Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Thalamocortical Impulse Propagation in the Akinetic Rigd Type of Parkinson's Disease Using High-Frequency (600 Hz) SEP Oscillations

Summary: Human median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials exhibit low-amplitude, high-frequency (600 Hz) oscillations (HFOs) superimposed onto the primary cortical response ‘N20. ’ Previous EEG-studies indicated the HFOs to reflect in part activity generated at the thalamus and within the thalamocortical radiation. Expecting impairment of thalamocortical impulse propagation in Parkinson's disease (PD) the present study aimed to explore the performance of the HFOs in a cohort of PD patients in comparison to an exactly age- and sex-matched group of controls. To avoid motor interference and to minimize the influence of central tremor oscillators to the HFOs we selected PD patients suffering from an akinetic rigid type of the disease. We recorded multichannel somatosensory evoked potentials and applied an advanced analysis combining source and time frequency analysis. Low frequency and HFO signals showed no significant differences between PD patients and the control group, neither in the source waveforms evaluation nor in the time frequency analysis. Contrasting two former studies indicating enhanced HFOs in nonselected PD patients the present results differ most probably due to the lack of motor interference effects and the missing impact of central tremor-oscillators on the signals by selecting patients without tremor. Theme: Sensory systems. Topic: Somatosensory cortex and thalamocortical relationships.
Health literacy and use of outpatient physician services by medicare managed care enrollees

AbstractOBJECTIVE: To determine whether inadequate functional health literacy adversely affects use of physician outpatient services. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: New Medicare managed care enrollees age 65 or older in 4 U.S. cities (N=3,260). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We measured functional health literacy using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Administrative data were used to determine the time to first physician visit and the total number of visits during the 12 months after enrollment. The time until first visit, the proportion without any visit, and adjusted mean visits during the year after enrollment were unrelated to health literacy in crude and multivariate analyses. Participants with inadequate and marginal health literacy were more likely to have an emergency department (ED) visit than those with adequate health literacy (30.4%, 27.6%, and 21.8%, respectively; P=.01 and P<.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, the adjusted relative risk of having 2 or more ED visits was 1.44 (95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 2.02) for enrollees with marginal health literacy and 1.34 (1.00 to 1.79) for those with inadequate health literacy compared to participants with adequate health literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate health literacy was not independently associated with the mean number of visits or the time to a first visit. This suggests that inadequate literacy is not a major barrier to accessing outpatient health care. Nevertheless, the higher rates of ED use by persons with low literacy may be caused by real or perceived barriers to using their usual source of outpatient care.
Role of Neurotrophins and Lectins in Prevention of Ototoxicity

ABSTRACT: Degeneration of hair cells (HC) and/or spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) is a major cause of hearing loss. Postnatal rat cochlear explant cultures are used to study the toxic actions of different classes of ototoxins and to identify molecules that can protect SGN and HC from ototoxic damage. Various ototoxins induce differential damage to HC and/or SGN. While gentamicin preferentially causes HC death, sodium salicylate selectively induces degeneration of SGN. In contrast, cisplatin results in destruction of both SGN and HC. Specific neurotrophins, including NT‐4/5, BDNF, and NT‐3, greatly protect SGN from all three types of ototoxins. In contrast, NGF and other growth factors have no effect.
Pain and disability in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: the relationship with articular, kinesiological, and psychological characteristics.

OBJECTIVE To determine to what extent articular, kinesiological, and psychological factors each contribute to pain and disability in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), after controlling for other factors. METHODS Cross sectional study among 200 patients with OA of the hip or knee. Dependent variables include pain (visual analog scale), self-reported disability (questionnaire), and observed disability (performance of standardized tasks). Independent variables include joint degeneration (radiographs), muscle strength (dynamometer), range of joint motion (goniometer), pain coping (behavioral and cognitive strategies), and psychological well being (depression, anxiety, cheerfulness). Multiple regression analysis was used. RESULTS Pain was found to be associated with muscle weakness and pain coping (p < 0.05). Disability was associated with muscle weakness, range of joint motion, pain, pain coping, and psychological well being (all p < 0.05). Both pain and disability were most strongly associated with kinesiological characteristics and pain coping. CONCLUSION After controlling for the other characteristics, kinesiological and psychological characteristics in patients with OA are each associated with disability. The association with pain is less clear. Future research on mechanisms underlying these associations is warranted.
Sequential Changes in the Antimicrobial Protein Concentrations in Human Milk during Lactation and Its Relevance to Banked Human Milk

