Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Noradrenergic parenchymal nerve fiber branching after cold acclimatisation correlates with brown adipocyte density in mouse adipose organ

The mammalian adipose organ is composed of subcutaneous and visceral depots containing white and brown adipocytes. Cold acclimatisation induces an increase in the brown component without affecting the overall number of adipocytes; this form of plasticity is associated to obesity and diabetes resistance in experimental models. Cold activates the drive of the sympathetic nervous system to the adipose organ, where the vast majority of nerve fibers are in fact noradrenergic. However, it is unclear whether and how such fibers are involved in the plastic changes of the adipose organ. We thus conducted a systematic study of the distribution and number of sympathetic noradrenergic nerve fibers in the adipose organ of mice kept at different environmental temperatures. Adult Sv129 female mice were kept at 28 °C or 6 °C for 10 days. The density of tyrosine hydroxylase (noradrenergic)‐positive nerve fibers (no. of fibers per 100 adipocytes) was calculated in the subcutaneous and visceral depots of the adipose organ, and a correlation was sought between fiber density and proportion of brown adipocytes. Tyrosine hydroxylase‐positive parenchymal fibers were detected in all subcutaneous and visceral depots among white as well as brown adipocytes, the mediastinal depot displaying the densest innervation. Cold acclimatisation induced a threefold increase in the total number of TH fibers in the whole organ. The proportion of brown adipocytes positively correlated with noradrenergic fiber density in the organ. Taken together, these data suggest that cold acclimatisation induces noradrenergic fiber branching in the adipose organ of adult mice, and that such changes may be a precondition for its plastic transformation into a brown phenotype.
Height among Women is Curvilinearly Related to Life History Strategy

It was hypothesized that women of medium height would show a more secure, long-term mating pattern characterized by less jealousy, less intrasexual competition and a “slower” life history strategy. In three samples of female undergraduate students clear support was found for these hypotheses. In Study 1, among 120 participants, height was curvilinearly related to well-established measures of possessive and reactive jealousy, with women of medium height being less jealous than tall as well as short women. In Study 2, among 40 participants, height was curvilinearly related to intrasexual competition, with women of medium height being less competitive towards other women than tall as well as short women. In Study 3, among 299 participants, height was curvilinearly related to the Mini-K, a well-validated measure of “slower” life history strategy, with women of medium height having a slower life history strategy than tall as well as short women. The results suggest that women of medium height tend to follow a different mating strategy than either tall or short women. Various explanations and implications of these results are discussed.
CHOROIDAL VASCULARITY INDEX IN CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in eyes with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) using an image binarization tool on enhanced depth imaging using spectral domain optical coherence tomography scans. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography scans of both eyes of patients with CSC were taken at baseline; they were segmented and compared with enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography scans of fellow eyes without CSC as well as age-matched healthy subjects. Subfoveal choroidal area (1,500 &mgr;m) was segmented into luminal area and stromal area using image binarization. Choroidal vascularity index was defined as the proportion of luminal area to the total circumscribed subfoveal choroidal area. Results: Eyes with acute CSC (32 eyes) had significantly higher CVI compared with their fellow eyes (27 eyes) (P < 0.0001), 19 eyes with resolved CSC (P < 0.0001) and with 30 eyes of age-matched healthy eyes (P < 0.0001). Fellow eyes of subjects with acute CSC also had significantly higher CVI compared with eyes with resolved CSC (P < 0.0001) and age-matched healthy eyes (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Increased CVI suggests increased vascular component compared with the stromal component in acute CSC. Increased CVI was noted in fellow eye of the subjects with acute CSC in comparison with age-matched healthy subjects. The CVI could be a useful index for early diagnosis of CSC and to assess the treatment response after laser photocoagulation or photodynamic therapy.
The hyperkinetic movement disorder of FOXG1‐related epileptic–dyskinetic encephalopathy

