Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antagonism of the cytotoxic but not antiviral effects of ara-sangivamycin by adenosine

Inhibition of DNA synthesis by ara-sangivamycin was antagonized by adenosine. The 50% inhibitory concentrations increased 1.6- to 32-fold in the presence of 1.0 to 50 microM adenosine, respectively. In contrast, the inhibition of human cytomegalovirus replication by ara-sangivamycin was not antagonized by as much as 50 microM adenosine. This suggests that different enzymes were responsible for the phosphorylation of ara-sangivamycin in uninfected and infected cells.
Circulating soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha and beta chain in inflammatory bowel disease.

OBJECTIVES Inflammatory bowel disease is characterized by T cell activation. Activated T cells shed interleukin-2 receptors (IL-2R) in a soluble form. A positive correlation between sIL-2R alpha (CD25) and disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease has been shown previously, whereas IL-2R beta (CD122) has never before been investigated in this respect. Serum from 27 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 31 with Crohn's disease (CD), and 29 healthy volunteers was obtained. METHODS Disease activity was scored according to a semiquantitative score for UC and by Crohn's disease activity index for CD. sIL-2R alpha and -beta chains were assessed by a sandwich ELISA technique using monoclonal antibodies specific for CD25 and CD122, respectively. RESULTS The median concentration of sIL-2R alpha was 4424 pg/ml in healthy controls, 6460 in UC (p < 0.004), and 6371 in CD (p < 0.01). The corresponding value of sIL-2R beta in healthy volunteers was 605 pg/ml; in active UC, significantly lower levels were found at 233 pg/ml (p < 0.01), whereas in inactive UC, no such difference was observed at 725 pg/ml (p > 0.05). In CD, the levels were 839 pg/ml in inactive and 920 pg/ml in active disease stages (p > 0.05 vs controls). A positive and significant correlation existed between sIL-2R levels of alpha and beta chains in CD (r = 0.64; p < 0.01) but not in UC (r = -0.32; p > 0.05) or in healthy volunteers (r = 0.16; p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Future longitudinal studies will be necessary to learn whether this newly assessed sIL-2R beta (CD122), which may interfere with IL-15R, could be used to predict disease exacerbation and to monitor anti-inflammatory therapy in UC.
Dissociation between corpus callosum atrophy and white matter pathology in Alzheimer's disease

Objective: To determine whether the size of the corpus callosum is related to the extent of white matter pathology in patients with AD and age-matched healthy control subjects. Methods: White matter hyperintensity load and corpus callosum size were compared between 20 clinically diagnosed AD patients and 21 age-matched healthy control subjects. We investigated the effect of age and disease severity on corpus callosum size and white matter hyperintensity, in addition to the relation between corpus callosum areas and white matter hyperintensity load. Results: We found significant regional atrophy of the corpus callosum in AD when compared with control subjects, although the groups did not differ in their white matter hyperintensity load. We further showed a region-specific correlation between corpus callosum size and white matter hyperintensity in the control group but not in AD patients. In the AD group, corpus callosum size correlated with age and dementia severity, whereas white matter hyperintensity correlated only with age. Conclusion: Corpus callosum atrophy in AD can occur independent of white matter degeneration, likely reflecting specific AD pathology in projecting neurons.
A neuropsychological study of personality: Trait openness in relation to intelligence, fluency, and executive functioning

Openness is a personality trait that has been linked to intelligence and divergent thinking. DeYoung, Peterson, and Higgins (2005) theorized that trait Openness depends on dopamine function, especially in the prefrontal cortex. We tested their theory in 335 healthy adults by hypothesizing that individual differences in Openness would correlate more strongly with performance on tests of executive function than on tests of intelligence and fluency. However, Openness correlated more strongly with verbal/crystallized intelligence (Gc; r = .44) than with executive functioning (r = .16) and fluency (r = .24). Further, the partial correlation between Openness and Gc increased from r = . 26 among young adults to r = . 53 among elderly adults. These findings suggest that Openness is more closely associated with the acquisition of broad verbal intellectual skills and knowledge than with executive abilities localized to a specific brain region or neurotransmitter system.
NURR1 mutations in cases of schizophrenia and manic-depressive disorder.

