Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of neonatal cochlear removal on the development of mouse cochlear nucleus: I. Number, size, and density of its neurons

Right cochleae were aspirated from 6‐day‐old mice to determine the influence of cochlear integrity on the development of cochlear nucleus (CN). At 45 days of age, cochlear destruction was confirmed histologically, and the CN of unilaterally deafferented and control animals were analyzed morphometrically. The molecular, fusiform, and polymorphic layers of deafferented dorsal CN were reduced in volume, and the polymorphic layer neurons were fewer, smaller, and less dense. The octopus and multipolar cell regions in deafferented ventral CN (VCN) were smaller, and their neurons were fewer, smaller, and more densely packed. The VCN globular and small spherical cell regions were also smaller with fewer, denser, but normal‐sized neurons. There were fewer VCN large spherical cells, but no change was measured in their size. The granule cell regions throughout CN were also reduced in volume. Overall, CN was reduced to 46% of its normal size and 34% of its normal neuronal numbers. These results in the mouse show that deafferentation before the onset of hearing causes more severe CN changes than those reported after adult deafferentation in other mammals and support the theory of a critical period in development when presynaptic integrity is much more important for neuronal maturation than it is for maintenance after the neuron is mature. This suggests that any congenital pathology that compromises the sensorineural structures of the cochlea may cause severe structural and functional abnormalities in the maturing central auditory nuclei.
Respiratory responses to chemical stimulation in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.

Chemical control of breathing in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients has been studied by many authors. The results of previous studies, especially those dealing with hypoxic drive, are discordant. Respiratory responses were studied during hypercapnic and hypoxic stimulation in a group of 37 normocapnic patients with OSA during wakefulness. The diagnosis of OSA was established by standard polysomnography. These patients had increased apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI; 51 +/- 22 (mean +/- SD)), obesity (body mass index (BMI) 32.4 +/- 5.6 kg.m-2) and normal lung function tests. The control group consisted of 14 healthy obese subjects (BMI 31.2 +/- 3.3 kg.m-2). Respiratory responses (ventilatory and mouth occlusion pressure (P0.1)) during hypercapnic and hypoxic rebreathing tests were measured with the use of computerized equipment. Respiratory responses during hypercapnic stimulation were similar to those in the control group (change in (delta) minute ventilation (V'E)/delta carbon dioxide tension (PCO2) 23.5 +/- 14.8 versus 22.3 +/- 10.0 L.min-1.kPa-1, delta P0.1/delta PCO2 4.6 +/- 3.6 versus 4.2 +/- 2.6 cmH2O.kPa-1). During isocapnic hypoxic stimulation in OSA patients the mean ventilatory response was higher than in the control group (delta V'E/delta arterial oxygen saturation (Sa,O2) 2.6 +/- 1.7 versus 1.7 +/- 0.7 L.min-1. %-1) but this difference was not statistically significant. Nevertheless, it was found that 13 (35%) OSA patients had increased ventilatory responses. The mean P0.1 response in OSA patients was higher but did not differ significantly from those in the control group (delta P0.1/delta Sa,O2) 0.43 +/- 0.38 versus 0.35 +/- 0.12 cmH2O. %-1). The results demonstrated that respiratory responses to chemical stimulation in awake normocapnic patients with obstructive sleep apnoea were in the normal range, similar to those in control obese subjects. During hypoxic stimulation some of them had increased ventilatory (35%) and mouth occlusion pressure (16%) responses.
Treatment of interstitial pneumonitis due to cytomegalovirus with ganciclovir and intravenous immune globulin: experience of European Bone Marrow Transplant Group.