Forkhead Box G1 (FOXG1) syndrome is a developmental encephalopathy characterized by postnatal microcephaly, structural brain abnormalities, facial dysmorphisms, severe delay with absent language, defective social interactions, and epilepsy. Abnormal movements in FOXG1 syndrome have often been mentioned but not characterized.
Molecular hydrogen protects human lymphocyte AHH-1 cells against 12C6+ heavy ion radiation

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the potential protective role of molecular hydrogen (H2) against 12C6+ heavy ion radiation, which is a major hazard for space travel and has been also widely used in heavy ion radiotherapy. Materials and methods: H2 was dissolved in Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 medium under high pressure (0.4 Mpa) to a saturated level by using an apparatus produced by our department. A 2-[6-(4′-hydroxy) phenoxy-3H-xanthen-3-on-9-yl] benzoate (HPF) probe and a 2′,7′-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFH-DA) fluorescent dye were used to measure the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. Cell apoptosis were determined by double-staining with Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (Annexin V-FITC) and propidium iodide (PI) as well as a Hoechst 33342 staining method alternatively. Subsequently, cell cycle analysis was performed using a PI staining method and the expression of apoptotic protein was examined by Western blot. Results: In this study, we demonstrated H2 reduced ROS level in Human lymphocyte AHH-1 cells as well as in the radiolysis of water. Our data also showed H2 attenuated 12C6+ radiation- induced cell apoptosis and also alleviated radiation-induced G2/M cell cycle arrest. Heavy ion radiation-induced Caspase 3 activation was also inhibited by H2 treatment. Conclusion: In conclusion, these data showed that H2 attenuated 12C6+ radiation-induced cell apoptosis through reducing the ROS level and modulating apoptotic molecules, thus indicating the potential of H2 as a safe and effective radioprotectant.
State Adoption of 100% Smoke-Free Acute Non Federal Hospital Campus Policies

To assess the number and percentage of acute care hospitals in the U.S. that have adopted smoke-free hospital campus (SFHC) policies, researchers conducted an assessment from January 2008 to May 2008 of available data on SFHC policy adoption in each state. Slightly more than one third (34.4%) of acute care, non-Federal hospitals had adopted such policies, with wide variation of policy adoption between states.
A Real-time Searching System for Cascading Failures Based on Small-world Network

Based on small-world characteristics, the spreading inherent mechanism of cascading failures in power grid was studied in this paper. The results of the experiment show that the appearance of long-range connectivity increases the breadth and depth of spreading, so that it pushes the cascading failure to spread forward. A real-time searching system for cascading failures using the priority module is set up to find the source of the faults quickly and efficiently from massive real-time data of WAMS. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method are validated by an example.
Stimulation‐dependent regulation of the ph, volume and quantal size of bovine and rodent secretory vesicles

Trapping of weak bases was utilized to evaluate stimulus‐induced changes in the internal pH of the secretory vesicles of chromaffin cells and enteric neurons. The internal acidity of chromaffin vesicles was increased by the nicotinic agonist 1,1‐dimethyl‐4‐phenyl‐piperazinium iodide (DMPP; in vivo and in vitro) and by high K+ (in vitro); and in enteric nerve terminals by exposure to veratridine or a plasmalemmal [Ca2+]o receptor agonist (Gd3+). Stimulation‐induced acidification of chromaffin vesicles was [Ca2+]o‐dependent and blocked by agents that inhibit the vacuolar proton pump (vH+‐ATPase) or flux through Cl− channels. Stimulation also increased the average volume of chromaffin vesicles and the proportion that displayed a clear halo around their dense cores (called active vesicles). Stimulation‐induced increases in internal acidity and size were greatest in active vesicles. Stimulation of chromaffin cells in the presence of a plasma membrane marker revealed that membrane was internalized in endosomes but not in chromaffin vesicles. The stable expression of botulinum toxin E to prevent exocytosis did not affect the stimulation‐induced acidification of the secretory vesicles of mouse neuroblastoma Neuro2A cells. Stimulation‐induced acidification thus occurs independently of exocytosis. The quantal size of secreted catecholamines, measured by amperometry in cultured chromaffin cells, was found to be increased either by prior exposure to L‐DOPA or stimulation by high K+, and decreased by inhibition of vH+‐ATPase or flux through Cl− channels. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the content of releasable small molecules in secretory vesicles is increased when the driving force for their uptake is enhanced, either by increasing the transmembrane concentration or pH gradients.
In vitro formation of capillary tubules from human umbilical cord blood cells with perspectives for therapeutic application.

