Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal and age variation of United States black/white cause-specific mortality differentials: a study of the recent changes in the relative health status of the United States black population.

The relative age-specific medical progress of the United States blacks and whites is examined by studying detailed age variation in their cause-specific relative mortality risks for the period 1962 through 1975. The results show considerable variation in both the change and absolute level of sex- and age-specific relative mortality risks for major causes of death during the period. Interesting observations about the relative mortality risks are the tendency for black females to have decreasing relative risks at early ages the relative increases in cancer risks for black males and the decrease in the relative risks of stroke for both sexes. (EXCERPT)
Behavioral and neural evidence of increased attention to the bottom half of the face in deaf signers.

PURPOSE This study examined the effects of deafness and sign language use on the distribution of attention across the top and bottom halves of faces. METHODS In a composite face task, congenitally deaf signers and typically hearing controls made same/different judgments of the top or bottom halves of faces presented with the halves aligned or spatially misaligned, while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. RESULTS Both groups were more accurate when judging misaligned than aligned faces, which indicates holistic face processing. Misalignment affected all ERP components examined, with effects on the N170 resembling those of face inversion. Hearing adults were similarly accurate when judging the top and bottom halves of the faces, but deaf signers were more accurate when attending to the bottom than the top. Attending to the top elicited faster P1 and N170 latencies for both groups; within the deaf group, this effect was greatest for individuals who produced the highest accuracies when attending to the top. CONCLUSIONS These findings dovetail with previous research by providing behavioral and neural evidence of increased attention to the bottom half of the face in deaf signers, and by documenting that these effects generalize to a speeded task, in the absence of gaze shifts, with neutral facial expressions.
Color and Texture Based Image Retrieval Feature Descriptor using Local Mesh Maximum Edge Co-occurrence Pattern

A novel descriptor is designed and developed for extracting the features from large databases. The descriptor is known as LMeMECoP that is local mesh maximum edge co-occurrence patterns. Information of local maximum edge is collected between the possible neighbors for provided centre pixel that is the reference pixel. The maximum edge collection is in the form of mesh intended for reference pixel. The information of extracted maximum edge is utilized for forming binary bits. The co-occurrence bits are collected later for appropriate centre pixel by means of maximum edge response information. In the end, the patterns are generated from the co-occurrence bits between the provided pixels with its neighbor pixels. The combination of texture information with color information takes place for enhancing the proposed method performance. The change of RGB to HSV color space is executed for general histogram and color centered feature for each color space. Generation of final feature is executed with the integration of texture based features with color based features. The LMeMECoP assessment is executed by proposed method testing on Corel 5K with Corel 10 K and MIT VisTex dB centered on ARP (average retrieval precision). The output after investigation has shown that LMeMECoP has shown a tremendous betterment in terms of ARP on Corel-5K and Corel-10K dB.
Fine mapping of QTL for prepulse inhibition in LG/J and SM/J mice using F2 and advanced intercross lines

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response is a measure of sensorimotor gating, a process that filters out extraneous sensory, motor and cognitive information. Humans with neurological and psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, obsessive‐compulsive disorder and Huntington's disease, exhibit a reduction in PPI. Habituation of the startle response is also disrupted in schizophrenic patients. In order to elucidate the genes involved in sensorimotor gating, we phenotyped 472 mice from an F2 cross between LG/J × SM/J for PPI and genotyped these mice genome‐wide using 162 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. We used prepulse intensity levels that were 3, 6 and 12 dB above background (PPI3, PPI6 and PPI12, respectively). We identified a significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 12 for all three prepulse intensities as well as a significant QTL for both PPI6 and PPI12 on chromosome 11. We identified QTLs on chromosomes 7 and 17 for the startle response when sex was included as an interactive covariate and found a QTL for habituation of the startle response on chromosome 4. We also phenotyped 135 mice from an F34 advanced intercross line (AIL) between LG/J × SM/J for PPI and genotyped them at more than 3000 SNP markers. Inclusions of data from the AIL mice reduced the size of several of these QTLs to less than 5 cM. These results will be useful for identifying genes that influence sensorimotor gaiting and show the power of AIL for fine mapping of QTLs.
Nodular hepatocellular carcinomas: detection with arterial-, portal-, and delayed-phase images at spiral CT.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effectiveness of three-phase spiral computed tomography (CT) for the evaluation of nodular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Images obtained at three-phase spiral CT in 45 patients with 81 nodular HCCs were reviewed. Images were obtained with 10-mm collimation and 10 mm/sec table speed during intravenous administration of 2 mL/kg 68% nonionic contrast material at a rate of 3 mL/sec. Hepatic arterial-phase (AP), portal-phase (PP), and delayed-phase (DP) images were obtained 25-30 seconds, 60-70 seconds, and 300 seconds, respectively, after injection of the contrast material. Lesion detectability and conspicuity were compared among these three protocols by two readers. RESULTS The AP images depicted a statistically significantly larger number of lesions (n = 67), although the differences in the number of lesions depicted between the PP and DP images were not statistically significant. Twenty-one lesions were detected only with the AP images, three with the PP images, and seven with the DP images. The most clearly visualized lesions were most commonly depicted on the AP images (n = 47) rather than the PP images (n = 11) or the DP images (n = 23). CONCLUSION Lesion detection and conspicuity were best with the AP images. However, some lesions were detected only with the DP and PP images, so that maximum lesion visualization is achieved by using all three phases.
Activin A prevents neuron-like PC12 cell apoptosis after oxygen-glucose deprivation