Transgenic mice lacking the nuclear orphan transcription factor Nur-related receptor 1 (Nurr1) fail to develop mesencephalic dopamine neurons. There is a highly homologous NURR1 gene in humans (formerly known as NOT) which therefore constitutes a good candidate gene for neurologic and psychiatric disorders with an involvement of the dopamine neuron system, such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and manic-depression. By direct sequencing of genomic DNA, we found two different missense mutations in the third exon of NURR1 in two schizophrenic patients and another missense mutation in the same exon in an individual with manic-depressive disorder. All three mutations caused a similar reduction of in vitro transcriptional activity of NURR1 dimers of about 30-40%. Neither of these amino acid changes, nor any sequence changes whatsoever, were found in patients with Parkinson's disease or control DNA material of normal populations. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:808-813, 2000.
A 68–83 GHz power amplifier in 90 nm CMOS

A balanced PA covering 68–83 GHz is developed in 90nm CMOS. Using wideband power matching topology, the PA achieves power gain of greater than 18.1 dB from 68 to 83 GHz and gain flatness within 0.2 dB from 68 to 78 GHz. The PA has a maximum saturation output power of 14dBm at 70 GHz, and greater than 11.8 dBm from 68 to 83 GHz. The best P1dB is 12 dBm at 68 GHz, and greater than 8.3 dBm from 68 to 83 GHz.
Climate change and amphibians

Amphibian life histories are exceedingly sensitive to temperature and precipitation, and there is good evidence that recent climate change has already resulted in a shift to breeding earlier in the year for some species. There are also suggestions that the recent increase in the occurrence of El Niño events has caused declines of anurans in Central America and is linked to elevated mortality of amphibian embryos in the northwestern United States. However, evidence linking amphibian declines in Central America to climate relies solely on correlations, and the mechanisms underlying the declines are not understood. Connections between embryo mortality and declines in abundance have not been demonstrated. Analyses of existing data have generally failed to find a link between climate and amphibian declines. It is likely, however, that future climate change will cause further declines of some amphibian species. Reduced soil moisture could reduce prey species and eliminate habitat. Reduced snowfall and increased summer evaporation could have dramatic effects on the duration or occurrence of seasonal wetlands, which are primary habitat for many species of amphibians. Climate change may be a relatively minor cause of current amphibian declines, but it may be the biggest future challenge to the persistence of many species.
Depletion of Oestrogen Receptor‐β Expression in Magnocellular Arginine Vasopressin Neurones by Hypovolaemia and Dehydration

Oestrogen receptor (ER)‐β expression correlates inversely with osmotic control of arginine vasopressin (AVP) release such that cellular dehydration induced by 72 h of 2% saline consumption depletes ER‐β in the magnocellular AVP neurones in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nuclei (PVN). The current studies were performed to determine whether other pathways that stimulate AVP release, such as hypovolaemia, also regulate ER‐β expression in these nuclei, and to evaluate the time course of the change in ER‐β expression during water deprivation and subsequent rehydration. ER‐β expression was evaluated immunocytochemically. In rats made hypovolaemic with a subcutaneous injection of 40% polyethylene glycol (PEG), a significant depletion of ER‐β in both SON and magnocellular PVN (P ≤ 0.001) was evident 8 h post PEG injection. ER‐β was also significantly depleted following 20 h and 26 h of water deprivation in SON (P = 0.003) and magnocellular PVN (P < 0.001). Six hours of rehydration in rats that had been water deprived for 26 h induced recovery of expression that was statistically significant, although not complete (P ≤ 0.015 in PVN). Thus, for the first time, the present studies demonstrate that haemodynamic in addition to osmotic influences are capable of regulating ER‐β expression in the magnocellular system, and that the combination of these factors induced by a physiological manipulation (e.g. 20 h of water deprivation) can eliminate ER‐β expression. Because ER‐β has been shown to mediate inhibition of AVP secretion in explants of the hypothalamic‐neurohypophyseal system, these data suggest that down‐regulation of ER‐β may contribute to stimulated AVP release during hypovolaemic states such as fluid deprivation and haemorrhage.
Comparison of PWM and modified One Cycle Control for bridgeless zeta AC-DC converter

