Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volatile Anesthetics Enhance Flash-induced &ggr; Oscillations in Rat Visual Cortex

Background: The authors sought to understand neural correlates of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness. Cortical &ggr; oscillations have been associated with neural processes supporting conscious perception, but the effect of general anesthesia on these oscillations is controversial. In this study, the authors examined three volatile anesthetics, halothane, isoflurane, and desflurane, and compared their effects on flash-induced &ggr; oscillations in terms of equivalent concentrations producing the loss of righting reflex (1 minimum alveolar concentration for the loss of righting [MACLR]). Methods: Light flashes were presented every 5 s for 5 min, and event-related potentials were recorded from primary visual cortex of 15 rats with a chronically implanted bipolar electrode at increasing anesthetic concentrations (0–2.4 MACLR). Early cortical response was obtained by averaging poststimulus (0–100 ms) potentials filtered at 20–60 Hz across 60 trials. Late (100–1,000 ms) &ggr; power was calculated using multitaper power spectral technique. Wavelet decomposition was used to determine spectral and temporal distributions of &ggr; power. Results: The authors found that (1) halothane, isoflurane, and desflurane enhanced the flash-evoked early cortical response in a concentration-dependent manner; (2) the effective concentration for this enhancement was the lowest for isoflurane, intermediate for halothane, and the highest for desflurane when compared at equal fractions of the concentration that led to a loss of righting; (3) the power of flash-induced late (> 100 ms) &ggr; oscillations was augmented at intermediate concentrations of all three anesthetic agents; and (4) flash-induced &ggr; power was not reduced below waking baseline even in deep anesthesia. Conclusions: These findings suggest that a reduction in flash-induced &ggr; oscillations in rat visual cortex is not a unitary correlate of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness.
Improved natural crossover operators in GBIVIL

Aguilar-Ruiz et al proposed crossover operators, both discrete and continuous, for the natural representation (henceforth called NCO). NCO showed advantages in accuracy and in efficiency compared to the binary ones. However, they do not explore the search space like the two points crossover when the binary coding is used. In order to do so, in our previous work we proposed a new natural discrete crossover operator, which gave very good results compared to C4.5 in several UCI databases. Nonetheless, it was not experimentally compared to NCO. So, in this work, we perform this comparison in the same datasets and define a new natural continuous crossover operator, which is also compared to the continuous NCO operator. The experimental results showed the advantages of both new natural operators: our discrete operator achieves better accuracy and simpler concepts using less time, whereas our continuous operator is also able to explore the search space in a more efficient way, leading to better results in less time.
Anthracosis and anthracofibrosis.

OBJECTIVE To define the clinical, radiographic, and bronchoscopic features, and to describe the occupations of the largest group of patients with anthracosis. METHODS All patients who underwent flexible bronchoscopy at 2 Iranian hospitals (Imam Hospital [Tehran], and Tohid Hospital [Sanandaj]), Iran, between April 1982 and June 2006 were considered for inclusion in the study. The demographic data, clinical, and radiographic findings of anthracotic and anthracofibrotic patients were recorded. RESULTS Of the 14,300 patients, 487 cases of simple anthracosis, and 291 of anthracofibrosis were found. A total of 98.4% female patients were housewives, and 86.4% lived in rural areas. Of the male patients, 40.6% were farmers, 29.6% were manual workers, and 7.5% were miners. Of these, 96% of patients had abnormal chest radiography. On bronchoscopic examination, bilateral bronchial involvement was found in 62.5% of the patients. The condition was confined to the trachea in 0.38% of patients, the bronchi involved were the main bronchus in 37%, the lobar bronchi in 83.2%, and segmental bronchi in 35%. Bronchial narrowing and obstruction was observed in 37.4% of the patients. CONCLUSION Anthracosis and anthracofibrosis are neglected conditions that are a common finding on routine bronchoscopic examination. Given the demographic findings, and a review of other reports from developing countries, exposure to combustion of biomass fuel in rural areas is a possible risk factor.
Heart Rate Variability Response to Standing in Men and Women Receiving d,l-Sotalol Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Heart rate variability (HRV), a quantitative marker of autonomic control of heart rate (HR), declines in men and women following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Although d,l-sotalol is prescribed following CABG surgery primarily for its antiarrhythmic effect, its effects on HRV have not been reported; the β-adrenergic antagonist effect of d,l-sotalol may attenuate sympathetically mediated HR and blood pressure (BP) responses to standing, resulting in postural hypotension. In this study, the HRV response to standing 4 days following CABG surgery in men and women prescribed d,l-sotalol was measured to examine the influence of d,l-sotalol on previously reported HRV responses, taking age and gender into consideration. Participants included 28 men and 10 women who completed testing in supine and standing postures; all had received low-dose d,l-sotalol daily since the first postoperative day. Data included continuous electrocardiograph recording of R-R interval for 10 min in each posture. Participants showed significant effects of standing on the autonomic modulation of HR, as seen by a decrease in parasympathetic indices and R-R interval and an increase in BP. In men, standing decreased parasympathetic modulation and increased the sympathetic nervous system indicator, but previously reported age effects were not seen. In women, standing decreased low frequency power and R-R interval and increased BP, with older women having a smaller increase in BP, suggesting an attenuated response. The differential autonomic nervous system modulation of HR as a function of gender and age after CABG surgery may be attenuated by d,l-sotalol.
Relationship between leisure time screen activity and aggressive and violent behaviour in Iranian children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-IV Study

