Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
D2 Receptor Blockade by Risperidone Correlates With Attention Deficits in Late-Life Schizophrenia

The negative impact of antipsychotic drugs on attention is expected to be greater in late-life schizophrenia because of the age-related changes in the dopamine receptor reserve. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between dopamine D2 receptor blockade by risperidone and the cognitive function in late-life schizophrenia. Subjects with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder aged 50 or older who were receiving risperidone completed a [11C]raclopride positron emission tomography scan to measure D2-binding potential in the striatum. The D2 receptor blockade by risperidone was calculated using age-corrected measures from healthy individuals and region of interest analysis of dynamic positron emission tomography data coregistered to the subjects' magnetic resonance imaging scans. Cognitive function was assessed using a battery of neuropsychological tests that included the Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS). Eleven subjects (mean ± SD age, 64 ± 8 years) participated in this study. The mean ± SD D2 receptor blockade was 69% ± 14% (range, 34%-80%). The age-corrected score on the attention subscale in the DRS was negatively correlated with the D2 receptor blockade. The DRS attention subscale score was lower in the subjects who experienced 74.9% or higher D2 blockade (median value, corresponding to a daily risperidone dose of >3.0 mg) than in those who did not. Although a causal attribution cannot be made in light of the cross-sectional nature of this study, the results suggest the critical importance of identifying the lowest effective dose of antipsychotic drugs in older patients with schizophrenia.
Toward the complete range separation of non‐hybrid exchange–correlation functional

In this study, we use a very simple scheme to achieve range separation of a total exchange–correlation functional. We have utilized this methodology to combine a short‐range pure density functional theory (DFT) functional with a corresponding long‐range pure DFT, leading to a “Range‐separated eXchange–Correlation” (RXC) scheme. By examining the performance of a range of standard exchange–correlation functionals for prototypical short‐ and long‐range properties, we have chosen B‐LYP as the short‐range functional and PBE‐B95 as the long‐range counterpart. The results of our testing using a more diverse range of data sets show that, for properties that we deem to be short‐range in nature, the performance of this prescribed RXC‐DFT protocol does resemble that of B‐LYP in most cases, and vice versa. Thus, this RXC‐DFT protocol already provides meaningful numerical results. Furthermore, we envisage that the general RXC scheme can be easily implemented in computational chemistry software packages. This study paves a way for further refinement of such a range‐separation technique for the development of better performing DFT procedures. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Markers of progression to rheumatoid arthritis: discriminative value of the new ACR/EULAR rheumatoid arthritis criteria in a Portuguese population with early polyarthritis.

OBJECTIVES Our goal was to test the performance of the new American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a cohort of patients with very recent onset polyarthritis. PATIENTS Untreated polyarthritis patients with less than 6 weeks of duration were enrolled. All patients were followed-up in order to establish a definitive diagnosis. RESULTS Thirty-seven patients were included. During the follow up 57% of the patients evolved to RA. The median age of the RA-group patients was simi­lar to the median age of the non-RA group [median (IQR) 47 (31-58.5) vs 43 (34-69) years, p=0.74]. At the initial visit the DAS 28 in the RA group was significantly higher than in the non-RA group, as well as the visual analogue scale (VAS), the HAQ and the number of swollen joints. Among the 21 RA patients, 43% presented RF and 28.6% presented anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) in the first visit. RF and ACPA were not detectable in any of the patients who did not evolve to RA. According to the new ACR/EULAR criteria, the mean total score of the RA group at baseline was significantly higher than the non-RA group [median (IQR) 6 (4.5-8) vs 4.5 (2.2-6), p=0.007]. CONCLUSION In our cohort high DAS28, swollen joint count, VAS and HAQ and the presence of RF or ACPA were eventually associated with the evolution into RA. The new ACR/EULAR criteria for the classification of RA seem to perform well in very early RA.
Pre- and Postoperative Guyon’s Canal Pressure Change in Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release: Correlation with Transient Postoperative Guyon’s Canal Syndrome