ABSTRACT: The concentrations of eight antimicrobial proteins, IIS IgA, IgG, IgM, ai-antitrypsin, lactoferrin, lysozyme, C3, and C4 were measured in sequential samples of colostrum, transitional and mature milk from 47 women in Merseyside, England by single radial immunodiffusion. Concentrations were highest in colostrum and then declined until relatively stable concentrations were reached in mature milk. A wide variation in protein concentrations was noted in the milk from different individuals at any given postpartum time interval and this was particularly so during the first 4 days postpartum. The decline in individual antimicrobial protein concentrations seen in samples of transitional milk appeared to take a variable period of time to stabilize to mature milk concentrations of each protein. These variations may reflect different rates of transport or secretion of these proteins from the alveolar epithelial cells into the alveolar lumen. Because of the wide variations in antimicrobial proteins observed in milk samples from the individuals in this study at similar postpartum time intervals, it is suggested that banked milk should be monitored not only for bacterial contamination, but also for levels of antimicrobial proteins, if it is considered that a major advantage of unprocessed human milk is the immune protection which it confers.
Making two plus two equal five

This paper examines ways in which internal data can be used in the evaluation research through data matching. It illustrates this through two case studies involving a three-year longitudinal and a cross-sectional evaluation of two large-scale Australian assistance programs. Discussion centres around ways in which internal data were used to assist the interview process, identify areas where ‘claimed’ (what the respondent says) and ‘actual’ (what the internal data show) data differ, and identify non-response issues. The paper also examines how internal data can be used as an intermediate platform against which the results of two independent surveys can be reconciled. This is useful as many surveys do not use the same measurement scales or cover the same topics. The use of internal data can provide some commonality between the two, again adding value in the overall evaluation process and allowing the organisation to better utilise existing data.
Viral gastroenteritis in children in Colorado 2006–2009

Acute gastroenteritis accounts for a significant burden of medically attended illness in children under the age of five. For this study, four multiplex reverse transcription PCR assays were used to determine the incidence of adenovirus, astrovirus, coronavirus, norovirus GI and GII, rotavirus, and sapovirus in stool samples submitted for viral electron microscopy (EM) to the Children's Hospital Colorado. Of 1105 stool samples available, viral RNA/DNA was detected in 247 (26.2%) of 941 pediatric samples (median age = 2.97 years, 54% male) with 28 (3.0%) positive for more than one virus. Adenovirus, astrovirus, norovirus GI, norovirus GII, rotavirus, and sapovirus were detected in 95 (10.0%), 33 (3.5%), 8 (0.9%), 90 (9.6%), 49 (5.2%), and 2 (0.2%) of the pediatric samples, respectively. No coronaviruses were identified. Sequencing of norovirus positive samples indicated an outbreak of norovirus strain GII.4 in 2006 with evidence of numerous circulating strains. Multiple samples from the same immunocompromised patients demonstrated symptomatic shedding of norovirus for up to 32 weeks and astrovirus for 12 weeks. RT‐PCR detected 99 of 111 (89%) adenovirus‐positive samples versus 12 (11%) by EM, and 186 of 192 (97%) sapovirus/astrovirus/norovirus‐positive samples versus 21 (11%) by EM. Noroviruses and adenoviruses are common causes of gastroenteritis in children. Immunocompromised patients can be infected with multiple viruses and shed viruses in their stools for prolonged periods. This data support the superiority of RT‐PCR compared to EM for diagnosis of viral gastroenteritis. J. Med. Virol. 87:931–939, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pain facilitation and pain inhibition during conditioned pain modulation in fibromyalgia and in healthy controls

Abstract Although fibromyalgia (FM) is associated with a deficit in inhibitory conditioned pain modulation (CPM), the discriminative power of CPM procedures is unknown. Moreover, the high intersubject heterogeneity in CPM responses in FM raises the possibility that a sizeable subgroup of these patients may experience pain facilitation during CPM, but the phenomenon has not been explicitly studied. To address these issues, 96 patients with FM and 71 healthy controls were recruited. Thermal stimuli were used to measure pain thresholds. Pain inhibition was elicited using a tonic thermal test (Peltier thermode) administered before and after activation of CPM mechanisms using a cold pressor test. Thermal pain thresholds were lower in patients with FM than in healthy controls. Pain ratings during the cold pressor test were higher in patients with FM, relative to controls. The CPM inhibitory efficacy was lower in patients with FM than in controls. The CPM procedure had good specificity (78.9%) but low sensitivity (45.7%), whereas a composite pain index had good sensitivity (75.0%) and specificity (78.9%). Finally, the rate of patients with FM who reported pain facilitation during the CPM procedure was found to be significantly increased compared with that of controls (41.7% vs 21.2%). The good discriminative power of the composite pain index highlights the need for further validation studies using mechanistically relevant psychophysical procedures in FM. The low sensitivity of the CPM procedure, combined with the large proportion of patients with FM experiencing pain facilitation during CPM, strongly suggests that endogenous pain inhibition mechanisms are deeply impaired in patients with FM, but only in a subgroup of them.
Changes of expression of glucose transporters in the fetal lamb brain after MCI-186 administration to the maternal circulation with 10-min persistent umbilical cord occlusion

