Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MicroRNAs related to intrinsic resistance to oxaliplatin and the irinotecan metabolite SN-38 in 10 colorectal cancer cell lines.

524 Background: Chemotherapy of metastatic colorectal cancer is based on 5-flourouracil combined with either oxaliplatin or irinotecan (active metabolite: SN-38). Identification of predictive biomarkers of drug response is needed to provide a better personalized treatment. In this study we aimed to identify microRNAs related to intrinsic resistance to oxaliplatin or irinotecan in a panel of ten colorectal cancer cell lines. METHODS Drug sensitivity towards oxaliplatin and SN-38 was determined for ten colorectal cancer cell lines (Colo-205, DLD-1, HCC-2998, HCT-15, HCT-116, HT-29, KM12, LoVo, LS-174T, and SW620), using the cell viability MTT assay and the cell death LDH assay. In addition, two cell lines (DLD-1 and LoVo) were exposed to the drugs for 6, 24 or 48 hours. MicroRNA expression profiles were generated using the Exiqon miRCURY LNA microarray platform (including 840 microRNAs), and four differentially expressed microRNAs were validated by independent qRT-PCR measurements. RESULTS The drug sensitivities of the ten colorectal cancer cell lines varied about 50 times between the least and most sensitive cell lines. Correlation of drug sensitivity data to microRNA expression data across the ten cell lines yielded about 25 microRNA biomarker candidates, for each of the drug/assay combinations. Following short-term drug treatment 10-20 microRNAs were altered for each drug/cell line combination. Validation by qRT-PCR showed a very good correlation to the microarray data. MicroRNAs identified by correlation to drug sensitivity and by short-term treatment were compared, and less than 10% were identified by both approaches, perhaps representing the most promising candidates. These candidates are for SN-38 miR-15a, miR-22, miR-24, miR-98, miR-142-3p, miR-1290, and let-7b, and for oxaliplatin miR-23b, miR-27a, miR-192, miR-200a, miR-222, miR-886-5p, and miR-1308. CONCLUSIONS In the present study we identified a number of microRNAs that are potentially involved in intrinsic resistance and/or could be predictive biomarkers for either irinotecan or oxaliplatin.
Composition of Tubular Fluid in the Macula Densa Segment as a Factor Regulating the Function of the Juxtaglomerular Apparatus

In micropuncture experiments on the rat kidney, solutions of various electrolyte composition were injected toward the macula densa of single nephrons. In kidneys with a high renin content, the transient collapse of the proximal convolution of the same nephron occurred when sodium concentration was increased to 150 mM/L. This collapse indicated that glomerular filtration rate was interrupted. An increase in tubular fluid osmolality without a concomitant increase in sodium concentration had no effect on the filtration rate. This sodium-specific reaction was absent or markedly diminished in kidneys depleted of renin. These data demonstrate the operation of a sodium-sensitive feedback mechanism at the level of the juxtaglomerular apparatus in each single nephron unit. The physiological meaning of this mechanism may be to adjust glomerular filtration rate, and thereby tubular sodium load, to the reabsorptive capacity of the nephrons for sodium chloride; it may therefore be an intrarenal sodium-conserving mechanism.
Anodic oxidation during MEMS processing of silicon and polysilicon: native oxides can be thicker than you think

The thickness and surface roughness of the native oxide on undoped and P-doped single crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) were measured after exposure to aqueous hydrofluoric acid (HF) in the presence of localized metallization of sputtered Au or Pd. Both P-doping and the presence of metallization led to an increase in the thickness of the native surface oxide and an increased surface roughness after HF exposure. An external positive (negative) potential during HF immersion increased (decreased) the rate of what is clearly electrochemical i.e., anodic corrosion. The presence of the sputtered metallization promoted anodic corrosion, particularly in HF and particularly for P-doped silicon. Porous silicon can be formed under these conditions, due to dissolution of the anodically produced surface oxide. Subsequent oxidation of the porous silicon can lead to thick surface oxide layers.
Health promotion in the general practice consultation: a minute makes a difference.

