Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacological characterization of P2Y receptor subtypes on isolated tiger salamander Müller cells

Müller cells express a variety of neurotransmitter receptors that permit them to “sense” the extracellular environment within the retina. We have used a battery of agonists and antagonists to characterize the purinergic receptor subtypes expressed on isolated tiger salamander Müller cells. Changes in intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) in Müller cells were measured using the Ca2+ indicator dye Fura‐2 and digital imaging microscopy. ATP, 2‐methylthio‐ATP, 2‐methylthio‐ADP, ADP, UTP, UDP, deoxyATP, and 3′‐O‐(4‐benzoyl)benzoyl ATP evoked increases in [Ca2+]i in both the presence and absence of extracellular Ca2+. Therefore, the increases we observed were likely due to intracellular Ca2+ release mediated by G‐protein‐coupled P2Y receptor activation, rather than Ca2+ influx via P2X receptor channels. The P2Y1 receptor agonists 2‐methylthio‐ATP, 2‐methylthio‐ADP, and ADP evoked increases in [Ca2+]i that were inhibited by the P2Y1 receptor antagonists adenosine 3′‐phosphate 5′‐phosphosulfate and 2′‐deoxy‐N6‐methyleneadenosine‐3′,5′‐bisphosphate. Responses to ADP were not completely inhibited by the P2Y1 receptor antagonists. The residual response to ADP could be mediated by P2Y13 receptors. UTP evoked an increase in [Ca2+]i that was partially inhibited by suramin, suggesting that Müller cells express P2Y2 and P2Y4 receptors. The P2Y6 receptor agonist UDP, and the P2Y11 receptor agonists deoxyATP, and 3′‐O‐(4‐benzoyl)benzoyl ATP, evoked increases in [Ca2+]i in Müller cells. We conclude that isolated tiger salamander Müller cells express P2Y1, P2Y2, P2Y6, P2Y11, and possibly P2Y4 and P2Y13 receptors. Therefore, the physiological release of ATP, ADP, UTP, and UDP and/or their accumulation in the retina under pathological conditions could stimulate increases in [Ca2+]i in Müller cells. GLIA 42:149–159, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Transactions Costs and Capital Structure Choice: Evidence from Financially Distressed Firms

This study provides evidence that transactions costs discourage debt reductions by financially distressed firms when they restructure their debt out of court. As a result, these firms remain highly leveraged and one-in-three subsequently experience financial distress. Transactions costs are significantly smaller, hence leverage falls by more and there is less recurrence of financial distress, when firms recontract in Chapter 11. Chapter 11 therefore gives financially distressed firms more flexibility to choose optimal capital structures.
Normative Data for Clustering and Switching on Verbal Fluency Tasks

Normative data for clustering and switching on verbal fluency tasks are provided. Four hundred and eleven healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 91 were given tests of phonemic fluency (FAS or CFL) and semantic fluency (Animals and Supermarket). Raw scores were corrected for demographic (i.e., age, education, and sex) and test (i.e., fluency form) variables that were determined to make sizable contributions to fluency performance. These normative data should be useful for clinicians and researchers in determining the nature of the fluency impairment in any given individual.
NIR Chemical Imaging for Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Products Analysis Counterfeit pharmaceutical products

Counterfeit pharmaceutical products are a real threat to the health of patients, and to the reputation and commercial success of legitimate producers of genuine products. NIR chemical imaging provides a rapid method for detecting and comparing suspected counterfeit products with no sample preparation. With appropriate choice of operating conditions, multiple samples can be compared simultaneously, or detailed compositional information can be obtained and compared from individual samples. The use of chemometrics to analyze date sets enables a wealth of information to be obtained from samples with no prior knowledge of their composition or architecture.
Response to "Observation About 'Open Surgical Release of Posttraumatic Elbow Contracture in Children and Adolescents'".