Bridgeless topologies have been introduced to improve the input power factor and hence reduce THD and ripples in the input current. Bridgeless zeta converter has the advantages of reduced number of semiconductor switch, easy electrical isolation and reduced in-rush current during start-up. Conventional PWM technique is used for the control of switches. But it suffers from the problem of slow dynamic response. With One Cycle Control it is possible to eliminate input perturbations in one switching cycle. In this paper, a comparison has been made between the conventional PWM technique and modified One Cycle Control for bridgeless zeta converter. The model is developed using MATLAB/Simulink and the results have been analyzed.
Supplementation with n‐3 fatty acids reduces triglycerides but increases PAI‐1 in non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus

Abstract. The effects of dietary supplementation with n‐3 fatty acids on lipid and glucose metabolism and on fibrinolysis were evaluated in 14 non‐insulin‐dependent diabetic patients who were given 10 g of MaxEPA (3 g n‐3 fatty acids) or placebo (olive oil) per day in a randomized double‐blind cross‐over study during two consecutive 8‐week periods. The serum triglyceride (TG) concentrations decreased by 27% (P < 0.01) after addition of MaxEPA with a reduction of VLDL TG by 36% (P < 0.05) while LDL cholesterol increased by 6% (P= 0.05). The fasting blood sugar and HbA1c. concentrations increased significantly after addition of MaxEPA but the changes were not significantly different from those during the placebo period. The highest glucose concentrations at fasting and after an i.v. glucose injection were seen after MaxEPA while the serum insulin concentrations were unchanged. The peripheral insulin sensitivity, as measured by a euglycaemic, hyperinsulinaemic clamp technique, did not change during the study. The mean plasminogen inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1) activity of the patients was elevated compared with healthy controls. In spite of the reduction of the triglyceride concentrations and unchanged insulin levels, there was a significant increase of the activity of PAI‐1 (+ 21%, P < 0.01) after MaxEPA suggesting a possible impairment of the fibrinolytic capacity. In many situations there seems to be a reduction of PAI‐1 when the triglycerides are lowered. In the diabetic patients given n‐3 fatty acids this was not the case.
Application of intensity-modulated radiation therapy in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The objective of the present study was to investigate the application values of the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and the three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A total of 124 patients diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinomas were included into the study and randomly divided into the control group and the observation group, with 62 patients in each group. The 3D-CRT combined with postoperative chemotherapy were performed on the control group and the observation group received IMRT combined with postoperative chemotherapy, and then were followed up for a median duration of 25.5 months. Comparison of the survival analysis of the two groups showed no differences between them in terms of the total effective rate and effectiveness (P>0.05), or radiotherapy complications (P>0.05). In addition, no significant differences between the two groups were found in the follow-up local tumor control probability (TCP), regional lymph node control rate, distant metastasis-free rate, tumor-free survival rate, recurrence rate and overall survival rate (P>0.05). Furthermore, there was no difference between the two groups in the overall score of quality of life (P>0.05). The present study concludes that the IMRT and the 3D-CRT have almost the same short-term and long-term clinical effects in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and both of them have high effectiveness and safety.
Expanding patient engagement in quality improvement and health system redesign

Healthcare organizations face growing pressures to increase patient-centred care and to involve patients more in organizational decisions. Yet many providers worry that such involvement requires additional time and resources and do not see patients as capable of contributing meaningfully to decisions. This article discusses three efforts in four organizations to engage patients in quality improvement efforts. McGill University Health Centre, Saskatoon Health Region, and Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health Regions all engaged patients in quality improvement and system redesign initiatives that were successful in improving care processes, outcomes, and patient experience measures. Patient involvement in redesigning care may provide a way to demonstrate the value of patients’ experiences and inputs into problem-solving, building support for their involvement in other areas. Further study of these cases and a broader survey of organizational experiences with patient involvement may help elucidate the factors that support greater patient engagement.
Value of positron emission tomography in the diagnosis of recurrent oesophageal carcinoma

Positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) might be useful for staging oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). FDG‐PET may be more accurate than computed tomography (CT) in diagnosing lymph node metastasis. This retrospective study compared the ability of FDG‐PET and CT to diagnose recurrent oesophageal carcinoma.
Metabolic clearance rates and the interconversion factors of estrone and estradiol-17 beta in the immature and adult female rat.

