Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation between pre-miR-146a C/G polymorphism and gastric cancer risk in Chinese population.

AIM To investigate the association between pre-miR-146a C/G polymorphism and gastric cancer risk. METHODS We performed a hospital-based, case-control study using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method in 608 individuals (304 gastric cancer patients and 304 age and sex matched cancer-free controls). RESULTS The frequencies of pre-miR-146a C/G genotypes in the case group were significantly different from those in the control groups (P = 0.037). Compared with CC genotype carriers, subjects with the variant genotypes (GC + GG) had a 58% increased risk of gastric cancer (adjusted OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.11-2.20, P = 0.009). Moreover, a higher gastric cancer risk was especially evident in younger individuals aged < or =58 years, nonsmokers, and males (adjusted OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.08-2.87, P = 0.024; adjusted OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.06-2.28, P = 0.025; adjusted OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.04-2.27, P = 0.033; respectively). CONCLUSION Pre-miR-146a C/G polymorphism might be associated with an elevated risk of gastric cancer in Chinese population.
Does opioid substitution treatment in prisons reduce injecting-related HIV risk behaviours? A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES To review systematically the evidence on opioid substitution treatment (OST) in prisons in reducing injecting-related human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviours. METHODS Systematic review in accordance with guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration. Electronic databases were searched to identify studies of prison-based opioid substitution treatment programmes that included assessment of effects of prison OST on injecting drug use, sharing of needles and syringes and HIV incidence. Published data were used to calculate risk ratios for outcomes of interest. Risk ratios were not pooled due to the low number of studies and differences in study designs. RESULTS Five studies were included in the review. Poor follow-up rates were reported in two studies, and representativeness of the sample was uncertain in the remaining three studies. Compared to inmates in control conditions, for treated inmates the risk of injecting drug use was reduced by 55-75% and risk of needle and syringe sharing was reduced by 47-73%. No study reported a direct effect of prison OST on HIV incidence. CONCLUSIONS There may be a role for OST in preventing HIV transmission in prisons, but methodologically rigorous research addressing this question specifically is required. OST should be implemented in prisons as part of comprehensive HIV prevention programmes that also provide condoms and sterile injecting and tattooing equipment.
Decoding of velocities and positions of 3D arm movement from EEG

A brain-computer interface (BCI) can be used to control a limb neuroprosthesis with motor imaginations (MI) to restore limb functionality of paralyzed persons. However, existing BCIs lack a natural control and need a considerable amount of training time or use invasively recorded biosignals. We show that it is possible to decode velocities and positions of executed arm movements from electroencephalography signals using a new paradigm without external targets. This is a step towards a non-invasive BCI which uses natural MI. Furthermore, training time will be reduced, because it is not necessary to learn new mental strategies.
Neurobiology of Disease Rbm 8 a Haploinsufficiency Disrupts Embryonic Cortical Development Resulting in Microcephaly

Hanqian Mao,1 X Louis-Jan Pilaz,1 John J. McMahon,1 X Christelle Golzio,2,3 X Danwei Wu,1 Lei Shi,1 Nicholas Katsanis,2,4 and X Debra L. Silver1,4,5,6 1Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, 2Center for Human Disease Modeling, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27701, 3Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 4Department of Cell Biology, 5Department of Neurobiology, and 6Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710
The discovery of the leukotrienes.

