Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition improves cardiac function. Role of bradykinin.

The effect of chronic low- and high-dose treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ramipril (0.01 and 1 mg/kg per day) on the development of hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy as well as on functional and biochemical alterations of the heart was studied in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats treated prenatally and subsequently up to the age of 20 weeks. The contribution of endogenous bradykinin potentiation to the ACE inhibitor actions was assessed by cotreatment of rats with the bradykinin B2-receptor antagonist Hoe 140 (500 micrograms/kg per day SC) from 6 to 20 weeks of age. High- but not low-dose ACE inhibitor treatment prevented the development of hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. Chronic bradykinin receptor blockade did not attenuate the antihypertensive and antihypertrophic actions of ramipril. High-dose ramipril treatment improved cardiac function, as demonstrated by an increase in left ventricular pressure (29.9%), dP/dtmax (34.9%), and coronary flow (22.1%), without a change in heart rate. The activities of lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase and lactate concentration in the coronary effluent were reduced by 39.3%, 55.5%, and 66.7%, respectively. Myocardial tissue concentrations of glycogen and the energy-rich phosphates ATP and creatine phosphate were increased by 31.3%, 39.9%, and 73.7%, respectively, whereas lactate was decreased by 20.8%. Chronic low-dose ACE inhibitor treatment led to a pattern of changes in cardiodynamics and cardiac metabolism similar to that observed with the high dose. All ACE inhibitor-induced effects on cardiac function and metabolism were abolished by chronic bradykinin receptor blockade. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tooth Agenesis: from Molecular Genetics to Molecular Dentistry

Tooth agenesis may originate from either genetic or environmental factors. Genetically determined hypodontic disorders appear as isolated features or as part of a syndrome. Msx1, Pax9, and Axin2 are involved in non-syndromic hypodontia, while genes such as Shh, Pitx2, Irf6, and p63 are considered to participate in syndromic genetic disorders, which include tooth agenesis. In dentistry, artificial tooth implants represent a common solution to tooth loss problems; however, molecular dentistry offers promising solutions for the future. In this paper, the genetic and molecular bases of non-syndromic and syndromic hypodontia are reviewed, and the advantages and disadvantages of tissue engineering in the clinical treatment of tooth agenesis are discussed.
Comparative Bioavailability Study of Amisulpride Tablets in Healthy Indian Volunteers

Abstract An improved HPLC method was developed and validated for the determination of concentration of amisulpride (CAS 71675-85-9) in human plasma, an attempt to compare the bioavailability of two amisulpride tablet formulations (reference and test) containing 200 mg of amisulpride. Both the formulations were administered orally as a single dose, separated by washout period of 1 week. This HPLC method validated by examining the precision and accuracy for the inter-day and intra-day runs in a linear concentration range of 50– 1200 ng/ml. Bioequivalence of two formulation were determined on 12 healthy Indian male volunteer in a single-dose, two-period, two-sequence, two-treatment crossover study. The content of amisulpride in plasma was determined by a validated HPLC method with UV detection. The formulations were compared using the parameters like area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0–t), area under the plasma concentration-time curve from zero to infinity (AUC0–∞), peak plasma concentration (Cmax), and time to reach peak plasma concentration (tmax). The results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) between the logarithmic transformed AUC0–∞ and Cmax values, between test and reference formulation. The 90% confidence interval for the ratio of the logarithmic transformed AUC0–t, AUC0–∞ and Cmax were within the bioequivalence limit of 0.8–1.25 and the relative bioavailability of test formulation was 96.82% to that of reference formulation.
An Auto Instantaneous Frequency Order Extraction Method for Bearing Fault Diagnosis under Time-Varying Speed Operation