The metabolic clearance rate (MCRp) of estrone (E1) and estradiol-17β(E2) has been measured in adult and immature female Wistar R rats by long-term intravenous infusions with tritium-labeled hormones. Plasma radioconcentrations were shown tobe constant at the end of 3- or 4-hr infusions for total radioactive metabolites and for isolated precursor (infused hormone) and product of interconversion. Fractional turnover time of total radioactive metabolites in plasma was constant throughout the range of infusion rates, starting from 0.5 up to 920 ng/hr for E2-6,7-3H in adult, from 0.26 up to 677 ng/hr for E2-6,7-3H in immature andfrom 5 up to 2000 ng/hr for E1-6,7-3H in adult animals. MCRpEl was equal to 570±35 (SD) ml/hr in adult, and 161 ml/hr in one groupof immature animals. MCRpE2 was equal to 676 ±70 ml/hr in adult, and was independent of the ratesofinfusionranging from 4.9 to 703 ng/hr. In immature MCRpE2 increased slowly with increasing rates of infusion and the correlation (p<0.05) was equal to 323.5+0.
Levels of human Fis1 at the mitochondrial outer membrane regulate mitochondrial morphology

Mitochondria undergo balanced fission and fusion events that enable their appropriate networking within the cell. In yeast, three factors have been identified that co-ordinate fission events at the mitochondrial outer membrane. Fis1p acts as the outer membrane receptor for recruitment of the dynamin member, Dnm1p and the WD40-repeat-containing protein Mdv1p. In mammals, the Dnm1p counterpart Drp1 has been characterized, but other components have not. Here, we report the characterization of human Fis1 (hFis1). hFis1 is inserted into the mitochondrial outer membrane via a C-terminal transmembrane domain that, along with a short basic segment, is essential for its targeting. Although expression of hFis1 does not complement the phenotype of yeast cells lacking Fis1p, overexpression of hFis1 in tissue culture cells nevertheless causes mitochondrial fragmentation and aggregation. This aggregation could be suppressed by expressing a dominant-negative Drp1 mutant (Drp1K38A). Knockdown of hFis1 in COS-7 cells using RNA interference results in mitochondrial morphology defects with notable extensions in the length of mitochondrial tubules. These results indicate that the levels of hFis1 at the mitochondrial surface influences mitochondrial fission events and hence overall mitochondrial morphology within the cell.
Acceptability of the H1N1 Vaccine Among Older Adults: The Interplay of Message Framing and Perceived Vaccine Safety and Efficacy

This study examines the relative effectiveness of using gain- versus loss-framed messages to promote H1N1 vaccination among older adults, focusing on the moderating roles of perceived vaccine safety and efficacy. An experiment was conducted with older adults recruited from senior centers in the state of Maryland. Results show that older adults who perceived low vaccine efficacy developed greater intentions to receive the vaccine when presented with a loss-framed message (versus a gain-framed message). For those who perceived high vaccine efficacy, message framing did not make a difference in postexposure intentions. Evidence regarding the interaction between message framing and perceived vaccine safety is limited. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Objective and subjective sleep disturbances in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A reappraisal.

OBJECTIVE To assess objective and subjective evidence of sleep disturbances in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to examine correlations between parameters of inflammatory activity and sleep pathology. METHODS Nineteen RA patients and 19 age-matched healthy control subjects underwent all-night polysomnography on 2 consecutive nights. RA patients were also evaluated for daytime sleepiness by mean sleep latency test and responded to a self-report questionnaire on their first night. RESULTS Whereas normal sleep architecture is conserved in RA, we confirmed former findings of severe sleep fragmentation and an enhanced presence of primary sleep disorders. No correlation exists between RA activity and the sleep disorders. Subjective assessment was not consistent with the objective evidence of sleep disruption, unlike the findings in patients with fibrositis. CONCLUSION Sleep is severely disturbed in patients with RA, regardless of the inflammatory disease activity. The specificity of the sleep disorders assessed needs confirmation, as does specific sleep therapy for these patients.
La promoción de estilos de vida saludable aprovechando los espacios públicos

