Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of skeletal loss and recovery in anorexia nervosa.

CONTEXT Anorexia nervosa (AN) is complicated by severe bone loss. The effects of persistent undernutrition and consequent neuroendocrine dysfunction on bone mass and the factors influencing skeletal recovery have not been well characterized. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to determine the rate of bone loss at the spine and hip in women with AN and whether resumption of menstrual function and/or improvement in weight are determinants of skeletal recovery in AN. DESIGN The study had a longitudinal design. SETTING The study was conducted at a clinical research center. STUDY PARTICIPANTS Participants included 75 ambulatory women with AN. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition were measured with dual x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS In women not receiving oral contraceptives, those who did not improve weight or resume menses had a mean annual rate of decline of 2.6% at the spine and 2.4% at the hip. Those who resumed menses and improved weight had a mean annual increase of 3.1% at the posteroanterior spine and 1.8% at the hip. Women who recovered menses demonstrated a mean increase of posteroanterior spine but not hip BMD, independent of weight gain. Women who improved weight, regardless of whether they recovered menstrual function, demonstrated a mean increase of hip, but not spine, BMD. Increase in fat-free mass was a more significant determinant of increased BMD than weight or fat mass gain. In women receiving oral contraceptives, there was no increase in BMD at any site despite a mean 11.7% weight increase. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that rapid bone loss, at an average annual rate of about 2.5%, occurs in young women with active AN. Resumption of menstrual function is important for spine BMD recovery, whereas weight gain is critical for hip BMD recovery. We did not observe an increase in BMD with weight gain in women receiving oral contraceptives. Therefore, improvements in reproduction function and weight, with increases in lean body mass a critical component, are both necessary for skeletal recovery in women with AN.
Mertk Triggers Uptake of Photoreceptor Outer Segments during Phagocytosis by Cultured Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells*

The RCS rat is a widely studied model of recessively inherited retinal degeneration. The genetic defect, known as rdy (retinal dystrophy), results in failure of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) to phagocytize shed photoreceptor outer segment membranes. We previously used positional cloning andin vivo genetic complementation to demonstrate thatMertk is the gene for rdy. We have now used a rat primary RPE cell culture system to demonstrate that the RPE is the site of action of Mertk and to obtain functional evidence for a key role of Mertk in RPE phagocytosis. We found that Mertk protein is absent from RCS, but not wild-type, tissues and cultured RPE cells. Delivery of rat Mertk to cultured RCS RPE cells by means of a recombinant adenovirus restored the cells to complete phagocytic competency. Infected RCS RPE cells ingested exogenous outer segments to the same extent as wild-type RPE cells, but outer segment binding was unaffected. Mertk protein progressively co-localized with outer segment material during phagocytosis by primary RPE cells, and activated Mertk accumulated during the early stages of phagocytosis by RPE-J cells. We conclude that Mertk likely functions directly in the RPE phagocytic process as a signaling molecule triggering outer segment ingestion.
A Sizing Methodology for On-Chip Switched-Capacitor DC/DC Converters

This paper proposes a systematic sizing methodology for switched-capacitor DC/DC converters aimed at maximizing the converter efficiency under the die area constraint. To do so, we propose first an analytical solution of the optimum switching frequency to maximize the converter efficiency. When the parasitic capacitances are low, this solution leads to an identical contribution of the switches and transfer capacitors to the converter output impedance. As the parasitic capacitances increase, the optimum switching frequency decreases. Secondly, optimum capacitor and switch sizes for maximum efficiency are provided. We show that the overdrive voltage strongly impacts the optimum switch width through the modification of their conductance. To support the sizing methodology, a model of the efficiency of switched-capacitor DC/DC converters is developed. It is validated against simulation and measurement results in 65 nm and 0.13 μm CMOS, respectively. The proposed sizing methodology shows how the converter efficiency can be traded-off for die area reduction and what is the impact of parasitic capacitances on the converter sizing.
The virology and developments toward control of human enterovirus 71