In Reply: We ‘appreciate the authors’ thoughtful letter and thank them for their comments. Preoperative planning is important in these challenging cases, and we agree that it may be useful to supplement the surgeon’s clinical examination with a variety of modalities, including ultrasound. We would like to emphasize, however, that while preoperative ultrasound of the ulnar nerve may aid in localization of the nerve, use of this modality in the setting of elbow contracture is limited. Dynamic ultrasound evaluation of ulnar nerve subluxation requires a full elbow range of motion, with the expectation that the nerve will subluxate anteriorly as it tensions longitudinally with increasing elbow flexion. For example, if a contracture prevents the elbow from flexing past 100 degrees preoperatively, the nerve may not subluxate. However, after the contracture has been released intraoperatively, if the elbow can now flex to 130 degrees, the nerve may become unstable or be at risk for postoperative traction neuropathy if left untransposed.1,2 In this situation, the surgeon should assess nerve subluxation, which may not have been evident preoperatively, by visualizing the ulnar nerve through a full range of elbow motion in the operating room. It is also important to note that ulnar neuropathy is a frequently reported complication following elbow contracture release.3 It is unlikely that this is related to poor preoperative planning or inability to identify the nerve intraoperatively. Instead, it is thought to be related to traction across a nerve that may not have been stretched to its preinjury length for months to years, depending on the duration and severity of the elbow contracture. The development of postoperative ulnar neuropathy following elbow contracture release is unpredictable, and cannot be reliably prevented with even the most rigorous preoperative evaluation.4 Samantha L. Piper, MD*w Lisa L. Lattanza, MDw Lindley B. Wall, MD* Charles A. Goldfarb, MD* *Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Washington University, St. Louis, MO wDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery University of California, San Francisco, CA
Interpretation of Collaborative Decisions by Meta-metrics

Knowledge is bound to person. It originates in persons and is used by persons. Knowledge can be based on data and information. It also represents a combination of classified experiences, values, context and expertise, which provides a framework for the evaluation of these experiences and information. Consolidated knowledge from multiple persons can, however, result in false outcomes, especially when values are transformed into metrics. Due to the occurring aggregation, particular information about personspecific differences in determining the overall assessment of a community is lost. Two similar assessments can be based on entirely different single evaluations, expertises or totalities. Hence, the assessment regarding their quality, balance and stability should be performed differently. Metrics about the initial data basis are necessary in order to provide interpretation aid. This paper introduces the meta-metrics for the interpretation of collaborative decision makings in communities of practice.
A Note on Body Movement during Understimulation *

12. Postman, L . and Schneider, B. : "Personal Values, Visual Recognition and Recall," Psychol. Review, Vol. 58, pp. 271, 1951. 13. Solomon, R. L . and Howes, D. H. : "Word Frequency, Personal Values and Visual Duration Thresholds," Psychol. Review, Vol. 58, pp. 256, 1951. 14. Walters, R. H. , Banks, R. K. and Ryder, R. R. : "A Test of the Perceptual Defense Hypothesis. " J . Person. , Vol. 27, pp. 47, 1959. 15. Zigler, E . and Vospe, L . "Perceptual De­ fense and the Problem of Response Sup­ pression. " J . Person, Vol. 28, pp. 220, 1960.
Decision planning of a quadrotor in dynamical environment

This paper investigates the decision planning problem of a quadrotor in dynamical environment where there are moving target robots that are ready to be driven into an aim area by turn commands from the quadrotor. First, a model of the decision planning problem is formulated. Second, a searching based planning algorithm is proposed for the quadrotor to determine when and where to command which target robot. A pruning function is designed in the proposed algorithm to guarantee that the obtained decision sequences are feasible. Guard conditions are set to avoid decision oscillation. Simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
The Relative Merits of Acute Phase Proteins in the Recognition of Inflammatory Conditions

A study has been undertaken on the relative merits of a variety of acute phase proteins in the assessment of patients with inflammatory conditions. Five acute phase proteins (α1-antitrypsin, α1-antichymotrypsin, orosomucoid, haptoglobin and C-reactive protein) and the ESR were measured in 171 patients presenting to the gastroenterologists (gastrointestinal disease: 130, other disease: 41). Assessment of the sensitivity and specificity of the proteins and the ESR showed α1-antichymotrypsin to be the most sensitive test (95%) with specificity (81%) similar to the other acute phase proteins measured. Factors such as oestrogens, renal failure and genetic variants affected the value of α1-antitrypsin, orosomucoid and haptoglobin. In the routine protein laboratory the combination of a ‘short’ half-life and ‘long’ half-life protein is likely to offer the most useful screen for inflammation in samples obtained from a wide range of patients. The two acute phase proteins C-reactive protein and α1-antichymotrypsin fulfil these criteria.
Proton MR and human cervical neoplasia: ex vivo spectroscopy allows distinction of invasive carcinoma of the cervix from carcinoma in situ and other preinvasive lesions.

