Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of pentoxifylline on choroidal blood flow in nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy.

OBJECTIVE Diminished blood flow plays an important role in the progression of diabetic retinopathy. Since increased blood viscosity is a contributing factor to hypoperfusion, it was of interest to determine whether therapy intended to decrease blood viscosity and induce vasodilation could increase blood flow in patients with diabetic retinopathy. METHODOLOGY Ten patients, 4 with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy and 6 age-matched, nondiabetic controls, were studied by a noninvasive system to index choroidal blood flow. Pentoxifylline was administered daily at an oral dose of 400 mg tid in the diabetic patients for nine months. RESULTS The control group had pulse amplitude = 2.87 +/- 0.67 mm Hg with pulsatile choroidal blood flow = 714 +/- 196 microL/minute. Reproducibility studies in the control group (6 patients measured on three separate occasions) demonstrated an intraclass correlation coefficient of reliability, r = 0.83. In the diabetic patients, pulsatile flow = 276 +/- 68 microL/minute, 61% lower than the age-matched nondiabetic subjects (P = 0.003). After nine months of pentoxifylline therapy the diabetic patients had an increase in pulsatile choroidal blood flow to 469 +/- 152 microL/minute (P < 0.002). CONCLUSIONS Pentoxifylline therapy brought blood flow levels in the diabetic patients closer to those of the nondiabetic age-matched control population so that following therapy there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups although the former were still lower. The potential efficacy of pentoxifylline in improving ocular blood flow in patients with diabetic retinopathy should be tested in a large controlled clinical trial.
Hydatid cyst of the kidney: a case report and review of the literature

Primary involvement of the kidney is rare in case of hydatid disease. We present a case of primary left renal hydatid cyst in a 40 year old female patient admitted with left lumbar pain radiating to the back. Computed tomography of the patient was done and was suggestive of hydatid cyst involving the lower pole of the left kidney. The cyst was managed by left Nephrectomy with open surgical excision and preoperative course of Albendazole. This case emphasizes on better detection and evaluation of such rare cases to identify better treatment strategies.
Spatiotemporal Joint Mitosis Detection Using CNN-LSTM Network in Time-Lapse Phase Contrast Microscopy Images

We present an approach to jointly detect mitotic events spatially and temporally in time-lapse phase contrast microscopy images. In particular, we combine a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a long short-term memory (LSTM) network to detect mitotic events in patch sequences. The CNN-LSTM network can be trained end-to-end to simultaneously learn convolutional features within each frame and temporal dynamics between frames, without hand-crafted visual or temporal feature design. Owing to the LSTM layer, this approach is able to detect mitotic events in patch sequences of variable length, as well as making use of longer context information among frames in the sequences. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to detect mitosis using deep learning in both spatial and temporal domains. Experiments have shown that the CNN-LSTM network can be trained efficiently, and we evaluate this design by applying the network to original raw microscopy image sequences to locate mitotic events both spatially and temporally. The data with which we validate the proposed method include C3H10 mesenchymal and C2C12 myoblastic stem cell populations. Our approach achieved the F score of 98.72% on the C2C12 data set, and the F score of 96.5% on the C3H10 data set. The results on both data sets outperform the traditional graph model-based approaches by a large margin, both in terms of detection accuracy and frame localization accuracy. Furthermore, we have developed a framework to aid humans in annotating mitosis with high efficiency and accuracy in raw phase contrast microscopy images based on the joint detection results using the proposed method. Under this framework, expert level annotations can be obtained in raw phase contrast microscopy image sequences, and the annotations have shown to further improve the training performance of the CNN-LSTM network.
A Further Improvement on Bit-Quad-Based Euler Number Computing Algorithm

The Euler number is an important topological property in a binary image, and it can be computed by counting certain bit-quads in the binary image. This paper proposes a further improved bit-quad-based algorithm for computing the Euler number. By scanning image rows two by two and utilizing the information obtained while processing the previous pixels, the number of pixels to be checked for processing a bit-quad can be decreased from 2 to 1.5. Experimental results demonstrated that our proposed algorithm significantly outperforms conventional Euler number computing algorithms.
First-Order Multipath Ghosts' Characteristics and Suppression in MIMO Through-Wall Imaging

