Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection and typing by molecular techniques of respiratory viruses in children hospitalized for acute respiratory infection in Rome, Italy

Detection of a broad number of respiratory viruses is not undertaken currently for the diagnosis of acute respiratory infection due to the large and always increasing list of pathogens involved. A 1‐year study was undertaken on children hospitalized consecutively for acute respiratory infection in a Pediatric Department in Rome to characterize the viruses involved. Two hundred twenty‐seven children were enrolled in the study with a diagnosis of asthma, bronchiolitis, bronchopneumonia, or laringo‐tracheo bronchitis. A molecular approach was adopted using specific reverse transcription (RT)‐PCR assays detecting 13 respiratory viruses including metapneumovirus (hMPV) and the novel coronaviruses NL63 and HKU1; most amplified fragments were sequenced to confirm positive results and differentiate the strain. Viral pathogens were detected in 97 samples (42.7%), with 4.8% of dual infections identified; respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was detected in 17.2% of children, followed by rhinovirus (9.7%), parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV3) (7.5%), and influenza type A (4.4%). Interestingly, more than half the patients (9/17) that have rhinovirus as the sole respiratory pathogen had pneumonia. HMPV infected children below 3 years in two peaks in March and June causing bronchiolitis and pneumonia. One case of NL63 infection is described, documenting NL63 circulation in central Italy. In conclusion, the use of a comprehensive number of PCR‐based tests is recommended to define the burden of viral pathogens in patients with respiratory tract infection. J. Med. Virol. 79:463–468, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Oncology Drug Dosing in Gilbert Syndrome Associated with UGT1A1: A Summary of the Literature

Gilbert syndrome (GS) is a hereditary condition that affects ~10% of the population. It is characterized by intermittent, unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in the absence of hepatocellular damage and hemolysis. Although GS is often described as a benign laboratory finding, it may alter drug metabolism by decreasing the ability to conjugate drugs. Genetic polymorphisms, specifically the UGT1A1*28 allele, may reduce glucuronidation by 30% that severely impacts the ability to metabolize certain medications. Antineoplastic agents used in oncologic settings have toxic side effects, and alterations in metabolism may result in severe or even life‐threatening toxicities. Many of the drug monographs provided by manufacturers contain dose adjustment parameters for hepatic function, using serum bilirubin as a surrogate marker. However, in patients with GS, hepatic function remains normal in the setting of hyperbilirubinemia, and scant literature is available to provide guidance on empirical dosage adjustment. In this review, we conducted a literature search of routinely used oncology medications and assessed the need for empirical dose adjustments in the setting of GS.
Momentum and Reversal Strategies in Chinese Commodity Futures Markets

This paper tests a wide range of momentum and reversal strategies at different trading frequencies for the complete Chinese commodity futures market dataset. Accurate estimates of transaction costs for each commodity and the minute level futures prices are utilized to obtain the most realistic out-of-sample backtesting results. Distinctively from the existing literature, our dataset does not suffer from liquidity problems since the intra-day data is constructed from the most actively traded contracts for each and every of the 31 commodities included in our sample. Overall, there are three main findings of this study. First, momentum and reversal trading strategies can generate robust and consistent returns over time; however, the intra-day strategies used cannot generate sufficiently enough high excess returns to cover the excessive costs due to the higher frequency of trading. Secondly, at lower trading frequencies and longer holding periods momentum and reversal strategies can generate excess returns, but with higher maximum drawdown risk. Finally, the double-sort strategies statistically improve the performance of the trading strategies.
Insulin Receptor Isoforms in Physiology and Disease: An Updated View

