Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Translocation of Connexin 43 to the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane of Cardiomyocytes Through the Heat Shock Protein 90–Dependent TOM Pathway and Its Importance for Cardioprotection

We have previously shown that connexin 43 (Cx43) is present in mitochondria, that its genetic depletion abolishes the protection of ischemia- and diazoxide-induced preconditioning, and that it is involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in response to diazoxide. Here we investigated the intramitochondrial localization of Cx43, the mechanism of Cx43 translocation to mitochondria and the effect of inhibiting translocation on the protection of preconditioning. Confocal microscopy of mitochondria devoid of the outer membrane and Western blotting on fractionated mitochondria showed that Cx43 is located at the inner mitochondrial membrane, and coimmunoprecipitation of Cx43 with Tom20 (Translocase of the outer membrane 20) and with heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) indicated that it interacts with the regular mitochondrial protein import machinery. In isolated rat hearts, geldanamycin, a blocker of Hsp90-dependent translocation of proteins to the inner mitochondrial membrane through the TOM pathway, rapidly (15 minutes) reduced mitochondrial Cx43 content by approximately one-third in the absence or presence of diazoxide. Geldanamycin alone had no effect on infarct size, but it ablated the protection against infarction afforded by diazoxide. Geldanamycin abolished the 2-fold increase in mitochondrial Cx43 induced by 2 preconditioning cycles of ischemia/reperfusion, but this effect was not associated with reduced protection. These results demonstrate that Cx43 is transported to the inner mitochondrial membrane through translocation via the TOM complex and that a normal mitochondrial Cx43 content is important for the diazoxide-related pathway of preconditioning.
Children's Conformity When Acquiring Novel Conventions: The Case of Artifacts

Prior research focused on children's acquisition of arbitrary social conventions (e.g., object labels) has revealed that both 3- and 4-year-old children conform to majority opinion. Two studies explored whether children show similar conformist tendencies when making category-based judgments about a less socially arbitrary domain that offers an objective basis for judgment: object functions. Three- and 4-year-old children watched a video in which two informants disagreed with a lone dissenter on the function of a novel artifact. Children were asked to categorize the object by stating with whom they agreed. The plausibility of the majority's response was manipulated across test trials. Results demonstrated that children were more likely to agree with the majority when majority and minority opinions were equally plausible, especially when the majority demonstrated an overt consensus. However, 4-year-olds actively eschewed the majority opinion when it was implausible in context of the artifact's functional design. The current results indicate that expertise in a domain of conventional knowledge reduces conformist tendencies.
Serous cystadenocarcinoma of the pancreas: a new entity?

Microcystic cystadenoma of the pancreas is a well-recognized although rare pathological entity. All previously reported examples of this tumor have been uniformly benign in behavior. In this case report, we present a primary tumor of the pancreas that was histologically indistinguishable from microcystic adenoma, but which behaved in a malignant fashion. Metastases were found in the stomach and liver. We believe that this case represents a new entity, which we have termed "serous cystadenocarcinoma of the pancreas. "
Myoglobin function reassessed

SUMMARY The heart and those striated muscles that contract for long periods, having available almost limitless oxygen, operate in sustained steady states of low sarcoplasmic oxygen pressure that resist change in response to changing muscle work or oxygen supply. Most of the oxygen pressure drop from the erythrocyte to the mitochondrion occurs across the capillary wall. Within the sarcoplasm, myoglobin, a mobile carrier of oxygen, is developed in response to mitochondrial demand and augments the flow of oxygen to the mitochondria. Myoglobin-facilitated oxygen diffusion, perhaps by virtue of reduction of dimensionality of diffusion from three dimensions towards two dimensions in the narrow spaces available between mitochondria, is rapid relative to other parameters of cell respiration. Consequently, intracellular gradients of oxygen pressure are shallow, and sarcoplasmic oxygen pressure is nearly the same everywhere. Sarcoplasmic oxygen pressure, buffered near 0.33 kPa (2.5 torr; equivalent to approximately 4 μmol l-1 oxygen) by equilibrium with myoglobin, falls close to the operational Km of cytochrome oxidase for oxygen, and any small increment in sarcoplasmic oxygen pressure will be countered by increased oxygen utilization. The concentration of nitric oxide within the myocyte results from a balance of endogenous synthesis and removal by oxymyoglobin-catalyzed dioxygenation to the innocuous nitrate. Oxymyoglobin, by controlling sarcoplasmic nitric oxide concentration, helps assure the steady state in which inflow of oxygen into the myocyte equals the rate of oxygen consumption.
Symptom perception and respiratory sensation in asthma.