OBJECTIVE--To see whether extending appointment length from seven and a half minutes or less to 10 minutes per patient would increase health promotion in general practice consultations. DESIGN--Controlled trial of 10 minute appointments. Consultations were compared with control surgeries in which the same doctors booked patients at their normal rate (median six minutes per patient). SETTING--10 general practices in Nottinghamshire. SUBJECTS--16 general practitioners were recruited. Entry criteria were a booking rate of eight or more patients an hour, a wish for longer consultations, and plans to increase appointment length. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Duration of consultations; recording of blood pressure, weight, and cervical cytology in the medical record; recording of advice about smoking, alcohol, diet, exercise, and immunisation in the medical record; reporting of the above activities by patients. RESULTS--Mean consultation times were 8.25 minutes in the experimental sessions and 7.04 and 7.16 minutes in the control sessions. Recording of blood pressure, smoking, alcohol consumption, and advice about immunisation was significantly more frequent in the experimental sessions, and the proportion of consultations in which one or more items of health education were recorded in the medical notes increased by an average of over 6% in these sessions. Patients more often reported discussion of smoking and alcohol consumption and coverage of previous health problems in the experimental sessions. There was little change in discussion of exercise, diet, and weight or cervical cytology activity. CONCLUSIONS--Shortage of time is a major factor in general practitioners' failure to realise their potential in health promotion. General practice should be organised so that doctors can run 10 minute appointment sessions.
Electromagnetic waves in a defective periodic layered structure bordering upon a plasma-like medium

The periodic layered structures bordering plasma-like media are of lively interest at present [1,2]. In these structures there are new types of the surface electromagnetic waves which possess unusual properties. When a defective layer places into the periodic layered structure, the additional electromagnetic waves appear, which are called defective modes [3,4]. The dispersion curves of the defective modes are located in the forbidden gaps of the periodic layered structure. It should be expected that the surface electromagnetic waves and the defective modes interact with each other in a resonance way. Peculiarities of spectral and energy characteristics of TM-electromagnetic waves in the one-dimensional defective dielectric periodic layered structure bordering a plasma-like medium are studied in this paper. The effect of resonant interaction of plasma and defective modes has been predicted. Its dependence on structural and geometry parameters of the periodic layered medium is studied. The modification of the electromagnetic wave spectrum is analyzed as the location of the defective layer in the periodic layered medium changes. All the numerical calculations are carried out with regard to the frequency dispersion of the plasma-like medium. Moreover, we use non-dimensional values; that makes it possible to use our results in a widespread frequency range - from terahertz to optical ones.
A controllable secondary multikilowatt dc current source with constant maximum power factor in its three phase supply line

A type of industrial size dc converters for submegawatt applications is described and illustrated with the characteristics of a small scale 10 kW model. High conversion efficiency near 97 percent is maintained at full power and with an internal frequency of operation near 10 kHz. The system is characterized by the behavior of a true current source with inherent short circuit capability of its output terminals. All power is processed via a firmly controlled high Q series resonant circuits. Feasibility of power densities in excess of 1 kW/kg component weight is demonstrated. This high power density reflects itself in low quantities of material needed for construction of these systems. Operation of the dc converter as part of a rectifier-filter-converter system, powered from a three phase supply line is described. Test data demonstrate a high power factor p.f. ≃ 0.95 for all conditions of converter loading. Data obtained from a thyristor bridge-filter system are presented and subjected to comparative analysis.
TDAH en adultos factores genéticos, evaluación y tratamiento farmacológico

