Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients Treated With Ticagrelor or Clopidogrel

Inflammation is a key factor in the development of atherosclerotic disease and acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The P2Y12 receptor antagonists ticagrelor (AZD6140) and clopidogrel may have anti‐inflammatory effects. The objective of this analysis from the Dose Confirmation Study Assessing Anti‐Platelet Effects of AZD6140 vs Clopidogrel in NSTEMI 2 (DISPERSE 2) trial was to compare ticagrelor and clopidogrel for effects on the inflammatory biomarkers C‐reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL‐6), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L).
Hypertension and blood pressure among meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans in EPIC–Oxford

Abstract Objective: To compare the prevalence of self-reported hypertension and mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures in four diet groups (meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans) and to investigate dietary and other lifestyle factors that might account for any differences observed between the groups. Design: Analysis of cross-sectional data from participants in the Oxford cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC–Oxford). Setting: United Kingdom. Subjects: Eleven thousand and four British men and women aged 20–78 years at blood pressure measurement. Results: The age-adjusted prevalence of self-reported hypertension was significantly different between the four diet groups, ranging from 15.0% in male meat eaters to 5.8% in male vegans, and from 12.1% in female meat eaters to 7.7% in female vegans, with fish eaters and vegetarians having similar and intermediate prevalences. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly different between the four diet groups, with meat eaters having the highest values and vegans the lowest values. The differences in age-adjusted mean blood pressure between meat eaters and vegans among participants with no self-reported hypertension were 4.2 and 2.6 mmHg systolic and 2.8 and 1.7 mmHg diastolic for men and women, respectively. Much of the variation was attributable to differences in body mass index between the diet groups. Conclusions: Non-meat eaters, especially vegans, have a lower prevalence of hypertension and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures than meat eaters, largely because of differences in body mass index.
Past occupational exposure to asbestos among men in France.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed at reconstructing changes in the frequency and levels of occupational asbestos exposure in France over the past century. METHODS Work histories were collected during 11 population-based case-referent studies recently carried out in France, and an asbestos-specific job-exposure matrix including 10 625 jobs was used to estimate indices of past occupational asbestos exposure. The results were estimated from a sample of 4287 subjects, bootstrapped 200 times. RESULTS The distribution of socioeconomic categories within the sample was compared with that of the general population in 1954, 1962, 1968, 1975, and 1982. The proportion of blue-collar workers was similar. The highest proportion of exposed subjects was found between 1950 and 1980. Around 10% of each 10-year age class was exposed to asbestos. For those born in 1930-1939, 15.2% was exposed between the ages of 20 and 29 years. For each age class born in 190-1939, the proportion exposed at least once by 60 years of age ranged from 18.2% to 24.5 % and, of those exposed, the cumulative duration of exposure ranged from 11.3 to 15.4 years by the age of 60 years. A population exposure index showed that the heaviest exposure occurred between 1960 and 1970 and that the age classes born between 1920 and 1929 were the most heavily exposed. Time trends showed that the mean value of this index for the men aged 20-59 years reached a peak in the 1960s and then decreased. CONCLUSIONS This study presents data of reasonable validity about occupational asbestos exposure in France and its trends over the past century; the data are being used to forecast the development of male mortality from mesothelioma in France.
Invited review: Priming, induction and modulation of plant defence responses by bacterial lipopolysaccharides

Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) have multiple roles in plant—microbe interactions. LPS contributes to the low permeability of the outer membrane, which acts as a barrier to protect bacteria from plant-derived antimicrobial substances. Conversely, perception of LPS by plant cells can lead to the triggering of defence responses or to the priming of the plant to respond more rapidly and/or to a greater degree to subsequent pathogen challenge. LPS from symbiotic bacteria can have quite different effects on plants to those of pathogens. Some details are emerging of the structures within LPS that are responsible for induction of these different plant responses. The lipid A moiety is not solely responsible for all of the effects of LPS in plants; core oligosaccharide and O-antigen components can elicit specific responses. Here, we review the effects of LPS in induction of defence-related responses in plants, the structures within LPS responsible for eliciting these effects and discuss the possible nature of the (as yet unidentified) LPS receptors in plants.
A deficit of brain dystrophin 71 impairs hypothalamic osmostat

Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and mdx mice, devoid of dystrophin proteins, show altered ionic homeostasis. To clarify dystrophin's involvement in the central control of osmotic stimuli, we investigated the effect of the disruption of Dp71, the major form of dystrophin in the brain, on the hypothalamoneurohypophysis system (HNHS) osmoregulatory response. Dp71 and Dp140 are the principal DMD gene products in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and neurohypophysis (NH). They are present in astrocyte and pituicyte end‐feet, suggesting involvement in both intrinsic osmosensitivity of the SON and vasopressin (AVP) release from the NH. In Dp71‐null mice, the cellular distribution of Dp140 was modified, this protein being detected on the membrane of magnocellular soma. The plasma osmolality of Dp71‐null mice was lower than that of wild‐type mice under normal conditions, and this difference was maintained after salt loading, indicating a change in the set point for osmoregulation in the absence of Dp71. The increase in AVP levels detected in the SON and NH of the wild‐type was not observed in Dp71‐null mice following salt loading, and the increase in AVP mRNA levels in the SON was smaller in Dp71‐null than in wild‐type mice. This suggests that Dp71 may be involved in the functional activity of the HNHS. Its astrocyte end‐feet localization emphasizes the importance of neuronal–vascular–glial interactions for the central detection of osmolality. In the SON, Dp71 may be involved in osmosensitivity and definition of the “osmostat,” whereas, in the neurohypopohysis, it may be involved in fine‐tuning AVP release. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ultrastructure of cultured adult myocardial cells during anoxia and reoxygenation.

Cultured heart cells from adult rats were exposed to anoxia in a substrate-free Tyrode's solution at constant pH. In this system the metabolic and the morphologic pattern can be investigated simultaneously. Anoxic changes develop gradually above 2 mumol adenosine triphosphate (ATP)/ gww . Morphometry reveals that the morphologic changes are closely related to the energetic state: creatine phosphate (CP) decay is accompanied by the loss of small mitochondrial matrix granules (r = 0.97). The fall of ATP is coincident with sarcomere shortening (r = 0.95) and, below 4 mumol/ gww , with mitochondrial swelling (r = -0.88). The number of lipid droplets correlates with the ATP level during anoxia and reoxygenation (r = -0.92). The early energetic depletion is accompanied by a moderate release of cytosolic enzymes and morphologic changes: the appearance of sarcolemmal microblebs and an increase in subsarcolemmal vesicles. Below an average ATP level of 2 mumol/ gww an increasing number of individual cells fail to recover when reoxygenated . However, that failure is accompanied neither by massive enzyme release nor by ultrastructural damage regarded as typical for the "oxygen paradox. "
Microbiology of Methanogenesis in Thermal, Volcanic Environments

Microbial methanogenesis was examined in thermal waters, muds, and decomposing algal-bacterial mats associated with volcanic activity in Yellowstone National Park. Radioactive tracer studies with [14C]glucose, acetate, or carbonate and enrichment culture techniques demonstrated that methanogenesis occurred at temperatures near 70°C but below 80°C and correlated with hydrogen production from either geothermal processes or microbial fermentation. Three Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum strains (YT1, YTA, and YTC) isolated from diverse volcanic habitats differed from the neotype sewage strain ΔH in deoxyribonucleic acid guanosine-plus-cytosine content and immunological properties. Microbial methanogenesis was characterized in more detail at a 65°C site in the Octopus Spring algal-bacterial mat ecosystem. Here methanogenesis was active, was associated with anaerobic microbial decomposition of biomass, occurred concomitantly with detectable microbial hydrogen formation, and displayed a temperature activity optimum near 65°C. Enumeration studies estimated more than 109 chemoorganotrophic hydrolytic bacteria and 106 chemolithotrophic methanogenic bacteria per g (dry weight) of algal-bacterial mat. Enumeration, enrichment, and isolation studies revealed that the microbial population was predominantly rod shaped and asporogenous. A prevalent chemoorganotrophic organism in the mat that was isolated from an end dilution tube was a taxonomically undescribed gram-negative obligate anaerobe (strain HTB2), whereas a prevalent chemolithotrophic methanogen isolated from an end dilution tube was identified as M. thermoautotrophicum (strain YTB). Taxonomically recognizable obligate anaerobes that were isolated from glucose and xylose enrichment cultures included Thermoanaerobium brockii strain HTB and Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum strain 39E. The nutritional properties, growth temperature optima, growth rates, and fermentation products of thermophilic bacterial strains 39E, HTB2, and YTB were determined.
Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis of eight novel estrogen-regulated genes in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Biological markers capable of predicting the risk of recurrence and the response to treatment in breast cancer are eagerly awaited. Estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PgR) in tumor cells mark cancers that are more likely to respond to endocrine treatment, but up to 40% of such patients do not respond. Here, the expression of a group of estrogen-regulated genes, previously identified by microarray analysis of in vitro models, was measured in breast tumors and possible associations with other clinicopathological variables were investigated. METHODS The expression of CD24, CD44, HAT-1, BAK-1, G1P3, TIEG, NRP-1 and RXRalpha was measured by quantitative real-time RT-PCR on RNA from eighteen primary breast tumors. Statistical analyses were used to identify correlations among the eight genes and the available clinicopathological data. RESULTS Variable expression levels of all the genes were observed in all the samples examined. Significant associations of CD24 with tumor size, CD44 with lymph node invasion, and HAT-1 and BAK-1 with ER positivity were found. The possible combinatorial value of these genes was assessed. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis demonstrated that the expression profile of these genes was able to predict ER status with an acceptable approximation. CONCLUSIONS Eight novel potential markers for breast cancer have been preliminarily characterized. As expected from in vitro data, their expression is able to discriminate ER- versus ER+ tumors.
Phf14, a Novel Regulator of Mesenchyme Growth via Platelet-derived Growth Factor (PDGF) Receptor-α*

Background: Phf14 is identified as a novel gene that regulates proliferation of mesenchymal cells. Results: Phf14-null mice show interstitial pulmonary hyperplasia and mesenchymal fibroblasts exhibit increased proliferation rates accompanied by enhanced expression of PDGFRα. Conclusion: Phf14 acts as a negative regulator of PDGFRα expression in mesenchymal cells. Significance: Phf14 has potential as a target for the treatment of lung fibrosis. The regulation of mesenchymal cell growth by signaling molecules plays an important role in maintaining tissue functions. Aberrant mesenchymal cell proliferation caused by disruption of this regulatory process leads to pathogenetic events such as fibrosis. In the current study we have identified a novel nuclear factor, Phf14, which controls the proliferation of mesenchymal cells by regulating PDGFRα expression. Phf14-null mice died just after birth due to respiratory failure. Histological analyses of the lungs of these mice showed interstitial hyperplasia with an increased number of PDGFRα+ mesenchymal cells. PDGFRα expression was elevated in Phf14-null mesenchymal fibroblasts, resulting in increased proliferation. We demonstrated that Phf14 acts as a transcription factor that directly represses PDGFRα expression. Based on these results, we used an antibody against PDGFRα to successfully treat mouse lung fibrosis. This study shows that Phf14 acts as a negative regulator of PDGFRα expression in mesenchymal cells undergoing normal and abnormal proliferation, and is a potential target for new treatments of lung fibrosis.
Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein: induction of B-cell activation antigens and membrane patch formation does not require vimentin

The latent membrane protein (LMP) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) forms patches associated with the vimentin intermediate filament system in EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines, EBV-infected Burkitt's lymphoma cells, and LMP-transfected, EBV-negative Burkitt's lymphoma cells. By gene transfer, LMP induces the expression of vimentin and B-cell activation antigens in EBV-negative Burkitt's lymphoma cells. We have now expressed LMP in an EBV-positive Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, Daudi, which does not express any LMP or vimentin. In these Daudi transfectants, LMP still formed plasma membrane patches in the absence of vimentin. LMP did not resist nonionic detergent extraction in Daudi cells as it does in vimentin-expressing cells. LMP still retained functional activity as judged by induction of B-cell activation antigens. These data indicate that LMP can form plasma membrane patches and induce B-lymphocyte activation independent of vimentin association.
Reliability of an In-Shoe Pressure Measurement System During Treadmill Walking

We examined the reliability of in-shoe foot pressure measurement using the Pedar in-shoe pressure measurement system for 25 participants walking at treadmill speeds of 0.89, 1.12, and 1.34 meters/sec. The measurement system uses EMED insoles, which consist of 99 capacitive sensors, sampled at 50 Hz. Data were collected for 20 seconds at two separate times while participants walked at each gait speed. Differences in some of the loading variables across speed relative to the total foot and across the different anatomical regions were detected. Different anatomical regions of the foot were loaded differently with variations in walking speed. The results indicated the need to control speed when evaluating loading parameters using in-shoe pressure measurement techniques. Coefficients of reliability were calculated. Variables such as peak force for the total foot required two steps to achieve a coefficient of reliability of 0.98. To achieve excellent reliability (>0.90) in the peak force, force time integral, peak pressure, and pressure time integral across the total foot and the seven regions, a maximum of eight steps was needed. In general, timing variables, such as the instant of peak force and the instant of peak pressure, tended to be the least reliable measures.
Flexible Silicon Microneedles Array for Micro Fluid Transfer

This paper reports on a new method of using silicon micro needle in bio-medical application. The hollow micro needle array have been designed and fabricated from single crystal silicon for transdermal delivery. The machined micro needles are shank height of 150mum with 250mum center-to-center spacing. The needle size, density and shape are controlled by independent processing steps. Packaging technology incorporates a micro needles array affixed to a polymeric adhesive base. The maximal adhesive patch size is 2 cm2. Flow rate test is proved that the polymeric base construction is important to function of micro needles array. Glucose solution tests show that surface tension is the dominant force to affect the characters of flow in micro needles channel
Single Current Feedback Control for LCL Grid-connected Inverter Based on Tracking Differentiator

LCL filter is widely used in grid-connected inverter system. Compared with $L$ filter, it has good attenuation effect on high harmonics. However, LCL filter is a third-order system with low damping, and is very easy to resonate. Active damping is an effective measure to solve the resonance problem of LCL filter. The traditional grid-connected current feedback active damping is difficult to extract differential signals, poor dynamic performance and poor noise suppression. Therefore, single current feedback control strategy for LCL grid-connected inverter based on tracking differentiator is proposed in this paper. The third-order tracking differentiator (TD) is designed to extract the second-order differential signal of the grid-connected current as the feedback control of active damping in order to suppress the resonance and the noise. As a result, performance of the dynamic response when the grid-connected current is suddenly changed and the noise suppression are improved. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Comparison of creatinine-based estimations of glomerular filtration rate in endurance athletes at rest

Abstract Background: Several creatinine-based estimates of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) have been advocated as reliable alternatives to the urinary clearance of exogenous filtration markers. The Cockcroft-Gault (C-G) equation requires a body weight parameter, which was not included in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study and the Mayo Clinic Quadratic Equation (MCQE) formulas. However, there is little information on the lifestyle influences on these equations, especially the intensity and the type of physical activity. Methods: We evaluated the differences in the GFR, as estimated by the MDRD, MCQE and C-G equations, in 60 professional male cyclists at rest and 60 healthy sedentary matched controls. Results: Professional cyclists had significantly lower body weight, body mass index and serum creatinine concentration than healthy sedentary individuals. We also observed a significantly higher MDRD-estimated GFR in athletes than in controls (119 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 104 mL/min/1.73 m2, p<0.001), whereas the GFR values estimated by both the MCQE (137 vs. 135, p=0.128) and C-G (127 vs. 127, p=0.490) formulas did not differ significantly. As compared to the MDRD values, the mean GFR calculated by the MCQE and C-G formulas was overestimated by 29% and 23% in the sedentary population, and by 17% and 7% in athletes, respectively. A lower bias was observed when comparing C-G with MCQE-estimated values in both the sedentary [mean: –5%, 95% confidence interval (CI): –32% to 22%] and athlete (mean: –6%, 95% CI: –41% to 29%) populations. The correlation among the different equations in healthy sedentary individuals was always significant, whereas the only significant association in the athletes was that between MCQE and C-G values. Conclusions: The results of this study attest that the three most widely used creatinine-based formulas produce significant variations in the estimated GFR in a population of endurance athletes at rest. Probably, the use of C-G or MCQE formulas might be more suitable in this context, as they globally appear more robust against variations of the training regimen. Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:235–9.
Effectiveness of two interactive educational methods to teach tobacco cessation counseling for senior dental students

ABSTRACT Objective: Nowadays, one of the major health problems in many countries is tobacco use. Dental professionals are in a unique position to promote smoking cessation since they have the opportunity for regular interaction with their patients. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of two educational methods to teach tobacco cessation counseling (TCC) in dental practice for senior dental students. Materials and Methods: In this interventional study, 93 eligible senior dental students from two dental schools in Tehran, Iran were randomly divided into two groups. Two educational programs, role play (RP) and problem-based learning (PBL), with the same aim about TCC in dental practice, were developed and implemented for the two groups. The score of knowledge, attitude, and skill were determined in both groups before and after participation in the course using a questionnaire. The changes in the scores from pre- to post-test were statistically analyzed using repeated measure ANOVA test. Results: Total scores of knowledge, attitude, and skill of the participants showed improvements when compared to scores before training (P < 0.001, P = 0.003, and P < 0.001, respectively). However, the differences between the two study methods were statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The results suggested that TCC training through RP and PBL methods leads to improvement in knowledge, attitude, and skills of dental students in the short-term evaluation.
Dramatic Response of Scarring Scalp Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) to Intravenous Methylprednisolone, Oral Corticosteroids, and Hydroxychloroquine in a 5‐Year‐Old Child

Abstract: Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is rare in childhood. We report the case of a 5‐year‐old girl who presented with erythematous scaly plaques, with scarring alopecia, involving approximately 40% of her scalp. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of DLE. Treatment with intravenous methylprednisolone, hydroxychloroquine, oral prednisone, topical corticosteroids, and sunscreen lead to reversal of scarring alopecia and re‐growth of hair.
Electrophysiologic Characteristics of M Cells in the Canine Left Ventricular Free Wall

Characteristics of M Cells. Introduction: Recent studies have described the existence of M cells in the deep structures of the canine and human ventricle. The present study was designed to further characterize the M cell with respect to its distribution across the canine left ventricular free wall and the dependence of its action potential on [K+]0.
A Type of Hybrid Automata Model Using in Laboratory Optimal Management

Hybrid automata is a formal model of hybrid system. It essentially makes the continuous state jump when the discrete state changes, which makes the discrete state automata have the ability to describe the continuous behavior. In this paper, the five tuple model of hybrid automata is used to describe the optimal management of open laboratories in Colleges and universities, that is, to meet the matching requirements of the number of students and the number of open laboratories with the minimum cost of laboratory use. The model divides the optimal management requirements into five continuous state spaces, which are driven by discrete events. Finally, the process of lab optimization management is analyzed by simulation, which shows the ideal effect of hybrid automata model in solving the problem of synchronous coordination between discrete and continuous parts of multi open lab optimization management.