Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hypertriglyceridemia is a Major Factor Associated With Elevated Levels of Small Dense LDL Cholesterol in Patients With Metabolic Syndrome

Background We aimed to determine the major contributing component of metabolic syndrome (MetS) that results in an elevated small dense LDL cholesterol (sdLDL-C) concentration and sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio. Methods Four hundred and forty-seven subjects (225 men; 222 women) with MetS were randomly selected from the Korean Metabolic Syndrome Research Initiatives-Seoul cohort study. Age- and sex-matched healthy controls (181 men; 179 women) were also randomly selected from the same cohort. Results A comparison of the median values of the sdLDL-C concentration between subgroups, divided according to whether subjects met or did not meet the criteria for each MetS component in patients with MetS, revealed a significant difference in the sdLDL-C concentration only between subgroups divided according to whether subjects met or did not meet the triglyceride (TG) criteria (P<0.05 for each gender). The TG level showed a good correlation with sdLDL-C concentration (correlation coefficients [r]=0.543 for men; 0.653 for women) and the sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio (r=0.789 for men; 0.745 for women). Multiple linear regression analyses conducted for the MetS group concordantly identified TG as one of the most significant contributors to sdLDL-C concentration (β=0.1747±0.0105, P<0.0001) and the sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio (β=6.9518±0.3011, P<0.0001). Conclusions Among five MetS components, only the abnormal TG level was a differentiating factor for sdLDL-C concentration and sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio. These results were reproducible in both genders, with or without MetS.
Écologie trophique des juvéniles de merlu (Merluccius merluccius) dans le golfe du Lion : Implications biologiques de la variabilité spatio-temporelle des ressources alimentaires exploitées dans les zones de nourricerie

Le merlu europeen (Merluccius merluccius) est une espece d'importance commerciale et ecologique dans le golfe du Lion. Les juveniles sont localises principalement sur le plateau continental, et l'abondance des individus 15 cm est maximale au printemps essentiellement dans les zones situees au large. La densite, le facteur de condition relative, les ressources alimentaires et la structure des reseaux trophiques des juveniles de merlu (5 a 24 cm) ont ete etudies dans quatre secteurs du plateau continental (repartis selon la profondeur : cote-large, et la distance a l'embouchure du grand Rhone : Rhone-Agde) au cours de trois printemps (2002-2003-2004). Des changements du type de ressources alimentaires exploitees par les juveniles de merlu ont ete identifies avec la taille des individus, ainsi que des variations spatio-temporelles importantes chez les merlus 15 cm. Malgre la diversite des proies des juveniles de merlu, leurs reseaux trophiques reposent en majorite sur la meme source de matiere organique : la production marine phytoplanctonique. La densite elevee des merlus de 5 a 19 cm et la meilleure condition des individus de 15 a 24 cm dans la zone du Rhone par rapport a celle eloignee de son embouchure suggerent une influence indirecte des apports dissous du Rhone sur la biologie des juveniles de merlu dans la partie du plateau continental a proximite du fleuve. L'etude des variabilites inter-annuelles de la densite, de la condition et des ressources alimentaires des merlus 15 cm dans les zones de nourricerie du large a mis en evidence le role cle de l'alimentation sur la qualite de leurs habitats. Les crustaces suprabenthiques (euphausiaces et mysidaces) sont des proies particulierement favorables a la croissance et a la survie des juveniles de merlu lors de leurs premiers mois de vie, et influencent indirectement les pecheries du golfe du Lion, le merlu representant l'espece demersale la plus importante des debarquements commerciaux.
Blood and urine biochemical and hormonal variables in 8 XLH subjects treated on day 1 with phosphate alone , on day 2 with phosphate cinacalcet , and at follow-up after chronic treatment with phosphate calcitriol

