Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Universal newborn screening for congenital CMV infection: what is the evidence of potential benefit?

Congenital CMV infection is a leading cause of childhood disability. Many children born with congenital CMV infection are asymptomatic or have nonspecific symptoms and therefore are typically not diagnosed. A strategy of newborn CMV screening could allow for early detection and intervention to improve clinical outcomes. Interventions might include antiviral drugs or nonpharmaceutical therapies such as speech‐language therapy or cochlear implants. Using published data from developed countries, we analyzed existing evidence of potential benefit that could result from newborn CMV screening. We first estimated the numbers of children with the most important CMV‐related disabilities (i.e. hearing loss, cognitive deficit, and vision impairment), including the age at which the disabilities occur. Then, for each of the disabilities, we examined the existing evidence for the effectiveness of various interventions. We concluded that there is good evidence of potential benefit from nonpharmaceutical interventions for children with delayed hearing loss that occurs by 9 months of age. Similarly, we concluded that there is fair evidence of potential benefit from antiviral therapy for children with hearing loss at birth and from nonpharmaceutical interventions for children with delayed hearing loss occurring between 9 and 24 months of age and for children with CMV‐related cognitive deficits. We found poor evidence of potential benefit for children with delayed hearing loss occurring after 24 months of age and for children with vision impairment. Overall, we estimated that in the United States, several thousand children with congenital CMV could benefit each year from newborn CMV screening, early detection, and interventions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A 1-V 690 μW 8-bit 200 MS/s flash-SAR ADC with pipelined operation of flash and SAR ADCs in 0.13μm CMOS

The successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) has recently attracted a lot of interest due to its power efficiency as well as its simple structure. The main challenge with this type of ADC is the limited sampling rate which is due to its sequential operation. In flash-SAR architectures, this problem is mitigated by cascading flash and SAR ADCs which operate in two consecutive phases. This paper presents a flash-SAR architecture which noticeably increases the ADC sampling rate using pipelined operation of the first-stage flash ADC and the second-stage SAR ADC. In the first stage, a low-power flash ADC is developed using charge distribution dynamic comparators which require no external reference generator. Using the proposed technique, an 8-bit ADC was designed in a 0.13 μm CMOS technology and its simulation results show an SNDR of 49.29 dB with 690 μW total power consumption at 200 MS/s and 1-V supply.
Intersex (testicular oocytes) in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) on the Delmarva Peninsula, USA

The authors describe the prevalence and severity of intersex in the form of testicular oocytes in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) collected over a 5‐yr period from a variety of surface waters on the Delmarva Peninsula, USA, a region dominated by poultry production and agricultural land use. During a survey from 2005 to 2007 of approximately 200 male specimens representing 6 fish and 2 frog species collected from numerous small‐order streams on Delmarva, intersex was observed in only largemouth bass (system‐wide prevalence 17%). During 2008 and 2009, testicular oocytes were encountered in male largemouth bass from 6 lakes and 1 large river system, with prevalence ranging from 33% to 88% (weighted arithmetic mean, 57%). The prevalence of testicular oocytes in largemouth bass from Delmarva lakes was comparable to the highest levels reported in a national US Geological Survey reconnaissance of this species, which also occurred in regions of the Atlantic coastal plain with intensive row‐crop and animal agriculture. To the authors' knowledge, the present study represents the first report in the peer‐reviewed scientific literature of testicular oocytes in fish on the Delmarva Peninsula. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:1163–1169. © 2014 SETAC
Altered Glutamate Receptor—Transporter Expression and Spontaneous Seizures in Rats Exposed to Methylazoxymethanol in Utero

Summary: Purpose: Brain malformations are a common cause of intractable epilepsy and cognitive dysfunction in children. Prenatal exposure to the teratogen methylazoxymethanol (MAM) is a rodent model of brain malformation featuring loss of lamination, clusters of displaced hippocampal cells, and pharmaco‐resistance to antiepileptic drugs. In a normotopic hippocampus, expression of postsynaptic glutamate receptors and the transporters regulating neurotransmitter reuptake are critical factors modulating excitation and synaptic communication. Alterations in this system can have profound effects on overall excitability, cognitive function, and seizure thresholds.
Female monkeys use both the carrot and the stick to promote male participation in intergroup fights

