Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Petrosal sinus sampling with and without corticotropin-releasing hormone for the differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome.

BACKGROUND Measurement of adrenocorticotropin levels in plasma from the inferior petrosal sinuses of patients with Cushing's syndrome can distinguish adrenocorticotropin-secreting pituitary tumors (Cushing's disease) from other causes of the syndrome, principally ectopic adrenocorticotropin secretion from an occult tumor. However, it is unknown whether such measurement consistently identifies patients with Cushing's disease and whether testing with corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) enhances the value of the procedure. METHODS We prospectively studied 281 patients with Cushing's syndrome to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the procedure. Bilateral sampling was successfully accomplished in 278 patients, with no major morbidity; 262 of these patients underwent sampling before and after administration of ovine CRH. The adrenocorticotropin levels in the samples were used to calculate the ratio of the concentration in plasma from the inferior petrosal sinuses to the concentration in peripheral-blood plasma (the IPS:P ratio). RESULTS The diagnosis of 246 patients was confirmed surgically as Cushing's disease in 215, as ectopic adrenocorticotropin syndrome in 20, and as primary adrenal disease in 11. An IPS:P ratio greater than or equal to 2.0 in basal samples identified 205 of the 215 patients with Cushing's disease (sensitivity, 95 percent), with no false positive results (specificity, 100 percent). A peak IPS:P ratio greater than or equal to 3.0 after CRH administration identified all 203 of the patients with Cushing's disease who received CRH (sensitivity, 100 percent), with no false positive results (specificity, 100 percent). The sensitivity was much lower when the adrenocorticotropin concentrations in the samples from one sinus were considered alone. In patients with Cushing's disease a difference of greater than or equal to 1.4-fold between the concentrations in the two sinuses (the adrenocorticotropin gradient) predicted the location of the microadenoma in 68 percent of 104 patients during basal sampling and in 71 percent of 105 patients after CRH administration. CONCLUSIONS Simultaneous bilateral sampling of plasma from the inferior petrosal sinuses, with the adjunctive use of CRH, distinguishes patients with Cushing's disease from those with ectopic adrenocorticotropin secretion with high diagnostic accuracy.
Move If U Wanna: Obama and the weight loss nudge

‘Let’s Move! ” That’s the name of the White House campaign to defeat childhood obesity. One has to admire the simplicity of this message. It reminds me of a popular rap song: “Move If U Wanna,” by the band Mims. I jog to the song daily. Here’s the chorus: “ Move if you wanna if you
The phylogeny of Anophelinae revisited: inferences about the origin and classification of Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae)

The evolution of anopheline mosquitoes (Culicidae: Anophelinae) has been the subject of speculation and study for decades, but a comprehensive phylogeny of these insects is far from complete. The results of phylogenetic studies based on morphological and molecular data sets are conspicuously ambiguous. Here, we revisit the phylogenetic relationships of anopheline mosquitoes using state‐of‐the‐art software and cladistic methods to analyse the data set of Harbach & Kitching (2005). We present a refined interpretation of relationships based on analyses of a revised data set that includes an additional species. Implied weighting analyses were conducted with TNT with the concavity constant K ranging from 1 to 33. We determined the optimal K value by summing the GC supports for each MPC and selected the tree with the highest support, K = 30, as the preferred cladogram. We then collapsed the branches with GC support < 1 to obtain the ‘best’ topography of relationships. Genus Chagasia is the basalmost taxon of Anophelinae, and genus Anopheles is recovered as monophyletic but only if Anopheles implexus is excluded and genus Bironella is subordinated within it. The Afrotropical An. implexus is recovered as the sister to all other anophelines, and Christya Theobald, stat. nov., is elevated from synonymy with Anopheles Meigen as a subgenus to accommodate it. The other anophelines comprise two large clades. The first includes the reciprocally monophyletic subgenera Kerteszia + Nyssorhynchus; the second consists of subgenus Cellia as the sister to a heterogeneous clade that includes genus Bironella and subgenera Anopheles, Baimaia, Lophopodomyia and Stethomyia of genus Anopheles. The sister relationship of Cellia and the heterogeneous clade is lost when the branches with GC <1 are collapsed. The monophyly and non‐monophyly of the informal subordinate taxa of subgenera Nyssorhynchus, Cellia and Anopheles, and also evolutionary scenarios, are discussed in relation to previous studies.
Cell cycle tyrosine phosphorylation of p34cdc2 and a microtubule-associated protein kinase homolog in Xenopus oocytes and eggs

