Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Effects of anisodamine on microcirculation of the asystole rats during the cardiopulmonary resuscitation].

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of anisodamine (Ani) on microcirculation and reperfusion volume of intestine wall in Wistar rats during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for cardiac arrest (CA). METHODS Healthy Wistar rats subjected to CA and resuscitation were randomly divided into four groups, 15 rats in each group. After a 4-minute-non-intervention interval, CPR was started. After CPR for 4 minutes the animals in control group received normal saline, group epinephrine (Epi) received Epi (bolus dose of 200 microg/kg), Epi plus low dosage Ani (Ld Ani) group received Epi plus Ani (bolus dose of 200 microg/kg Epi followed by Ani of 5 mg/kg), and Epi plus high dosage Ani (Hd Ani) group received Epi plus Ani (bolus dose of 200 microg/kg Epi followed by Ani of 10 mg/kg). The recanalization rate of mesenteric arterioles and venules, caliber of the recanalized mesentery arteriole and venule, and the reperfusion volume of intestine wall were observed in vivo in rats with restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). RESULTS As the rate of recanalization of mesenteric arterioles and venules was compared, group Hd Ani (66.6%, 60.0%)>group Ld Ani (60.0%, 53.3%)>group control (40.0%, 40.0%)>group Epi (26.7%, 20.0%), and group Ld Ani and group Hd Ani was much better than group Epi(all P<0.05). When the caliber of arterioles and venules was compared, group Hd Ani>group Ld Ani>group control>group Epi 30 minutes and 60 minutes after ROSC. Thirty minutes after ROSC, the caliber of arterioles and venules was much larger in group Ld Ani and group Hd Ani than that in group Epi (all P<0.05). Sixty minutes after ROSC, there was no statistical difference in the caliber of venules between group Ld Ani and group Epi, so as between group Ld Ani and group Hd Ani. Reperfusion volume of intestine wall in group Ld Ani and group Hd Ani was higher than that in groups control and Epi 15 minutes after ROSC, and it kept on to be better up to 60 minutes after ROSC. CONCLUSION Administration of Ani at earlier period of resuscitation could improve microcirculation of the tissue and raise ROSC rate and successful rate of resuscitation.
CRACking ion channel targets: 2nd Annual Ion Channel Targets Conference

The 2nd Annual Ion Channel Targets (ICT) Conference (by Select Bioscience LLC) was held in Boston on 12 – 13 September 2006. A healthy mixture of scientists from pharma, biotech and academic sectors attended the meeting. The speaker list reflected this mixture. In general, the conference focused on new ion channel targets and the methods for studying them in detail. Keynote lectures from Professors David Clapham (Harvard Medical School, USA) and Reinhold Penner (University of Hawaii, USA) set the tone by highlighting recent findings with a voltage-gated proton channel (Clapham), cation channel in sperm (Clapham) and the calcium-release-activated calcium channel (Penner). Also described at ICT were voltage-gated sodium, potassium, transmembrane-receptor-potential channels, as well as ligand-gated nicotinic acetylcholine (nAChR) and GABA type A receptors.
Arithmetic built-in self-test for DSP cores

A new built-in self-test (BIST) methodology is presented in which all generation and compaction functions are executed by basic building blocks such as adders, ALU's, and multipliers, performing regular arithmetic functions in digital signal processing (DSP) cores. It is demonstrated how these components are themselves tested, and subsequently used to perform more complex testing functions. The need for extra hardware is either entirely eliminated or drastically reduced, test vectors can be easily distributed to different modules of the system, test responses can be collected in parallel, and there is virtually no performance degradation. As an integral part of the proposed BIST environment, arithmetic two-dimensional (2-D) generators of pseudorandom test vectors are also introduced to further integrate the scheme with parallel scan and boundary scan designs used to test peripheral devices of the core.
Respiratory failure in Pompe disease: Treatment with noninvasive ventilation

