Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Snacking is associated with reduced risk of overweight and reduced abdominal obesity in adolescents: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004.

BACKGROUND Snacking is common in adolescents; however, it is unclear if there is an association between snacking and overweight or obesity within the context of the overall diet. OBJECTIVE This study examined the associations of snacking with weight status and abdominal obesity in adolescents 12-18 y of age (n = 5811). DESIGN We conducted secondary analyses of 24-h diet recalls and anthropometric data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004. We classified adolescents by frequency of snack consumption (0, 1, 2, 3, and > or =4 snacks/d) and by the percentage of energy intake from snacks (0%, <10%, 10-19%, 20-29%, 30-39%, and > or =40%). We classified adolescents who had a body mass index (BMI) > or =85th percentile of BMI-for-age as overweight or obese. We defined abdominal obesity as a waist circumference > or =90th percentile. We determined covariate-adjusted prevalences of overweight or obesity and abdominal obesity and odds ratios with SUDAAN software (release 9.0.1; Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC). RESULTS Mean values of all obesity indicators studied were inversely associated with snacking frequency and percentage of energy from snacks. The prevalence of overweight or obesity and of abdominal obesity decreased with increased snacking frequency and with increased percentage of energy from snacks. Odds ratios (95% CIs) for overweight or obesity and for abdominal obesity ranged from 0.63 (0.48, 0.85) to 0.40 (0.29, 0.57) and from 0.61 (0.43, 0.86) to 0.36 (0.21, 0.63) for 2 to > or =4 snacks/d, respectively. Reduced risks of overweight or obesity and abdominal obesity were associated with snacking. CONCLUSION Snackers, compared with nonsnackers, were less likely to be overweight or obese and less likely to have abdominal obesity.
Ferulate Protects the Epithelial Barrier by Maintaining Tight Junction Protein Expression and Preventing Apoptosis in Tert‐Butyl Hydroperoxide‐Induced Caco‐2 Cells

Epithelial barrier function is determined by both transcellular and paracellular permeability, the latter of which is mainly influenced by tight junctions (TJs) and apoptotic leaks within the epithelium. We investigated the protective effects of ferulate on epithelial barrier integrity by examining permeability, TJ protein expression, and apoptosis in Caco‐2 cells treated with tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (t‐BHP), a strong reactive species inducer. Caco‐2 cells pretreated with ferulate (5 or 15 μM) were exposed to t‐BHP (100 μM), and ferulate suppressed the t‐BHP‐mediated increases in reactive species and epithelial permeability in Caco‐2 cells. Moreover, ferulate inhibited epithelial cell leakage induced by t‐BHP, which was accompanied by decreased expression of the TJ proteins zonula occludens‐1 and occludin. In addition, pretreatment with ferulate markedly protected cells against t‐BHP‐induced apoptosis, as evidenced by decreased nuclear condensation, cytochrome c release, and caspase‐3 cleavage and an increased Bax/Bcl‐2 ratio. These results suggest that ferulate protects the epithelial barrier of Caco‐2 cells against oxidative stress, which results in increased epithelial permeability, decreased TJ protein expression, and increased apoptosis. The most significant finding of our study is the demonstration of protective, ferulate‐mediated antioxidant effects on barrier integrity, with a particular focus on intracellular molecular mechanisms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Prx1 Homeobox Gene is Critical for Molar Tooth Morphogenesis

The paired-related homeobox genes, Prx1 and Prx2, encode transcription factors critical for orofacial development. Prx1 −/−/Prx2 −/− neonates have mandibular hypoplasia and malformed mandibular incisors. Although the mandibular incisor phenotype has been briefly described (ten Berge et al., 1998, 2001; Lu et al., 1999), very little is known about the role of Prx proteins during tooth morphogenesis. Since the posterior mandibular region was relatively normal, we examined molar tooth development in Prx1 −/−/Prx2 −/− embryos to determine whether the tooth malformation is primary to the loss of Prx protein or secondary to defects in surrounding tissues. Three-dimensional (3D) morphological reconstructions demonstrated that Prx1 −/−/Prx2 −/− embryos had molar malformations, including cuspal changes and ectopic epithelial projections. Although we demonstrate that Prx1 protein is expressed only mesenchymally, 3D reconstructions showed important morphological defects in epithelial tissues at the cap and bell stages. Analysis of these data suggests that the Prx homeoproteins are critical for mesenchymal-epithelial signaling during tooth morphogenesis.
Localization of the Renin–Angiotensin System Components to the Skeletal Muscle Microcirculation

Objectives: Local renin–angiotensin systems have been found in various organs and tissues throughout the body. The studies described here tested the hypothesis that a fully functional renin‐angiotensin system exists in the skeletal muscle microvasculature. The purpose of this study was to localize the components and products of the system to the skeletal muscle microvasculature.
Cortical synchronization as a neural basis for visual perception

Cortical synchronization has been suggested as a neural mechanism that is able to solve the feature binding problem. This idea has been intensively studied at neurophysiological, psychophysical and computational level. In this paper, arguments for and against the role of cortical synchronization in visual perception are critically examined. Initial neurophysiological findings of correlated neural activity in the primary visual cortex have been questioned by studies which reveal enhanced firing rate to the figure region compared to the background. Computational investigations reveal that synchronization has capacity limit. At the behavioural level, change blindness has been used as evidence for capacity limit of visual perception. However, further examination of this issue showed that detailed visual representation exists but it is obscured by limitation of attention and visual working memory. Other behavioural phenomena such as perceptual asynchrony also point to the fact that there is dissociation between correlated neural activity and perception. Therefore, at present there is no sufficient evidence to support the conclusion that cortical synchronization play crucial role in visual perception.
Intravenous immunoglobulin as short- and long-term therapy of multifocal motor neuropathy: a retrospective study of response to IVIg and of its predictive criteria in 40 patients

Objective: To document short-term and long-term responses to a single type of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in a large cohort of patients with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 40 patients with MMN included on ENMC Workshop criteria, and treated with periodic IVIg infusions between 1995 and 2003. The short-term response was defined as improvement of at least 1 point on the MRC score in at least two affected muscles at 6 months. The population comprised 22 treatment-naïve patients (who had never received IVIg before inclusion), and 18 previously treated patients. For the long-term evaluation (>6 months), the patients were classified into three groups according to the dependency or not on periodic IVIg. In addition, changes in conduction block (CB) and predictive criteria for response to IVIg were explored. Results: The MRC score significantly improved (p<0.0001) in 14 (70%; 95% CI 0.46 to 0.88) of the 20 treatment-naïve patients (missing data for 2 patients). None of the predictive criteria studied were found to be significant. At the end of follow-up (mean of 2.2±2.0 years), only 8 of the 40 patients (22%) had significant remission, whereas 25 patients (68%) were dependent on periodic IVIg infusions. The number of CBs decreased or remained unchanged in 12 treatment-naïve patients and increased in 2 such patients. Conclusions: This study confirmed a significantly high short-term response to IVIg of patients with MMN, but showed contrasted results in long-term follow-up. No predictive factors for response to IVIg were found.
Pharmacokinetics of an Oral Drug (Acetaminophen) Administered at Various Times in Relation to Subcutaneous Injection of Exenatide (Exendin‐4) in Healthy Subjects

Exenatide is an incretin mimetic with potential glucoregulatory activity in type 2 diabetes. This randomized, single‐blind, placebo‐controlled 6‐way crossover study assessed exenatide's effect on acetaminophen pharmacokinetics. Of 40 randomized healthy subjects, 39 completed the study. On the placebo day, acetaminophen (1000 mg) was ingested and placebo injected subcutaneously at 0 hours. On exenatide days, acetaminophen was ingested at −1, 0, +1, +2, and +4 hours, relative to the 10 μg exenatide injected subcutaneously at 0 hours. With exenatide injection, mean plasma acetaminophen AUC0–12 h values were reduced by 11% to 24% (vs placebo). Peak plasma acetaminophen concentrations were similar for the −1‐hour and placebo groups and reduced by 37% to 56% at other times. The most frequent adverse events were generally mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. Exenatide treatment concurrent with or preceding acetaminophen ingestion slowed acetaminophen absorption but had minimal effect on the extent of absorption.
Acute Maternal Morbidity Following Classical Cesarean Delivery of the Preterm Infant