Background: This study aimed to assess the relationship between leisure time spent watching television (TV) and at a computer and aggressive and violent behaviour in children and adolescents. Methods: In this nationwide study, 14,880 school students, aged 6–18 years, were selected by cluster and stratified multi-stage sampling method from 30 provinces in Iran. The World Health Organization Global School-based Health Survey questionnaire (WHO-GSHS) was used. Results: Overall, 13,486 children and adolescents (50·8% boys, 75·6% urban residents) completed the study (participation rate 90·6%). The risk of physical fighting and quarrels increased by 29% (OR 1·29, 95% CI 1·19–1·40) with watching TV for >2 hr/day, by 38% (OR 1·38, 95% CI 1·21–1·57) with leisure time computer work of >2 hr/day, and by 42% (OR 1·42, 95% CI 1·28–1·58) with the total screen time of >2 hr/day. Watching TV or leisure time spent on a computer or total screen time of >2 hr/day increased the risk of bullying by 30% (OR 1·30, 95% CI 1·18–1·43), 57% (1·57, 95% CI 1·34–1·85) and 62% (OR 1·62, 95% CI 1·43–1·83). Spending >2 hr/day watching TV and total screen time increased the risk of being bullied by 12% (OR 1·12, 95% CI 1·02–1·22) and 15% (OR 1·15, 95% CI 1·02–1·28), respectively. This relationship was not statistically significant for leisure time spent on a computer (OR 1·10, 95% CI 0·9–1·27). Conclusions: Prolonged leisure time spent on screen activities is associated with violent and aggressive behaviour in children and adolescents. In addition to the duration of screen time, the association is likely to be explained also by the media content.
Home IoT device certification through speaker recognition

IoT is a computing device, which identifies things in daily use and has the ability by mutual recognition of transferring data over a network. A home IoT device has a simple function to control things in the home environment. This has basic functions and a smaller interface than other IoT devices. For these reasons, security technology is often overlooked. If home appliances are operated by unauthorized voices, it is risky for home security. Therefore, introduction of security technology is urgent. There are many security technologies in various fields that can be embedded into an IoT device. Among these technologies, biometric recognition technology is the best to be utilized. It can be expected to increase security and convenience by applying Speaker Recognition through this biometric recognition technology. This paper illustrates voice recognition technology and the trend of security that also proposes a system to control functions of daily living in the home environment in which it is operated by an authorized user's voice key through the verification process of Speaker Recognition.
Evidence for prazosin‐resistant, rauwolscine‐sensitive α‐adrenoceptors mediating contractions in the isolated vascular bed of the rat tail

