Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Methionine- and choline-deficient diet induces hepatic changes characteristic of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

CONTEXT Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is a disease with a high incidence, difficult diagnosis, and as yet no effective treatment. So, the use of experimental models for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis induction and the study of its routes of development have been studied. OBJECTIVES This study was designed to develop an experimental model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis based on a methionine- and choline-deficient diet that is manufactured in Brazil so as to evaluate the liver alterations resulting from the disorder. METHODS Thirty male C57BL6 mice divided in two groups (n = 15) were used: the experimental group fed a methionine- and choline-deficient diet manufactured by Brazilian company PragSoluções®, and the control group fed a normal diet, for a period of 2 weeks. The animals were then killed by exsanguination to sample blood for systemic biochemical analyses, and subsequently submitted to laparotomy with total hepatectomy and preparation of the material for histological analysis. The statistical analysis was done using the Student's t-test for independent samples, with significance level of 5%. RESULTS The mice that received the methionine- and choline-deficient diet showed weight loss and significant increase in hepatic damage enzymes, as well as decreased systemic levels of glycemia, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and VLDL. The diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis was performed in 100% of the mice that were fed the methionine- and choline-deficient diet. All non-alcoholic steatohepatitis animals showed some degree of macrovesicular steatosis, ballooning, and inflammatory process. None of the animals which were fed the control diet presented histological alterations. All non-alcoholic steatohepatitis animals showed significantly increased lipoperoxidation and antioxidant enzyme GSH activity. CONCLUSION The low cost and easily accessible methionine- and choline-deficient diet explored in this study is highly effective in inducing steatosis and steatohepatitis in animal model, alterations that are similar to those observed in human livers.
Autistic and dysphasic children. II: Epilepsy.

In a previously described population of 314 autistic and 237 dysphasic nonautistic children, after exclusion of 12 autistic girls with Rett syndrome, 14% (42 of 302) of autistic children and 8% (19 of 237) of dysphasic children had epilepsy (P = .03). The major risk factors for epilepsy were severe mental deficiency and the combination of severe mental deficiency with a motor deficit. In autistic children without severe mental deficiency, motor deficit, associated perinatal or medical disorder, or a positive family history of epilepsy, epilepsy occurred in 6% (10 of 160) which was analogous to the 8% (14 of 168) found in similar dysphasic nonautistic children. The language subtype of verbal auditory agnosia is associated with the highest risk of epilepsy in autistic (41%, 7 of 17) and dysphasic (58%, 7 of 12) children. The higher percentage of epilepsy in autistic girls, 24% (18 of 74) compared with boys 11% (25 of 228) (P = .003), is attributed to the increased prevalence of cognitive and motor deficit in girls. Once the risk attributable to associated cognitive and motor disabilities is taken into account, there is no difference in the risk of epilepsy between autistic and nonautistic dysphasic children.
Heterogeneity of Rat Neurofilament Polypeptides Revealed by a Monoclonal Antibody

Abstract: A monoclonal antibody obtained from mice immunized with a crude neurofilament preparation from newborn rat brain revealed the existence of heterogeneity of the 200,000‐ and 150,000‐dalton neurofilament polypeptides. On immunoblot the monoclonal antibody iC8 reacted with both the 200,000‐ and 150,000‐dalton components in the CNS, but only with the 150,000‐dalton. polypeptide in sciatic nerve preparations. In addition, the 150,000‐dalton polypeptide appeared as a single band in the sciatic nerve, whereas in the CNS a doublet was labeled by iC8. In contrast a second monoclonal antibody (3H5) reacted with the 200,000‐dalton peptide and a single 150,000‐dalton component in both the central and peripheral nervous system preparations. The differences revealed by iC8 were probably not due to phosphorylation, as the pattern of antibody binding in immunoblots was not changed by pretreatment with alkaline phosphatase. The findings suggest that different isoforms of neurofilament polypeptides are present in the nervous system.
Interaction between DNMT1 and DNA replication reactions in the SV40 in vitro replication system