Data on 49 allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients who developed interstitial pneumonia due to cytomegalovirus (CMV) were collected retrospectively. All patients were treated with ganciclovir and high doses of intravenous immune globulin, although types of immune globulins and schedules of treatment varied. Seventeen (35%) of 49 patients responded to treatment. Thirty days after the diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia, the survival rate among patients was 31%. CMV was detected in 81% of patients on whom autopsies were performed. The survival rate among patients who received total body irradiation (TBI) was significantly lower (11 [27%] of 41) than that among patients who did not receive TBI (six [75%] of eight; odds ratio = 12.3; P = .009). No other factor, including age, grade of graft-versus-host disease, types and dose of immune globulin used, or dose of ganciclovir, was correlated to survival. These results show that although survival of allogeneic BMT recipients with CMV interstitial pneumonia has improved, more than one-half of the patients still died of pneumonia. Thus, both prophylaxis for and treatment of CMV infection must be improved.
Insulin Resistance of Muscle Glucose Transport in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet: A Reevaluation

Rats fed a high-fat diet develop skeletal muscle insulin resistance. There is disagreement regarding whether a decrease in the GLUT4 isoform of the glucose transporter is responsible. We found that feeding rats a high-fat diet that reduced the responsiveness of glucose transport to insulin in skeletal muscles by ∼25–45% in 4 weeks, had no significant effect on muscle GLUT4 content. There is also controversy regarding whether the contraction/anoxia activated pathway of glucose transport stimulation is affected by fat feeding. We found that stimulation of muscle glucose transport by either swimming, in situ contractions, or anoxia was depressed to a similar extent as insulin responsiveness in high-fat–fed rats. It has been suggested that the muscle insulin resistance caused by a high-fat diet is due to increased fat oxidation and glucose-fatty acid cycle activity. However, we found that insulin-stimulated glucose transport was reduced by ∼40% when muscles of fat-fed rats were incubated under anoxic conditions under which fatty acid oxidation should not occur. Rats maintained on the high-fat diet up to 32 weeks developed the characteristics of the abdominal obesity syndrome, including insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, elevated LDL cholesterol and VLDL triglycerides, and marked visceral obesity. We conclude that 1) in rats fed a high-fat diet the muscle insulin resistance is not due to a decrease in total GLUT4 content or to increased fat oxidation, 2) fat feeding also results in resistance of muscle glucose transport to stimulation via the contraction/anoxia pathway, and 3) rats fed a high-fat diet may be a useful model of the abdominal obesity syndrome.
Liver Steatosis Quantification Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Prospective Comparative Study With Liver Biopsy

Background and Aims: To prospectively determine the accuracy of liver fat quantification with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patients and Methods: The population consisted of 40 patients (mean age, 52.5 years; range, 23-78 years). The same day, all patients underwent MRI and ultrasonography-guided liver biopsy. The histological evaluation of steatosis was performed by an experienced liver pathologist blinded to the MRI results. On T1-weighted in- and opposed-phase images, one radiologist, experienced in abdominal imaging, blinded to the clinical and pathological results, recorded signal intensity (SI) by mean regions of interest placed at same locations in both phases. Fat-water ratio was obtained by dividing SI of liver in opposed-phase sequence by SI of liver in in-phase sequence. The fat-water ratio and the histological grade of steatosis were compared by linear regression. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to define the sensitivity and specificity of fat-water ratio as a diagnostic tool for evaluation of steatosis. Results: Diagnoses were nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (n = 25), alcoholic liver disease (n = 10), cholangiopathy (n = 2), and autoimmune hepatitis (n = 3). Fatty liver infiltration was present in 80% of patients. The mean (SD) percentage of fatty hepatocytes was 38.7% (29.2). Fat-water ratio and steatosis grade were highly correlated (r = 0.852, P < 0.0001). Sensitivity and specificity of fat-water ratio to detect fatty infiltration greater than 20% were 96% and 93%, respectively. Conclusions: This prospective study demonstrates that MRI can be proposed as a noninvasive method to screen and quantify liver steatosis.
Application of Random Forest Classifier by Means of a QCM-Based E-Nose in the Identification of Chinese Liquor Flavors