In this study, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) was prospectively applied to eight patients (35.8 ± 11.4 years) with late-onset Pompe disease and respiratory failure apparent from severe restrictive lung disease, nocturnal hypoxemia (83 ± 8%), and daytime hypercapnia (66.7 ± 17.9 mm Hg). The impact of NIV on respiratory function was followed for 34 ± 17 months. Despite further decrease of vital capacity and inspiratory muscle strength, NIV normalized oxygen saturation during sleep (96 ± 1%), daytime carbon dioxide tensions (44.1 ± 3.6 mm Hg), and symptoms.
There is a planar graph almost as good as the complete graph

Given a set S of points in the plane, there is a triangulation of S such that a path found within this triangulation has length bounded by a constant times the straight-line distance between the endpoints of the path. Specifically, for any two points a and b of S there is a path along edges of the triangulation with length less than √10 times |ab|, where |ab| is the straight-line Euclidean distance between a and b. Thus, a shortest path in this planar graph is less than about 3 times longer than the corresponding straight-line distance. The triangulation that has this property is the L1 metric Delaunay triangulation for the set 5. This result can be applied to motion planning in the plane. Given a source, a destination, and a set of polygonal obstacles of size n, an &Ogr;(n) size data structure can be used to find a reasonable approximation to the shortest path between the source and the destination in &Ogr;(n log n) time.
High-carbohydrate diet-induced myocardial remodelling in rats

BACKGROUND: A high-carbohydrate diet leads to the metabolic syndrome (MetS), which leads to an increased risk for cardiovascular dysfunction; however, the effect of high-carbohydrate diets on systemic metabolism has not yet been fully determined. It has been observed that abnormal fatty acid metabolism and increased oxidative stress play a role in the pathogenesis of MetS-related cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of high sucrose intake on left ventricular contractility and structure of heart tissue. METHODS: MetS was induced in male rats with drinking water supplemented with 32% sucrose for 16 weeks. Oral glucose tolerance test results and parameters related to insulin resistance were used to validate MetS. RESULTS: Body weight and blood glucose levels were higher in the MetS group compared with age-matched controls. The increased serum leptin and triglyceride levels and decreased ghrelin levels further supported the existence of MetS in the MetS group. The ratio of total oxidant status to total antioxidant status measured in serum was also higher in the MetS group compared with the control group. The hemodynamic parameters of the MetS group, such as heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, were markedly higher in the MetS group, while left ventricular developed pressure was significantly diminished with prolonged time course. Moreover, these functional alterations in cardiac preparations were further supported with structural changes such as significant increases in myofibril undulation and increased lipid droplets. CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight the link between high carbohydrate intake, MetS and cardiac dysfunction, in part due to increased systemic oxidative stress and lipid deposition in the heart tissue.
Digital Three-Dimensional Photogrammetry: Evaluation of Anthropometric Precision and Accuracy Using a Genex 3D Camera System

Objective To determine the precision and accuracy of facial anthropometric measurements obtained through digital three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry. Design Nineteen standard craniofacial measurements were repeatedly obtained on 20 subjects by two independent observers, using calipers and 3D photos (obtained with a Genex 3D camera system), both with and without facial landmarks labeled. Four different precision estimates were then calculated and compared statistically across techniques. In addition, mean measurements from 3D photos were compared statistically with those from direct anthropometry. Results In terms of measurement precision, the 3D photos were clearly better than direct anthropometry. In almost all cases, the 3D photo with landmarks labeled had the highest overall precision. In addition, labeling landmarks prior to taking measurements improved precision, regardless of method. Good congruence was observed between means derived from the 3D photos and direct anthropometry. Statistically significant differences were noted for seven measurements; however, the magnitude of these differences was often clinically insignificant (< 2 mm). Conclusions Digital 3D photogrammetry with the Genex camera system is sufficiently precise and accurate for the anthropometric needs of most medical and craniofacial research designs.
Association of serum levels of leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin in schizophrenic patients and healthy controls