1 The postjunctional α‐adrenoceptors mediating contractions in the isolated vascular bed of the perfused rat tail have been investigated, in the presence and absence of an increase in perfusion pressure by arginine vasopressin (AVP). 2 In the absence of AVP, bolus doses of noradrenaline (NA) and phenylephrine produced pressor responses of similar time course, while UK‐14,304 was practically inactive. Responses to noradrenaline were inhibited more by 0.05 μm prazosin than by 1 μm rauwolscine, suggesting the presence of α1‐adrenoceptors. 3 Following a sustained elevation in perfusion pressure by AVP, both UK‐14,304 and NA (the latter in the presence of 0.05 μm prazosin to inhibit α1‐adrenoceptors) elicited dose‐dependent pressor responses. The maximum response to UK‐14,304 under these conditions was approximately 30% of the maximum response to NA in the absence of prazosin and AVP. Responses to phenylephrine were not affected by the AVP‐induced increase in vascular tone. 4 In the presence of AVP, pressor responses to UK‐14,304 were resistant to 0.05 μm prazosin and susceptible to antagonism by 1 μm rauwolscine (‐log Kb 7.65 ± 0.15). Similarly, responses to NA in the presence of 0.05 μm prazosin and AVP were inhibited by 1 μm rauwolscine. This represents the first demonstration of prazosin‐resistant, rauwolscine‐sensitive α2‐adrenoceptor‐mediated responses in the vasculature of the rat tail. 5 These results suggest that in isolated vascular preparations, functional populations of postjunctional α2‐adrenoceptors may be ‘uncovered’ by the presence of AVP.
The long gamma nail in the treatment of 329 subtrochanteric fractures with major extension into the femoral shaft.

OBJECTIVE To study the outcome of treating extensive proximal femoral fractures with the long Gamma nail. DESIGN Retrospective study, with a minimum follow-up of a year. SETTING 24 hospitals throughout The Netherlands. SUBJECTS 329 patients with primary proximal femoral fractures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Functional results and complications. RESULTS 19 patients died in hospital and 6 were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 304 who were fully documented, 241 (80%) became fully mobile, 59 (19%) moderately mobile, and 4 remained bedridden. 264 patients had no pain, 38 had moderate pain and used oral painkillers, and 2 had severe pain that was difficult to treat. Major technical complications occurred in 17 patients: alignment and locking gave rise to most problems, 4 patients developed deep infections, and 7 patients needed additional measures before the fracture was solid. CONCLUSIONS The long Gamma nail in the treatment of extensive proximal femoral fractures gave good functional results with acceptable rates of complications and union problems.
COMMUNITY ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA AMONG CHILDREN ADMITTED IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL: THE BURDEN AND RELATED FACTORS.

OBJECTIVE To find out the hospital burden of pneumonia and preventable factors associated with the disease. DESIGN Prospective cross sectional study. SETTING The paediatric ward of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Western Kenya. SUBJECTS All the children admitted to the paediatric wards and found to have clinical features consistent with pneumonia. RESULTS One thousand eight hundred and eighty two children were included in the study out of whom pneumonia was responsible for 13.23% and 5.5% of all deaths. Degree of severity was used to classify patients into mild pneumonia, severe pneumonia and very severe pneumonia each group comprised 12%, 70% and 18% respectively. Parents in age group 21 to 25 years (OR 2, CI 1.07 - 3.63) and use of firewood /charcoal (OR 4.23, CI 3.9 - 4.6) were risk factors for mild pneumonia. Unemployment (OR 2.7, CI 2 - 3.2), age group 21 to 25 years (OR 4, CI 1.2 - 6.4) and use of firewood/charcoal (OR 1.1, CI 1.02 - 1.26) were risk factors for severe pneumonia. CONCLUSION Pneumonia accounted for less number of admitted children compared to previous study. Use of firewood or charcoal as source of fuel and mothers in age group 21 - 25 years were independent risk factors for mild pneumonia and severe pneumonia.
Inflammation in acute and chronic pancreatitis