Group-level cooperation often poses a social dilemma in which joint action may be difficult to achieve. Theoretical models and experimental work on humans show that social incentives, such as punishment of defectors and rewarding of cooperators, can promote cooperation in groups of unrelated individuals. Here, we demonstrate that these processes can operate in a non-human animal species, and be used to effectively promote the production of a public good. We took advantage of the fact that intergroup fights in vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops pygerythrus) are characterized by episodes of intergroup aggression with pauses in-between. During pauses, females selectively groomed males that had participated in the previous aggressive episode, but aggressed male group members that had not. In subsequent (i.e. future) episodes, males who had received either aggression or grooming participated above their personal base-line level. Therefore, female–male aggression and grooming both appear to function as social incentives that effectively promote male participation in intergroup fights. Importantly, females stood to gain much from recruiting males as the probability of winning intergroup fights was dependent on the number of active participants, relative to the number of fighters in the opposing group. Furthermore, females appear to maximize the benefits gained from recruiting males as they primarily used social incentives where and when high-quality food resources, which are the resources primarily limiting to female fitness, were at stake.
Unclear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage: Clinical characteristics, hematoma features, and outcomes

Background and purpose Although unclear-onset ischemic stroke, including wake-up ischemic stroke, is drawing attention as a potential target for reperfusion therapy, acute unclear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage has been understudied. Clinical characteristics, hematoma features, and outcomes of patients who developed intracerebral hemorrhage during sleep or those with intracerebral hemorrhage who were unconscious when witnessed were determined. Methods Consecutive intracerebral hemorrhage patients admitted within 24 hours after onset or last-known normal time were classified into clear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage and unclear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage groups. Outcomes included initial hematoma volume, initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, hematoma growth on 24-hour follow-up computed tomography, and vital and functional prognoses at 30 days. Results Of 377 studied patients (122 women, 69 ± 11 years old), 147 (39.0%) had unclear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage. Patients with unclear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage had larger hematoma volumes (p = 0.044) and higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores (p < 0.001) than those with clear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage after multivariable adjustment for risk factors and comorbidities. Hematoma growth was similarly common between the two groups (p = 0.176). There were fewer patients with modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of 0–2 (p = 0.033) and more patients with mRS scores of 5–6 (p = 0.009) and with fatal outcomes (p = 0.049) in unclear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage group compared with clear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage as crude values, but not after adjustment. Conclusions Patients with unclear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage presented with larger hematomas and higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores at emergent visits than those with clear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage, independent of underlying characteristics. Unclear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage patients showed poorer 30-day vital and functional outcomes than clear-onset intracerebral hemorrhage patients; these differences seem to be mainly due to initial hematoma volumes and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores.
A Decrease in Pulmonary Vein Diameter After Radiofrequency Ablation Predicts the Development of Severe Stenosis

A decrease in ostial pulmonary vein (PV) diameter was observed in patients on the day after radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study examined whether a relative reduction in PV diameter on day 1 (RRPVD1) after the procedure predicts the late development of severe PV stenosis (PVS). The study included 104 consecutive patients (mean age = 55 years, range 46–61, 34 women) with drug refractory AF. Pulmonary vein diameter was measured using MR angiography (MRA) on the day before and on day 1 after the ablation procedure. The MRA was repeated every 3 months after the procedure. Severe PVS was defined as a >70% diameter reduction from the initial ostial diameter. The cut‐off of RRPVD1 was prespecified as 25% decrease in initial diameter. The data are presented as medians and interquartile range. A total of 357 PV were treated. The RRPVD1 was 0.0% (0.0–11.1%). Severe PVS was found in 18 PV during a follow‐up of 12 months (range 6–13). The log‐rank analysis confirmed a strong association between a RRPVD1 ≥25% and the development of PVS (hazard ratio: 7.1; 95% confidence interval 3.8–13.5, P < 0.0001). By multivariate Cox regression model, after adjustment of procedure variables, RRPVD1 was the strongest predictor of development of severe PVS. RRPVD1 ≥25% was a strong independent predictor of development of severe PVS.
REVIEW: Curcumin and Alzheimer's Disease

Curcumin has a long history of use as a traditional remedy and food in Asia. Many studies have reported that curcumin has various beneficial properties, such as antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antitumor. Because of the reported effects of curcumin on tumors, many clinical trials have been performed to elucidate curcumin's effects on cancers. Recent reports have suggested therapeutic potential of curcumin in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In in vitro studies, curcumin has been reported to inhibit amyloid‐β‐protein (Aβ) aggregation, and Aβ‐induced inflammation, as well as the activities of β‐secretase and acetylcholinesterase. In in vivo studies, oral administration of curcumin has resulted in the inhibition of Aβ deposition, Aβ oligomerization, and tau phosphorylation in the brains of AD animal models, and improvements in behavioral impairment in animal models. These findings suggest that curcumin might be one of the most promising compounds for the development of AD therapies. At present, four clinical trials concerning the effects of curcumin on AD has been conducted. Two of them that were performed in China and USA have been reported no significant differences in changes in cognitive function between placebo and curcumin groups, and no results have been reported from two other clinical studies. Additional trials are necessary to determine the clinical usefulness of curcumin in the prevention and treatment of AD.
Interaction between ZBP-89 and p53 mutants and its contribution to effects of HDACi on hepatocellular carcinoma

