Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interaction of levodopa and cues on voluntary reaching in Parkinson's disease

The bradykinesia associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) can be improved by both levodopa and the use of external cues. We examined the combined effect of levodopa and external cueing on the voluntary reaching movements of individuals with PD. Nine subjects with PD and nine matched controls were studied reaching to a ball target. Subjects with PD were studied after being off levodopa overnight and again on their morning dose. Kinematic data were collected as all subjects made both accurate and fast reaches under two different cue conditions: noncued (self‐initiated) and cued (triggered by a light). Subjects with PD reached more slowly than controls under all conditions. PD subjects increased their reach velocity and decreased movement time after taking levodopa and also when moving to a cue. However, the effects of levodopa and cueing were not additive. Instead, levodopa improved reach velocity to a greater extent in the noncued vs. cued condition. We also found that levodopa improved accurate (self‐paced) reaches more than fast reaches. These data suggest that levodopa may preferentially improve voluntary reaches that are more internally generated. © 2002 Movement Disorder Society.
Vertebral fracture prevalence in women in Hiroshima compared to Caucasians or Japanese in the US.

BACKGROUND Although vertebral fractures are very common among elderly Caucasian women, no studies have compared the prevalence to that among Asian populations. Any observed differences in prevalence might lead to the identification of important environmental and/or genetic factors. We therefore compared the prevalence of vertebral fractures among US Caucasians to native Japanese and Japanese immigrants in Hawaii using a standardized approach. METHODS Spinal radiographs of women aged > 50 years were obtained from native Japanese in Hiroshima, Japanese-Americans in Hawaii, and North American Caucasians in Minnesota between 1982 and 1991. Fractures were defined as vertebral heights > 3 standard deviations (SD) below the vertebra-specific mean. RESULTS Compared to Japanese-Americans, odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for prevalent vertebral fractures were 1.8 (95% CI: 1.3-2.5) for native Japanese women and 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1-2.1) for Minnesota Caucasians. The OR tended to be higher when comparing the prevalence of two or more fractures per person: OR = 3.2 (95% CI: 2.0-5.3) for native Japanese and OR = 1.9 (95% CI: 1.2-3.2) for Minnesota Caucasians. Similar results were observed for native Japanese using a fracture definition of > or = 4 SD below the mean, but the OR for Caucasians was reduced to 1.2 (95% CI: 0.6-2.3). CONCLUSION The observation that, among these three populations, hip fracture incidence is lowest but spine fracture prevalence is greatest among native Japanese suggests that different risk factors may be responsible.
Probabilistic neural network based motor cortical decoding method and hardware implementation

Probabilistic neural network (PNN), a kind of radial basis networks, is usually used for classification problems. It has the advantages of much faster training process and more accurate results using the minimum Bayesian risk criterion compared with other neural networks. In this paper, we use this neural network in brain-machine interface for decoding neural ensemble activity. Rats were trained to perform a lever pressing task for water rewards and implanted a chronic 16-channel microelectrode array in the primary motor cortex. The multi-channel neural activity and pressure signal of the lever was recorded simultaneously. In the PNN architecture, input vector was modified and contained not only current neuronal activity but also previously estimated pressure value which was taken as one input. This modified PNN was implemented in Matlab and obtained a good performance. Furthermore, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) based hardware implementation of PNN were developed and tested with real data. Because of the parallel computation ability and optimized architecture of FPGA, the results are as accurate as the realization of Matlab-based but the running speed is much faster. This indicates that the performance of current FPGA is competent for portable BMI applications.
In Aged Mice, Outgrowth of Intraocular Melanoma Depends on Proangiogenic M2-Type Macrophages

Macrophages are part of the tumor microenvironment and have been associated with poor prognosis in uveal melanoma. We determined the presence of macrophages and their differentiation status in a murine intraocular melanoma model. Inoculation of B16F10 cells into the anterior chamber of the eye resulted in rapid tumor outgrowth. Strikingly, in aged mice, tumor progression depended on the presence of macrophages, as local depletion of these cells prevented tumor outgrowth, indicating that macrophages in old mice had a strong tumor-promoting role. Immunohistochemistry and gene expression analysis revealed that macrophages carried M2-type characteristics, as shown by CD163 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ expression, and that multiple angiogenic genes were heavily overrepresented in tumors of old mice. The M2-type macrophages were also shown to have immunosuppressive features. We conclude that tumor-associated macrophages are directly involved in tumor outgrowth of intraocular melanoma and that macrophages in aged mice have a predisposition for an M2-type profile.
Recruitment of a racially and ethnically diverse sample into a physical activity efficacy trial

