Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology and Prevention of Hepatitis B

The primary goal of hepatitis B prevention programs is reduction of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and HBV-related chronic liver disease. Although donor screening, risk-reduction counseling and services, and effective infection control practices can reduce or eliminate the potential risk for HBV transmission, immunization is by far the single most effective prevention measure. Worldwide, the integration of hepatitis B vaccine into existing childhood vaccination schedules has the greatest likelihood of long-term success. However, by 2000, only 116 of 215 countries had such a policy, representing 31% of the global birth cohort. In addition, efforts must be strengthened to vaccinate older adolescents and adults with high-risk behaviors or occupations in countries where most HBV transmission and the morbidity associated with acute hepatitis B occur among persons in these age groups. Although continued immunization of successive birth cohorts should achieve the eventual elimination of HBV transmission, this will not occur for decades without successful vaccination of adults at increased risk for infection.
Spectrum Sharing between Geostationary and Terrestrial Communication Systems

In the fifth-generation (5G) networks, millimeter- wave (mmWave) bands have drawn great attention for the large amount of possible bandwidth. Meanwhile, satellite communications have also shown great interest in the mmWave bands, especially the Ka band. Under such a circumstance, the spectrum sharing between the satellite and terrestrial communication systems becomes prominent. In this paper, we analyze the interference caused by terrestrial cellular systems to the geostationary (GEO) system in two transmission modes. In order to protect the GEO system, we construct a protection radius where the terrestrial transmitters must locate outside. Simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Adaptation in the pharmaceutical industry, with particular reference to gastrointestinal drugs and diseases.

In terms of gastrointestinal diseases, the pharmaceutical industry is having to adapt in the face of great success (e.g. anti-ulcer drugs), continued failure (e.g. cancer therapy) and increasing commercial pressures. Whilst success is evident by the presence of four anti-ulcer agents in the top 25 best-selling drugs, the GI tract remains the major site of cancer, a disease where almost no progress in drug treatment has occurred since the discovery of anti-metabolites. In addition to being a major therapeutic target, the GI tract is also the principal route of drug administration with some one hundred billion unit dosages being ingested per year. Not surprisingly, therefore, the gut reigns supreme as a site of minor side-effects. More serious adverse reactions are also common and those associated with anti-proliferative and anti-arthritic drugs can be life-threatening. Thus an agent to combat adverse GI reactions represents a drug development opportunity in itself. In terms of primary diseases of the gut, the pharmaceutical industry is having to adapt to the uncertainties inherent in developing drugs in markets which are poorly defined because of the absence of effective treatments. Foremost amongst these are neoplastic and inflammatory diseases. Although these represent formidable targets, clinical needs and consequently commercial success would far outweight any gains from developing another generation of anti-ulcer drugs to compete with existing anti-secretory agents.
The effect of different milk formulas on dental plaque pH.

OBJECTIVES The purposes of this study were (1) to investigate the effect of different milk formulas on dental plaque pH after rinsing with these three categories, type of protein-based formulas (milk-based, soy-based, protein hydrolysate), type of sugar (only lactose, lactose and other sugars, only non-milk extrinsic sugars), and casein ratio (high and low casein), and (2) to observe organic acids formed by different milk formulas. METHODS Baseline plaque pH and plaque pH at 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 60 min after rinsing with milk formulas were recorded by a combination electrode in 14 healthy subjects. Deionized water and 10% sucrose were used as a negative and positive control. The plaque sample was also analysed to identify and quantify the organic acids using a high-performance liquid chromatography. Parameters including minimum pH, maximum pH drop, and area under curve were compared by RMANOVA and paired t-test. RESULTS The minimum pH was not significantly different among different protein-based formulas, whereas, the maximum plaque pH drop of soy-based and milk-based formula was significantly higher than that produced by protein hydrolysate formula (P=0.022 and 0.03, respectively). Area under curve produced by soy-based and milk-based formulas was significantly larger than that created by protein hydrolysate formula (P=0.025 and<0.001, respectively). Milk formulas containing only lactose caused significantly less plaque pH change in minimum pH (P<0.001), maximum pH drop (P=0.003), and area under curve (P<0.001) when compared with formulas containing lactose and other sugar but not with special formulas containing only non-milk extrinsic sugar. Similarly, special formulas containing non-milk extrinsic sugar produced significantly lower minimum pH and smaller area under curve than formulas containing lactose and other sugar did (P=0.044 and 0.009, respectively). No different results were found between high and low casein follow-on formulas. Lactic acid was produced more by rinsing with formulas containing lactose and other sugars than that produced by formulas containing only lactose. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that milk formulas containing added other sugars tend to cause a decrease in plaque pH.
Economic reforms, energy consumption changes and CO2 emissions in India: A quantitative analysis