ZBP-89, a zinc finger transcription factor, participates in histone deacetylases inhibitors (HDACi)-mediated growth arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. p53 mutants may interact with ZBP-89 that transcriptionally regulates p21Waf1 (p21). However, this interaction and its consequence in cancer treatments are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that ZBP‑89 is essentially required in HDACi-mediated p21 upregulation in hepetocellular carcinoma (HCC). Overexpression of ZBP-89 protein enhanced the lethal effectiveness of Trichostatin A (TSA). p53 mutant p53G245D, but not p53R249S, directly bound to ZBP-89 and prevented its translocation from cytoplasm to nucleus. Furthermore, p53G245D was shown to have a similar pattern of subcellular localization to ZBP-89 in tissues of HCC patients in Hong Kong. Functionally, the cytoplasmic accumulation of ZBP-89 by p53G245D significantly abrogated the induction of p21 caused by sodium butyrate (NaB) treatment and protected cells from TSA-induced death. The activations of several apoptotic proteins, such as Bid and PARP, were involved in p53G245D-mediated protection. Moreover, the resistance to HDACi in p53G245D-expressing cells was reversed by overexpression of ZBP-89. Taken together, these data suggest a potential mechanism via which mutant p53 enables tumor cells to resist chemotherapy and, therefore, establish a plausible link between mutant p53 binding to ZBP-89 and a decreased chemosensitivity of HCC cells.
Pulmonary Inflammation After Intraperitoneal Administration of Ultrafine Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) At Rest or in Lungs Primed with Lipopolysaccharide

Nanoparticles are widely used in nanomedicines, including for targeted delivery of pharmacological, therapeutic, and diagnostic agents. Since nanoparticles might translocate across cellular barriers from the circulation into targeted organs, it is important to obtain information concerning the pathophysiologic effects of these particles through systemic migration. In the present study, acute pulmonary responses were examined after intraperitoneal (ip) administration of ultrafine titanium dioxide (TiO2, 40 mg/kg) in mice at rest or in lungs primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, ip, 5 mg/kg). Ultrafine TiO2 exposure increased neutrophil influx, protein levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity of BAL cells 4 h after exposure. Concomitantly, the levels of proinflammatory mediators, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2 in BAL fluid and mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-1β in lung tissue were elevated post ultrafine TiO2 exposure. Ultrafine TiO2 exposure resulted in significant activation of inflammatory signaling molecules, such as c-Src and p38 MAP kinase, in lung tissue and alveolar macrophages, and the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway in pulmonary tissue. Furthermore, ultrafine TiO2 additively enhanced these inflammatory parameters and this signaling pathway in lungs primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Contrary to this trend, a synergistic effect was found for TNF-α at the level of protein and mRNA expression. These results suggest that ultrafine TiO2 (P25) induces acute lung inflammation after ip administration, and exhibits additive or synergistic effects with LPS, at least partly, via activation of oxidant-dependent inflammatory signaling and the NF-κB pathway, leading to increased production of proinflammatory mediators.
Galantamine in Frontotemporal Dementia and Primary Progressive Aphasia

Background/Aims: The treatment of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has been mainly symptomatic. Small randomized or open-label case control studies of neurotransmitters have been inconclusive. We tried galantamine in the 2 most common varieties of FTD. Method: Thirty-six behavioral variety FTD and primary progressive aphasia (PPA) patients were treated in an open-label period of 18 weeks and a randomized, placebo-controlled phase for 8 weeks with galantamine. The primary efficacy measures were the Frontal Behavioral Inventory, the Aphasia Quotient of the Western Aphasia Battery, the Clinical Global Impression of Severity and the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement. Results: No significant differences in behavior or language were found for the total group. A treatment effect (p = 0.009), in a subgroup of subjects with PPA in the global severity score, in favor of galantamine was detected in the placebo-controlled withdrawal phase but was not considered significant after correction for multiple comparisons. The language scores for the treated PPA group also remained stable compared to the placebo group, which showed deterioration. Conclusion: Galantamine is not effective in the behavioral variety of FTD, but a trend of efficacy is shown in the aphasic subgroup, which may be clinically significant. Galantamine appeared safe in FTD/PPA.
Research on output force of flexible pneumatic bending joint

In order to eliminate twisting deformation of the flexible pneumatic bending joint, a rigid chain component is designed for it. Compressed air is filled into the pneumatic bending joint, the deformation of rubber tube occurred near the grasping point, and then the force is outputted by the pneumatic bending joint. The characteristics of the output force of the pneumatic bending joint are analyzed from the view of static mechanics, and the mathematic model is built up. Simulation experiment illustrates that the output force of the pneumatic bending joint increases with the air pressure inside the pneumatic bending joint, but the relation between them is nonlinear. But the output force is determined by the value of the air pressure, which means that the output force is controllable. The simulation also shows that the output force of the pneumatic bending joint is relatively small.
Prevention of Falling Risk in Elderly People: The Relevance of Muscular Strength and Symmetry of Lower Limbs in Postural Stability