El trabajo de tesis doctoral esta centrado en el estudio del trastorno por deficit de atencion (TDAH) en adultos. Se presentan un total de cuatro articulos publicados en revistas con factor de impacto. Los dos primeros sobre factores geneticos, el tercero sobre la validacion en espanol del cuestionario ASRS 1.1 de la OMS para el cribaje del TDAH en adultos y el utlimo sobre el tratamiento farmacologico del TDAH en esta poblacion. Las conclusiones mas relevantes son: 1. Los resultados de los estudios de asociacion de tipo caso-control poblacional realizados sobre un total de 19 genes relacionados con el sistema de neurotransmision serotoninergico aportan evidencias de la contribucion de los genes DDC (descarboxilasa de aminoacidos aromaticos) y 5HT2A (receptor de serotonina 2A) al TDAH tanto en adultos como en ninos. Ademas, el efecto del gen 5HT2A es especifico del subtipo clinico combinado. Se ha identificado tambien asociacion entre el gen MAOB (monoamina oxidasa B) y el TDAH solo en adultos, sugiriendo un papel en la persistencia del trastorno a lo largo de la vida. 2. Los estudios de asociacion de tipo caso-control realizados sobre 10 genes que codifican neurotrofinas o sus receptores han permitido relacionar el gen CNTFR (receptor del factor neurotrofico ciliar) con el TDAH tanto en adultos como en ninos. Ademas, los resultados presentados aportan evidencias de una asociacion especifica entre el TDAH infantil y los genes NTF3 (neurotrofina 3) y NTRK2 (receptor tirosina quinasa neurotrofico tipo 2), sugiriendo su potencial influencia en los cambios de la sintomatologia del TDAH a lo largo de la vida. 3. El cuestionario ASRS v1.1 aprobado por la O.M.S. para su uso en espanol presenta unas adecuadas caracteristicas psicometricas, que justifican su utilidad como herramienta para detectar casos de pacientes adultos con TDAH en el contexto clinico ambulatorio. El cuestionario ASRS v1.1 optimiza su rendimiento al ser puntuado en un rango entre 0 y 24 y considerando como punto de corte un total de 12 unidades. 4. El metilfenidato en sus dos formulaciones LI y OROS es un tratamiento efectivo y seguro. El cambio de metilenidato LI a metilfenidato OROS es seguro y efectivo en adultos con TDAH. El tratamiento con metilfenidato OROS se asocia a una mejora en el cumplimiento terapeutico y la efectividad. La mayoria de pacientes prefieren realizar el tratamiento con metilfenidato OROS.
T cell response in malaria pathogenesis: selective increase in T cells carrying the TCR V(beta)8 during experimental cerebral malaria.

To characterize the T cells involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria (CM) induced by infection with Plasmodium berghei ANKA clone 1.49L (PbA 1.49L), the occurrence of the disease was assessed in mice lacking T cells of either the alphabeta or gammadelta lineage (TCRalphabeta(-/-) or TCRgammadelta(-/-)). TCRgammadelta(-/-) mice were susceptible to CM, whereas all TCRalphabeta(-/-) mice were resistant, suggesting that T cells of the alphabeta lineage are important in the genesis of CM. The repertoire of TCR V(beta) segment gene expression was examined by flow cytometry in B10.D2 mice, a strain highly susceptible to CM induced by infection with PbA 1.49L. In these mice, CM was associated with an increase of T cells bearing the V(beta)8.1, 2 segments in the peripheral blood lymphocytes. Most V(beta)8.1, 2(+) T cells from peripheral blood lymphocytes of the mice that developed CM belonged to the CD8 subset, and exhibited the CD69(+), CD44(high) and CD62L(low) phenotype surface markers. The link between the increase in V(beta)8.1, 2(+) T cells and the neuropathological consequences of PbA infection was strengthened by the observation that the occurrence of CM was significantly reduced in mice treated with KJ16 antibodies against the V(beta)8.1 and V(beta)8.2 chains, and in mice rendered deficient in V(beta)8.1(+) T cells by a mouse mammary tumor virus superantigen.
COMPLEJOS DE SEGURIDAD E INTEGRACIÓN: PERSPECTIVAS CONVERGENTES SOBRE DEFENSA Y SEGURIDAD EN AMÉRICA DEL SUR