Purpose of review This report reviews recent animal model and human studies associated with inflammatory responses in acute and chronic pancreatitis. Recent findings Animal model and limited human acute and chronic pancreatitis studies unravel the dynamic nature of the inflammatory processes and the ability of the immune cells to sense danger and environmental signals. In acute pancreatitis, such molecules include pathogen-associated molecular pattern recognition receptors such as toll-like receptors, and the more recently appreciated damage-associated molecular pattern molecules or ‘alarmin’ high mobility group box 1 and IL-33. In chronic pancreatitis, a recent understanding of a critical role for macrophage-pancreatic stellate cell interaction offers a potential targetable pathway that can alter fibrogenesis. Microbiome research in pancreatitis is a new field gaining interest but will require further investigation. Summary Immune cell contribution to the pathogenesis of acute and chronic pancreatitis is gaining more appreciation and further understanding in immune signaling presents potential therapeutic targets that can alter disease progression.
Phenol degradation by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus NCIB 8250

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus NCIB 8250 utilizes phenol as sole source of carbon and energy via an ortho‐cleavage pathway. The presence of ethanol in mixed substrate cultivations repressed the utilization of phenol. In fed batch cultivation the phenol tolerance was increased at least 2‐fold. Maximum degradation rates of 150 Mg phenol/(l h) and 280 mg phenol/(g h). respectively were observed. Phenol hydroxylase is induced by its substrate and in parallel the catechol‐l,2‐dioxygenase is detectable. The presence of active phenol hydroxylase is strongly connected with the phenol degradation. Using a spectrophotometric enzyme assay the partially purified phenol hydroxylase was characterized with respect to kinetic parameters. The apparent Km values for phenol, FAD and NADPH were estimated to be 147 μm, 35 μm and 416 UM, respectively. Both FAD and NADPH were essential for maximum activity of the cytoplasmically localized enzyme. No substrate inhibition of phenol hydroxylase by phenol was observed up to 0.8 mM. The pH and temperature optima were pH 7.8 and 33°C, respectively. The partially purified enzyme showed a broad substrate specificity. It hydroxylated the three isomeric cresols, chlorophenols and methylated chlorophenols. Pyrogallol, 3,4‐dihydroxy‐L‐phenylalanine and resorcinol were oxygenated with higher rates than phenol. With the exception of phenol all other enzyme substrates tested did not serve as growth substrates.
Melatonin as a natural ally against oxidative stress: a physicochemical examination

Abstract: Oxidative stress has been proven to be related to the onset of a large number of health disorders. This chemical stress is triggered by an excess of free radicals, which are generated in cells because of a wide variety of exogenous and endogenous processes. Therefore, finding strategies for efficiently detoxifying free radicals has become a subject of a great interest, from both an academic and practical points of view. Melatonin is a ubiquitous and versatile molecule that exhibits most of the desirable characteristics of a good antioxidant. The amount of data gathered so far regarding the protective action of melatonin against oxidative stress is overwhelming. However, rather little is known concerning the chemical mechanisms involved in this activity. This review summarizes the current progress in understanding the physicochemical insights related to the free radical–scavenging activity of melatonin. Thus far, there is a general agreement that electron transfer and hydrogen transfer are the main mechanisms involved in the reactions of melatonin with free radicals. However, the relative importance of other mechanisms is also analyzed. The chemical nature of the reacting free radical also has an influence on the relative importance of the different mechanisms of these reactions. Therefore, this point has also been discussed in detail in the current review. Based on the available data, it is concluded that melatonin efficiently protects against oxidative stress by a variety of mechanisms. Moreover, it is proposed that even though it has been referred to as the chemical expression of darkness, perhaps it could also be referred to as the chemical light of health.
Determinants of ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness measured by high-definition optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE To determine the distribution, variation, and determinants of ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thickness in nonglaucomatous eyes measured by high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT). METHODS Six hundred twenty-three Chinese adults aged 40 to 80 years were consecutively recruited from a population-based study. All subjects underwent a standardized interview, ophthalmic examination, and automated perimetry. HD-OCT with macular cube protocol was used to measure the GC-IPL thickness. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between GC-IPL thickness with ocular and systemic factors. RESULTS The mean (±SD) age of study subjects was 52.84 ± 6.14 years, 50.1% were male, and all subjects had normal visual fields with no signs of glaucoma or glaucoma suspect. The mean overall, minimum, superior, and inferior GC-IPL thicknesses were 82.78 ± 7.01 μm, 79.67 ± 9.17 μm, 83.30 ± 7.89 μm, and 80.16 ± 8.31 μm, respectively. In multiple linear regression analysis, GC-IPL thickness was significantly associated with age (β = -0.202, P < 0.001), female sex (β = -2.367, P < 0.001), axial length (β = -1.279, P = 0.002), and mean peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness (β = 0.337, P < 0.001). IOP, central corneal thickness, disc area, serum glucose level, and history of diabetes mellitus had no significant influence on GC-IPL thickness. CONCLUSIONS Thinner GC-IPL was independently associated with older age, female sex, longer axial length, and thinner RNFL thickness. These factors should be taken into account when interpreting GC-IPL thickness measurements with HD-OCT for glaucoma assessment.
Power of Family‐Based Association Designs to Detect Rare Variants in Large Pedigrees Using Imputed Genotypes

