Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Purkinje Cells and Epilepsy

The cerebellum is a structure composed of the cerebellar cortex and deep nuclei. In the cerebellar cortex, are located the Purkinje cells (PC) which exert inhibitory control over the deep nuclei by releasing GABA. The PC receive glutamate through the granular cells axons or through the climbing fibers. PC are larger susceptible to excitotoxicity than other cerebellar cells, the PC contain a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPA) and metabotropic receptors to glutamate which increase the excitotoxicity by excessive release of glutamate from the parallel fibers that would lead to PC death. Epileptic seizures have been widely associated with cerebellar pathologies. Moreover, it has been found a widespread loss of PC in postmortem brain tissues from epileptic patients. In the kindling model of epilepsy, total cerebellectomy increases the duration of generalized seizures, probably by the absence of the GABAergic inhibition to the forebrain. Contrastingly, specific lesions of the glutamatergic cerebellar nuclei, where the PC exerts its inhibitory effects, decreases the duration of the electrographic seizures and diminished the behavioral activity associated with this model. Therefore, the objective of this review is to evaluate the involvement of PC in the epileptic activity.
Evaluation of Calcium-Mediated Calcitonin Secretion from the Isolated Perfused Porcine Thyroid Using Secretory Inhibitors

Calcitonin (CT) acts on bone to regulate circulating levels of Ca; likewise, Ca is involved in the regulation of CT secretion. Accordingly, it has been demonstrated that the Ca ion is the most potent among the alkaline earth cations in stimulating CT secretion and appears to be the only cation that is involved in the physiological regulation of the CT secretory system (Pento 1980; 1986). Since the Ca ion is involved in the physiological regulation of CT secretion, the present study was designed to evaluate the mechanism of Ca-induced CT secretion by examining the influence of several established and relatively specific secretory inhibitors on this process. The inhibitors selected for use in this project are relatively well established but have different mechanisms of secretory inhibition. Thus it was our hypothesis that information concerning the process of Ca-mediated CT secretion could be gained from examining the effects of these inhibitors using the whole-thyroid perfusion system. This in vitro system was employed in this study since it has been shown to mimic both quantitatively and qualitatively the in vivo CT secretory response to Ca and a variety of other CT secretagogues in the pig (Pento 1985).
Characterization of Three Related Low-Temperature-Regulated cDNAs from Winter Brassica napus

A cDNA clone, pBN115, encoding a low-temperature-regulated transcript in winter Brassica napus has been isolated. Northern blot analyses show that levels of transcripts hybridizing to pBN115 increase within 24 h of exposure of B. napus to low temperature, peak at 3 d, and then remain at an elevated level for the duration of the cold treatment (up to 10 weeks). Transferring plants from 2[deg]C to room temperature results in the loss of detectable transcripts hybridizing to pBN115 within 1 d. The transcript was not detected in RNA isolated from roots of cold-acclimated B. napus. Results of in vivo labeling of nascent RNA in leaf discs of B. napus with thiouridine suggest that regulation of expression may be transcriptional, at least at the onset of cold temperature. Although drought stress leads to a slight increase in transcript level at room temperature, neither a brief exposure to elevated temperatures nor exogenous application of abscisic acid resulted in the appearance of the transcript represented by pBN115. Furthermore, transcripts hybridizing to pBN115 were present at the same levels whether the plants were acclimated in the light or dark. Hybridization experiments show that pBN115 hybridizes strongly to cold-regulated transcripts in Arabidopsis thaliana, Descurania sophia, and spring B. napus, all of which are cruciferous plants capable of cold acclimation. No hybridizing transcript could be detected in cold-acclimated Spinacea oleracea, winter Secale cereale, or cold-grown Nicotiana tabacum. DNA sequence analysis of pBN115 reveals a single open reading frame that potentially encodes a protein of 14.8 kD. This size closely approximates that of a polypeptide produced by in vitro transcription/translation experiments. Two additional cDNA clones, pBN19 and pBN26, with divergent 5[prime]- and 3[prime]-untranslated regions, were also isolated and found to encode similar, but not identical, polypeptides.
Development and use of pulsed magnets