In contrast to normal cells, cancer cells exhibit both genetic and epigenetic instability. These unique properties give rise to genetic and epigenetic heterogeneity in a given population of cancer cells and provide a means for the population to undergo phenotypic progression by clonal selection. DNA methylation at CpG dinucleotides is one of the epigenetic marks that are frequently disturbed in cancer cells. To understand how the CpG methylation pattern is changeable in cancer cells, it is necessary to know how it is faithfully maintained in normal cell proliferation. Toward this goal, we have developed a novel in vitro system that is based on the well‐established SV40 in vitro replication system and functions to reconstitute concurrent DNA replication and DNA maintenance methylation reactions. We found that DNA methylation was maintained only when exogenous DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and S‐adenosyl methionine (SAM) were added to the reaction. We demonstrated that DNMT1 associates with replicating and/or replicated chromatin irrespective of the DNA methylation status of template DNA. Moreover, the PCNA‐binding domain (PBD) of DNMT1 is not required for the association. Taken together, we suggest that DNMT1 is recruited to replicating and/or replicated chromatin in a constitutive manner independent of the DNA methylation reaction. The in vitro system described in this report is very useful for analyzing the molecular mechanism underlying the DNA maintenance methylation reaction. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1960–1966)
Ecology of Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae): factors influencing larval abundance in mesocosms in southern California.

Colonization and succession of mosquitoes and macroinvertebrate predators were studied in 30-m2 ponds (mesocosms) during summer and fall 1987. Larval abundance of Cx. tarsalis Coquillette was lower during the hot, summer months than during the fall. In all studies, larval populations declined markedly 2-3 wk after habitat flooding. Although predator abundances differed in these studies, sometimes by an order of magnitude, the common predators colonized mesocosms in the following order: Triops, hydrophilid beetle larvae, dytiscid beetle larvae, mesoveliids, dragonfly and damselfly naiads, and notonectids. The similarity of the colonization phenologies probably resulted from the vagility of the adult insects and species-specific developmental rates. Stepwise multiple regression was used to identify factors potentially affecting larval mosquito populations. For most studies, coleopteran larvae were related inversely to per capita change in the entire larval population and the third- and fourth-instar subpopulation (i.e., large coleopteran larval populations were associated with large declines in the Cx. trasalis larval population). Maximum water temperatures and pond age (days after flooding) also were identified as significant factors affecting larval abundance and per capita change of mosquitoes. Potentially lethal water temperatures (greater than or equal to 35 degrees C) occurred during the summer; however, the declines in larval abundance of Cx. tarsalis were not restricted to (or obviously associated with) periods of high water temperature. Our results indicated that predation by coleopteran larvae and factor(s) associated with pond age, such as mosquito ovipositional preferences, significantly affected Cx. tarsalis larval populations.
Study of two markers of apoptosis and meiotic segregation in ejaculated sperm of chromosomal translocation carrier patients.

BACKGROUND To try to explain the infertility of chromosomal translocation carrier patients, we compared the expression of two markers of apoptosis in the sperm of patients and of fertile donors, and we studied the meiotic segregation in the ejaculated sperm of these translocation carriers. METHODS Twenty semen samples of translocation carriers, [reciprocal (n=14) and Robertsonian translocations (n=6)], were compared with the semen samples of donors (n=20). Different tests were applied: annexin V binding assay; terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labelling (TUNEL); and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). RESULTS The annexin V binding assay in sperm of patients with chromosomal translocation (n=17) showed a significantly increased proportion of sperm with externalized phosphatidylserine (PS) than in the control group (n=20, P<or=0.05). The rates of DNA fragmentation investigated by TUNEL reaction were higher in samples of translocation carriers (n=14) than in donors (n=20, P<0.0001). The measures by FISH technique showed that the proportions of balanced or normal gametes were predominant in the reciprocal translocation group (alternate: n=7; from 33.0 to 58.8%; adjacent I: n=7; from 4.6 to 43.8%) and in the Robertsonian translocation group (normal: n=5; from 76.0 to 88.5%). CONCLUSIONS Our data show a predominant proportion of balanced gametes in sperm of chromosomal translocation carrier patients. Moreover, PS externalization and DNA fragmentation rates are significantly higher in ejaculated sperm of these patients than in donor sperm. These tests could be used to predict the outcome of ICSI for these patients.
Interference bounds in power controlled systems