Perioperative Guyon’s canal and carpal canal pressure in one-forearm portal endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery were measured in resting position and during active power gripping in 66 hands. This was done using the continuous infusion technique with a local anaesthetic and without pneumatic tourniquet. Immediate mean postoperative Guyon’s canal and carpal canal pressure decreased in both measurements. During active power gripping, postoperative Guyon’s canal pressure was less than 40 mmHg in 61 hands, however, this increased to over 40 mmHg in five hands. In these five hands, Guyon’s canal syndrome did not develop. Guyon’s canal and carpal canal pressures were only correlated during postoperative active power gripping. It remains unclear whether immediate postoperative Guyon’s canal pressure correlates with higher pressures a few days later as reported in cases of transient postoperative Guyon’s canal syndrome.
Uncovering the Dangerous Alliances

The empirical literature has found that interstate alliances are, with the exception of the nineteenth century after 1815, usually followed by war rather than by peace. This analysis tries to identify theoretically the characteristics of alliances that distinguish those that are followed by war from those that are followed by peace. It is argued that alliances that embody settlements of territorial disputes are most peaceful. Alliances consisting exclusively of major states or of states that have been successful in their last war are predicted to be war prone, while those that have the opposite characteristics are predicted to be followed by peace. An empirical analysis of the data shows that all of the above expectations are confirmed. The analysis concludes by using these characteristics to reexamine the classic Levy, 1981, study.
Performance of NUV-HD Silicon Photomultiplier Technology

In this paper, we present the full characterization of a new high-density (HD) cell silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) technology for ultraviolet (UV) and blue light detection, named near UV HD SiPM. Thanks to an optimized border region around each cell, we were able to develop devices having a very high detection efficiency and, at the same time, a high dynamic range. We produced SiPMs with a square cell pitch of 15, 20, 25, and 30 μm featuring a peak efficiency in the violet region ranging from 40% to 55%, according to the cell size. We tested this technology for time-of-flight positron emission tomography. Using two 4 × 4 mm2 SiPMs with a 25 × 25 μm2 cell pitch coupled to 3 × 3 × 5 mm3 LYSO scintillators, we reached for the first time 100-ps full-width at half-maximum coincidence time resolution. This result was independent of the temperature in a range from 20 °C to -20 °C. At the same time, thanks to the high dynamic range and low correlated noise, we obtained an energy resolution lower than 9% for 511-keV γ-rays.
ELEVATED VITAMIN B 12 BLOOD LEVELS

But very frequently among those patients, careful inquiries demonstrate that no external human intervention may explain the finding. So we have to find some explanation to the increase within the metabolism. The presence of vitamin B12 in human faeces doesn’t only correspond to what is left from the absorption in the ileum, but it also reflects the production of significant quantities of cobalamin by the colonic microflora [1].
Genotypic Characterization of Human and Environmental Isolates of Salmonella choleraesuis Subspecies choleraesuis Serovar Infantis by Pulsed‐Field Gel Electrophoresis

To determine the extent of genetic diversity of Salmonella choleraesuis subspecies choleraesuis serovar Infantis and whether environmental isolates were similar or identical to human isolates, a total of 110 isolates from humans, broiler samples, egg production facilities, riverwater, sewage, and chicken meat were analyzed epidemiologically by pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis. While the isolates showed 35 distinct pulsed‐field profiles, none had the genotype of the human isolates. One pulsed‐field profile was shared by 43 (39%) of the 110 isolates. These results indicate that relatively fewer clonal lines of S. serovar Infantis had spread widely while multiple clonal lines, including the strain involved in the outbreak, exist in Western Japan.
Prosody in typical and atypical populations