Background Healthy People 2010 underscores the relevance of eliminating health disparities. Thus, it is paramount to create interventions that promote health for all individuals. Purpose This study examined differences in rates of and reasons for ineligibility among non-Hispanic blacks and whites in a randomized controlled physical activity intervention study. Methods Participants (1245 adults) responded to community advertising for the research study. Eligibility at the four pre-randomization assessment sessions was determined by self-reported medical information, resting EKG, 7-Day Physical Activity Recall, fitness test and Stage of Change. We used t-tests to examine the rates of eligibility among participant subgroups. Results Blacks had higher rates of overall ineligibility (86.9%) than whites (75.1%; p < 0.01) and were more likely to be ineligible due to lack of interest or no-show at a pre-randomization appointment (35.4% vs. 24.3%; p < 0.01). Blacks were more likely to be ineligible for medical reasons after the telephone screen (16.3% vs. 7.8%; p = 0.01). Limitations This study did not use a random sampling of potential participants from each of the racial/ethnic groups and thus, there is the potential for selection bias. Conclusions Blacks were more likely to choose not to enroll in the study due to a lack of interest, but had similar rates of overall medical ineligibility to whites. This highlights the importance of strategies that enhance interest among blacks, who initially respond to recruitment advertising. Clinical Trials 2008; 5: 504—516. http://ctj.sagepub. com
CMOS Inverter Based on Gate-All-Around Silicon-Nanowire MOSFETs Fabricated Using Top-Down Approach

This letter demonstrates, for the first time, the integration of gate-all-around (GAA) Si-nanowire transistors into CMOS inverters using top-down approach. With matching of the drive currents of n- and p-MOSFETs using different gate lengths to achieve symmetric pull-up and pull-down, sharp ON- OFF transitions with high voltage gains (e.g., DeltaV OUT/DeltaV IN up to ~ 40 for V DD = 1.2 V) are obtained. The inverter maintains its good transfer characteristics and noise margins for wide range of V DD tested down to 0.4 V. Individual transistors show excellent subthreshold characteristics and drive currents. The results are discussed in light of the circuit performances reported for other advanced nonclassical device architectures such as FinFETs. The integration potential of GAA Si-nanowire transistors to realize CMOS-circuit functionality is thus demonstrated.
A Tunable Multi-Channel Power Combiner

A novel type of filter power combiner, consisting of a plurality of tunable dielectric loaded resonator channel filters and using a multiple half-wavelength coaxial resonator common transformer is presented. The dielectric loaded resonator channel filters can be efficiently coupled to the common transformer resonator by opening the aperture at maximum magnetic field positions of the common resonator. Optimal mechanical layout and electrical performance can both be achieved. A PCS band 4-channel tunable CDMA combiner is designed and tested. Excellent measured frequency responses were obtained and verify the theory.
Optimization-free optical focal field engineering through reversing the radiation pattern from a uniform line source.

A simple and flexible method is presented for the generation of optical focal field with prescribed characteristics. By reversing the field pattern radiated from a uniform line source, for which the electric current is constant along its extent, situated at the focus of a 4Pi focusing system formed by two confocal high-NA objective lenses, the required illumination distribution at the pupil plane for creating optical focal field with desired properties can be obtained. Numerical example shows that an arbitrary length optical needle with extremely high longitudinal polarization purity and consistent transverse size of ~0. 36λ over the entire depth of focus (DOF) can be created with this method. Coaxially double-focus with spot size of ~0. 36λ in the transversal direction and ~λ in the axial direction separated by a prescribed spacing is illustrated as another example. The length of optical needle field and the interval between double-focus are determined by the length of uniform line source. These engineered focal fields may found potential applications in particle acceleration, optical microscopy, optical trapping and manipulations.
Statistical Analyses of Complex Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis Profiles