The acute maternal morbidity after primary classical and primary low transverse cesarean delivery was compared in preterm gestation. Among 178 patients (77 classical and 101 low transverse), there was no difference in acute maternal morbidity; blood transfusion was used twice as often with the classical operation, but this difference did not reach statistical significance
Downlink resource management for packet transmission in OFDM wireless communication systems

In this paper, downlink resource management scheme is proposed for heterogeneous packet transmission in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) wireless communication systems. By making use of the properties in the physical layer of the OFDM system, the resource management scheme is developed by integrating power allocation, subcarrier allocation, and generalized processor sharing (GPS) scheduling. With the scheme, maximum system throughput can be achieved, while guaranteeing the required signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for heterogeneous traffic, providing fairness to all the traffic in the system, and satisfying the total transmission power constraint. For practical implementation, a truncated GPS (TGPS) scheduling and a simplified power and subcarrier allocation algorithm are introduced. Simulation results are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed resource management scheme.
Neuronal glial interaction in different neurological diseases studied by ex vivo 13C NMR spectroscopy

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMRS) has been used extensively for several decades to elucidate metabolic pathways in biological systems and has led to new insights into cerebral metabolism. Many of these insights have been gained by NMRS using in vitro models, such as tissue extracts, cell cultures or brain slices. Extracts of cells or tissue provide an excellent basis for metabolic studies and facilitate the interpretation of in vivo spectra. 13C NMRS is at present mostly used for in vitro or animal studies. Conclusions from the epilepsy models presented in this review are that turnover of metabolites is time‐dependant in kainate‐injected rats with limbic seizures. Early and only temporarily enhanced astrocytic activity is followed by altered metabolism in neurons with an increased turnover of important amino acids such as GABA and glutamate. However, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindling affects astrocytes in younger and glutamatergic neurons in older animals. In the presence of PTZ, phenobarbital decreases labeling of most metabolites in all cell types, except GABAergic neurons, from both labeled precursors in the younger animals. However, in older animals only GABAergic neurons are affected by phenobarbital, as indicated by an increase in GABA labeling. In kaolin‐induced hydrocephalus it was shown that astrocyte metabolism is disturbed in the early phase, particularly in the cerebrum. These alterations continue into the chronic period. Only then do the first signs of neuronal metabolic impairment appear, which might explain why dementia is a prominent clinical feature in patients with chronic hydrocephalus. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Monitoring system for senseless energy characteristics identification of inverter-fed single-phase collector motor drive

Adaptive magnetizing current observer of single-phase collector motor has been proposed in the paper. The electro-mechanical energy conversion in a single-phase collector motor is being represented trough a system of non-linear differential equations that includes the resistances and dynamic inductivities of the armature and field winding, spinning E.M. F. The observer gain matrix is designed to achieve quickly and accurately performance by the definition of a non-linear reference model. The experimental results show the improvements with regard to the robustness of parameter uncertainties and load disturbances in the proposed scheme. The observer performance has been very good even though the load torque is varying.
Toxicity of energy drinks