We have examined the time course of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in the meiotic cell cycles of Xenopus laevis oocytes and the mitotic cell cycles of Xenopus eggs. We have identified two proteins that undergo marked changes in tyrosine phosphorylation during these processes: a 42-kDa protein related to mitogen-activated protein kinase or microtubule-associated protein-2 kinase (MAP kinase) and a 34-kDa protein identical or related to p34cdc2. p42 undergoes an abrupt increase in its tyrosine phosphorylation at the onset of meiosis 1 and remains tyrosine phosphorylated until 30 min after fertilization, at which point it is dephosphorylated. p42 also becomes tyrosine phosphorylated after microinjection of oocytes with partially purified M-phase-promoting factor, even in the presence of cycloheximide. These findings suggest that MAP kinase, previously implicated in the early responses of somatic cells to mitogens, is also activated at the onset of meiotic M phase and that MAP kinase can become tyrosine phosphorylated downstream from M-phase-promoting factor activation. We have also found that p34 goes through a cycle of tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation prior to meiosis 1 and mitosis 1 but is not detectable as a phosphotyrosyl protein during the 2nd through 12th mitotic cell cycles. It may be that the delay between assembly and activation of the cyclin-p34cdc2 complex that p34cdc2 tyrosine phosphorylation provides is not needed in cell cycles that lack G2 phases. Finally, an unidentified protein or group of proteins migrating at 100 to 116 kDa increase in tyrosine phosphorylation throughout maturation, are dephosphorylated or degraded within 10 min of fertilization, and appear to cycle between low-molecular-weight forms and high-molecular-weight forms during early embryogenesis.
Insect immunity: developmental and inducible activity of the Drosophila diptericin promoter.

Diptericins are 9 kDa inducible antibacterial peptides initially isolated from immune haemolymph of Phormia (Diptera). Following the isolation of a Drosophila cDNA encoding a diptericin homologue, we have now cloned a genomic fragment containing the Drosophila diptericin gene. To dissect the regulation of this gene, we have transformed flies with a fusion gene in which the reporter beta‐galactosidase gene is under the control of 2.2 kb upstream sequences of the diptericin gene. We show that such a fusion gene is inducible by injection of live bacteria or complete Freund's adjuvant and respects the tissue specific expression pattern of the resident diptericin gene. Our analysis reveals at least four distinct phases in the regulation of this gene: young larvae, late third instar larvae, pupae and adults. This complexity may be related to the presence in the upstream sequences of multiple copies of response elements previously characterized in genes encoding acute phase response proteins in mammals (e.g. NK‐kappa B, NF‐kappa B related, NF‐IL6 response elements).
COMPARISON OF TWO TECHNIQUES TO POSTOPERATIVELY LOCALIZE THE ELECTRODE CONTACTS USED FOR SUBTHALAMIC NUCLEUS STIMULATION

OBJECTIVE Cerebral ventriculography (Vg) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning are routine procedures to determine the implanted electrode placement into the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and are used in several centers that provide deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease patients. However, because of image distortion, MRI scan accuracy in determining electrode placement is still matter of debate. The objectives of this study were to verify the expected localization of the electrode contacts within the STN and to compare the stereotactic coordinates of these contacts determined intraoperatively by Vg with those calculated postoperatively by MRI scans. To our knowledge, this is the first study attempting to compare the “gold standard” of stereotactic accuracy (Vg) with the anatomic resolution provided by MRI scans. METHODS Images from 18 patients with Parkinson's disease who underwent bilateral operation were used in this study. Among the 36 chronically stimulated contacts, 28 contacts (78%) were localized in the dorsolateral part of the STN. The remaining eight contacts (22%) were located more dorsally in the zona incerta, close to the upper border of the STN. RESULTS Significant differences were found between Vg and MRI scans regarding the mediolateral x coordinate of the contacts for both left and right electrodes and regarding the right-sided anteroposterior y coordinate. No statistical difference was found for the left-sided y coordinate and the dorsoventral z coordinate for both sides. CONCLUSION If we assume that Vg is an imaging gold standard, our results suggest that postoperative MRI scanning may induce a slight image translation compared with Vg. However, MRI scans allowed localization of most of the contacts within the STN.
Bcl-2 expression and apoptosis in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells

Apoptosis or programmed cell death plays a pivotal role in regulating tissue homeostasis in the adult and in tissue remodeling during embryogenesis. As in other tissues, apoptosis plays an important role within the hematopoietic system in removing aged and non-functional cells. It plays a particularly important role in regulating the cells of the immune system. The signals and molecules regulating apoptosis in these immune cells have been intensely investigated over the years, providing great insight into the mechanisms involved. In contrast, much less is known about the regulation and role of apoptosis in the cells that produce differentiated hematopoietic cells, namely the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). It is appreciated that HSCs are under tight regulatory control, as either excessive proliferation or apoptosis will result in too many or too few hematopoietic cells (for example, leukemia or anemia). Apoptosis thus plays an essential role in maintaining the appropriate balance of HSC and mature blood cells and in protecting the HSC pool for life-long hematopoiesis. This review summarizes the current knowledge concerning apoptosis and its role in the physiology of the hematopoietic system, especially within the HSC compartment.
Bi-directional work sharing in assembly lines with strict and flexible assembly sequences

