Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative ergonomic assessment of manual wheelchairs by paraplegic users

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to describe and test the reliability of a comprehensive product-centered approach to assessing functional performance and wheelchair user perceptions on device ergonomics and satisfaction of performance. A pilot study was implemented using this approach to evaluate differences among four manual wheelchairs. Method:. Six wheelchair users with complete spinal cord injury (SCI) at the thoracic level and with no previous upper limbs impairment were recruited for this study. After finishing circuit tasks, subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire about ergonomic wheelchair characteristics (manoeuvrability, stability, comfort and ease of propulsion) and satisfaction about task performance. On the other hand, objective data were recorded during user performance as the time required to complete each test, kinetic wheelchair propulsion data obtained with two SMARTWheels® and physiological parameters (heart rate and physiological index). Results: Kuschall Champion® and Otto Bock Voyage® wheelchairs were ranked best for most ergonomic aspects specially in manoeuvrability (p < 0.05). Less time was required to execute most of the circuit tasks in both wheelchair models (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This approach proposed highlight the importance of looking both kinds of information, user perception and user functional performance when evaluating a wheelchair or comparing across devices. Implications for Rehabilitation In rehabilitation, the reliability of the clinical evaluation of the wheelchair can help to improve and adapt the wheelchair to patient, contributing significantly to the prevention of overuse injuries in the upper limbs.
Small non‐coding RNAs, co‐ordinators of adaptation processes in Escherichia coli: the RpoS paradigm

Adaptation to the changing environment requires both the integration of external signals and the co‐ordination of internal responses. Around 50 non‐coding small RNAs (sRNAs) have been described in Escherichia coli; the levels of many of these vary with changing environmental conditions. This suggests that they play a role in cell adaptation. In this review, we use the regulation of RpoS (σ38) translation as a paradigm of sRNA‐mediated response to environmental conditions; rpoS is currently the only known gene regulated post‐transcriptionally by at least three sRNAs. DsrA and RprA stimulate RpoS translation in response to low temperature and cell surface stress, respectively, whereas OxyS represses RpoS translation in response to oxidative shock. However, in addition to regulating RpoS translation, DsrA represses the translation of HNS (a global regulator of gene expression), whereas OxyS represses the translation of FhlA (a transcriptional activator), allowing the cell to co‐ordinate different pathways involved in cell adaptation. Environmental cues affect the synthesis and stability of specific sRNAs, resulting in specific sRNA‐dependent translational control.
Trends in testicular cancer incidence and mortality in 22 European countries: Continuing increases in incidence and declines in mortality

This study profiles testicular cancer incidence and mortality across Europe, and the effects of age, period and generational influences, using age‐period‐cohort modeling. Despite a 5‐fold variation in incidence rates, there were consistent mean increases in incidence in each of the 12 European countries studied, ranging from around 6% per annum (Spain and Slovenia) to 1–2% (Norway). In contrast, declines in testicular cancer mortality of 3–6% per annum were observed in the 1980s and 1990s for the majority of the 22 countries studied, particularly in Northern and Western Europe. The mortality trends in several European countries were rather stable (Romania and Bulgaria) or increasing (Portugal and Croatia). Short‐term attenuations in increasing cohort‐specific risk of incidence were indicated among men born between 1940 and 1945 in 7 European countries. In Switzerland, successive generations born from the mid 1960s may have experienced a steadily declining risk of disease occurrence. While the underlying risk factors responsible remain elusive, the temporal and geographical variability in incidence may point to an epidemic in different phases in different countries—the result of country‐specific differences in the prevalence of one or several ubiquitous and highly prevalent environmental determinants of the disease. Advances in treatment have led to major declines in mortality in many European countries from the mid 1970s, which has translated to cohorts of men at successively lower risk of death from the disease. Slower progress in the delivery of optimal care is however evident from the mortality trends in several lower‐resource countries in Southern and Eastern Europe. The first beneficiaries of therapy in these populations may be those men born—rather than diagnosed—in the era of major breakthrough in testicular cancer care. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Overlapping Lsp‐2 gene sequences target expression to both the larval and adult Drosophila fat body