In this study, PC12 cells were induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells using nerve growth factor, and were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation. Cells were treated with 0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 ng/mL exogenous Activin A. The 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and Hoechst 33324 staining showed that the survival percentage of PC12 cells significantly decreased and the rate of apoptosis significantly increased after oxygen-glucose deprivation. Exogenous Activin A significantly increased the survival percentage of PC12 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Reverse transcription-PCR results revealed a significant increase in Activin receptor IIA, Smad3 and Smad4 mRNA levels, which are key sites in the Activin A/Smads signaling pathway, in neuron-like cells subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation, while mRNA expression of the apoptosis-regulation gene caspase-3 decreased. Our experimental findings indicate that exogenous Activin A plays an anti-apoptotic role and protects neurons by means of activating the Activin A/Smads signaling pathway.
Second‐messenger regulation of sodium transport in mammalian airway epithelia.

1. Sodium absorption is the dominant ion transport process in conducting airways and is a major factor regulating the composition of airway surface liquid. However, little is known about the control of airway sodium transport by intracellular regulatory pathways. 2. In sheep tracheae and human bronchi mounted in Ussing chambers under short circuit conditions, the sodium current can be isolated by pretreating tissues with acetazolamide (100 microM) to inhibit bicarbonate secretion, bumetanide (100 microM) to inhibit chloride secretion and phloridzin (200 microM) to inhibit sodium‐glucose cotransport. This sodium current consists of amiloride‐sensitive (57%) and amiloride‐insensitive (43%) components. 3. The regulation of the isolated sodium current by three second messenger pathways was studied using the calcium ionophore A23187 to elevate intracellular calcium, a combination of forskolin and the phosphodiesterase inhibitor zardaverine to elevate intracellular cyclic AMP, and the phorbol ester 12,13‐phorbol dibutyrate (PDB) to stimulate protein kinase C. 4. In sheep trachea, A23187 produces a dose‐related inhibition of the sodium current with maximal effect (38% of ISC) at 10 microM and IC50 1 microM. This response affects both the amiloride‐sensitive and insensitive components of the sodium current and is not altered by prior stimulation of protein kinase C or elevation of intracellular cyclic AMP. In human bronchi, A23187 (10 microM) produced a significantly greater inhibition of ISC (68%), a response which was unaffected by prior treatment with PDB or forskolin‐zardaverine. 5. In sheep trachea, stimulation of protein kinase C with PDB produced a dose‐related inhibition of ISC maximal (56% of ISC) at 50 nM (IC50 7 nM). This response was abolished by amiloride (100 microM) pretreatment suggesting a selective effect on the amiloride‐sensitive component of the sodium current. The response was not altered by prior elevation of intracellular calcium or cyclic AMP. PDB (10 nM) caused a similar inhibition of ISC in human bronchi (43%). The effect of PKC stimulation following pretreatment with A23187 was diminished in human bronchi. Elevating intracellular cyclic AMP did not alter this response. 6. Addition of forskolin (1 microM) together with the phosphodiesterase inhibitor zardaverine (100 microM) produced a mean 35‐fold increase in intracellular cyclic AMP in sheep trachea. This was associated with a small, but significant, 6% transient increase in ISC followed by a significant 4% fall. Neither effect could be abolished by amiloride pretreatment. In human bronchi, a small decrease in ISC which could not be distinguished from that occurring in controls was observed. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Resistance to Environmental Stress in Drosophila melanogaster Selected for Postponed Senescence