The development of pulsed magnets as practical and efficient research instruments is reviewed, from a few notes on early developments to the sophisticated high performance magnets that are in use nowadays. This includes a review of magnet laboratories that are now in operation. The distinction is made between non-destructive, semi-destructive and destructive magnets, with emphasis on ldquouserrdquo magnets that can be used for convenient experimentation. It is briefly discussed which types of experiments can be performed with the different types of magnets, mostly depending on the pulse duration. As a specific example for the design of a non-destructive magnet system capable of generating the highest fields, design of dual coil magnets is analyzed in detail. This is based on experience with the first operational dual pulsed user magnet (the ldquoARMSrdquo magnet), and it is shown that the design code PMDS is well suited for the design of dual coil magnets that involves many parameters.
Snapshot-based offloading for machine learning web app: work-in-progress

We propose a new approach to running machine learning (ML) web app on resource-constrained embedded devices by offloading ML computations to servers. We can dynamically offload computations depending on the problem size and network status. The execution state is saved in the form of another web app called snapshot which simplifies the state migration. Some issues related to ML such as how to handle the Canvas object, the ML model, and the privacy of user data are addressed. The proposed offloading works for real web apps with a performance comparable to running the app entirely on the server.
3-D nanoporous optofluidic device for high sensitivity SERS detection

We report the demonstration of an optofluidic surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) device that leverages nanoporous microfluidics to dramatically increase the SERS performance. In this work, we utilize packed silica microspheres in a microfluidic channel to create a 3D nanoporous concentration matrix to achieve a detection limit of 400 attomoles of Rhodamine 6G in 2 minutes in a simple to fabricate microfluidic chip. Integrated fiber optics further enables the device to be relevant for portable applications.
Stress fractures in athletes

We analyzed cases of 320 athletes with bone scan- positive stress fractures (M = 145, F = 175) seen over 3.5 years and assessed the results of conservative management. The most common bone injured was the tibia (49.1 %), followed by the tarsals (25.3%), metatar sals (8.8%), femur (7.2%), fibula (6.6%), pelvis (1.6%), sesamoids (0.9%), and spine (0.6%). Stress fractures were bilateral in 16.6% of cases. A significant age difference among the sites was found, with femoral and tarsal stress fractures occurring in the oldest, and fibular and tibial stress fractures in the youngest. Run ning was the most common sport at the time of injury but there was no significant difference in weekly running mileage and affected sites. A history of trauma was significantly more common in the tarsal bones. The average time to diagnosis was 13.4 weeks (range, 1 to 78) and the average time to recovery was 12.8 weeks (range, 2 to 96). Tarsal stress fractures took the longest time to diagnose and recover. Varus alignment was found frequently, but there was no significant difference among the fracture sites, and varus alignment did not affect time to diagnosis or recovery. Radiographs were taken in 43.4% of cases at the time of presentation but were abnormal in only 9.8%. A group of bone scan- positive stress fractures of the tibia, fibula, and meta tarsals (N = 206) was compared to a group of clinically diagnosed stress fractures of the same bone groups (N = 180), and no significant differences were found. Patterns of stress fractures in athletes are different from those found in military recruits. Using bone scan for diagnosis indicates that tarsal stress fractures are much more common than previously realized. Time to diagnosis and recovery is site-dependent. Technetium99 bone scan is the single most useful diagnostic aid. Conservative treatment of stress fractures in athletes is satisfactory in the majority of cases.
Gambling and Early Maladaptive Schemas in a Treatment-seeking Sample of Male Alcohol Users: A Preliminary Investigation

Gambling problems are overrepresented among men seeking treatment for substance use problems, including alcohol dependence. Early maladaptive schemas are overrepresented among substance users, although no known study has examined the early maladaptive schemas of men with potential gambling problems. This study examined the relations among potential gambling problems and early maladaptive schemas among a sample of alcohol-dependent men seeking treatment at a residential substance use facility (N=628). Using preexisting patient records of self-report measures for early maladaptive schemas and potential gambling problems, results showed that a number of early maladaptive schemas were associated with gambling. Men with potential gambling problems scored significantly higher than nonproblem gamblers on a number of early maladaptive schemas. These results suggest that early maladaptive schemas may be an important underlying characteristic for gambling problems, and that substance use treatment programs should consider screening for and targeting gambling problems and early maladaptive schemas.
A Highly Predictive Model for Diagnosis of Colorectal Neoplasms Using Plasma MicroRNA: Improving Specificity and Sensitivity

Objective: To develop a plasma-based microRNA (miRNA) diagnostic assay specific for colorectal neoplasms, building upon our prior work. Background: Colorectal neoplasms [colorectal cancer (CRC) and colorectal advanced adenoma (CAA)] frequently develop in individuals at ages when other common cancers also occur. Current screening methods lack sensitivity, specificity, and have poor patient compliance. Methods: Plasma was screened for 380 miRNAs using microfluidic array technology from a “Training” cohort of 60 patients, (10 each) control, CRC, CAA, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lung cancer. We identified uniquely dysregulated miRNAs specific for colorectal neoplasia (P < 0.05, false discovery rate: 5%, adjusted &agr; = 0.0038). These miRNAs were evaluated using single assays in a “Test” cohort of 120 patients. A mathematical model was developed to predict blinded sample identity in a 150 patient “Validation” cohort using repeat-sub-sampling validation of the testing dataset with 1000 iterations each to assess model detection accuracy. Results: Seven miRNAs (miR-21, miR-29c, miR-122, miR-192, miR-346, miR-372, and miR-374a) were selected based upon P value, area under the curve (AUC), fold change, and biological plausibility. Area under the curve (±95% confidence interval) for “Test” cohort comparisons were 0.91 (0.85–0.96) between all neoplasia and controls, 0.79 (0.70–0.88) between colorectal neoplasia and other cancers, and 0.98 (0.96–1.0) between CRC and colorectal adenomas. In our “Validation” cohort, our mathematical model predicted blinded sample identity with 69% to 77% accuracy, 67% to 76% accuracy, and 86% to 90% accuracy for each comparison, respectively. Conclusions: Our plasma miRNA assay and prediction model differentiate colorectal neoplasia from patients with other neoplasms and from controls with higher sensitivity and specificity compared with current clinical standards.
Assessment of Minimal Residual Disease in Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma by Polymerase Chain Reaction Using Patient-Specific Primers

A feasibility study was undertaken to identify patient-specific primers (PSPs) from childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) specimens to detect minimal residual disease (MRD). Eleven tumor specimens were amplified using immunoglobulin heavy chain and T-cell receptor primers to identify PSPs, which were then used to evaluate staging/follow-up specimens. Disease was detected in 19 of 21 staging and 16 of 17 follow-up specimens. Among seven patients in remission by 1 month, PSPs identified MRD in follow-up specimens. This study demonstrated the feasibility of PSPs to identify disease in staging and follow-up specimens, which could be used to develop strategies for MRD analysis in a larger setting.
3D reflection map modeling for optical emitter-receiver pairs

A model for a model-based 3D-position determination system for a passive object is presented. Infrared emitter/receiver pairs are proposed as sensing parts to acquire information on a ball shaped object's position. A 3D reflection map model is derived through geometrical considerations. The model is found to be in good accordance with real measurements obtained in the laboratory.
Incorporating faults and fault-tolerance into real-time networks : a graph-transformational approach

