Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Diet and Exercise in Preventing NIDDM in People With Impaired Glucose Tolerance: The Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study

OBJECTIVE Individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) have a high risk of developing NIDDM. The purpose of this study was to determine whether diet and exercise interventions in those with IGT may delay the development of NIDDM, i.e., reduce the incidence of NIDDM, and thereby reduce the overall incidence of diabetic complications, such as cardiovascular, renal, and retinal disease, and the excess mortality attributable to these complications. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In 1986, 110,660 men and women from 33 health care clinics in the city of Da Qing, China, were screened for IGT and NIDDM. Of these individuals, 577 were classified (using World Health Organization criteria) as having IGT. Subjects were randomized by clinic into a clinical trial, either to a control group or to one of three active treatment groups: diet only, exercise only, or diet plus exercise. Follow-up evaluation examinations were conducted at 2-year intervals over a 6-year period to identify subjects who developed NIDDM. Cox's proportional hazard analysis was used to determine if the incidence of NIDDM varied by treatment assignment. RESULTS The cumulative incidence of diabetes at 6 years was 67.7% (95% CI, 59.8–75.2) in the control group compared with 43.8% (95% CI, 35.5–52.3) in the diet group, 41.1% (95% CI, 33.4–49.4) in the exercise group, and 46.0% (95% CI, 37.3–54.7) in the diet-plus-exercise group (P < 0.05). When analyzed by clinic, each of the active intervention groups differed significantly from the control clinics (P < 0.05). The relative decrease in rate of development of diabetes in the active treatment groups was similar when subjects were stratified as lean or overweight (BMI < or ≥ 25 kg/m2). In a proportional hazards analysis adjusted for differences in baseline BMI and fasting glucose, the diet, exercise, and diet-plus-exercise interventions were associated with 31% (P < 0.03), 46% (P < 0.0005), and 42% (P < 0.005) reductions in risk of developing diabetes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Diet and/or exercise interventions led to a significant decrease in the incidence of diabetes over a 6-year period among those with IGT.
How to Activate a Plant Gravireceptor. Early Mechanisms of Gravity Sensing Studied in Characean Rhizoids during Parabolic Flights1

Early processes underlying plant gravity sensing were investigated in rhizoids of Chara globularis under microgravity conditions provided by parabolic flights of the A300-Zero-G aircraft and of sounding rockets. By applying centrifugal forces during the microgravity phases of sounding rocket flights, lateral accelerations of 0.14g, but not of 0.05g, resulted in a displacement of statoliths. Settling of statoliths onto the subapical plasma membrane initiated the gravitropic response. Since actin controls the positioning of statoliths and restricts sedimentation of statoliths in these cells, it can be calculated that lateral actomyosin forces in a range of 2 × 10−14 n act on statoliths to keep them in place. These forces represent the threshold value that has to be exceeded by any lateral acceleration stimulus for statolith sedimentation and gravisensing to occur. When rhizoids were gravistimulated during parabolic plane flights, the curvature angles of the flight samples, whose sedimented statoliths became weightless for 22 s during the 31 microgravity phases, were not different from those of in-flight 1g controls. However, in ground control experiments, curvature responses were drastically reduced when the contact of statoliths with the plasma membrane was intermittently interrupted by inverting gravistimulated cells for less than 10 s. Increasing the weight of sedimented statoliths by lateral centrifugation did not enhance the gravitropic response. These results provide evidence that graviperception in characean rhizoids requires contact of statoliths with membrane-bound receptor molecules rather than pressure or tension exerted by the weight of statoliths.
Motoneuron cell death and neurotrophic factors: Basic models for development of new therapeutic strategies in ALS