In this letter, we derive the distribution characteristics of first-order multipath ghosts in a nested multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) through-wall radar and evaluate the efficacy of the phase coherence factor (PCF) in ghost suppression. Different from a synthetic aperture radar, the first-order multipath echoes of a nested MIMO through-wall radar generate several ghosts. For example, for a nested MIMO array composed of a compact receiving subarray and M spatially dispersed transmitters, there are M ghosts at the same side of the wall as the array. The mth ghost is supposed to occur near the intersection of the line, connecting the target and the center of the receiving subarray, and the ellipse whose foci are the positions of the target and the mth transmitter. Under the assumption of phase uniform distribution clutter, the PCF can suppress the ghosts up to -20 lg(1 - √(M2 - 1)/M2) dB, which is about 17.46 dB when M = 2.
[Folate status in Spanish schoolchildren and its association with parental smoking habits].

AIM To study the folate status in a group of Spanish schoolchildren and its association with parental smoking habits. METHODS A group of 511 schoolchildren between 9 and 12 years old from Madrid (Spain) were studied. Parental smoking habits were self-reported by a questionnaire. Energy and nutrients intake (especially folates) were calculated with a "3-day diet record" and during two days (Monday and Tuesday) the food consumption was controlled in the school canteen using the "precise weighing method" (recording the weights of food served and leftovers on the plate). Folate intake of the sample was compared with the recommended intakes (RI) for this vitamin. Folate, vitamin B₁₂ and homocysteine were determined. Student's t-test, Mann Whitney Test, Pearson and Spearman correlation, ANCOVA, MANCOVA and multiple linear regression were applied for statistical analysis. Significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS Vegetable and fruit consumption, folate intake and its coverage to recommended folate intake (I/RI%) and serum folate levels were higher in children of nonsmoking mothers than in children of smoking mothers. Serum folate level in 13.3% of the children studied was below 6 ng/mL (moderate deficit), and in 0.26% was below 3 ng/mL (severe deficit). Taking into account others confounding factors a negative and significant correlation was observed between serum folate levels of children and smoking habits in mothers (r = -0.257, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION The maternal smoking habits might determine folate intake and serum folate levels on their offspring.
Larval Feeding on Bt Hybrid and Non-Bt Corn Seedlings by Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Abstract Zoophytophagy is an omnivorous activity that occurs when a primarily carnivorous species feeds on plant material. Plant feeding by beneficial predators may have negative consequences if the plant material has been chemically treated, contains toxins, or was transgenically altered. Although common in predaceous Hemiptera, zoophytophagy has been rarely studied in aphidophagous coccinellids. This study examined the likelihood of feeding on Bt and non-Bt corn seedlings by third- and fourth-instar coccinellid larvae, the regularity of feeding events by fourth instars, and the effect of leaf feeding on development time and adult size. Both third- and fourth-instar Harmonia axyridis Pallas and Coleomegilla maculata DeGeer consume leaf tissue, with fourth instars being significantly more likely to feed on corn seedlings. C. maculata larvae ingested leaf tissue more frequently than H. axyridis. Furthermore, when given access to corn seedlings daily, development time of fourth-instar C. maculata increased after Bt hybrid corn treatments compared with non-Bt corn treatments. Zoophytophagous feeding behavior is thought to sustain predators during times of low prey availability, and leaf tissue feeding by coccinellids has typically been attributed to their need for water. However, in this study, tissue feeding regularly occurred even though coccinellid larvae had constant access to water and a daily ad libitum supply of aphids. We suggest that, in addition to environmental conditions, the physiological state of the zoophytophagous species will influence the probability of plant feeding.
Secondary non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in children and adolescents after childhood cancer other than NHL