Failure to appreciate the severity of bronchoconstriction logically results in delay in seeking help, inadequate utilization of effective medications and may lead to avoidable deaths. Excessive perception of modest bronchoconstriction logically results in seeking help, overutilization of medical services, and potential iatrogenic side effects. Thus, the asthmatic’s perception of the severity of bronchoconstriction has been purported to be important in the effective management of asthma (1). Experimental support for these logical ideas is not definitive. Over the past decade, there have been six studies published that objectively examined the perceptual ability of patients who had either a fatal or near-fatal asthma attack and compared them with a control group. Patients with near-fatal asthma differ from asthmatics without life-threatening asthma and normal control subjects in their ability to detect externally added loads to breathing (2, 3), as well as spontaneously occurring bronchoconstriction and chemically induced bronchoconstriction (4–7). Using bronchoconstriction induced by methacholine, histamine, or allergen in sensitized asthmatics, the reported severity of symptoms varied widely (8–11). Approximately 15% of asthmatics fail to appreciate any discomfort after an acute 20% reduction in their FEV 1 (12). Thus, hypoperception may be a risk factor associated with lifethreatening asthma (LTA) or increased morbidity, or both. However, to date the total number of patients studied is small, there is considerable overlap of perceptual ability in the nearfatal asthma and control groups, and it is unclear whether inaccurate perception is a risk factor for asthma death, or an epiphenomenon of severe asthma. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) convened a multidisciplinary group of expert scientists and clinicians for a one and a half day workshop with the goal to identify the nature and language of symptom perception in asthma and its neural pathways and to define the important mechanical abnormalities in asthma so that these characteristics may be mimicked in order to assess symptom perception in the patient. Current research findings were summarized and recommendations made for future research.
Physical fitness and plasma leptin in women with recent gestational diabetes

Aims/Hypothesis Low physical fitness (PF) is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Women with a history of gestational diabetes (GDM) are at risk for T2D at a young age, but the role of PF in this population is not clear. PF has also been found to correlate inversely with plasma leptin in previous studies. Here, we examine whether women who had GDM have lower PF than women after a normoglycemic pregnancy and, second, whether PF is associated with plasma leptin, independently of body fat mass. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of 236 participants in the PPSDiab Study (cohort study of women 3–16 months after delivery, 152 after gestational diabetes (pGDM), 84 after normoglycemic pregnancy (control subjects); consecutively recruited 2011–16); medical history, physical examination with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (n = 154), 5-point oral glucose tolerance test, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, clinical chemistry including fasting plasma leptin; statistical analysis with Mann–Whitney U and t -test, Spearman correlation coefficient, multiple linear regression. Results Women pGDM had lower maximally achieved oxygen uptake (VO2peak/kg: 25.7(21.3–29.9) vs. 30.0(26.6–34.1)ml/min/kg; total VO2peak: 1733(1552–2005) vs. 1970(1767–2238)ml/min; p<0.0001 for both), and maximum workload (122.5(105.5–136.5) vs. 141.0(128.5–159.5)W; p<0.0001). Fasting plasma leptin correlated inversely with PF (VO2peak/kg ρ = -0.72 p<0.0001; VO2peak ρ = -0.16 p = 0.015; max. load ρ = -0.35 p<0.0001). These associations remained significant with adjustment for body mass index, or for body fat mass (BIA and MRI). Conclusions/Interpretation Women with a recent history of GDM were less fit than control subjects. Low PF may therefore contribute to the risk for T2D after GDM. This should be tested in intervention studies. Low PF also associated with increased leptin levels–independently of body fat. PF may therefore influence leptin levels and signaling. This hypothesis requires further investigation.
HRC Is a Direct Transcriptional Target of MEF2 during Cardiac, Skeletal, and Arterial Smooth Muscle Development In Vivo

ABSTRACT The HRC gene encodes the histidine-rich calcium-binding protein, which is found in the lumen of the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of cardiac and skeletal muscle and within calciosomes of arterial smooth muscle. The expression of HRC in cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle raises the possibility of a common transcriptional mechanism governing its expression in all three muscle cell types. In this study, we identified a transcriptional enhancer from the HRC gene that is sufficient to direct the expression of lacZ in the expression pattern of endogenous HRC in transgenic mice. The HRC enhancer contains a small, highly conserved sequence that is required for expression in all three muscle lineages. Within this conserved region is a consensus site for myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) proteins that we show is bound efficiently by MEF2 and is required for transgene expression in all three muscle lineages in vivo. Furthermore, the entire HRC enhancer sequence lacks any discernible CArG motifs, the binding site for serum response factor (SRF), and we show that the enhancer is not activated by SRF. Thus, these studies identify the HRC enhancer as the first MEF2-dependent, CArG-independent transcriptional target in smooth muscle and represent the first analysis of the transcriptional regulation of an SR gene in vivo.
TLS protocol extensions for web applications of identity-based encryption