Background and Objectives: The treatment for X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) with phosphate and calcitriol can be complicated by secondary hyperparathyroidism and nephrocalcinosis. Furthermore, vitamin D and phosphate stimulate FGF23 production, the pathogenic factor causing XLH. We investigated in XLH patients: 1) whether treatment with the calcimimetic agent, cinacalcet, will block the rise in parathyroid hormone (PTH) caused by phosphate administration; and 2) whether treatment with oral phosphate and calcitriol increases FGF23 levels. Design, Setting, Participants, and Measurements: Eight subjects with XLH were given a single oral dose of phosphate, followed the next day by combined treatment with phosphate and cinacalcet. Serum measurements of ionized calcium (Ca), phosphate, creatinine, intact PTH, 1,25(OH)2D, FGF23, and tubular threshold for phosphate/glomerular filtration rate (TP/ GFR) were assessed in response to short-term treatment with phosphate and cinacalcet and compared with long-term administration of phosphate and calcitriol. Results: Oral phosphate load increased serum phosphate, decreased ionized calcium, and increased PTH. Twenty-four hours later, FGF23 significantly increased and 1,25(OH)2D decreased. The concomitant administration of phosphate and cinacalcet resulted in further decrease in serum Ca but suppression of PTH and greater increase in serum phosphate and TP/GFR. Chronic treatment with phosphate and calcitriol resulted in a smaller increment in serum phosphate and high serum FGF23. Conclusions: Traditional therapy of XLH with phosphate and calcitriol elevates FGF23 and has the potential to stimulate PTH. Short-term treatment with cinacalcet suppresses PTH, leading to increase in TP/GFR and serum phosphate. Thus, long-term clinical studies are needed to investigate whether cinacalcet may be a useful adjuvant in the treatment of XLH, allowing the use of lower doses of phosphate and calcitriol. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 3: 658-664, 2008. doi: 10.2215/CJN.04981107
EFFECT OF BOVINE SOMATOTROPIN ON THE LACTATIONAL AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF LACTATING DAIRY COWS - A REVIEW

Bovine somatotropin (bST) increases milk production in dairy animals. The maximum increase in milk production has been observed up to 41%. Somatotropin did not change milk composition significantly . During short-term application of bST, cows mobilized their body-reserves to support the increased milk production. Although DM intake of cows was increased in the long-term applications, however, gross efficiency of production was improved due to larger increase in milk production than DM intake. Somatotropin did not adversely affect the health and reproductive performance of the cows. Repartitioning of nutrients in body-tissue was primarily responsible for the increase in milk-production but defining the exact mechanism by which bST exerted its effect still requires additional research.
Quantification and functional analysis of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

BACKGROUND Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) are the major producers of interferon (IFN)- alpha within peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). METHODS We analyzed whether chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection could be linked to a defective function or number of PDCs. We evaluated the capacity of PBMCs from 5 cohorts of subjects to produce IFN- alpha after viral stimulation. We concomitantly analyzed the frequency of PDCs and the levels of IFN- alpha transcripts within the PBMCs from the same cohorts. RESULTS PBMCs from patients with chronic HCV infection receiving antiviral therapy displayed a reduced capacity to release IFN- alpha, compared with those from healthy individuals, those from long-term responders to therapy, and those from nontreated patients. This defect was significantly correlated with the percentage of PDCs. In addition, PDCs from patients with chronic HCV infection receiving therapy displayed a reduced intrinsic capacity to produce IFN- alpha, which could be linked to the level of IFN- alpha transcripts. CONCLUSION Our observations point to an effect of the therapy on either the survival or the localization of PDCs, rather than a direct detrimental effect due to the viral infection during chronic HCV infection.
Evolution and Clinical Pathologic Correlations of De Novo Donor‐Specific HLA Antibody Post Kidney Transplant

The natural history for patients with de novo donor‐specific antibodies (dnDSA) and the risk factors for its development have not been well defined. Furthermore, clinical and histologic correlation with serologic data is limited. We studied 315 consecutive renal transplants without pretransplant DSA, with a mean follow‐up of 6.2 ± 2.9 years. Protocol (n = 215) and for cause (n = 163) biopsies were analyzed. Solid phase assays were used to screen for dnDSA posttransplant. A total of 47 out of 315 (15%) patients developed dnDSA at a mean of 4.6 ± 3.0 years posttransplant. Independent predictors of dnDSA were HLA‐DRβ1 MM > 0 (OR 5.66, p < 0.006); and nonadherence (OR 8.75, p < 0.001); with a strong trend toward clinical rejection episodes preceding dnDSA (OR 1.57 per rejection episode, p = 0.061). The median 10‐year graft survival for those with dnDSA was lower than the No dnDSA group (57% vs. 96%, p < 0.0001). Pathology consistent with antibody‐mediated injury can occur and progress in patients with dnDSA in the absence of graft dysfunction and furthermore, nonadherence and cellular rejection contribute to dnDSA development and progression to graft loss.
PERSPECTIVAS DE CRESCIMENTO ECONÔMICO NO CENÁRIO AMAZÔNICO: O CASO DO ESTADO DO TOCANTINS