Motoneurons are generated in excess during embryonic development of higher vertebrates. In the lumbar spinal cord of the developing rat, about 6000 motoneurons are present at embryonic day 14. These neurons grow out axons which make contact with their target tissue, the skeletal muscle. About 50% of the motoneurons are lost during a critical period from embryonic day 14 until postnatal day 3. This process, which is called physiological motoneuron cell death, has been the focus of research aiming at the identification of neurotrophic factors which regulate motoneuron survival during this developmental Motoneuron cell death can also be observed in vitro when the motoneurons are isolated from the embryonic avian or rodent spinal cord. These isolated motoneurons and other types of primary neurons have been a useful tool for studying basic mechanisms underlying neuronal degeneration during development and under pathophysiological conditions in neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Accumulating evidence from such studies suggests that some specific requirements of motoneurons for survival and proper function may change during development. These findings might be relevant for understanding the pathophysiological processes underlying ALS period. and thus could contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies. (ALS 2001; 2 (suppl 1): S55AS68).
Childhood anxiety in a diverse primary care population: parent-child reports, ethnicity and SCARED factor structure.

OBJECTIVE To explore in a multiethnic primary care population the impact of child gender and of race/ethnicity on parent and child reports of school-age anxiety and on the factor structure of the Screen for Childhood Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). METHOD A consecutive sample of 515 children (8 to <13 years) and their parent presenting for primary care completed self-report (C) and parent-report (P) versions of the SCARED-41. RESULTS Neither SCARED scores nor parent-child difference varied significantly with race/ethnicity. Predictors of higher SCARED scores were less parental education, younger child age and female gender. Exploratory factor analysis conducted separately for SCARED-C and SCARED-P yielded four factors. There was large variation in factor structure between SCARED-C and SCARED-P and across ethnic and gender subgroups, greatest for somatic/panic/generalized anxiety and Hispanic children. CONCLUSIONS Primary care triage of anxious children requires data from both the parent and child and must go beyond cross-sectional symptom inventories. Clinicians must elicit from each family their perhaps culturally bound interpretation of the child's somatic and psychological symptoms.
Structural Analysis of Coxsackievirus A7 Reveals Conformational Changes Associated with Uncoating

ABSTRACT Coxsackievirus A7 (CAV7) is a rarely detected and poorly characterized serotype of the Enterovirus species Human enterovirus A (HEV-A) within the Picornaviridae family. The CAV7-USSR strain has caused polio-like epidemics and was originally thought to represent the fourth poliovirus type, but later evidence linked this strain to the CAV7-Parker prototype. Another isolate, CAV7-275/58, was also serologically similar to Parker but was noninfectious in a mouse model. Sequencing of the genomic region encoding the capsid proteins of the USSR and 275/58 strains and subsequent comparison with the corresponding amino acid sequences of the Parker strain revealed that the Parker and USSR strains are nearly identical, while the 275/58 strain is more distant. Using electron cryomicroscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction, the structures of the CAV7-USSR virion and empty capsid were resolved to 8.2-Å and 6.1-Å resolutions, respectively. This is one of the first detailed structural analyses of the HEV-A species. Using homology modeling, reconstruction segmentation, and flexible fitting, we constructed a pseudoatomic T = 1 (pseudo T = 3) model incorporating the three major capsid proteins (VP1 to VP3), addressed the conformational changes of the capsid and its constituent viral proteins occurring during RNA release, and mapped the capsid proteins' variable regions to the structure. During uncoating, VP4 and RNA are released analogously to poliovirus 1, the interfaces of VP2 and VP3 are rearranged, and VP1 rotates. Variable regions in the capsid proteins were predicted to map mainly to the surface of VP1 and are thus likely to affect the tropism and pathogenicity of CAV7.
Next-generation Mars EDL GNC: Challenges and solutions

All Mars landers to date continue to rely on the entry, descent and landing (EDL) technologies developed for the Viking missions in the mid-seventies of the last century. Viking-like landers adopt the inertial navigation and unguided entry mode, which lead to the larger landing error ellipse and lower elevation landing site restriction. Next-generation Mars missions requires the capability of pin-point landing (safe landing within tens of meters to 100 m of a pre-selected target site), the current Mars EDL guidance navigation and control (GNC) system cannot meet the requirements. In this paper, main challenges that impact on Mars EDL GNC are analyzed firstly. Then, some potential solutions are proposed to circumvent the challenges. Integrated navigation schemes are presented to improve the navigation accuracy. At the same time, active entry guidance schemes are proposed to improve the guidance performance with the larger parameter uncertainties using robust and adaptive control theory. Fault-tolerant control strategies are given to enhance the reliability, and the autonomous hazard detection and avoidance scheme is also developed to improve the safety of landing.
Lumbar Microdiscectomy: A Clinicoradiological Analysis of Outcome