Abstract Background. Leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin play important roles in the regulation of body weight, food intake, and energy homeostasis, and have been suggested to be important biomarkers of metabolic syndrome. In this study, we tried to simultaneously investigate the serum levels of leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin in schizophrenic patients and healthy controls. Methods. During a period of 2 years, we recruited 37 schizophrenic patients and 65 healthy controls. The levels of metabolic syndrome-related biomarkers including serum adiponectin, leptin, and ghrelin were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. On applying analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with age and body mass index adjustments, the leptin levels of schizophrenic patients (P = 0.038) were found to be higher than those of healthy controls. However, there were no significant differences in the serum levels of ghrelin or adiponectin between these two groups. Conclusion. These results showed that serum leptin levels might be more sensitive than ghrelin or adiponectin levels between schizophrenic patients and healthy controls. However, studies with a large sample size are needed to confirm these results.
Cluster validity index for adaptive clustering algorithms

Everyday a large number of records of surfing internet are generated. In various situations when the authors are analysing internet data they do not know the cluster structure of the author's database of traffic features, such as when the border of cluster members is vague, and the clusters' partitions have different shapes, how to establish an algorithm to solve the clustering problem? Adaptive clustering algorithms can meet this challenge. Moreover, how to determinate the number of clusters when not only fuzzy cluster but also hard cluster are used? To address those problems, a new cluster validity index is proposed in this study. The proposed index focuses on the information of the geometrical structure of dataset by analysing the neighbourhood of data objects, which makes the index independent of the traditional fuzzy membership matrix. The new index consists of two parts, namely the `compactness' and `separation measure'. The compactness indicates the degree of the similarity among the data objects in the same cluster. The separation measure indicates the degree of dissimilarity among the data objects in different clusters. The performance of their proposed index is excellent underpinned by the outcomes from the experiments based on both artificial datasets and real world datasets.
Marked immunosuppressive effects of the HIV-2 envelope protein in spite of the lower HIV-2 pathogenicity

ObjectiveHIV-1 envelope proteins have immunosuppressive properties and it is thought that they have a role in the establishment of immunodeficiency. This study characterizes the immunological effects of HIV-2 envelope protein gp105, a virus which is associated with a slower rate of disease progression. MethodsThe effects of recombinant baculovirus-expressed envelope proteins from HIV-IIIB HIV-1MN, HIV-2ROD and SIVmac251 on anti-CD3-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy donors were evaluated by incorporation of 3H-thymidine, flow cytometric analysis of bromodeoxyuridine incorporation in different T cell subsets, kinetics of expression of costimulatory molecules (CD40L/OX40) and assessment of cell death by annexin V/propidium iodide staining. The effects on production of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) by monocytes were assessed at the single-cell level after a 6 h culture of unstimulated PBMC. ResultsHIV-2 gp105 was more inhibitory than HIV-1 gp120 of T cell proliferation and the upregulation of CD40L and OX40; in the absence of signficant induction of apoptosis. This inhibition affected both CD4 and CD8 T cells and was only partially reversed by costimulation with interleukin 2 or CD28. gp105 strongly inducted TNF-α production by monocytes. ConclusionThe immunosuppressive properties of the HIV envelope proteins could be beneficial rather than detrimental to the host by interfering with the heightened state of immunocellular activation that characterizes HIV infection and by limiting the bursts of viral replication. This hypothesis could in part explain the slower decline of CD4 cell numbers in HIV-2 infection and deserves further exploration.
Structure of the Uncleaved Human H1 Hemagglutinin from the Extinct 1918 Influenza Virus

The 1918 “Spanish” influenza pandemic represents the largest recorded outbreak of any infectious disease. The crystal structure of the uncleaved precursor of the major surface antigen of the extinct 1918 virus was determined at 3.0 angstrom resolution after reassembly of the hemagglutinin gene from viral RNA fragments preserved in 1918 formalin-fixed lung tissues. A narrow avian-like receptor-binding site, two previously unobserved histidine patches, and a less exposed surface loop at the cleavage site that activates viral membrane fusion reveal structural features primarily found in avian viruses, which may have contributed to the extraordinarily high infectivity and mortality rates observed during 1918.
Rituximab in immune thrombocytopenia: gender, age, and response as predictors of long‐term response

To evaluate the efficacy of a salvage treatment with rituximab (RTX) in adults with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), in terms of short‐term response and long‐term response (LTR, i.e., probability to achieve and maintain response) and to identify biological and clinical predictors of response.
TRANSPLANTED BONE MARROW STROMAL CELLS PROMOTE AXONAL REGENERATION AND IMPROVE MOTOR FUNCTION IN A RAT SPINAL CORD INJURY MODEL

OBJECTIVERecent studies have indicated that bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have the potential to improve neurological function when transplanted into animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, it is still unclear how the transplanted BMSCs promote functional recovery after SCI. In this study, therefore, we evaluated how the transplanted BMSCs restore the function of the dorsal corticospinal tracts in the injured spinal cord. METHODSThe rats were subjected to incomplete SCI by means of a pneumatic impact device. BMSC or vehicle transplantation into the rostral site of SCI was performed at 7 days after injury. Neurological symptoms were assessed throughout the experiments. Fluoro-Ruby was injected into the dorsal funiculus of the rostral site of SCI at 63 days after injury. The fate of the transplanted BMSCs was examined using immunohistochemistry. RESULTSBMSC transplantation significantly enhanced functional recovery of the hind limbs. The number of Fluoro-Ruby–labeled fibers of the dorsal corticospinal tracts at the caudal site of SCI was significantly higher in the BMSC-transplanted animals than in the vehicle-transplanted animals. Some of the engrafted BMSCs were positive for Fluoro-Ruby, NeuN, and MAP2 in the gray matter, suggesting that they acquired neuronal phenotypes and built synaptic connection with the host's neural circuits. Others in the white matter morphologically simulated the astrocytes and were also positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein. CONCLUSIONThe findings suggest that the transplanted BMSCs acquire neural cell phenotypes around the injury site and contribute to rebuild the neural circuits, including the corticospinal tract, promoting functional recovery of the hind limbs.
Cutting Edge: Resistance to Bacillus anthracis Infection Mediated by a Lethal Toxin Sensitive Allele of Nalp1b/Nlrp1b

Pathogenesis of Bacillus anthracis is associated with the production of lethal toxin (LT), which activates the murine Nalp1b/Nlrp1b inflammasome and induces caspase-1–dependent pyroptotic death in macrophages and dendritic cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of allelic variation of Nlrp1b on the outcome of LT challenge and infection by B. anthracis spores. Nlrp1b allelic variation did not alter the kinetics or pathology of end-stage disease induced by purified LT, suggesting that, in contrast to previous reports, macrophage lysis does not contribute directly to LT-mediated pathology. However, animals expressing a LT-sensitive allele of Nlrp1b showed an early inflammatory response to LT and increased resistance to infection by B. anthracis. Data presented here support a model whereby LT-mediated activation of Nlrp1b and subsequent lysis of macrophages is not a mechanism used by B. anthracis to promote virulence, but rather a protective host-mediated innate immune response.
Eliminating all machine parameters in Encoderless Predictive Torque Control without signal injection

Encoderless Predictive Torque Control is saliency based but obviates the need for signal injection, which enables operation in the complete speed range of the drive: at high speed as well as at permanent standstill under load. This paper finally solves the schemes elementary drawback of requiring machine parameters by introducing an estimation technique for the mean admittance. As a result the scheme can be applied to salient machines without any preliminary identification. Moreover, knowledge of the sampling time and the DC-link voltage measurement becomes obsolete. The stability of the filter interaction is verified and experimental results demonstrate that the dynamics of the parameter free scheme exceed common saliency based approaches.
The importance of the voxel size in clinical 1H spectroscopy of the human brain

It is demonstrated that it is possible to acquire two volume selective 1H NMR spectra of human brain in vivo, consisting of voxels of 1.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 cm3, within 14 min with a good S/N ratio. This is mainly achieved by the application of a PRESS sequence generating a spin‐echo of the VOI at 135 ms in conjunction with the STABLE technique by which two spectra can be recorded in an interlaced mode. The Bo homogeneity over such small voxels is considerably higher than over larger voxels. With these methodological improvements it is possible to observe morphological heterogeneity of tumors. The results indicate that spectral changes seem to correlate with the metabolic state of the tumor rather than the tumor type. Additionally the spectrum of a patient with multiple sclerosis suggests that even differentiation between tumors and other lesions might not be possible.
Reduced Diode Clamped Multilevel Converter with a modified control method