O trabalho objetiva analisar o processo de crescimento economico do estado do Tocantins e apontar possiveis politicas para um processo de desenvolvimento sustentado em uma perspectiva de longo prazo. Parte-se de uma visao institucionalista do crescimento economico que ressalta a importância das politicas publicas e do ambiente institucional no processo. Utiliza-se a metodologia comparativa para a analise dos dados secundarios que, posteriormente, sao trabalhados por tecnicas da estatistica descritiva e inferencial. No periodo de 1991-2006, o estado do Tocantins obteve um crescimento medio de 3,2% ao ano, abaixo da media da regiao Norte, porem pouco acima do brasileiro. Chama atencao o fato de todos os estados da regiao norte crescer mais que o estado do Tocantins. Este estado tem uma economia bastante incipiente, com baixos niveis de competitividade e de renda per capita combinado com uma forte concentracao da riqueza e dependencia ao setor publico. Sugerem-se como politicas para o estado romper o ciclo vicioso: Agregacao de valores aos produtos locais, atracao de novos investimentos, administracao publica moderna, implantacao das chamadas obras fundamentais de infra-estrutura e a reducao dos custos de transacao pelo fortalecimento institucional do estado e da sociedade.
A full 4-channel 6.3Gb/s 60GHz direct-conversion transceiver with low-power analog and digital baseband circuitry

This paper presents a 60 GHz direct-conversion front-end and baseband transceiver, including analog and digital circuitry for the PHY functions. The 65 nm CMOS front-end consumes 319 mW and 223 mW in transmitting and receiving mode, respectively, and is capable of more than 7 Gb/s 16QAM wireless communication for every channel of the 60 GHz standards. The 40 nm CMOS baseband incorporating LDPC consumes 196 mW and 398 mW for 16QAM in transmitting and receiving mode, respectively. The entire system, using a 6dBi antenna built in an organic package, can transmit 3.1Gb/s over 1.8 m in QPSK and 6.3 Gb/s over 0.05 m in 16QAM.
NONINVASIVE FIREGROUND ASSESSMENT OF CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN LEVELS IN FIREFIGHTERS

Objectives. Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels can be estimated by chemical analysis of exhaled alveolar breath. Such noninvasive measurement could be used on the fireground to screen both firefighters (FFs) andvictims. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using a hand-held carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring device to screen for CO toxicity in FFs under field conditions. Methods. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Using a hand-held breath CO detection device, COHb readings were collected at baseline, andthen as FFs exited burning buildings after performing interior fire attack andoverhaul with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) during live-fire training. Ambient CO levels were occasionally measured in interior areas where the FFs were working to assess the degree of CO exposure. Results. Baseline COHb readings of 64 FFs ranged from 0% to 3% (mean 1%, median 1%). One hundred eighty-four COHb readings were collected during training exercises. The mean andmedian COHb levels were 1%. The maximum value in a FF wearing SCBA was 3%; values of 14%, 5%, and4% were measured in instructors who were not properly wearing SCBA. Ambient CO readings during fire attack ranged from 75 to 1,290 ppm, andthe ambient CO reading for overhaul ranged from 0 to 130 ppm. When the device was used for interior CO monitoring, washout time limited its utility for COHb monitoring in FFs. Conclusions. A hand-held CO monitoring device adapted for estimation of COHb levels by exhaled breath analysis can feasibly be deployed on the fireground to assess CO exposure in FFs.
Effect of diet on cecal pH and feeding behavior of horses.