The Larval serum protein‐2 gene (Lsp‐2) of Drosophila melanogaster encodes one of the major hexameric haemolymph proteins of third‐instar larvae and a major component of adult serum. Regulated transcription of Lsp‐2 results in high‐level, ecdysone‐stimulated expression throughout the larval fat body and low‐level, spatially restricted expression in the adult fat cells. To localize cis‐acting regulatory se quences responsible for the stage‐ and tissue‐specific activity of Lsp‐2, the expression of Lsp‐2–IacZ fusion genes was studied by P element‐mediated germline transformation of Drosophila. A 230 base pair larval enhancer, which includes an ecdysone response element (EcRE), specifically targets gene activity to the larval fat body. Although the adult mode of Lsp‐2 expression depends on the larval enhancer, additional negative regulatory elements dictate both tissue‐specificity and unique spatial restriction within the adult fat body. Implications of these findings for the identification of fat body‐specific gene regulatory units in other insects are discussed.
New issues and science in broiler chicken intestinal health: Emerging technology and alternative interventions

Abstract Intestinal health is important for maximizing the health, welfare, and performance of poultry. Traditionally, due to lack of available technologies, our knowledge of the diversity of microbial communities within the chicken intestine had been oversimplified. Recent progress in technology suitable for microbial community analysis has evolved our understanding. New molecular technologies allow for a detailed molecular and physiological assessment, including quantification of individual microbial species and their metabolites. One area of research has assessed the microbial shifts that occur in response to supplementation of broiler diets with alternative products intended to promote broiler intestinal health. As a result of consumer awareness and the development of antibiotic resistant organisms, there is increasing social pressure for use of nonantibiotic products to promote broiler health, including: prebiotics, probiotics, organic acids, essential oils, enzymes, and volatile fatty acids, among others. Molecular technologies can be utilized to help advance our understanding of the mechanism of action of these alternative products by evaluating the changes in the intestinal microbiome and immune function following supplementation with these novel products. Advancing the selection of these products for practical application in the broiler industry is necessary to promote broiler chicken intestinal health, minimize public health risks, and maximize broiler production in the absence of antibiotics.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unknown, but it is thought to arise from an aberrant immune response to a change in colonic environment in a genetically susceptible individual. The intestinal microbiota are located at the complex interface of the epithelial barrier and are sensitive to changes in environmental factors, such as diets, drugs or smoking and signals derived from the intestinal immune system and the gut-brain axis. In patients with IBD, an imbalance in the structural and/or functional configuration of the intestinal microbiota leading to the disruption of the host-microorganism homeostasis (dysbiosis) has been reproducibly reported. As animal models of IBD require gut bacteria to induce inflammation, it is hypothesized that the dysbiosis observed in patients is not only a surrogate of changes at the intestinal barrier but also a potential cause or at least enhancer of the mucosal inflammatory process. That burgeoning notion has stimulated thoughts to modify the intestinal microbiota and rekindled interest in previous work on the efficacy of antibiotics in patients with IBD. The feasibility and tremendous success of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to treat antibiotic resistant Clostridium difficile has finally paved the way to embark into the unchartered territory of IBD using FMT. Different routes and number of administrations, choices of donors, disease status and permitted therapies might have contributed to mixed results, particularly from the so far published randomized controlled trials. However, microbiome analysis suggests that a durable transplantation of donor bacteria to the host appears feasible and might be associated with a higher likelihood of response. On the other hand, this raises the concern of transplanting not only anti-inflammatory active bacteria and their products, but also not-yet-known dispositions for other diseases including cancer. Attempts are being made to better characterize those components of the microbiome of healthy individuals, which might mediate anti-inflammatory functions and assemble ‘synthetic stools' for more standardized treatment approaches.
A reputation inference model based on linear hidden markov process