Work sharing between stations in assembly lines can reduce cycle time and improve throughput rate. This research addresses assembly lines in which tasks may be shared with their immediate upstream or downstream stations only. This study consists of three stages. In the first stage, we assume that all work content in the line can be shared. Then, the balanceability of the line, which is defined as its ability to achieve a perfect balance (identical workload in all workstations) via work sharing, is examined. An algorithm and a linear programming formulation is proposed to provide the sharing proportion, namely, the percentage of the cycles each station performs the shared task. In the second stage, a line with partial sharing is investigated; conditions for balanceability are provided as well as a solution approach for obtaining the sharing proportions of the shared tasks. The last stage considers the most practical model in which sharing costs are involved, and the identity of the shared tasks is to be determined. Mixed-integer linear-programming models and a custom-made search algorithm are developed to minimise the cycle time given a limited sharing budget, for strict and flexible assembly sequences. Experimentation to evaluate the performance of the formulations and the effect of the problem parameters on the run time is conducted.
Anti-inflammatory Effects of Ganoderma lucidum Triterpenoid in Human Crohn's Disease Associated with Downregulation of NF-&kgr;B Signaling

Background:Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Current medications have potentially serious side effects. Hence, there is increasing interest in alternative therapies. We previously demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of Food Allergy Herbal Formula-2 in vitro on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and mucosa from CD subjects. Here, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of a bioactive compound isolated from Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum), a key herbal constituent of Food Allergy Herbal Formula-2, in CD in vitro. Methods:Triterpene ganoderic acid C1 (GAC1) was isolated from G. lucidum. Stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages were treated with GAC1. Human PBMCs and colonic biopsies were obtained from children with CD and cultured with or without GAC1. TNF-&agr; and other proinflammatory cytokine levels were measured in the culture supernatant. NF-&kgr;B signaling was investigated in PBMCs and colonic mucosa treated with GAC1 by In-Cell Western and Western blot analysis. Results:GAC1 decreased TNF-&agr; production by macrophages and PBMCs from CD subjects. GAC1 significantly decreased TNF-&agr;, IFN-&ggr;, and IL-17A production by inflamed colonic biopsies from CD subjects. These effects were due to downregulation of the NF-&kgr;B signaling pathway. Conclusions:GAC1 inhibited production of TNF-&agr; and other proinflammatory cytokines by PBMCs and inflamed CD colonic mucosa due to blockage of NF-&kgr;B activation. GAC1 is a key beneficial constituent in G. lucidum and the Food Allergy Herbal Formula-2 in suppressing the inflammatory cytokines found in CD and warrants clinical investigation for the treatment of CD.
Molecular and Cellular Pathobiology Functional Interaction of Tumor Suppressor DLC 1 and Caveolin-1 in Cancer Cells

Deleted in liver cancer 1 (DLC1), a tumor suppressor gene frequently inactivated in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other malignancies, encodes a multidomain protein with a RhoGTPase-activating (RhoGAP) domain and a StAR-related lipid transfer (START) domain. However, no interacting macromolecule has been mapped to the DLC1 START domain. Caveolin-1 (CAV-1) functions as a tumor suppressor in most contexts and forms a complex with DLC1. Here, we havemapped the region of DLC1 required for interaction with CAV-1 to the DLC1 START domain. Mutation of the DLC1 START domain disrupted the interaction and colocalization with CAV-1. Moreover, DLC1 with a START domain mutation failed to suppress neoplastic growth, although it negatively regulated active Rho. CAV-1 and DLC1 expression levels were correlated in two public datasets of NSCLC lines and in two independent publicly available mRNA expression datasets of NSCLC tumors. Clinically, low DLC1 expression predicted a poor clinical outcome in patients with lung cancer. Together, our findings indicate that complex formation between the DLC1 START domain and CAV-1 contributes to DLC1 tumor suppression via a RhoGAP-independent mechanism, and suggest that DLC1 inactivation probably contributes to cancer progression. Cancer Res; 72(17); 1–12. 2012 AACR.
Modeling, control and electromagnetic transient simulation of the doubly fed induction generator-based wind energy generation system

This paper presents the dynamic modeling and the stator-voltage-aligned control (SVAC) strategies of the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind energy generation system (WEGS). The state-space dynamic model of the DFIG is derived in the synchronous d-q reference frame. The control strategies of the DFIG-based WEGS includes three parts, namely, the network-side converter (NSC) control, the rotor-side converter (RSC) control and the maximum power-point tracking (MPPT) algorithm. The NSC and RSC control algorithms are implemented based on the internal model control principle. The SVAC algorithm is devised for the RSC, where the positions of the stator and rotor voltage-vectors are referenced to the stator-frame to simplify the controller. The hill-climbing method is adopted for the MPPT algorithm, and the iteration procedure for searching the optimal operation point is discussed. The simulation results obtained from the electromagnetic transient program (EMTP-ATP) are provided, which validates the effectiveness of the control algorithms. The theoretical analysis and EMTP-based digital simulation can be widely applied for the grid-connected converters in renewable generation and smart grid applications.
The Discovery of Anomalous Microwave Emission