In a study of the transformation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes in 1976 it was discovered that arachidonic acid is oxygenated at C-5 (1). Subsequently a number of derivatives, including leukotriene B 4 (LTB 4 ), were identified (2-4). Extension of these studies led in 1979 to the discovery of the pivot epoxide intermediate, LTA 4 (5), and the elucidation of the structure of SRS-A (slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis) as a group of cysteinyl-leukotrienes, namely LTC 4 , LTD 4 , and LTE 4 (6-10). Earlier work had shown that the prostaglandins are formed by oxygenation and further transformation of arachidonic acid and other polyunsaturated fatty acids (11). The first intermediate in the formation of prostaglandins, the endoperoxide PGG 2 , was isolated and identified in 1974 (12). At the same time we introduced the name cyclooxygenase for the enzyme catalyzing the transformation of arachidonic acid into PGG 2 (12). However, the endoperoxides, PGG 2 and PGH 2 , had some biological effects that could not be explained by their conversion to the known prostaglandins (12). This finding eventually led to the discovery of thromboxane A 2 , an unstable platelet-aggregating and vasoconstrictor substance (13). Subsequent work showed that the endoperoxide can also be converted into a derivative, prostacyclin (PGI 2 ), with opposite biological effects (14). Prostaglandins E 2 and I 2 have strong proinflammatory effects. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit the enzyme (cyclooxygenase) responsible for conversion of arachidonic acid into prostaglandins and thromboxanes (15). An induced form of the cyclooxygenase (COX-2) seems to play an important role in inflammation, thus opening the possibility of developing antiinflammatory NSAIDs that lack the side effects of the previous generation of such drugs (16, 17). In 1975 antiinflammatory steroids were proposed to inhibit prostaglandin formation by blocking of the release of the precursor acid from phospholipid stores (18). Since steroids and NSAIDs have significantly different antiinflammatory effects it seemed conceivable that some of these differences might be explained by the formation of proinflammatory derivatives of arachidonic acid by cyclooxygenase-independent reactions. Our studies of the metabolism of arachidonic acid in leukocytes unraveled a new metabolic pathway and led to the discovery of the leukotrienes (8). These compounds play a role in allergy and asthma and have pronounced proinflammatory effects (19, 20).
Anemia in pregnancy and its association with pregnancy outcomes in the Arctic Russian town of Monchegorsk, 1973–2002

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of anemia in pregnancy in Monchegorsk, north-west Russia, and to analyse its association with birth weight and the risk of stillbirth and preterm birth. Study design. A registry study based on the Kola Birth Registry. Methods. A total of 24,525 women who gave birth in Monchegorsk between 1973 and 2002 and who had data on anemia in pregnancy in the Kola Birth Registry (KBR) were included in the study. For these women, data on maternal anemia, age, occupation, marital status, parity, smoking, alcohol, gestational age, birth weight, stillbirth and year of delivery were obtained from the KBR. Linear regression was used to study the effect of maternal anemia on birth weight. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of anemia on the risks of stillbirth and preterm birth, with adjustment for the above-mentioned characteristics. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated. Results. The prevalence of anemia increased from 43.7% in the 1970s to 89.8% in the beginning of the 2000s. Infants born to women with anemia were 48 grams (95% CI 36, 59) heavier than infants of non-anemic women. Women with anemia in pregnancy were less likely to have stillbirths (OR=0.68; 95% CI 0.52, 0.89) and preterm births (OR=0.66; 95% CI 0.58, 0.75) after adjustment for potential confounders. Conclusion. The prevalence of anemia in pregnant women as defined by the KBR more than doubled during the 30-year period. Positive associations with birth weight and negative associations with the risk of stillbirth and live preterm birth were observed.
A Novel Soft-Commutating Isolated Boost Full-Bridge ZVS-PWM DC&#8211;DC Converter for Bidirectional High Power Applications

A soft-commutating method and control scheme for an isolated boost full bridge converter is proposed in this paper to implement dual operation of the well-known soft-switching full bridge dc/dc buck converter for bidirectional high power applications. It provides a unique commutation logic to minimize a mismatch between current in the current-fed inductor and current in the leakage inductance of the transformer when commutation takes place, significantly reducing the power rating for a voltage clamping snubber and enabling use of a simple passive clamped snubber. To minimize the mismatch, the method and control scheme utilizes the resonant tank and freewheeling path in the existing full bridge inverter at the voltage-fed side to preset the current in the leakage inductance of the transformer in a resonant manner. Zero-voltage-switching is also achieved for all the switches at the voltage-fed side inverter in boost mode operation. The proposed soft-commutating method is verified through boost mode operation of a 3-kW bidirectional isolated full bridge dc/dc converter developed for fuel cell electric vehicle applications. The tested result verified the isolated boost converter can operate at an input voltage of 8.5–15V and an output voltage of 250–420V with a peak efficiency of 93% and an average efficiency of 88% at 55-kHz switching frequency with 72$^circ$C automotive coolant.
The regulation of euchromatin and heterochromatin by histones in yeast

SUMMARY Yeast chromosomes may lack the linker histone H1 (normally required to compact 10 nm beads-on-a-string fiber into the 30 nm fiber) and there is no cytological evidence for higher order fiber structure but they do contain regions which correspond to euchromatin and heterochromatin of higher eukaryotes. Both euchromatin and heterochromatin contain nucleosomal particles (composed of two molecules each of histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4), however histones have been shown to regulate genes in these regions in quite different ways. The mechanisms by which such regulation occurs are the topic of this paper.
Stub swapping in automatic three-stub impedance matching systems

The paper explains the nature of the stub swapping phenomenon in three-stub automatic impedance matching systems and points out problems it causes in high-power industrial autotuners. A method of quantifying consequences of stub swapping is proposed and illustrated by a simulation example. Two possible ways of suppressing the adverse effects of the stub swapping are suggested.
Visión europea del proceso de sucesión en la empresa familiar

En este articulo pretendemos hacer una comparacion sencilla y breve de los resultados obtenidos sobre el proceso de sucesion de las empresas familiares, por tres equipos de investigacion diferentes cuyos resultados han servido de base para la realizacion de tres tesis doctorares ya defendidas, en Galicia, Portugal y Cataluna. Este articulo pretende llevar a cabo un analisis descriptivo de las caracteristicas que concurren en los procesos sucesorios de este tipo de empresas, destacando la universalidad de su problematica.
Extraction complète efficace de chemins pondérés dans un a-DAG

Résumé. Un nouveau domaine de motifs appelé chemins pondérés condensés a été introduit en 2013 lors de la conférence IJCAI. Le contexte de fouille est alors un graphe acyclique orienté (DAG) dont les sommets sont étiquetés par des attributs. Nous avons travaillé à une implémentation efficace de ce type de motifs et nous montrons que l’algorithme proposé était juste mais incomplet. Nous établissons ce résultat d’incomplétude et nous l’expliquons avant de trouver une solution pour réaliser une extraction complète. Nous avons ensuite développé des structures complémentaires pour calculer efficacement tous les chemins pondérés condensés. L’algorithme est amélioré en performance de plusieurs ordres de magnitude sur des jeux de données artificiels et nous l’appliquons à des données réelles pour motiver qualitativement l’usage des chemins pondérés.
GLUT8 Is Dispensable for Embryonic Development but Influences Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Heart Function

ABSTRACT GLUT8 is a glucose transporter isoform expressed at high levels in testis; at intermediate levels in the brain, including the hippocampus; and at lower levels in the heart and several other tissues. GLUT8 is located in an intracellular compartment and does not appear to translocate to the cell surface, except in blastocysts, where insulin has been reported to induce its surface expression. Here, we generated mice with inactivation of the glut8 gene. We showed that expression of GLUT8 was not required for normal embryonic development and that glut8−/− mice had normal postnatal development, glucose homeostasis, and response to mild stress. Adult glut8−/− mice showed increased proliferation of hippocampal cells but no defect in memory acquisition and retention. Absence of GLUT8 from the heart did not alter heart size and morphology but led to an increase in P-wave duration, which was not associated with abnormal Nav1.5 Na+ channel or connexin expression. Thus, absence of GLUT8 expression in the mouse caused complex but mild physiological alterations.
Mutations in mouse Aspm (abnormal spindle-like microcephaly associated) cause not only microcephaly but also major defects in the germline