The emergence of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) during childhood and adolescence as a secondary neoplasm (SN) after previous cancer other than NHL is rare. To describe the characteristics and outcome of NHL following previous cancer other than NHL in children and adolescents, this study analysed the data of patients reported to the NHL‐Berlin‐Frankfurt‐Münster study centre from 1986 to 2005. Out of the total of 2968 NHL‐patients registered, 11 patients were assessed as having suffered from NHL as a proven SN. Four additional children had most likely suffered from NHL as an SN, but a late relapse of the first neoplasm could not be ruled out unequivocally. In the patients with proven SN, median age at diagnosis of the primary malignancy was 3·9 years (range 2–11·7). The median age at diagnosis of NHL was 7·6 years (range 4·7–18). Only lymphoblastic (n = 7) and diffuse large B‐cell (n = 4) lymphomas were diagnosed as SN. The estimated 5‐year event‐free survival from time of diagnosis of NHL was 91% [95% confidence interval (CI) 74–100%] in patients with proven SNs and 84% (95% CI 63–100%) when the patients with probable SNs were included in the analysis. We concluded that secondary NHL in children and adolescents confers a favourable prognosis.
Electrophysiological and morphological properties of neurons in the prepositus hypoglossi nucleus that express both ChAT and VGAT in a double‐transgenic rat model

Although it has been proposed that neurons that contain both acetylcholine (ACh) and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) are present in the prepositus hypoglossi nucleus (PHN), these neurons have not been characterized because of the difficulty in identifying them. In the present study, PHN neurons that express both choline acetyltransferase and the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) were identified using double‐transgenic rats, in which the cholinergic and inhibitory neurons express the fluorescent proteins tdTomato and Venus, respectively. To characterize the neurons that express both tdTomato and Venus (D+ neurons), the afterhyperpolarization (AHP) profiles and firing patterns of these neurons were investigated via whole‐cell recordings of brainstem slice preparations. Regarding the three AHP profiles and four firing patterns that the D+ neurons exhibited, an AHP with an afterdepolarization and a firing pattern that exhibited a delay in the generation of the first spike were the preferential properties of these neurons. In the three morphological types classified, the multipolar type that exhibited radiating dendrites was predominant among the D+ neurons. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that the VGAT‐immunopositive axonal boutons that expressed tdTomato were primarily located in the dorsal cap of inferior olive (IO) and the PHN. Although the PHN receives cholinergic inputs from the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, D+ neurons were absent from these brain areas. Together, these results suggest that PHN neurons that co‐express ACh and GABA exhibit specific electrophysiological and morphological properties, and innervate the dorsal cap of the IO and the PHN.
Utilidad del modelo de valoración de las IPSAS para la rendición de cuentas de los gobiernos: la perspectiva de los OCEX

RESUMEN Los sistemas contables gubernamentales están desempeñando un papel esencial en el desarrollo de las reformas administrativas, utilizándose como instrumentos para mejorar la Accountability de los gobiernos. El modelo de valoración contable propuesto por las IPSAS pretende aumentar la utilidad de los estados financieros gubernamentales para fomentar la transparencia financiera como elemento clave de la rendición de cuentas. En base a una investigación empírica realizada en OCEX de 29 países, este trabajo concluye que, bajo ciertas condiciones, la adopción del valor razonable podría favorecer la rendición de cuentas en algunos de ellos, aunque su aplicación conllevaría problemas de fiabilidad, cuya subsanación requeriría incorporar en la Memoria información sobre sus estimaciones. En países sin experiencia en empleo del valor razonable, su uso podría encontrarse con dificultades inesperadas para mejorar la rendición de cuentas, que han surgido en países cuyos estados financieros ya están siendo elaborados sobre la base del valor razonable.
Predicting mutation frequencies in stem–loop structures of derepressed genes: implications for evolution