Fault Definitions Ezhilchelvan and Shrivastava [ES85] classified faults with respect to their (failure) consequences. A fault that results in system output not being produced at all is termed an omission fault. If a correct output is produced but at the wrong time this is said to be a timing fault. If an incorrect output is produced at the proper time, the fault is said to be a value fault. Definition 2.2 Omission Fault: A fault that causes a component not to respond to a nonempty input sequence will be termed an omission fault: 1. Vj = null. tj = t; + td + 6t and 2. Vj = Wj. tj = 00 Figure 2.4 shows that an omission fault must occur at an absolute final time. Ideally this value would be 00 but in a computing environment this is not possible and we must choose a suitable value. Giving a suitable value for 00 is made easier by defining a window of observation. That is, each fault classification is observable with respect to a correct specification for a fixed, or well defined, period as shown in Figure 2.5. For example, consider an omission fault. One can accept that the ith occurrence of an event is missing. presumed lost, once the i + 1 occurrence appears. Definition 2.3 Timing Fault: A fault that causes a component to produce the expected value for a given non empty input sequence either too early or too late will be termed a timingfault: 1. Vj = Wj and 2. either tj < t; or tj > t; + td + tmax 18 CHAPTER 2. BACKGROUND FAULTS, FAULT TOLERANCE AND FAULT TREATMENT
Survival of patients with advanced colorectal cancer improves with the availability of fluorouracil-leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin in the course of treatment.

PURPOSE Fluorouracil (FU)-leucovorin (LV), irinotecan, and oxaliplatin administered alone or in combination have proven effective in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). Combination protocols using FU-LV with either irinotecan or oxaliplatin are currently regarded as standard first-line therapies in this disease. However, the importance of the availability of all three active cytotoxic agents, FU-LV, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin, on overall survival (OS) has not yet been evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed data from seven recently published phase III trials in advanced CRC to correlate the percentage of patients receiving second-line therapy and the percentage of patients receiving all three agents with the reported median OS, using a weighted analysis. RESULTS The reported median OS is significantly correlated with the percentage of patients who received all three drugs in the course of their disease (P =.0008) but not with the percentage of patients who received any second-line therapy (P =.19). In addition, the use of combination protocols as first-line therapy was associated with a significant improvement in median survival of 3.5 months (95% CI, 1.27 to 5.73 months; P =.0083). CONCLUSION Our results support the strategy of making these three active drugs available to all patients with advanced CRC who are candidates for such therapy to maximize OS. In addition, our findings suggest that, with the availability of effective salvage options, OS should no longer be regarded as the most appropriate end point by which to assess the efficacy of a palliative first-line treatment in CRC.
A dictionary-based approach to reduce noise in fluorescent microscopy images

Live imaging of cells and small organisms is an important step for understanding and analyzing biological functions via studying cellular dynamics. Cell segmentation and tracking in microscopy images are challenging tasks due mainly to embedded noise. We proposed to use an adaptive dictionary learning approach for filtering and reducing noise in fluorescent microscopy images. We applied our method to detect nuclei in noisy images from different types of datasets and the results demonstrated that our proposed algorithm had a satisfactory performance with an average sensitivity of 99.1%, precision of 92.4% and f-measure of 95.6%. As a result, this method is a promising preprocessing tool for detecting nuclei in noisy microscopy images.
Time Course and Predictors of Structural Disease Progression in Pulmonary Metastases Arising from Follicular Cell-Derived Thyroid Cancer.