Este trabajo se propone una revision de los desafios de seguridad de America del Sur, en el complejo escenario de la transicion de la uni a la multipolaralidad, en un conjunto de dimensiones relevantes y en el contexto de la aceleracion del “momento unificador”, que caracteriza a grandes rasgos a la politica internacional latinoamericana del ultimo cuarto de siglo. Para ello pasa revista a una serie de desafios globales, para caracterizar a continuacion la “nueva politica sudamericana”, una creacion estrictamente oriunda de los primeros anos del siglo XXI, aunque resulto preparada por el proceso historico previo. La nueva politica sudamericana se caracteriza por la aceleracion de los procesos de integracion en la region, y en especial por la complementacion de los mecanismos de consulta y concertacion politicas, lo que incluye las dimensiones politica y de seguridad. El articulo analiza algunos aportes teoricos relevantes, en especial la nocion de complejo de seguridad de Barry Buzan (1991) y propone la hipotesis de que existen indicadores fuertes de que la region sudamericana tiene de si misma e intenta construir en otros actores internacionales, la percepcion de constituir un complejo de seguridad, muy especialmente en su relacion con la potencia hegemonica, tal como emerge de declaraciones de alto nivel politico y de otros instrumentos de politica internacional. Si ello es asi, se necesita una arquitectura de seguridad -y tambien un programa de investigacion- que sea compatible con el rol internacional de America del Sur durante los proximos anos.
Sirtuin-Dependent Metabolic Control and Its Role in the Aging Process

During last years, the protein family of sirtuins, composed by NAD+-dependent deacetylases, has emerged as a key factor in aging. From yeast to humans, sirtuins are involved in metabolic changes that induce a higher respiratory capacity accompanied by lower oxidative damage. They are involved in the control of glucose catabolism, fatty acid metabolism, respiratory chain activity in mitochondria and several other metabolic processes including control of antioxidant capacity in cells and tissues (Dali-Youcef et al., 2007; Elliott & Jirousek, 2008; Lomb et al., 2010; Pallas et al., 2008). As these deacetylases are dependent on the NAD+/NADH ratio, they can be considered as important sensors of the metabolic status of the cells and probably because this they are one of the main family of proteins involved in the regulation of metabolism in the cell (Li & Kazgan, 2011). Further, their relationship with the AMPK-dependent pathway, that controls respiratory metabolism by inhibiting insulin-dependent signaling, highlights the importance of these proteins in metabolic regulation and especially in insulin-resistance, diabetes and obesity (Canto et al., 2009; Ruderman et al., 2010). Sirtuins have been involved in aging process and considered important factors in delaying aging process and increase longevity (Guarente, 2000; Tissenbaum & Guarente, 2001). However, very recent studies have questioned the role of these deacetylases in longevity (Burnett et al., 2011; Viswanathan & Guarente, 2011). But their activity in yeast, worms and flies still permits to correlate its function in metabolism and dietarydependent modulations with aging process (Guarente, 2008). However, to date, in mammals and, especially in humans, their role in longevity is not clear. Whereas in lower organisms only one member has been found, SIR2, in mammals, seven members have been described to date. This fact indicates a higher complexity in interactions, targets and functions in higher animals than in lowers. Further, in mammals, the specific distribution of these deacetylases among the different cell compartments also indicates several localdependent influences of sirtuins.
Severity and persistence of asthma and mental health: a birth cohort study

Background The goal of the current study was to investigate asthma and mental health among youth in the community, and to consider the role of asthma severity and persistence in this link. Method Data were drawn from the Raine Study, a population-based birth cohort study in Western Australia. Logistic regression models and generalized estimating equations were used to examine the relationship between asthma at age 5 years and the range of internalizing and externalizing mental health problems at ages 5–17 years. Analyses were stratified by asthma severity and persistence, and adjusted for a range of potential confounders. Results More severe and persistent asthma at age 5 was associated with significantly increased odds of affective, anxiety, somatic, oppositional defiant and conduct problems at ages 5–17. Mild asthma and remitted asthma were not associated with heightened vulnerability to mental disorders. Conclusions Our results suggest that youth with symptomatic asthma are more likely to suffer from a wide range of mental health problems, and that the likelihood of mental health problems appears to increase as a function of asthma severity. Youth with poorly controlled and/or more severe and persistent asthma may be considered a vulnerable group who might benefit from mental health screening in clinical, school and community settings.
Special track on Enterprise Information Systems: editorial message

Enterprise Information Systems are those intended to support business in the contemporary knowledge-based global economy. Therefore, developing and deploying these systems means to deal with complex and cross-disciplinary enterprise integration issues. EIS area embraces a plethora of subjects that range from Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP), Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to Decision Support Systems and Business Intelligence. This track complements other SAC'2008 tracks such as Database Theory, Technology, and Applications, Data Mining, Data Streams, Document Engineering, e-Business Applications, Information Access and Retrieval, Organizational Engineering, Requirement Engineering, Software Engineering, and Computer Security, by stressing technology and business integration issues.
Sympathovagal balance: a critical appraisal.

