Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence-based investigations and treatments of recurrent pregnancy loss

Purpose of review The majority of investigations and treatments offered to women with recurrent pregnancy loss are not evidence-based. In this review a critical analysis is given of the current management of recurrent pregnancy loss often recommended in meta-analyses and guidelines. Recent findings Our knowledge of genetic, endocrine, thrombophilic and immunological causes of recurrent pregnancy loss has been improved significantly, primarily by the introduction of modern laboratory techniques. Most clinical trials in this area, however, are still subject to serious methodological flaws. Summary At present, the clinician must base their clinical practice on the few high-quality observational studies and intervention trials available rather than on meta-analyses, as there is a scarcity of good clinical trials. More high-quality clinical studies are urgently needed in this area.
Using CRP in neonatal practice

Abstract Objective: C-reactive protein (CRP) is the most widely used infection marker in neonatal practice. Combined with difficulty in early recognition of neonatal sepsis, the number of infants with risk factors for infection, and postnatal maladaptation of non-infectious origin; CRP is often used as a decision making tool for antibiotic therapy. We wished to examine practice regarding neonatal infection and use of CRP. Methods: We designed an online multiple choice questionnaire, asking senior clinicians for their response to realistic postnatal ward scenarios. Results: We had 91 replies, showing a great degree of variation, with no pattern emerging for experience, region, or even individual neonatal units. This was true even for situations covered by the guidelines that have an evidence basis. Conclusions: A recurring theme was duration of antibiotic therapy for an elevated CRP, and once levels are falling, when it is safe to stop treatment. Given a lack of good quality evidence, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines are purposefully non-specific. Further research is required, and if incorporated in future national guidelines, should help promote more widespread use and so reduce potential over- and under-treatment of this patient subset. However, this also requires a greater willingness on the part of pediatricians to ensure practice is evidence based.
Opposite role of Ras in tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced cell cycle regulation: competition for Raf kinase.

Ras, a well-known oncogene, induces cell cycle stimulation through the Raf/Erk pathway and leads to cellular transformation, accompanied by other oncogenes such as c-myc and viral oncogenic protein. Here we suggest the interfering role of Ras in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced cell cycle regulation. In TSU-Pr1 and T24 (oncogenic Ras cell lines), TNF-alpha suppresses cell cycle progression without induction of apoptosis, whereas AGS (wild-type Ras) is stimulated in its cell cycle by TNF-alpha coupled with activation of Erk. However, in TSU-Pr1 and T24, TNF-alpha leads to dephosphorylation of Erk1/2. Inhibition or activation of Ras can restore or convert TNF-alpha-induced cell cycle regulation in the cell lines containing the oncogenic Ras (TSU-Pr1 and T24) or AGS, respectively. Regulation of Erk also shows the coincidental pattern. We suggest the competition between the Ras pathway and TNF signaling for the binding to Raf, a common downstream target, as the cause of such reciprocal response, based on co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) with antibodies against Raf and Ras or cellular Flice-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), which have been recently identified upstream of Raf in death-ligand-induced cell cycle stimulation. Overexpression of Raf in TSU-Pr1, to reduce the competition, overcomes TNF-induced cell cycle arrest, also supporting our hypotheses.
Incomplete Posture Adjustment during Rapid Arm Movement

It is not well understood how posture (nonfocal joints) is stabilized during rapid joint movements. Interaction torque arising at the joints due to the movement of the adjacent joints will disturb the nonfocal joint unless it is compensated by muscle torque. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanism underlying the incomplete stabilization of nonfocal posture during two types of fast single-joint flexion tasks, i.e., elbow flexion and shoulder flexion, with and without a hand-held weight. Participants were 5 men and 4 women (M age = 22.2 yr., SD = 4.8). The relationship between interaction torque and muscle torque and between angular displacement and torque components of the nonfocal joints were examined. The anticipatory muscle activity at the nonfocal joint produced compensatory muscle torque during the early phase of the rapid movement. However, nonfocal joints displayed a consistent displacement pattern, i.e., an initial extension followed by a flexion during the movement. The initial extension was in the direction of the interaction torque and its magnitude was related to the onset delay of the muscle torque against the interaction torque. The flexion movement of the nonfocal joints during the task was in the direction of the overcompensating muscle torque against interaction torque. This mechanism may have certain implications for anticipatory postural adjustment problems.
Postnatal development of synaptic transmission in local networks of L5A pyramidal neurons in rat somatosensory cortex