Compared with the RSA used in PKI, identity based encryption (IBE) can provide the same security with lower computation consumption and remove the need for certificates. However, there are still many problems of IBE when it is in the rush to market and just few successful business solutions were presented now. In this paper, we first propose a practical IBE application architecture. Then, we present two improved TLS handshakes to meet the requirements of secure communication, describe the details proceeding on identity authentication and key exchange. Finally, we analyze the security and efficiency.
Dietary Behavior Related to Cancer Prevention in a Low Income Community

Background: The incidence of cancer is increasing in developing countries. Diet and cancer have a close relationship. The objectives of this study were to measure the cancer prevention-related nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practice and barriers related to healthy food in a low income community, and to assess their cancer worries. Subjects and methods: This cross-section descriptive study was carried out in a slum area in Cairo on a convenience sample of 414 adults permanently residing in the area. A structured interview questionnaire was used for collecting participants' socio-demographic data, knowledge about cancer, attitude and practice towards cancer dietary prevention, cancer worry scale, and the barriers preventing eating healthy food. Results: The study revealed a wide range of participants' knowledge scores. Participants' attitude towards a healthy diet was also low. The most deficient practices were related to the intake of balanced diet and vitamins, practice of exercise, and cancer screening. The most frequent barrier to a healthy diet was taste (42%), while the lack of information was the least (3.1%). Multivariate analysis showed that the knowledge score was positively predicted by cancer worry score. The attitude score was positively predicted by age and knowledge score, and the practice score by married status, crowding index, and attitude score. Conclusion: There is a poor level of knowledge and inadequate practices regarding cancer dietary prevention despite good attitudes, in addition to high worries about cancer. Implications for practice: There is urgent need for awareness raising intervention programs for dietary prevention of cancer.
Active damping control strategy for grid-connected inverters by splitting the capacitor of LCL filter

Among the existing current control methods of LCL grid-connected inverter, the split-capacitor method divides the capacitor of LCL-filter into two parts, which can degrade the system from third-order to first-order through the feedback of the current between the two capacitor branches. However, the cancelled poles in the deflation progress of the splitting capacitor method are critical steady poles. This characteristic makes the whole close-loop system incompletely controllable because the signal component at resonant frequency is not included in the current feedback. Active damping control strategy is an effective way to attenuate the resonant peak and to improve the waveform of output current. Finally, simulation results indicate the correctness of the theoretical analysis and the proposed control method.
Electromyography of the Intrinsic Laryngeal Muscles during Phonation

Electromyographic ( EMG) studies of the laryngeal muscles during phon a t’ ion have been widely reported in the literature, with the classic experiments of Faaborg-Andersenl? ‘ in particular, providing a basis for describing the laryngeal control of phonation. Nonetheless, a number of questions regarding the control of fundamental frequency and intensity within and across vocal registers and the reliability of EMG measures, in general, have remained unanswered. This was due, largely, to the technical Droblems inherent in and accurate means of displaying the average strength of contraction of a given muscle or muscle group.
Threat interferes with response inhibition

A potential threat, such as a spider, captures attention and engages executive functions to adjust ongoing behavior and avoid danger. We and many others have reported slowed responses to neutral targets in the context of emotional distractors. This behavioral slowing has been explained in the framework of attentional competition for limited resources with emotional stimuli prioritized. Alternatively, slowed performance could reflect the activation of avoidance/freezing-type motor behaviors associated with threat. Although the interaction of attention and emotion has been widely studied, little is known on the interaction between emotion and executive functions. We studied how threat-related stimuli (spiders) interact with executive performance and whether the interaction profile fits with a resource competition model or avoidance/freezing-type motor behaviors. Twenty-one young healthy individuals performed a Go–NoGo visual discrimination reaction time (RT) task engaging several executive functions with threat-related and emotionally neutral distractors. The threat-related distractors had no effect on the RT or the error rate in the Go trials. The NoGo error rate, reflecting failure in response inhibition, increased significantly because of threat-related distractors in contrast to neutral distractors, P less than 0.05. Thus, threat-related distractors temporarily impaired response inhibition. Threat-related distractors associated with increased commission errors and no effect on RT does not suggest engagement of avoidance/freezing-type motor behaviors. The results fit in the framework of the resource competition model. A potential threat calls for evaluation of affective significance as well as inhibition of undue emotional reactivity. We suggest that these functions tax executive resources and may render other executive functions, such as response inhibition, temporarily compromised when the demands for resources exceed availability.
Cyclosporine for plaque-type psoriasis. Results of a multidose, double-blind trial.

