Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphine: A Protective or Destructive Role in Neurons?

Morphine has received intensive research interest for a long time. However, until recently, the protective versus destructive roles of morphine in the neuronal system have not been studied. There is evidence suggesting that morphine induces apoptotic cell death in neuronal and glial cells, whereas controversial studies support a neuroprotective role for morphine. The exact mechanisms for both protective and destructive pathways are not clear and are still under investigation. Improved understanding of morphine neuroprotection and neurotoxicity will be helpful to control morphine side effects in medical applications and to identify new targets for potential therapies and prevention strategies to opioid addiction. NEUROSCIENTIST 14(6):561-570, 2008. DOI:
FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI STRUKTUR MODAL PERUSAHAAN FOOD AND BEVERAGES

This research is carried out to test the influence of assets structure, growth, and profitability to the capital structure of food and beverages companies in Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2012. The research samples are 14 food and beverages companies which have been selected by using purposive sampling. The result of the research shows that overall this research regression model has fulfilled classic assumption test which means that this regression model is free from the existence of heteroscedasticity, multicollinearity, and autocorrelation symptoms and the generated data has been normally distributed. The multiple regression analysis shows that assets structure variable has no significant structure to the capital structure, growth variable has significant influence to the capital structure, and profitability has no significant structure to the capital structure. Keywords: Assets Structure, Growth, Profitability, and Capital Structure
Temporal lobe hypometabolism on PET

To investigate the relationship of temporal lobe hypometabolism demonstrated on PET to surgical outcome and underlying pathology, we reviewed 30 consecutive epilepsy patients who underwent interictal PET studies with 18F fluorodeoxyglucose before temporal lobectomy. Two interpreters blindly reviewed the PET studies and graded them for degree, extent, and location of temporal lobe hypometabolism. Pathologic analysis of en bloc resected tissue showed mesial temporal sclerosis (n = 22), astrocytoma (n = 2), and no pathologic diagnosis (n = 6). Outcome (24 to 40 months' follow-up) was rated as seizure-free (21 patients), significantly improved (five patients), and not significantly improved (four patients). Both the degree and extent of the temporal lobe hypometabolism demonstrated on PET were strongly associated with subsequent seizure control. Pathologic findings, however, did not correlate with degree of PET hypometabolism or subsequent outcome. These data demonstrate that in patients judged to have temporal lobe epilepsy, the presence of temporal lobe hypometabolism is associated with a positive outcome after ipsilateral temporal lobectomy.
Evaluation of resistance to staphylococcal enterotoxin B: naturally acquired antibodies of man and monkey.

Abstract : Sera from residents of the United States and Southeast Asia were surveyed for the presence of antibody to highly purified staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). Hemagglutination of ovine erythrocytes coupled to SEB was the method for detecting antibody, and immune-precipitation reaction in agar gel served as an indicator of IgG antibody activity. Approximately 70% of sera from the U.S. had HA antibody and 30% had precipitins, whereas all samples from Southeast Asia had HA activity and 90% had precipitating activity. Seroconversion occurred in individuals who had no known history of exposure to SEB. Experimental intoxication of rhesus monkeys indicated that repeated parenteral exposure to SEB was required to achieve the titers of antibody observed in human sera. Rechallenge by gavage was less effective, in that antibody stimulation occurred only in monkeys that were fed repeatedly with 100 median effective doses (ED50). Resistance to a primary iv challenge with 1-25 ED50 was correlated with titers of naturally acquired HA antibody, but resistance to higher does was related to presence of precipitins. Ten weeks after primary exposure, many monkeys lacking humoral antibody were resistant to a second iv challenge. In contrast, illness following primary challenge with 1- 100 ED50 by gavage was unrelated to values of antibody, and the initial exposure had no affect on the response of seronegative monkeys to a second challenge by gavage.
The neural code of reward anticipation in human orbitofrontal cortex