Adult Drosophila melanogaster from populations that exhibit postponed senescence were compared to flies from control populations. Male and female flies from populations displaying postponed senescence were significantly more resistant than control flies to desiccation, starvation, and the vapor of a 15% ethanol solution. In the presence of desiccant or when humidity was not controlled, flies from postponed-senescence populations were more resistant than controls to heat stress in the range 37-39 C. Differences in heat tolerance disappeared when experiments were conducted at high humidity. Tolerance to starvation increased with age for females but remained approximately constant for males. Tolerance to desiccation decreased with age for both sexes. Differences between control and postponed-senescence populations with respect to starvation resistance and desiccation resistance were obtained at all ages examined. Females from postponed-senescence populations had lower proportional water content than did females from control populations. Differences in water content cannot explain the greater desiccation resistance of flies from postponed-senescence populations. Genetically increased life span in these D. melanogaster populations appears to result proximally from greater resistance to mortality arising from environmental stress.
Wnt Signaling Inhibits Adipogenesis through β-Catenin-dependent and -independent Mechanisms*

Wnt signaling has been reported to block apoptosis and regulate differentiation of mesenchymal progenitors through inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 and stabilization of β-catenin. The effects of Wnt in preadipocytes may be mediated through Frizzled (Fz) 1 and/or Fz2 as these Wnt receptors are expressed in preadipocytes and their expression declines upon induction of differentiation. We ectopically expressed constitutively active chimeras between Wnt8 and Fz1 or Fz2 in preadipocytes and mesenchymal precursor cells. Our results indicated that activated Fz1 increases stability of β-catenin, inhibits apoptosis, induces osteoblastogenesis, and inhibits adipogenesis. Although activated Fz2 does not influence apoptosis or osteoblastogenesis, it inhibits adipogenesis through a mechanism independent of β-catenin. An important mediator of the β-catenin-independent pathway appears to be calcineurin because inhibitors of this serine/threonine phosphatase partially rescue the block to adipogenesis caused by Wnt3a or activated Fz2. These data supported a model in which Wnt signaling inhibits adipogenesis through both β-catenin-dependent and β-catenin-independent mechanisms.
A modified model of global ischaemia: application to the study of syncytial mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis.

OBJECTIVE The aim was to develop a simple modified global ischaemia preparation to study the relation between ischaemic zone size and the incidence of ischaemia induced and reperfusion induced arrhythmias, to test the hypothesis that arrhythmias are initiated by flow of injury current between the ischaemic zone and the uninvolved myocardium. The new model was used to examine whether injury current suppression is involved in the mechanism of action of a new antiarrhythmic intervention, substitution of chloride anion by nitrate. METHODS Isolated perfused (Langendorff mode) rat hearts (n = 12 per group) were subjected to 30 min global or regional ischaemia. Ventricular arrhythmia incidence during ischaemia and during reperfusion were related to the size of the involved region. The modified model of global ischaemia employed right intra-atrial superfusion to maintain normal sinus rate and 1:1 atrioventricular (AV) conduction. RESULTS Sham ligation, low left coronary ligation, high left coronary ligation, and global ischaemia produced, as a percentage of total ventricular weight, 0%, 21.0(SEM 0.8)%, 47.0(1.0)%, and 100% regions of ischaemia (occluded zones). Heart rates were similar in each group and AV block did not occur. The incidences of ischaemia induced ventricular fibrillation (VF) were 0, 17, 75, and 17% with increasing occluded zone sizes. Incidences of reperfusion induced VF were 0, 8, 92, and 92% respectively. The antiarrhythmic action of substitution of extracellular chloride by nitrate, previously shown using models of regional ischaemia, was confirmed in the modified global ischaemia model. CONCLUSIONS These findings strongly support the theory that current of injury between ischaemia and adjacent non-ischaemic zones is necessary for initiation of ischaemia induced VF, since susceptibility was maximal when ischaemic and uninvolved regions were equivalent in size (and the scope for injury current was maximal) whereas susceptibility was negligible when scope was minimal. In contrast, reperfusion induced VF appears to depend only on the presence and amount of reperfused tissue, indicating that flow of injury current between involved and uninvolved tissue is unnecessary for its initiation. Discrimination of the mechanism of action of antiarrhythmic interventions may be possible since drugs effective solely via amelioration of flow of injury current (or incrementation of collateral flow) will not influence arrhythmias in this model. Modification of injury current and collateral flow do not appear to contribute to the antiarrhythmic action of substitution of extracellular chloride by nitrate.
A Quantitative High-Throughput Endothelial Cell Migration Assay

By combining the use of BD Biosciences Fluoro Blok ™ membrane-based Boyden chambers with the Cellomics HCS Array Scan, a more sensitive method formeasuring cellmigration has been developed. This assay is based on counting nuclei ofmigrated cells on the bottomof the filter rather than conventional approaches, which usemeasurement of totalwell fluorescence. This cellmigration assay provides approximately 10-fold increased signal/background compared to conventional approaches and can be used to assess the effects of growth factors on endothelial cell migration and to screen chemical compounds for inhibitory effects on growth factor–mediated endothelial cell migration.
Renal denervation and regression of left ventricular hypertrophy.