Objective. To evaluate the effect of MCI-186 (3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazoline-5-one), a potent hydroxyl radical scavenger, administered to the maternal circulation following umbilical cord occlusion in regard to glucose transporter (GLUT) expression. Materials and methods. Fourteen instrumented lambs were prepared. In three cases, a 10-min persistent umbilical cord occlusion was performed; 30 min after the insult, fetal brains were extirpated (Group A). Four cases had a 10-min occlusion (Group B) and four cases had 10-min occlusion and were administered MCI-186 to the maternal circulation (Group C). Three days following the insult, the fetal brains were extirpated. The remaining three cases had a sham operation (Group D). Brain tissue sections were stained at the locations of GLUT-1, -3 and -5 and were evaluated by two pathologists. Results. The expression of GLUT-1 and -3 significantly increased in the basal ganglia, hippocampi and periventricular region of Group B when compared with that of Group A. The expression of GLUT-1 and -3 in three regions of Group B were significantly higher than that of Group C and D. GLUT-5 was recognised only in Group B. Conclusion. On the basis of expression of GLUT, the protective effect of MCI-186 on brain injury resulting from hypoxia/ischemia-reperfusion is documented.
Thermodynamic scaling of relaxation: insights from anharmonic elasticity

Using molecular dynamics simulations of a molecular liquid, we investigate the thermodynamic scaling (TS) of the structural relaxation time τα in terms of the quantity Tρ−γts, where T and ρ are the temperature and density, respectively. The liquid does not exhibit strong virial–energy correlations. We propose a method for evaluating both the characteristic exponent γts and the TS master curve that uses experimentally accessible quantities that characterise the anharmonic elasticity and does not use details about the microscopic interactions. In particular, we express the TS characteristic exponent γts in terms of the lattice Grüneisen parameter γL and the isochoric anharmonicity δL. An analytic expression of the TS master curve of τα with δL as the key adjustable parameter is found. The comparison with the experimental TS master curves and the isochoric fragilities of 34 glassformers is satisfying. In a few cases, where thermodynamic data are available, we test (i) the predicted characteristic exponent γts and (ii) the isochoric anharmonicity δL, as drawn by the best fit of the TS of the structural relaxation, against the available thermodynamic data. A linear relation between the isochoric fragility and the isochoric anharmonicity δL is found and compared favourably with the results of experiments with no adjustable parameters. A relation between the increase of the isochoric vibrational heat capacity due to anharmonicity and the isochoric fragility is derived.
Serum carotenoids and atopy among children of different ethnic origin living in Germany

Rühl R, Taner C, Schweigert FJ, Wahn U, Grüber C. Serum carotenoids and atopy among children of different ethnic origin living in Germany. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: 1072–1075. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Munksgaard
‘Pull’ motivation: an activity-based typology of international visitors to New Zealand

Using the push and pull framework, this study examines the relationship between tourist activities in New Zealand and behaviours such as tourist spending, travel style (group vs. independent travel) and length of stay. Data from the International Visitor Survey were analysed for a 19-year period (1997–2015). The findings, based on 62,288 respondents, identified 9 typologies of international visitors over this period. For example, type one visitors are primarily pulled by the nature-based activities offered in New Zealand while type two is pulled by adventure activities. Some of the typologies have activities that overlap reflecting the needs of international visitors. Significant relationships were found between the nine typologies, tourist spending, travel style and length of stay. Implications for destination marketing purposes are highlighted.
Neuropsychological Changes in Patients with Carotid Stenosis after Carotid Endarterectomy

We investigated changes in neuropsychological function in patients with carotid stenosis following carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in relation to cerebral hemodynamics. The subjects were 24 patients who underwent CEA and 17 healthy controls matched by age, educational level, gender and handedness. Cerebral angiography, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and neuropsychological tests were performed approximately 1 week before and 3 weeks after CEA in all patients. In the patient group, the categories achieved in the new modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) improved significantly after CEA (4.0 ± 2.0; before CEA: 2.3 ± 2.1, p < 0.01). The perseverative errors of Nelson in the WCST improved significantly (before CEA: 9.1 ± 6.9, after CEA: 3.3 ± 3.4, p < 0.01). The difficulty maintaining set in the WCST improved significantly (before CEA: 2.3 ± 1.9, after CEA: 1.3 ± 1.7, p < 0.05). In the control group, none of the test scores showed significant improvement between the first and second tests. Moreover, frontal lobe function improved significantly in those patients with baseline carotid artery diameter of more than 70% of normal, or whose preoperative cerebral perfusion reserve was reduced by less than 15% of a response to acetazolamide. Our results suggest that CEA improves frontal lobe function in patients with severe carotid stenosis or reduced cerebral perfusion reserve.
A tiny plastic package of piezoresistive pressure sensors constructed by sacrifice-replacement approach