Mutations in ASPM (abnormal spindle-like microcephaly associated) cause primary microcephaly in humans, a disorder characterized by a major reduction in brain size in the apparent absence of nonneurological anomalies. The function of the Aspm protein in neural progenitor cell expansion, as well as its localization to the mitotic spindle and midbody, suggest that it regulates brain development by a cell division-related mechanism. Furthermore, evidence that positive selection affected ASPM during primate evolution has led to suggestions that such a function changed during primate evolution. Here, we report that in Aspm mutant mice, truncated Aspm proteins similar to those causing microcephaly in humans fail to localize to the midbody during M-phase and cause mild microcephaly. A human ASPM transgene rescues this phenotype but, interestingly, does not cause a gain of function. Strikingly, truncated Aspm proteins also cause a massive loss of germ cells, resulting in a severe reduction in testis and ovary size accompanied by reduced fertility. These germline effects, too, are fully rescued by the human ASPM transgene, indicating that ASPM is functionally similar in mice and humans. Our findings broaden the spectrum of phenotypic effects of ASPM mutations and raise the possibility that positive selection of ASPM during primate evolution reflects its function in the germline.
So long to genetic diversity, and thanks for all the fish

The world faces a global fishing crisis. Wild marine fisheries comprise nearly 15% of all animal protein in the human diet, but, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly 60% of all commercially important marine fish stocks are overexploited, recovering, or depleted (FAO ; Fig. ). Some authors have suggested that the large population sizes of harvested marine fish make even collapsed populations resistant to the loss of genetic variation by genetic drift (e.g. Beverton ). In contrast, others have argued that the loss of alleles because of overfishing may actually be more dramatic in large populations than in small ones (Ryman et al. 1995). In this issue, Pinsky & Palumbi (2014) report that overfished populations have approximately 2% lower heterozygosity and 12% lower allelic richness than populations that are not overfished. They also performed simulations which suggest that their estimates likely underestimate the actual loss of rare alleles by a factor of three or four. This important paper shows that the harvesting of marine fish can have genetic effects that threaten the long‐term sustainability of this valuable resource.
Genome wide association analysis of cold tolerance at germination in temperate japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties

A pool of 200 traditional, landraces and modern elite and old cultivars of rice, mainly japonica varieties adapted to temperate regions, have been used to perform a genome wide association study to detect chromosome regions associated to low temperature germination (LTG) regulation using a panel of 1672 SNP markers. Phenotyping was performed by determining growth rates when seeds were germinated at 25° and 15°C in order to separate the germination vigorousness from cold tolerance effects. As expected, the ability to produce viable seedlings varied widely among rice cultivars and also depended greatly on temperature. Furthermore, we observed a differential response during seed germination and in coleoptile elongation. Faster development at 15°C was observed in seeds from varieties traditionally used as cold tolerant parents by breeders, along with other potentially useful cultivars, mainly of Italian origin. When phenotypic data were combined with the panel of SNPs for japonica rice cultivars, significant associations were detected for 31 markers: 7 were related to growth rate at 25°C and 24 to growth rates at 15°. Among the latter, some chromosome regions were associated to LTG while others were related to coleoptile elongation. Individual effects of the associated markers were low, but by combining favourable alleles in a linear regression model we estimated that 27 loci significantly explained the observed phenotypic variation. From these, a core panel of 13 markers was selected and, furthermore, two wide regions of chromosomes 3 and 6 were consistently associated to rice LTG. Varieties with higher numbers of favourable alleles for the panels of associated markers significantly correlated with increased phenotypic values at both temperatures, thus corroborating the utility of the tagged markers for marker assisted selection (MAS) when breeding japonica rice for LTG.
Quelques résultats prometteurs pour une sylviculture de l'Aulne glutineux en Wallonie.

A l’heure d’une reelle prise de conscience de la necessaire diversification des essences cultivees en foret et de leur adequation aux milieux, se repose la question de l’etat de nos connaissances en matiere d’essences dites secondaires telles que les Tilleuls, les Bouleaux, l’Aulne glutineux ou l’Alisier. Si les stations que peuvent occuper ces essences sont plus ou moins bien connues, il en va tout autrement pour les sylvicultures qui leur conviennent.
Adesão ao padrão alimentar mediterrânico em jovens no Algarve

A adesao ao Padrao Alimentar Mediterrânico (PAM) esta associada a taxas de morbilidade e mortalidade mais baixas. A nivel nutricional este padrao alimentar caracteriza-se por um consumo abundante de acidos gordos monoinsaturados, sobretudo de acido oleico, de bras e de substâncias de origem vegetal com propriedades antioxidantes.Embora os dados disponiveis sobre a adesao ao PAM em criancas e adolescentes em Portugal, ainda sejam limitados, estudos desenvolvidos em Espanha e na Grecia, evidenciam que os jovens estao a afastar-se das suas raizes mediterrânicas. Os principais objetivos deste estudo consistiram na caracterizacao dos habitos alimentares dos jovens do Algarve e avaliacao do nivel de adesao ao PAM atraves da aplicacao do Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (Indice KIDMED). Desenvolveu-se um questionario para obter informacoes sobre os habitos alimentares dos jovens, entre os onze e os dezasseis anos de idade, que frequentavam as escolas do ensino publico regular. Obteve-se uma amostra nal de 276 jovens inquiridos. Destes, 52,5% apresentaram alta adesao ao PAM, 42,0% situavam-se no nivel de adesao intermedia, e 5,4% apresentaram um nivel de adesao baixo. No entanto, observou-se uma ingestao elevada de proteinas de origem animal, de lipidos ricos em acidos gordos saturados e de acucares.
Altered Glutathione Homeostasis in Heart Augments Cardiac Lipotoxicity Associated with Diet-induced Obesity in Mice*

Background: We hypothesize that mice heterozygous for disruption of cystathionine β-synthase (Cbs+/−) are susceptible to obesity-related cardiolipotoxicity because of impaired liver glutathione synthesis. Results: Cbs+/− mice with diet-induced obesity have augmented cardiac lipotoxicity and disturbances in glutathione homeostasis. Conclusion: Cbs maintains heart glutathione homeostasis and protects against cardiolipotoxicity. Significance: Cbs plays a role in the pathology of cardiolipotoxicity. Obesity-related cardiac lipid accumulation is associated with increased myocardial oxidative stress. The role of the antioxidant glutathione in cardiac lipotoxicity is unclear. Cystathionine β-synthase (Cbs) catalyzes the first step in the trans-sulfuration of homocysteine to cysteine, which is estimated to provide ∼50% of cysteine for hepatic glutathione biosynthesis. As cardiac glutathione is a reflection of the liver glutathione pool, we hypothesize that mice heterozygous for targeted disruption of Cbs (Cbs+/−) are more susceptible to obesity-related cardiolipotoxicity because of impaired liver glutathione synthesis. Cbs+/+ and Cbs+/− mice were fed a high fat diet (60% energy) from weaning for 13 weeks to induce obesity and had similar increases in body weight and body fat. This was accompanied by increased hepatic triglyceride but no differences in hepatic glutathione levels compared with mice fed chow. However, Cbs+/− mice with diet-induced obesity had greater glucose intolerance and lower total and reduced glutathione levels in the heart, accompanied by lower plasma cysteine levels compared with Cbs+/+ mice. Higher triglyceride concentrations, increased oxidative stress, and increased markers of apoptosis were also observed in heart from Cbs+/− mice with diet-induced obesity compared with Cbs+/+ mice. This study suggests a novel role for Cbs in maintaining the cardiac glutathione pool and protecting against cardiac lipid accumulation and oxidative stress during diet-induced obesity in mice.