Background: The long-term outcome after lumbar microdiscectomy (LMD) may be affected by low back pain (LBP) and segmental instability, the determinants of which remain unclear. We sought to analyze the interaction between clinical, functional, and radiological variables and their impact on patient outcome. Methods: All patients who underwent LMD in 2004-2005 were invited to participate in this retrospective cohort study. Patients were re-evaluated clinically and radiologically after a three to five year follow-up. Results: Forty-one of 97 eligible patients were enrolled. Twelve patients (29.3%) reported moderate-to-severe sciatica, 12 (29.3%) had moderate LBP, and 13 (31.7%) exhibited clinical evidence of segmental instability. Thirty-eight patients (92.7%) had minimal disability and 3 (7.3%) had moderate disability. Twenty-three patients (56.1%) were fully satisfied, while 18 (43.9%) had only partial satisfaction, having expected a better outcome. Thirty-three patients (80.5%) returned to full-time work. Median disc space collapse (DSC) was 20% (range 5-66%) and L4-L5 was particularly affected. Prevalence of Modic changes increased from 46.3% to 78% with type 2 predominance. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following negative prognostic factors: female sex, young age, lack of regular exercise, and chronic preoperative LBP. There was no correlation between the course of Modic changes, DSC, and patient outcome. Conclusion: Although many patients may be symptomatic following LMD, significant disability and dissatisfaction are uncommon. Female sex, young age, lack of exercise, and chronic preoperative LBP may predict a worse outcome. Disc collapse is a universal finding, particularly at L4-L5. Neither DSC nor Modic changes seem to affect patient outcome.
Fasting compared with nonfasting triglycerides and risk of cardiovascular events in women.

CONTEXT The association of triglycerides with incident cardiovascular disease remains controversial. Although triglyceride levels are typically obtained in the fasting state, postprandial hypertriglyceridemia may play an important role in atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVE To determine the association of triglyceride levels (fasting vs nonfasting) and risk of future cardiovascular events. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective study of 26,509 initially healthy US women (20,118 fasting and 6391 nonfasting) participating in the Women's Health Study, enrolled between November 1992 and July 1995 and undergoing follow-up for a median of 11.4 years. Triglyceride levels were measured in blood samples obtained at time of enrollment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Hazard ratios for incident cardiovascular events (nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal ischemic stroke, coronary revascularization, or cardiovascular death). RESULTS At baseline, triglyceride levels in fasting as well as nonfasting women correlated with traditional cardiac risk factors and markers of insulin resistance. During a median follow-up of 11.4 years, 1001 participants experienced an incident cardiovascular event (including 276 nonfatal myocardial infarctions, 265 ischemic strokes, 628 coronary revascularizations, and 163 cardiovascular deaths), for an overall rate of 3.46 cardiovascular events per 1000 person-years of follow-up. After adjusting for age, blood pressure, smoking, and use of hormone therapy, both fasting and nonfasting triglyceride levels predicted cardiovascular events. Among fasting participants, further adjustment for levels of total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and measures of insulin resistance weakened this association (fully adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] for increasing tertiles of triglyceride levels: 1 [reference], 1.21 [0.96-1.52], and 1.09 [0.85-1.41] [P = .90 for trend]). In contrast, nonfasting triglyceride levels maintained a strong independent relationship with cardiovascular events in fully adjusted models (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] for increasing tertiles of levels: 1 [reference], 1.44 [0.90-2.29], and 1.98 [1.21-3.25] [P = .006 for trend]). In secondary analyses stratified by time since participants' last meal, triglyceride levels measured 2 to 4 hours postprandially had the strongest association with cardiovascular events (fully adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] for highest vs lowest tertiles of levels, 4.48 [1.98-10.15] [P<.001 for trend]), and this association progressively decreased with longer periods of fasting. CONCLUSIONS In this cohort of initially healthy women, nonfasting triglyceride levels were associated with incident cardiovascular events, independent of traditional cardiac risk factors, levels of other lipids, and markers of insulin resistance; by contrast, fasting triglyceride levels showed little independent relationship.
Intimate Partner Violence, Depression, and Resource Availability Among a Community Sample of Hispanic Women