The insulin receptor (IR) gene undergoes differential splicing that generates two IR isoforms, IR-A and IR-B. The physiological roles of IR isoforms are incompletely understood and appear to be determined by their different binding affinities for insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), particularly for IGF-2. Predominant roles of IR-A in prenatal growth and development and of IR-B in metabolic regulation are well established. However, emerging evidence indicates that the differential expression of IR isoforms may also help explain the diversification of insulin and IGF signaling and actions in various organs and tissues by involving not only different ligand-binding affinities but also different membrane partitioning and trafficking and possibly different abilities to interact with a variety of molecular partners. Of note, dysregulation of the IR-A/IR-B ratio is associated with insulin resistance, aging, and increased proliferative activity of normal and neoplastic tissues and appears to sustain detrimental effects. This review discusses novel information that has generated remarkable progress in our understanding of the physiology of IR isoforms and their role in disease. We also focus on novel IR ligands and modulators that should now be considered as an important strategy for better and safer treatment of diabetes and cancer and possibly other IR-related diseases.
Neuroanatomy of creativity

Creativity has long been a construct of interest to philosophers, psychologists and, more recently, neuroscientists. Recent efforts have focused on cognitive processes likely to be important to the manifestation of novelty and usefulness within a given social context. One such cognitive process – divergent thinking – is the process by which one extrapolates many possible answers to an initial stimulus or target data set. We sought to link well established measures of divergent thinking and creative achievement (Creative Achievement Questionnaire – CAQ) to cortical thickness in a cohort of young (23.7 ± 4.2 years), healthy subjects. Three independent judges ranked the creative products of each subject using the consensual assessment technique (Amabile, 1982) from which a “composite creativity index” (CCI) was derived. Structural magnetic resonance imaging was obtained at 1.5 Tesla Siemens scanner. Cortical reconstruction and volumetric segmentation were performed with the FreeSurfer image analysis suite. A region within the lingual gyrus was negatively correlated with CCI; the right posterior cingulate correlated positively with the CCI. For the CAQ, lower left lateral orbitofrontal volume correlated with higher creative achievement; higher cortical thickness was related to higher scores on the CAQ in the right angular gyrus. This is the first study to link cortical thickness measures to psychometric measures of creativity. The distribution of brain regions, associated with both divergent thinking and creative achievement, suggests that cognitive control of information flow among brain areas may be critical to understanding creative cognition. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The sensitivity and specificity of the Middlesex Elderly Assessment of Mental State (MEAMS) for detecting cognitive impairment after stroke

The aim of the study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the MEAMS (Golding, 1989) for detecting cognitive impairment after stroke. Stroke patients admitted to hospital received a cognitive screening assessment, the MEAMS, and a detailed cognitive assessment. The information obtained from the detailed assessment was summarised in a structured written report. From the conclusions in these reports, patients were classified as “impaired” or “not impaired” in perception, memory, executive function and language. The sensitivity and specificity of the MEAMS subtests and the overall number of tests passed were determined in relation to the presence of impairment, as given in the overall conclusion of the written reports. There were 30 stroke patients, aged 58 to 92 (mean 75.80, SD 7.94) years. Of these, 17 were men and 13 were women. The sensitivity of the MEAMS subtests ranged from 11% to 100% and the specificity ranged from 69% to 100%. The sensitivity of the overall MEAMS score was 52% and the specificity was 100%, using a cut-off score of 3 or more fails to indicate impairment. Three subtests, Orientation, Naming and Unusual views had 81% sensitivity and 50% specificity for detecting problems in language, perception or memory. The MEAMS was not a sensitive screen for overall cognitive impairment or for memory, perceptual, language, or executive function problems after stroke, but it was specific. Although screening for cognitive impairment is important, the MEAMS is not recommended as the sole method, as it produces an unacceptably high false negative rate. Three subtests (Orientation, Naming and Unusual views) had 81% sensitivity and 50% specificity for detecting cognitive problems in language, perception or memory after stroke.
High-Power Versatile Picosecond Pulse Generation from Mode-Locked Quantum-Dot Laser Diodes