Capacity in a code-division multiple access (CDMA) cellular system is often referred to in terms of the maximum number of users that can be supported within a carrier to interference ratio above a specified quality threshold. This paper presents a simple analysis showing that the total mean interference in the reverse channel, in a multi-tier scenario of a CDMA system with power control, is finite regardless of the number of surrounding tiers. Riemann-Hurwitz analysis is introduced in order to obtain upper and lower interference bounds.
Nutritional Support in Gastrointestinal Disease Topic 12 Module 12 . 2 Challenges in treating intestinal failure and short bowel syndrome

· To understand the nature and pathophysiology of intestinal failure and short bowel syndrome; · To appreciate the need for restriction of salt-free fluids in patients with short bowel syndrome; · To have an understanding of the pharmacological and nutritional therapy of intestinal failure and short bowel syndrome; · To be able to apply this understanding in clinical practice; · To know the prognosis of intestinal failure and have an appreciation of the surgical and other experimental alternatives to long-term home parenteral nutrition.
Local differences in vagal afferent innervation of the rat esophagus are reflected by neurochemical differences at the level of the sensory ganglia and by different brainstem projections

The objective of the present study was to characterize further the vagal afferent fibers in the rat esophagus, particularly those in its uppermost part, their cell bodies in vagal sensory ganglia, and their central projections. We applied immunohistochemistry for calretinin, calbindin, and calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP); retrograde tracing with FluoroGold; and transganglionic tracing with wheat germ agglutinin‐horseradish peroxidase in combination with neurectomies. Vagal terminal structures in the muscularis propria of the whole esophagus consisted of calretinin‐immunoreactive intraganglionic laminar endings that were linked to cervical vagal and recurrent laryngeal nerve pathways. The mucosa of the uppermost esophagus was innervated by a very dense net of longitudinally arranged, calretinin‐positive fibers that were depleted by section of the superior laryngeal nerve. Distal to this area, the mucosa was virtually devoid of calretinin‐immunoreactive vagal afferents. Calretinin‐positive mucosal fibers in the upper cervical esophagus were classified into four types. One type, the finger‐like endings, was sometimes immunoreactive also for CGRP. About one‐third of cell bodies in vagal sensory ganglia retrogradely labeled from the upper cervical esophagus expressed CGRP, whereas two‐thirds coexpressed calretinin and calbindin but not CGRP. In addition to the central subnucleus of the nucleus of the solitary tract, vagal afferents from the upper cervical esophagus also projected heavily to the interstitial subnucleus. This additional projection was attributed to mucosal afferents traveling through the superior laryngeal nerve. The present study provides a possible morphological basis for bronchopulmonary and aversive reflexes elicited upon stimulation of the esophagus. J. Comp. Neurol. 435:41–59, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP): role in peripheral nerve regeneration

