Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spinal control of locomotion – from cat to man

For a large number of vertebrate species it is now indisputable that spinal networks have the capability of generating the basic locomotor rhythm. The aim of this review is to summarize the evidence for spinal pattern generators in cats and primates, including man and its interaction with sensory signals from the limbs. For all species the sensory feed‐back from the moving limb is very important to achieve effective locomotor behaviour by adapting to the environment and compensating for unexpected postural disturbances. Sensory regulation of stepping can occur via reflex pathways to motoneurones (by‐passing the locomotor rhythm generators) or by acting on the spinal locomotor networks themselves. The sensory feed‐back serves to control the timing of the different phases in the step cycle, to shape the pattern of muscle activity, to contribute to the excitatory drive of the motoneurones and to the long‐term adaptation of the locomotor activity. In this review we discuss the spinal locomotor circuits and the sensory feed‐back in animals (mainly the cat) and human subjects. Special emphasis is given to work that has been of importance for the development of new rehabilitation paradigms following spinal cord injury.
Metagenome of a Versatile Chemolithoautotroph from Expanding Oceanic Dead Zones

Life in Dead Zones Oxygen minimum zones, or oceanic “dead zones,” are expanding. Marine dead zone expansion and intensification results in amplification of biological nitrogen and greenhouse gas production, with implications for marine fisheries' productivity and for climate balance. Little is known about the microbial communities mediating the underlying biogeochemistry of dead zones. Walsh et al. (p. 578) present metagenomic analyses of a ubiquitous, abundant, and uncultivated bacterium in oceanic dead zones. Similar bacteria, related to chemoautotrophic gill symbionts of deep-sea clams and mussels, play a role in sulfide detoxification in African shelf waters. Reconstruction of the carbon and energy metabolism of this enigmatic lineage revealed a metabolic repertoire mediating carbon sequestration, sulfur-detoxification, and biological nitrogen loss in oxygen-deficient oceanic waters. An abundant microbe in oxygen-deficient oceanic waters reveals its redox-driven niche specialization. Oxygen minimum zones, also known as oceanic “dead zones,” are widespread oceanographic features currently expanding because of global warming. Although inhospitable to metazoan life, they support a cryptic microbiota whose metabolic activities affect nutrient and trace gas cycling within the global ocean. Here, we report metagenomic analyses of a ubiquitous and abundant but uncultivated oxygen minimum zone microbe (SUP05) related to chemoautotrophic gill symbionts of deep-sea clams and mussels. The SUP05 metagenome harbors a versatile repertoire of genes mediating autotrophic carbon assimilation, sulfur oxidation, and nitrate respiration responsive to a wide range of water-column redox states. Our analysis provides a genomic foundation for understanding the ecological and biogeochemical role of pelagic SUP05 in oxygen-deficient oceanic waters and its potential sensitivity to environmental changes.
The Relationship between Musical Skills, Music Training, and Intonation Analysis Skills

Few attempts have been made to look systematically at the relationship between musical and intonation analysis skills, a relationship that has been to date suggested only by informal observations. Following Mackenzie Beck (2003), who showed that musical ability was a useful predictor of general phonetic skills, we report on two studies investigating the relationship between musical skills, musical training, and intonation analysis skills in English. The specially designed music tasks targeted pitch direction judgments and tonal memory. The intonation tasks involved locating the nucleus, identifying the nuclear tone in stimuli of different length and complexity, and same / different contour judgments. The subjects were university students with basic training in intonation analysis. Both studies revealed an overall significant relationship between musical training and intonation task scores, and between the music test scores and intonation test scores. A more detailed analysis, focusing on the relationship between the individual music and intonation tests, yielded a more complicated picture. The results are discussed with respect to differences and similarities between music and intonation, and with respect to form and function of intonation. Implications of musical training on development of intonation analysis skills are considered. We argue that it would be beneficial to investigate the differences between musically trained and untrained subjects in their analysis of both musical stimuli and intonational form from a cognitive point of view.
Astrophysical magnetohydrodynamics