Three cecal-fistulated horses were used in a 3 x 3 latin square experiment to determine the influence of diet and of cecal infusions of Na2CO3 on cecal fermentat ion and feeding behavior. The three t reatments were hay, concentrate and concentrate plus hourly infusions of Na2CO3. Cecal fluid samples and cecal pH readings were taken at zero through 11 hr following feeding at the end of each experimental period, and animal activity was measured by the use of a movie camera set to take 5 sec of film every 5 minutes. Cecal pH was significantly lower at 4, 5 and 6 hr following feeding for the horses receiving the concentrate diet than for those fed hay. The concentrate-fed horses had a significantly lower percentage of cecal acetate and higher cecal propionate than those fed hay, while cecal butyrate was variable for horses receiving both diets. Cecal lactic acid was lower for the horses fed the hay diet than for those fed concentrate but the data were variable. Infusions of Na2CO3 significantly increased cecal pH at 3, 4 and 5 hr post-feeding, compared with that of horses fed only the concentrate diet. Horses receiving the Na2CO3 infusion had higher cecal acetate and lower propionate at 1, 3 and 4 hr following feeding than those fed only the all-concentrate diet. The horses fed the concentrate diet spent significantly more t i m e c h e w i n g wood and in coprophagy than did those fed hay. Infusions appeared to reduce the t ime spent in these activities by the concentrate-fed horses, however the differences were not significant. The amount of t ime spent chewing wood was found
On the performance of amplify-and-forward cooperative systems with fixed gain relays

Multi-hop, multi-branch, and multi-branch multi- hop wireless transmission systems with nonregenerative fixed gain relays employing amplify-and-forward relaying are considered. Simple closed-form expressions for the outage and bit error probabilities of these systems are derived. It is shown that while a multi-hop transmission system does not offer diversity gain, it can perform better than a single hop system if its average individual link SNRs satisfy a certain condition. In addition, the analysis clearly shows the diversity gains achieved by multi- branch and multi-branch multi-hop systems. A design criterion is also presented which guarantees better outage and bit error performances for a multi-branch multi-hop system compared to a multi-branch system with the same number of branches.
Oxidative damage in the retinal mitochondria of diabetic mice: possible protection by superoxide dismutase.

PURPOSE Superoxide levels are elevated in the retina in patients with diabetes, and cytochrome c is released from the mitochondria. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanism involved in the oxidative damage of retinal mitochondria in diabetes and to determine whether mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) provides protection. METHODS Effects of diabetes were investigated on superoxide and GSH levels, electron transport complexes I and III, and membrane permeability in the isolated mitochondria prepared from the retinas of streptozotocin diabetic mice. To investigate the effect of MnSOD, retinal mitochondrial oxidative stress and electron transport complexes were determined in mice overexpressing MnSOD (MnSOD-Tg). Histopathology was evaluated in trypsin-digested retina. RESULTS Retinal mitochondria had twofold increase in superoxide levels in nontransgenic (wild-type [WT]) diabetic mice compared with WT nondiabetic mice. In the same retina, diabetes decreased mitochondrial GSH levels by 40% and complex III activity by approximately 20%, and it increased mitochondrial membrane permeability (swelling) by more than twofold; however, complex I activity was not affected. Overexpression of MnSOD inhibited diabetes-induced increases in mitochondrial superoxide levels and membrane permeability and the decrease in complex III activity. GSH values, however, were not statistically different in WT and MnSOD-Tg diabetic mice. In contrast to the diabetes-induced increase in the number of degenerate (acellular) capillaries in WT diabetic mice, the numbers of acellular capillaries in MnSOD-Tg nondiabetic and diabetic mice were similar to those in WT nondiabetic mice. CONCLUSIONS Retinal mitochondria experience increased oxidative damage in diabetes, and complex III is one of the sources of increased superoxide. MnSOD protects the retina from diabetes-induced abnormalities in the mitochondria and prevents vascular histopathology, strongly implicating the role for MnSOD in the pathogenesis of retinopathy in diabetes.
Design of Weight-Learning Efficient Convolutional Modules in Deep Convolutional Neural Networks and its Application to Large-Scale Visual Recognition Tasks