This paper presents the current status of our research in mode-locked quantum-dot edge-emitting laser diodes, particularly highlighting the recent progress in spectral and temporal versatility of both monolithic and external-cavity laser configurations. Spectral versatility is demonstrated through broadband tunability and novel mode-locking regimes that involve distinct spectral bands, such as dual-wavelength mode-locking, and robust high-power wavelength bistability. Broad tunability of the pulse repetition rate is also demonstrated for an external-cavity mode-locked quantum-dot laser, revealing a nearly constant pulse peak power at different pulse repetition rates. High-energy and low-noise pulse generations are demonstrated for low-pulse repetition rates. These recent advances confirm the potential of quantum-dot lasers as versatile, compact, and low-cost sources of ultrashort pulses.
Exchange Rate Pass-Through in Bangladesh's Export Prices: An Empirical Investigation

In view of changes in legal, institutional and policy frameworks in the financial system of Bangladesh under the Financial Sector Reform Program (FSRP) initiated in the early 1990s, the paper attempted to empirically investigate whether bank lending and exchange rate channels exist in the economy through which monetary policy changes can influence aggregate output and prices. An assessment of the empirical evidence has been established through the unrestricted vector autoregressions (VARs) approach using quarterly data for the period of July-September 1979 to April-June 2005. The results of the empirical analysis suggest weak existence of both bank lending and exchange rate channels in the Bangladesh economy for the full-sample period as well as in the sub-sample period (i.e., January-March 1990 to April-June 2005). These findings have important implications with respect to the operation of monetary policy. Specifically, knowing the distinct active channels of monetary transmission in the economy would guide the monetary authority in formulating and conducting monetary policy pursuant to its objectives under the current regime, i.e., floating exchange rate and market based monetary policy instruments
Deaths From Seasonal Influenza Among Pregnant Women in the United States, 1998–2005

OBJECTIVE: To estimate pregnancy-related mortality caused by seasonal influenza in the United States for comparison with the current 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic. METHODS: Pregnancy-related deaths were identified in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (PMSS) database for the years 1998–2005. PMSS collects de-identified copies of vital records supplied by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and New York City for women who died during or within 1 year after pregnancy. Records in the database broadly classified under deaths due to respiratory infections were identified, and the corresponding archived death certificates were individually reviewed to classify the cause of death as pneumonia or influenza. RESULTS: Between 1998 and 2005, 4,693 pregnancy-related deaths were reported to CDC. Of these, 78 women died from influenza or pneumonia; 40 of these deaths occurred during an influenza season. Nearly 75% of deaths occurred during or within 2 weeks of the end of the pregnancy. CONCLUSION: On average, five possible influenza-related deaths among pregnant women were reported per year before the emergence of pregnancy-related deaths due to the current H1N1 pandemic compared with the 28 laboratory-confirmed, pregnancy-related deaths reported for the first 4 months of the 2009 pandemic. This highlights the excess mortality among pregnant women resulting from this pandemic influenza virus. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III
EyeSeeCam: An Eye Movement–Driven Head Camera for the Examination of Natural Visual Exploration

The prototype of a gaze‐controlled, head‐mounted camera (EyeSeeCam) was developed that provides the functionality for fundamental studies on human gaze behavior even under dynamic conditions like locomotion. EyeSeeCam incorporates active visual exploration by saccades with image stabilization during head, object, and surround motion just as occurs in human ocular motor control. This prototype is a first attempt to combine free user mobility with image stabilization and unrestricted exploration of the visual surround in a man‐made technical vision system. The gaze‐driven camera is supplemented by an additional wide‐angle, head‐fixed scene camera. In this scene view, the focused gaze view is embedded with picture‐in‐picture functionality, which provides an approximation of the foveated retinal content. Such a combined video clip can be viewed more comfortably than the saccade‐pervaded image of the gaze camera alone. EyeSeeCam consists of a video‐oculography (VOG) device and a camera motion device. The benchmark for the evaluation of such a device is the vestibulo‐ocular reflex (VOR), which requires a latency on the order of 10 msec between head and eye (camera) movements for proper image stabilization. A new lightweight VOG was developed that is able to synchronously measure binocular eye positions at up to 600 Hz. The camera motion device consists of a parallel kinematics setup with a backlash‐free gimbal joint that is driven by piezo actuators with no reduction gears. As a result, the latency between the rotations of an artificial eye and the camera was 10 msec, which is VOR‐like.
Acquisition of Hox codes during gastrulation and axial elongation in the mouse embryo