Although reputation is a statistical value about the trust, most existing work uses the summation method for reputation aggregation, which is vulnerable to malicious feedbacks and cannot assess the reputation prediction variance. In this paper, we present a novel Linear Hidden Markov (LHM) model for reputation evaluation. LHM model uses the linear autoregressive function to define the reputation evolution, so that the reputation prediction variance can be assessed by a Markov process. Based on Expectation Maximization (EM) calibration method, LHM model aggregates the feedback by using the Kalman filter, which can support further robust inference techniques. Our experiments show that LHM model can effectively capture the reputation value and its prediction variance.
Regulation of the metabolism of striatal dynorphin by the dopaminergic system.

The purpose of this study was to explore the dopaminergic control of the striatonigral dynorphin system. Seven daily injections of a dopamine (DA) agonist, apomorphine (APO, 5 mg/kg, b.i.d., s.c.), caused a significant increase of dynorphin A (1-8)-like immunoreactivity (DN-LI) in the striatum (140% over control) and substantia nigra (41% over control) without changing DN-LI in frontal cortex, hypothalamus and hippocampus. Immunocytochemistry revealed intense dynorphin A (1-17)-like immunostaining in striatal "patch" neurons and striatonigral fibers after APO treatment. In order to understand the mechanism of increase in the peptide level, the abundance of preprodynorphin mRNA was quantified by Northern blot hybridization with a 32P-labeled cRNA probe coding for rat preprodynorphin. Seven daily injections of APO increased the abundance of striatal preprodynorphin mRNA by 60%. In another experiment, rats received a single injection of various doses of APO (0.5-2.5 mg/kg s.c.). Striatal DN-LI was decreased by 15% 1 hr after injection of a dose of 2.5 mg/kg of APO. Seven daily injections or a single injection of D-amphetamine produced effects similar to those elicited by APO. These studies reveal that the nigrostriatal DA system plays an important role in modulating the metabolism of striatonigral dynorphin-containing neurons.
Diffusion characteristics of calcium alginate gels.

The diffusivity of a protein solute (bovine serum albumin) within calcium alginate gels made from sodium alginate of different guluronic acid content was determined. It was found that protein diffusion within alginate gels, prepared to be isotropic in structure, was greatest for gels prepared from sodium alginate of low guluronic acid content as opposed to those prepared from sodium alginate of high guluronic acid content. This finding was explained in terms of the difference in flexibility of the polymer backbone of the two alginates. The greater the polymer backbone flexibility, the greater the solute diffusivity within the gel.
Trypan blue: effect on retinal pigment epithelial and neurosensory retinal cells.

PURPOSE To evaluate the toxicity of trypan blue on retinal cells in vitro. METHODS Human retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19) and rat neurosensory retinal cells (R28) were grown in tissue culture and treated with four different concentrations of trypan blue (0.1%, 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.0125%), in combination with surgical light exposure (0, 5, or 10 minutes). Cell viability, mitochondrial function, and DNA synthesis were measured by trypan blue dye-exclusion assay, mitochondrial dehydrogenase assay, and tritiated [3H] thymidine incorporation, respectively. RESULTS ARPE-19 and R28 cells exposed to trypan blue with or without illumination did not show any significant decrease, either in cell viability by the dye-exclusion assay or in [3H] thymidine incorporation. R28 cells exposed to 0.1% trypan blue with and without light showed a significant reduction of mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity (P <0.05). ARPE-19 cells exposed to trypan blue, with or without light, did not show any significant decrease in mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that rat neurosensory retina (R28) cells are more sensitive than human RPE (ARPE-19) cells to trypan blue. ARPE-19 cells showed no evidence of toxicity with any of the three assays, but R28 cells showed evidence of toxicity with the mitochondrial dehydrogenase assay at the higher doses and light-exposure times studied. Clinical studies must be conducted to determine the safety and efficacy of staining of the inner limiting membrane with trypan blue.
Saurolactam inhibits osteoclast differentiation and stimulates apoptosis of mature osteoclasts

The receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB ligand (RANKL) plays a critical role in the differentiation and bone resorptive activity of osteoclasts. Recently, the development of anti‐resorptive agents from natural substances has become a subject of interest. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of 222 natural compounds on the RANKL‐induced tartrate‐resistance acid phosphatase (TRAP; a marker for osteoclast differentiation) activity and multinucleated osteoclast formation in RAW264.7 murine macrophage cells. We found that saurolactam was one of the compounds inhibiting the RANKL‐induced osteoclastogenesis; it significantly inhibited the RANKL‐induced TRAP activity and formation of multinucleated osteoclasts without any cytotoxicity. Interestingly, saurolactam prevented RANKL‐induced activation of MAP kinases and NF‐κB, and mRNA expression of osteoclast‐related genes and transcription factors (c‐Fos, Fra‐2, and NFATc1). We also observed the inhibitory effect of saurolactam on the differentiation of mouse bone marrow‐derived macrophages into osteoclasts. Furthermore, saurolactam inhibited the bone resorptive activity of mature osteoclasts with the induction of apoptotic signaling cascade and the inhibition of survival signaling pathways such as c‐Src/PI3K/Akt, Ras/ERK, and JNK/c‐Jun. In conclusion, although further studies are needed to determine the precise mechanism and biological efficacy of saurolactam in osteoclast‐mediated bone disorders, our results demonstrate that saurolactam potentially inhibits osteoclast differentiation by preventing the activation of MAP kinases and transcription factors that consequently affect the regulation of genes required for osteoclastogenesis, and the bone resorptive activity of mature osteoclasts by inhibiting osteoclast survival‐related signaling pathways and triggering the apoptotic signaling cascade. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 618–628, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Manipulation of a large object by multiple DR Helpers in cooperation with a human

We propose a decentralized control algorithm of multiple robot helpers, called DR Helpers, which have been developed for manipulating a large object in cooperation with humans. In this algorithm, each robot is controlled as if it has a caster-like dynamics around a representative point attached to the object, and manipulation of a large or long object in cooperation with a human can be realized easily. The proposed control algorithm is experimentally applied to two DR Helpers and experimental results illustrate the validity of the proposed control algorithm.
[Reflex myoclonic epilepsy in infancy: a new reflex epilepsy syndrome or a variant of benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy].

CASE REPORTS We report a clinical and EEG study of 8 children with reflex myoclonic epilepsy of infancy to further confirm the existence of this syndrome first described by Ricci et al in 1995. RESULTS Between February 1990 to July 2002, we identified 64 epileptic patients with myoclonic seizures with an onset in the first six years of life. Eight (12.5%) of these patients had myoclonic seizure stimuli sensible. The seizures were characterized by generalized, myoclonic jerks triggered by tactile stimuli in six patients and acoustic stimuli in two, in one of them myoclonic jerks were triggered by both types of stimuli. The seizures appeared between 5 and 20 months of age. Two of the 8 patients had spontaneous myoclonic attacks during sleep. Interictal EEG was normal during wakefulness and occasional discharges were evident during sleep. In contrast, the ictal EEG during both wakefulness and sleep showed generalized spike wave and polyspike slow wave paroxysms. Neurologic examination, neuroimaging and neurometabolic studies were normal. Myoclonic jerks disappeared in 6 patients after valproic acid administration and in two after clobazan administration. Antiepileptic treatment was discontinued in 6 patients and no seizure recurrence was observed during a median follow up of 6 years. CONCLUSION Our patients presented electro clinical criteria compatible with the syndrome of reflex myoclonic epilepsy of infancy. This syndrome could be considered to be a new reflex epileptic syndrome or a variant of benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy.
Integration host factor stimulates both FimB‐ and FimE‐mediated site‐specific DNA inversion that controls phase variation of type 1 fimbriae expression in Escherichia coli

