Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heritability of serum resistin and its genetic correlation with insulin resistance-related features in nondiabetic Caucasians.

CONTEXT Serum levels of resistin are believed to modulate insulin resistance in humans. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum resistin levels are genetically controlled and whether this control is shared with other insulin resistance traits. DESIGN AND METHODS The study cohort included 264 nondiabetic probands, Caucasian from Italy, and their 473 adult family members. Phenotypic characterization included anthropometric variables, blood pressure, fasting glucose and insulin, lipid profile, and resistin levels. Genotypes were determined at position g. -420C-->G (rs1862513), IVS2+181G-->A (rs3745367), and GAT((n)) polymorphisms of the resistin (RETN) gene. RESULTS In the 264 unrelated probands, resistin levels were significantly (P < 0.01) correlated with adiposity, blood pressure, C-reactive protein, and the metabolic syndrome score. In a variance component analysis of the 264 probands and their 473 relatives, about 70% of the observed variation of serum resistin levels was heritable (P < 0.0001). A small, but significant (P = 0.004) proportion of this variance was explained by the G-->A variation at position IVS2+181 of the RETN gene. Significant genetic correlations (P < 0.05) were observed between resistin and body mass index (rho(g) = 0.30), waist circumference (rho(g) = 0.32), the insulin resistance index HOMA(IR) (rho(g) = 0.28), and the metabolic syndrome score (rho(g) = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that serum resistin is highly heritable and has some common genetic background with traits related to insulin resistance, reinforcing the hypothesis that this adipokine may play a pathogenic role in insulin resistance-related abnormalities, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Herbal medicines for osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is one of the leading causes of pain and disability.1 In the UK, up to 8.5 million people are affected by joint pain that may be attributed to the condition.2 Non-surgical treatment options include lifestyle measures (e.g. exercise); local therapy involving heat or cold; manual therapy; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS); topical capsaicin; simple analgesics; NSAIDs; opioids; and intra-articular corticosteroid injections.3 Studies have reported widespread use of complementary and alternative therapies such as herbal medicines by patients with arthritis.45 Here we review the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines for symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Results From New Zealand's 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.

BACKGROUND In this article, we report the grades for the second New Zealand Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, which represents a synthesis of available New Zealand evidence across 9 core indicators. METHODS An expert panel of physical activity (PA) researchers collated and reviewed available nationally representative survey data between March and May 2016. In the absence of new data, (2014-2016) regional level data were used to inform the direction of existing grades. Grades were assigned based on the percentage of children and youth meeting each indicator: A is 81% to 100%; B is 61% to 80%; C is 41% to 60%, D is 21% to 40%; F is 0% to 20%; INC is Incomplete data. RESULTS Overall PA, Active Play, and Government Initiatives were graded B-; Community Environments was graded B; Sport Participation and School Environment received a C+; Sedentary Behaviors and Family/Peer Support were graded C; and Active Travel was graded C-. CONCLUSIONS Overall PA participation was satisfactory for young children but not for youth. The grade for PA decreased slightly from the 2014 report card; however, there was an improvement in grades for built and school environments, which may support regional and national-level initiatives for promoting PA.
Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rate in caesarean section and vaginal delivery

Background: The cesarean section is one of the most common procedures to prevent health-threatening risks to the mother and infant. Increasing rate of cesarean section attracted the attention of professionals and the overall objective of this study was to determine the frequency of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates in the two methods of delivery. Materials and Methods: In a comparative cohort study, 300 cases undergoing caesarean section and 300 cases with vaginal delivery were selected in two main hospitals of Isfahan, Iran during 2013 and 2014. Demographic characteristics and factors related to mortality and morbidity of mothers and infants were studied. Mothers were also recruited 6 weeks after delivery to ask for complications. Mothers and infants mortality and morbidity were studied and analyzed by SPSS 22 software. Results: Follow-up of deliveries up to 1-month after delivery suggested 2 cases of infant death (7%) in vaginal delivery group, while no case of infant death was reported in cesarean delivery group (P = 0.5). Incidence of fever was observed in first 10 days after delivery in 7 cases in the vaginal delivery group and 11 cases in the cesarean delivery group (2.3% vs. 3.7%, P = 0.4). Conclusion: Despite all the benefits of vaginal delivery compared with cesarean section, in many cases, especially in emergency cesarean section delivery can substantially reduce the maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. It is recommended to assess the complications of each method in all pregnant women about to give birth, and then decide on the method of delivery.
Risk factors for wheeze in the last 12 months in preschool children.