The probability of synaptic transmitter release determines the spread of excitation and the possible range of computations at unitary connections. To investigate whether synaptic properties between neocortical pyramidal neurons change during the assembly period of cortical circuits, whole‐cell voltage recordings were made simultaneously from two layer 5A (L5A) pyramidal neurons within the cortical columns of rat barrel cortex. We found that synaptic transmission between L5A pyramidal neurons is very reliable between 2 and 3 weeks of postnatal development with a mean unitary EPSP amplitude of ∼1.2 mV, but becomes less efficient and fails more frequently in the more mature cortex of ∼4 weeks of age with a mean unitary EPSP amplitude of 0.65 mV. Coefficient of variation and failure rate increase as the unitary EPSP amplitude decreases during development. The paired‐pulse ratio (PPR) of synaptic efficacy at 10 Hz changes from 0.7 to 1.04. Despite the overall increase in PPR, short‐term plasticity displays a large variability at 4 weeks, ranging from strong depression to strong facilitation (PPR, range 0.6–2.1), suggesting the potential for use‐dependent modifications at this intracortical synapse. In conclusion, the transmitter release probability at the L5A–L5A connection is developmentally regulated in such a way that in juvenile animals excitation by single action potentials is efficiently transmitted, whereas in the more mature cortex synapses might be endowed with a diversity of filtering characteristics.
Backstepping Control for Nonlinear Systems With Time Delays and Applications to Chemical Reactor Systems

The state feedback control problem is addressed for a class of nonlinear time-delay systems. The time delays appear in all state variables of the nonlinear system, which brings a challenging issue for controller design. With an introduced new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, we develop a novel control strategy. With the help of a backstepping method, we design a memoryless state feedback controller, which does not need the precise knowledge of time delays. It is rigorously proved that the closed-loop system is asymptotically stable. Chemical reactor plants are typical nonlinear systems with time delays. We apply the developed method to the control design of a two-stage chemical reactor with delayed recycle streams, and the simulation results verify the effectiveness of the main results.
Intentional inhibition: How the “veto‐area” exerts control

One important aspect of self‐control is refraining voluntarily from already planned behavior, by a final intervention before commitment to action. Despite its crucial role in human existence, and clear social implications, this aspect of self‐control has proved hard to study experimentally. One recent study used a perceptual timing paradigm to identify specific activations in the dorsal fronto‐median cortex (dFMC) associated with voluntary inhibition of action (Brass and Haggard 2007 : J Neurosci 27:9141–9145). Here, we extend this work in two important new directions. First, we developed a more naturalistic task that gives participants a strong reason to inhibit or to execute actions, and therefore involves self‐control in the sense of voluntary inhibition of prepotent impulsive responses. Second, we investigated the relation between dFMC and other cognitive‐motor areas using effective connectivity analysis. We show that dFMC is activated when inhibiting prepared responses to external events. Moreover, its effective connectivity suggests that it allows intentional inhibition of action through top‐down inhibition of premotor areas. This view of dFMC is consistent with a new view of self‐control as a key stage in a cognitive‐motor interface. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Abundant expression of HIV Nef and Rev proteins in brain astrocytes in vivo is associated with dementia

ObjectiveTo relate the expression of HIV regulatory proteins and HIV-specific mRNA in the brain cells of infected individuals with clinical neurological disease. DesignFormalin-fixed postmortem brain tissue from 14 HIV-infected adult patients, with previous repeated neurological and neuroradiological examinations, was studied by immunohistochemical and molecular biological methods. Samples from non-infected brains served as controls. MethodsImmunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies (MAb) was combined with in situ RNA hybridization. Target cells were identified with MAb to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP; astrocytes), CD68 (activated macrophages) and Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA-1; microglia, endothelial cells). For HIV, a panel of MAb against HIV Nef, Tat, Rev and Env proteins or probes specific for all classes of mRNA (net), for singly or non-spliced mRNA (env) and for non-spliced mRNA (gag/pot) were used. ResultsNef protein was detected in subcortical or subpial astrocytes in seven out of 14 samples, and in multinucleated giant cells in two cases. Gag/pol or env mRNA-expressing astrocytes were detected in four cases. In four out of five cases studied, HIV Rev, but not Tat, was also expressed in astrocytes. Six out of the seven patients with Nef-positive astrocytes had suffered from moderate to severe dementia. The patient with most rapidly progressing severe dementia showed extensive HIV mRNA expression together with Nef and Rev expression in astrocytes. ConclusionIn adult human brain, astrocytes are infected by HIV and preferentially express HIV Nef and Rev proteins but are also sometimes productively infected. Astrocyte infection is associated with moderate to severe dementia which agrees with recent knowledge on the housekeeping activities of astrocytes and their eventual role in learning and memory.
A candidate locus for variation in dispersal rate in a butterfly metapopulation