To the Editor: With interest, I read Dr Eckberg’s review,1 but some of his views need clarification. There are 2 principal methods for spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) that differ in the determination of spectral components. Either integrals of power spectrum density over specific bands or automatic determination of components by autoregressive algorithms is used. We do not know whether 1 of these methods is superior, let alone whether 1 is the “correct” way. Although the sum of high- and low-frequency components accounts for the majority of spectral power in short-term recordings with both approaches, both methods may provide different values for individual components. Standardization efforts were organized to propose the optimum methods for spectral and other analyses of HRV and interpretation of the results.2 3 Dr Eckberg was involved in some of these discussions and knows that no consensus on the “correct” spectral analysis was reached because no study exists comparing the 2 methods in a comprehensive variety of conditions. The assumption that spectral frequency components as integrals of specific bands are equal to their automatic autoregressive detection …
Depression moderates the associations between beliefs about medicines and medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Cross-sectional study

The ‘necessity–concerns framework’ postulates that patients’ adherence behaviour is influenced by beliefs about the necessity and the concerns patients have regarding their prescribed medicines. We hypothesized that depression moderates the associations between beliefs about medicines and medication adherence among people with rheumatoid arthritis. Using multivariate logistic regression, we observed that people experiencing more depressive symptoms showed stronger associations between necessity beliefs and adherence as well as attenuated associations between concerns and adherence, respectively, in a cross-sectional sample (N = 361). Thus, depression moderates the associations postulated in the ‘necessity–concerns framework’ in a differential way in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
The roles of talent, physical precocity and practice in the development of soccer expertise

Here we consider the potential contributions of talent, physical precocity and deliberate practice in the development of soccer expertise. After presenting a working definition of ‘talent', we examine how coaches perceive and select potential talent. Our findings suggest that much of what coaches see as early talent may be explained by physical precocity associated with a relative age advantage. Finally, as a test of the model of Deliberate Practice, we review the results of studies that assessed the progress of international, national and provincial players based on accumulated practice, amount of practice per week and relative importance and demands of various practice and everyday activities. A positive linear relationship was found between accumulated individual plus team practice and skill. Various practical suggestions can be made to improve talent detection and selection and to optimize career practice patterns in soccer.
Quantile Regression for Doubly Censored Data

Summary Double censoring often occurs in registry studies when left censoring is present in addition to right censoring. In this work, we propose a new analysis strategy for such doubly censored data by adopting a quantile regression model. We develop computationally simple estimation and inference procedures by appropriately using the embedded martingale structure. Asymptotic properties, including the uniform consistency and weak convergence, are established for the resulting estimators. Moreover, we propose conditional inference to address the special identifiability issues attached to the double censoring setting. We further show that the proposed method can be readily adapted to handle left truncation. Simulation studies demonstrate good finite‐sample performance of the new inferential procedures. The practical utility of our method is illustrated by an analysis of the onset of the most commonly investigated respiratory infection, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in children with cystic fibrosis through the use of the U.S. Cystic Fibrosis Registry.
Heating during infrared neural stimulation

Infrared neural stimulation (INS) has recently evoked interest as an alternative to electrical stimulation. The mechanism of activation is the heating of water, which induces changes in cell membrane potential but may also trigger heat sensitive receptors. To further elucidate the mechanism, which may be dependent on cell type, a detailed description of the temperature distribution is necessary. A good control of the resulting temperature during INS is also necessary to avoid excessive heating that may damage the cells. Here we present a detailed model for the heating during INS and apply it for INS of in vitro neural networks of rat cerebral cortex neurons.