OBJECTIVE Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) characterized by the CD133+ marker, contribute to the neovascularization. Increasing EPC number in vitro could be a promising therapeutic tool. Human umbilical cord blood maintains a significant number of EPC, suggesting the possibility to use these cells to induce the revascularization of ischemic tissues. The aim of this study was to analyze the in vitro function of differentiated CD133+ cells. METHODS Cells were characterized by flow cytometry, VEGF mRNA expression was evaluated by the RT-PCR analysis and the functionally by essays of capillary tubes formation. RESULTS Differentiated cells lost EPC markers, maintained low levels of markers for hematopoietic and monocytic cell lines and increased the expression of adult endothelial cell markers. Differentiated cells expressed VEGF mRNA and were capable to induce in vitro capillary tubules formation. CONCLUSION CD133+ cells differentiated into endothelial cells in vitro are functionally active initiating the possibility of their use in future therapeutic applications.
Applying data mining methods for the analysis of stable isotope data in bioarchaeology

Data science methods have the potential to benefit other scientific fields by shedding new light on common questions. One such task is choosing good features for analysis. In this paper, we introduce a data science framework that was designed to allow domain experts to consider their domain knowledge in assembling suitable data sources for complex analyses. The structure of experimental data as represented by a clustering is used to measure the relevance as well as the redundancy of each feature. We present an application of this technique to bioarchaelogical data from a region in the European Alps, a transalpine passage of eminent archaeological importance in European prehistory, the Inn-Eisack-Adige passage, spanning Italy, Austria, and Germany. These results are applied to the task of provenance analysis. The application of the presented data mining technique leads to new insights which were not found using standard bioarchaeological approaches.
Associations between Heavy Drinking and Changes in Impulsive Behavior among Adolescent Males

Background— Impulsive behavior in humans predicts the onset of drinking during adolescence and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in adulthood. It is also possible, however, that heavy drinking may increase impulsive behavior by affecting the development of brain areas that support behavioral control or through other associated mechanisms. This study examined whether drinking heavily during adolescence is related to changes in impulsive behavior with a specific focus on how the association differs across individuals, contingent on the developmental course of their impulsiveness. Method— Data came from a sample of boys ( N =503) who were followed annually from approximate age 8 to age 18 and again at approximate age 24/25. Heavy drinking was defined as experiencing a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of . 08% or higher. At each assessment, the parent and child each reported whether the child was impulsive. Results— First, group-based trajectory analysis was used to identify four groups differing in the level and slopes of their trajectories of impulsive behavior from age 9 to age 17: low (13.9%), early adolescence-limited (18.7%), moderate (60.8%) and high (6.6%). These trajectory groups differed in their prevalence of any heavy drinking, peak BACs, and rates of alcohol dependence in adolescence and AUD in early adulthood, with the less impulsive groups being lower on these measures than the more impulsive groups. Heavy drinking was then entered into the model as a time-varying covariate; this measure was lagged so that the results represent change in impulsive behavior the year following heavy drinking. Among boys on the moderate trajectory, those who drank heavily were rated as significantly more impulsive the following year compared to those who did not drink heavily. Conclusions— The association between heavy drinking and impulsive behavior may depend on earlier levels of impulsive behavior with those who are moderately impulsive appearing to be at greatest risk for increased impulsive behavior following heavy drinking. Further research is needed to clarify this association.
PDE5 inhibitors blunt inflammation in human BPH: A potential mechanism of action for PDE5 inhibitors in LUTS

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH)/low urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are often comorbid. Chronic inflammation is one of the putative links between these diseases. Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) are recognized as an effective treatment of BPH‐related LUTS. One proposed mechanism of action of PDE5 is the inhibition of intraprostatic inflammation. In this study we investigate whether PDE5i could blunt inflammation in the human prostate.
Imaging prostate cancer with 11C-choline PET/CT.