This work provides evidence that, during transcription, the mutability (propensity to mutate) of a base in a DNA secondary structure depends both on the stability of the structure and on the extent to which the base is unpaired. Zuker's DNA folding computer program reveals the most probable stem–loop structures (SLSs) and negative energies of folding (–ΔG) for any given nucleotide sequence. We developed an interfacing program that calculates (i) the percentage of folds in which each base is unpaired during transcription; and (ii) the mutability index (MI) for each base, expressed as an absolute value and defined as follows: MI = (% total folds in which the base is unpaired) × (highest –ΔG of all folds in which it is unpaired). Thus, MIs predict the relative mutation or reversion frequencies of unpaired bases in SLSs. MIs for 16 mutable bases in auxotrophs, selected during starvation in derepressed genes, are compared with 70 background mutations in lacI and ebgR that were not derepressed during mutant selection. All the results are consistent with the location of known mutable bases in SLSs. Specific conclusions are: (i) Of 16 mutable bases in transcribing genes, 87% have higher MIs than the average base of the sequence analysed, compared with 50% for the 70 background mutations. (ii) In 15 of the mutable bases of transcribing genes, the correlation between MIs and relative mutation frequencies determined experimentally is good. There is no correlation for 35 mutable bases in the lacI gene. (iii) In derepressed auxotrophs, 100% of the codons containing the mutable bases are within one codon's length of a stem, compared with 53% for the background mutable bases in lacI. (iv) The data suggest that environmental stressors may cause as well as select mutations in derepressed genes. The implications of these results for evolution are discussed.
The targeting of factors necessary for expression of methicillin resistance in staphylococci.

(MRSA) hasbecome one of the most important nosocomial pathogensworldwide and poses serious infection control problems.As a rule, MRSA are resistant to many antibiotics andincreasingly vancomycin-type glycopeptides remain theonly rational treatment available. Transfer of vancomycinresistance genes from enterococci to
Tree mortality in the eastern and central United States: patterns and drivers

Substantial uncertainty surrounds how forest ecosystems will respond to the simultaneous impacts of multiple global change drivers. Long‐term forest dynamics are sensitive to changes in tree mortality rates; however, we lack an understanding of the relative importance of the factors that affect tree mortality across different spatial and temporal scales. We used the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis database to evaluate the drivers of tree mortality for eastern temperate forest at the individual‐level across spatial scales from tree to landscape to region. We investigated 13 covariates in four categories: climate, air pollutants, topography, and stand characteristics. Overall, we found that tree mortality was most sensitive to stand characteristics and air pollutants. Different functional groups also varied considerably in their sensitivity to environmental drivers. This research highlights the importance of considering the interactions among multiple global change agents in shaping forest ecosystems.
Genomics identifies medulloblastoma subgroups that are enriched for specific genetic alterations.

PURPOSE Traditional genetic approaches to identify gene mutations in cancer are expensive and laborious. Nonetheless, if we are to avoid rejecting effective molecular targeted therapies, we must test these drugs in patients whose tumors harbor mutations in the drug target. We hypothesized that gene expression profiling might be a more rapid and cost-effective method of identifying tumors that contain specific genetic abnormalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS Gene expression profiles of 46 samples of medulloblastoma were generated using the U133av2 Affymetrix oligonucleotide array and validated using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Genetic abnormalities were confirmed using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and direct sequencing. RESULTS Unsupervised analysis of gene expression profiles partitioned medulloblastomas into five distinct subgroups (subgroups A to E). Gene expression signatures that distinguished these subgroups predicted the presence of key molecular alterations that we subsequently confirmed by gene sequence analysis and FISH. Subgroup-specific abnormalities included mutations in the Wingless (WNT) pathway and deletion of chromosome 6 (subgroup B) and mutations in the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) pathway (subgroup D). Real-time RT-PCR analysis of gene expression profiles was then used to predict accurately the presence of mutations in the WNT and SHH pathways in a separate group of 31 medulloblastomas. CONCLUSION Genome-wide expression profiles can partition large tumor cohorts into subgroups that are enriched for specific genetic alterations. This approach may assist ultimately in the selection of patients for future clinical trials of molecular targeted therapies.
Les voies romaines