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a member of the Enterovirus genus in the Picornaviridae family, was first recognized as a dermotrophic virus that usually cause mild, self-limiting hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD). However, EV71 infection can sometimes induce a variety of severe neurological complications and even death. Current large outbreaks of EV71 make this virus being a major public health issue. Intense effort has been made to address its underlying pathogenesis and to develop effective means for combating EV71 infections. Here, we aimed to provide an overview of cellular mechanisms underlying EV71 infection and to assess potential agents for prevention and treatment of EV71 infections.
Retinopretectal and accessory optic projections of normal mice and the OKN‐defective mutant mice beige, beige‐J, and pearl

Retinal projections to the pretectal and terminal accessory optic nuclei were studied in normal wild‐type mice and mutant mice with abnormal optokinetic nystagmus (OKN, Mangini, Vanable, Williams, and Pinto: J. Comp. Neurol. 247:191–209, '85). The mutants used were (1) pearl, which exhibits an inverted OKN in response to stimulation of only the temporal retina, and (2) beige and beige‐J, which show inverted OKN in response to stimulation of only the temporal retina and, in addition, exhibit eye movements with a vertical component in response to horizontally moving, full‐field stimuli. These projections were studied following intraocular injections of 3H‐proline or horseradish peroxidase (HRP) with, respectively, light microscopic auto‐radiography or HRP histochemistry.
Microbial metabolism of N-nitrosodiethanolamine in lake water and sewage

The carcinogenic nitrosamine, N-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDElA), was degraded in samples of sewage and two lake waters, and microorganisms were responsible for the transformation. However, the rate of NDElA disappearance was slow. In the samples of lake water, the rate and extent of NDElA metabolism varied with the time of year, and no disappearance occurred in samples taken in winter. The products formed from NDEIA were persistent in lake water. In sewage, no seasonal effect on the microbial conversion was evident, and the products of metabolism were slowly mineralized. NDElA is apparently converted to the same organic products in samples of all three environments. Although the products were not identified, the data suggest that they were modified dimers of NDElA.
Seasonal changes in expression of neurohypophysial hormone genes in the preoptic nucleus of immature female masu salmon.

In relevance to osmoregulatory and reproductive functions, activity of the hypothalamic magnocellular neurosecretory system may vary seasonally in teleosts. The changes in the expression of vasotocin (VT) and isotocin (IT) genes were thus studied by an in situ hybridization technique and an immunohistochemical avidin-biotin complex method in immature female masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou). The plasma levels of testosterone and estradiol were also measured by enzyme immunoassay. Fish were sampled in March, May, August, and November 1994 and January 1995. The intensity of autoradiographic hybridization signals and immunoreactivity were determined in individual neurosecretory cells (NSC) in the rostroventral, middle, and dorsocaudal regions of the magnocellular part of the preoptic nucleus (PM). The VT hybridization signals and immunoreactivity were high in November, along with the elevation of plasma levels of testosterone and estradiol. These results suggest that sex steroid hormones are involved in seasonal regulation of VT gene expression. The hybridization signals for IT mRNA were increased in May and decreased in November, whereas IT immunoreactivity was low in March and high in November. NSCs thus showed seasonal variations in the intensity of hybridization signals for VT and IT mRNAs and immunoreactivity of VT and IT, although the patterns of changes were different between VT and IT. VT and IT genes may be seasonally expressed under different regulatory mechanisms.
CRF-Based Figure/Ground Segmentation with Pixel-Level Sparse Coding and Neighborhood Interactions

In this paper, we propose a new approach to learning a discriminative model for figure/ground segmentation by incorporating the bag-of-features and conditional random field (CRF) techniques. We advocate the use of image patches instead of superpixels as the basic processing unit. The latter has a homogeneous appearance and adheres to object boundaries, while an image patch often contains more discriminative information (e.g., local image structure) to distinguish its categories. We use pixel-level sparse coding to represent an image patch. With the proposed feature representation, the unary classifier achieves a considerable binary segmentation performance. Further, we integrate unary and pairwise potentials into the CRF model to refine the segmentation results. The pairwise potentials include color and texture potentials with neighborhood interactions, and an edge potential. High segmentation accuracy is demonstrated on three benchmark datasets: the Weizmann horse dataset, the VOC2006 cow dataset, and the MSRC multiclass dataset. Extensive experiments show that the proposed approach performs favorably against the state-of-the-art approaches.
A PRÁTICA DE ENFERMAGEM: UMA REFLEXÃO À LUZ DA TEORIA KANTIANA E DO CÓDIGO DE ÉTICA

Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo reflexivo baseado em uma historia de vida descrita no livro Re(socializacao) da pessoa com deficiencia adquirida: o processo, os personagens e as mascaras, o qual trata do processo de reabilitacao da pessoa com lesao medular. Neste estudo buscou-se refletir sobre a atuacao da equipe de enfermagem ao longo dessa (re)construcao social e pessoal a luz da Teoria Kantiana e do Codigo de Etica Profissional de Enfermagem brasileiro. O processo de reacao adaptativa a nova situacao da pessoa, como lesado medular, permite refletir a necessidade de melhor qualificacao e humanizacao da assistencia prestada pelos profissionais de saude que lidam com tal clientela, especialmente a equipe de enfermagem devido as acoes no cuidado oferecido e ao vinculo em tempo integral, tornando-os mais propensos a cometer iatrogenias.
Familial Alzheimer Disease Presenilin-1 Mutations Alter the Active Site Conformation of γ-secretase*

Background: The effect of PS1 mutations on the active site of γ-secretase is unknown. Results: PS1 mutations reduce photoprobe interaction with the S2 subsite of γ-secretase and Notch1 cleavage. Conclusion: Certain PS mutations specifically alter the S2 subsite of γ-secretase active site that leads to changes in APP and Notch1 cleavage. Significance: It provides structural insights into the mechanism of PS1 mutations in regards to γ-secretase regulation. Presenilin-1 (PS1) is the catalytic subunit of γ-secretase, and mutations in this protein cause familial Alzheimer Disease (FAD). However, little is known about how these mutations affect the active site of γ-secretase. Here, we show that PS1 mutations alter the S2 subsite within the active site of γ-secretase using a multiple photoaffinity probe approach called “photophore walking. “ Moreover, we developed a unique in vitro assay with a biotinylated recombinant Notch1 substrate and demonstrated that PS1 FAD mutations directly and significantly reduced γ-secretase activity for Notch1 cleavage. Substitution of the Notch Cys-1752 residue, which interacts with the S2 subsite, with Val, Met, or Ile has little effect on wild-type PS1 but leads to more efficient substrates for mutant PS1s. This study indicates that alteration of this S2 subsite plays an important role in determining the activity and specificity of γ-secretase for APP and Notch1 processing, which provides structural basis and insights on how certain PS1 FAD mutations lead to AD pathogenesis.
Small fibers, large impact: Quality of life in small‐fiber neuropathy

Introduction: The impact of small‐fiber neuropathy (SFN) on patients' quality of life (QOL) has not been studied extensively. Our aim was to determine the impact of SFN on QOL and examine possible determinants. Methods: We examined a total of 265 patients diagnosed with SFN. The SFN Symptoms Inventory Questionnaire (SFN‐SIQ), the pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the generic SF‐36 Health Survey were assessed. Regression studies were undertaken to evaluate determinants of functioning. Results: SFN patients demonstrated a severe overall reduction in QOL. The biggest deficits were in Role Functioning–Physical, Body Pain, and Physical Component Summary (PCS) scores. VAS scores, changed sweating pattern, dry mouth, and age were the strongest predictors for PCS, explaining 32% of the QOL decrease. Conclusions: SFN leads to a reduction in overall QOL. The presence of pain and some autonomic symptoms explained only a small portion of the findings. Muscle Nerve 49:329–336, 2014
Post-translational modification and folding of secreted proteins.