The concept that high-resolution (8.5-T) hydrogen-1 magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy can be used as an adjunct to conventional histologic diagnosis of cervical neoplasia was investigated. Cervical biopsy specimens (n = 159) were examined with H-1 MR spectroscopy and the results compared with results of histopathologic analysis. A high-resolution lipid MR spectrum was observed in 39 of 40 invasive carcinomas, whereas the 119 preinvasive samples showed little or no lipid spectrum but were characterized by a strong unresolved resonance between 3.8 and 4.2 ppm. Peak ratios of the methylene/methyl and the unresolved/methylene resonances allowed accurate distinction between invasive and preinvasive epithelial malignancy (P < .0001). Since MR spectroscopic examination does not destroy the specimen, the specimens remained intact for further testing and histopathologic analysis. The authors conclude that H-1 MR spectroscopy can independently allow distinction between invasive and preinvasive lesions of the cervix and has the potential to assist in clinical management of cervical cancer.
A model of fan identification: antecedents and sponsorship outcomes

This study examines the impact of fan identification on four distinct sponsorship outcomes: sponsor recognition, attitude toward the sponsor, sponsor patronage, and satisfaction with the sponsor. In addition, consistent with the identification literature we investigate the antecedents of prestige, domain involvement, and fan associations for predicting fan identification among sports spectators. Utilizing structural equation modeling the findings support the premise that highly identified fans are more likely to exhibit the investigated sponsorship outcomes. In addition, we found that the investigated antecedents may aid in predicting fan identification. Our findings are discussed, managerial implications presented, and future research directions provided.
Childhood mental ability and blood pressure at midlife: linking the Scottish Mental Survey 1932 and the Midspan studies

Objectives To establish the relationship between childhood mental ability and adult hypertension. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Community. Participants Non-clinical sample of people born in 1921 who participated in both the Scottish Mental Survey 1932 and the Midspan studies. Nine hundred and thirty-eight people were participants in both studies. Main outcome measures Mid-life systolic and diastolic blood pressure, intelligence quotient (IQ) at age 11 years, sex, social class, height and weight. Results After adjustment for age, sex, social class, body mass index, height, cholesterol level and smoking, there remained a 3.15 mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure and a 1.5 mmHg decrease in diastolic blood pressure for each standard deviation increase in childhood IQ. Conclusions The association between hypertension and lower cognitive function in adulthood is partly accounted for by individual differences in childhood IQ.
The Critical Period for Experience‐dependent Plasticity in a System of Binocular Visual Connections in Xenopus laevis: Its Extension by Dark‐rearing

Following surgical rotation of an eye, the Xenopus‘intertectal’ system is capable of a vision‐dependent alteration of its connectivity, that restores spatial registration of binocular maps on the optic tectum. In the preceding paper (Keating and Grant, Eur. J. Neurosci., 4, 27–36, 1992), we reported that this capacity undergoes a progressive, age‐dependent restriction during a critical period around the time of metamorphosis, so that rotations produced in animals aged 3 months postmetamorphosis normally evoke no such alteration of the system. Here we examine whether this restriction is rigidly age‐dependent or whether vision can influence its profile. We report that in animals dark‐reared from embryonic stage 35 through the critical period to 3 months, 1 year or even 2 years after metamorphosis, rotations instituted at those ages now result in intertectal reorganization if a period of normal vision is allowed after the operation. Similarly, intertectal alteration was also seen in animals eye‐rotated at larval stage 58, then dark‐reared just for the duration of the critical period, and subsequently returned, at 3 months of age, to a normal visual environment. We conclude, therefore, that the normal developmental restriction in the plasticity of the Xenopus intertectal system is not strictly age‐dependent, but that vision contributes to the process by activating the underlying plasticity mechanisms.
A tetrapeptide‐based method for polyproline II‐type secondary structure prediction