Chinese liquors from different plants have unique flavors attributable to the use of various bacteria and fungi, raw materials, and production processes. Accurately identifying the flavor of Chinese liquors is not always possible through the subjective consciousness of a taster. A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-based electronic nose (e-nose) can perform this task because of its keen ability to imitate human senses. It does so by using a sensor array and a pattern-recognition system. In this paper, the behavior of a pattern-recognition system based on a random forest (RF) classifier is optimized by revising the number of decision trees and the number of variables in the decision trees of the RF. Raw data from the characteristics of Chinese liquors collected from the QCM-based e-nose were used by the RF classifier without processes of feature extraction and data pretreatment, which can reserve detailed information as much as possible. The prediction accuracies and computation times indicate a superior performance by the RF classifier over three other classifiers (linear discriminant analysis, backpropagation artificial neural network, and support vector machine). Taking both the application of the e-nose and the validation of the RF classifier into account, an available method is obtained to identify flavors of Chinese liquors.
Early reduction of immune activation in lymphoid tissue following highly active HIV therapy

Objective:To evaluate immune reconstitution within HIV-infected lymphoid tissue during highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Design and methods:In situ cellular responses were studied in sequential tonsillar biopsies in three asymptomatic HIV-infected (CD4 cells greater than 400 × 106/l) antiretroviral treatment-naive volunteers enrolled in a clinical trial to determine the early effect of HAART. Computerized image analysis was used to study immunohistochemically stained sequential tonsil sections for the patterns of local cytokine production, chemokine receptor expression and cellular distribution. Replicate quantitative assessments of samples before and after 4 weeks of therapy were used for the evaluation of drug effects and compared with four uninfected controls. Tonsillar HIV proviral-DNA was determined by fluorescent in situ 5′-nuclease assay. Results:HIV-infected tonsil tissue was characterized by extensive pro-inflammatory and type 1 cytokine expression. A five- to 15-fold elevation of interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-12, IL-2 and interferon (IFN)-γ protein expression was found compared with controls, and each encompassed a mean of at least 4.5% of the tissue compartment. This was reduced by 20–90% in all individuals after 4 weeks of HAART. In contrast, type 2 cytokine expression (IL-4, IL-10), plus tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, remained low throughout the study. HAART reduced, by 40%, the expression of HIV co-receptors, CCR5 and CXCR4, which initially were elevated four to six times over the control values. In addition, the myelomonocytic inflammatory proteins, CD68 and calprotectin, diminished by 26–83% after therapy. The HIV RNA was reduced to undetectable levels in plasma by HAART. However, a large pool of tonsil cells (2–7%), remained HIV DNA positive after 4 weeks of therapy. Conclusions:Although immune activation may be the direct consequence of HIV replication, HAART-associated reconstitution begins with a reduction in inflammatory cytokine production which precedes the elimination of local proviral reservoirs.
Rates and Patterns of Chromosomal Evolution in Drosophila pseudoobscura and D. miranda

Comparisons of gene orders between species permit estimation of the rate of chromosomal evolution since their divergence from a common ancestor. We have compared gene orders on three chromosomes of Drosophila pseudoobscura with its close relative, D. miranda, and the distant outgroup species, D. melanogaster, by using the public genome sequences of D. pseudoobscura and D. melanogaster and ∼50 in situ hybridizations of gene probes in D. miranda. We find no evidence for extensive transfer of genes among chromosomes in D. miranda. The rates of chromosomal rearrangements between D. miranda and D. pseudoobscura are far higher than those found before in Drosophila and approach those for nematodes, the fastest rates among higher eukaryotes. In addition, we find that the D. pseudoobscura chromosome with the highest level of inversion polymorphism (Muller's element C) does not show an unusually fast rate of evolution with respect to chromosome structure, suggesting that this classic case of inversion polymorphism reflects selection rather than mutational processes. On the basis of our results, we propose possible ancestral arrangements for the D. pseudoobscura C chromosome, which are different from those in the current literature. We also describe a new method for correcting for rearrangements that are not detected with a limited set of markers.
(Mis)understanding in patient-health care provider communication about total knee replacement.