This editorial refers to ‘Effect of renal denervation on left ventricular mass and function in patients with resistant hypertension: data from a multicentre cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging trial’, by F. Mahfoud et al. , on page doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehu093. Effective blood pressure (BP) control in hypertensive patients is still a missed objective, leading to an unacceptably high rate of cardiovascular events. This is particularly true in the case of resistant hypertension. Among the 53 530 stable hypertensive patients with subclinical or established atherothrombotic disease enrolled in the international Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) registry, the presence of resistant hypertension is related to an increased incidence of a composite outcome of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke at 4 years.1 Left ventricular (LV) mass determined at echocardiography is a potent independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in essential hypertension, and its reduction during treatment has a favourable prognostic impact.2 In resistant hypertensive patients the prevalence of LV hypertrophy (LVH) is exceptionally high, ranging from 55% to 81%. 3 This is not surprising, given that the primum movens of LVH is haemodynamic. When BP increases, the resulting increment in wall stress can be offset by an increase in wall thickness; …
Managing emotions for the treatment of patients with chronic low back pain

Improving the quality of life of people is one of the main objectives of the HCI discipline. At this point, target audience are patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Fear-avoidance theory explains how patients develop chronic pain. Thus, if the patient can learn to manage their emotions through biofeedback and neurofeedback her knowledge about emotions can be changed and as a result pain is avoided. To carry out this process a gamified application, in addition to the management of bio-signals such as galvanic skin response or using electroencephalograms to know what emotional state, has been designed. A pilot project is underway in primary care centers in Lleida.
Inflammatory bowel disease in children and young adults: correlation of sonographic and clinical parameters during treatment.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the sonographic findings of inflammatory bowel disease activity in children undergoing treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Eighty-eight sonograms were obtained of 23 bowel segments in 17 children and young adults (age range, 10-21 years; mean, 16 years) with new or recurrent inflammatory bowel disease. Sixteen segments were involved with Crohn's disease and seven with ulcerative colitis. Serial sonography (range, two to eight examinations; mean, four per segment) was performed while patients underwent treatment. Bowel wall thickness measurements and color and power Doppler sonography grading were recorded and compared with clinical data. RESULTS All 17 patients had at least one abnormal bowel segment on initial sonography. The correlation was significant (p < 0.01). Agreement was 91% on direction of change over time between bowel wall thickness and Doppler grades, with 100% correlation between color and power Doppler sonography grades. In patients with Crohn's disease, the correlation was significant (p < 0.05) between bowel wall thickness and Doppler grades with two of seven and four of seven clinical parameters, respectively. In patients with ulcerative colitis, the correlation was significant (p < 0.05) between bowel wall thickness and Doppler sonography grades with four of seven and three of seven clinical parameters, respectively. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate correlated with all sonographic measurements in both patient groups. Combining bowel wall thickness and Doppler sonography, the percentage of agreement was significant in the direction of change, with five of seven clinical parameters in both patient groups. CONCLUSION Gray-scale and color or power Doppler sonography can show changes in disease activity in children and young adults undergoing treatment for inflammatory bowel disease.
Novel genetic algorithm search procedure for LEED surface structure determination

Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) is one of the most powerful experimental techniques for surface structure analysis but until now only a trial-and-error approach has been successful. So far, fitting procedures developed to optimize structural and nonstructural parameters—by minimization of the R-factor—have had a fairly small convergence radius, suitable only for local optimization. However, the identification of the global minimum among the several local minima is essential for complex surface structures. Global optimization methods have been applied to LEED structure determination, but they still require starting from structures that are relatively close to the correct one, in order to find the final structure. For complex systems, the number of trial structures and the resulting computation time increase so rapidly that the task of finding the correct model becomes impractical using the present methodologies. In this work we propose a new search method, based on Genetic Algorithms, which is able to determine the correct structural model starting from completely random structures. This method—called here NGA-LEED for Novel Genetic Algorithm for LEED—utilizes bond lengths and symmetry criteria to select reasonable trial structures before performing LEED calculations. This allows a reduction of the parameter space and, consequently of the calculation time, by several orders of magnitude. A refinement of the parameters by least squares fit of simulated annealing is performed only at some intermediate stages and in the final step. The method was successfully tested for two systems, Ag(1 1 1)(4 × 4)-O and Au(1 1 0)-(1 × 2), both in theory versus theory and in theory versus experiment comparisons. Details of the implementation as well as the results for these two systems are presented.