Bearing fault diagnosis under variable speed usually have confronted two obstacles: a) blurry time frequency representation (TFR) and thus unavailable instantaneous frequency (IF) for resampling, and b) errorprone resampling process. To address such problems, this paper proposes a method which consists of two main steps: a) a regional peak search algorithm which searches the frequency bins point by point at local frequency regions is developed to extract the IF from the TFR of the original signal, and b) with the accurate IF estimator (either shaft IF, instantaneous fault characteristic frequency (IFCF) or their harmonics), an order peak highlighting strategy is exploited via multi-demodulating the signal and superposing the resulted frequency spectra of all demodulated signal components which are acquired by adaptive band-pass filtering. Then the instantaneous frequency order (IFO) of signal components of interest contained in the original signal can be highlighted and the IFO spectrum can be obtained for bearing fault diagnosis. In this manner, the bearing fault can be diagnosed without the tachometer, predenosing and resampling involved, indicating that the proposed can substantially reduce human involvement and facilitate its implementation in a fault detection expert system. The effectiveness of the proposed method are validated by both simulated and experimental data.
Loss and permeability characterization of Fe-based nanocrystalline cores for pulsed power magnetic applications

Fe-based nanocrystalline cores are widely used in pulse transformers, magnetic switches, inductors, and filters in pulsed power. A test stand was developed to measure the energy losses and pulse permeability of toroidal Fe-based nanocrystalline cores. In this paper Fe-based nanocrystalline cores with high and low residual flux were tested and compared. The initial magnetizing curves and maximum hysteresis loops were obtained under a relatively constant magnetization rate of the order of 1-8 T/μs. The loss density and unsaturated permeability are calculated based on the experimental results. The loss density and permeability are fitted and compared with the published data in a similar parameter space. The presented results of Fe-based nanocrystalline cores can be aided in the practical magnetic designs of magnetic switches, pulse transformers, and inductors, but not restricted to those.
Embeddedness and the Repatriation Intention of Assigned and Self-Initiated Expatriates

Abstract Expatriation research has been intrigued by the question of how to prevent the unplanned return of expatriates to their home country. Although a majority of studies have focused on assigned expatriates (AEs), only recently have researchers expanded the scope of analysis by focusing on self-initiated expatriates (SIEs). For SIEs, research has identified job embeddedness as a key explanatory concept for early repatriation without yet acknowledging its potential to also explain the early expatriation of AEs. However, because AEs and SIEs differ in important motivational and behavioral aspects, the lack of comparative studies prohibits a deeper understanding of the mechanisms through which job embeddedness influences early repatriation. We build on belongingness theory to conceptualize early repatriation as a compensatory reaction of expatriates to an inhibited need to belong. Using a unique sample of 345 expatriates from 40 countries, we show that off-the-job embeddedness is more important for explaining the repatriation intention of AEs than of SIEs, whereas on-the-job embeddedness is more important for explaining the repatriation of SIEs compared to AEs. Our integrative model carries important theoretical implications for expatriation research and provides managerial implications for recruiting and retaining AEs and SIEs.
Aminoethyl-isothiourea, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor and oxygen radical scavenger, improves survival and counteracts hemodynamic deterioration in a porcine model of streptococcal shock

