Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lsr2 Peptides of Mycobacterium leprae Show Hierarchical Responses in Lymphoproliferative Assays, with Selective Recognition by Patients with Anergic Lepromatous Leprosy

ABSTRACT Lsr2 protein of Mycobacterium leprae was shown earlier to elicit B and T cell responses in leprosy patients (20, 28). Lymphoproliferation to M. leprae and Lsr2 antigens was observed in >70% of tuberculoid (T) patients and in 16 and 34% of lepromatous (L) patients, respectively. We focused on the M. leprae nonresponders in the lepromatous group using 22 synthetic Lsr2 peptides (end-to-end peptides A to F and overlapping peptides p1 to p16) in in vitro T cell responses. A total of 125 leprosy and 13 tuberculosis patients and 19 healthy controls from the area of endemicity (here, healthy controls, or HC) were investigated. The highest responses were observed (67 to 100%) in HC for all peptides except p1 to p3, and the lowest was observed in tuberculosis patients. Significant differences in lymphoproliferation were observed in T, L, and HC groups (analysis of variance [ANOVA], P = 0.000 to 0.015) for all end-to-end peptides except B and for p5 and p7 to p10. Hierarchical recognition between lepromatous and tuberculoid leprosy was noted for p8 (P < 0.05) and between the HC and L groups for p7 to p10, p15, and p16 (P < 0.005 to P < 0.02). Significant lymphoproliferation was observed to peptides A to F and p1 to p9, p11, p12, p15, p16 (P = 0.000 to 0.001) with 40% responding to peptides C and p16 in L patients. Lepromatous patients also showed significantly higher levels of a gamma interferon (IFN-γ) response to peptide C than to other peptides (P < 0.05). Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II bias for peptide recognition was not observed. These studies indicate that Lsr2 has multiple T cell epitopes that induce in vitro T cell responses in the highly infective lepromatous leprosy patients.
A Self-Paced and Calibration-Less SSVEP-Based Brain–Computer Interface Speller

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a communication system based on neural activity. Its goal is to provide a new output channel for the brain that requires voluntary control. We propose a new self-paced BCI speller based on the detection of steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP). The speller does not require any training from the user or from the signal processing part. The system is ready once the subject is prepared. The speller introduces a selection based on a decision tree and an undo command for correcting eventual errors. It was tested on eight healthy subjects who had no prior experience with the application. The average accuracy and information transfer rate are 92.25% and 37.62 bits per minute, which is translated in the speller with an average speed of 5.51 letters per minute.
A Perfusion fMRI Study of the Neural Correlates of Sustained-Attention and Working-Memory Deficits in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury

Background. Given that traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in chronic alteration of baseline cerebral perfusion, a perfusion functional MRI (fMRI) method that dissociates resting- and task-related cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes can be useful in noninvasively investigating the neural correlates of cognitive dysfunction and recovery in TBI. Objective. The authors used continuous arterial spin-labeled (ASL) perfusion fMRI to characterize CBF at rest and during sustained-attention and working-memory tasks. Methods. A total of 18 to 21 individuals with moderate to severe TBI and 14 to 18 demographically matched healthy controls completed 3 continuous 6-minute perfusion fMRI scans (resting, visual sustained attention, and 2-back working memory). Results. For both tasks, TBI participants showed worse behavioral performance than controls. Voxelwise neuroimaging analysis of the 2-back task found that group differences in task-induced CBF changes were localized to bilateral superior occipital cortices and the left superior temporal cortex. Whereas controls deactivated these areas during task performance, TBI participants tended to activate these same areas. These regions were among those found to be disproportionately hypoperfused at rest after TBI. For both tasks, the control and TBI groups showed different patterns of correlation between performance and task-related CBF changes. Conclusions. ASL perfusion fMRI demonstrated differences between individuals with TBI and healthy controls in resting perfusion and in task-evoked CBF changes as well as different patterns of performance-activation correlation. These results are consistent with the notion that sensory/attentional modulation deficits contribute to higher cognitive dysfunction in TBI.
Light and Heavy Touch Reduces Postural Sway and Modifies Axial Tone in Parkinson’s Disease