Most children with asthma develop their symptoms before the age of 5 years and many preschool wheezers continue to wheeze in the early school years. It is thus important to investigate the factors that predispose young children to wheeze. The objective of this study was to investigate the relevant environmental and family influences on recent wheeze (wheeze within the last 12 months) in preschool children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in five primary health clinics in the district of Kota Bharu from April to October 1998. Nurses from these clinics distributed Bahasa Malaysia questionnaires containing questions on asthma symptoms, environmental risk factors, family's social status and family history of atopy and wheeze to preschool children aged 1-5 years during their home visits. The respondents were parent(s) or carer(s) of the children. A total of 2,524 (87.7%) complete questionnaires were available for analysis of risk factors. One hundred and fifty six (6.2%) children had current wheeze. Significant risk factors associated with current wheeze were a family history of asthma (O.R. = 6.36, 95% C.I. = 4.45-9.09), neonatal hospital admission (O.R. = 2.38, 95% C.I. = 1.51 - 3.75), and a maternal (O.R. = 2.12, 95% C.I. = 1.31-3.41) or paternal (O.R. = 1.52, 95% C.I. = 0.95-2.43) history of allergic rhinitis. Among environmental factors examined, namely, household pets, carpeting in bedroom, use of fumigation mats, mosquito coils and aerosol insect repellents, maternal and paternal smoking, and air conditioning, none were associated with an increased risk of wheeze. In conclusion, the strongest association with current wheeze was a family history of asthma. Also significant were neonatal hospital admission and a history of allergic rhinitis in either the mother or father. None of the environmental factors studied were related to current wheeze in preschool children.
A role for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in mammary gland tumorigenesis

Abstract The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor bound and activated by ubiquitous environmental pollutants. Historically, the AhR has been studied for its transcriptional regulation of genes encoding cytochrome P450 enzymes, which metabolize many of these chemicals into mutagenic and toxic intermediates. However, recent studies demonstrate that the AhR plays an important role in the biology of several cell types in the absence of environmental chemicals. Here, this paradigm shift is discussed in the context of a putative role for the AhR in mammary gland tumorigenesis. Data demonstrating high levels of constitutively active AhR in mammary tumors are summarized. Particular focus is placed on the likelihood that the AhR contributes to ongoing mammary tumor cell growth and on the possibility that the AhR inhibits apoptosis while promoting transition to an invasive, metastatic phenotype. A working model is proposed that may help explain the sometimes contradictory outcomes observed after AhR manipulation and that serves as a blueprint for the design of therapeutics which target the AhR in breast cancer. The theme that malignant cells reveal the functions for which the AhR has been evolutionarily conserved is presented throughout this discussion.
Total amount of ECP per eosinophil as indicator for the activity state of eosinophils

Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) serum concentrations yield additional information regarding the activity of allergic diseases because ECP serum concentrations correlate very well with blood eosinophil counts. We established spontaneous serum ECP release per eosinophil during in vitro coagulation amounting to 0.03-0.5 pg per eosinophil. When comparing the ECP per eosinophil ratio with the eosinophil concentration, a decreasing trend of released ECP in serum was observed towards higher eosinophil counts. The total amount of extractable ECP in eosinophilic granulocytes is determined by means of extraction with application of a 0.5% Cetyl-trimethyl-ammonium-bromide solution. The total amount of extractable ECP in eosinophils amounts to 0.4-17 pg/eosinophil. Results showed a slight tendency to decrease with higher eosinophil counts. Irrespective of their concentration in blood, eosinophils were demonstrated to release 2-4% of their total ECP amount. It is concluded from experiments in this study that release during in vitro clotting or measuring the total amount of extractable ECP does not yield any additional diagnostic value in detecting the degree of activation in eosinophils.
Implicit gaze-assisted adaptive motion scaling for highly articulated instrument manipulation