Energy based on fossil fuel consumption is very closely linked with environmental pollution in the form of CO2 emissions, a major element in global climate change. This paper analyses the changes in India’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions during the five-year period following the 1991 reforms, i.e. 1991/92 to 1996/97. The authors extend the energy Input-Output Structural Decomposition Analysis (SDA) to identify changes in energy consumption during this period. Results indicate that India’s energy consumption, which increased by 5.7 per cent a year in this period, was determined by a number of forces. The most significant role was played by the final demand structure followed by technical change and interaction between final demand structure and technical change. The CO2 emission trends reveal that the most dominating sectors have been petroleum products and electricity. The paper makes some broad policy recommendations for the future pattern of energy use in India.
Truly Incomplete and Complex Exchanges in Prematurely Condensed Chromosomes of Human Fibroblasts Exposed In Vitro to Energetic Heavy Ions

Abstract Wu, H. , Durante, M. , Furusawa, Y. , George, K. , Kawata, T. and Cucinotta, F. A. Truly Incomplete and Complex Exchanges in Prematurely Condensed Chromosomes of Human Fibroblasts Exposed In Vitro to Energetic Heavy Ions. Radiat. Res. 160, 418–424 (2003). Confluent human fibroblast cells (AG1522) were irradiated with γ rays, 490 MeV/nucleon silicon ions, or iron ions at either 200 or 500 MeV/nucleon. The cells were allowed to repair at 37°C for 24 h after exposure, and a chemically induced premature chromosome condensation (PCC) technique was used to condense chromosomes in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. Incomplete and complex exchanges were analyzed in the irradiated samples. To verify that chromosomal breaks were truly unrejoined, chromosome aberrations were analyzed using a combination of whole-chromosome specific probes and probes specific for the telomere region of the chromosome. Results showed that the frequency of unrejoined chromosome breaks was higher after irradiation with the heavy ions of high LET, and consequently the ratio of incomplete to complete exchanges increased steadily with LET up to 440 keV/μm, the highest LET included in the present study. For samples exposed to 200 MeV/nucleon iron ions, chromosome aberrations were analyzed using the multicolor FISH (mFISH) technique, which allows identification of both complex and truly incomplete exchanges. Results of the mFISH study showed that 0.7 and 3 Gy iron ions produced similar ratios of complex to simple exchanges and incomplete to complete exchanges; these ratios were higher than those obtained after exposure to 6 Gy γ rays. After 0.7 Gy of iron ions, most complex aberrations were found to involve three or four chromosomes, which is a likely indication of the maximum number of chromosome domains traversed by a single iron-ion track.
Safeguards of Neurotransmission: Endocytic Adaptors as Regulators of Synaptic Vesicle Composition and Function

Communication between neurons relies on neurotransmitters which are released from synaptic vesicles (SVs) upon Ca2+ stimuli. To efficiently load neurotransmitters, sense the rise in intracellular Ca2+ and fuse with the presynaptic membrane, SVs need to be equipped with a stringently controlled set of transmembrane proteins. In fact, changes in SV protein composition quickly compromise neurotransmission and most prominently give rise to epileptic seizures. During exocytosis SVs fully collapse into the presynaptic membrane and consequently have to be replenished to sustain neurotransmission. Therefore, surface-stranded SV proteins have to be efficiently retrieved post-fusion to be used for the generation of a new set of fully functional SVs, a process in which dedicated endocytic sorting adaptors play a crucial role. The question of how the precise reformation of SVs is achieved is intimately linked to how SV membranes are retrieved. For a long time both processes were believed to be two sides of the same coin since Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), the proposed predominant SV recycling mode, will jointly retrieve SV membranes and proteins. However, with the recent proposal of Clathrin-independent SV recycling pathways SV membrane retrieval and SV reformation turn into separable events. This review highlights the progress made in unraveling the molecular mechanisms mediating the high-fidelity retrieval of SV proteins and discusses how the gathered knowledge about SV protein recycling fits in with the new notions of SV membrane endocytosis.
Early differentiation of ganglion, amacrine, bipolar, and muller cells in the developing fovea of human retina

