphere decoding algorithm for MIMO systems. In our proposed algorithm, symbol detection is concurrently performed on two levels of the tree search, and the search space is extended to find good candidate symbols. The use of simultaneous two-level search is to greatly reduce the possibility of discarding good candidates at early stages. Compared to the traditional breadth-first search SD algorithm, our approach provides a performance gain of about 2.5 dB at a bit-error-rate (BER) of 10-4. Our work also exhibits a low computational complexity in term of the number of multiplications. Furthermore, we also discuss some VLSI implementation aspects of the proposed algorithm for practical applications.
Silk–ionomer and silk–tropoelastin hydrogels as charged three‐dimensional culture platforms for the regulation of hMSC response

The response of human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) encapsulated in three‐dimensional (3D) charged protein hydrogels was studied. Combining silk fibroin (S) with recombinant human tropoelastin (E) or silk ionomers (I) provided protein composite alloys with tunable physicochemical and biological features for regulating the bioactivity of encapsulated hMSCs. The effects of the biomaterial charges on hMSC viability, proliferation and chondrogenic or osteogenic differentiation were assessed. The silk–tropoelastin or silk–ionomers hydrogels supported hMSC viability, proliferation and differentiation. Gene expression of markers for chondrogenesis and osteogenesis, as well as biochemical and histological analysis, showed that hydrogels with different S/E and S/I ratios had different effects on cell fate. The negatively charged hydrogels upregulated hMSC chondrogenesis or osteogenesis, with or without specific differentiation media, and hydrogels with higher tropoelastin content inhibited the differentiation potential even in the presence of the differentiation media. The results provide insight on charge‐tunable features of protein‐based biomaterials to control hMSC differentiation in 3D hydrogels, as well as providing a new set of hydrogels for the compatible encapsulation and utility for cell functions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Working with low back pain: workplace and individual psychosocial determinants of limited duty and lost time.

BACKGROUND Few studies have identified the risk factors associated with lost time in employees working with occupational low back pain (OLBP) despite the presence of pain. Such data could assist in the development of evidenced-based secondary prevention programs. METHODS The present investigation was a case-control study (n = 421) of demographic, health behavior, ergonomic, workplace and individual psychosocial factors hypothesized to be associated with lost time in young, full-time employees (i.e., soldiers) with OLBP. Analyses of the burden of OLBP in terms of the number of days on limited duty and lost time status were also computed. RESULTS Logistic regression analysis indicated that female gender, education beyond HS/GED, longer time working in military, higher levels of daily life worries, no support from others, higher levels of ergonomic exposure, stressful work, increased peer cohesion, and greater perceived effort at work placed a worker at a greater likelihood for OLBP-related lost work time. Lower levels of innovation, involvement, and supervisor support were also associated with lost time. Linear regression indicated that the number of days of lost time and limited duty was associated with lower levels of physical health and higher levels of symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS The results support the potential utility of interventions targeting ergonomic, workplace and individual psychosocial risk factors in secondary prevention.
Anastomotic devices for coronary artery bypass grafting

With the advent of off-pump and minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting, efforts to facilitate construction of the graft to coronary anastomosis have increased. As a result, a number of anastomotic devices have been developed. While the ideal anastomotic device should be easy to use, produce a geometrically optimal anastomosis with minimal endothelial damage and minimal blood-exposed nonintimal surface, a number of design constraints apply. This review collects the available preclinical and clinical data for some of the devices, with special regard as to surgical outcome, patency rate and the need for additional perioperative anticoagulation treatment.
Renal Diseases Associated with Hematuria in Children and Adolescents: A Brief Tutorial

The detection of microscopic hematuria in a child’s urine prompts evaluation for renal and urinary bladder causes. Microscopic hematuria identified during a routine physical examination by the pediatrician is much more common than macroscopic hematuria. Persistent microscopic hematuria is particularly worrisome and may require a percutaneous needle core kidney biopsy to determine whether the etiology is secondary to glomerular disease, tubulointerstitial disease, urinary tract infection, urinary tract structural abnormalities, medications, or toxins. This paper reviews the epidemiology, pathologic features, pathogenesis, treatment, and outcome of familial hematuria (Alport syndrome [hereditary nephritis]), thin basement membrane nephropathy), IgA nephropathy, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, and acute postinfectious glomerulonephritis.
Beyond Good and Evil