Traditional robotic surgical systems rely entirely on robotic arms to triangulate articulated instruments inside the human anatomy. This configuration can be ill-suited for working in tight spaces or during single access approaches, where little to no triangulation between the instrument shafts is possible. The control of these instruments is further obstructed by ergonomic issues: The presence of motion scaling imposes the use of clutching mechanics to avoid the workspace limitations of master devices, and forces the user to choose between slow, precise movements, or fast, less accurate ones. This paper presents a bi-manual system using novel self-triangulating 6-degrees-of-freedom (DoF) tools through a flexible elbow, which are mounted on robotic arms. The control scheme for the resulting 9-DoF system is detailed, with particular emphasis placed on retaining maximum dexterity close to joint limits. Furthermore, this paper introduces the concept of gaze-assisted adaptive motion scaling. By combining eye tracking with hand motion and instrument information, the system is capable of inferring the user's destination and modifying the motion scaling accordingly. This safe, novel approach allows the user to quickly reach distant locations while retaining full precision for delicate manoeuvres. The performance and usability of this adaptive motion scaling is evaluated in a user study, showing a clear improvement in task completion speed and in the reduction of the need for clutching.
Thwarting Diversity Attacks in wireless network coding using threshold signatures and a sender-centered approach

In this work we present two t-collusion resistant schemes to detect nodes performing “Diversity Attacks” in network coding. This attack was introduced by Popa et al. in [1] and occurs when nodes performing network coding, do not code from some of their neighbors or they do not use random coefficients, which reduces network performance; this attack is fundamentally different from Pollution Attacks and it cannot be detected by current pollution prevention schemes. Our construction differs from the original solution in that it makes use of the broadcast nature of wireless networks; which allows us to reduce the computational load of both receivers and senders compared to their non-probabilistic solution; as an additional advantage, one of our constructions works without knowledge of the topology beyond the neighbors of a node, improving one of the shortcomings of the original solution. Tools employed in our constructions involve threshold digital signatures and aggregate Message Authentication Codes (MACs).
Lipid and Lipoprotein Effects on Endothelial Eicosanoid Formation

An important function of endothelium is to release PGI2, a prostaglandin produced from arachidonic acid that prevents platelet aggregation and causes arterial relaxation. Small amounts of other eicosanoids also are produced, but their role in endothelial function has not been elucidated. Much of the arachidonic acid present in the endothelium is obtained preformed from the plasma, either as FFA or from lipoproteins. Arachidonic acid is efficiently incorporated into endothelial lipids even when only relatively small amounts are available. In response to agonists, arachidonic acid is rapidly released from the endothelial phospholipids and converted to eicosanoids. Small amounts of eicosanoids also are continuously formed due to exposure of the endothelium to free fatty acid and lipoproteins containing arachidonic acid, without the need for any additional stimulus. Although the role of plasma lipid abnormalities has not been systematically investigated, there presently is little indication that hyperlipidemia interferes with endothelial arachidonic acid metabolism or the capacity of the endothelium to produce eicosanoids.
Effects of Neonatal Corticosteroid Treatment on Hippocampal Synaptic Function

There is growing concern about long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes after neonatal corticosteroid treatment for chronic lung disease (CLD). Here, we use a protocol with tapering doses of dexamethasone (DEX) or hydrocortisone (HC) proportional to those used in preterm infants to examine the long-term consequences of these treatments on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and associative memory in later life. We found that neonatal DEX, but not HC, treatment impairs long-term potentiation (LTP) but enhances long-term depression (LTD) induction in adolescent rats. The effects of neonatal DEX treatment on LTP and LTD were prevented when the animals were given glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, RU38486, before DEX administration. We also found that neonatal DEX, but not HC, treatment induces a profound increase in the autophosphorylation of α isoform of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II at threonine-286 and a decrease in the protein phosphatase 1 expression. In addition, only neonatal DEX treatment disrupts memory retention in rats subjected to passive avoidance learning tasks. These results demonstrate that only neonatal DEX treatment alters the hippocampal synaptic plasticity and associative memory formation in later life and thus suggest that HC may be a safer alternative to DEX for the treatment of CLD in the neonatal period.
Nitrite Reduces Acute Lung Injury and Improves Survival in a Rat Lung Transplantation Model

Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is the most common cause of early mortality following lung transplantation (LTx). We hypothesized that nitrite, an endogenous source of nitric oxide (NO), may protect lung grafts from IRI. Rat lung grafts were stored in preservation solution at 4°C for 6 hours. Both grafts and recipients were treated with nitrite. Nitrite treatment was associated with significantly higher levels of tissue oxygenation, lower levels of cytokines and neutrophil/macrophage infiltration, lower myeloperoxidase activity, reduced oxidative injury and increased cGMP levels in grafts than in the controls. Treatment with either a nitric oxide scavenger or a soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) inhibitor diminished the beneficial effects of nitrite and decreased cGMP concentrations. These results suggest that nitric oxide, generated from nitrite, is the molecule responsible for the effects of nitrite via the nitric oxide/sGC/cGMP pathway. Allopurinol, a xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) inhibitor, abrogated the protective effects of nitrite, suggesting that XOR is a key enzyme in the conversion of nitrite to nitric oxide. In vitro experiments demonstrated that nitrite prevented apoptosis in pulmonary endothelial cells. Nitrite also exhibits longer survival rate in recipients than control. In conclusion, nitrite inhibits lung IRI following cold preservation and had higher survival rate in LTx model.
Optimization of antenna array for interferometric synthetic aperture radiometer