This study investigated the relationships among resource availability, IPV, and depression among Hispanic community-dwelling women. The Vulnerable Population's Conceptual Framework (15) was used to conceptualize and test relationships among these variables. Cross-sectional questionnaires assessed resource availability (i.e., income, education, employment, insurance status, and self-esteem), depressive symptoms (CES-D), and intimate partner violence (IPV) by a current/recent partner. Linear and logistic regressions were conducted to explore relationship among variables. Although most of the relationships among resource availability, IPV, and depression supported the conceptual framework, the importance of incorporating additional cultural, relationship, and social factors are stressed.
[Combined treatments in obsessive-compulsive disorder: current knowledge and future prospects].

AIM Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and/or cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) are first-line treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The study discuss whether: a) combining both treatments ab initio is more effective than either monotherapy alone; and b) a sequential treatment is effective both in responder and non responder patients. METHODS Have been carried out a search on Medline/PubMed database, selecting clinical randomized controlled studies in English. Have been examined 9 randomized controlled studies where combined treatment ab initio was compared to CBT alone, and 6 where combination treatment was compared to SRI alone. No controlled studies were found for sequential treatments in OCD. Have been then examined naturalistic studies, 2 including responder patients and 7 including non responder patients. RESULTS Of the 9 studies, 7 didn't find any additional benefit of combining treatments as compared to CBT alone; in 1 study the combination strategy resulted more effective than CBT alone in children and adolescents, and in another in severely depressed adult patients with OCD. As compared to SRIs alone, combining treatments was not more effective in 4 studies, while in 2 studies it was more effective. All studies concerning sequential treatments found evidence of efficacy of this strategy. DISCUSSION Combining ab initio CBT and SRI has not been found to be clearly superior of either therapy alone, except for patients with severe depression and for children and adolescents. On the contrary, a sequential strategy may be used successfully both to treat residual symptoms in responders and to determine clinical response in resistant patients.
Excitable Gap in Canine Fibrillating Ventricular Myocardium: Effect of Subacute and Chronic Myocardial Infarction

Excitable Gap in Infarcted Canine Myocardium. Introduction: The existence of an excitable gap during ventricular fibrillation (VF) has been suggested in several prior studies. However, the effects of myocardial infarction on the presence and duration of an excitable gap during VF have not been evaluated.
INCREASED PRODUCTION OF MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE-2 IN ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES AND REGULATION BY INTERLEUKIN-10 IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE PULMONARY SARCOIDOSIS

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and cathepsins have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several interstitial lung diseases by their effects on inflammatory processes and extracellular matrix remodelling. T he aim of this study was to investigate whether macrophage-derived MMPs and cathepsins are involved in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. Therefore the release of MMP-2, MMP-9, and cathepsins B and L from alveolar macrophages (AM)in active pulmonary sarcoidosis was studied and compared to normal controls and patients with pneumonia and fibrosis. Patients with sarcoidosis (n = 11), pulmonary fibrosis (n = 7), and pneumonia (n = 9) and normal controls (n = 10) were enrolled in the study. AM were obtained bybronchoalveolar lavage and cultured without stimulation and in presence of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10). The release of cathepsins and MMPs as well as IL-10 and TNF α was measured in the supernatant of cultured AM by fluorimetric assays and zymography. AM of patients with sarcoidosis and pneumonia spontaneously released more MMP-2 than normal controls. Stimulation with TNF α showed no effects on MMP-2 and MMP-9 production. Exogenous IL-10 led partially to an inhibition of the MMP-2 and MMP-9 release. Patients with sarcoidosis produced significantly more IL-10 and TNF α than normal controls. This was not observed in patients with fibrosis and pneumonia. The spontaneous release of cathepsins B and L did not differ between the patient groups and normal controls and was not affected by TNF α and IL-10. The data show that AM of patients with sarcoidosis and pneumonia release significant amounts of MMP-2. The endogenous production of IL-10 in AMof patients with sarcoidosis and the MMP downregulation byexogenous IL-10 suggest an involvement of IL-10 in MMP regulation. Furthermore the results suggest that the production of MMP-2 is more specific for acute lung injury, rather than for a single lung disease such as sarcoidosis.
Performance evaluation for 68Ga and 18F of the ARGUS small-animal PET scanner based on the NEMA NU-4 standard