This paper presents a new configuration of Neutral-point-clamped (NPC) or Diode Clamped converters called Reduced Diode Clamped Multilevel (RDCM) Converter. In this topology, the number of clamping diodes and high frequency switches are decreased while the voltage ratings of them during a full cycle are kept constant. Compared with conventional NPC or Diode Clamped converters, The main advantages of the proposed converter are increasing the effective value and the number of output voltage levels up to twice, improving the output voltage frequency spectrum and lowering the number of components which can result in the decreasment of the converter's size and cost. These improvements are achieved by adding only two low-frequency switches to a Half-bridge Diode-Clamped Multilevel converter configuration. Also, This converter is controlled by a modified pulse width modulation PWM based control method. The circuit is simulated using PSCAD/EMTDC software and simulation results are presented to validate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed configuration.
Identification of a specific haptoglobin C‐terminal fragment in arthritic synovial fluid and its effect on interleukin‐6 expression

Haptoglobin (Hp), a major acute‐phase plasma protein, has been found in arthritic synovial fluid (SF). However, the function and structural modifications of Hp in arthritic SF are unknown. To investigate in vivo generation of modified Hp associated with inflammatory disease, we examined a new Hp isoform in SF from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Specific Hp fragments of 28 000 and 15 000 molecular weight were identified in SF of patients with RA, and the two polypeptides were presumed to be fragments of the Hp β‐chain (43 000 MW) produced by cleavage with plasmin. The 15 000 MW fragment, which is a C‐terminal region of Hp, was observed at higher frequency and levels in RA than in osteoarthritis. Plasmin activity was also higher in SF of RA patients. A recombinant 15 000 MW Hp fragment up‐regulated interlukin‐6 expression in monocytic cells. These findings indicate that the C‐terminal Hp fragment is generated by plasmin in local inflammatory environments and acts as an inflammatory mediator. They further suggest that a specific Hp fragment might be applied as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of inflammatory diseases such as RA.
Optimalization of SOGI PLL for single-phase converter control systems: Second order generalized integrator (SOGI)

A precise and robust synchronization of a control system of single-phase converters connected to ac power grid is a key factor for proper function of these devices. This paper presents optimization of Second Order General Integrator Phase Locked Loop (SOGI PLL) and its implementation. The SOGI makes it possible to identify the position of either the power grid voltage or current vector in a stationary reference frame. The presented method is able to secure fast response on amplitude steps of input signal and hence track precisely the fundamental harmonic of the input signal.
Inhibition of Polysome Assembly Enhances Imatinib Activity against Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and Overcomes Imatinib Resistance

ABSTRACT Dysregulated mRNA translation is implicated in the pathogenesis of many human cancers including chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Because our prior work has specifically implicated translation initiation in CML, we tested compounds that could modulate translation initiation and polysomal mRNA assembly. Here, we evaluated the activity of one such compound, CGP57380, against CML cells and explored its mechanisms of action. First, using polysomal mRNA profiles, we found that imatinib and CGP57380 could independently, and cooperatively, impair polysomal mRNA loading. Imatinib and CGP57380 also synergistically inhibited the growth of Ba/F3-Bcr-Abl and K562 cells via impaired cell cycle entry and increased apoptosis. Mechanistically, CGP57380 inhibited efficient polysomal assembly via two processes. First, it enhanced imatinib-mediated inhibition of eukaryotic initiation factor 4F induction, and second, it independently impaired phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 on the preinitiation complex. We also identified multiple substrates of the mTOR, Rsk, and Mnk kinases as targets of CGP57380. Finally, we found a novel negative-feedback loop to the mitogen-activated protein kinase/Mnk pathway that is triggered by CGP57380 and demonstrated that an interruption of the loop further increased the activity of the combination against imatinib-sensitive and -resistant CML cells. Together, this work supports the inhibition of translation initiation as a therapeutic strategy for treating cancers fueled by dysregulated translation.