We discuss the first detection of anomalous microwave emission, in the Owens Valley RING5M experiment, and its interpretation in the context of the ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments of the early 1990s. The RING5M experiment was one of the first attempts to constrain the anisotropy power on sub-horizon scales, by observing a set of -size fields around the North Celestial Pole (NCP). Fields were selected close to the NCP to allow continuous integration from the Owens Valley site. The experiment detected significant emission at both 14.5 GHz and 30 GHz, consistent with a mixture of CMB and a flat-spectrum foreground component, which we termed anomalous, as it could be explained neither by thermal dust emission, nor by standard models for synchrotron or free-free emission. A significant spatial correlation was found between the extracted foreground component and structure in the IRAS 100 μm maps. While microwave emission from spinning dust may be the most natural explanation for this correlation, spinning dust is unlikely to account for all of the anomalous emission seen in the RING5M data.
Long distance runner with dilated cardiomyopathy and excellent performance.

Mailing address: Luciana Diniz Nagem Janot de Matos • Alameda Fernao Cardim, 140/192 - Jardim Paulista - 01403020 - Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil E-mail: cndluciana@cardiol.br, lucianajanot@einstein.br Manuscript received March 20, 2009; revised manuscript received August 24, 2009; accepted September 01, 2009.
Contextual hypotheses and semantics of logic programs

Abstract Logic programming has developed as a rich field, built over a logical substratum whose main constituent is a nonclassical form of negation, sometimes coexisting with classical negation. The field has seen the advent of a number of alternative semantics, with Kripke–Kleene semantics, the well-founded semantics, the stable model semantics, and the answer-set semantics standing out as the most successful. We show that all aforementioned semantics are particular cases of a generic semantics, in a framework where classical negation is the unique form of negation and where the literals in the bodies of the rules can be ‘marked’ to indicate that they can be the targets of hypotheses. A particular semantics then amounts to choosing a particular marking scheme and choosing a particular set of hypotheses. When a literal belongs to the chosen set of hypotheses, all marked occurrences of that literal in the body of a rule are assumed to be true, whereas the occurrences of that literal that have not been marked in the body of the rule are to be derived in order to contribute to the firing of the rule. Hence the notion of hypothetical reasoning that is presented in this framework is not based on making global assumptions, but more subtly on making local, contextual assumptions, taking effect as indicated by the chosen marking scheme on the basis of the chosen set of hypotheses. Our approach offers a unified view on the various semantics proposed in logic programming, classical in that only classical negation is used, and links the semantics of logic programs to mechanisms that endow rule-based systems with the power to harness hypothetical reasoning.
Association analyses of depression and genes in the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis

Objective Dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis has been reported in depression. The aim was to investigate the potential association between depression and seven genes regulating or interfering with the HPA axis, including the gene encoding angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). Methods In total, 78 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and one insertion/deletion polymorphism were genotyped. The study included 408 individuals with depression and 289 controls. In a subset of cases, the interaction between genetic variants and stressful life events (SLEs) was investigated. Results After quality control, 68 genetic variants were left for analyses. Four of nine variants within ACE were nominally associated with depression and a gene-wise association was likewise observed. However, none of the SNPs located within AVP, CRH, CRHR1, CRHR2, FKBP5 or NC3C1 were associated with depression. One nominally significant interaction, most likely due to chance, was identified. Conclusion The results indicate that ACE could be a potential candidate gene for depression.
Effects of antipsychotics on fat deposition and changes in leptin and insulin levels

Background Weight gain is a common consequence of antipsychotic drug treatment and can lead to further morbidity. Aims To assess the effects of antipsychotic drug therapy on abdominal fat deposition, on insulin and leptin secretion, and on circulating glucose and lipids. Method Abdominal body fat was determined by magnetic resonance imaging in a group of previously untreated patients with schizophrenia, before and after 10 weeks'antipsychotic drug treatment. Body mass and blood concentrations of glucose, insulin, leptin and lipids were also measured. Results Significant increases in both subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat were identified after antipsychotic drug treatment. A three-fold increase in leptin secretion as well as significant increases in levels of circulating lipids and non-fasting glucose were also identified. Conclusions Patients first receiving antipsychotic drugs experience substantial deposition of both subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat, reflecting a loss of the normal inhibitory control of leptin on body mass. Along with fat deposition, the increase in levels of fasting lipids and in non-fasting glucose may provide early signs of drug-induced progression towards the metabolic syndrome.