We describe a new method for polyproline II‐type (PPII) secondary structure prediction based on tetrapeptide conformation properties using data obtained from all globular proteins in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). This is the first method for PPII prediction with a relatively high level of accuracy (∼60%). Our method uses only frequencies of different conformations among oligopeptides without any additional parameters. We also attempted to predict α‐helices and β‐strands using the same approach. We find that the application of our method reveals interrelation between sequence and structure even for very short oligopeptides (tetrapeptides). Proteins 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acute and Long‐Term Effects of Chlorpromazine on Glutamine Synthetase and Glutaminase in Rat Brain

Abstract: The effect of administration of chlorpromazine on the activity of glutamine synthetase and glutaminase and the content of glutamate and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) in different regions of rat brain was studied in an investigation of the possible role of these amino acids in the lowering of the seizure threshold following prolonged administration of chlorpromazine. Chlorpromazine was administered at a dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight s.c. For the acute study, the animals were killed 20 min after a single injection. For the long‐term study, the animals were treated every day with the same dose for 21 days and were killed 20 min after the last injection. The results showed an increase in glutamate level in each brain region investigated following long‐term administration, but only in the cerebral cortex after a single dose. GABA levels showed an increase in the brainstem only in acute experiments. Glutamine synthetase activity was increased in all three regions after a single dose and only in cerebral cortex after long‐term administration. Glutaminase activity showed a decrease in cerebral cortex only after long‐term administration of the drug. These results suggest the possible occurrence of a state of increased excitability in the brain as a result of long‐term administration of chlorpromazine, thus contributing to the known complication of seizures.
Angular dependence of the nanoDot OSL dosimeter.

PURPOSE Optically stimulated luminescent detectors (OSLDs) are quickly gaining popularity as passive dosimeters, with applications in medicine for linac output calibration verification, brachytherapy source verification, treatment plan quality assurance, and clinical dose measurements. With such wide applications, these dosimeters must be characterized for numerous factors affecting their response. The most abundant commercial OSLD is the InLight/OSL system from Landauer, Inc. The purpose of this study was to examine the angular dependence of the nanoDot dosimeter, which is part of the InLight system. METHODS Relative dosimeter response data were taken at several angles in 6 and 18 MV photon beams, as well as a clinical proton beam. These measurements were done within a phantom at a depth beyond the build-up region. To verify the observed angular dependence, additional measurements were conducted as well as Monte Carlo simulations in MCNPX. RESULTS When irradiated with the incident photon beams parallel to the plane of the dosimeter, the nanoDot response was 4% lower at 6 MV and 3% lower at 18 MV than the response when irradiated with the incident beam normal to the plane of the dosimeter. Monte Carlo simulations at 6 MV showed similar results to the experimental values. Examination of the results in Monte Carlo suggests the cause as partial volume irradiation. In a clinical proton beam, no angular dependence was found. CONCLUSIONS A nontrivial angular response of this OSLD was observed in photon beams. This factor may need to be accounted for when evaluating doses from photon beams incident from a variety of directions.
"Acadian" and "classical" forms of Friedreich ataxia are most probably caused by mutations at the same locus.

"Acadian ataxia" is a form of Friedreich ataxia found in individuals of Acadian ancestry. It was described by Barbeau (in Sobue I (ed): Spinocerebellar Degeneration; Tokyo: Univ. Tokyo Press, pp 121-142, 1980) as having a slower course of degeneration and less severe secondary symptoms than "classical" Friedreich ataxia. He suggested that these 2 forms of the disease may be distinct. The mutation causing "classical" Friedreich ataxia has recently been mapped to chromosome 9 through genetic linkage studies, and here we show that the locus causing Friedreich ataxia in Acadian families from southwestern Louisiana is tightly linked to the same DNA marker, D9S15. Thus, these 2 disorders, which may be differentiated clinically, are most probably due to mutation(s) at the same locus on chromosome 9.
Analysis of Surgical Treatment of Patients with Carotid Artery Stenosis Endarterectomy Versus Stenting