Background. Light touch with a stable object reduces postural sway by increasing axial postural tone in healthy subjects. However, it is unknown whether subjects with Parkinson’s disease (PD), who have more postural sway and higher axial postural tone than healthy subjects, can benefit from haptic touch. Objective. To investigate the effect of light and heavy touch on postural stability and hip tone in subjects with PD. Methods. Fourteen subjects with mid-stage PD and 14 healthy control subjects were evaluated during quiet standing with eyes closed with their arms (a) crossed, (b) lightly touching a fixed rigid bar in front of them, and (c) firmly gripping the bar. Postural sway was measured with a forceplate, and axial hip tone was quantified using a unique device that measures the resistance of the hips to yaw rotation while maintaining active stance. Results. Subjects with PD significantly decreased their postural sway with light or heavy touch (P < .001 vs arms crossed), similarly as control subjects. Without touch, hip tone was larger in PD subjects. With touch, however, tone values were similar in both groups. This change in hip tone with touch was highly correlated with the initial amount of tone (PD, r = −.72 to −.95; controls, r = −.74 to −.85). Conclusions. The authors showed, for the first time, that subjects with PD benefit from touch similarly to control subjects and that despite higher axial postural tone, PD subjects are able to modulate their tone with touch. Future studies should investigate the complex relationship between touch and postural tone.
Changes in Bimanual Coordination During the First 6 Weeks After Moderate Hemiparetic Stroke

Background. Better understanding of how bimanual coordination changes over the first weeks of recovery after stroke is required to address the potential utility for bimanual rehabilitation. Three-dimensional kinematic analysis can provide quantitative assessment of unimanual and bimanual movements. Objective. To assess the natural evolution of reaching kinematics during standard poststroke rehabilitation, focusing on bimanual coordination. Methods. A total of 12 hemiparetic, moderately impaired patients were included within 30 days after a first unilateral ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke; 7 kinematic assessments were performed once a week for 6 weeks and at 3 months after inclusion. The reach-to-grasp task was performed in 3 different conditions: unimanual with the healthy limb (UN), unimanual with the paretic limb (UP), and bimanual (BN/BP). Results. For the paretic limb, movement fluency (number of movement units and total movement time) was lower for bimanual reaching compared with unimanual reaching. For bimanual reaching, (1) movement kinematics were similar for both limbs, (2) recovery patterns of both limbs followed a similar profile with a plateau phase at 6 weeks poststroke, and (3) intertrial variability of between-hands synchronization decreased over sessions, although the mean delays remained the same. Conclusions. Bimanual coordination started to become efficient 6 weeks after onset of stroke, so for patients such as those we tested, this time could be most opportune to start bimanual-oriented rehabilitation. The challenge in future research includes determining the characteristics of patients who may best benefit from bimanual therapy.
Streptococcus pneumoniae Can Utilize Multiple Sources of Hyaluronic Acid for Growth

ABSTRACT The mechanisms by which Streptococcus pneumoniae obtains carbohydrates for growth during airway colonization remain to be elucidated. The low concentration of free carbohydrates in the normal human airway suggests that pneumococci must utilize complex glycan structures for growth. The glycosaminoglycan hyaluronic acid is present on the apical surface of airway epithelial cells. As pneumococci express a hyaluronate lyase (Hyl) that cleaves hyaluronic acid into disaccharides, we hypothesized that during colonization pneumococci utilize the released carbohydrates for growth. Hyaluronic acid supported significant pneumococcal growth in an hyl-dependent manner. A phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) and an unsaturated glucuronyl hydrolase (Ugl) encoded downstream of hyl are also essential for growth on hyaluronic acid. This genomic arrangement is present in several other organisms, suggesting conservation of the utilization mechanism between species. In vivo experiments support the hypothesis that S. pneumoniae utilizes hyaluronic acid as a carbon source during colonization. We also demonstrate that pneumococci can utilize the hyaluronic acid capsule of other bacterial species for growth, suggesting an alternative carbohydrate source for pneumococcal growth. Together, these data support a novel function for pneumococcal degradation of hyaluronic acid in vivo and provide mechanistic details of growth on this glycosaminoglycan.
Tissue Barriers of the Human Placenta to Infection with Toxoplasma gondii

ABSTRACT Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous, obligate intracellular parasite capable of crossing the placenta to cause spontaneous abortion, preterm labor, or significant disease in the surviving neonate. Exploration of the cellular and histological components of the placental barrier is in its infancy, and both how and where T. gondii breaches it are unknown. The human placenta presents two anatomical interfaces between maternal cells and fetal cells (trophoblasts): (i) the villous region where maternal blood bathes syncytialized trophoblasts for nutrient exchange and (ii) the maternal decidua, where mononuclear, extravillous trophoblasts anchor the villous region to the uterus. Using first-trimester human placental explants, we demonstrate that the latter site is significantly more vulnerable to infection, despite presenting a vastly smaller surface. This is consistent with past findings concerning two vertically transmitted viruses and one bacterium. We further explore whether three genetically distinct T. gondii types (I, II, and III) are capable of preferential placental infection and survival in this model. We find no difference in these strains' ability to infect placental explants; however, slightly slower growth is evident in type II (Prugniaud [Pru]) parasites relative to other cell types, although this did not quite achieve statistical significance.
Spatial and Temporal Asymmetries in Gait Predict Split-Belt Adaptation Behavior in Stroke

Background. Step asymmetries during gait in persons after stroke can occur in temporal or spatial domains. Prior studies have shown that split-belt locomotor adaptation can temporarily mitigate these asymmetries. Objective. We investigated whether baseline gait asymmetries affected how patients adapt and store new walking patterns. Methods. Subjects with stroke and age-matched controls were studied walking at a 2:1 speed ratio on the split-belt during adaptation and assessed for retention of the learned pattern (the after-effect) with both belts at the same speed. Results. Those with stroke adapted more slowly (P < .0001), though just as much as healthy older adults. During split-belt walking, the participants with stroke adapted toward their baseline asymmetry (eg, F = 14.02, P < .01 for step symmetry), regardless of whether the subsequent after-effects improved or worsened their baseline step asymmetries. No correlation was found between baseline spatial and temporal measures of asymmetry (P = .38). Last, the initial spatial and temporal asymmetries predicted after-effects independently of one another. The after-effects in the spatial domain (ie, center of oscillation difference) are only predicted by center of oscillation difference baseline (F = 15.3, P = .001), while all other parameters were nonsignificant (all Ps > .17). Temporal coordination (ie, phasing) after-effects showed a significant effect only from phasing baseline (F = 26.92, P < .001, all others P > .33). Conclusion. This work demonstrates that stroke patients adapt toward their baseline temporal and spatial asymmetries of walking independently of one another. We define how a given split-belt training session would affect asymmetries in these domains, which must be considered when developing rehabilitation interventions for stroke patients.
Diabetic retinopathy update

Diabetic retinopathy screening has proved over the years to be effective in reducing the morbidity from DR in countries that adopted this strategy. [3,4] There are different methods of screening ranging from fundus examination by ophthalmologists to fundus photography and images grading by nonmedical screeners. The article by Professor Scanlon et al., a world renowned UK expert in this field, and his colleagues from Australia, on diabetic screening is a welcome addition to the existing literature on this subject. [5]
Comparisons of Effects of Biman-tang according to Administration Period in Childhood Obesity

Abstract Comparisons of Effects of Biman-tang according to Administration Period in Childhood Obesity Lim Youngkwern 1 ․ Min Seorim 2 ․ Kim Heeman ․ Hur Kwang-Wook 1 ․ Lee Hoon 3 ․ Lee Jinsoo 4 Kim Hocheol 1 ․ Park Jae-Woo 5 ․ Park Hi-Joon 2 1 Dept. of Herbology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University 2 Dept. of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University 3 Gangnam Inuri Korean Medical Clinic / 4 Dept. of Korean Internal Medicine, Dongseo Yunghap Hospital 5 Dept. of Internal Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate the safety and effect of Biman-tang (BMT) on two different administration periods in the treatment of childhood overweight and obesity. Methods In retrospective study, 39 overweight and obese (85 th percentile ≤ Body Mass Index (BMI)) children were treated with BMT from January 2006 to April 2013 at Korean Medical Clinic in Suwon, Korea. The primary outcomes were the changes in BMI and Obesity Index (OI) from baseline to the treatment groups. Secondary outcomes included the changes in height, weight and safety of the medicine. Comparisons of BMI, OI, height and weight between the short-period (SP) treatment group and the long-period (LP) treatment group were done by using ANCOVA.
Accurate and Reliable Gait Cycle Detection in Parkinson's Disease

There is a growing interest in the use of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)-based systems that employ gyroscopes for gait analysis. We describe an improved IMU-based gait analysis processing method that uses gyroscope angular rate reversal to identify the start of each gait cycle during walking. In validation tests with six subjects with Parkinson disease (PD), including those with severe shuffling gait patterns, and seven controls, the probability of True-Positive event detection and False-Positive event detection was 100% and 0%, respectively. Stride time validation tests using high-speed cameras yielded a standard deviation of 6.6 ms for controls and 11.8 ms for those with PD. These data demonstrate that the use of our angular rate reversal algorithm leads to improvements over previous gyroscope-based gait analysis systems. Highly accurate and reliable stride time measurements enabled us to detect subtle changes in stride time variability following a Parkinson's exercise class. We found unacceptable measurement accuracy for stride length when using the Aminian gyro-based biomechanical algorithm, with errors as high as 30% in PD subjects. An alternative method, using synchronized infrared timing gates to measure velocity, combined with accurate mean stride time from our angular rate reversal algorithm, more accurately calculates mean stride length.
Small Animal Clinical Diagnosis by Laboratory Methods, 5th Edition Michael D. Willard, Harold Tvedten ELSEVIER Saunders, St. Louis, MI; ISBN: 978‐1‐4377‐0657‐4, paperback, 432 pages, 2012, $91.95