Purpose of review ‘Energy drinks’, ‘energy shots’ and other energy products have exploded in popularity in the past several years; however, their use is not without risk. Caffeine is the main active ingredient in energy drinks, and excessive consumption may acutely cause caffeine intoxication, resulting in tachycardia, vomiting, cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, and death. The effects of chronic high-dose caffeine intake in children and adolescents are unknown. Caffeine may raise blood pressure, disrupt adolescent sleep patterns, exacerbate psychiatric disease, cause physiologic dependence, and increase the risk of subsequent addiction. Recent findings Coingestion of caffeine and ethanol has been associated with increased risk-taking behaviors, harm to adolescent users, impaired driving, and increased use of other illicit substances. The toxicity of ingredients often present in energy drinks, such as taurine, niacin, and pyridoxine, is less well defined. Recent and significant literature describing adverse events associated with energy drink use are reviewed. Summary Although prior studies have examined the effects of caffeine in adolescents, energy drinks should be considered a novel exposure. The high doses of caffeine, often in combination with ingredients with unknown safety profiles, mandates urgent research on the safety of energy drink use in children and adolescents. Regulation of pediatric energy drink use may be a necessary step once the health effects are further characterized.
Targeting effects on the volume of the focused-ultrasound-induced blood-brain barrier opening in Non-Human Primates in vivo

Drug delivery to subcortical regions is susceptible to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) hindering the molecular exchange between the blood stream and the brain parenchyma. Focused ultrasound coupled with the administration of microbubbles has been proven to open the BBB locally, transiently and non-invasively both in rodents and in Non-Human-Primates (NHPs). The development of this disruption technique independent of MRI monitoring is of outstanding importance yet restrained to the targeting optimization. The current paper establishes the linear relationship of the incidence angle with the volume of BBB opening (VBBB) and the applied pressure when sonicating the Caudate Nucleus and the Putamen region of five NHPs. In addition, the effect of central nervous system structures on the opening morphology is evaluated by identification of the gray-to-white-matter ratio at the opening site. Finally, the targeting accuracy is assessed by estimation of the geometric and angle shift of the opening from the targeted region. Interestingly, results prove a monotonic increase of the opening volume with close to normal incidence angles. Moreover, 80.35% of the opening lies on gray matter regions compared to only 19.41% attributed to the white matter. The BBB opening was found to be shifted axially, towards the transducer, and laterally with an average angle shift at 4.5°. Finally, we were able to reproduce our findings by employing the same stereotactic and ultrasonic parameters in different experiments and animals. This study documents the a priori prediction of the opening volume through manipulation of the angle and pressure establishing the predictability, accuracy and safety of the current technique on NHPs.
Measuring the Oral Health of Nursing Home Elders

The primary purposes of this descriptive and prospective pilot study was to test the feasibility of a nursing and dental hygiene team to measure specific oral health indices in a sample of older adults residing in nursing homes (NHs). The secondary purpose was to determine the relationship between plaque and dentate status. Oral health indicators, functional status scores, and behavioral scores were collected and analyzed from 38 female NH residents from two geographically, organizationally, and economically diverse NHs. Persons with dentures had significantly lower plaque scores than those with natural dentition. Rural NH residents and African American NH residents had fewer filled teeth, indicating a potential lack of access to dental care. Oral health indicators were collected safely and efficiently from NH residents using a nursing and dental hygiene collaborative approach. Nursing and dental hygiene collaborations hold promise for improving the oral health in institutionalized elders.
Ferric maltol (ST10): a novel oral iron supplement for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in inflammatory bowel disease

Introduction: Iron deficiency anemia affects up to three quarters of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It can significantly impact the quality of life and the ability to work by impairing physical, emotional, and cognitive functioning. The etiology of iron deficiency anemia is multifactorial and oral or intravenous iron replacement is necessary. However, oral iron supplements are often discontinued prematurely due to poor tolerability or insufficient efficacy. Moreover, intravenous supplementation is inconvenient, associated with potentially serious safety risks, and a burden on healthcare resources. Areas covered: Ferric maltol is a novel ferric iron compound with potential use as an oral therapy for iron deficiency anemia. This overview explains how the molecule’s design impacts clinical outcomes and summarizes available clinical data (ranging from early comparisons with ferrous sulfate to randomized, placebo-controlled, Phase III data in patients with IBD known to be intolerant of oral ferrous products). Expert opinion: Ferric maltol offers the ability to treat iron deficiency anemia in mild-to-moderate IBD without resorting to intravenous therapy, even in those who are intolerant of oral ferrous products. This clinical benefit has the potential to change treatment pathways and increase choice, not only in IBD but also perhaps in many areas beyond gastroenterology.
Chemical and Biological Sensing Utilizing Fused Bacteriorhodopsin Protein Hybrids