Abstract Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a neuropeptide that has an important anti-inflammatory role in the immune system. Research has shown that CGRP is an integral part in peripheral nerve regeneration by (1) suppressing tumor necrosis factor-α, (2) forming an initial nerve bridge by increasing fibroblast motility and extracellular matrix synthesis, (3) vascularizing the spinal cord injury site, and (4) inducing Schwann cell (SC) proliferation. In this treatise, the following hypotheses will be explored: (1) CGRP is induced by c-Jun to regulate SC dedifferentiation, (2) CGRP promotes the chemotaxic migration of SCs along the nerve bridge, and (3) CGRP induces myelinophagy by activating various signaling pathways, such as p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and Raf/extracellular signal-regulated kinase. These processes provide a framework for understanding the role of CGRP in peripheral nerve regeneration, which may be important in developing better strategies for nerve repair and gaining further insight into demyelinating diseases.
Colorectal cancer screening barriers in persons with low income.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the modest success of a physician and patient education and reminder program that improved screening rates from 37% to 49% among rural Medicaid-eligible patients in western Michigan. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY The following four focus groups were conducted: African American men, African American women, White men, and White women, matched with moderators by gender and ethnicity. The sample was selected by contacting prior eligible screening refusers, completing groups with a convenience sample who had accepted screening. Twenty-one patients participated who were ages >50 years. The screening refusal rates were 19% for men and 9% for women. Open-ended questions guided the discussion of colorectal cancer (CRC) attitudes, beliefs, and practices. RESULTS All participants believed in the efficacy of cancer screening. White women were better informed about screening purposes and procedures. The major barriers to screening were quality of care (ie, the perceived lack of offering screening and the follow-up of test results) and the potential for pain from screening or treatment of CRC, should it be discovered. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Successful efforts to improve awareness of the importance and efficacy of screening must further address deeply held skepticism and fears about CRC screening in this population. A fruitful direction for this difficult problem appears to be improved communication (both negative and positive test results). Without feedback, patients with negative results may assume lack of provider follow-through.
Informing design of an app-based coaching intervention to promote social participation of teenagers with traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine perspectives of multiple stakeholders to inform the design of an app-based coaching intervention to promote social participation in teenagers with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Teenagers and college students with and without TBI and parents of teenagers with TBI were recruited from two children’s hospitals and two universities in the USA (n = 39). Data were collected via interviews, focus groups, and surveys and examined using descriptive statistics and content analyses. Results: Teenagers with TBI reported more social participation barriers and fewer strategies for addressing these barriers than teenagers without TBI. There was consensus across groups about the value of college student coaches and use of smartphones and apps. Participants expressed mixed views on the use of chat rooms and degree of parent involvement. Conclusion: Results provided insights about the possible benefits of the intervention, and informed its initial design (e.g., desired coach qualities, and type of coach training and supervision).
Lung surfactant in respiratory distress syndrome

Severe respiratory failure is always associated with a defect in the surfactant system. Surfactant substitution in newborn infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) has gained worldwide acceptance. In the present study, we have evaluated whether surfactant diagnostics are of use in choosing recipients of exogenous surfactant. In addition, we studied whether factors apparently unrelated to surfactant influence the degree of respiratory failure and surfactant responsiveness. In small preterm infants, the surfactant indices in amniotic fluid (L/S ratio and phosphatidylglycerol), within 3 days of birth, predicted the risk of RDS with a sensitivity of 90–100%, and a specificity of 50–85%. The surfactant indices, measured in BAL, predicted the risk of ARDS (which became evident 1 to 7 days later) with a sensitivity of 50–60% and a specificity of 59–65%. In small preterm infants with RDS, the amount of fluids given during the first day correlated positively with the degree of respiratory failure and negatively with the degree of surfactant responsiveness. According to an experimental study, in hydrostatic lung edema, exogenous surfactant is diluted by edema fluid and becomes sensitive to inhibitors of surfactant function. Beside dosage, quality, and time of administration, the management of patients largely dictates the responsiveness to exogenous surfactant.
Autonomous exploration of mobile robots through deep neural networks

The exploration problem of mobile robots aims to allow mobile robots to explore an unknown environment. We describe an indoor exploration algorithm for mobile robots using a hierarchical structure that fuses several convolutional neural network layers with decision-making process. The whole system is trained end to end by taking only visual information (RGB-D information) as input and generates a sequence of main moving direction as output so that the robot achieves autonomous exploration ability. The robot is a TurtleBot with a Kinect mounted on it. The model is trained and tested in a real world environment. And the training data set is provided for download. The outputs of the test data are compared with the human decision. We use Gaussian process latent variable model to visualize the feature map of last convolutional layer, which proves the effectiveness of this deep convolution neural network mode. We also present a novel and lightweight deep-learning library libcnn especially for deep-learning processing of robotics tasks.
Günter Asser (1926–2015)