The site‐specific DNA inversion that controls phase variation of type 1 fimbriation in E. coli is catalysed by two recombinases, FimB and FimE. Efficient inversion by either recombinase also requires the leucine‐responsive regulatory protein (Lrp). In addition, FimB recombination is stimulated by the integration host factor (IHF). The effect of IHF on FimE inversion has not previously been reported. Here it is shown that IHF stimulates FimE recombination; in strain MG1655, mutants containing lesions in either the α (ihfA) or β (ihfB) subunits of IHF show a marked decrease in both FimB‐ (100‐fold) and FimE (15 000‐fold)‐promoted switching. IHF is shown to bind with high affinity to sites both adjacent to (site I) and within (site II) the fim invertible element. Furthermore, mutations in site I or site II that lower the affinity of IHF binding in vitro were found to lower the frequency of FimE and/or FimB recombination in vivo. Although site I and site II mutations in combination have an effect on FimB‐promoted switching comparable to that of IHF knockout mutations (100‐fold), the cis site mutations have a much less marked effect (100‐fold) on FimE‐promoted switching.
Ocean carbon cycling in the Indian Ocean: 2. Estimates of net community production

The spatiotemporal variability of ocean carbon cycling and air‐sea CO2 exchange in the Indian Ocean was examined using inorganic carbon data collected as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) cruises in 1995. Several carbon mass balance approaches were used to estimate rates of net community production (NCP) in the Indian Ocean. Carbon transports into and out of the Indian Ocean were derived using mass transport estimates of Robbins and Toole (1997) and Schmitz (1996), and transoceanic hydrographic and TCO2 sections at 32°S and across the Indonesian Throughflow. The derived NCP rates of 749 ± 227 to 1572 ± 180 Tg C yr−1 (0.75–1.57 Pg C yr−1) estimated by carbon mass balance were similar to new production rates (1100–1800 Tg C yr−1) determined for the Indian Ocean by a variety of other methods (Louanchi and Najjar, 2000; Gnanadesikan et al., 2002). Changes in carbon inventories of the surface layer were also used to evaluate the spatiotemporal patterns of NCP. Significant NCP occurred in all regions during the Northeast Monsoon and Spring Intermonsoon periods. During the Southwest Monsoon and Fall Intermonsoon periods, the trophic status appears to shift from net autotrophy to net heterotrophy, particularly in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and 10°N to 10°S zones.
On pump versus off pump coronary artery bypass surgery in patients over seventy years old with triple vessels disease and severe left ventricle dysfunction: focus on early clinical outcomes.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading reason of morbidity in older people. Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is the most common type of operations in world. This study was designed to characterize comparison of early clinical outcome following on pump vs. off pump in patients over 70 years old with triple vessels disease and severe left ventricle dysfunction. 80 patients were divided into two groups: In group A (n=40) on pump CABG was performed with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass and cold blood cardioplegic arrest and in group B (n=40) the patients had off pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. Exclusion criteria included emergency or urgent operation, combined valve surgery, history of renal insufficiency (Cr >2 mg/dl), stroke. Early postoperative complications such as occurrence, duration and frequency of recurrence of atrial fibrillation were recorded. All patients underwent Holter monitoring after ICU discharge during their hospital stay. The average age of patients was 79.5±7.5 years. Post operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) occurred in 24 cases (30%); 17 cases (42.5%) related to on pump CABG group and 7 cases (17.5%) related to OPCAB group (P=0.03). The frequency of the recurrence of AF in the on pump group was 3.8±1.3 days and in the off pump group was 2.4±1.1 days (P=0.02). ICU stay in on pump group was 3.6±1.80 days, while for the off pump was 2.5±0.6 days (P=0.001). Also hospital stay duration was 8.5±2.1 days for the on pump group compared to the other group that was 6.34±1.06 days. Off pump in patients over 70 years old with triple vessels disease and severe LV dysfunction is safer than on pump and can reduce POAF, ICU and hospital stay and some early surgical complications.