Background. Applications of deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) have been overwhelmingly successful in all aspect of perception tasks, ranging from computer vision to speech recognition and understanding, from biomedical data analysis to quantum physics. In the past couple of years, we have seen the evolution of many successful CNN architectures such as AlexNet, VGG, Inception, and ResNet. However, training these networks end-to-end with fully learnable convolutional filters (as is standard practice) is still very computationally expensive and is prone to over-fitting due to the large number of parameters. To alleviate this issue, we have come to think about this question: can we arrive at a more efficient CNN in terms of learnable parameters, without sacrificing the high CNN performance?
Analysis of Derivatives Subtypes Agonist and Antagonist Activities of Phenylglycine for Different Cloned Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor

The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) consist of at least seven different subtypes and are coupled to intracellular signal transduction via G proteins. However, the lack of specific antagonists for the mGluRs limited the precise characterization of the role of the individual mGluRs. In this study, we investigated the agonist and antagonist activities of a series of phenylglycine derivatives for the mGluRs by examining their effects on the signal transduction of representative mGluR1, mGluR2, and mGluR4 subtypes expressed individually in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The phenylglycine derivatives examined included (S)- and (R)forms of 3-hydroxyphenylglycine (3HPG), 4-carboxy-phenylglycine (4CPG), 4-carboxy-3-hydroxyphenylglycine (4C3HPG), 3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycine (3C4HPG), and (+)- and (-)-a-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (aM4CPG). Among these 10 compounds, (S)-3HPG acted as an agonist for mGluR1, while (S)-4C3HPG, (S)-3C4HPG, and (S)-4CPG served as effective agonists for mGluR2. The rank order of agonist potencies for mGluR2 was L-glutamate > (S)-4C3HPG > (S)-3C4HPG > (S)-4CPG. No other phenylglycine derivatives showed any definite agonist activity on either mGluR1 or mGluR2. Among the phenylglycine derivatives with no mGluR 1 agonist activity, (S)-4C3HPG, (S)-3C4HPG, (S)4CPG, and ( +)-(uM~CPG effectively antagonized the action of L-glutamate on mGluR1. The rank order of antagonist potencies was (S)-4C3HPG 2 (S)-4CPG 2 (+)-(rM4CPG > (S)-3C4HPG. The Schild plot analysis indicated that (RS)-4C3HPG, (S)4CPG, and (+)-aM4CPG all act as competitive antagonists for mGluR1 with pA, values of 4.38, 4.48, and 4.38, respectively. Furthermore, (+)-aM4CPG was an effective competitive antagonist for mGluR2 with a pA, value of 4.29. None of the 10 phenylglycine derivatives showed any agonist or antagonist activity for mGluR4. This investigation demonstrated that (S)-4C3HPG, (S)-4CPG, and (S)-3C4HPG act both as agonists for mGluR2 and as antagonists for mGluR1, and
Normative data of Fuld Object Memory Evaluation test for brazilian elderly population

ABSTRACT Objective This study aims to present normative data for Fuld Object Memory Evaluation test stratified by sex, gender, age, and education for the Brazilian elderly population. Method We evaluated 2.132 healthy elderly both genders, with a mean age of 70.30 years (± 7.28) from two community-based samples in Brazil drawn from different economic areas who were screened with cognitive and functional tests and the memory test. Statistical analyses were performed by independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance and multiple linear regression. Results Statistical analyses showed that memory scores tend to improve significantly with increasing years of education and decrease significantly as age increased. Conclusion We conclude that gender, education and age had effect on the Fuld Object Memory Evaluation performance in this Brazilian community-based sample.
On the wireless charging using active integrated antenna

A simple experiment to verify the applicability of self-oscillating active integrated antennas (AIAs) to wireless power transmission system is discussed in this paper. The verification consists of a dual-ring AIA and a half-wave rectifier along with a receiving patch. The spacing between the antennas satisfies the far field condition. According to experiment results, comparable DC voltage to that excited by a commercial RF signal generator can be extracted using this simple antenna pair. It hence verifies the suitability of the AIA as a low-cost solution to serve as the unmodulated continuous-wave (CW) source in wireless charging system.
Multipartite genetic control elements: communication by DNA loop.

Based on the model of DNA looping and other new developments in E. coli, we discuss here the reformulation of how regulatory proteins and DNA sites interact with each other and thereby govern gene expression. We describe a few examples of control systems of E. coli, mosthy negative control, which involve distant and multipartite sites