Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prostaglandin E1 But Not Corticosteroid Increases Nerve Root Blood Flow Velocity After Lumbar Diskectomy in Surgical Patients

The purpose of this study was to clarify whether prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) or corticosteroid could increase blood flow in the nerve root because neurologic symptoms in spinal stenosis may be based on the vascular insufficiency in the nerve root. Fifty-seven patients undergoing lumbar diskectomy were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Each group received one of three protocols for intravenous injection: 10 mL of saline solution, group A (n = 19); 10 mL of PGE1 (20 &mgr;g) solution, group B (n = 19); and 10 mL of dexamethasone (8 mg) solution, group C (n = 19). After lumbar diskectomy, a probe for laser Doppler flowmetry was placed directly on the lumbar nerve root. Nerve root blood flow (RBF) velocity and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured before injection (T0), 5 minutes after the start of injection (T1), 10 minutes after the start of injection (T2), and 10 minutes after the end of injection (T3). In groups A and C, these did not change throughout the time course. In group B, MAP decreased significantly at T1 (92%;P < .001), T2 (89%;P < .0001), and T3 (91%;P < .0001), while RBF velocity increased significantly at T1 (125%;P < .05), T2 (128%;P < .05), and T3 (121%;P < .05) compared with T0. The values in group B were different from those in group A (P < .05) and group C (P < .05) at T1 and T2. The results show that intravenous injection of low-dose PGE1, but not corticosteroid, increases RBF velocity after lumbar diskectomy.
Lohnunterschiede zwischen Frauen und Männern: Die Rolle von Teilzeit- und Vollzeitbeschäftigung

Etwa 45% der erwerbstatigen Frauen, aber nur 8% der erwerbstatigen Manner sind in Osterreich teilzeitbeschaftigt. Ob diese ungleiche Verteilung Einfluss auf den Lohnunterschied zwischen unselbstandig beschaftigten Frauen und Mannern im privaten Sektor hat, wird mit Daten des EU-SILC 2005-2011 untersucht. Der Bruttostundenlohn von Vollzeitbeschaftigten ist demnach fur Frauen und Manner nur geringfugig hoher als der von Teilzeitbeschaftigten. Die Nettolohne sind sowohl fur Frauen als auch fur Manner in Teilzeitbeschaftigung aufgrund des progressiven Steuertarifes pro Stunde sogar hoher als fur Vollzeitbeschaftigte. Frauen in Teilzeitbeschaftigung sind nach Berucksichtigung verschiedener individueller, haushalts- und arbeitsplatzspezifischer Merkmale "positiv selektiert": Diese Personengruppe weist unbeobachtete Merkmale auf, die mit hoheren Stundenlohnen in Zusammenhang stehen. Diese positive Selektion macht je nach Ausmas der Teilzeitbeschaftigung 10% bis 18% des Lohndifferentials zwischen Frauen und Mannern aus. Wenn man daher nur Vollzeitbeschaftigte fur einen Verdienstvergleich heranzieht, wird das Lohndifferential uberschatzt.
Cystic papillary meningioma

Papillary meningioma is a very rare but well recognized histological variant of meningioma [8]. Since the earlier description of this clinicopathologic entity by Cushing and Eisenhardt in 1938 [3], fewer than 150 cases have been reported with sufficient clinical and pathological data [1, 2, 5, 6,9–15,17, 18]. Characteristic features of papillary meningioma are the propensity to occur in young subjects, increased mitotic activity and the relatively frequent development of distant metastases [15]. The papillary pattern may be combined with any of the classical histological forms of meningioma, including the syncytial type [15]. We describe a case of cystic papillary meningioma, showing focal immunohistochemical expression of glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP).
Treatment of depression is associated with suppression of nonspecific and antigen-specific T(H)1 responses in multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between depression, treatment of depression, and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with comorbid diagnoses of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) and major depressive disorder. DESIGN A randomized comparative outcome trial of three 16-week treatments for depression. Assessments were conducted at baseline, week 8, and treatment cessation. SETTING An academic outpatient treatment and clinical research center. PATIENTS Fourteen patients who met the criteria for relapsing-remitting MS and major depressive disorder. INTERVENTIONS Individual cognitive behavioral therapy, group psychotherapy, or sertraline therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory. Interferon gamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured following stimulation with OKT3 or recombinant human myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). Variability in immune assays was controlled using 8 nondepressed healthy subjects who were enrolled at times corresponding with the enrollment of MS patients. RESULTS Results of the Beck Depression Inventory were significantly related to IFN-gamma production stimulated with OKT3 or MOG at baseline (P< or = .03 for all). Level of depression, OKT3-stimulated IFN-gamma production, and MOG-stimulated IFN-gamma production all declined significantly over the 16-week treatment period (P< or = .03 for all). Among controls, there were no significant changes over time in OKT3- or MOG-stimulated IFN-gamma, or in depression (P> or = .25 for all). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the production of the proinflammatory cytokine IFN-gamma by autoaggressive T cells in relapsing-remitting MS is related to depression and that treatment of depression may decrease IFN-gamma production. Thus, treatment of depression may provide a novel disease-modifying therapeutic strategy as well as a symptomatic treatment for patients with MS.
The lipopolysaccharide Parkinson’s disease animal model: mechanistic studies and drug discovery

Research in the last two decades has unveiled an important role for neuroinflammation in the degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) pathway that constitutes the pathological basis of the prevailing movement disorder, Parkinson’s disease (PD). Neuroinflammation is characterized by the activation of brain glial cells, primarily microglia and astrocytes that release various soluble factors that include free radicals (reactive oxygen and nitrogen species), cytokines, and lipid metabolites. The majority of these glia‐derived factors are proinflammatory and neurotoxic and are particularly deleterious to oxidative damage‐vulnerable nigral DA neurons. As a proof of concept, various immunologic stimuli have been employed to directly induce glial activation to model DA neurodegeneration in PD. The bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), has been the most extensively utilized glial activator for the induction of inflammatory DA neurodegeneration. In this review, we will summarize the various in vitro and in vivo LPS PD models. Furthermore, we will highlight the contribution of the LPS PD models to the mechanistic studies of PD pathogenesis and the search for neuroprotective agents for the treatment of PD.
Fano profile in the intersubband terahertz

In our work we probe the conduction intersubband transition of an undoped GaAs/Al0.34Ga0. 66As multiple quantum well via broadband terahertz pulses after resonant photoexcitation at the 1s heavy-hole exciton. The pump-induced change in the transmitted terahertz field shows a strong beating. In the frequency domain this results in an asymmetric Fano-like line shape for the intersubband resonance and an additional broad low-frequency peak. However, the total THz absorption shows only the single symmetric peak of the intersubband transition. In our microscopic theory these signatures unambiguously originate from the phase sensitive superposition of ponderomotive and terahertz intersubband currents.
Use of a Therapeutic, Socially Assistive Pet Robot (PARO) in Improving Mood and Stimulating Social Interaction and Communication for People With Dementia: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Socially assistive robotics is a growing area for geriatric research. Objective This single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to investigate the use of PARO, a therapeutic, socially assistive pet robot, in improving mood, and stimulating social interaction and communication for people with dementia in the community. Methods For the study, 40 community-dwelling older Chinese adults (≥60 years) with mild to moderate dementia will be recruited and randomly assigned to the PARO therapy group or the psychosocial activities control group. Both treatments consist of six, 30-minute weekly sessions, which will be conducted in a geriatric day hospital. Subjects in both groups will be assessed by a trained research assistant at baseline (pre-), during, and post-treatment. Mood (assessed with a simplified face scale), social interaction, and communication (ie, facial expressions and reactions towards each treatment, assessed with an observation table) will be the primary outcome measures. Secondary outcome measures will include assessments on cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination) and depressive symptoms (Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia), as well as caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Inventory). Subjective impression towards each treatment and qualitative comments from the caregivers, facilitator, and therapists will also be obtained. Results Recruitment to the pilot study began in 2014 and the last subject is expected to complete their post-treatment assessment in 2015. Conclusions This will be the first RCT using PARO to improve mood, and stimulate social interaction and communication in the care of older people with dementia, as well as provide an evidence basis for the use of PARO in dementia care in Hong Kong. Trial Registration The Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12614000037606; https://www.anzctr. org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx? ACTRN=12614000037606 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6Xi7uXdu9).
Detection and Identification of Lactobacillus Species in Crops of Broilers of Different Ages by Using PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis and Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis

ABSTRACT The microflora of the crop was investigated throughout the broiler production period (0 to 42 days) using PCR combined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and selective bacteriological culture of lactobacilli followed by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA). The birds were raised under conditions similar to those used in commercial broiler production. Lactobacilli predominated and attained populations of 108 to 109 CFU per gram of crop contents. Many of the lactobacilli present in the crop (61.9% of isolates) belonged to species of the Lactobacillus acidophilus group and could not be differentiated by PCR-DGGE. A rapid and simple ARDRA method was developed to distinguish between the members of the L. acidophilus group. HaeIII-ARDRA was used for preliminary identification of isolates in the L. acidophilus group and to identify Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus salivarius. MseI-ARDRA generated unique patterns for all species of the L. acidophilus group, identifying Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus johnsonii, and Lactobacillus gallinarum among crop isolates. The results of our study provide comprehensive knowledge of the Lactobacillus microflora in the crops of birds of different ages using nucleic acid-based methods of detection and identification based on current taxonomic criteria.
Comparison of pharmacokinetic properties, physicochemical stability, and pump compatibility of 3 rapid-acting insulin analogues-aspart, lispro, and glulisine.

OBJECTIVE To compare how the rapid-acting insulin analogues (RAIAs) aspart, lispro, and glulisine perform in continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy regarding (1) pharmacokinetic properties, (2) chemical and physical stability, and (3) pump compatibility. METHODS PubMed was searched for articles pertaining to the use of RAIAs in CSII, without a restriction on the time period. RESULTS These RAIAs have pharmacokinetic profiles that more closely mimic endogenous insulin in comparison with regular human insulin and tend to produce less hypoglycemia. Among these RAIAs, the rates of absorption and clinical efficacy in terms of glycemic control were similar. Although glulisine showed a faster onset of action in some studies with aspart and lispro, this advantage lasted only for a maximum of 1 hour, after which results were similar for glulisine and aspart or lispro. Each RAIA is created by making minor amino acid substitutions to the regular human insulin molecule and adding a stabilizer to help prevent fibrillation. A series of chemical and covalent changes affecting the primary structure of an insulin preparation, however, may cause decomposition during storage, handling, and use, diminishing the potency of the insulin molecule while contained in an insulin pump. Precipitation, fibrillation, and occlusion may ensue, undermining compatibility for CSII pump use. Aspart has demonstrated the greatest chemical and physical stability in the insulin pump, with the lowest rates of overall occlusion in comparison with lispro and glulisine (aspart 9.2%, lispro 15.7%, and glulisine 40.9%; P<.01). CONCLUSION Aspart is the most compatible of the 3 RAIAs for pump use.
Global Expression Profiling Applied to the Analysis of Arabidopsis Stamen Development1[W][OA]

To obtain detailed information about gene expression during stamen development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), we compared, by microarray analysis, the gene expression profile of wild-type inflorescences to those of the floral mutants apetala3, sporocyteless/nozzle, and male sterile1 (ms1), in which different aspects of stamen formation are disrupted. These experiments led to the identification of groups of genes with predicted expression at early, intermediate, and late stages of stamen development. Validation experiments using in situ hybridization confirmed the predicted expression patterns. Additional experiments aimed at characterizing gene expression specifically during microspore formation. To this end, we compared the gene expression profiles of wild-type flowers of distinct developmental stages to those of the ms1 mutant. Computational analysis of the datasets derived from this experiment led to the identification of genes that are likely involved in the control of key developmental processes during microsporogenesis. We also identified a large number of genes whose expression is prolonged in ms1 mutant flowers compared to the wild type. This result suggests that MS1, which encodes a putative transcriptional regulator, is involved in the stage-specific repression of these genes. Lastly, we applied reverse genetics to characterize several of the genes identified in the microarray experiments and uncovered novel regulators of microsporogenesis, including the transcription factor MYB99 and a putative phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase.
Human Articular Chondrocytes – Plasticity and Differentiation Potential

Articular cartilage has no or very low ability of self-repair, and untreated lesions may lead to the development of osteoarthritis. One method which has been proven to result in long-term repair of isolated lesions is autologous chondrocyte transplantation. In this method, culture-expanded chondrocytes isolated from full-thickness biopsies, taken from a non-weight-bearing area at the supromedial edge of the femoral condyle, are transplanted back to the patient under a cover of periosteum. The treatment is able to regenerate hyaline cartilage with long-term durability. Although the repair mechanism behind this treatment has not been fully elucidated, emerging data generated by microarray technologies reveal an interesting regeneration process involving cellular and molecular mechanisms found during fetal development. In hyaline cartilage, the human chondrocyte population is generally considered a homogenous cell population, but recently several investigators have demonstrated that cells isolated from human articular cartilage have stem cell properties and that the superficial layer contains such cells. This paper will discuss these recent data and their implications for future treatment strategies aiming to induce regeneration in articular cartilage surfaces.
The shortest path with at most / nodes in each of the series/parallel clusters

We study two related constrained shortest path problems in which the nodes are partitioned into series/parallel clusters. These and many other constrained shortest path problems occur in optimizing the layout of private networks embedded in a larger telecommunications network. The first problem deals with a situation in which, in addition to each edge being assigned a nonnegative integer weight, each node is also assigned a nonnegative integer weight, and the constraint on the path is that the total node weight incurred within each cluster should not exceed a given nonnegative integer I. The second problem considers two constraints : (i) a path cannot contain more than I nodes in one cluster and (ii) a path must traverse through at least one of a given set of special nodes in each of the traversed clusters. We propose efficient exact algorithms for solving both problems. Numerical examples are also provided.
XenotransplantationEndothelium: Implications for Leukocyte Attachment to Porcine Vascular The Role of Adhesion Molecules in Human

Many obstacles still prevent successful xenotransplantation of porcine donor organs. When hyperacute rejection is averted, transplanted pig organs are subject to acute vascular and cellular rejection. In autologous systems, leukocyte recruitment into inﬂamed tissues involves selectins, integrins, and Ig family members. To determine whether these mechanisms allow human leukocytes to effectively enter porcine grafts, the pathways by which human leukocytes adhere to TNF- a -stimulated porcine aortic endothelium were examined under static and physiologic ﬂow conditions. L-selectin and E-selectin had overlapping functions in neutrophil capture and rolling, whereas Ab blockade of E-selectin and the b 2 integrins inhibited ﬁrm arrest of rolling neutrophils. Combined blockade of selectins and b 2 integrins resulted in negligible human neutrophil attachment to pig endothelium. Lymphocyte attachment to porcine endothelium was primarily L-selectin mediated, whereas b 2 integrin and VCAM-1/very late Ag-4 (VLA-4) interactions promoted static adhesion. Concurrent b 2 integrin, VLA-4, VCAM-1, and L-selectin blockade completely inhibited lymphocyte attachment. Thus, interactions between leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion receptor pairs remained remarkably intact across the human-porcine species barrier. Moreover, disrupting the adhesion cascade may impair the ability of human leukocytes to inﬁltrate a transplanted porcine organ during rejection. The Journal of Immunology, 1998, 161: 6931–6938. of modern medicine reconciling the gap between the number of organs available for of patients Atten-tion
Assessment of peripheral vascular disease in diabetics.

population. The subsequent 2-year incidence of overt coronary artery disease was 2.3% in men under the age of 65 years without aortic calcification and 4.1% for men under the age of 65 with aortic calcification. After adjustment for other risk factors, this difference was not statistically significant despite the large number of patients studied. Thus, the statement by Agatston and Janowitz that the presence of substantial calcification "puts that person in a higher risk category and justifies more aggressive risk factor intervention" is an attractive hypothesis that is as yet unproven. This hypothesis should be the subject of "carefully designed clinical and epidemiologic investigation," as recommended in the AHA statement. Agatston and Janowitz appear to imply that a full range of viewpoints was not heard before the AHA issued its statement on ultrafast computed tomography. The opinion of investigators involved in the application of this modality was sought during the development of this statement. The statement was subsequently reviewed by the Executive Committee of both the Council on Clinical Cardiology and the Council on Cardiovascular Radiology as well as by the Scientific Advisory Committee of the American Heart Association. There was overwhelming support for this statement at all levels of the review process. The arguments presented by Agatston and Janowitz do not meaningfully dispute the validity of the AHA statement.
The origin of human embryo lung cells in culture: A comment on cell differentiation, in vitro growth and neoplasia

The ultrastructure of cells derived from 15 human embryo lung culture lines, at 11 different transfer generations (2nd–19th) was examined, and compared with that of cells present in starting cell suspensions and explants. Differentiated epithelial cells were not seen after the second transfer generation. Two predominant cell types were present in all cultures. These cells were morphologically similar to endothelial cells and pericytes present in the initial explants. It is suggested that many tissue culture cell lines established from normal tissues may be derived from these cell types.
EN-ES-CS: An English-Spanish Code-Switching Twitter Corpus for Multilingual Sentiment Analysis

Code-switching texts are those that contain terms in two or more different languages, and they appear increasingly often in social media. The aim of this paper is to provide a resource to the research community to evaluate the performance of sentiment classification techniques on this complex multilingual environment, proposing an English-Spanish corpus of tweets with code-switching (EN-ES-CS CORPUS). The tweets are labeled according to two well-known criteria used for this purpose: SentiStrength and a trinary scale (positive, neutral and negative categories). Preliminary work on the resource is already done, providing a set of baselines for the research community.
El cultivo de maní en Córdoba

La demanda formulada por la Institucion Facultad de Agronomia y Veterinaria (UNRC) expresa una necesidad relacionada con su actividad prioritaria, la formacion profesional en el campo de la ingenieria agronomica. Es decir, su tarea educativa. El objeto de este proyecto esta en funcion de de esa actividad y procura resolver una vacancia de material bibliografico sobre una tematica de relevancia provincial al abordar un cultivo de caracteristicas tipicamente regionales. Es la provincia de Cordoba donde se localiza mas del 95% de la superficie cultivada con mani de Argentina, y es tambien el ambito donde se asientan y desarrollan todos los eslabones de la cadena de valor (provision de insumos y servicios, provision de maquinaria y equipamiento, comercializacion, industrilizacion y exportacion) de este producto alimenticio para el hombre. Es tambien en Cordoba donde se localizan la mayoria de los grupos de investigadores que abordan diferentes aspectos de este sistema productivo, vinculados mayoritariamente a las instituciones publicas (universidades de gestion publica y privada -UNRC, UNC, UCC, UNVM, UESXXI-, insitutos de investigacion y experimentacion -INTA, IFFIVE, Ceprocor-) y privadas (empresas, asociaciones de profesionales -CAM, CIA, CIAPC-), entre otras. Las universidades radicadas en la provincia de Cordoba son el ambito donde se concentra la demanda cuantitativa mas relevante, referida a los estudiantes de las carreras de grado y postgrado quienes conforman los destinatarios del producto de este proyecto. A ellos, se agregan tambien los profesionales ingenieros agronomos que desempenan sus actividades en los diferentes eslabones de esta cadena de valor y requieren de permente actualizacion de sus conocimientos. En este sentido, la Facultad de Agronomia y Veterinaria (UNRC) viene a formular la demanda de continuar disponiendo de un libro sobre mani que recopile la produccion cientifica generada localmente y la contextualice con los recientes avances a nivel mundial. Contaria asi con un como material bibliografico soporte para las actividades de docencia de grado y postgrado y de transferencia de la produccion al medio.