ABSTRACT Studies using molecular techniques have demonstrated that a culture-based approach can severely underestimate the bacterial diversity in most environments. One of the molecular techniques that has been applied in microbial ecology is denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the microbiota of plaque, using a number of analysis techniques, from children without gingivitis (n = 30) and from those with gingivitis (n = 30). Extracted DNA from gingival margin plaque was subjected to PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene using universal primers. DGGE profiles were analyzed in three ways. (i) Bacterial diversity was compared between cohorts by using the Shannon-Wiener index (also known as the Shannon-Weaver index). (ii) A hierarchical cluster analysis of the banding patterns was calculated and expressed as a dendrogram. (iii) Individual DGGE bands and their intensities for both cohorts were compared using a logistic regression analysis. The Shannon-Wiener indices demonstrated a greater bacterial diversity associated with no-gingivitis plaque (P = 0.009). Dendrograms demonstrated that seven clades associated with gingivitis and five clades associated with no gingivitis. The logistic regression demonstrated that one band was significantly associated with no gingivitis (P = 0.001), while two bands were significantly associated with gingivitis (P = 0.005 and P = 0.042). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the development of gingivitis might be accompanied by a decrease in bacterial diversity. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that logistic regression is a good statistical method for analyzing and characterizing DGGE profiles.
Timing of renal replacement therapy initiation in acute renal failure: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Some studies have suggested that early institution of renal replacement therapy (RRT) might be associated with improved outcomes in patients with acute renal failure (ARF). STUDY DESIGN A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and cohort comparative studies to assess the effect of early RRT on mortality in patients with ARF. SETTING & POPULATION Hospitalized adult patients with ARF. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES We searched several databases for studies that compared the effect of "early" and "late" RRT initiation on mortality in patients with ARF. We included studies of various designs. INTERVENTION Early RRT as defined in the individual studies. OUTCOMES The primary outcome measure was the effect of early RRT on mortality stratified by study design. The pooled risk ratio (RR) for mortality was compiled using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated by means of subgroup analysis and meta-regression. RESULTS We identified 23 studies (5 randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials, 1 prospective and 16 retrospective comparative cohort studies, and 1 single-arm study with a historic control group). By using meta-analysis of randomized trials, early RRT was associated with a nonsignificant 36% mortality risk reduction (RR, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.40 to 1.05; P = 0.08). Conversely, in cohort studies, early RRT was associated with a statistically significant 28% mortality risk reduction (RR, 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.64 to 0.82; P < 0.001). The overall test for heterogeneity among cohort studies was significant (P = 0.005). Meta-regression yielded no significant associations; however, early dialysis therapy was associated more strongly with lower mortality in smaller studies (n < 100) by means of subgroup analysis. LIMITATIONS Paucity of randomized controlled trials, use of variable definitions of early RRT, and publication bias preclude definitive conclusions. CONCLUSION This hypothesis-generating meta-analysis suggests that early initiation of RRT in patients with ARF might be associated with improved survival, calling for an adequately powered randomized controlled trial to address this question.
Influence of oligomerization on the dynamics of G‐protein coupled receptors as assessed by normal mode analysis

The recently discovered impact of oligomerization on G‐protein coupled receptor (GPCR) function further complicates the already challenging goal of unraveling the molecular and dynamic mechanisms of these receptors. To help understand the effect of oligomerization on the dynamics of GPCRs, we have compared the motion of monomeric, dimeric, and tetrameric arrangements of the prototypic GPCR rhodopsin, using an approximate—yet powerful—normal mode analysis (NMA) technique termed elastic network model (ENM). Moreover, we have used ENM to discriminate between putative dynamic mechanisms likely to account for the recently observed conformational rearrangement of the TM4,5‐TM4,5 dimerization interface of GPCRs that occurs upon activation. Our results indicate: (1) significant perturbation of the normal modes (NMs) of the rhodopsin monomer upon oligomerization, which is mainly manifested at interfacial regions; (2) increased positive correlation among the transmembrane domains (TMs) and between the extracellular loop (EL) and TM regions of the rhodopsin protomer; (3) highest interresidue positive correlation at the interfaces between protomers; and (4) experimentally testable hypotheses of differential motional changes within different putative oligomeric arrangements. Proteins 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Correlation of carbonic anhydrase IX expression with clinico-morphological parameters, hormonal receptor status and HER-2 expression in breast cancer.