Another two-dimensional array configuration of synthetic aperture radiometer, round plane array configuration, is proposed in this article. The study on optimization of this two-dimensional array configuration is presented with numerical simulation examples. The optimal distributing of this antenna array will be used to synthesize effective antenna aperture much larger than the physical aperture. The methodology used to find optimal distributing is based upon simulated annealing. The results show that either zero redundancy or quite even sampling in spatial frequency domain for this array configuration is obtained. Moreover, the center of gravity of this antenna array is comparatively close to geometrical center of it
Prevalence of aeroallergen sensitization and increased exhaled nitric oxide values in schoolchildren of different socioeconomic status.

BACKGROUND Screening for allergic diseases allows an early diagnosis to be made, thus reducing socioeconomic burden and enhancing quality of life. We determined the prevalence of elevated exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) levels and sensitization to common airborne allergens in schoolchildren from different socioeconomic backgrounds. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study population comprised 271 children (136 boys) aged between 8 and 12 years in whom we applied skin prick tests and determined eNO levels. RESULTS Thirty-five percent of the children were identified as atopic. There was a significantly higher prevalence of atopy in boys (43% vs. 27%). Among the children with a high socioeconomic status, 37% were atopic, compared with 30% of those with a low socioeconomic status. We observed a significantly lower prevalence of pollen sensitization in children of lower socioeconomic status (10% vs. 20%). In the atopic group, 51% had elevated eNO levels, while in the nonatopic group this value was 4%. The mean (SD) eNO level was 33.4 (26.6) ppb in the atopic group and 11.9 (6.4) ppb in the nonatopic group. No differences were found for eNO values in terms of gender or socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS Our results emphasize the high prevalence of atopy in our population and suggest that determination of eNO levels could help to provide an early diagnosis. We also observed the following: (a) a significant difference in mean eNO values between atopic and nonatopic children; (b) a significantly lower prevalence of pollen sensitization in children of lower socioeconomic status; and (c) a higher prevalence of atopy in boys.
The association between use of mobile phones after lights out and sleep disturbances among Japanese adolescents: a nationwide cross-sectional survey.

STUDY OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine the association between the use of mobile phones after lights out and sleep disturbances among Japanese adolescents. DESIGN AND SETTING This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. The targets were students attending junior and senior high schools throughout Japan. Sample schools were selected by cluster sampling. Self-reported anonymous questionnaires were sent to schools for all students to fill out. PARTICIPANTS A total of 95,680 adolescents responded. The overall response rate was 62.9%, and 94,777 questionnaires were subjected to analysis. INTERVENTION N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Daily mobile phone use, even if only for a brief moment every day, was reported by 84.4%. Moreover, as for use of mobile phones after lights out, 8.3% reported using their mobile phone for calling every day and 17.6% reported using it for sending text messages every day. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that mobile phone use for calling and for sending text messages after lights out was associated with sleep disturbances (short sleep duration, subjective poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia symptoms) independent of covariates and independent of each other. CONCLUSION This study showed that the use of mobile phones for calling and for sending text messages after lights out is associated with sleep disturbances among Japanese adolescents. However, there were some limitations, such as small effect sizes, in this study. More studies that examine the details of this association are necessary to establish strategies for sleep hygiene in the future.
Laboratorio de epistemología y prácticas de la educación.

En el presente articulo se analizaron las aplicaciones metodologico-operativas de una lectura de la libertad entendida como un valor que es promovido o inhibido por el proceso educativo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la valencia de las experiencias personales consideradas formativas, escritas en un hipertexto, por alumnos de la Universidad “Federico II” de Napoles.
Systemic atherosclerosis in patients with perforating artery territorial infarction

Background: Perforating artery territorial infarction (PAI) is usually a small artery disease (SAD). However, it may also result from branch artery occlusion or arterial embolism from the proximal atherosclerotic lesions. We hypothesized that patients with PAI caused by a SAD may have a distinct pattern of systemic artery involvement from those with PAI caused by large artery diseases.