We examined the differntiation and maturation of neurons and glia of the inner nuclear layer (INL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) in the retina of a human fetus of 15 weeks gestation. Serial, ultrathin sections were cut from a resinembedded specimen from the posterior pole of the retina. The region of the putative fovea was defined by the absence of rod photoreceptors from the outer nuclear layer; only sections through the putative fovea were studied. Cell somata were classified on the basis of morphological criteria and, through the analysis of serial sections, morphological characteristics of the cell processes were established. In the inner plexiform layer (IPL), the types of synapses were analysed. The majority of cells in the INL and GCL were differentiated and could be identified. Ganglion cell somata were observed in the GCL and INL. Of 186 somata analysed in the INL, 66 were Muller cells, 21 amacrine cells, and 2 ganglion cells; a further 7 cells were classified as either amacrine or ganglion. Bipolar cells were thought to comprise the majority of the remaining 90 somata, but these could not be positively identified, as it was not possible to trace bipolar cell axons to their cell bodies deep in the INL. A detailed description of the morphological characteristics of the identified cells and their processes, and of the axonal processes of bipolar cells, is provided. Puncta adherentia and other simple intercellular junctions were commonly seen in the IPL and involved all cell types. Amacrine cell synapses and immature, monad bipolar cell synapses were common within the IPL. Dyad bipolar synapses were uncommon at this stage of development. A possible sequence of synaptogenesis in the IPL is discussed.
The diagnostic value of flow cytometric DNA measurements in follicular tumors of the thyroid gland

Flow cytometric analysis of DNA content was performed on single or multiple samples from 34 thyroidectomy specimens. There were 29 thyroids with diploid DNA content, comprising 15 nonneoplastic lesions, 5 follicular adenomas, 1 medullary carcinoma, and 8 papillary carcinomas. Aneuploid DNA pattern was observed in five cases, including one metastatic mammary carcinoma. The initial histologic diagnoses in the remaining four aneuploid thyroid lesions were follicular carcinoma in one and follicular adenoma in three. The abnormal DNA pattern in the three follicular “adenomas” prompted a review of their aspiration cytologic and histologic features. The fine‐needle aspiration biopsy was performed in two of the three cases and showed evidence of a follicular neoplasm with significant nuclear atypia in both. Histologic review of the three lesions led to a modified diagnosis of noninvasive low grade follicular carcinoma in all three. Flow cytometric analysis of DNA content may prove to be a highly useful adjunct in the evaluation of follicular thyroid tumors. Long‐term clinical follow‐up is warranted to document the clinical significance of these observations. Cancer 56: 2011‐2018, 1985.
The k = 1 Finite Element Numerical Solution for the Improved Boussinesq Equation

The improved Boussinesq equation is solved with classical finite element method using the most basic Lagrange element k = 1, which leads us to a second order nonlinear ordinary differential equations system in time; this can be solved by any standard accurate numerical method for example Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg. The technique is validated with a typical example and a fourth order convergence in space is confirmed; the 1- and 2-soliton solutions are used to simulate wave travel, wave splitting and interaction; solution blow up is described graphically. The computer symbolic system MathLab is quite used for numerical simulation in this paper; the known results in the bibliography are confirmed.
Yeast glycosylation mutants are sensitive to aminoglycosides.