BACKGROUND Severe plaque-type psoriasis has been successfully treated with orally administered cyclosporine, but there has been no comparative, controlled evaluation of various dosages and their efficacy and side effects. METHODS In a 16-week, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 85 patients with severe psoriasis to receive 3, 5, or 7.5 mg of cyclosporine per kilogram of body weight per day or a placebo consisting of the vehicle for the drug. After eight weeks the dose could be adjusted to improve safety or efficacy while maintaining blinding. RESULTS The psoriasis improved in a dose-dependent fashion. After eight weeks of fixed-dose therapy, 36, 65, and 80 percent of the patients receiving 3, 5, and 7.5 mg of cyclosporine per kilogram per day, respectively, were rated as being clear or almost clear of psoriasis; each group had significant improvement (P less than 0.0001) as compared with the group receiving vehicle, in which none of the patients were rated as clear or almost clear. The patients who received 5 mg per kilogram were the least likely to require dosage adjustments because of side effects or a lack of efficacy. The glomerular filtration rate, measured in a subgroup of 34 patients receiving cyclosporine, decreased by a median of 16 percent. Higher doses of cyclosporine had greater adverse effects on systolic blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate, and serum levels of creatinine, uric acid, bilirubin, and cholesterol. Delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to skin-test antigens were reduced by cyclosporine administration. Cyclosporine appears to become concentrated in skin. CONCLUSIONS Cyclosporine therapy leads to a rapid and thorough clearing of psoriasis; an initial dose of 5 mg per kilogram per day seems to be appropriate. However, the safety of cyclosporine for the long-term treatment of psoriasis remains to be determined.
Poster: CompareView - A Provenance Verification Framework f or Detecting Rootkit-Based Malware

Using rootkit mechanisms to hide malware presence is pervasive in today’s computer attacks. We propose the CompareViewframework, a host-based solution to detect stealthy outbound traffic generated by rootkit-based malware. Using a lightweight cryptographic protocol, our CompareView framework compares the views of outbound network packets at different layers of the host network stac k and verify theprovenanceinformation of each packet. CompareView identifies and blocks suspicious network traffic that is not accompanied with proper digital signature stating its origin. The prototype is implemented in Windows XP and leverages on-chip TPM to enforce its own integrity. Our evaluation results show that our provenance verification approach is effective and efficient.
Robust Tracking Control for Output Voltage of UPS Inverter

This paper presents a discrete integral sliding mode control scheme with time-delay compensation for the output voltage regulation of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) inverter. Since the inverter is subject to the parameter variation and the load disturbance and the time delay is introduced due to the adoption of digital control scheme, the controller is required to reject the disturbance as well as the influence of the time delay. This paper analyzes and models the discrete single-phase UPS inverter with time delay. To enhance the robustness of the inverter the discrete integral sliding mode control scheme is proposed. An integral controller is added to improve the steady performance of the controller and the time-delay compensation is considered to eliminate the influence of the time delay. The inverter has shown its excellent voltage tracking performance through the simulation results and the effectiveness of the scheme is verified.
Post mortem scientific sampling and the search for causes of death in intensive care: what information should be given and what consent should be obtained?

Purpose The search for cause of death is important to improve knowledge and provide answers for the relatives of the deceased. Medical autopsy following unexplained death in hospital is one way to identify cause of death but is difficult to carry out routinely. Post mortem sampling (PMS) of tissues via thin biopsy needle or ‘mini incisions’ in the skin may be a useful alternative. A study was undertaken to assess how this approach is perceived by intensive care doctors and also to evaluate how this practice is considered in ethical terms in France. Methods A study of PMS practices immediately after death in 10 intensive care departments was performed. The medical director of each centre was interviewed by telephone and asked to describe practices in their unit and to outline the questions raised by this practice. Results PMS is routinely performed in 70% of the units which responded, without systematically obtaining formal consent and without precise rules for communicating results. Approaches to PMS differed between centres, but all physicians felt that PMS is useful for the scientific information it gives and also for the information it provides for relatives. All physicians regret the lack of standards to structure PMS practices. Conclusion Information from post mortem examinations is important for society to inform about causes of death, for doctors to improve practices and for decision-makers responsible for organising care. Debate persists regarding the balance between individual rights and community interests. It is suggested that an approach for identifying cause of death could easily be integrated into the relationship between carers and relatives, provided full transparency is maintained.