In this study, a tiny plastic package of piezoresistive pressure sensor was fabricated and demonstrated by employing the sacrifice-replacement approach. A JSR THB- 151N photoresist layer with a thickness of 150 mum was deposited on the silicon membrane of the pressure sensor by using a two-stage spin-coating procedure. Following a high- temperature transfer molding process, the photoresist is removed and the package is cured at 175degC for two hours. The performance of the packaged sensor is evaluated both experimentally and numerically using a finite element analysis method. Experimental observations reveal that the silicon membrane of the pressure sensor is completely free of epoxy molding compound following the transfer process. Hence, the effectiveness of the photoresist layer in shielding the membrane during the molding process is confirmed. The experimental and numerical results indicate that the packaged sensor has a linear response (R2=0.9999) over a pressure range of 0-100 psi at room temperature.
Pfh1 Is an Accessory Replicative Helicase that Interacts with the Replisome to Facilitate Fork Progression and Preserve Genome Integrity

Replicative DNA helicases expose the two strands of the double helix to the replication apparatus, but accessory helicases are often needed to help forks move past naturally occurring hard-to-replicate sites, such as tightly bound proteins, RNA/DNA hybrids, and DNA secondary structures. Although the Schizosaccharomyces pombe 5’-to-3’ DNA helicase Pfh1 is known to promote fork progression, its genomic targets, dynamics, and mechanisms of action are largely unknown. Here we address these questions by integrating genome-wide identification of Pfh1 binding sites, comprehensive analysis of the effects of Pfh1 depletion on replication and DNA damage, and proteomic analysis of Pfh1 interaction partners by immunoaffinity purification mass spectrometry. Of the 621 high confidence Pfh1-binding sites in wild type cells, about 40% were sites of fork slowing (as marked by high DNA polymerase occupancy) and/or DNA damage (as marked by high levels of phosphorylated H2A). The replication and integrity of tRNA and 5S rRNA genes, highly transcribed RNA polymerase II genes, and nucleosome depleted regions were particularly Pfh1-dependent. The association of Pfh1 with genomic integrity at highly transcribed genes was S phase dependent, and thus unlikely to be an artifact of high transcription rates. Although Pfh1 affected replication and suppressed DNA damage at discrete sites throughout the genome, Pfh1 and the replicative DNA polymerase bound to similar extents to both Pfh1-dependent and independent sites, suggesting that Pfh1 is proximal to the replication machinery during S phase. Consistent with this interpretation, Pfh1 co-purified with many key replisome components, including the hexameric MCM helicase, replicative DNA polymerases, RPA, and the processivity clamp PCNA in an S phase dependent manner. Thus, we conclude that Pfh1 is an accessory DNA helicase that interacts with the replisome and promotes replication and suppresses DNA damage at hard-to-replicate sites. These data provide insight into mechanisms by which this evolutionarily conserved helicase helps preserve genome integrity.
Timing of surgery for patients with nonischemic severe mitral regurgitation.

Amajor problem in the management of patients with chronic, severe mitral regurgitation (MR) remains the timing of operative intervention. This is particularly true for patients with nonischemic severe MR, which in the United States is now most often due to mitral valve prolapse, frequently with a flail mitral leaflet. Surprisingly, some patients with this condition do not have undue fatigue or dyspnea during ordinary physical activity and therefore are in NYHA functional class I.1 Patients are classified as functional class II when they have slight limitation of physical activity and are comfortable at rest. Ordinary physical activity results in fatigue, palpitation, dyspnea, or anginal pain. Patients are classified as functional class III when they have cardiac disease that results in marked limitation of physical activity; although patients in functional class III are comfortable at rest, less-than-ordinary physical activity causes fatigue, palpitation, dyspnea, or anginal pain. Patients are classified as functional class IV when their cardiac disease results in inability to carry on any physical activity without discomfort. Symptoms of heart failure or of the anginal syndrome may be present even at rest and may increase if any physical activity is undertaken. It is significant that this functional classification is based entirely on subjective symptoms. This was one of the reasons why this functional classification described in the sixth edition …