Aminoglycosides are a therapeutically important class of antibiotics that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis and a number of viral and eukaryotic functions by blocking RNA-protein interactions. Vanadate-resistant Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants with defects in Golgi-specific glycosylation processes exhibit growth sensitivity to hygromycin B, an aminoglycoside [Ballou, L. , Hitzeman, R. A. , Lewis, M. S. & Ballou, C. E. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 3209-3212]. Here, evidence is presented that glycosylation is, in and of itself, a key factor mediating aminoglycoside sensitivity in yeast. Examination of mutants with a wide range of glycosylation abnormalities reveals that all are sensitive to aminoglycosides. This effect is specific to aminoglycosides and not merely a consequence of increased permeability of the yeast mutants to drugs. Furthermore, inhibition of glycosylation in wild-type cells leads to a marked increase in their sensitivity to aminoglycosides. These results establish that a defect in glycosylation is sufficient to render yeast cells susceptible to these clinically important drugs. Further, they suggest that a molecule which prevents the uptake or mediates removal of aminoglycosides requires glycosylation for its activity. Perhaps more importantly, this finding on drug sensitivity provides the most powerful screen to date to identify mutants and thereby to isolate genes involved in all aspects of N-linked glycosylation.
A noninvasive measure of baroreflex sensitivity without blood pressure measurement.

BACKGROUND Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and heart rate variability (HRV) are attenuated in cardiovascular disease and can give important prognostic information. Conventional measures of BRS require expensive or invasive equipment for the beat-to-beat measure of blood pressure (BP). We examined the possibility of developing a simple protocol that would provide a relatively standardized BP stimulus, which might obviate the need to measure BP beat-by-beat. METHODS AND RESULTS Fifty-five patients with chronic heart failure (mean age 59 [SD 11] years) and 20 healthy control subjects (mean age 53 [SD 14] years, P not significant) underwent 5-minute recordings of BP (by photoplethysmograph) and R-R interval during 0.1-Hz controlled breathing. The size of the oscillations in BP was the same in the 2 groups (3.6 mm Hg vs 4.1 mm Hg, P =.5). There was, however, a significant difference in the amplitude of the R-R interval oscillations (77 ms vs 31 ms, P <.0001). The amplitude of the R-R interval oscillations correlated strongly with BRS (r = 0.81, P <.0001 with controlled breathing BRS, and r = 0.51, P <.0001 with alpha index). There was no correlation with the size of BP oscillations (r = -0.13, P not significant with controlled breathing BRS, and r = -0.15, P not significant with alpha index). In a separate study, a group of 22 young patients (mean age 36 years) with type I diabetes mellitus and 28 healthy control subjects (mean age 39 years) underwent measurement of resting HRV and amplitude of R-R interval oscillations during 0.1-Hz breathing. There was no significant difference in triangular index or low-frequency R-R interval power between the 2 groups. There was, however, a significant difference in the amplitude of R-R interval oscillations during controlled breathing between patients with diabetes and healthy control subjects. Total and high-frequency RR interval variability was also significantly different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION During 0.1-Hz breathing, the marked difference in BRS between patients with CHF and age-matched control subjects is the result of smaller R-R interval oscillations. In young patients with diabetes, these R-R interval oscillations are significantly smaller than age-matched control subjects, even when some measures of spontaneous HRV are not different between groups. Breathing at 0.1 Hz provides a standard BP stimulus and concentrates spectral power of heart rate at one frequency, enabling simple evaluation of BRS even when BP measurement is not available.
Altered Cerebrovascular Response Pattern in Interictal Migraine During Visual Stimulation