68Ga is one of the non-conventional nuclides that are being used in preclinical imaging. One disadvantage of 68Ga versus 18F is its larger positron range, which deteriorates the effective spatial resolution and the overall image quality. In this work we present a performance evaluation of the ARGUS small-animal positron emission tomography (PET) scanner for two positron emitters, 68Ga and 18F. These experiments followed the procedure based on the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 4–2008 standard. We show how the use of 68Ga may affect the NEMA performance of the system in terms of image quality and spatial resolution. The recovery coefficients (RC) measured in the image-quality phantom ranged from 0.17 to 0.72 for 68Ga and from 0.28 to 0.92 for 18F, using iterative image reconstruction methods and applying all corrections. Under the same conditions the image noise (%STD) in a uniform region was 17.0% for 68Ga and 15.1% for 18F. The respective spillover ratios (SOR) were 0.13 and 0.09 in air, and 0.21 and 0.12 in water. Attenuation correction yielded an improvement of the SOR close to 50% for both radionuclides in the air-filled region. This work evaluates the image reconstruction methods and corrections available in the ARGUS PET for 68Ga and 18F to assess the influence of their physical properties on the NEMA parameters.
Mannitol for acute traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND Mannitol is sometimes effective in reversing acute brain swelling, but its effectiveness in the ongoing management of severe head injury remains unclear. There is evidence that, in prolonged dosage, mannitol may pass from the blood into the brain, where it might cause increased intracranial pressure. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of different mannitol therapy regimens, of mannitol compared to other intracranial pressure (ICP) lowering agents, and to quantify the effectiveness of mannitol administration given at other stages following acute traumatic brain injury. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Injuries Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE (OvidSP), EMBASE (OvidSP), ISI Web of Science (SCI-EXPANDED & CPCI-S) and PubMed. We checked reference lists of trials and review articles, and contacted authors of trials. The search was updated on the 20th April 2009. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials of mannitol, in patients with acute traumatic brain injury of any severity. The comparison group could be placebo-controlled, no drug, different dose, or different drug. We excluded cross-over trials, and trials where the intervention was started more than eight weeks after injury. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We independently rated quality of allocation concealment and extracted the data. Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for each trial on an intention to treat basis. MAIN RESULTS We identified four eligible randomised controlled trials. One trial compared ICP-directed therapy to 'standard care' (RR for death = 0.83; 95% CI 0.47 to 1.46). One trial compared mannitol to pentobarbital (RR for death = 0.85; 95% CI 0.52 to 1.38). One trial compared mannitol to hypertonic saline (RR for death = 1.25; 95% CI 0.47 to 3.33). One trial tested the effectiveness of pre-hospital administration of mannitol against placebo (RR for death = 1.75; 95% CI 0.48 to 6.38). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Mannitol therapy for raised ICP may have a beneficial effect on mortality when compared to pentobarbital treatment, but may have a detrimental effect on mortality when compared to hypertonic saline. ICP-directed treatment shows a small beneficial effect compared to treatment directed by neurological signs and physiological indicators. There are insufficient data on the effectiveness of pre-hospital administration of mannitol.