UNLABELLED The ability of 11C-choline and multimodality fusion imaging with integrated PET and contrast-enhanced CT (PET/CT) was investigated to delineate prostate carcinoma (PCa) within the prostate and to differentiate cancer tissue from normal prostate, benign prostate hyperplasia, and focal chronic prostatitis. METHODS All patients with PCa gave written informed consent. Twenty-six patients with clinical stage T1, T2, or T3 and biopsy-proven PCa underwent 11C-choline PET/CT after intravenous injection of 1,112 +/- 131 MBq 11C-choline, radical retropubic prostatovesiculectomy, and standardized prostate tissue sampling. Maximal standardized uptake values (SUVs) of 11C-choline within 36 segments of the prostate were determined. PET/CT results were correlated with histopathologic results, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score, and pT stage. RESULTS The SUV of 11C-choline in PCa tissue was 3.5 +/- 1.3 (mean +/- SD) and significantly higher than that in prostate tissue with benign histopathologic lesions (2.0 +/- 0.6; P < 0.001 benign histopathology vs. cancer). Visual and quantitative analyses of segmental 11C-choline uptake of each patient unambiguously located PCa in 26 of 26 patients and 25 of 26 patients, respectively. A threshold SUV of 2.65 yielded an area under the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.89 +/- 0.01 for correctly locating PCa. The maximal 11C-choline SUV did not correlate significantly with PSA or Gleason score but did correlate with T stage (P = 0.01; Spearman r = 0.49). CONCLUSION 11C-Choline PET/CT can accurately detect and locate major areas with PCa and differentiate segments with PCa from those with benign hyperplasia, chronic prostatitis, or normal prostate tissue. The maximal tumoral 11C-choline uptake is related to pT stage.
CHIP Suppresses Polyglutamine Aggregation and Toxicity In Vitro and In Vivo

Huntington's disease (HD) and other polyglutamine (polyQ) neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by neuronal accumulation of the disease protein, suggesting that the cellular ability to handle abnormal proteins is compromised. As both a cochaperone and ubiquitin ligase, the C-terminal Hsp70 (heat shock protein 70)-interacting protein (CHIP) links the two major arms of protein quality control, molecular chaperones, and the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Here, we demonstrate that CHIP suppresses polyQ aggregation and toxicity in transfected cell lines, primary neurons, and a novel zebrafish model of disease. Suppression by CHIP requires its cochaperone function, suggesting that CHIP acts to facilitate the solubility of mutant polyQ proteins through its interactions with chaperones. Conversely, HD transgenic mice that are haploinsufficient for CHIP display a markedly accelerated disease phenotype. We conclude that CHIP is a critical mediator of the neuronal response to misfolded polyQ protein and represents a potential therapeutic target in this important class of neurodegenerative diseases.
Multimodal Molecular Imaging Reveals High Target Uptake and Specificity of 111In- and 68Ga-Labeled Fibrin-Binding Probes for Thrombus Detection in Rats