Early sequential expression of mouse Hox genes is essential for their later function. Analysis of the relationship between early Hox gene expression and the laying down of anterior to posterior structures during and after gastrulation is therefore crucial for understanding the ontogenesis of Hox-mediated axial patterning. Using explants from gastrulation stage embryos, we show that the ability to express 3′ and 5′ Hox genes develops sequentially in the primitive streak region, from posterior to anterior as the streak extends, about 12 hours earlier than overt Hox expression. The ability to express autonomously the earliest Hox gene, Hoxb1, is present in the posterior streak region at the onset of gastrulation, but not in the anterior region at this stage. However, the posterior region can induce Hoxb1 expression in these anterior region cells. We conclude that tissues are primed to express Hox genes early in gastrulation, concomitant with primitive streak formation and extension, and that Hox gene inducibility is transferred by cell to cell signalling. Axial structures that will later express Hox genes are generated in the node region in the period that Hox expression domains arrive there and continue to spread rostrally. However, lineage analysis showed that definitive Hox codes are not fixed at the node, but must be acquired later and anterior to the node in the neurectoderm, and independently in the mesoderm. We conclude that the rostral progression of Hox gene expression must be modulated by gene regulatory influences from early on in the posterior streak, until the time cells have acquired their stable positions along the axis well anterior to the node.
Inhibitory Effects of Caffeic Acid, a Coffee-Related Organic Acid, on the Propagation of Hepatitis C Virus.

Multipurpose cohort studies have demonstrated that coffee consumption reduces the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Given that one of the main causes of HCC is hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, we examined the effect of caffeic acid, a major organic acid derived from coffee, on the propagation of HCV using an in vitro naïve HCV particle-infection and production system within human hepatoma-derived Huh-7.5. 1-8 cells. When cells were treated with 1% coffee extract or 0.1% caffeic acid for 1-h post HCV infection, the amount of HCV particles released into the medium at 3 and 4 days post-infection considerably decreased. In addition, HCV-infected cells cultured with 0.001% caffeic acid for 4 days, also released less HCV particles into the medium. Caffeic acid treatment inhibited the initial stage of HCV infection (i.e., between virion entry and the translation of the RNA genome) in both HCV genotypes 1b and 2a. These results suggest that the treatment of cells with caffeic acid may inhibit HCV propagation.
Multiple microtubule alterations are associated with Vinca alkaloid resistance in human leukemia cells.

Vinca alkaloids are used extensively in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and despite their usefulness, drug resistance remains a serious clinical problem. Vinca alkaloids bind to the beta-tubulin subunit of the alpha/beta-tubulin heterodimer and inhibit polymerization of microtubules. Recent studies have implicated altered beta-tubulin isotype expression and mutations in resistance to microtubule-stabilizing agents. Microtubule-associated protein (MAP) MAP4 binds to and stabilizes microtubules, and increased expression is associated with decreased sensitivity to microtubule-depolymerizing agents. To address the significance of beta-tubulin and MAP4 alterations in childhood ALL, two CCRF-CEM-derived Vinca alkaloid resistant cell lines, VCR R (vincristine) and VLB100 (vinblastine), were examined. Decreased expression of class III beta-tubulin was detected in both VCR R and VLB100 cells. VCR R cells and to a lesser extent VLB100 cells expressed increased levels of MAP4 protein. Increased microtubule stability was observed in these VCR R cells as identified by the high levels of polymerized tubulin (45.6 +/- 2.6%; P < 0.005) compared with CEM and VLB100 cells (24.7 +/- 3.3% and 24.7 +/- 2.5%, respectively). Expression was associated with a single MAP4 isoform in the polymerized microtubule fraction in CEM and VCR cells. In contrast, VLB100 cells expressed a lower molecular weight isoform in the polymerized fraction. Two-dimensional-PAGE and immunoblotting revealed marked posttranslational changes in class I beta-tubulin in VCR R cells not evident in CEM cells. Sequencing of the beta-tubulin (HM40) gene identified a point mutation in VCR R cells in nucleotide 843 (CTC-->ATC; Leu(240)-->Ile) that was not present in CEM or VLB100 cells. This mutation resides in a region of beta-tubulin that lies in close proximity to the alpha/beta tubulin interface. Multiple alterations related to normal microtubule function were identified in ALL cells selected for resistance to Vinca alkaloids, and these alterations may provide important insight into mechanisms mediating resistance to Vinca alkaloids.
The long-term effect of recombinant tissue-plasminogen-activator (rt-PA) on edema formation in a large-animal model of intracerebral hemorrhage