The production of a functional protein does not end with the termination of the growing polypeptide chain. This, while clearly true of all proteins, is particularly obvious in the case of secretory proteins. While all proteins must fold to a functional conformation, and many must assemble into some supramolecular structure, secretory proteins must also make their way across membranes and through secretory compartments. In the course of this secretory pathway, most proteins undergo further chemical modification, so that the covalent structure of the ultimate functional protein is significantly different from that of the initial translation product. Some of these post-translational chemical modifications are ubiquitous in secretory proteins. Thus (with a single known exception, ovalbumin) all secretory proteins undergo cleavage of an N-terminal secretory signal sequence, and in most cases the Cys residues of the initial translation product are paired and oxidized to form disulphide bonds; glycosylation of asparagine, serine and threonine side-chains, and subsequent processing of oligosaccharide side-chains, leads to formation of very complex Nand 0-linked oligosaccharide structures in the majority of secretory and cell-surface proteins. Other modifications are limited to small families of proteins. Selective proteolysis is a common post-translational modification, which does not generate novel amino acid derivatives. Apart from the cotranslational cleavage of the N-terminal secretory signal sequence (Hortsch & Meyer, 1986), secretory proteins often undergo proteolysis at a late stage before secretion, either by endoproteolytic cleavage specifically at paired basic residues (Geisow & Smyth, 1980) or through stepwise removal of N-terminal dipeptides (Kreil et al., 1980). These processes are observed in insects and yeast as well as vertebrates (Kreil, 1985). Some modifications act not on amino-acyl side-chains, but on the Nand C-terminal amino and carboxyl groups. Many polypeptides are N-terminally acylated, either by acetylor fatty acyl groups. N-Terminal acetylation is quite common and is known to be a cotranslational process occurring on nascent chains of 20-50 residues; it is generally found in intracellular proteins, but is also observed in ovalbumin and membrane proteins which lack the cleavable N-terminal signal sequence (Tsunasawa & Sakiyama, 1984). N-Terminal palmitylation is observed in some bacterial membrane proteins, and N-terminal myristylation in a small number of intracellular eukaryotic proteins (Aitken & Cohen, 1984; Henderson el at., 1983). A C-terminal amide group is found in a large number of neuropeptides and other small peptide hormones, and this is now known to be formed from a Cterminal Gly which is removed in the reaction Xaa-CO-NHCH,COOXaa-CO-NH,. Frequently, but not universally, the C-terminal Gly is itself the product of previous proteo-
Long term outcomes after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury

Objective: This research examined the long-term outcomes of rehabilitation patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting and subjects: We examined consecutive records of persons with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury who were discharged from a large rehabilitation hospital in Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1989. We interviewed consenting participants (n = 306) up to 24 years post-injury. Main outcome measures: Self-rated health, activity limitations, employment, living arrangements, marital status, Community Integration Questionnaire, and use of rehabilitation services. Results: Participants were most limited in activities such as managing money and shopping. Twenty-nine per cent of our participants were working full time. There were significant relationships between activity limitations and residual cognitive impairment at follow-up. Self-rated health was correlated with most instrumental activities of daily living. Conclusion: Our findings document health and function in a large post acute TBI population and implications for rehabilitation are discussed.
Waveform distortion at computer festivals; 2002 to 2008

This paper shows measurements of the harmonic emission by large groups of state-of-the-art computers measured at five different occasions from 2002 to 2008. The emission was measured during LAN-festivals where the participants use mainly the newest models of computer. This allows insight in the change in emission of computers during the last 6 years. The results from these measurements show that the distortion level generated by computers is decreasing while the power consumption does not show any significant change.
Diagnostico adaptativo del estudiante en sistemas tutoriales inteligentes

Esta linea de investigacion analiza y desarrolla un componente del Modelo del Estudiante cuyo objetivo es mejorar la adaptacion de un Sistema Tutorial Inteligente a sus usuarios, el estudiante y el docente. Este componente considera el diagnostico del estudiante. A fin de tratar la ambiguedad propia de la evaluacion humana del conocimiento de un alumno, se usara la logica difusa para mejorar el Modelo del Estudiante y de este modo alcanzar un mas alto nivel de adaptacion.
Significantly Improved Outcomes With a Less Invasive Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Incorporating Total Facetectomy