Abstract The aim of this paper is to characterize a group of patients with internal carotid artery stenosis and to analyze the outcome of internal carotid artery stenosis treatment. The outcome of treatment of 230 patients with internal carotid artery stenosis hospitalized from 1st January 2004 to 31st August 2006 was analyzed. Twenty nine percent of the patients were selected for medical treatment, 70.4% received surgical or endovascular treatment (83.3% of all invasive procedures were endarterectomies, versus 16.7% stenting). The peri-procedural stroke-death rate was 4.9% of patients [3.7% after CEA and 11.1% after CAS (N.S.)]. Statistical analysis disclosed that endarterectomy was associated with a longer in-hospital stay (p < 0.001). In conclusion: Both surgical methods, endarterectomy and stenting are equivalent in safety and present comparable clinical outcomes in selected subgroups of patients (classified to the specific procedure on the basis of the type of atherosclerotic plaque).
Suppression of Hepatitis C Virus Replicon by RNA Interference Directed against the NS3 and NS5B Regions of the Viral Genome

RNA interference (RNAi) is a phenomenon in which small interfering RNA (siRNA), an RNA duplex 21 to 23 nucleotides (nt) long, or short hairpin RNA (shRNA) resembling siRNA, mediates degradation of the target RNA molecule in a sequence‐specific manner. RNAi is now expected to be a useful therapeutic strategy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In the present study we compared the efficacy of a number of shRNAs directed against different target regions of the HCV genome, such as 5′‐untranslated region (5′UTR) (nt 286 to 304), Core (nt 371 to 389), NS3–1 (nt 2052 to 2060), NS3–2 (nt 2104 to 2122), and NS5B (nt 7326 to 7344), all of which except for NS5B are conserved among most, if not all, HCV subtype 1b (HCV‐1b) isolates in Japan. We utilized two methods to express shRNAs, one utilizing an expression plasmid (pAVU6+27) and the other utilizing a recombinant lentivirus harboring the pAVU6+27‐derived expression cassette. Although 5′UTR has been considered to be the most suitable region for therapeutic siRNA and/or shRNA because of its extremely high degree of sequence conservation, we observed only a faint suppression of an HCV subgenomic replicon by shRNA against 5′UTR. In both plasmid‐ and lentivirus‐mediated expression systems, shRNAs against NS3–1 and NS5B suppressed most efficiently the replication of the HCV replicon without suppressing host cellular gene expression. Synthetic siRNA against NS3–1 also inhibited replication of the HCV replicon in a dose‐dependent manner. Taken together, the present results imply the possibility that the recombinant lentivirus expressing shRNA against NS3–1 would be a useful tool to inhibit HCV‐1b infection.
Current roles of specific bacteria in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease

The relevance of alterations in gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains unclear. Currently there is conflicting evidence with regards to the roles of specific bacterial species. Escherichia coli (particularly the adherent invasive strain) are more prevalent in those with IBD and are associated with higher risk of IBD. However, the organisms are also present in healthy individuals and colonisation does not correlate with the degree of inflammation in IBD. Campylobacter concisus is more prevalent in those with IBD and higher levels of C. concisus specific IgG antibodies are found in the serum of those with IBD compared to healthy controls. Further, C. concisus has immunogenic properties that stimulate an antibody response suggesting the bacteria might trigger or exacerbate disease. Conversely most mycobacteria are unlikely to be causative as they are not presentin microbial stool cultures early in disease. In various studies, Mycobacterium aviumparatuberculosis has been detected both more frequently and not at all in individuals with Crohn's disease. Similar conflict exists with respect to Yersinia enterocolitica,Bacteroidesvulgatus and Helicobacter hepaticus , which are also more prevalent in IBD. However, these organisms appear more likely to contribute to disease persistence than initial disease development. This review aims to summarise the current understanding of key bacterial species implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD.