Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The fate of H3-norepinephrine in animals.

The fate of H3-norepinephrine has been investigated after intravenous injection into animals. In cats, it distributes unequally in the various tissues examined; it is selectively taken up and retained by heart, spleen and adrenal gland. After H3-norepinephrine administration H3-normetanephrine is found in all tissues analyzed, but the individual concentrations vary considerably; it is retained by tissues to a lesser extent than H3-norepinephrine, except in skeletal muscle where more H3-normetanephrine is found after 2 hours than after 2 minutes. In the whole mouse H3-norepinephrine disappears rapidly at first, but then relatively slowly. H3-normetanephrine accounts for most of the H3-norepinephrine that disappears early in these experiments. The importance of binding as a mechanism for the inactivation of circulating catecholamines is emphasized, and it is shown to be quantitatively more important for norepinephrine than for epinephrine. Differences in the degree of binding explain why H3-norepinephrine disappears more slowly than H3-epinephrine from blood and from tissues.
Analysis of Acyl Fluxes through Multiple Pathways of Triacylglycerol Synthesis in Developing Soybean Embryos1[W][OA]

The reactions leading to triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis in oilseeds have been well characterized. However, quantitative analyses of acyl group and glycerol backbone fluxes that comprise extraplastidic phospholipid and TAG synthesis, including acyl editing and phosphatidylcholine-diacylglycerol interconversion, are lacking. To investigate these fluxes, we rapidly labeled developing soybean (Glycine max) embryos with [14C]acetate and [14C]glycerol. Cultured intact embryos that mimic in planta growth were used. The initial kinetics of newly synthesized acyl chain and glycerol backbone incorporation into phosphatidylcholine (PC), 1,2-sn-diacylglycerol (DAG), and TAG were analyzed along with their initial labeled molecular species and positional distributions. Almost 60% of the newly synthesized fatty acids first enter glycerolipids through PC acyl editing, largely at the sn-2 position. This flux, mostly of oleate, was over three times the flux of nascent [14C]fatty acids incorporated into the sn-1 and sn-2 positions of DAG through glycerol-3-phosphate acylation. Furthermore, the total flux for PC acyl editing, which includes both nascent and preexisting fatty acids, was estimated to be 1.5 to 5 times the flux of fatty acid synthesis. Thus, recycled acyl groups (16:0, 18:1, 18:2, and 18:3) in the acyl-coenzyme A pool provide most of the acyl chains for de novo glycerol-3-phosphate acylation. Our results also show kinetically distinct DAG pools. DAG used for TAG synthesis is mostly derived from PC, whereas de novo synthesized DAG is mostly used for PC synthesis. In addition, two kinetically distinct sn-3 acylations of DAG were observed, providing TAG molecular species enriched in saturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Understanding social media users via attributes and links

With the rise of social media, hundreds of millions of people spend countless hours all over the globe on social media to connect, interact, share, and create user-generated data. This rich environment provides tremendous opportunities for many different players to easily and effectively reach out to people, interact with them, influence them, or get their opinions. There are two pieces of information that attract most attention on social media sites, including user preferences and interactions. Businesses and organizations use this information to better understand and therefore provide customized services to social media users. This data can be used for different purposes such as, targeted advertisement, product recommendation, or even opinion mining. Social media sites use this information to better serve their users. Despite the importance of personal information, in many cases people do not reveal this information to the public. Predicting the hidden or missing information is a common response to this challenge. In this thesis, we address the problem of predicting user attributes and future or missing links using an egocentric approach. The current research proposes novel concepts and approaches to better understand social media users in twofold including, a) their attributes, preferences, and interest, and b) their future or missing connections and interactions. More specifically, the contributions of this dissertation are (1) proposing a framework to study social media users through their attributes and link information, (2) proposing a scalable algorithm to predict user preferences; and (3) proposing a novel approach to predict attributes and links with limited information. The proposed algorithms use an egocentric approach to improve the state of the art algorithms in two directions including improving the prediction accuracy, and increasing the scalability of the algorithms.
Cessation of exercise in the institutionalized elderly: effects on physical function.

PURPOSE The objectives of this study were (1) to examine the effects of a 12-week exercise cessation period separating two 12-week exercise sessions on physical variables in an elderly institutionalized population and (2) to explore overall programme effectiveness. METHODS The functional mobility of 25 elderly institutionalized adults participating in an existing exercise programme was examined using a one-group, interrupted time-series design. Functional mobility was evaluated at four time points during two cycles of a 12-week exercise programme, alternating with a 12-week period of no formal exercise. RESULTS The primary outcome was the change in functional mobility scores, assessed at baseline, 12, 24 and 36 weeks. In both the higher-functioning (HF) group and the lower-functioning (LF) group, the cessation of exercise was associated with deterioration in physical function. The overall non-continuous nature of the programming under study also seemed to be detrimental to the physical function of the LF group. CONCLUSIONS Findings of this small-sample study support the need to modify common practices in exercise programming for older, institutionalized people.
A novel algorithm for precise voltage flicker calculation by using instantaneous voltage vector

A novel approach has been presented in this paper to calculate voltage flicker components precisely by using instantaneous voltage vectors. After the voltage waveform of a phase is recorded, the smart discrete Fourier transform can be used to obtain the system frequency and magnitude. Then, the other two phases are assumed perfectly sinusoidal to construct a virtual three-phase system. The instantaneous voltage vectors are calculated from the virtual three-phase voltages. Finally, the fast Fourier transform is used to obtain the voltage flicker components from instantaneous voltage vectors. The flicker components of the other two phases can be calculated by repeating the procedure. The flicker values of three phases are calculated individually and separately. The effects of jump-sampling, harmonics, power frequency shifting, and sampling rates are investigated. The calculation ability of this approach is compared with the traditional indirect demodulation method. Some given waveforms and field measured waveforms of arc furnace loads with voltage flicker disturbances are used to show the goodness of this approach. From the results, this approach could calculate flicker components accurately with short calculation time by using small size data. It also avoids the frequency leakage effect.
Complete Genome Sequence of the Methanogenic Archaeon, Methanococcus jannaschii

The complete 1.66-megabase pair genome sequence of an autotrophic archaeon, Methanococcus jannaschii, and its 58- and 16-kilobase pair extrachromosomal elements have been determined by whole-genome random sequencing. A total of 1738 predicted protein-coding genes were identified; however, only a minority of these (38 percent) could be assigned a putative cellular role with high confidence. Although the majority of genes related to energy production, cell division, and metabolism in M. jannaschii are most similar to those found in Bacteria, most of the genes involved in transcription, translation, and replication in M. jannaschii are more similar to those found in Eukaryotes. The Methanococcus jannaschii Genome Database
Histological Types of Gastric Cancer and Helicobacter pylori Infection in Yaoundé

Introduction: The diffuse type of gastric adenocarcinoma has been found to be more prevalent in low risk countries like Cameroon. The objective of this study was to determine the most frequent histological type of gastric cancer found in Yaounde and its association to the Helicobacter pylori infection. Materials and Methods: The registries of histopathology laboratories of 4 reference hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon have been reviewed for registered primitive gastric malignancies from July 2009 to May 2014. Paraffin blocks mounted on slides and stained with Hematoxylyn and Eosin of gastric cancer cases were re-stained Giemsa to search for Helicobacter pylori and they were classified using the criteria of Lauren in intestinal type or diffuse type. Results: Forty-two cases were reviewed: 25 (59.5%) of them were intestinal type of gastric adenocarcinoma, 11 (26.2%) were diffuse type, 4 (9.5%) were malignant gastric lymphoma, 1 (2.4%) was a stromal tumor, and 1 (2.4%) was a colloid carcinoma. The most common site of location was the proximal gastric portion (52.2%). The overall prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection was 88.1%, most common with the intestinal type (100%) and malignant lymphoma (100%) than with the diffuse type (72.2%) (p = 0.007). Conclusion: The most common type of gastric adenocarcinoma in Cameroon is the intestinal type and Helicobacter pylori infection is more common in the intestinal type and malignant gastric lymphoma than in the diffuse type. The Helicobacter pylori eradication campaigns are needed.
Typing of Polymorphic Human Genes by Picosecond-Resolved Förster Energy Transfer

By analyzing, on a picoseconds time scale, the fluorescence decay of a donor undergoing Förster resonance energy transfer in a suitable donor-acceptor system we can reveal DNA sequences that are specific of genetically correlated diseases. Since we use picosecond excitation from a continuous-wave mode-locked laser and time-correlated single-photon detection, we achieve such a high acquisition rate, sensitivity, and temporal resolution that we can perform the measurements on the human genomic DNA contained in cells that were simply lysed. We show that, in few minutes, we identify an individual, even heterozygote, carrying the sequences of the DQB1 gene that confers susceptibility to the development of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with no need of DNA extraction, purification, PCR amplification.
Epithelial malignant pleural mesothelioma after extrapleural pneumonectomy: stratification of survival with CT-derived tumor volume.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of CT-derived tumor volume, with control for other prognostic factors, for stratifying survival after surgery-based multimodality treatment of a large cohort of patients with epithelial malignant pleural mesothelioma. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 338 patients with mesothelioma who underwent extrapleural pneumonectomy between 2001 and 2007. The study cohort comprised 88 patients with epithelial subtype tumors, DICOM-format CT scans, and data regarding neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy. Tumor volume was calculated, and Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were performed to compare the estimated survival functions of patient subgroups based on volume and other covariates related to outcome (sex, age, preoperative platelet count, hemoglobin concentration, WBC count, clinical and pathologic TNM category, and administration of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy). A multivariate regression model was derived on the basis of the most significant univariate predictors. RESULTS The median estimated tumor volume was 319 cm(3) (range, 4-3256 cm(3)). In univariate analysis, tumor volume, hemoglobin concentration, platelet count, pathologic TNM category, and administration of adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy met the criteria for inclusion in the reverse stepwise regression analysis. In the final model, tumor volume, hemoglobin concentration, and administration of adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy were identified as independently associated with overall survival. CONCLUSION With control of prognostic covariates, CT-derived tumor volume can be used to stratify survival of patients with epithelial mesothelioma after extrapleural pneumonectomy and should be included in prognostic evaluation of patients for whom resection is being considered.
HIV risk-related sex behaviors among injection drug users, crack smokers, and injection drug users who smoke crack.

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to assess and compare sex risk behaviors for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission of three drug user groups: injectors who do not smoke crack, crack smokers who do not inject, and injectors who also smoke crack. METHODS Sexual risk behaviors for HIV were assessed among 246 drug users from Denver, Miami, and San Francisco. Respondents were classified into the three drug groups based on self-report and verified through urinalysis and physical inspection. RESULTS An increased risk for HIV through sexual transmission was associated with crack cocaine use, particularly among those who also injected. Crack smoking injectors were more likely to report sex with an injector, exchanging sex for drugs and/or money, drug use before or during sex, and unprotected sexual intercourse. They also injected more than injectors only, smoked crack as often as smokers only, and reported higher overall frequencies of drug use. CONCLUSIONS These findings, together with the higher rates of gonorrhea and syphilis reported by smokers and injectors/smokers, are indicators of the risk crack poses for the heterosexual transmission of HIV.
Left-Handers' Sensitivity to Hand Usage: Theoretical Note on Saliency in the Self-Concept

Etaugh and Brausam (1978) reported that left-handers were more sensitive than right-handers to hand usage by figures in a picture. Their interpretation emphasizes particular social experiences of left-handers. We propose a theoretically broader explanation—that there are general tendencies to characterize the self in terms of characteristics that are distinctive relative to others and to note in others those qualities salient in the self-concept.
Impact of Stroke Syndrome and Stroke Severity on the Process of Consent in the Third International Stroke Trial

Background: Obtaining informed consent for a patient’s participation in a randomized trial of treatment for use in a medical emergency may be achieved in a variety of ways. We sought to assess the process of consent and to evaluate the influence of the patient’s neurological deficit on the method used to obtain consent in the first 300 patients recruited into the Third International Stroke Trial (IST-3). Methods: IST-3 is the first large-scale randomized controlled trial of intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke. The clinician could use one of four procedures to recruit the patient: written consent, witnessed consent, assent, or a waiver of consent. The patient’s neurological deficits were recorded at baseline. We analysed the relationship between the neurological deficits at baseline and the consent procedure. Results: The method of consent used was written consent in 71 subjects (24%), witnessed verbal consent in 30 subjects (10%), assent by a relative in 197 subjects (66%), and waiver of consent in 2 subjects (1%). Patients with severe neurological deficits (as measured either by their stroke syndrome or their lower predicted probability of being alive and independent at 6 months) were more likely to be recruited by assent. Patients able to give written consent had less severe strokes. Conclusions: Patients with non-lacunar hemispheric stroke syndromes or with a more severe neurological deficit were less likely to give written consent. Excluding such patients from acute stroke treatment trials would eliminate many otherwise eligible subjects, who have a poor predicted outcome without treatment and yet might benefit from acute treatments such as thrombolysis. Flexible consent procedures developed for IST-3 have made it feasible to recruit the target population.
MicroRNA-146a expression and its intervention in NF-кB signaling pathway in diabetic rat aorta.

OBJECTIVE The present study was designed to evaluate whether microRNA-146a, as an NF-кB regulating factor and its adapter proteins (TRAF6 and IRAK1), are affected by diabetes in rat aorta. METHODS Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control and diabetic groups (n=6 in each). Diabetes was induced by a single injection of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg; i.p.) in 12 h fasted rats. The gene expression of microRNA-146a, NF-κB, IRAK1, and TRAF6 were determined by real time PCR. RESULTS The expression of microRNA-146a was down-regulated in diabetic aorta when compared with the control group (p<0.05). The mRNA expression levels of NF-кB, TRAF6 and IRAK1 also increased in the diabetic rat aorta when compared with their control counterparts (p<0.01 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION These results suggest that down-regulation of microRNA-146a may lead to derangement in NF-кB negative feedback loop, propelling the aorta toward inflammation.
Role of ecNOS-derived NO in mediating TNF-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction.

We tested the hypothesis that endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) mediates the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced increase in nitric oxide (NO) and albumin permeability in pulmonary microvessel endothelial monolayers (PEM). PEM lysates were analyzed for ecNOS mRNA (RT-PCR), ecNOS protein (Western immunoblot), NO levels (NO, the oxidation product of NO), and barrier function (albumin clearance rate). PEM were incubated with TNF (50 ng/ml) for 0.5, 2, 4, and 24 h. TNF induced a decrease in ecNOS mRNA at 2, 4, and 24 h. TNF induced an acute (0.5 h) increase followed by a protracted decrease (4-24 h) in ecNOS protein levels. The other NOS isotypes, inducible and brain NOS, could not be detected in the PEM using RT-PCR and Western blot assay. ecNOS antisense oligonucleotide decreased ecNOS protein, which prevented the increase in NO and albumin permeability at TNF-4 h. Spermine-NONOATE, the NO agonist, ablated the protective effect of ecNOS antisense oligonucleotide on albumin permeability in response to TNF-4 h. However, ecNOS antisense oligonucleotide had no effect on the TNF-induced increase in albumin permeability at 24 h despite prevention of the increase in NO. The data indicate that the isotype ecNOS mediates generation of NO and the acute (i.e., 4 h) barrier dysfunction; however, the prolonged (i.e., 24 h) increase in the TNF-induced increase in endothelial permeability is independent of NO.
Cancer-drug discovery--let's get ready for the next period.

The use of drugs to treat cancer began about 70 years ago. After World War II, Louis Goodman and Alfred Gilman and their colleagues at Yale University noted that people who had been exposed to mustard gas often had bone marrow suppression. They identified the active chemical moiety in the gas, gave it to patients, and saw responses in patients with hematologic cancers.1 Thus, alkylating agents were developed and became key components of treatments for many forms of cancer. Not all useful drugs emerged as a product of accurate hypotheses. Sidney Farber mistakenly thought that leukemic cells looked megaloblastic, and .
Pituitary ACTH and Plasma Free Corticosteroids Following Bilateral Adrenalectomy in the Rat.∗ †

Summary Pituitary ACTH and plasma free corticosteroids were concurrently determined following bilateral adrenalectomy in the rat. Free corticosteroids disappeared from the plasma within 4 hours. Pituitary ACTH rose to 150% of the control level within the first 30 minutes, fell to 40% after 4 hours, to 30% after 12, stabilized at this level for the next 12 hours, rose from then on to supernormal levels, up to a crest of 575% on the 32nd day, and regressed, thereafter, to lower, though still markedly elevated, values. From a correlation of these findings with available data on blood ACTH levels under comparable conditions, it is inferred that, following a transient burst of synthesis reflected by the initial peak, a predominant, though gradually receding, acceleration of the rate of release accounts for the pituitary ACTH depletion, a greater and sustained acceleration of synthesis, for its subsequent rise. It is further suggested that the ACTH-releasing effect of stress is markedly influenced by the level of circulating adrenal cortical hormones, and that withdrawal of these hormones enhances both release and synthesis of ACTH, but has a predominant effect on the latter.
Qualitative Research Method - Phenomenology

The researcher in this paper sought to identify the basic components that are integral part of any researchmethods while conducting a qualitative research. The researcher developed a qualitative research methodschapter while conducting research on a phenomenon of abusive supervision. This paper will help the researchstudents to analyse a phenomenon such as abusive supervision in context of its ontology, epistemology,theoretical perspective, methodology and methods. Furthermore, target population, sampling technique, datacollection methods and the role of a researcher in this whole research process, and another essential part of aqualitative research, ethics which play a crucial role while conducting and gathering a qualitative data, have alsobeen discussed in detail.
Etoricoxib reduced pain and disability and improved quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain: a 3 month, randomized, controlled trial

Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a growing health problem. Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to treat this condition, but have not demonstrated efficacy beyond 2 weeks, and no studies have shown that NSAIDs produce durable improvements in disability. Methods: To evaluate the efficacy and durability of effect of etoricoxib for chronic LBP, a randomized, double blind, placebo‐controlled trial was conducted at 46 centres. Three hundred and twenty‐five patients with chronic LBP requiring treatment with an NSAID or paracetamol were randomized 1:1:1 to etoricoxib 60 mg (n=109), 90 mg (n=106), or placebo (n=110), daily for 3 months. Pre‐specified endpoints over 3 months included LBP intensity scale (visual analog scale 0–100 mm) time‐weighted average change from baseline, the Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), the LBP bothersomeness scale, patient and investigator global assessments, and measures of quality of life. Results: Both etoricoxib groups experienced significant reductions in LBP intensity at 4 weeks versus placebo [−15.15 mm and −13.03 mm for 60 and 90 mg, respectively, probability (p)<0.001 for each], which was maintained over 3 months. Treatment resulted in significant improvement from baseline compared to placebo in RMDQ scores (etoricoxib 60 mg, −2.82 and 90 mg, −2.38, p<0.001 for each) over 12 weeks and most other efficacy endpoints. There were no significant differences between treatments in incidence of adverse events (AEs) or discontinuations due to AEs. Conclusion: Etoricoxib provided significant relief of symptoms and disability associated with chronic LBP detected at 1 week, confirmed at 4 weeks, and maintained over 3 months. Reductions in chronic LBP severity corresponded to improvements in physical functioning and quality of life. All treatments were generally well tolerated.