Study Design. Original study. Objective. Prospective comparison of clinical outcomes after a standard posterior lumbar interbody fusion (ST-PLIF) and after a limited exposure PLIF incorporating total facetectomy (LI-PLIF). Summary of Background Data. Most groups have reported significantly improved clinical outcomes after ST-PLIF. To our knowledge, however, a comparison of outcomes between ST-PLIF and the LI-PLIF that we herein describe has not been reported before. Methods. Patients were included who had suffered chronic low back pain for a minimum of 2 years that was unresponsive to conservative treatment. N = 114 consecutive patients underwent ST-PLIF, whereas n = 209 underwent LI-PLIF. All patients underwent pre- and postoperative evaluations for Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), short-form 36 (SF-36), and visual analogue scores (VAS). The minimum follow-up for either group was 2 years. Results. There was a significant improvement in the ODI (22.5 ± 1.0, P < 0.001), VAS for back pain (3.8 ± 0.1, P = 0.003), VAS for leg pain (4.0 ± 0.2, P = 0.002), and SF-36 for bodily pain (14.7 ± 0.9, P = 0.012) after ST-PLIF. However, there was a significantly greater improvement in all scores after LI-PLIF: ODI (28.8 ± 1.4 vs. 22.5 ± 1.0, P < 0.001), VAS for back pain (5.4 ± 0.2 vs. 3.8 ± 0.1, P = 0.001), VAS for leg pain (5.1 ± 0.2 vs. 4.0 ± 0.2, P < 0.001), and SF-36 for bodily pain (18.5 ± 0.8 vs. 14.7 ± 0.9, P = 0.003). There was a significantly shorter duration of hospital stay after LI-PLIF (2.24 ± 0.057 days) than after ST-PLIF (4.04 ± 0.13 days) (P = 0.005). Operative complications occurred in 19.3% of ST-PLIF and in 6.7% of LI-PLIF. Conclusion. Clinical outcomes were significantly improved after both ST-PLIF and LI-PLIF. However, outcomes were significantly better after LI-PLIF than after ST-PLIF. Significantly shortened hospital stay with LI-PLIF probably reflected the “less invasive” technique per se. Significantly better clinical outcomes with fewer complications after LI-PLIF, however, potentially reflected maneuvers singular to LI-PLIF: (1) preservation of posterior elements, (2) avoidance of far lateral dissection over the transverse processes, (3) bilateral total facetectomy, (4) fewer neurologic complications, and (5) avoidance of iliac crest autograft. LI-PLIF is therefore recommended over ST-PLIF.
Expression of CD markers' in immune thrombocytopenic purpura: prognostic approaches

Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) is a common autoimmune bleeding disorder characterized by a reduction in peripheral blood platelet counts. In this disease, autoantibodies (Auto‐Abs) are produced against platelet GPIIb/GPIIIa by B cells, which require interaction with T cells. In this review, the importance of B and T lymphocytes in ITP prognosis has been studied. Relevant literature was identified by a PubMed search (1990–2016) of English‐language papers using the terms B and T lymphocyte, platelet, CD markers and immune thrombocytopenic purpura. T and B lymphocytes are the main immune cells in the body. Defective function causes disrupted balance of different subgroups of lymphocytes, and abnormal expression of surface markers of these cells results in self‐tolerance dysfunction, as well as induction of Auto‐Abs against platelet glycoproteins (PG). Given the role of B and T cells in production of autoantibodies against PG, it can be stated that the detection of changes in CD markers' expression in these cells can be a good approach for assessing prognosis in ITP patients.
A nonmusician with severe Alzheimer’s dementia learns a new song

ABSTRACT The hallmark symptom of Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD) is impaired memory, but memory for familiar music can be preserved. We explored whether a non-musician with severe AD could learn a new song. A 91 year old woman (NC) with severe AD was taught an unfamiliar song. We assessed her delayed song recall (24 hours and 2 weeks), music cognition, two word recall (presented within a familiar song lyric, a famous proverb, or as a word stem completion task), and lyrics and proverb completion. NC’s music cognition (pitch and rhythm perception, recognition of familiar music, completion of lyrics) was relatively preserved. She recalled 0/2 words presented in song lyrics or proverbs, but 2/2 word stems, suggesting intact implicit memory function. She could sing along to the newly learnt song on immediate and delayed recall (24 hours and 2 weeks later), and with intermittent prompting could sing it alone. This is the first detailed study of preserved ability to learn a new song in a non-musician with severe AD, and contributes to observations of relatively preserved musical abilities in people with dementia.