Recently, the “Common Disease‐Multiple Rare Variants” hypothesis has received much attention, especially with current availability of next‐generation sequencing. Family‐based designs are well suited for discovery of rare variants, with large and carefully selected pedigrees enriching for multiple copies of such variants. However, sequencing a large number of samples is still prohibitive. Here, we evaluate a cost‐effective strategy (pseudosequencing) to detect association with rare variants in large pedigrees. This strategy consists of sequencing a small subset of subjects, genotyping the remaining sampled subjects on a set of sparse markers, and imputing the untyped markers in the remaining subjects conditional on the sequenced subjects and pedigree information. We used a recent pedigree imputation method (GIGI), which is able to efficiently handle large pedigrees and accurately impute rare variants. We used burden and kernel association tests, famWS and famSKAT, which both account for family relationships and heterogeneity of allelic effect for famSKAT only. We simulated pedigree sequence data and compared the power of association tests for pseudosequence data, a subset of sequence data used for imputation, and all subjects sequenced. We also compared, within the pseudosequence data, the power of association test using best‐guess genotypes and allelic dosages. Our results show that the pseudosequencing strategy considerably improves the power to detect association with rare variants. They also show that the use of allelic dosages results in much higher power than use of best‐guess genotypes in these family‐based data. Moreover, famSKAT shows greater power than famWS in most of scenarios we considered.
Transcriptional regulation of alpha(1b) adrenergic receptors (alpha(1b)AR) by nuclear factor 1 (NF1): a decline in the concentration of NF1 correlates with the downregulation of alpha(1b)AR gene expression in regenerating liver

The 5' upstream region from --490 to --540 (footprint II) within the dominant P2 promoter of the rat alpha(1b) adrenergic receptor (alpha(1b)AR) gene is recognized by a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein (B. Gao, M. S. Spector, and G. Kunos, J. Biol. Chem. 270:5614-5619, 1995). This protein, detectable in Southwestern (DNA-protein) blots of crude nuclear extracts as 32- and 34-kDa bands, has been purified 6,000-fold from rat livers by DEAE-Sepharose, heparin-Sepharose, and DNA affinity chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and UV cross-linking of the purified protein indicated the same molecular mass as that in crude extracts. Methylation interference analysis revealed strong contact with a TTGGCT hexamer and weak contact with a TGGCGT hexamer in the 3' and 5' portions of footprint II, respectively. Nucleotide substitutions within these hexamers significantly reduced protein binding to footprint II and the promoter activity of P2 in Hep3B cells. The purified protein also bound to the nuclear factor 1 (NF1)/CTF consensus sequence, albeit with lower affinity. Gel mobility supershift and Western blotting (immunoblotting) analyses using an antibody against the NF1/CTF protein identified the purified 32- and 34-kDa polypeptides as NF1 or a related protein. Cotransfection into Hep3B cells or primary rat hepatocytes of cDNAs of the NF1-like proteins NF1/L, NF1/X, and NF1/Redl resulted in a three- to fivefold increase in transcription directed by wild-type P2 but not by the mutated P2. Partial hepatectomy markedly decreased the levels of NF1 in the remnant liver and its binding to P2, which paralleled declines in the rate of transcription of the alpha(1b)AR gene and in the steady-state levels of its mRNA. These observations indicate that NF1 activates transcription of the rat alpha(1b)AR gene via interacting with its P2 promoter and that a decline in the expression of NF1 is one of the mechanisms responsible for the reduced expression of the alpha(1b)AR gene during liver regeneration.