cautious about their identification as such). Two altars attest the cults of Epona and of Hercules. Another very interesting official building is the 'Unterkunftshaus', or praetorium in its sense of official rest-house (for travelling functionaries). S's discussion of this identification is very useful. It will be obvious that there are interesting parallels between G. and towns in Roman Britain, both in historical development and in individual features. The origin in what must be a military vicus, the development from timber-framed buildings to stone, the painted wall-plaster (pi. 30), the simple house-plans (fig. 23)—these and many other points of comparison are noteworthy, granted that in Raetia they occur correspondingly earlier than in Britain. One may begin to recognize components of a common provincial Roman culture. Only in the third century do the paths diverge. The unwalled town suffered severely in the Alamannic invasion of 233 and seems thereafter to have withered away; but the Notitia records it as the HQ, of the prefect of part of Legion III Italica. An interesting shift of site seems to have occurred to a more defensible position the other side of the river (was this perhaps the original Celtic site? )—a necessity which no site in Britain had to face at least before the middle of the fifth century. The book is well provided with plans, reconstructions and photographs, as well as with some fine illustrations of small finds—pottery, glass, iron and bronze—and of comparative material. We must be grateful to those friends who have helped the author through a period of considerable personal difficulty to see this book through the press; his own courageous tenacity has been well rewarded.
In Vitro Effects of Nifedipine, Nisoldipine, and Lacidipine on Rat Isolated Coronary Small Arteries

We investigated the effect of 1,4-dihydro-pyridine calcium antagonists (nifedipine, nisoldipine, and lacidipine) on serotonin (5-HT)- and KC1 (120 mM)-induced contractions of rat isolated septal coronary artery. The preparations showed the well-known biphasic response to KC1 depolarization. All three calcium antagonists were more potent in inhibiting the second, tonic phase compared to the first, transient phase, with pIC50 values of 7.17 ± 0.12/8.27 ± 0.07 (nifedipine), 7.93 ± 0.21/8.96 ± 0.06 (nisoldipine), and 8.28 ± 0.07/9.79 ± 0.04 (lacidipine) for suppressing the first and the second phase, respectively. Furthermore, the influence of the calcium antagonists on the 5-HT concentration-response curve was investigated. Nifedipine, nisoldipine, and lacidipine concentration dependently depressed the maximum effect of 5-HT on the coronary artery preparations without influencing the pEC50 of the 5-HT concentration-response curve. In conclusion, all three dihydropyridine calcium antagonists are potent and effective inhibitors of depolarization- or 5-HT-induced coronary artery contractions. Lacidipine, a new lipophilic compound, was the most potent one in inhibiting the depolarization-induced contraction, thereby showing a marked selectivity for the tonic phase compared to the initial phasic response.
Identification of B2 Bradykinin Binding Sites on Cultured Cortical Astrocytes

Bradykinin was found to bind to specific high‐affinity sites in cultured cortical astrocytes from rat brain, and this binding appeared to be specific for the B2 bradykinin receptor subtype. Nonlinear regression analysis of saturation experiments using a computer programme revealed a single KD of 16.6 ± 2.6 nM and a Bmax of 352.2 ±30.7 fmol/mg of protein. These results indicate that astrocytes possess bradykinin receptors and that these are predominantly of the B2 subtype.
Topinambur als Präbiotikum - Untersuchungen zur Wirkung auf die Darmflora

Zusammenfassung Präbiotika bilden kurzkettige Fettsäuren, die den pH-Wert im Darminhalt herabsetzen und gleichzeitig Energiequelle für Enterozyten und den Gesamtorganismus sind. In anaerob durchgeführten Fermentationsexperimenten mit Kotkulturen der Tierarten Schwein, Hund und Rind wurde gezeigt, dass Topinambur tierartliche Unterschiede in der präbiotischen Wirkung zeigte. Eine weitere Studie mit Absetzferkeln zeigte, dass 1 % Topinamburmehl im Aufzuchtfutter die intestinale Mikrobiota der Tiere positiv beeinflussen kann.