Objetivo: Analizar la influencia que tienen el entorno fisico y los aspectos sociales de los espacios publicos en la activacion fisica y el bienestar de los ciudadanos, con el fin de identificar oportunidades para disenar estrategias de mercadotecnia social que fomenten la salud y el bienestar entre los ciudadanos. Materiales y metodos: Se realizo un estudio mixto en dos etapas: observacion y analisis de los atributos fisicos de la Ruta Recreativa de Saltillo, Coahuila en base al modelo de Servipanoramas; aplicacion de encuestas en linea a 168 adultos utilizando las escalas de bienestar percibido y de valoracion de las Ciclovias. Resultados: Los hallazgos sugieren que la existencia de espacios publicos apropiados para ejercitarse y convivir con otros resulta atractiva para los participantes en el estudio, quienes senalan que la Ruta Recreativa estudiada ofrece el entorno adecuado para alcanzar sus metas de salud y relacionarse con personas con intereses similares. Conclusiones: Existe un interes de los visitantes a la Ruta Recreativa de Saltillo, Coahuila por alcanzar mejores niveles de salud y bienestar, lo cual puede ser aprovechado por empresas y organismos publicos para disenar e implementar estrategias e intervenciones de mercadotecnia social orientadas a la promocion de la salud y el cambio de habitos, utilizando los espacios abiertos que la Ruta Recreativa ofrece y llegar asi a un mayor numero de ciudadanos.
Günlük Bıldırcın Civcivlerinde Maternal Hipoksiyanın Uyardığı Çift Yönlü Morfolojik Özelliklerin Gelişme Stabilitesi ve Civciv Gelişimi Üzerine İn Ovo Enjeksiyon Aracılığı ile Antioksidanların Etkileri

Bu calisma, yuksek rakimda yumurtlayan damizlik bildircinlara ait kuluckalanan yumurtalarin farkli embriyonik keselere, maternal etkilere dayali uygulamalardan biri olan in ovo (IO) araciligi ile enjekte edilen antioksidanlarin civciv gelisimi ve cift yonlu morfolojik ozelliklerin gelisim stabilitesi uzerindeki etkilerini arastirmayi amaclamistir. Yuksek rakimda (1720 m) 120 gunluk yastaki 40 damizlik bildircindan 7 gun boyunca elde edilen toplam 180 adet kuluckalik yumurta rasgele kontrol (KONT), IO alfa tokoferol ( α -TO ) ve IO askorbik asid (AA) olacak sekilde 3 gruba ayrilmistir. Kontrol grubu icin 60 adet yumurtaya enjeksiyon islemi uygulanmamistir. Enjeksiyon gruplarina aktarilan 120 yumurtanin ilk 60 adedine kuluckanin 120. saatinde yumurta basina 3.75 mg α -TO olacak sekilde 25 µl vitamin E iceren bir solusyon sari keseye; geriye kalan 60 adet yumurtaya kuluckanin 360. saatinde yumurta basina 2.5 mg AA olacak sekilde 25 µl AA iceren bir solusyon embriyonun amniyon kesesine enjekte edilmistir. Cikista, civciv agirligi, organ agirliklari ile civciv uzunlugu, sag ve sol olacak sekilde yuz, orta parmak ve incik uzunluklari olculmustur. Bu cift yanli ozelliklere ait oransal asimetri (OA) degerleri hesaplanmistir. IO uygulamanin civciv, yuz ve orta parmak uzunlugu ve civciv agirligi, oransal karaciger, kalp ve beyin agirliklari uzerine etkisi onemsiz saptanmistir. Incik uzunlugu AA grupta artarken, α-TO grupta azalmistir. KONT gruba gore orta parmak uzunlugunun OA degeri AA grupta yuksek, α-TO grupta dusuk bulunmustur. Incik uzunlugunun OA degeri AA grupta diger gruplardan farkli olarak en yuksek duzeyde elde edilmistir. Incelenen uzunluklarin ortalama OA degeri AA grupta KONT’den daha yuksek, α-TO grupta daha dusuk saptanmistir. Sari kese agirligi AA gruba gore KONT ve α-TO gruplarda onemli duzeyde dusuk saptanmistir. Proventrikulus + taslik agirligi AA grupta dusuk, α-TO grupta daha yuksek bulunmustur. Gunluk yastaki bildircin civcivlerinin bazi gelisim ozellikleri ile birlikte cift yanli morfolojik ozelliklerin gelisim stabilitesi uzerine hipoksiyaya bagli stresin olumsuz etkilerini ortadan kaldirmak icin bir yontem olarak kullanilan embriyonik keselere antioksidanlarin enjeksiyonu antioksidanin cesidine bagli olarak etkiler ortaya koyabilmektedir.