Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Donor age affects fibrosis progression and graft survival after liver transplantation for hepatitis C1

Background. The use of liver allografts from an older donor (OD) (age >50 years) is a widespread strategy to manage the disparity between supply and demand of organs for liver transplantation. This study determines the effect of OD allografts on fibrosis progression and graft survival after liver transplantation in patients with and without infection caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Methods. All patients undergoing liver transplantation at our center from March 1998 to December 2001 were analyzed. Protocol liver biopsies were performed at 1, 16, and 52 weeks after transplantation and yearly thereafter. One liver pathologist scored all biopsy specimens for modified hepatic activity index (0–18) and fibrosis (0–6). Results. A total of 402 patients (167 with HCV and 235 without HCV) underwent liver transplantation during the study period. Among patients with HCV, baseline characteristics of OD recipients were similar to younger donor (YD) (age <50 years) recipients. In patients with HCV, graft survival was shorter in OD graft recipients than in YD recipients (P <0.001). In patients without HCV, graft survival was independent of donor age. In patients with HCV, a fibrosis score of 3 or greater was present in 17% of OD recipients at 4 months and in 26% at 12 months after transplantation, compared with 8% of YD recipients at 4 months and 13% at 12 months (P <0.001). Conclusions. Liver transplantation with OD grafts is associated with rapid progression of fibrosis and decreased graft survival in patients with HCV, but not in patients without HCV. OD grafts should be considered preferentially for patients without HCV.
Disease Models for the Genetic Cardiac Diseases

The ability to reprogram somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells has presented a significant advancement in stem cell research. This technique enables derivation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from any individual having a unique genotype. iPS cells can be derived from human somatic cells such as fibroblasts, keratinocytes or blood cells. Since, the production of iPS cell lines does not require the destruction of human embryos as in the production of the human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), the legal and ethical issues associated with hESCs can be at least partly avoided. The characteristics of iPS cells are very similar to those of pluripotent hESCs in many respects, including cell morphology, immortal growth characteristics in culture, expression of pluripotent markers, and differentiation potential. The iPS cells com‐ bined with the various differentiation protocols developed enable the production of genotype specific cell types. This feature enables also to produce disease-specific iPS cell lines from patients bearing defined genetic mutations. Traditionally, it has been challenging to study genetic cardiac diseases because cardiomyocytes from the heart biopsies of patients are difficult to obtain and the procedure carries a high risk. Additionally these cardiomyocytes do not survive long in culture. Animal models, mostly developed in rodent, have aided in elucidating the basic mechanisms of several genetic cardiac diseases. The disadvantages of small animal models are marked differences in anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system in comparison to humans. Rodent models are far from ideal when used in the identi‐ fication of contractile deficits and signals that initiate pathological growth [1]. Furthermore, the results obtained from neonatal rat cell experiments can be problematic because these cells possess different relative receptor subtypes and cell-signaling mechanisms. It will thus be especially important to investigate functional consequences of genetic cardiac diseases in human cardiomyocytes in which the functional effects of specific proteins have been adjusted to optimize electrical properties, contractile efficiency and power output of larger hearts [2].
Nano-sized effect on the magnetic properties of Ag

Ag nanoparticles with an average size of 4 nm in diameter were successfully synthesized with a plasma method and three kinds of Ag nanoparticles were prepared by an inductively coupled plasma reactor equipped with the liquid nitrogen cooling system. High-resolution transmission electron microscope images and electron diffraction patterns of Ag nanoparticles were measured. The measurements of the field dependence of dc magnetization in fields up to 7 Tesla were carried using a commercial SQUID magnetometer. From the field dependence of magnetization, it shows that there is ferromagnetic component in our Ag nanoparticles even though bulk Ag is nonmagnetic.
The future of the doctor-patient relationship in a world of managed care.

Today, the doctor-patient relationship is strictly linked with the larger context of the medical profession and the managed care revolution. This article focuses on three important questions: 1. In the U.S., how did we arrive at the current situation where the DPR is under sustained assault and is now being used increasingly as a mechanism of cost control? 2. What approaches will be used in the managed care setting to limit and control the decision-making freedom of patients and doctors within the doctor-patient relationship? 3. Will the doctor-patient relationship, as we know it, survive the managed care revolution?
Slavic prefixes inside and outside VP

Most Slavic prefixes can be assigned to one of two large cate- gories, lexical and superlexical. The lexical prefixes are like Germanic particles, in having resultative meanings, often spatial, but often id- iosyncratic. The superlexical prefixes are like adverbs or auxiliary verbs, having aspectual and quantificational meanings. I present a syntactic account of the two types of prefix, arguing that the lexical ones are to be analyzed essentially like the Germanic particles, and that their VP-internal position accounts for many of their properties, while the superlexical ones originate outside VP.
Distributed Time Pulse for FlockLab

This thesis presents a wireless synchronization protocol, which is able to disseminate a pulse signal through a network with an accuracy in the sub-μs range. The protocol is based on Glossy, a flooding architecture for wireless networks, which allows a packet to be transmitted through the whole network in a highly reliable and fast manner. Various techniques are used to enhance Glossy’s implicit synchronization process and compensate for non-deterministic timing behaviours. The final design distributes a pulse-per-second (PPS) of a single GPS device and is thereby able to synchronize the observers in the FlockLab network with an average synchronization error below 100 ns. A recently developed enhancement for FlockLab, the data acquisition unit (DAQ), improves the current limitations on event handling of the FlockLab services. Further, it features a timing module, which allows to apply accurate timestamps to events. The internal clock of the DAQ is synchronized to an external PPS. This thesis develops a hardware implementation of the DAQ, the FlockDAQ board, which is integrated into the current FlockLab setup. The board combines a Spartan-6 FPGA and an SRAM memory with a CC430 system-on-chip with integrated RF transceiver, which runs the synchronization protocol and provides the DAQ with an accurate PPS. The final design of the FlockDAQ in combination with the synchronization protocol is able to trace a highly accurate GPS PPS with an average synchronization error of 163 ns.
Childhood Trauma and Functional Connectivity between Amygdala and Medial Prefrontal Cortex: A Dynamic Functional Connectivity and Large-Scale Network Perspective

Altered functional connectivity (FC) between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and amygdala is widely implicated as a neural mechanism explaining risk for psychopathology among those exposed to early life trauma. Nonetheless, contemporary neuroimaging research has shifted toward large-scale network models of brain function, and it is not clear how this common bi-nodal finding fits into larger-scale network models. Here, using dynamic functional connectivity (DFC) approaches combined with large-scale network analyses, the larger role of bi-nodal FC between mPFC and amygdala among a sample of adolescent girls is investigated. The sample was comprised of 30 healthy control girls and 26 girls exposed to either physical or sexual assault who underwent a resting-state scan during 3T MRI. DFC using a sliding window approach was used to create weighted, undirected, graphs from the resting-state data following parcellation with a 215 regions-of-interest (ROI) atlas. Using a priori ROI, the predicted finding of lessor FC between mPFC and amygdala as a function of early life trauma was replicated in this sample. By contrast, early life trauma was associated with greater large-scale network modularity. Using a dynamic FC approach, it is also demonstrated that within-subject variability in this bi-nodal FC closely tracks within-subject fluctuations in large-scale network patterns, including connectivity between a limbic and default mode network (in which the amygdala and mPFC nodes belong, respectively) as well as overall modular organization. These results suggest that bi-nodal FC, such as amygdala-mPFC FC, may generally reflect larger-scale network patterns. Future research is necessary to understand whether these associations between nodal FC and large-scale network organization better reflect top-down processes (larger-scale network organization drives bi-nodal FC) or bottom-up processes (bi-nodal FC drives larger-scale network organization) and the related impact of early life trauma.
Antibabesial treatment protocols against canine babesiosis

Canine babesiosis is an important tick-borne disease caused by hemoprotozoan parasites of the genus Babesia, and the predominant species infecting dogs is Babesia gibsoni. The disease has been identified worldwide and is now recognized as a serious emergent disease in dogs. Although the incidence of canine babesiosis has been increasing, effective and crucial therapeutic modality is unavailable. The conventional antibabesial drugs including diminazene aceturate, pentamidine, and imidocarb dipropionate could not eliminate the parasites from infected dogs. Newer therapeutic modality for canine babesiosis using drugs such as clindamycin, atovaquone and multiple drug combinations has been suggested. Although these therapeutic modalities are beneficial and seem to partially provide a permanent cure, the treatments failures often occur. Thus, broad understanding of treatment protocols are required when implementing an appropriate treatment plan against canine babesiosis. The goal of this review is to provide veterinary practitioners with guidelines for successful treatment against canine babesiosis. It is expected that the review will answer the most frequently asked questions posed by veterinary practitioners.
Preparation and electrical properties of electrospun tin-doped indium oxide nanowires

Well-aligned tin-doped indium (ITO) nanowires have been prepared using the electrospinning process. The Sn doping mechanism and microstructure have been characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Devices for I–V measurement and field-effect transistors (FETs) were assembled using ITO nanowires with top contact configurations. The effect of Sn doping on the electrical conductivity was significant in that it enhanced the conductance by over 107 times, up to ∼1 S cm−1 for ITO nanowires with an Sn content of 17.5 at. %. The nanowire FETs were operated in the depletion mode with an electron mobility of up to 0.45 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an on/off ratio of 103.
Dexamethasone reduces morphine‐induced straub reaction in mice

This study examined the effect of dexamethasone on morphine‐induced straub reaction in mice. When morphine was administered in doses of 7.5, 15 and 30 mg kg−1 intraperitoneally, a dose‐dependent straub reaction was produced. Dexamethasone per‐se (0.1–10 mg kg−1 i.p.) did not modify the tail of control mice.
Using vehicle-to-grid to maximize the integration of intermittent renewable energy resources in islanded electric grids

This paper presents the results of a dynamic behaviour analysis study developed with the objective of quantifying the amount of wind power that can be safely integrated in an isolated electricity grid where Electric Vehicles (EVs) are present. The assessment was performed considering two distinct situations: a) when EVs are only in charging mode and b) when EVs participate in primary frequency control. The test system, a small island, contains, in addition to wind generation, a small amount of solar PV plants and four conventional diesel generators. Only wind power influence in system's frequency was assessed since, from a dynamic perspective, this is the renewable resource whose high intermittency level might be more harmful for the electric system operation. Sudden wind variations were simulated and, for both situations, a) and b), the amount of Intermittent Renewable Energy Sources was maximized, keeping always the grid frequency within the limits defined by the power quality standards.
Secondary neurodegeneration in remote regions after focal cerebral infarction: a new target for stroke management?

Cerebral infarction-induced cessation of function in areas of the brain remote from, but connected to, the primary site of damage was termed “diaschisis” by von Monakow.1 Initially, the concept of diaschisis did not include morphological changes. However, accumulating evidence has shown that histopathologic changes also occur in nonischemic remote brain regions that have synaptic connections with the primary lesion site. For example, after cerebral infarction in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory, neuronal death, gliosis, and axonal degeneration have been found in the ipsilateral thalamus, substantia nigra (SN), and distal pyramidal tract, all of which lie outside the MCA territory.2–7 This kind of secondary neurodegeneration occurs selectively in such areas several days or weeks after stroke onset, and this can be detected by neuroimaging techniques.8 For quite a long time, the role of secondary degeneration in stroke recovery has not been well understood. Recently, emerging studies suggest that secondary degeneration is associated with neurological deficits and can predict motor outcome after stroke.9–15 In this review, we aimed to summarize the pathological and neuroimaging evidence of secondary neurodegeneration in the ipsilateral thalamus, SN, and pyramidal tract after MCA infarction and described its potential significance for stroke management. We searched PubMed from 1980 to September 2011, using the terms “cerebral infarction,” “middle cerebral artery,” “Wallerian degeneration,” “anterograde degeneration,” “retrograde degeneration,” and “transneuronal degeneration. ” Further articles were identified from the references cited in those articles and through searches of our personal files. The final list of references was selected on the basis of originality and relevance to the topics covered in this review. ### Postmortem Studies Data from postmortem studies provide direct evidence of secondary neurodegeneration after focal cerebral infarction (Figure 1). Histopathologic examination at 4 months after MCA infarction revealed a delayed and selective decrease in the …
Reconstruction of Large-Scale Gene Regulatory Networks Using Bayesian Model Averaging

Gene regulatory networks can provide the systematic view of a complex living system. However, constructing large-scale gene regulatory networks is one of the challenging problems in Systems biology. Also a burst of various biological data demands a proper integration technique for reliable gene regulatory network construction. Here we propose a new reverse engineering approach based on Bayesian model averaging technique which ensembles all appropriate regression models. This Bayesian approach with a prior having Gibbs distribution provides a convenient way to integrate multiple sources of biological data. In the simulation study with maximum 2000 genes, our method shows better sensitivities than elastic-net and Gaussian graphical models with a fixed specificity 0.99 though the computation time is not as good as the others. Three large-scale networks consisting of 4257 genes are built using the gene expression data of non-tumor, grade III tumor, and grade IV tumor samples, respectively. We found that genes having a large variance of degree distribution among the three tumor networks are mostly involved in regulatory and immunology of biological processes, which can provide different information from that of a differentially expressed gene analysis.
EFFECT OF MODIFIED CARNOY'S SOLUTION ON INFERIOR ALVEOLAR NERVE: AN ANIMAL STUDY

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES : This is an in vivo study to evaluate the critical exposure time of modified carnoy's solution to rabbit's inferior alveolar nerve. The objective of the study is to find the critical exposure time for which an inferior alveolar nerve can be safely exposed without any damage to the nerve. The data is obtained based on histopathological findings.
The pathological status of exercise dependence

Objectives—This study was concerned with the concept of exercise dependence. Levels of psychological morbidity, personality profiles, and exercise beliefs were compared among subjects screened for exercise dependence and eating disorders. Method—Adult female exercisers were allocated on the basis of questionnaire screening to one of the following groups: primary exercise dependence (n = 43); secondary exercise dependence, where there was the coincidence of exercise dependence and an eating disorder (n = 27); eating disorder (n =14); control, where there was no evidence of either exercise dependence or eating disorder (n = 110). Questionnaire assessment was undertaken of psychological morbidity, self esteem, weight and body shape dissatisfaction, personality, and exercise beliefs. Results—Aside from a higher incidence of reported menstrual abnormalities, the primary exercise dependence group was largely indistinguishable from the controls. In stark contrast, the secondary exercise dependence group reported higher levels of psychological morbidity, neuroticism, dispositional addictiveness, and impulsiveness, lower self esteem, greater concern with body shape and weight, as well as with the social, psychological, and aesthetic costs of not exercising than the controls, but differed little from the eating disorder group. Conclusions—In the absence of an eating disorder, women identified as being exercise dependent do not exhibit the sorts of personality characteristics and levels of psychological distress that warrant the construction of primary exercise dependence as a widespread pathology.
Effect of Time on Risk of Perforation in Acute Appendicitis

Abstract Introduction: The aim of this study was to quantify the role of time between symptom onset and surgery on the changing risk of perforation, and to evaluate the possible factors leading to delay to the operation. Patients and methods: The files of 169 patients who underwent appendectomy in our clinic over a two-year period (May 2004-June 2006) were reviewed. The relative risk of perforation was calculated according to the “time-table” method. Time was divided into intervals, initially of 12 hours and, later on, of 24 hours. Results: 18 patients were found to have perforated appendicitis. The time from symptom-onset to first examination (“symptom onset to presentation” time, “SOP” time) was longer for patients with perforation than for those without (p = 0.047). On the other hand, the time from initial examination in the emergency department to the operating room (“ER to OR” time) was shorter for patients with perforation than for those without (p = 0.027). Overall time from symptom onset to operating room, showed no statistical difference between patients with rupture and those without. The risk of perforation was negligible within the first twelve hours of untreated symptoms, but then increased to 8% within the first twenty-four hours. It then decreased to approximately 1.3% to 2% during 36 to 48 hours, and subsequently rose again to approximately 6% (7.6% to 5.8%) for each ensuing 24-hour period. In multivariate analysis, neither the “SOP” nor the “ER to OR” time remained significant contributors to the probability of an individual to suffer from appendiceal perforation. Conclusion: When time matters and the risk of adverse outcomes can be reduced, we should change our current approach to care. Surgeons should be mindful of delaying surgery beyond 24 hours of symptom onset in patients with assumed appendicitis.
MAPK/ERK signal pathway involved expression of COX-2 and VEGF by IL-1β induced in human endometriosis stromal cells in vitro.

OBJECTIVE Now there are more and more evidences that Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) plays an important role in angiogenesis of endometriosis (EMs). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has a potent angiogenic activity. However, it is worth studying about the regulating mechanism of COX-2/COX-1 and VEGF in the development of human endometriosis in vitro. The current study was designed to investigate the effect of 4 cytokines on COX-2/COX-1 expression and the effect of IL-1β on VEGF release in human endometriosis stromal cells (ESC), and to explore the related signaling pathways involved in vitro. METHODS Isolation, culture and identification of ESC. Cells were treated with 4 cytokines, and the inhibitor mitogen-activated protein-Erk (MEK) and the inhibitor p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) prior to adding cytokine IL-1β. COX-2 protein expression was measured by western blot and VEGF secretion was determined by ELISA. RESULTS Among four kinds of cytokines, IL-1β treatment increased COX-2 protein expression and VEGF release in three ESC, and TNF-α had the same effect on COX-2 protein level as IL-1β only in ectopic and eutopic ESC, and MCSF had only slight effect on ectopic ESC. In contrast, cytokines had no effect on COX-1 expression. We also demonstrated that MAPK reduced the synthesis of COX-2 by IL-1β induced. COX-2 inhibitor reduced VEGF release by IL-1β induced. CONCLUSIONS i) In human ESC in vitro, IL-1β up-regulated the COX-2 expression through the activation of p38 MAPK pathway, and not to COX-1. ii) Up-regulation of VEGF level by IL-1β treatment was found in human endometriosis stromal cell and COX-2 inhibitor was involved in this process.