Abstract Hematoma puncture, fibrinolysis, and aspiration of the liquefied clot is a promising new treatment strategy for large intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH). Characteristics of the cellular injury and neuronal and glial cell death associated with ICH and the administration of fibrinolytic agents still need to be defined. We developed a porcine model to study the histopathological effects of recombinant tissue-Plasminogen-Activator (rt-PA) on perihematomatous cell integrity. In 20 pigs, lobar hematomas were induced by intracranial pressure (ICP)-controlled injections of 7.6 ± 1.6 ml of autologous blood into the white matter of the right frontal hemisphere. In nine animals, the clots were lysed with rt-PA, thereby facilitating aspiration 2 h after hematoma induction. In 11 control pigs, the hematoma resorption followed its natural course. The rate of hematoma reduction and edema formation over 10 days was evaluated on planimetry of the MRI data and correlated to the histopathological changes found at autopsy. Although rt-PA significantly accelerated clot resolution compared to controls ( p< 0.02), the increase of perihematomatous edema volume within 10 days was not significantly ameliorated in rt-PA-treated animals compared to controls on MRI. The extent of inflammatory infiltrates on histology was more pronounced in animals treated with rt-PA. In conclusion, despite significant reduction in the size of the hematoma clot liquefication with rt-PA and aspiration invokes a substantial inflammatory response when studied after 10 days and does not result in a reduction of the perihematomatous edema.
Anthropometric traits, balanced selection and fertility.

Evidence from Mexican-American families regarding the question of balanced selection in anthropometric traits in relation to fertility or "Darwinian fitness" is presented and assessed. The data are organized on the basis of 3 kinds of selection on continuously distributed characters in natural selection: 1) directional, favoring 1 extreme; 2) stabilizing, (balanced), in which the average phenotype has greater reproductive fitness over the extremes; and 3) destabilizing, in which the extremes have the highest Darwinian fitness. There have been marked differences in the results of previous studies on the subjest. The present study is based on data collected in 1941 on Mexican immigrant parents and their American born children in Texas and of parents and children in central nad northern Mexico. At least 1 child in each family had to be an adult. Information was obtained as fully as possible for all children, living and dead. 176 families were studied in Texas and 129 in Mexico. 230 families in which the mother was at least 40 years old were included. Modal, minimal, and maximal classes were established in parental populations (both sexes combined) for morphological traits and for the sexes separately. The variability of fertility was determined according to mprphological class of mother and father separately and their interaction by analysis of variance with 2-factor interchange. The traits: (weight, stature, min. frontal, bizygomatic, bigonial, hand length, hand width, ear index, body surface area, weight/surface ratio) and directional in 10 other parental traits (head length, head width) menton-crinion, menton-nasion, nose height, nose width, ear height, ear width, cephalic index, and nose index), except nose width in the latter group which was in the destabilizing category. The directional traits in regard to mean munber of children were generally in the order of minimal, modal, and maximal class. None of the differences between the means, however, were statistically significant. It has been calculated that a difference of 1% in fertility between 2 groups would require 38,000 families in each group for statistical significance at the 5% level. Whether fertility in the sense of a large number of offspring is a requisite of natural selection in the case of human beings appears to be moot in view of the pervasive influence of "cultural selection" which so significantly mediates mating patterns and family size.