We recently showed the high target specificity and favorable imaging properties of 64Cu and Al18F PET probes for noninvasive imaging of thrombosis. Here, our aim was to evaluate new derivatives labeled with either with 68Ga, 111In, or 99mTc as thrombus imaging agents for PET and SPECT. In this study, the feasibility and potential of these probes for thrombus imaging was assessed in detail in 2 animal models of arterial thrombosis. The specificity of the probes was further evaluated using a triple-isotope approach with multimodal SPECT/PET/CT imaging. Methods: Radiotracers were synthesized using a known fibrin-binding peptide conjugated to 1,4,7-triazacyclononane,1-glutaric acid-4,7-acetic acid (NODAGA), 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid monoamide (DOTA-MA), or a diethylenetriamine ligand (DETA-propanoic acid [PA]), followed by labeling with 68Ga (FBP14, 68Ga-NODAGA), 111In (FBP15, 111In-DOTA-MA), or 99mTc (FBP16, 99mTc(CO)3-DETA-PA), respectively. PET or SPECT imaging, biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and metabolic stability were evaluated in rat models of mural and occlusive carotid artery thrombosis. In vivo target specificity was evaluated by comparing the distribution of the SPECT and PET probes with preformed 125I-labeled thrombi and with a nonbinding control probe using SPECT/PET/CT imaging. Results: All 3 radiotracers showed affinity similar to soluble fibrin fragment DD(E) (inhibition constant = 0.53–0.83 μM). After the kidneys, the highest uptake of 68Ga-FBP14 and 111In-FBP15 was in the thrombus (1.0 ± 0.2 percentage injected dose per gram), with low off-target accumulation. Both radiotracers underwent fast systemic elimination (half-life, 8–15 min) through the kidneys, which led to highly conspicuous thrombi on PET and SPECT images. 99mTc-FBP16 displayed low target uptake and distribution consistent with aggregation or degradation. Triple-isotope imaging experiments showed that both 68Ga-FBP14 and 111In-FBP15, but not the nonbinding derivative 64Cu-d-Cys-FBP8, detected the location of the 125I-labeled thrombus, confirming high target specificity. Conclusion: 68Ga-FBP14 and 111In-FBP15 have high fibrin affinity and thrombus specificity and represent useful PET and SPECT probes for thrombus detection.
Washington Economic Agreement and the Implementation of Structural Policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Washington Consensus (WC) development approach consists of three macroeconomic and seven structural policies for transitional transformation of the economy. Proper implementation of the structural policies was important for qualitative changes in the economy. In this paper, we will explain and evaluate the implementation of seven structural policies, being: improvement of the legal system and governance, privatization, foreign direct investment (FDI), deregulation, redirecting public expenditures, trade liberalization and tax reform, over time. This paper will also make comparisons with other transitional countries in the region, in order to draw the lessons and make recommendations for the future development of B&H. It can be concluded that B&H has been stagnating in its economic development, and that B&H’s government must improve its tax system, governance, engage in the fight against corruption, speed up the business deregulation and privatization in order to accelerate the economic growth.
Association of meningioma with reproductive factors

Meningiomas occur more commonly in females. The coincidence between meningioma and breast cancer and case reports of tumor growth during pregnancy support a hormonal hypothesis. A case control study was conducted to investigate this. Female subjects treated between 1987 and 1992 were identified from 3 hospitals in the Chicago area. Female spouses of male back pain patients were recruited as controls. A self‐administered mail questionnaire focused on exogenous, endogenous and other hormonal factors, personal and family medical history as well as radiation exposures. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using crude, stratified and multivariable logistic models including 219 cases and 260 controls. Participation rates were 86% among cases and 75% among controls. An increased odds ratio (OR) was observed comparing African Americans to Caucasians [OR = 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0–6.1]. A protective effect was observed for pregnancy, which increased with number and age at first pregnancy. The odds ratio for 3 or more pregnancies compared to none was 0.3 (95% CI = 0.2–0.6). Age at menarche or total period of hormonal activity was not protective. Ever smokers showed a decreased odds ratio for meningioma (OR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.4–0.9). The increased odds ratios with African Americans was retained in post‐menopausal women, while the protective odds ratios for pregnancy, smoking and oral contraceptives (OCs) became stronger in pre‐menopausal women. The pattern by duration and timing of use does not suggest an etiologic role for OCs or hormone replacement therapy. These data add to the evidence that factors known to influence endogenous hormones (pregnancy and indirectly smoking) may have protective effects for meningiomas primarily in premenopausal women. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.