BACKGROUND With the advent of molecular targeted therapy for the management of radioactive iodine (RAI) refractory, progressive metastatic thyroid cancer, it becomes important to define the time course and risk factors for structural disease progression in follicular cell-derived thyroid cancer (FCDTC) patients. This will help in defining the optimal time to start these therapies and better define their impact on structural disease progression. OBJECTIVES This retrospective review of 199 consecutive patients with FCDTC presenting with lung metastasis examined the progression-free survival (PFS) in thyroid cancer patients with lung metastasis treated with surgery and RAI, and who had not received molecular targeted therapy or chemotherapy. RESULTS The median overall survival (OS) was 10.45 years, while the median PFS was 3.65 years. A strong correlation was found between OS and PFS. PFS is shorter in patients with RAI refractory disease, poorly differentiated/Hürthle cell histologies, male sex, fluorodeoxyglucose-avid metastatic foci, older age (>45 years), and pulmonary metastases >1 cm. At final follow-up (a median of 6.9 years from lung metastasis diagnosis), 68% of the patients had progressed and 46% had died. CONCLUSIONS With the exception of younger patients with low disease burden, most patients presenting with lung metastasis from FCDTC (RAI avid and RAI refractory) using standard-of-care approaches will have disease progression on long-term follow-up. Additional studies are needed to identify novel therapies that would improve the PFS of such patients.
Stroke in the Urban Population of Calcutta – An Epidemiological Study

A population-based cluster survey on stroke disorders was conducted for the first time in the city of Calcutta, India. The population surveyed totaled 50,291. The crude prevalence rate of stroke was 147/100,000 (age-adjusted prevalence 334/100,000). The annual incidence rate of stroke for the year 1998–1999 was 36/100,000 (age-adjusted annual incidence rate 105/100,000). Women outnumbered men regarding stroke prevalence in all age groups except in the 50- to 69-year age group. There were relatively more cases of cerebral haemorrhage in our study, compared to those in the western countries. Case-control analysis found hypertension to be the most significant risk factor for stroke.
4‐Hydroxynonenal in the Pathomechanisms of Oxidative Stress

Here we review the current knowledge on the biochemistry and molecular pathology of oxidative stress with specific regard to a major aldehydic end‐product stemming from peroxidation of biomembranes, that is 4‐hydroxynonenal (HNE). This multifunctional molecule, which derives from the most represented class of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the membranes, is potentially able to undergo a number of reactions with proteins, phospholipids, and nucleic acids. Despite an active metabolism in most of the cell types, HNE can be detected in several biological tissues by means of sufficiently precise methods, although with different sensitivity. In particular, relatively high steady‐state levels of HNE are often detectable in a large variety of human disease processes, pointing to some involvement of the aldehyde in their pathogenesis. Among the prominent pathobiochemical effects of HNE is its remarkable stimulation of fibrogenesis and inflammation, which indicates a potential contribution of the aldehyde to the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases, whose progression is indeed supported by inflammatory reactions and characterized by fibrosis. Further, of interest appears to be the ability of HNE to modulate cell proliferation through interference with the activity of cyclins and protein kinases and with the apoptotic machinery. Finally, on the basis of the already achieved evidence, pursuing investigation of the role of HNE in signal transduction and gene expression seems very promising.
Establishment of a Human Neuronal Network Assessment System by Using a Human Neuron/Astrocyte Co-Culture Derived from Fetal Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells

Using human cell models mimicking the central nervous system (CNS) provides a better understanding of the human CNS, and it is a key strategy to improve success rates in CNS drug development. In the CNS, neurons function as networks in which astrocytes play important roles. Thus, an assessment system of neuronal network functions in a co-culture of human neurons and astrocytes has potential to accelerate CNS drug development. We previously demonstrated that human hippocampus-derived neural stem/progenitor cells (HIP-009 cells) were a novel tool to obtain human neurons and astrocytes in the same culture. In this study, we applied HIP-009 cells to a multielectrode array (MEA) system to detect neuronal signals as neuronal network functions. We observed spontaneous firings of HIP-009 neurons, and validated functional formation of neuronal networks pharmacologically. By using this assay system, we investigated effects of several reference compounds, including agonists and antagonists of glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid receptors, and sodium, potassium, and calcium channels, on neuronal network functions using firing and burst numbers, and synchrony as readouts. These results indicate that the HIP-009/MEA assay system is applicable to the pharmacological assessment of drug candidates affecting synaptic functions for CNS drug development.