Abstract : This paper describes how monomeric bR can be overproduced in Escherichia coli and subsequently utilized as an integral component of a generic, nanoscale chemical sensing platform. The utility of this sensing platform is that it can be adapted for detection of a wide range of biological and chemical agents at, or below, nanomolar concentration levels. The gene encoding for bacteriorhodopsin has been successfully isolated from Halobacterium salinarum strain S9P using a colony-level PCR approach. Utilizing this purified DNA and a plasmid expression vector system, a fused protein hybrid consisting of maltose binding protein and bacterio-opsin has been expressed in transformed E. coli. The fusion hybrid has been purified in soluble form from E. coli cell-free extracts at up to 70mg/L. Renaturation studies to incorporate all-trans retinal within the bacterio-opsin protein are currently underway.
Serum sarcosine increases the accuracy of prostate cancer detection in patients with total serum PSA less than 4.0 ng/ml

Sarcosine is reported to be a differential metabolite that is greatly increased during prostate cancer (PCa) progression. In this study, we assessed the role of serum sarcosine as a biomarker for PCa, as well as any association between sarcosine levels and clinical–pathological parameters.
Salt‐Sensitive Hypertension Resulting From Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibition is Associated with Loss of Regulation of Angiotensin II in the Rat

In the Dahl salt‐sensitive hypertensive rat, a diet containing L‐arginine, the natural substrate for nitric oxide synthase, abrogates the hypertension. We postulated that nitric oxide synthase inhibition might induce a salt‐sensitive form of hypertension and that this salt sensitivity might be linked to a loss of the regulatory effect of sodium ingestion on angiotensin II (Ang II) and angiotensinogen. Male Wistar‐Kyoto rats were randomised to a diet containing 0.008%, 2.2% or 4.4% sodium chloride and to treatment with the NO synthase inhibitor L‐NAME (10 mg kg−1 day−1) in the drinking water, or drinking water alone (Controls) for 4 weeks. Blood pressure was measured by tail cuff plethysmography twice weekly. After 4 weeks, the rats were anaesthetised and truncal blood collected for determination of angiotensinogen, renin, angiotensin I (Ang I), Ang II and aldosterone concentrations as well as angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) activity. Systolic blood pressure increased with increasing dietary sodium intake in the L‐NAME‐treated rats (P < 0.05). Plasma renin and aldosterone concentrations decreased with increasing dietary sodium intake in both Control and L‐NAME‐treated rats. Ang I and ACE activity were unchanged by increasing dietary sodium intake. In contrast, the plasma concentration of Ang II and angiotensinogen increased with increasing dietary sodium (P < 0.05 and P < 0.005, respectively). Treatment with the Ang II receptor blocker, losartan, reversed the blood pressure increase. We conclude that treatment with L‐NAME induces an increase in blood pressure that is at least in part salt sensitive. Further, the salt‐sensitive component appears to be Ang II‐dependent, as it was associated with increasing plasma Ang II levels and could be reversed by treatment with an Ang II receptor antagonist.
The mandibular joint.

The articular disc is a dome-like structure very closely applied to the convexity of the mandibular condyle. As far as thickness is concerned it is irregular, being very much thicker in its centre and anteriorly; between these two thickenings there is a distinct depression (Fig. 1). The posterior part of the cartilage is very thin and passes well down over the posterior surface of the condyle and fuses behind with the capsule. I have examined over 100 specimens of the articular disc in the anatomical department of King's College and in the post-mortem department at King's College Hospital and all conform to the description I have given.