A dysbalance of the cerebrovascular response during functional activation of the brain has been postulated as a factor in the pathophysiology of migraine. To determine the dynamic pattern of the cerebrovascular response in migraineurs compared with a control group, changes of the cerebral perfusion during cerebral activation were studied with high temporal resolution by functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD). The cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) in the right posterior cerebral artery (PCA) and the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) was measured simultaneously during visual stimulation in 19 interictal migraineurs and in 19 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Data were analysed with a previously validated technique based on automated stimulus-related averaging of the CBFV. The MCA migraineurs exhibited a steady increase of CBFV during the stimulation, while normal subjects showed a habituation of the CBFV response. The lack of habituation in migraineurs was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) more pronounced across patients with a high attack frequency (≥ 4 per month) compared with migraineurs with a low attack frequency (< 4 per month). In the PCA, compared with normal subjects, migraineurs showed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) stronger CBFV changes at the beginning and after the end of stimulation, with a slower decline to baseline. Data are in accordance with electrophysiological findings in migraineurs. It is assumed that a lack of habituation of the cerebrovascular response in migraineurs might contribute to a disturbance of the metabolic homeostasis of the brain that might induce migraine attacks.
Expression of TrkB and TrkC but not BDNF mRNA in neurochemically identified interneurons in rat visual cortex in vivo and in organotypic cultures

The mammalian visual cortex contains morphologically diverse populations of interneurons whose neurochemical properties are believed to be regulated by neurotrophic factors. This requires the expression of neurotrophin receptors. We have analysed whether brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), its receptor trkB and the NT‐3 receptor trkC are expressed in interneurons of rat visual cortex in vivo, and in organotypic visual cortex cultures, paying particular attention to the subsets of neuropeptidergic neurons. In situ hybridization in combination with immunofluorescence for calcium‐binding proteins and neuropeptides revealed that BDNF is not expressed in interneurons in vivo or in vitro. For the neurotrophin receptors we found in vivo at postnatal day 70 (P70) that ≈ 80% of the parvalbumin‐immunoreactive (‐ir), but only 50% of the intensely calbindin‐ir, and only 20% of the calretinin‐ir neurons express trkB. Double labelling with neuropeptides revealed that ≈ 50% of the neuropeptide Y‐ir and ≈ 50% of the somatostatin‐ir neurons express trkB in a laminar‐specific way. Only 25% of the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)‐ir neurons coexpress trkB. The coexpression of neuropeptide Y with trkB, but not with BDNF or trkC, was confirmed with a double in situ hybridization. In contrast, the percentages differed in the immature cortex; at P14 70% of the NPY‐ir neurons and 46% of the calretinin‐ir neurons revealed trkB expression, while the ratio for calbindin‐ir cells was fairly constant (59%). From the interneuron populations studied, only 12% of the parvalbumin‐ir neurons expressed trkC. A triple labelling revealed that some neurons coexpressed both trk mRNAs, while others had only trkC. The analysis of interneurons in organotypic cultures yielded very similar results. The results indicate that trkB ligands synthesized by pyramidal neurons influence neuropeptide or calcium‐binding protein expression in a paracrine or transsynaptic manner. However, in contrast to current belief, in the adult only about half of all interneurons appear responsive to trkB ligands. Although the proportion is higher in the immature cortex, not all of the interneurons appear neurotrophin‐receptive. With regard to the presence or absence of neurotrophin receptors, the molecular heterogeneity of GABAergic interneurons in the visual cortex is higher than currently assumed, and the responsiveness to neurotrophins changes with development in a cell type‐specific way.
The effect of regional nerve blocks on the lameness caused by collagenase induced tendonitis in the midmetacarpal region of the horse: a study using gait analysis, and ultrasonography to determine tendon healing.

The influence of regional nerve blocks on lameness resulting from tendon injury was studied in six horses. Tendonitis was induced in the midmetacarpal region of the Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon (SDF), Deep Digital Flexor Tendon (DDF) and the Suspensory Ligament (SL) through collagenase injections. The results were evaluated through sequential clinical examinations, ultrasonographic imaging and kinetic gait analysis (force plate) during a period of 144 days post injury and subsequently compared with gross and microscopic findings. The lameness corresponding to the SDF and DDF tendon lesions was completely abolished by a high palmar nerve block. The SL desmitis was partly abolished by high palmar nerve block and completely blocked with an additional ulnar nerve block. The ultrasonic evaluations showed the lesions, expanding until approximately 30 days post injection (p.i.) and subsequently decreasing. The texture of the lesion also improved markedly after 30 days p.i. The post-mortem macro- and microscopic evaluation revealed still considerable abnormalities at 145 days p.i. At that time the tendon lesions were no longer detectable ultrasonographically.