UNLABELLED The hypoxia-inducible protein carbonic anhydrase IX is widely expressed in most human cancers, including breast carcinomas. CA IX attracts significant interest due to its strong association with neoplasms and its absence from corresponding normal tissues, suggesting its potential to serve as a promising diagnostic biomarker. This protein comes into the limelight also as a valuable prognostic and predictive parameter. Immunohistochemically, we examined the expression of this protein in 84 cases of invasive breast carcinoma to determinate the association with clinico-morphological and biological parameters such as age of patients, grade, stage and size of primary tumor, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion as well as hormone receptor status and HER-2 expression. In each case, the subcellular localization of CA IX antigen, the intensity of staining and the percentage of labeled cells were assessed. Overall, CA IX was expressed in 34 cases (40.5%). The statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between subcellular localization of CA IX and the age of patients. Furthermore, significant correlations were also found between the grade, estrogen and progesterone status and all immunohistochemical characteristics of CA IX expression (the subcellular localization of CA IX antigen, the intensity of staining and the percentage of labeled cells). We point out that mostly membrane or combined membrane and cytoplasmic positivity together with a higher intensity of CA IX immunoreactivity are associated with poor prognostic parameters, such as tumor grade 3 and also with negative estrogen and progesterone receptor status which may influence therapeutic approach. However, no significant correlations were shown with remaining clinico-morphological and biological parameters. We next investigate the relationship between CA IX expression in the group of invasive ductal carcinomas and the group of invasive lobular carcinomas and other less frequent types of breast carcinoma. There was, however, no significant difference. Our results suggest that moderate to strong membrane and combined membrane and cytoplasmic localization of CA IX may represent a valuable tumor biomarker as well as a promising prognostic and predictive parameter in invasive breast cancer. KEYWORDS breast carcinoma, carbonic anhydrase IX, immunohistochemistry, clinico-morphological and biological parameters.
Histologic implications of Pap smears classified as atypical glandular cells.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the histologic outcome of Pap smears reported as atypical glandular cells (AGC). STUDY DESIGN Cervical cytology smears reported as AGC were reviewed and correlated with histologic follow-up. RESULTS Of a total of 41,500 Pap smears performed at Alexandra Hospital during 2000-2002, 113 (0.2%) were reported as AGC. Of these, 64 were classified as AGC not otherwise specified (NOS) (56.6%), 48 AGC favor neoplasia (42.5%) and 1 (0.9%) adenocarcinoma in situ. All these women underwent histological evaluation. The mean age of the patients was 52 years. Significant abnormality was found in 30 women (26.5%). Eleven percent of women with smears reported as AGC NOS and 45.8% of those with AGC favor neoplasia had significant abnormality. Of these patients, 14 (12.4%) had endometrial involvement, whereas cervical abnormalities were identified in the remaining 16 (14.1%). Older women were more likely to have involvement of the endometrium and younger women, involvement of the cervix. CONCLUSION Cytologic criteria and patient age might effectively direct the clinician toward the likely origin of AGC.
The Oncoprotein Ski Acts as an Antagonist of Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling by Suppressing Smad2 Phosphorylation*

The phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3 by the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-activated receptor kinases and their subsequent heterodimerization with Smad4 and translocation to the nucleus form the basis for a model how Smad proteins work to transmit TGF-β signals. The transcriptional activity of Smad2-Smad4 or Smad3-Smad4 complexes can be limited by the corepressor Ski, which is believed to interact with Smad complexes on TGF-β-responsive promoters and represses their ability to activate TGF-β target genes by assembling on DNA a repressor complex containing histone deacetylase. Here we show that Ski can block TGF-β signaling by interfering with the phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3 by the activated TGF-β type I receptor. Furthermore, we demonstrate that overexpression of Ski induces the assembly of Smad2-Smad4 and Smad3-Smad4 complexes independent of TGF-β signaling. The ability of Ski to engage Smad proteins in nonproductive complexes provides new insights into the molecular mechanism used by Ski for disabling TGF-β signaling.
Concentrations of energy substrates in oviductal fluid and blood plasma of pigs during the peri-ovulatory period.

Large White gilts, 9 to 18 months old, that had exhibited at least two natural oestrous cycles were divided into three groups (phases): unmated pre-ovulatory, unmated post-ovulatory and mated post-ovulatory (n = 16, 20 and 18). Oviductal luminal fluid samples were collected under anaesthesia by micropipette from the ampulla and ampullary-isthmic junction and analysed by an ultramicrofluorometric technique. Glucose concentrations (mmol 1(-1), means combining regions; mean +/- SEM) were significantly higher in blood plasma than in oviductal fluid (4.56 +/- 0.20 versus 0.59 +/- 0.16; P < 0.0001; n = 27), whereas lactate was higher in the oviduct (5.71 +/- 0.53 versus 2.48 +/- 0.24; P < 0.0001; n = 27). No significant differences were found between the ampulla and the ampullary-isthmic junction. However, the concentration of glucose was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the ampulla of the pre-ovulatory group (0.97 +/- 0.20; n = 13) compared with the mated group (0.25 +/- 0.05; n = 14) and its concentration in the ampullary-isthmic junction in the pre-ovulatory group (1.65 +/- 0.63; n = 13) was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than in the post-ovulatory (0.43 +/- 0.11; n = 11) or mated groups (0.17 +/- 0.02; n = 14). Lactate in the ampulla of mated animals was higher than in the pre-ovulatory group (6.83 +/- 0.70 versus 3.86 +/- 0.38; P < 0.05; n = 15 and 13), but neither was significantly different from the post-ovulatory group. Furthermore, no change was seen at the ampullary-isthmic junction in lactate concentration with phase. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)