Over the course of roughly a decade, from the late 1950s through the early 1960s, Chandraskhar made fundamental contributions to basic plasma physics, and the effect of magnetic fields on the dynamics of astrophysical plasmas. This paper reviews recent progress and outstanding problems in Astrophysical magnetohydrodynamics, the application of MHD to astrophysical systems, with particular emphasis on the role of Chandra’s early contributions to the field. Specific topics discussed include magnetic field amplification by dynamo processes inside stars, the magnetorotational instability and angular momentum transport in accretion disks, MHD turbulence in the interstellar medium of galaxies, and kinetic MHD effects in weakly collisional plasmas. Chandra’s contributions in all of these areas endure.
Risk Factors for Failure of Locked Plate Fixation of Distal Femur Fractures: An Analysis of 335 Cases

Objectives: Locked plating has become a standard method to treat supracondylar femur fractures. Emerging evidence indicates that this method of treatment is associated with modest failure rates. The goals of this study were to determine risk factors for complications and to provide technical recommendations for locked plating of supracondylar femur fractures. Design: Retrospective review. Setting: Three level I or II trauma centers. Patients/participants: Three hundred twenty-six patients with 335 distal femur fractures (OTA 33A or C, 33% open) treated with lateral locked plates were studied. The average patient age was 57 years (range 17–97 years), 55% were women, 34% were obese, 19% were diabetic, and 24% were smokers. Intervention: All patients were managed with open reduction internal fixation using a lateral distal femoral locked plate construct that included locked screws in the distal fragment and nonlocked, locked, or a combination of locked and nonlocked screws in the proximal fragment. Main Outcome Measurements: Risk factors for reoperation to promote union, deep infection, and implant failure. Results: After the index procedure, 64 fractures (19%) required reoperation to promote union, including 30 that had a planned staged bone grafting because of the metaphyseal defect after debridement of an open fracture. Independent risk factors for reoperation to promote union and deep infection included diabetes and open fracture. Risk factors for proximal implant failure included open fracture, smoking, increased body mass index, and shorter plate length. Conclusions: The identified risk factors for reoperation to promote union and complications included open fracture, diabetes, smoking, increased body mass index, and shorter plate length. Most factors are out of surgeon control but are useful when considering prognosis. Use of relatively long plates is a technical factor that can reduce risk for fixation failure. Level of Evidence: Prognostic level II. See instructions for authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Light-induced water splitting with hematite: improved nanostructure and iridium oxide catalysis.

Revved-up rust! Light-induced water splitting over iron oxide (hematite) has been achieved by using a particle-assisted deposition technique and IrO2-based surface catalysis. Photocurrents in excess of 3 mA cm-2 were obtained at +1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode under AM 1.5 G 100 mW cm-2 simulated sunlight. These photocurrents are unmatched by any other oxide-based photoanode. FTO=fluorine-doped tin oxide. Copyright © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Increased sensitivity to peroxidizing agents is correlated with an imbalance of antioxidants in normal melanocytes from melanoma patients

Abstract: We have previously shown an imbalance of the antioxidant system in some cultures of normal melanocytes from patients with melanoma. In order to evaluate if the alteration of the antioxidants could be the basis of an increased sensitivity to exposure to peroxidative agents, in cultured melanocytes from normal individuals (n=11) and from patients with melanoma (n=11), superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were evaluated by spectrophotometer, and the levels of vitamin E and of the polyunsaturated fatty acid of cell membranes were determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. In 5 out of the 11 cultures of melanocytes from melanoma patients, with respect to those from normal individuals, a significant decrease of catalase activity (Cat) associated with an increase of vitamin E (Vit E) concentration was found, whereas no significant modification of superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) was observed. A wide range of variablity was detected in the percentage of the polyunsaturated fatty acids of the cell membranes and a correlation was found between the ratio SOD/Cat and the percentage of linoleic acid, indicating that the imbalance of the enzymatic antioxidants leads to a lipoperoxidative process. The electron microscopic examination of these cultures revealed many microvilli in the plasma membranes and nuclear infoldings and in the cytoplasm light vacuoles. Moreover some cells contained several dense bodies with a round shape and numerous spherical lamellae possibly representing immature melanosomes. Treatment with cumene hydroperoxide between 0.66 and 20 μM did not produce a significant modification of cell viability in melanocytes from normal individuals. On the contrary in melanocytes from melanoma patients correlated with the ratio Vit E/Cat, considered as a parameter of the antioxidant imbalance, a stimulatory effect was observed at 0.66 μM CUH and a cytotoxic effect at 20 μM. In conclusion our results suggest that a constutional alteration of the scavenger system could be present in normal melanocytes from melanoma patients and that this could be the basis for an increased sensitivity to pro‐oxidant agents.
Health & Demographic Surveillance System Profile: The Taabo Health and Demographic Surveillance System, Côte d'Ivoire.