This special issue is a selection of papers presented at the workshop entitled ‘‘Prosody in typical and atypical populations’’ held at the University of Reading in September 2012. Although there seems to be quite a vibrant community of researchers working on prosody in typical as well as in clinical populations, when one looks closely at current publication records, this still seems to be an under-represented topic, and we hope that this special issue will contribute towards further promotion of this area of research. Prosody is a suprasegmental aspect of speech and it includes a number of different aspects, such as stress, intonation and speech rhythm. Both comprehension and production of prosody are extremely important for successful communication. Research into child language acquisition shows that infants are sensitive to prosodic cues before they are able to communicate verbally and that prosody may be a channel which helps with the acquisition of words and grammar. However, research has also reported a number of different prosodic deficits, either in paediatric or adult populations. Prosodic deficits often accompany other speech, language and communication deficits, as for example in children with autistic spectrum disorders, specific language impaired; however, sometimes clinical populations may present with relative strengths in prosodic processing (as it will be discussed by Gavaro & Salmons, this issue). Better understanding of the nature of the prosodic deficits associated with different populations is paramount towards creating management and therapy protocols which will address these deficits most effectively. Hence, this special issue will offer further elucidation of some of the prosody issues found in specific language impairment, agrammatic aphasia and Elderspeak (the prosody often adopted when speaking to elderly people). This is by no means an exhaustive coverage of the topic – and it certainly presents only a snapshot of prosodic issues in a few populations – but it does cover different European languages; we hope that this special issue will inspire and motivate further research and, in particular, ways of addressing the problems that the papers cover. The first three papers in the issue are concerned with the acquisition of different prosodic constraints which bear upon either word formation or grammatical inflection processes in children
Epidemiological Profile and Clinical Associations of Human Bocavirus and Other Human Parvoviruses

Abstract BackgroundHuman bocavirus (HBoV) and PARV4 are newly discovered human parvoviruses. HBoV, which was first detected in respiratory samples, has a potential role in the development of human respiratory disease. The present study compared the frequencies, epidemiological profiles, and clinical backgrounds of HBoV and PARV4 infections with those of other respiratory virus infections, by evaluating diagnostic samples referred to the Specialist Virology Laboratory (SVL) at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, United Kingdom) MethodsAnonymized samples and study subject information were obtained from the respiratory sample archive of the SVL. Samples were screened for HBoV, PARV4, B19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenoviruses, influenza viruses, and parainfluenza viruses by use of nested polymerase chain reaction ResultsHBoV infection was detected in 47 (8.2%) of 574 study subjects,&ranking third in prevalence behind RSV infection (15.7%) and adenovirus infection (10.3%). Peak incidences of HBoV were noted among infants and young children (age, 6–24 months) during the midwinter months (December and January) and were specifically associated with lower respiratory tract infections. HBoV infections were frequently accompanied by other respiratory viruses (frequency, 43%), and they were more prevalent among individuals infected with other respiratory viruses (17%), frequently adenovirus or RSV. All respiratory samples were negative for PARV4 ConclusionsIn the present study, HBoV was a frequently detected, potential respiratory pathogen, with a prevalence and an epidemiological profile comparable to those of RSV. Identification of HBoV infections may be clinically important in the future
Vibrio fischeri Uses Two Quorum-Sensing Systems for the Regulation of Early and Late Colonization Factors

ABSTRACT Vibrio fischeri possesses two quorum-sensing systems, ain and lux, using acyl homoserine lactones as signaling molecules. We have demonstrated previously that the ain system activates luminescence gene expression at lower cell densities than those required for lux system activation and that both systems are essential for persistent colonization of the squid host, Euprymna scolopes. Here, we asked whether the relative contributions of the two systems are also important at different colonization stages. Inactivation of ain, but not lux, quorum-sensing genes delayed initiation of the symbiotic relationship. In addition, our data suggest that lux quorum sensing is not fully active in the early stages of colonization, implying that this system is not required until later in the symbiosis. The V. fischeri luxI mutant does not express detectable light levels in symbiosis yet initiates colonization as well as the wild type, suggesting that ain quorum sensing regulates colonization factors other than luminescence. We used a recently developed V. fischeri microarray to identify genes that are controlled by ain quorum sensing and could be responsible for the initiation defect. We found 30 differentially regulated genes, including the repression of a number of motility genes. Consistent with these data, ain quorum-sensing mutants displayed an altered motility behavior in vitro. Taken together, these data suggest that the sequential activation of these two quorum-sensing systems with increasing cell density allows the specific regulation of early colonization factors (e.g., motility) by ain quorum sensing, whereas late colonization factors (e.g., luminescence) are preferentially regulated by lux quorum sensing.
Labor Force Participation and Household Economies of Emigrant Couples