Researchers have proposed different accounts of the development of prosocial behavior in children. Some have argued that behaviors like helping and sharing must be learned and reinforced; others propose that children have an initially indiscriminate prosocial drive that declines and becomes more selective with age; and yet others contend that even children’s earliest prosocial behaviors share some strategic motivations with the prosociality of adults (e.g., reputation enhancement, social affiliation). We review empirical and observational research on children’s helping and sharing behaviors in the first 5 years of life, focusing on factors that have been found to influence these behaviors and on what these findings suggest about children’s prosocial motivations. We use the adult prosociality literature to highlight parallels and gaps in the literature on the development of prosocial behavior. We address how the evidence reviewed bears on central questions in the developmental psychology literature and propose that children’s prosocial behaviors may be driven by multiple motivations not easily captured by the idea of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation and may be selective quite early in life.
Excluded from social security: Rejections of disability pension applications in Norway 1998–2004

Aims: Admission to disability pension (DP) in Norway, like most other countries, requires a medical condition as the main cause of income reduction. Still, a widespread assumption is that much of the recruitment to the programme is rather due to non-medical, mainly labour market factors. In this article, we study the grey zones between acceptance and rejection of DP applications, in light of the concept of marginalisation. Methods: From the total Norwegian population, aged 18–66 in 1998, we included all first-time applications for DP between 1998 and 2004. Logistic regressions of both application and application outcome were then performed, controlling for a range of socioeconomic variables and medical diagnosis. Results: Medical diagnosis had the strongest impact on application outcome, together with the applicant’s age. High rejection risk was found among applicants with complex musculoskeletal diagnoses, and also for complex psychiatric diagnoses as compared to well-defined ones. Persons having previously received social assistance more often applied for a DP and more often were rejected. The same is true, though on a lesser scale, for people with a weak affiliation to the labour market. Conclusions: The DP programme in Norway is to a large degree medically oriented, not only judicially but also in practice. Nevertheless, non-medical factors have a bearing on both application rates and application outcome. The control system seems to work in a way that excludes the most marginalised applicants, thus possibly contributing to further marginalisation of already disadvantaged groups.
Macromolecular Absorption in Infants with Infantile Colic

ABSTRACT. Intestinal absorption of macromolecules, using human α‐lactalbumin (α‐LA) as a marker, was studied in breast‐fed and formula‐fed infants with infantile colic. Serum samples taken at 30 and 60 min after an intake of human milk were analyzed for α‐LA by a competitive radioimmunoassay technique. Breast‐fed infants with infantile colic had significantly higher s‐α‐LA levels compared with age‐matched breast‐fed control infants 0‐1 month of age: median value 926 μg α‐LA/I serum/I human milk/kg bodyweight (n= 11) versus 150 (n= 34); 1–2 months of age: 173 (n= 22) versus 31 (n= 16); 2–3 months of age: 132 (n= 8) versus 11 (n= 16). Similarly, formula‐fed colicky infants had significantly higher s‐α‐LA levels than agematched formula‐fed control infants 1‐2 months of age: median value 126 (n= 12) versus < 10 (n= 14); 2–3 months of age: 156 (n= 11) versus < 10 (n= 10). The increased absorption of the macromolecule human α‐lactalbumin in infantile colic suggests that the gut mucosa is affected in infants with infantile colic.
Precise Error Rate Analysis of Bandlimited BPSK System with Timing Errors and Cochannel Interference Under Generalized Fast Fading Channels

This paper develops an efficient analytical framework for evaluating the average bit-error probability (ABER) of bandlimited coherent binary phase shift keying (BPSK) in generalized fast fading channels, where the fading rate is approximately equal to the symbol rate, subject to timing errors and asynchronous cochannel interferers. Selected simulation and computational results are presented that are of interest for outdoor microcellular and macrocellular system studies. Aside from this, our ABER results also serve as lower performance bounds for practical realizable receivers (where ideal coherent detection is difficult to implement) and as an upper performance bound for bandlimited BPSK in slow fading channels where the fading rates are much slower than the symbol rate.
Maturation of Autophagic Vacuoles in Mammalian Cells

The autophagic process was first described in mammalian cells several decades ago. After their formation as double-membraned vacuoles containing cytoplasmic material, autophagic vacuoles or autophagosomes undergo a stepwise maturation including fusion with both endosomal and lysosomal vesicles. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating these fusion steps have begun to emerge only recently. The list of newly discovered molecules that regulate the maturation of autophagosomes to degradative autolysosomes includes the AAA ATPase SKD1, the small GTP binding protein Rab7, and possibly also the Alzheimer-linked presenilin 1. This review combines previous data on the endo/lysosomal fusion steps during autophagic vacuole maturation with recent findings on the molecules regulating these fusion steps. Interestingly, autophagic vacuole maturation appears to be blocked in certain human diseases including neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and Danon disease. This suggests that autophagy has important housekeeping or protective functions, because a block in autophagic maturation causes a disease.