An optimal choice among alternative behavioral options requires precise anticipatory representations of their possible outcomes. A fundamental question is how such anticipated outcomes are represented in the brain. Reward coding at the level of single cells in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) follows a more heterogeneous coding scheme than suggested by studies using functional MRI (fMRI) in humans. Using a combination of multivariate pattern classification and fMRI we show that the reward value of sensory cues can be decoded from distributed fMRI patterns in the OFC. This distributed representation is compatible with previous reports from animal electrophysiology that show that reward is encoded by different neural populations with opposing coding schemes. Importantly, the fMRI patterns representing specific values during anticipation are similar to those that emerge during the receipt of reward. Furthermore, we show that the degree of this coding similarity is related to subjects’ ability to use value information to guide behavior. These findings narrow the gap between reward coding in humans and animals and corroborate the notion that value representations in OFC are independent of whether reward is anticipated or actually received.
Restoring balance in focal limb dystonia with botulinum toxin

Focal task-specific dystonia of the hand is rare in the general population, where it usually manifests as writer's cramp, but seems relatively common among musicians. The disability may be so severe as to prevent writing altogether or to end a professional musician's career. The cause is usually unknown but it is thought to be primarily a basal ganglia disorder with dysfunction of cortical-striatothalamic-cortical circuits. Abnormalities have been found in cortical movement preparation, intracortical inhibition, sensory and motor maps, and patterns of cortical activation during movement. Much evidence supports disordered processing of sensory information with disturbed sensorimotor integration. Underlying this may be maladaptive neural plasticity mechanisms. Treatment is difficult. Oral medications are generally ineffective and have troublesome side-effects. Intensive rehabilitation techniques based on neural plasticity theory show promise but are rarely available and are time-intensive. Botulinum toxin injections appear to be effective in writer's cramp and musician's dystonia, at least initially; long-term benefit is less common. Despite definite improvement, some patients abandon treatment because the gain is insufficient for meaningful function: this is particularly so for musicians. Much of the benefit from botulinum toxin injection comes from simply reducing muscle overactivity through muscle paralysis, restoring balance to motor control. However, some evidence suggests that botulinum toxin injections can produce transient improvement in some of the various cortical abnormalities described, probably through alteration of sensory input from the periphery, by direct and indirect means. These changes in cortical function might be usefully combined with those brought about by sensorimotor retraining programs, but such studies are awaited.
Immunogenicity of gonococcal Gc2 polysaccharide: comparative studies with pneumococcal type III polysaccharide and Salmonella typhosa Vi antigen

A plaque assay technique was used to assess the immunogenicity of a gonococcal cell wall polysaccharide (Gc2 antigen) in BALB/c mice. The Gc2 antigen was shown to be immunogenic, and the kinetics of the response differed from that of a pneumococcal polysaccharide (SSS-III) and a polysaccharide antigen of Salmonella typhosa (Vi antigen). In addition, using antithymocyte sera, the T-lymphocyte dependency of these antigens was investigated. The immune response to the Gc2 antigen was demonstrated to be dependent on a population of helper T cells, whereas the response to SSS-III appears to be regulated by suppressor T cells. There appears to be marked differences in the immune response of mice to different bacterial polysaccharides.
Ecological health assessments based on whole effluent toxicity tests and the index of biological integrity in temperate streams influenced by wastewater treatment plant effluents

Whole effluent toxicity (WET) tests and ecosystem health assessments, based on test guidelines of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and index of biological integrity (IBI), were conducted on various streams located in Youngsan River watershed, Korea. The WET tests showed that about 33 and 82% of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) exhibited significant toxicity to Daphnia magna and Selenastrum capricornutum, respectively. Small WWTPs with low discharge volumes contributed less than 1% to the total stream toxicity. Fish community compositions and trophic guild analysis showed that the diversity index was greater in the control than in impacted streams, and the proportion of omnivore species was less in the control. Also, ecosystem health assessments, based on the IBI, showed distinct differences between the control and impacted sites of WWTPs. Model values of the IBI, based on 12 stream data sets, averaged 28, which is judged as a fair to poor condition according to the U.S. EPA criteria. The mean IBI in the control sites was 42, indicating good stream condition, whereas the impacted sites was scored 21, indicating poor condition. Overall, WET tests and ecosystem health assessments suggested the WWTP effluents had evident toxic effects on the biota, and impacted the species compositions and trophic guilds, resulting in degradation of the stream ecosystem health.
IMPROVE-IT: what have we learned?