ObjectiveTo test the effect of a continuous infusion of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase (S) inhibitor aminoethyl-isothiourea (AE-ITU) on survival time, hemodynamics, and oxygen transport in a porcine model of live group A streptococcal (GAS) sepsis. Furthermore, to examine the role of endothelin-1, histamine, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in streptococcal shock. DesignProspective, randomized trial. SettingLaboratory at a university hospital. SubjectsTwenty-eight pigs with an average weight of 25 kg. InterventionsSixteen animals received a continuous infusion of live Streptococcus pyogenes 1.3 × 1010 colony forming units/hr: eight received fluids only, and the other eight received an intravenous infusion of AE-ITU 10 mg/kg/hr starting 30 mins before the GAS challenge. Six control pigs received AE-ITU 10 mg/kg/hr iv for 5 hrs. Another six animals received half the dose of GAS over 5 hrs. Measurements and Main ResultsGAS infusion caused a rapid increase in pulmonary, hepatic, and systemic vascular resistance, followed by hypotension with a 90% lethality at 4 hrs. Treatment with AE-ITU increased 4-hr survival in septic animals from 1/8 to 8/8 and 5-hr survival from 0/8 to 5/8, prevented hypotension, and increased urine output. AE-ITU attenuated the decrease in cardiac output, liver blood flow, and oxygen delivery, and hepatic arterial blood flow as a fraction of cardiac output increased (all p < .05). Plasma nitrate/nitrite levels decreased in all animals. Inducible NOS and endothelial constitutive NOS activities in liver, gut, and lung were not increased during sepsis, nor were they decreased after AE-ITU. Plasma levels of endothelin-1 and methylhistamine increased in all septic animals and were not modified by AE-ITU. AE-ITU prevented the increase in monocyte ROS production caused by GAS. In control animals, AE-ITU caused an increase in mean arterial pressure, liver blood flow, and oxygen delivery. ConclusionsIn this model of porcine GAS-induced septic shock, which was not associated with enhanced NO production, infusion of the NOS inhibitor AE-ITU prolonged survival, prevented hypotension, and improved cardiac contractility, organ perfusion, and tissue oxygenation. These beneficial effects of AE-ITU might be a result of the combined effect of ROS scavenging and modulation of local NO production, thus improving the balance of vasodilator and vasoconstrictor forces and reducing oxidative stress.
Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus among women born in Greenland: measuring the effectiveness of the current screening procedure

Objectives. To estimate the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among Greenlanders and to evaluate the quality of the current screening procedure for gestational diabetes. Study design. Observational retrospective study of consecutive birth-log data and medical records on pregnant women who had given birth in Nuuk during 2008. Methods. Information about maternal weight, weight gain in pregnancy, height, blood pressure, result of oral glucose tolerance test, family history of diabetes, smoking and alcohol habits, ethnicity, delivery and birth weight and length was collected for women who had given birth in Nuuk, Greenland, during 2008. Results. A total of 233 women born in Greenland who had given birth to a singleton in Nuuk 2008 were included in the study. Of those, 37% were defined as having a high risk for GDM and thus met the screening criteria for GDM used in Greenland. However, only 54% of those women were screened. The prevalence of gestational diabetes was calculated to be 4.3% among high-risk Greenlandic pregnant women (2/46) (95% CI 0–10.0%). Conclusions. Despite a suboptimal screening rate, the prevalence of GDM among Greenlanders seems to be relatively low and Greenlanders may thus be less prone to develop GDM. However, diabetes mellitus is a relatively new disease in Greenland, and glucose intolerance in pregnancy is more likely to affect the next generation. The screening rate is suboptimal, and it is recommended that the screening procedure be optimized in order to find and treat all women with GDM. The number of screened women compared to the number of births occurring annually could be used as an indicator of screening efficacy. Diabetes prevention initiatives should be given high priority to avoid high rates of GDM in the future, as increasing prevalence of the disease is now seen worldwide, regardless of race.
Interleukin-22 Reduces Lung Inflammation during Influenza A Virus Infection and Protects against Secondary Bacterial Infection

ABSTRACT Interleukin-22 (IL-22) has redundant, protective, or pathogenic functions during autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. Here, we addressed the potential role of IL-22 in host defense and pathogenesis during lethal and sublethal respiratory H3N2 influenza A virus (IAV) infection. We show that IL-22, as well as factors associated with its production, are expressed in the lung tissue during the early phases of IAV infection. Our data indicate that retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor-γt (RORγt)-positive αβ and γδ T cells, as well as innate lymphoid cells, expressed enhanced Il22 transcripts as early as 2 days postinfection. During lethal or sublethal IAV infections, endogenous IL-22 played no role in the control of IAV replication and in the development of the IAV-specific CD8+ T cell response. During lethal infection, where wild-type (WT) mice succumbed to severe pneumonia, the lack of IL-22 did not accelerate or delay IAV-associated pathogenesis and animal death. In stark contrast, during sublethal IAV infection, IL-22-deficient animals had enhanced lung injuries and showed a lower airway epithelial integrity relative to WT littermates. Of importance, the protective effect of endogenous IL-22 in pulmonary damages was associated with a more controlled secondary bacterial infection. Indeed, after challenge with Streptococcus pneumoniae, IAV-experienced Il22 −/− animals were more susceptible than WT controls in terms of survival rate and bacterial burden in the lungs. Together, IL-22 plays no major role during lethal influenza but is beneficial during sublethal H3N2 IAV infection, where it limits lung inflammation and subsequent bacterial superinfections.
Alternative Splicing of NOX4 in the Failing Human Heart

Increased oxidative stress is a major contributor to the development and progression of heart failure, however, our knowledge on the role of the distinct NADPH oxidase (NOX) isoenzymes, especially on NOX4 is controversial. Therefore, we aimed to characterize NOX4 expression in human samples from healthy and failing hearts. Explanted human heart samples (left and right ventricular, and septal regions) were obtained from patients suffering from heart failure of ischemic or dilated origin. Control samples were obtained from donor hearts that were not used for transplantation. Deep RNA sequencing of the cardiac transcriptome indicated extensive alternative splicing of the NOX4 gene in heart failure as compared to samples from healthy donor hearts. Long distance PCR analysis with a universal 5′-3′ end primer pair, allowing amplification of different splice variants, confirmed the presence of the splice variants. To assess translation of the alternatively spliced transcripts we determined protein expression of NOX4 by using a specific antibody recognizing a conserved region in all variants. Western blot analysis showed up-regulation of the full-length NOX4 in ischemic cardiomyopathy samples and confirmed presence of shorter isoforms both in control and failing samples with disease-associated expression pattern. We describe here for the first time that NOX4 undergoes extensive alternative splicing in human hearts which gives rise to the expression of different enzyme isoforms. The full length NOX4 is significantly upregulated in ischemic cardiomyopathy suggesting a role for NOX4 in ROS production during heart failure.
Among women planning to exclusively breastfeed, in-hospital formula supplementation is associated with almost tripled risk of breastfeeding cessation by 2 months

Commentary on : Chantry CJ, Dewey KG, Peerson JM, et al. In-hospital formula use increases early breastfeeding cessation among first-time mothers intending to exclusively breastfeed. J Pediatr 2014;164:1339–45. [OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] Breastfeeding is established as beneficial to infant and maternal health1 and the WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months.2 However, levels of breastfeeding remain low. Reasons for breastfeeding cessation involve both physiological and psychosocial factors.3 Increasing attention … [1]: {openurl}? query=rft.jtitle%253DJ%2BPediatr%26rft.volume%253D164%26rft.spage%253D1339%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1016%252Fj.jpeds. 2013.12. 035%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F24529621%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref? access_num=10.1016/j.jpeds. 2013.12. 035&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref? access_num=24529621&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febnurs%2F18%2F3%2F68.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref? access_num=000336503200023&link_type=ISI
Effects of fiscal consolidation on business confidence in the Euro Area

We employ a factor-augmented VAR (FAVAR) covering both domestic and international developments to examine the confidence effects of a fiscal shock, using a sample of six euro area countries. The results indicate that following a shock in total government expenditure, responses are country-specific, while a weak geographical pattern, i.e. a distinction between core and periphery countries can be observed. Overall, the confidence response is short-lived and returns to zero after a few quarters. Heterogeneity in country responses also indicates that the Bachmann and Sims (2012) conclusion suggesting the endogenous response of confidence explaining almost all of the fiscal-driven output expansion in recessions, may hold only in country-specific cases.
Nonfamily Members in Family Firms: A Review and Future Research Agenda

The study of the roles, impact, and challenges associated with nonfamily members in family firms has generated considerable attention in the literature. To gain an appreciation of this body of knowledge, we systematically review 82 articles on nonfamily members in family firms that were published in 34 journals over the past three decades. We synthesize the literature according to three broad, yet overlapping themes: preemployment considerations, employment considerations, and outcomes of nonfamily employment. We then offer a future research agenda that integrates these themes to guide the advancement of knowledge on nonfamily members in family firms.
Acupuncture for posttonsillectomy pain in children: a randomized, controlled study

Surgeons have searched for the technique or medication that will produce a ‘painless tonsillectomy’; however, this seems to be an impossible goal. Previous studies have shown that perioperative acupuncture may be a useful adjunct for acute postoperative pain and that acupuncture, in addition to nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, is effective in adults for the treatment of postoperative swallowing pain after tonsillectomy. Acupuncture has been shown to be safe in children. A retrospective review of acupuncture for posttonsillectomy pain in juvenile patients showed a significantly reduced pain score immediately after treatment.
Ensemble sinusoidal differential covariance matrix adaptation with Euclidean neighborhood for solving CEC2017 benchmark problems

Many Differential Evolution algorithms are introduced in the literature to solve optimization problems with diverse set of characteristics. In this paper, we propose an extension of the previously published paper LSHADE-EpSin that was ranked as the joint winner in the real-parameter single objective optimization competition, CEC 2016. The contribution of this work constitutes two major modifications that have been added to enhance the performance: ensemble of sinusoidal approaches based on performance adaptation and covariance matrix learning for the crossover operator. Two sinusoidal waves have been used to adapt the scaling factor: non-adaptive sinusoidal decreasing adjustment and an adaptive sinusoidal increasing adjustment. Instead of choosing one of the sinusoidal waves randomly, a performance adaptation scheme based on earlier success is used in this work. Moreover, covariance matrix learning with Euclidean neighborhood is used for the crossover operator to establish a suitable coordinate system, and to enhance the capability of LSHADE-EpSin to tackle problems with high correlation between the variables. The proposed algorithm, namely LSHADE-cnEpSin, is tested on the IEEE CEC2017 problems used in the Special Session and Competitions on Single Objective Bound Constrained Real-Parameter Single Objective Optimization. The results statistically affirm the efficiency of the proposed approach to obtain better results compared to other state-of-the-art algorithms.
Early B-Cell Factors Are Required for Specifying Multiple Retinal Cell Types and Subtypes from Postmitotic Precursors

The establishment of functional retinal circuits in the mammalian retina depends critically on the proper generation and assembly of six classes of neurons, five of which consist of two or more subtypes that differ in morphologies, physiological properties, and/or sublaminar positions. How these diverse neuronal types and subtypes arise during retinogenesis still remains largely to be defined at the molecular level. Here we show that all four family members of the early B-cell factor (Ebf) helix-loop-helix transcription factors are similarly expressed during mouse retinogenesis in several neuronal types and subtypes including ganglion, amacrine, bipolar, and horizontal cells, and that their expression in ganglion cells depends on the ganglion cell specification factor Brn3b. Misexpressed Ebfs bias retinal precursors toward the fates of non-AII glycinergic amacrine, type 2 OFF-cone bipolar and horizontal cells, whereas a dominant-negative Ebf suppresses the differentiation of these cells as well as ganglion cells. Reducing Ebf1 expression by RNA interference (RNAi) leads to an inhibitory effect similar to that of the dominant-negative Ebf, effectively neutralizes the promotive effect of wild-type Ebf1, but has no impact on the promotive effect of an RNAi-resistant Ebf1. These data indicate that Ebfs are both necessary and sufficient for specifying non-AII glycinergic amacrine, type 2 OFF-cone bipolar and horizontal cells, whereas they are only necessary but not sufficient for specifying ganglion cells; and further suggest that Ebfs may coordinate and cooperate with other retinogenic factors to ensure proper specification and differentiation of diverse retinal cell types and subtypes.