We study the impact of international migration on labor force participation and household economies of couples, based on a survey of Danish emigrants. We find that migration is associated with reduced female labor force participation, especially among couples migrating to the United States. Most couples that had separate economies in Denmark have joint economies abroad. Usually, the male partner contributes more. Switching towards traditional male breadwinner model is particularly strong among couples with children and with the male being highly educated. JEL-Classification: F22, J12, D13, J24
Virologic Response to First-line Efavirenz- or Nevirapine-based Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-infected African Children.

BACKGROUND Poorer virologic response to nevirapine- versus efavirenz-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been reported in adult systematic reviews and pediatric studies. METHODS We compared drug discontinuation and viral load (VL) response in ART-naïve Ugandan/Zimbabwean children ≥3 years of age initiating ART with clinician-chosen nevirapine versus efavirenz in the ARROW trial. Predictors of suppression <80, <400 and <1000 copies/mL at 36, 48 and 144 weeks were identified using multivariable logistic regression with backwards elimination (P = 0.1). RESULTS A total of 445 (53%) children received efavirenz and 391 (47%) nevirapine. Children receiving efavirenz were older (median age, 8.6 vs. 7.5 years nevirapine, P < 0.001) and had higher CD4% (12% vs. 10%, P = 0.05), but similar pre-ART VL (P = 0.17). The initial non-nucleoside-reverse-transcriptase-inhibitor (NNRTI) was permanently discontinued for adverse events in 7 of 445 (2%) children initiating efavirenz versus 9 of 391 (2%) initiating nevirapine (P = 0.46); at switch to second line in 17 versus 23, for tuberculosis in 0 versus 26, for pregnancy in 6 versus 0 and for other reasons in 15 versus 5. Early (36-48 weeks) virologic suppression <80 copies/mL was superior with efavirenz, particularly in children with higher pre-ART VL (P = 0.0004); longer-term suppression was superior with nevirapine in older children (P = 0.05). Early suppression was poorer in the youngest and oldest children, regardless of NNRTI (P = 0.02); longer-term suppression was poorer in those with higher pre-ART VL regardless of NNRTI (P = 0.05). Results were broadly similar for <400 and <1000 copies/mL. CONCLUSION Short-term VL suppression favored efavirenz, but long-term relative performance was age dependent, with better suppression in older children with nevirapine, supporting World Health Organization recommendation that nevirapine remains an alternative NNRTI.
Transcriptional regulation of the murine k‐fgf gene

Embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells provide a useful model system for studying the roles of growth factors during early mammalian development. In 1988, we determined that EC cells express a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family that cannot be detected after EC cells undergo differentiation. Attempts to understand how differentiation regulates the production of FGFs led to the finding that EC cells express the fibroblast growth factor k‐FGF (FGF‐4), whereas there is a large decrease in the steady state levels of k‐FGF mRNA when EC cells differentiate. This suggested that transcription of the k‐fgf gene is repressed when EC cells differentiate. To investigate this possibility, we prepared a series of reporter gene constructs containing various regions of the murine k‐fgf gene. These constructs were transfected into two mouse EC cell lines and one mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell line. We determined that the mouse 5′ flanking region cannot support expression of the reporter gene. In both EC and ES cell lines, expression of the reporter gene is elevated greatly by the addition of a 316 bp region from the third exon of the murine k‐fgf gene. Sequence analysis of the 316 bp region identified one and possibly two conserved octamer binding motifs. These sequences are likely to be involved in regulation of the k‐fgf gene, because differentiation of EC cells is known to reduce the expression of octamer binding proteins, including Oct‐3. To test the possible role of octamer binding proteins, we examined the expression of our reporter gene constructs in F9‐differentiated cells and in PYS‐2 cells. In these cells, the expression of our k‐fgf/reporter gene constructs is very low. However, expression of the reporter gene is elevated significantly when these cells are cotransfected with a construct that contains an Oct‐3 cDNA under the control of a strong viral promoter. To test further the importance of the octamer motifs found in the 316 bp enhancer‐like region, we replaced the 316 bp region in our constructs with a smaller region (48 bp) that contains the downstream octamer motif and flanking sequences. Like the 316 bp region, this 48 bp region elevated the expression of the reporter gene, but it does so at a much lower level. Thus, it appears that the downstream octamer motif may be involved in the regulation of the k‐fgf gene, but that at least one other cis‐regulatory element present in the 316 bp enhancer is likely to be involved in the expression of the k‐fgf gene in EC cells. Lastly, we have identified two potentially important regulatory regions upstream of the transcription start site. One appears to regulate positively the expression of the murine k‐fgf gene in EC cells and in ES cells, and the other appears to regulate negatively the expression of the k‐fgf gene in these cells. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Correlates and Treatment of Obesity in Military Populations: A Systematic Review

Objective: The emergence of obesity as a distinct disease could have far reaching consequences for an organisation where optimum health and physical fitness are required for personnel to perform their occupational roles effectively. The objectives of this paper are to systematically review the literature concerning correlates and treatment of obesity in military populations. Methods: Through computerised searches of English language studies, 17 papers were identified (treatment (13), correlates (4)). Results: Successful treatment interventions incorporated exercise, healthy eating information, behavioural modification, self-monitoring, relapse prevention, and structured follow-up and were supported by trained personnel. Efficacy due to physical activity was underreported. Reduction in body fat rather than body weight was the most significant outcome. The major significant correlates of obesity were being enlisted personnel, male, ≧35 years of age, African-American/Hispanic ethnicity, and married (with spouse present). Conclusion: This systematic review highlights the deficit in knowledge concerning treatment and the lack of engagement in relation to the specific correlates of obesity in military populations.
Host genetic influence on papillomavirus‐induced tumors in the horse

The common equine skin tumors known as sarcoids have been causally associated with infection by bovine papillomavirus (BPV). Additionally, there is evidence for host genetic susceptibility to sarcoids. We investigated the genetic basis of susceptibility to sarcoid tumors on a cohort of 82 affected horses and 270 controls genotyped on a genome‐wide platform and two custom panels. A Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) identified candidate regions on six chromosomes. Bayesian probability analysis of the same dataset verified only the regions on equine chromosomes (ECA) 20 and 22. Fine mapping using custom‐produced SNP arrays for ECA20 and ECA22 regions identified two marker loci with high levels of significance: SNP BIEC2‐530826 (map position 32,787,619) on ECA20 in an intron of the DQA1 gene in the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II region (p = 4.6e‐06), and SNP BIEC2‐589604 (map position 25,951,536) on ECA22 in a 200 kb region containing four candidate genes: PROCR, EDEM2, EIF6 and MMP24 (p = 2.14e‐06). The marker loci yielded odds ratios of 5.05 and 4.02 for ECA20 and ECA22, respectively. Associations between genetic MHC class II variants and papillomavirus‐induced tumors have been reported for human papillomavirus and cottontail rabbit papillomavirus infections. This suggests a common mechanism for susceptibility to tumor progression that may involve subversion of the host immune response. This study also identified a genomic region other than MHC that influenced papillomavirus‐induced tumor development in the studied population.