Als Günter Asser in den Morgenstunden des 23. März 2015 für immer die Augen schloss, endete ein arbeitsreiches Leben, das der Wissenschaft und besonders der Mathematischen Logik und ihren Anwendungen in der Informatik gewidmet war. Mehrfach ist er in dieser, von ihm über viele Jahrzehnte geleiteten Zeitschrift anlässlich runder Geburtstage geehrt worden, am ausführlichsten in [15]. Seine Bemerkungen [10] als scheidender Managing Editor geben auch einen knappen Abriss der Geschichte des Journals. Im Folgenden sollen die Konturen seines Lebensweges nachgezeichnet werden. Günter Asser wurde am 26. Februar 1926 in Berlin geboren, wo er auch aufwuchs und zur Schule ging. Nach Arbeitsdienst, Verwundung und Internierung in den Niederlanden kehrte er am Silvesterabend 1945 in das zerstörte Berlin zurück. 1946 legte er das Abitur ab und begann sein Mathematikstudium an der HumboldtUniversität, das er 1951 mit dem Diplom abschloss. Schon recht früh hatte er sich der Arbeitsgruppe um Karl Schröter (1905–1977) angeschlossen, einem Schüler von Heinrich Scholz, der 1948 von Münster nach Berlin berufen worden war und dort die “Berliner Schule” der Mathematischen Logik etablierte. Asser wurde Schröters erster Promovend und schon bald sein wichtigster Mitarbeiter. Gemeinsam gründeten sie 1954 die “Zeitschrift für Mathematische Logik und Grundlagen der Mathematik”, die schnell internationale Bedeutung erlangte. Im gleichen Jahre promovierte Asser mit einer semantischen Charakterisierung der deduktiv abgeschlossenen Mengen des Prädikatenkalküls der ersten Stufe [2], und schon 1958 habilitierte er sich mit einem Beitrag zur Theorie der logischen Auswahlfunktionen [4]. An der Humboldt-Universität erklomm er recht zügig die akademische Stufenleiter: Assistent 1951, Oberassistent 1954, Dozent 1958. Im Jahre 1960 folgte er dem Ruf auf eine Professur an der Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, wo er bis zu seiner Emeritierung im Jahre 1991 wirkte. Hier wurde er 1964 zum ordentlichen Professor (mit Lehrstuhl) für Mathematische Logik und Grundlagen der Mathematik ernannt. Zur Illustration der Bedeutung der Arbeiten aus Assers erster Schaffensperiode sei exemplarisch auf seinen Beitrag [3] zum Spektrum-Problem verwiesen. Diese Arbeit inspirierte Fagin [11] zu seinen Untersuchungen zur Theorie der endlichen Modelle, die eine modelltheoretische Charakterisierung der Komplexitätsklasse NP
Neuroprotective effects of oxysophocarpine on neonatal rat primary cultured hippocampal neurons injured by oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion

Abstract Context: Oxysophocarpine (OSC), a quinolizidine alkaloid extracted from leguminous plants of the genus Robinia, is traditionally used for various diseases including neuronal disorders. Objective: This study investigated the protective effects of OSC on neonatal rat primary-cultured hippocampal neurons were injured by oxygen–glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/RP). Materials and methods: Cultured hippocampal neurons were exposed to OGD for 2 h followed by a 24 h RP. OSC (1, 2, and 5 μmol/L) and nimodipine (Nim) (12 μmol/L) were added to the culture after OGD but before RP. The cultures of the control group were not exposed to OGD/RP. MTT and LDH assay were used to evaluate the protective effects of OSC. The concentration of intracellular-free calcium [Ca2+]i and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were determined to evaluate the degree of neuronal damage. Morphologic changes of neurons following OGD/RP were observed with a microscope. The expression of caspase-3 and caspase-12 mRNA was examined by real-time quantitative PCR. Results: The IC50 of OSC was found to be 100 μmol/L. Treatment with OSC (1, 2, and 5 μmol/L) attenuated neuronal damage (p < 0.001), with evidence of increased cell viability (p < 0.001) and decreased cell morphologic impairment. Furthermore, OSC increased MMP (p < 0.001), but it inhibited [Ca2+]i (p < 0.001) elevation in a dose-dependent manner at OGD/RP. OSC (5 μmol/L) also decreased the expression of caspase-3 (p < 0.05) and caspase-12 (p < 0.05). Discussion and conclusion: The results suggested that OSC has significant neuroprotective effects that can be attributed to inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis.