Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The consequences of pediatric renal transplantation on bone metabolism and growth

Purpose of reviewDuring childhood, growth retardation, decreased final height and renal osteodystrophy are common complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD). These problems remain present in patients undergoing renal transplantation, even though steroid-sparing strategies are more widely used. In this context, achieving normal height and growth in children after transplantation is a crucial issue for both quality of life and self-esteem. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of pathophysiology of CKD-mineral bone disorder (MBD) in children undergoing renal transplantation and to propose keypoints for its daily management. Recent findingsIn adults, calcimimetics are effective for posttransplant hyperparathyroidism, but data are missing in the pediatric population. Fibroblast growth factor 23 levels are associated with increased risk of rejection, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. A recent meta-analysis also demonstrated the effectiveness of rhGH therapy in short transplanted children. SummaryIn 2013, the daily clinical management of CKD-MBD in transplanted children should still focus on simple objectives: to optimize renal function, to develop and promote steroid-sparing strategies, to provide optimal nutritional support to maximize final height and avoid bone deformations, to equilibrate calcium/phosphate metabolism so as to provide acceptable bone quality and cardiovascular status, to correct all metabolic and clinical abnormalities that can worsen both bone and growth (mainly metabolic acidosis, anemia and malnutrition), promote good lifestyle habits (adequate calcium intake, regular physical activity, no sodas consumption, no tobacco exposure) and eventually to correct native vitamin D deficiency (target of 25-vitamin D >75 nmol/l).
A restarted iterative homotopy analysis method for two nonlinear models from image processing

Total variation (TV) minimization-based nonlinear models have been proven to be very useful and successful in image processing. A lot of effort has been devoted to overcome the nonlinearity of the model and at the same time to obtain fast numerical schemes. In this paper, we propose a restarted iterative homotopy analysis method (HAM) to improve the computational efficiency for the TV models and will show by experiments that this method demonstrates great potential for recovering the noise and with great speed in both image denoising and image segmentation models. The method modifies the existing HAM and makes it suitable to potentially solve other nonlinear partial differential equations arising from image processing models. In our examples, we will demonstrate the validity of a restarted HAM and that this method is efficient and robust even for images with large ratios of noise and with much less CPU time than other methods.
A look into the cockpit of the fly: visual orientation, algorithms, and identified neurons

The top-down approach to understanding brain function seeks to account for the behavior of an animal in terms of biophysical properties of nerve cells and synaptic interactions via a series of progressively reductive levels of explanation. Using the fly as a model system, this approach was pioneered by Werner Reichardt and his colleagues in the late 1950s. Quantitative input-output analyses led them to formal algorithms that related the input of the fly's eye to the orientation behavior of the animal. But it has been possible only recently to track down the implementation of part of these algorithms to the computations performed by individual neurons and small neuronal ensembles. Thus, the visually guided flight maneuvers of the fly have turned out to be one of the few cases in which it has been feasible to reach an understanding of the mechanisms underlying a complex behavioral performance at successively reductive levels of analysis. These recent findings illuminate some of the fundamental questions that are being debated in computational neuroscience (Marr and Poggio, 1977; Sejnowski et al., 1988; Churchland and Sejnowski, 1992): (1) Are some brain functions emergent properties present only at the systems level? (2) Does an understanding of brain function at the systems level help in understanding function at the cellular and subcellular level? (3) Can different levels of organization be understood independently of each other? In this review we concentrate on two basic computational tasks that have to be solved by the fly, as well as by many other moving animals: (1) stabilization of an intended course against disturbances and (2) intended deviations from a straight course in order to orient toward salient objecs. Performing these tasks depends on the extraction of motion information from the changing distribution of light intensity received by the eyes.
An RNAi-based high-throughput screening assay to identify small molecule inhibitors of hepatitis B virus replication

Persistent or chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) represents one of the most common viral diseases in humans. The hepatitis B virus deploys the hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) as a suppressor of host defenses consisting of RNAi-based silencing of viral genes. Because of its critical role in countering host defenses, HBx represents an attractive target for antiviral drugs. Here, we developed and optimized a loss-of-function screening procedure, which identified a potential pharmacophore that abrogated HBx RNAi suppression activity. In a survey of 14,400 compounds in the Maybridge Screening Collection, we prioritized candidate compounds via high-throughput screening based on reversal of green fluorescent protein (GFP)–reported, RNAi-mediated silencing in a HepG2/GFP-shRNA RNAi sensor line. The screening yielded a pharmacologically active compound, N-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-N′-[3-(1H-imidazol-1-yl) propyl] thiourea (IR415), which blocked HBx-mediated RNAi suppression indicated by the GFP reporter assay. We also found that IR415 reversed the inhibitory effect of HBx protein on activity of the Dicer endoribonuclease. We further confirmed the results of the primary screen in IR415-treated, HBV-infected HepG2 cells, which exhibited a marked depletion of HBV core protein synthesis and down-regulation of pre-genomic HBV RNA. Using a molecular interaction analysis system, we confirmed that IR415 selectively targets HBx in a concentration-dependent manner. The screening assay presented here allows rapid and improved detection of small-molecule inhibitors of HBx and related viral proteins. The assay may therefore potentiate the development of next-generation RNAi pathway-based therapeutics and promises to accelerate our search for novel and effective drugs in antiviral research.
Lack of Sex Differences on the Stroop Color-Word Test across Three Age Groups

The present study investigated recent reports of sex differences on the Stroop Color-Word Test by age. Present results indicate no sex differences at 7–8 years, 9–10 years, and 18–24 years. The two school-age samples reported similar amounts of interference and significantly more than the college-age sample. Inconsistencies in the literature may be a function of response modality rather than interference.
Análisis de los factores psicológicos moduladores del dolor crónico benigno

Cada dia son mas abundantes los estudios que muestran que los factores psicologicos juegan un papel clave en el proceso del dolor. Desde el campo del dolor se ha importado el modelo de estres de Lazarus para el estudio de estos factores psicologicos. Esta teoria sugiere que el estres que sufre un sujeto ante un evento potencialmente amenazante se debe a como lo evalua y a como lo afronta. Traduciendo este modelo a la experiencia del dolor: el estimulo doloroso provocara mas o menos discapacidad segun como sea evaluado y afrontado. En el presente trabajo, realizamos una revision de los trabajos mas actuales en el campo del dolor articulandolos dentro del modelo de Lazarus. En una segunda parte del articulo, describimos las tecnicas interdisciplinares que se emplean en el tratamiento del dolor cronico. Por ultimo, animamos a que el modelo de Lazarus se emplee como guia para el diseno de futuras terapias.
The Impact of Alcohol Use Disorder on Tuberculosis: A Review of the Epidemiology and Potential Immunologic Mechanisms

Globally, an estimated 107 million people have an alcohol use disorder (AUD) leading to 2.8 million premature deaths each year. Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death globally and over 8% of global TB cases are estimated to be attributable to AUD. Social determinants of health such as poverty and undernutrition are often shared among those with AUD and TB and could explain the epidemiologic association between them. However, recent studies suggest that these shared risk factors do not fully account for the increased risk of TB in people with AUD. In fact, AUD has been shown to be an independent risk factor for TB, with a linear increase in the risk for TB with increasing alcohol consumption. While few studies have focused on potential biological mechanisms underlying the link between AUD and TB, substantial overlap exists between the effects of alcohol on lung immunity and the mechanisms exploited by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to establish infection. Alcohol misuse impairs the immune functions of the alveolar macrophage, the resident innate immune effector in the lung and the first line of defense against Mtb in the lower respiratory tract. Chronic alcohol ingestion also increases oxidative stress in the alveolar space, which could in turn facilitate Mtb growth. In this manuscript, we review the epidemiologic data that links AUD to TB. We discuss the existing literature on the potential mechanisms by which alcohol increases the risk of TB and review the known effects of alcohol ingestion on lung immunity to elucidate other mechanisms that Mtb may exploit. A more in-depth understanding of the link between AUD and TB will facilitate the development of dual-disease interventions and host-directed therapies to improve lung health and long-term outcomes of TB.
Cluster Business Processes Management with 3D Immersive Environments

The purpose of the article is to present an innovative managerial approach for SME Cluster Management. Clusters contribute extensively in global economy and their role becomes increasingly more important for growth and prosperity in both developed and underdeveloped economies. At first the author presents the state of the art and contemporary approaches in cluster management and highlight the need for new managerial approaches and frameworks both methodology and technology based. The author then proposes a novel cluster management framework that takes into consideration issues concepts from disciplines as diverse as intellectual capital, cluster process management, cluster organizational management, the role of catalyst SMEs, 3D immersive environment technologies, social networking etc. The resulting proposed framework for SME Clustering is a 3D avatar based environment and framework for managing Geographically dispersed SME clusters.
Kinetic defect distribution approach for modeling the transient, endurance and retention of a-VMCO RRAM

Amorphous Vacancy Modulated Conductive Oxide resistive switching devices achieve non-localized low current switching by electrical modulation of defect distribution. We present for the first time a quantitative model to explain the operation of these devices. The defect movements are accelerated by lowering of potential barrier under electric field. Using this model, we successfully explain the observed switching characteristics of gradual and analog switching, reset during set bias due to over-programming, along with some insight on the fresh state. We also elucidate its endurance and retention characteristics and discuss a methodology to estimate the number of defects responsible for switching.
Drug Delivery Systems: Entering the Mainstream

Drug delivery systems (DDS) such as lipid- or polymer-based nanoparticles can be designed to improve the pharmacological and therapeutic properties of drugs administered parenterally. Many of the early problems that hindered the clinical applications of particulate DDS have been overcome, with several DDS formulations of anticancer and antifungal drugs now approved for clinical use. Furthermore, there is considerable interest in exploiting the advantages of DDS for in vivo delivery of new drugs derived from proteomics or genomics research and for their use in ligand-targeted therapeutics.
Games about LOVE and TRUST?: harnessing the power of metaphors for experience design

In this paper we will tackle the question of how thinking about game design as metaphorical process can help game designers to systematically expand the experiential scope of videogames. Sharing Eric Zimmerman's and Katie Salen's frustration with the reality of the game store, the "endless racks of adolescent power fantasies, witless cartoon characters, and literal minded sports simulations. " [2004], we set out to explore the potential for future development of games that are about something, that tackle complex concepts and ideas in a medium-specific manner and thus provide players with thought-provoking, and insightful experiences. Central to our investigations is digital games' natural affinity to metaphors. Metaphors can enter games in a variety of ways. In the following we are going to focus on two of them: interface metaphors that provide the very foundation for the communication between game and player, and games that are based as a whole on metaphorically-structured abstract concepts such as LOVE or TRUST. Applying Lakoff's and Johnson's research on "metaphors we live by" [1980] to game studies, we will identify potential for future development and give suggestions of how it can be tapped. Qualitative analyses of existing game examples will round up our explorations of how harnessing the power of metaphors in game design can create rich and insightful game-play experiences.
Post‐poly(Glu) cleavage and degradation modified by O‐sulfated tyrosine: a novel post‐translational processing mechanism.

Expression of bioactive peptides requires several modifications of the primary translation product. Gastrin, a vertebrate gut hormone, occurs in multiple forms, including a bioactive fragment of the predominant gastrin‐17. Gastrin‐17 is, however, without known cleavage sites. In order to identify the new site, we therefore isolated, from antral mucosa, fragments of gastrin‐34 and ‐17 monitored by monospecific immunoassays. After three steps of reverse‐phase chromatography, the short gastrins were identified as hepta‐, hexa‐ and pentapeptide amides. By far the most abundant of these was tyrosine O‐sulfated gastrin‐6. The near complete sulfation contrasts with the larger gastrins, of which only half are sulfated. The longest N‐terminal fragment of gastrin‐34 was a hexadecapeptide without complementarity to the short gastrins. Instead, the predominant N‐terminal fragment of gastrin‐17 was the decapeptide complementary to gastrin‐7. Therefore the novel processing site is the Glu10‐Ala11 bond that follows a poly(Glu6‐10) sequence. Moreover, gastrin‐7 is apparently trimmed, with subsequent accumulation of sulfated gastrin‐6. Consequently, O‐sulfated tyrosine ensures production of a new hormone which stimulates gastric acid secretion as potently as gastrin‐17.
Effects of dietary protein quality on energy metabolism and thyroid hormone Status in growing pigs

Dedicated to Prof. Dr. habil. agr. H. Hagemeister on the occasion ofhis 65,h blrthday Summary To estimate long-term effects of dietary protein quality on energy metabolism and thyroid hormone Status in growing pigs two experiments were carried out, each using 6 growing German Landrace barrows (40 to 90 kg body weight (BW)) per treatment group, which were fed semisynthetic isoenergetic diets based on either casein or soy protein isolate at 1875 kJ ME/(kg BW062 x d). Casein was tested with (CAS+) amino acid (AA) supplementation (methionine + cystine, threonine, tryptophane) and soy protein isolate was tested without (SPI-) AA supplementati on at the recommended protein supply of 100% (normal protein level (NP)) and at a protein supply of 50% of NP. During experiments pigs were housed individually in metabolic cages at 23 ± 1°C. At both protein supply levels, SP1- in comparison to CAS+ caused a lower protein energy retention (PER), which was compensated mainly by an increased fat energy retention (FER). The reduction of the protein supply to 50% caused a lower PER by 30 to 50% in both dietary qualities, which was compensated by a significantly higher FER. However, the heat production (HP) was neither affected by the protein quality nor by the quantity, and resulted in nearly similar values of 60% of ME intake. The thyroid hormone concentrations were dependent primarily on the amount of protein supply, and after decrease of supply to 50% secondly on the dietary protein quality. The increased thyroid hormone concentrations at the 50% protein level were in euthyroid range of pigs and obviously not associated with HP.
TP53 mutations in human skin cancers

The p53 gene (TP53) is mutated in numerous human cancers. We have used it as a molecular target to characterize the induction of mutations in human skin cancers. About 50% of all skin cancers in normal individuals exhibit p53 mutations. This frequency rises to 90% in skin cancers of patients with the DNA‐repair deficiency known as xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). These mutations are characterized by a specific signature, attributed to the ultraviolet uvB part of the solar spectrum. In this review, we will describe different p53 mutation spectra, in relation to the various histopathological types of skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and malignant melanoma as well as to the DNA repair efficiency of the patients. In particular, different mutational hot spots are found among the various spectra. We have tried to elucidate them in terms of induced DNA lesion hot spots, as well as speed of local nucleotide excision repair (NER) or sequence effects. The molecular analysis of these mutagenic characteristics should help in the understanding of the origin of human skin cancers in the general population. Hum Mutat 21:217–228, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Recovery of yeast from vented blood culture bottles

Rates of isolation of yeasts from blood cultures were significantly enhanced by venting vacuum blood culture bottles in studies of both stimulated and patients' blood cultures; however, the time interval to detection of positivity of yeasts in the clinical studies was significantly (P less than 0.01) shorter in a vented bottle with biphasic brain heart infusion medium than in a vented bottle with soybean-casein digest broth. The mean time intervals to detection of positivity were 2.6 days in the former and 5.2 days in the latter.
Preliminary study: Evaluation of melatonin secretion in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Objective: Melatonin is an indolamine hormone, synthesized from tryptophan in the pineal gland primarily. Melatonin exerts both antioxidative and immunoregulatory roles but little is known about melatonin secretion in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The aim of this study was to measure serum melatonin levels in patients with T1DM and investigates their relationship with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: Forty children and adolescents with T1DM (18 boys and 22 girls) and 30 healthy control subjects (17 boys and 13 girls) participated in the study. All patients followed in Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Unit of Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine and also control subjects had no hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia, anemia, and infection. Blood samples were collected during routine analysis, after overnight fasting. Serum melatonin levels were analyzed with ELISA. Results: There were no statistically significant differences related with age, sex, BMI distribution between diabetic group and control group. Mean diabetic duration was 2.89 ± 2.69 years. The variables were in the equation. Mean melatonin level in diabetic group was 6.75 ± 3.52 pg/ml and mean melatonin level in control group was 11.51 ± 4.74 pg/ml. Melatonin levels were significantly lower in diabetic group compared to controls (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Melatonin was associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus significantly. Because of the varied roles of melatonin in human metabolic rhythms, these results suggest a role of melatonin in maintaining normal rhythmicity. Melatonin may play role in preventing process of inflammation and oxidative stress.
Developmental Disabilities Grown Up: Down Syndrome

This review article is dedicated to Dr. William I. Cohen, who served the Down syndrome community as a clinician, educator, and friend. Bill was the Medical Director of the Down Syndrome Center of Western Pennsylvania at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, cofounder and cochair of the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group, Medicine Editor of Down Syndrome Quarterly, and coeditor of the book Down Syndrome: Visions for the 21st Century. Recognizing that the issues facing individuals with Down syndrome can change, sometimes dramatically, with age, Bill and Sheila Cannon started an Adult Program within the Down Syndrome Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Our remembrance of Bill was published in the June 2009 issue of this journal, on page 216. Heidi Feldman, MD Editorial Board Member
The Importance of Being There: Perspectives of Social Support by Adolescents with Cancer

Adolescents with cancer are confronted with many challenges. The extent to which they are able to deal with such challenges appears to be partly contingent on a positive strong social support system. In this article, the author describes findings specific to the sources of social support that 15 adolescents with cancer found to be most important in getting them through the cancer experience. Data were collected as part of a longitudinal qualitative interpretive study and involved individual interviews, focus group interviews, and participant observation as the main sources of data. The relationships that adolescents maintained with their nuclear families, health care team members, and special friends were the 3 main supportive relationships in the adolescents'lives. The act of others “being there” was seen by the adolescents as the key element of a supportive relationship and involved 6 main behaviors. Although the 3 key supportive relationships were essential in helping adolescents get through cancer, these relationships were at times a source of stress for adolescents.
Visualizing Decision Trees in Games to Support Children's Analytic Reasoning: Any Negative Effects on Gameplay?

The popularity and usage of digital games has increased in recent years, bringing further attention to their design. Some digital games require a significant use of higher order thought processes, such as problem solving and reflective and analytical thinking. Through the use of appropriate and interactive representations, these thought processes could be supported. A visualization of the game's internal structure is an example of this. However, it is unknown whether including these extra representations will have a negative effect on gameplay. To investigate this issue, a digital maze-like game was designed with its underlying structure represented as a decision tree. A qualitative, exploratory study with children was performed to examine whether the tree supported their thought processes and what effects, if any, the tree had on gameplay. This paper reports the findings of this research and discusses the implications for the design of games in general.