Frequent extinctions of local populations in metapopulations create opportunities for migrant females to establish new populations. In a metapopulation of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia), more mobile individuals are more likely to establish new populations, especially in habitat patches that are poorly connected to existing populations. Here we show that flight metabolic rate and the frequency of a specific allele of the metabolic enzyme phosphoglucose isomerase (pgi) were both highest in newly established, isolated populations. Furthermore, genotypes with this pgi allele had elevated flight metabolic rates. These results suggest that genetic variation in pgi or a closely linked locus has a direct effect on flight metabolism, dispersal rate, and thereby on metapopulation dynamics in this species. These results also contribute to an emerging understanding of the mechanisms by which population turnover in heterogeneous landscapes may maintain genetic and phenotypic variation across populations.
Inflation in Emerging and Developing Economies: Evolution, Drivers, and Policies

Emerging market and developing economies, like advanced economies, have experienced a remarkable decline in inflation over the past half-century. Yet, research into this development has focused almost exclusively on advanced economies. This book fills that gap, providing the first comprehensive and systematic analysis of inflation in emerging market and developing economies. It examines how inflation has evolved and become synchronized among economies; what drives inflation globally and domestically; where inflation expectations have become better-anchored; and how exchange rate fluctuations can pass through to inflation. To reach its conclusions, the book employs cutting edge empirical approaches. It also offers a rich data set of multiple measures of inflation for a virtually global sample of countries over a half-century to spur further research into this important topic.
Sonazoid-Enhanced Ultrasonography for Diagnosis of Hepatic Malignancies: Comparison with Contrast-Enhanced CT

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of Sonazoid-enhanced ultrasonography (US) in the diagnosis of hepatic malignancies in comparison with contrast-enhanced CT findings. Methods: A total of 74 patients with 113 hepatic tumors having or highly suspected of having malignancies were enrolled. These hepatic nodules were diagnosed by typical findings of imaging such as contrast-enhanced CT, dynamic MRI or Sonazoid-enhanced US, tumor markers and histological examinations after surgical resection or biopsy. Results: 108 nodules were diagnosed as malignant tumors (hepatocellular carcinoma: n = 90; metastasis: n = 16; intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: n = 2) and the remaining five tumors were diagnosed as benign tumors (dysplastic nodules: n = 5). Sonazoid-enhanced US correctly depicted the presence or absence of tumors in 74 patients, with a sensitivity of 95.4%, an accuracy of 94.7%, and a positive predictive rate of 99%. Contrast-enhanced CT depicted the malignancies with a sensitivity of 85.2%, an accuracy of 82.3%, and a positive predictive rate of 95.8%. There were significant differences between Sonazoid-enhanced US and contrast-enhanced CT for sensitivity and accuracy (both p < 0.05). Conclusion: Sonazoid-enhanced US has a higher sensitivity and accuracy for the diagnosis of hepatic malignancies than contrast-enhanced CT.
Establishment of oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line and magnetic bead-based isolation and characterization of its CD90/CD44 subpopulations

In this study, we describe the establishment of the human papillomavirus 18-positive, stage II, grade 1, T2N0M0 head and neck tumor primary cell line derived from oral squamous cell carcinoma of a non-smoking patient by using two different protocols. Furthermore, a preparation of subpopulations derived from this primary cell line according to the cluster of differentiation molecules CD44/CD90 status using magnetic bead-based separation and their characterization was performed. Impedance-based real-time cell analysis, enzyme-linked immunsorbant assay (ELISA), wound-healing assay, flow-cytometry, gene expression analysis, and MTT assay were used to characterize these four subpopulations (CD44+/CD90−, CD44−/CD90−, CD44+/CD90+, CD44−/CD90−). We optimised methodics for establishement of primary cell lines derived from oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue samples and subsequent separation of mesenchymal (CD90+) and epithelial (CD90−) types of tumorous cells. Primary cell line prepared by using trypsin proteolysis was more viable than the one prepared by using collagenase. According to our results, CD90 separation is a necessary step in preparation of permanent tumor-tissue derived cell lines. Based on the wound-healing assay, CD44+ cells exhibited stronger migratory capacity than CD44− subpopulations. CD44+ subpopulations had also significantly higher expression of BIRC5 and SOX2, lower expression of FLT1 and IL6, and higher levels of basal autophagy compared to CD44− subpopulations. Furthermore, co-cultivation experiments revealed that CD44−/CD90+ cells supported growth of epithelial tumor cells (CD44+/CD90−). On the contrary, factors released by CD44+/CD90+ type of cells seem to have rather inhibiting effect. The most cisplatin-resistant subpopulation with the shortest doubling time was CD44−/CD90+, but this subpopulation had a low migratory capacity.
Ciliary neurotrophic factor activates leptin-like pathways and reduces body fat, without cachexia or rebound weight gain, even in leptin-resistant obesity

Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF) was first characterized as a trophic factor for motor neurons in the ciliary ganglion and spinal cord, leading to its evaluation in humans suffering from motor neuron disease. In these trials, CNTF caused unexpected and substantial weight loss, raising concerns that it might produce cachectic-like effects. Countering this possibility was the suggestion that CNTF was working via a leptin-like mechanism to cause weight loss, based on the findings that CNTF acts via receptors that are not only related to leptin receptors, but also similarly distributed within hypothalamic nuclei involved in feeding. However, although CNTF mimics the ability of leptin to cause fat loss in mice that are obese because of genetic deficiency of leptin (ob/ob mice), CNTF is also effective in diet-induced obesity models that are more representative of human obesity, and which are resistant to leptin. This discordance again raised the possibility that CNTF might be acting via nonleptin pathways, perhaps more analogous to those activated by cachectic cytokines. Arguing strongly against this possibility, we now show that CNTF can activate hypothalamic leptin-like pathways in diet-induced obesity models unresponsive to leptin, that CNTF improves prediabetic parameters in these models, and that CNTF acts very differently than the prototypical cachectic cytokine, IL-1. Further analyses of hypothalamic signaling reveals that CNTF can suppress food intake without triggering hunger signals or associated stress responses that are otherwise associated with food deprivation; thus, unlike forced dieting, cessation of CNTF treatment does not result in binge overeating and immediate rebound weight gain.
Lossless to Lossy Dual-Tree BEZW Compression for Hyperspectral Images

This paper proposes a lossless to lossy compression scheme for hyperspectral images based on dual-tree Binary Embedded Zerotree Wavelet (BEZW) algorithm. The algorithm adapts Karhunen-Loève Transform and Discrete Wavelet Transform to achieve 3-D integer reversible hybrid transform and decorrelate spectral and spatial data. Since statistics of the hyperspectral image are not symmetrical, the asymmetrical dual-tree structure is introduced. The 3-D BEZW algorithm compresses hyperspectral images by implementing progressive bitplane coding. The lossless and lossy compression performance is compared with other state-of-the-art predictive coding and transform-based coding algorithms on Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer images. Results show that the 3-D-BEZW lossless compression performance is comparable with the best predictive algorithms, while its computational cost is comparable with those of transform-based algorithms.
Tunable Fabry–Perot Cavity THz Antenna Based on Leaky-Wave Propagation in Nematic Liquid Crystals

A novel terahertz (THz) Fabry–Perot cavity (FPC) antenna is proposed, based on a multistack of alternating layers of highly birefringent nematic liquid crystal (NLC) and high-permittivity dielectric, which comprehensively acts as a Bragg reflector. This layout is able to provide enhanced reconfigurability and improved directivity with respect to standard FPC leaky-wave antenna (LWA) designs. The application of a low driving voltage to the NLC layers allows for the dynamic control of the radiating properties of the LWA, at a fixed frequency in the low-THz range. The attractive features and performance of two different configurations are rigorously discussed in a theoretical context, taking into account the realistic implementation of the proposed device.
Security in Wireless Sensor Networks: Issues and challanges

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are employed in numerous applications in different areas including military, ecology, and health; for example, to control of important information like the personnel position in a building, as a result, WSNs need security. However, several restrictions such as low capability of computation, small memory, limited resources of energy, and the unreliable channels employ communication in using WSNs can cause difficulty in use of security and protection in WSNs. It is very essential to save WSNs from malevolent attacks in unfriendly situations. Such networks require security plan due to various limitations of resources and the prominent characteristics of a wireless sensor network which is a considerable challenge. This article is an extensive review about problems of WSNs security, which examined recently by researchers and a better understanding of future directions for WSN security.
The global burden of low back pain: estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study

Objective To estimate the global burden of low back pain (LBP). Methods LBP was defined as pain in the area on the posterior aspect of the body from the lower margin of the twelfth ribs to the lower glutaeal folds with or without pain referred into one or both lower limbs that lasts for at least one day. Systematic reviews were performed of the prevalence, incidence, remission, duration, and mortality risk of LBP. Four levels of severity were identified for LBP with and without leg pain, each with their own disability weights. The disability weights were applied to prevalence values to derive the overall disability of LBP expressed as years lived with disability (YLDs). As there is no mortality from LBP, YLDs are the same as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Results Out of all 291 conditions studied in the Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study, LBP ranked highest in terms of disability (YLDs), and sixth in terms of overall burden (DALYs). The global point prevalence of LBP was 9.4% (95% CI 9.0 to 9.8). DALYs increased from 58.2 million (M) (95% CI 39.9M to 78.1M) in 1990 to 83.0M (95% CI 56.6M to 111.9M) in 2010. Prevalence and burden increased with age. Conclusions LBP causes more global disability than any other condition. With the ageing population, there is an urgent need for further research to better understand LBP across different settings.