Pizzigalli, L, Filippini, A, Ahmaidi, S, Jullien, H, and Rainoldi, A. Prevention of falling risk in elderly people: the relevance of muscular strength and symmetry of lower limbs in postural stability. J Strength Cond Res 25(2): 567-574, 2011-Falls are one of the major health problems affecting the quality of life among older adults. The aging process is associated with decreasing muscle strength and an increasing risk of falling. The variables and techniques adopted to quantify muscular strength and postural stability were different in each protocol; a great number of reports analyzed the risk factors and predictors of falls, but the results appear still uncertain. To date, there is no clear, definitive statement or review that has examined the effect of the quadriceps strength on static balance performances in different sensory conditions. This contribution aims to provide an overview of experimental works to increase the comprehension and prevention of falls and fall-related injuries in the elderly. Based on a review of the literature, this work was designed to explore the relationship among risk of falls, postural stability, and muscular strength of lower limbs in older adults.
Epigenetics, aging, and autoimmunity

Immune senescence is associated with a decline in T- and B-cell immune responses. It is, therefore, perhaps surprising that aging is linked to the appearance of serological and clinical autoimmunity. Here we review the mechanisms that contribute to the increase in inflammatory and autoimmune responses in aging. The bulk of this review will focus on aging-associated changes in epigenetic mechanisms, and in particular DNA methylation, as this has emerged as an attractive mechanistic link between aging and autoimmunity.
Exosome-Carried microRNA-375 Inhibits Cell Progression and Dissemination via Bcl-2 Blocking in Colon Cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Worldwide, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and second in women. The aim of the current study was to identify whether the miR-375 is indeed down-regulated in metastatic CRC and if it could be considered as a potential minimally invasive prognostic biomarker for CRC. METHODS Exosomes were isolated and characterized from patients with liver metastasis from CCR. The characterization of exosome was performed using TEM/SEM. HCT116 cells were treated with miR-375 mimic, NSM and miR-375 inhibitor. Functional assays included cell counting assay for 14 days, Matrigel invasion assay, apoptosis assay by flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC, RT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS Increased proliferation potential was proven for the cells transfected with miR-375 inhibitor, while the miR-375 mimic decreased the cell number. The cells transfected with the miR-375 inhibitor are aggressive and cross the membrane; 3.84% of the cells transfected with the miR-375 inhibitor entered apoptosis, while 6.45% of those transfected with the non-specific mimic were in programmed cell death, less than those transfected with the microRNA. RT-PCR for Bcl-2 expression showed that Bcl-2 is down-regulated for miR-375 inhibitor and up-regulated for the miR-375 mimic, a result confirmed by Western blotting. CONCLUSION The present study brings to the forefront new data that suggest miR-375 as a new player in controlling the pathways responsible for inhibiting the natural history of CRC tumor cells, via the Bcl-2 pathway.
Gas sensing properties and p-type response of ALD TiO2 coated carbon nanotubes

Amorphous titanium dioxide-coated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and investigated as sensing layers for resistive NO2 and O2 gas sensors. By varying ALD process conditions and CNT structure, heterostructures with different metal oxide grain size, morphology and coating thickness were synthesized. Higher responses were observed with homogeneous and continuous 5.5 nm thick films onto CNTs at an operating temperature of 150 °C, while CNTs decorated with either discontinuous film or TiO2 nanoparticles showed a weak response close to the one of device made of bare CNTs. An unexpected p-type behavior in presence of the target gas was also noticed, independently of the metal oxide morphology and thickness. Based on previous works, hypotheses were made in order to explain the p-type behavior of TiO2/CNT sensors.
Analytical models of resonant rectangular cantilever type chemical sensors for applications in fluids

This paper demonstrates the analytical design and optimisation of piezoresistive rectangular cantilevers with particular concern for the geometric factors and associated influences of the displacement response functions through an increase in damping. Microcantilever sensors with a higher frequency response ultimately proved critical due to their response to forces that vary rapidly in time. The increase of the damping due to the fluid loading was shown to be mostly dependent upon the reduction of the cantilever dimensions. Such a scaling downward of dimensions has the profound additional benefit of leading to a marked reduction in response time. Reducing the dimensions of the cantilever provides tangible benefits include: the reduction of the total noise, the maximization of sensitivity to modulations in the Brownian fluctuations from analyst binding and the capacity to account for Brownian noise relative to Johnson noise.