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Human Movement Training With a Cable Driven ARm EXoskeleton (CAREX)

In recent years, the authors have proposed lightweight exoskeleton designs for upper arm rehabilitation using multi-stage cable-driven parallel mechanism. Previously, the authors have demonstrated via experiments that it is possible to apply “assist-as-needed” forces in all directions at the end-effector with such an exoskeleton acting on an anthropomorphic machine arm. A human-exoskeleton interface was also presented to show the feasibility of CAREX on human subjects. The goals of this paper are to 1) further address issues when CAREX is mounted on human subjects, e.g., generation of continuous cable tension trajectories 2) demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of CAREX on movement training of healthy human subjects and a stroke patient. In this research, CAREX is rigidly attached to an arm orthosis worn by human subjects. The cable routing points are optimized to achieve a relatively large “tensioned” static workspace. A new cable tension planner based on quadratic programming is used to generate continuous cable tension trajectory for smooth motion. Experiments were carried out on eight healthy subjects. The experimental results show that CAREX can help the subjects move closer to a prescribed circular path using the force fields generated by the exoskeleton. The subjects also adapt to the path shortly after training. CAREX was also evaluated on a stroke patient to test the feasibility of its use on patients with neural impairment. The results show that the patient was able to move closer to a prescribed straight line path with the “assist-as-needed” force field.
Testing oriented analysis of CMOS ICs with opens

In a typical approach to VLSI testing, open faults are modeled by the transistor-stuck-open fault model or are not explicitly covered at all. It is shown that functional faults caused by opens, i.e. by regions with missing material, cannot be modeled well by a transistor stuck-open. It is also shown that the majority of opens which occur in CMOS static circuits manifest themselves as timing faults. The analysis of the behavior of a CMOS transistor with a floating gate indicates it acts as a weakly 'on' active load, and therefore an open gate cannot be detected by stuck-fault testing but could be detected by monitoring the static current through the power buses. <<ETX>>
Adaptive Stacked Generalization for Multiclass Motor Imagery-Based Brain Computer Interfaces

Practical motor imagery-based brain computer interface (MI-BCI) applications are limited by the difficult to decode brain signals in a reliable way. In this paper, we propose a processing framework to address non-stationarity, as well as handle spectral, temporal, and spatial characteristics associated with execution of motor tasks. Stacked generalization is used to exploit the power of classifier ensembles for combining information coming from multiple sources and reducing the existing uncertainty in EEG signals. The outputs of several regularized linear discriminant analysis (RLDA) models are combined to account for temporal, spatial, and spectral information. The resultant algorithm is called stacked RLDA (SRLDA). Additionally, an adaptive processing stage is introduced before classification to reduce the harmful effect of intersession non-stationarity. The benefits of the proposed method are evaluated on the BCI Competition IV dataset 2a. We demonstrate its effectiveness in binary and multiclass settings with four different motor imagery tasks: left-hand, right-hand, both feet, and tongue movements. The results show that adaptive SRLDA outperforms the winner of the competition and other approaches tested on this multiclass dataset.
Listeria monocytogenes-Infected Phagocytes Can Initiate Central Nervous System Infection in Mice

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes-infected phagocytes are present in the bloodstream of experimentally infected mice, but whether they play a role in central nervous system (CNS) invasion is unclear. To test whether bacteria within infected leukocytes could establish CNS infection, experimentally infected mice were treated with gentamicin delivered by surgically implanted osmotic pumps. Bacterial inhibitory titers in serum and plasma ranged from 1:16 to 1:256, and essentially all viable bacteria in the bloodstream of treated mice were leukocyte associated. Nevertheless, CNS infection developed in gentamicin-treated animals infected intraperitoneally or by gastric lavage, suggesting that intracellular bacteria could be responsible for neuroinvasion. This was supported by data showing that 43.5% of bacteria found with blood leukocytes were intracellular and some colocalized with F-actin, indicating productive intracellular parasitism. Experiments using an L. monocytogenes strain containing a chromosomal actA-gfpuv-plcB transcriptional fusion showed that blood leukocytes were associated with intracellular and extracellularly bound green fluorescent protein-expressing (GFP+) bacteria. Treatment with gentamicin decreased the numbers of extracellularly bound GFP+ bacteria significantly but did not affect the numbers of intracellular GFP+ bacteria, suggesting that the latter were the result of intercellular spread of GFP+ bacteria to leukocytes. These data demonstrate that infected leukocytes and the intracellularL. monocytogenes harbored within them play key roles in neuroinvasion. Moreover, they suggest that phagocytes recruited to infected organs such as the liver or spleen are themselves parasitized by intercellular spread of L. monocytogenes and then reenter the bloodstream and contribute to the systemic dissemination of bacteria.