The Taabo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) is located in south-central Côte d'Ivoire, approximately 150 km north-west of Abidjan. The Taabo HDSS started surveillance activities in early 2009 and the man-made Lake Taabo is a key eco-epidemiological feature. Since inception, there has been a strong interest in research and integrated control of water-associated diseases such as schistosomiasis and malaria. The Taabo HDSS has generated setting-specific evidence on the impact of targeted interventions against malaria, schistosomiasis and other neglected tropical diseases. The Taabo HDSS consists of a small town, 13 villages and over 100 hamlets. At the end of 2013, a total population of 42 480 inhabitants drawn from 6707 households was under surveillance. Verbal autopsies have been conducted to determine causes of death. Repeated cross-sectional epidemiological surveys on approximately 5-7% of the population and specific, layered-on haematological, parasitological and questionnaire surveys have been conducted. The Taabo HDSS provides a database for surveys, facilitates interdisciplinary research, as well as surveillance, and provides a platform for the evaluation of health interventions. Requests to collaborate and to access data are welcome and should be addressed to the secretariat of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire: [secretariat@csrs.ci].
Severe dermatologic Toxocity from 5‐Fluorouracil in the Presence of Seborrheic dermatitis

In recent years continuous infusions of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) have been used to improve the therapeutic index of this agent in oropharyngeal cancers. This administration schedule produces dermatologic toxicity In the form of desquamative dermatitis, butterfly rashes, and hyperpigmentation. '"^ We report a patient treated with infused 5-FU who developed severe exacerbation of a pre-existing seborrheic dermatitis. This reaction is another form of 5-FU dermatologic toxicity. A 65-year-old man developed odynophagia, weight loss, and a large necrotic mass in the right epiglottic fold. The skin examination was significant for mild scaling of the eyebrows, scalp, and nasolabial folds bilaterally without presence o? actinic keratoses. His scrotum and penis were free oi skin lesions. The patient had no known allergies to medications. Biopsy of the pharyngeal lesion revealed squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue base extending to the epiglottis. Due to the large tumor size and the patient's debilitated state, he was treated initially with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy was to follow later. He received 100 mg/m^ of cisplatin on day 1 and then 1000 mg/m^ of 5-FU via continuous infusion daily for 5 days. He did well until 24 hours after completion of the last dose of 5-FU when an intense erythema developed over his
Expression of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins by Osteoinductive and Non-osteoinductive Human Osteosarcoma Cells

Freeze-dried Saos-2, human osteosarcoma cells, and extracts of Saos-2 cells contain all components necessary to induce ectopic new bone and marrow when implanted into athymic Nu/Nu nuce. On the other hand, human osteosarcoma cells of the U-2 OS strain failed to induce bone formation under the same experimental conditions. Our aim was to compare the relative expressions of known osteoinductive factors including bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in these two cell lines in an attempt to explain the unique bone-inducing ability of the Saos-2 cells. Saos-2 cells expressed mRNA for BMP-1, -2, -3, -4, -6, and TGF-β1. The non-osteoinductive U-2 OS cells expressed BMP-2, -4, -5, -6, and -7 as well as TGF-β1 mRNA, while levels of BMP-1 and BMP-3 mRNA were either not detectable or detectable at a very low level in U-2 OS cells. The presence of BMP-1 and -4 protein was confirmed in Saos-2 cells by immunofluorescence, and TGFβ protein was demonstrated by bioassay in both cell types. These findings suggest that Saos-2 cells are endowed qualitatively and quantitatively with sufficient amounts of many bone morphogenetic proteins-especially BMP-1, -3, and -4—to confer osteoinductivity upon these cells. However, the absence of osteoinductivity in U-2 OS cells, despite significant mRNA expression levels of several bone morphogenetic proteins, suggests that, even though expression of one or more bone morphogenetic proteins may be present, it may not necessarily be sufficient to confer osteoinductivity upon U-2 OS cells. U-2 OS cells may be non-osteoinductive because (1) they contain inhibitors to the BMPs or secrete inhibitory binding proteins, (2) they do not process BMPs correctly, or (3) the BMPs are inappropriately localized and sequestered within the U-2 OS cells. Saos 2 cells may be osteoinductive because (1) they uniquely express BMP-1, (2) they express an appropriate combination of interactive BMPs at appropriate levels, and/or (3) the Saos-2 cells elaborate as-yet-unidentified osteoinductive factor(s).
Multiple Genes and the Monophyly of Ischnocera

(Clay, 1970; Lyal, 1985; Barker, 1994). Paraphyly of Whereas most traditional classifications identify Ischnocera as a major suborder of lice in the order Phthiraptera, a recent molecular study based on one gene did not recover monophyly of Ischnocera. In this study we test the monophyly of Ischnocera using sequences of portions of three different genes: two nuclear (EF1a and 18S) and one mitochondrial (COI). Analysis of EF1a and COI sequences did not recover monophyly of Ischnocera, but these genes provided little support for ischnoceran paraphyly because homoplasy is high among the divergent taxa included in this study. Analysis of 18S sequences recovered ischnoceran monophyly with strong support. Sequences from these three gene regions showed significant conflict with the partition homogeneity test, but this heterogeneity probably arises from the dramatic differences in substitution rates. In support of this conclusion, Kishino–Hasegawa tests of the EF1a and COI genes did not reject several trees containing ischnoceran monophyly. Combined analysis of all three gene regions supported monophyly of Ischnocera, although not as strongly as analysis of 18S by itself. In sum, although rapidly evolving genes can retain some phylogenetic signal for deep phylogenetic relationships, strong support for such relationships is likely to come from more slowly evolving genes. © 2001
Amplification of RNA by an RNA polymerase ribozyme

Significance Darwinian life requires the ability to replicate genotypes and express phenotypes. Although all extant life relies on protein enzymes to accomplish these tasks, life in the ancestral RNA world would have used only RNA enzymes. Here, we report the in vitro evolution of an improved RNA polymerase ribozyme that is able to synthesize structured functional RNAs, including aptamers and ribozymes, and replicate short RNA sequences in a protein-free form of the PCR. Thus, the replication of RNA and the expression of functional RNA can be accomplished with RNA alone. Combining and improving these activities may enable the self-sustained evolution of RNA and offers a potential route to a synthetic form of RNA life. In all extant life, genetic information is stored in nucleic acids that are replicated by polymerase proteins. In the hypothesized RNA world, before the evolution of genetically encoded proteins, ancestral organisms contained RNA genes that were replicated by an RNA polymerase ribozyme. In an effort toward reconstructing RNA-based life in the laboratory, in vitro evolution was used to improve dramatically the activity and generality of an RNA polymerase ribozyme by selecting variants that can synthesize functional RNA molecules from an RNA template. The improved polymerase ribozyme is able to synthesize a variety of complex structured RNAs, including aptamers, ribozymes, and, in low yield, even tRNA. Furthermore, the polymerase can replicate nucleic acids, amplifying short RNA templates by more than 10,000-fold in an RNA-catalyzed form of the PCR. Thus, the two prerequisites of Darwinian life—the replication of genetic information and its conversion into functional molecules—can now be accomplished with RNA in the complete absence of proteins.
Age-related changes in the structure of the proteoglycan subunits from human articular cartilage.

The proteoglycan of articular cartilage provides this tissue with its elastic properties, and the structure of these molecules plays a major role in determining the resilience of the tissue to compression. In the present paper we have shown that the structure of the proteoglycan subunits in human articular cartilage changes considerably between the fetus and the mature adult. These changes occur gradually and are essentially complete by the end of growth. With increasing age the following changes were most pronounced: 1) a decrease in the proteoglycan content of the cartilage, 2) a decrease in the size of the proteoglycan subunit, 3) an increase in keratan sulfate relative to chondroitin sulfate, 4) an increase in 6-sulfation relative to 4-sulfation along the chondroitin sulfate chains, 5) an increase in protein relative to glycosaminoglycan, and 6) a decrease in serine and glycine and an increase in arginine content of the core protein. The susceptibility of the proteoglycan to proteolytic degradation by pepsin also showed age-related variations, but papain always produced the same degradation products. Irrespective of age, the majority of the proteoglycan subunits possessed the ability to interact with hyaluronic acid. Thus, although large structural changes take place in the glycosaminoglycan attachment region of the proteoglycan, the hyaluronic acid-binding region would appear to be relatively invariable. Decreases in the concentration, size, and charge of the proteoglycan would be expected to lower the elastic properties of the older cartilage.
The role of supraomohyoid neck dissection in patients with positive nodes.

BACKGROUND Supraomohyoid neck dissection (SOHND) is currently used as a staging procedure for patients with clinically negative nodes in the neck who are at increased risk (>20%) for metastatic disease. OBJECTIVE To assess the potential role of SOHND in patients with clinically positive nodes at levels I, II, or III. We evaluated, in particular, whether selective neck dissection in patients with clinically positive nodes results in decreased regional control and/or diminished survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients who underwent SOHND from January 1, 1971, to December 31, 1997. The oral cavity and oropharynx represented the primary sites in the majority of the patients. Two-year follow-up information was available on all patients. RESULTS During the study period, 69 patients underwent 84 SOHNDs. Of the 69 patients, there were 30 patients with clinically negative nodes and 39 patients with clinically positive nodes in the neck. The overall regional control rates were 88% vs 71% for pathologically negative vs positive nodes, respectively, with or without adjuvant radiation therapy. Adjuvant radiation therapy significantly improved regional control in patients with pathologically positive nodes but not in patients with NO disease (P = .005). Similar results were noted in patients with both clinically and pathologically positive nodes. CONCLUSIONS Supraomohyoid neck dissection in patients with pathologically positive nodes in the neck is inadequate therapy for regional control without postoperative radiation therapy. However, in patients with pathologically positive nodes in the neck, SOHND with postoperative radiation therapy can achieve regional control comparable to that of comprehensive neck dissection and postoperative radiation therapy.
RELATIONSHIP OF CRANIAL ULTRASONOGRAPHY, VISUAL AND AUDITORY EVOKED RESPONSES WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME

Sixty‐two preterm infants were followed up with flash visual evoked responses (VERs), brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAERs) and neurodevelopmental assessments for 18 months after term. Cranial ultrasonography showed that 18 infants developed intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) during the newborn period and four of six infants with grade III or IV haemorrhage had absent VERs at term. The mean latency of the VER in the infants with IVH was significantly shorter than that of infants without IVH. There was no correlation between the degree of ventricular dilatation at term and the latency of the VER. Six months after term the four infants with previously absent VERs had normal responses, though there was still a significant difference between the latencies of infants with and without IVH. At 12 and 18 months of age these differences had disappeared. BAERs were not significantly different in the infants with and without IVH, and there was no difference in the VERs or BAERs of infants with neurodevelopmental delay and those developing normally. Neither flash VERs nor BAERs provide a good prognostic indicator of future neurodevelopmental disability or outcome.