OBJECTIVE To examine whether communication factors affect health care provider and patient agreement on the need for, risks of, and benefits of joint replacement, and also whether degree of agreement predicts patient satisfaction and intent to follow treatment recommendations. METHODS Health care providers (n = 27) and patients (n = 74) with severe osteoarthritis (OA) were recruited from clinics in Houston, Texas. Patients completed a baseline survey prior to the consultation. After the visit, patients and providers completed measures of the severity of the patient's OA, the expected benefits of total knee replacement (TKR), and concern about surgical complications. Patients also completed satisfaction and intent to adhere measures. Provider communication and patient participation were measured by patient self-report and by observers' codings of audiorecordings of the consultations. RESULTS Provider-patient agreement was modest to poor regarding severity of the patient's OA and the expected benefits and risks of TKR. Providers and patients were more aligned on the patient's OA severity when providers used more partnership building but spent less time simply giving information. Differences between providers' and patients' concerns about surgery were greater when patients were less participatory, African American, or expressed lower trust in their doctors. Patient satisfaction and intent to adhere were predicted by provider-patient agreement on the benefits of TKR. CONCLUSION Patients and providers often differ in their beliefs about the need for, risks of, and benefits of TKR, and these differences can affect patient satisfaction and commitment to treatment. Facilitating active patient participation might contribute to greater physician-patient agreement on the patient's concerns about OA and surgical interventions.
Inducible Resistance to Oxidant Stress in the Protozoan Leishmania chagasi *

Leishmania sp. protozoa are introduced into a mammalian skin by a sandfly vector, whereupon they encounter increased temperature and toxic oxidants generated during phagocytosis. We studied the effects of 37 °C “heat shock” or sublethal menadione, which generates superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, on Leishmania chagasi virulence. Both heat and menadione caused parasites to become more resistant to H2O2-mediated toxicity. Peroxide resistance was also induced as promastigotes developed in culture from logarithmic to their virulent stationary phase form. Peroxide resistance was not associated with an increase in reduced thiols (trypanothione and glutathione) or increased activity of ornithine decarboxylase, which is rate-limiting in trypanothione synthesis. Membrane lipophosphoglycan increased in size as parasites developed to stationary phase but not after environmental exposures. Instead, parasites underwent a heat shock response upon exposure to heat or sublethal menadione, detected by increased levels of HSP70. Transfection of promastigotes withL. chagasi HSP70 caused a heat-inducible increase in resistance to peroxide, implying it is involved in antioxidant defense. We conclude that leishmania have redundant mechanisms for resisting toxic oxidants. Some are induced during developmental change and others are induced in response to environmental stress.
Host-seeking efficiency can explain population dynamics of the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans morsitans in response to host density decline

Females of all blood-feeding arthropod vectors must find and feed on a host in order to produce offspring. For tsetse—vectors of the trypanosomes that cause human and animal African trypanosomiasis—the problem is more extreme, since both sexes feed solely on blood. Host location is thus essential both for survival and reproduction. Host population density should therefore be an important driver of population dynamics for haematophagous insects, and particularly for tsetse, but the role of host density is poorly understood. We investigate the issue using data on changes in numbers of tsetse (Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood) caught during a host elimination experiment in Zimbabwe in the 1960s. During the experiment, numbers of flies caught declined by 95%. We aimed to assess whether models including starvation-dependent mortality could explain observed changes in tsetse numbers as host density declined. An ordinary differential equation model, including starvation-dependent mortality, captured the initial dynamics of the observed tsetse population. However, whereas small numbers of tsetse were caught throughout the host elimination exercise, the modelled population went extinct. Results of a spatially explicit agent-based model suggest that this discrepancy could be explained by immigration of tsetse into the experimental plot. Variation in host density, as a result of natural and anthropogenic factors, may influence tsetse population dynamics in space and time. This has implications for Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense transmission. Increased tsetse mortality as a consequence of low host density may decrease trypanosome transmission, but hungrier flies may be more inclined to bite humans, thereby increasing the risk of transmission to humans. Our model provides a way of exploring the role of host density on tsetse population dynamics and could be incorporated into models of trypanosome transmission dynamics to better understand how spatio-temporal variation in host density impacts trypanosome prevalence in mammalian hosts.
Characterization of the Timing Homogeneity in a CMOS SPAD Array Designed for Time-Gated Raman Spectroscopy