Purpose of review Recent studies and dyslipidemia treatment guidelines indicate that combination lipid-lowering therapy is frequently needed and its use has increased in recent years. Ezetimibe and simvastatin as a fixed dose is an efficacious treatment choice based on positive results of the recent IMProved Reduction of Outcomes: Vytorin Efficacy International Trial (IMPROVE-IT). In this review, we discuss recent controversies surrounding ezetimibe and provide clinical perspective on the results of the IMPROVE-IT study. Recent findings IMPROVE-IT is the first trial that demonstrates a significant clinical benefit of a nonstatin hypolipidemic agent (ezetimibe) used in combination with statin (simvastatin) therapy in patients who have experienced an acute coronary syndrome. For almost a decade, the use of ezetimibe was limited by a relative lack of definitive evidence. However, the most recent Plaque Regression With Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitor or Synthesis Inhibitor Evaluated by Intravascular Ultrasound study showed greater coronary plaque regression by statin/ezetimibe combination compared with statin monotherapy. The results of the IMPROVE-IT trial are fostering new debate about the value of adjunctive low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering over and above a statin. Summary Ezetimibe/simvastatin combination, either as a single pill or as the combined use of the individual compounds, represents a well-tolerated and efficacious choice for dyslipidemia treatment in high-risk subjects, including patients with diabetes. Limited additional risk for adverse events compared with simvastatin monotherapy is observed, and an individualized, patient-centered approach to therapy is recommended.
Effects of single‐lung inflation on inspiratory muscle function in dogs

After single‐lung transplantation (SLT) for emphysema, a hyperinflated (native) lung operates in parallel with a normal (transplanted) lung. The interpulmonary distribution of the changes in pleural pressure (ΔPpl) during breathing, however, is unknown. To approach the problem, two endotracheal tubes were inserted in the right and left main stem bronchi of anaesthetized dogs, one lung was passively inflated, and the values of inspiratory ΔPpl over the two lungs were assessed by measuring the changes in airway opening pressure (ΔPao) in the two tubes during occluded breaths. With single‐lung inflation, ΔPao decreased in both lungs, but the decrease in the inflated lung was invariably larger than in the non‐inflated lung; when transrespiratory pressure in the inflated lung was set at 30 cmH2O, ΔPao in this lung was 27.7 ± 2.0% of the value of functional residual capacity (FRC), whereas ΔPao in the non‐inflated lung was 74.4 ± 4.5% (P < 0.001). This difference was abolished after the ventral mediastinal pleura was severed. The ribs in both hemithoraces were displaced cranially with inflation, such that the displacement in the contralateral hemithorax was 75% of that in the ipsilateral hemithorax, and parasternal intercostal activity remained unchanged. These observations suggest that in patients with SLT for emphysema (1) the inspiratory ΔPpl over the transplanted lung are greater than those over the native lung and (2) this difference results primarily from the greater pressure‐generating ability of the inspiratory muscles, in particular the diaphragm, on the transplanted side.
Dephosphorylation of Akt in C6 cells grown in serum‐free conditions corresponds with redistribution of p85/PI3K to the nucleus

Withdrawal of serum from cell cultures constitutes a useful model for the study of mechanisms involved in the regulation of Akt function in vitro. However, there have been several reports of changes in Akt activity that are not fully explained by the current model of phosphatidylinositol 3′‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling. We demonstrate the expected loss of Akt phosphorylation in C6 glioma cells cultured in serum‐free conditions, yet we also observed a paradoxical increase in PI3K–lipid kinase activity in the same cultures. These events corresponded with relocalization of p85, the regulatory subunit of PI3K, to the perinuclear region and a local increase in PI3K‐lipid kinase products. Treatment with platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) maintained the association between p85 and the PDGF receptor during serum withdrawal and restored PI3K‐lipid production at the plasma membrane. Although this protected Akt from dephosphorylation, it only slightly reversed cell‐cycle arrest. These effects were not sensitive to treatment with epidermal growth factor, thus precluding a generalized role for growth factors. Our data suggest that loss of growth factor signaling, including PDGF signaling, may disrupt recruitment and/or anchoring of an active p85(PI3K) complex at the plasma membrane during serum withdrawal, which could account for the concurrent loss of Akt function. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Early Childhood Exposure to Anesthesia and Risk of Developmental and Behavioral Disorders in a Sibling Birth Cohort

BACKGROUND: In vitro and in vivo studies of anesthetics have demonstrated serious neurotoxic effects on the developing brain. However, the clinical relevance of these findings to children undergoing anesthesia remains unclear. Using data from a sibling birth cohort, we assessed the association between exposure to anesthesia in the setting of surgery in patients younger than 3 years and the risk of developmental and behavioral disorders. METHODS: We constructed a retrospective cohort of 10,450 siblings who were born between 1999 and 2005 and who were enrolled in the New York State Medicaid program. The exposed group was 304 children without a history of developmental or behavioral disorders who underwent surgery when they were younger than 3 years. The unexposed group was 10,146 children who did not receive any surgical procedures when they were younger than 3 years. Exposed children were entered into analysis at the date of surgery. Unexposed children were entered into analysis at age 10 months (the mean age at which exposed children underwent surgery). Both exposed and unexposed children were followed until diagnosis with a developmental or behavioral disorder, loss to follow-up, or the end of 2005. The association of exposure to anesthesia with subsequent developmental and behavioral disorders was assessed with both proportional hazards modeling, and pair-matched analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of developmental and behavioral disorders was 128.2 diagnoses per 1000 person-years for the exposed cohort and 56.3 diagnoses per 1000 person-years for the unexposed cohort. With adjustment for sex and history of birth-related medical complications, and clustering by sibling status, the estimated hazard ratio of developmental or behavioral disorders associated with any exposure to anesthesia when they were younger than 3 years was 1.6 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4, 1.8). The risk increased from 1.1 (95% CI: 0.8, 1.4) for 1 operation to 2.9 (94% CI: 2.5, 3.1) for 2 operations and 4.0 (95% CI: 3.5, 4.5) for ≥3 operations. The relative risk in a matched analysis of 138 sibling pairs was 0.9 (95% CI: 0.6, 1.4). CONCLUSION: The risk of being subsequently diagnosed with developmental and behavioral disorders in children who were enrolled in a state Medicaid program and who had surgery when they were younger than 3 years was 60% greater than that of a similar group of siblings who did not undergo surgery. More tightly matched pairwise analyses indicate that the extent to which the excess risk is causally attributable to anesthesia or mediated by unmeasured factors remains to be determined.
Kidney tumor segmentation and detection on Computed Tomography data

In this paper, a novel kidney segmentation method for Computed Tomography patient data with kidney cancer is proposed. The segmentation process is based on Hybrid Level Set method with elliptical shape constraints. Using segmentation results, a fully automated technique of kidney region classification is introduced. Identification of the kidney, tumor and vascular tree is based on RUSBoost and the decision trees technique. This approach enables to resolve main problems connected with region classification: class imbalance and the number of voxels to classify. The classification is based on 64-element feature vectors calculated for the kidney region that consist of 3D edge, region, orientation and spatial neighborhood information. The proposed methodology was evaluated on clinical kidney cancer CT data set. Segmentation effectiveness in Dice coefficient meaning was equal to 0.85±0.04. Overall accuracy of the proposed classification model amounts to 92.1%. Presented results confirm usefulness of the proposed solution. We believe that this is the first solution which allows to segment (divide) kidney region into separable compartments, i.e. kidney, tumor and vascular tree.
Abnormal CX3CR1+ Lamina Propria Myeloid Cells From Intestinal Transplant Recipients with NOD2 Mutations

Although progress has been made in intestinal transplantation, chronic inflammation remains a challenge. We have reported that the risk of immunological graft loss is almost 100‐fold greater in recipients who carry any of the prevalent NOD2 polymorphisms associated with Crohn's disease, and have shown that the normal levels of a key antimicrobial peptide produced by the Paneth cells of the allograft, fall as the graft becomes repopulated by hematopoietic cells of the NOD2 mutant recipient. These studies are extended in this report. Within several months following engraftment into a NOD2 mutant recipient the allograft loses its capacity to prevent adherence of lumenal microbes. Despite the significantly increased expression of CX3CL1, a stress protein produced by the injured enterocyte, NOD2 mutant CX3CR1+ myeloid cells within the lamina propria fail to exhibit the characteristic morphological phenotype, and fail to express key genes required expressed by NOD2 wild‐type cells, including Wnt 5a. We propose that the CX3CR1+ myeloid cell within the lamina propria supports normal Paneth cell function through expression of Wnt 5a, and that this function is impaired in the setting of intestinal transplantation into a NOD2 mutant recipient. The therapeutic value of Wnt 5a administration in this setting is proposed.
Neural correlates of the eye dominance effect in human face perception: the left-visual-field superiority for faces revisited

Abstract Faces are processed best when they are presented in the left visual field (LVF), a phenomenon known as LVF superiority. Although one eye contributes more when perceiving faces, it is unclear how the dominant eye (DE), the eye we unconsciously use when performing a monocular task, affects face processing. Here, we examined the influence of the DE on the LVF superiority for faces using event-related potentials. Twenty left-eye-dominant (LDE group) and 23 right-eye-dominant (RDE group) participants performed the experiments. Face stimuli were randomly presented in the LVF or right visual field (RVF). The RDE group exhibited significantly larger N170 amplitudes compared with the LDE group. Faces presented in the LVF elicited N170 amplitudes that were significantly more negative in the RDE group than they were in the LDE group, whereas the amplitudes elicited by stimuli presented in the RVF were equivalent between the groups. The LVF superiority was maintained in the RDE group but not in the LDE group. Our results provide the first neural evidence of the DE’s effects on the LVF superiority for faces. We propose that the RDE may be more biologically specialized for face processing.
Time-Variant Pleasure Travel Motivations and Behaviors

This exploratory study challenges the predominant static view of travel motivation by providing new insights into the link between travel motivations and behaviors. It assesses when and how tourist travel motives change over time. It further explores the mediating role of travel involvement and the moderating role of economic performance using the time-variant travel motivational framework as a longitudinal, multilevel model. This study advances the literature by demonstrating that travel motivations and their effects on tourist travel involvement and behaviors vary over time, and that such a variation can be explained by the changes in economic conditions. In essence, this study sheds light on the traditional view of travel motivation and builds a dynamic multilevel model of pleasure travel motivation and behavior.
Selective Change Driven Vision Sensor With Continuous-Time Logarithmic Photoreceptor and Winner-Take-All Circuit for Pixel Selection

The objective of Selective Change Driven (SCD) Vision is to capture and process those scene pixels that have the greatest impact in the motion estimation task. The implemented SCD Vision sensor delivers the pixels ordered according to the illumination change undergone by each pixel, from the last time each pixel was read-out. This ordering strategy is especially interesting for motion detection algorithms, since it allows for a reduction in data bandwidth requirements without decreasing accuracy. The speed of the obtained pixel flow allows movement detection and tracking at a speed several orders of magnitude higher than conventional vision systems. To accomplish these objectives, the sensor is based on a well-known logarithm continuous time cell for light capture, and a new high-speed several thousand input Winner-Take-All (WTA) circuit with single winner selection. This WTA circuit differentiates this sensor from others, since it allows for a constant synchronous pixel rate, self-adaptation to scene conditions, the operation being controlled by the processing hardware, the complete use of the available processing and bandwidth resources, and illumination and address event delivery at the same time resolution of 2 μs. A 64 × 64 SCD Vision sensor is presented which has been implemented in standard 180 nm CMOS.