A characterization environment was built to verify the timing characteristics of a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array designed for time-gated Raman spectroscopy. The characterization was applied to a $256 \times 16$ SPAD array that employed an on-chip time-to-digital converter (TDC) with a 50–100-ps resolution for time resolving. The timing skew and the time window homogeneity across the array were resolved, moving the time-resolving windows over an optical pulse by picosecond-level delay steps. A typical one 160-ps skew across the array was measured. The TDC time bins had average sizes of 33–144 ps while their deviation across the array was 8–12 ps. The method is applicable to multidetector time-correlated single photon counting systems that can finely adjust the delay between the optical pulse and the reference signal.
Radiation Effects on Silica-Based Preforms and Optical Fibers—I: Experimental Study With Canonical Samples

Prototype samples of preforms and associated fibers have been designed and fabricated through MCVD process to investigate the role of fluorine (F) and germanium (Ge) doping elements on the radiation sensitivity of silica-based glasses. We characterized the behaviors of these canonical samples before, during and after 10 keV X-ray irradiation through several spectroscopic techniques, to obtain global information (in situ absorption measurements, electron paramagnetic resonance) or spatially-resolved information (confocal microscopy, absorption and luminescence on preform). These tests showed that, for the Ge-doped fiber and in the 300-900 nm range, the radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) can be explained by absorption bands associated with the following radiation-induced point defects: Ge(l); Ge-NBOHC and GeX. Other defects such as GeE' Ge(2); and Ge-ODC are generated but do not contribute in this spectral domain. For the F-doped sample, the different point defects identified, SiE', Si-NBOHC and Si-ODC(II), are unable to reproduce the RIA spectra for energies lower than 4 eV. We suggest that the radiation-induced absorption in this part of the spectrum is due to chlorine-related species, probably CI0 radiolytic groups that absorb at around 3.5 eV. The comparison between the sensitivities of the preform and the fiber reveals the influence of the drawing process on the glass response. Its effect is strongly dose-dependent for the germanosilicate glass. The drawing process seems to be responsible for the main part of the defects generated at low doses (<1 Mrad).
Predator–induced synchrony in population oscillations of coexisting small mammal species

Comprehensive analyses of long–term (1977–2003) small–mammal abundance data from western Finland showed that populations of Microtus voles (field voles M. agrestis and sibling voles M. rossiaemeridionalis), bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) and common shrews (Sorex araneus) fluctuated synchronously in 3 year population cycles. Time–series analyses indicated that interspecific synchrony is influenced strongly by density–dependent processes. Synchrony among Microtus and bank voles appeared additionally to be influenced by density–independent processes. To test whether interspecific synchronization through density–dependent processes is caused by predation, we experimentally reduced the densities of the main predators of small mammals in four large agricultural areas, and compared small mammal abundances in these to those in four control areas (2.5–3 km2) through a 3 year small–mammal population cycle. Predator reduction increased densities of the main prey species, Microtus voles, in all phases of the population cycle, while bank voles, the most important alternative prey of predators, responded positively only in the low and the increase phase. Manipulation also increased the autumn densities of water voles (Arvicola terrestris) in the increase phase of the cycle. No treatment effects were detected for common shrews or mice. Our results are in accordance with the alternative prey hypothesis, by which predators successively reduce the densities of both main and alternative prey species after the peak phase of small–mammal population cycles, thus inducing a synchronous low phase.
Oscillations analysis of numerical solutions for neutral delay differential equations

In this paper, we will study oscillations of numerical solutions for the neutral delay differential equation where p∈ℝ and p≠0, τ, q∈(0,+∞), σ≥0. Conditions under which numerical solutions of the above differential equation are oscillatory are obtained. The condition that leads to oscillations of the linear θ-method is also given. To verify our results, we give numerical experiments.