julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Response to Treadmill Exercise in Stroke Survivors
2010-05-07

Background. Aerobic treadmill exercise (T-EX) therapy has been shown to benefit walking and cardiorespiratory fitness in stroke survivors with chronic gait impairment even long after their stroke. The response, however, varies between individuals. Objective . The purpose of this post hoc analysis of 2 randomized controlled T-EX trials was to identify predictors for therapy response. Methods. In all, 52 participants received T-EX for 3 (Germany) or 6 (United States) months. Improvements in overground walking velocity (10 m/6-min walk) and fitness (peak VO 2 ) were indicators of therapy response. Lesion location and volume were measured on T1-weighted magnetic resonance scans. Results . T-EX significantly improved gait and fitness, with gains in 10-m walk tests ranging between +113% and −25% and peak VO 2 between −12% and 88%. Baseline walking impairments or fitness deficits were not predictive of therapy response; 10-m walk velocity improved more in those with subcortical rather than cortical lesions and in patients with smaller lesions. Improvements in 6-minute walk velocity were greater in those with more recent strokes and left-sided lesions. No variable other than training intensity, which was different between trials, predicted fitness gains. Conclusions. Despite proving overall effectiveness, the response to T-EX varies markedly between individuals. Whereas intensity of aerobic training seems to be an important predictor of gains in cardiovascular fitness, lesion size and location as well as interval between stroke onset and therapy delivery likely affect therapy response. These findings may be used to guide the timing of training and identify subgroups of patients for whom training modalities could be optimized.
Objective long-term evaluation after distal hypospadias repair using the meatal mobilization technique
2010-05-07

The MEMO technique demonstrates a surgical success rate of 97% after 2 years. Even in the long-term follow-up of a mean 6.3 years objective outcome data and individual patient satisfaction were excellent. MEMO is a reliable and versatile method for distal hypospadias repair, as reflected by high patient satisfaction.
Beneficial effect of aurothiomalate on murine malaria
2010-05-07

Abstract Background Premature death of Plasmodium -infected erythrocytes is considered to favourably influence the clinical course of malaria. Aurothiomalate has previously been shown to trigger erythrocyte death or eryptosis, which is characterized by cell membrane scrambling leading to phosphatidylserine exposure at the cell surface. Phosphatidylserine-exposing cells are rapidly cleared from circulating blood. The present study thus tested whether sodium aurothiomalate influences the intraerythrocytic parasite development in vitro and the clinical course of murine malaria in vivo . Methods Human erythrocytes were infected with Plasmodium falciparum BinH in vitro and mice were infected (intraperitoneal injection of 1 × 10 6 parasitized murine erythrocytes) with Plasmodium berghei ANKA in vivo . Results Exposure to aurothiomalate significantly decreased the in vitro parasitemia of P. falciparum -infected human erythrocytes without influencing the intraerythrocytic DNA/RNA content. Administration of sodium aurothiomalate in vivo (daily 10 mg/kg b.w. s.c. from the 8 th day of infection) enhanced the percentage of phosphatidylserine-exposing infected and noninfected erythrocytes in blood. All nontreated mice died within 30 days of infection. Aurothiomalate-treatment delayed the lethal course of malaria leading to survival of more than 50% of the mice 30 days after infection. Conclusions Sodium aurothiomalate influences the survival of Plasmodium berghei -infected mice, an effect only partially explained by stimulation of eryptosis.
Neonatal Marfan Syndrome: Unusually Large Deletion of Exons 24–26 of FBN1 Associated With Poor Prognosis
2010-05-07

Neonatal Marfan syndrome is a very rare subset of the classical Marfan syndrome with pronounced phenotypic expression especially of the cardiovascular manifestations. It is associated with a very poor prognosis, with approximately 50% of affected infants dying from cardiac failure during the first year of life. We present a newborn with the classical phenotype of neonatal Marfan syndrome. Within few hours after birth, progressive and refractory heart failure developed. Postmortal molecular study revealed an unusually large deletion of exons 24-26 within the so-called neonatal region of the gene FBN1, which might explain the unfavourable course of the disease in our patient.
The Crystal Structure of Bi2W6Br18 and a New Synthesis of W6Br12
2010-05-08

Abstract The new tungsten bromide cluster compound Bi 2 W 6 Br 18 was synthesized by reacting tungsten hexabromide with bismuth metal in a silica tube at 350 °C. The structure of Bi 2 W 6 Br 18 was refined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction in the space group P 2 1 / c with unit cell dimensions of a = 981.8(2) pm, b = 1305.9(2) pm, c = 1256.8(2) pm and β = 101.81(2)°. The crystal structure is constructed from [(W 6 Br 8 i )Br 6 a ] 2– anions being interconnected by outer bromine ligands with (BiBr 2 ) units that behave as cations in (BiBr 2 ) 2 [(W 6 Br 8 )Br 6 ]. Short Bi–Br bonding distances at 261.3(1) pm and 265.9(2) pm in (BiBr 2 ) units suggest the presence of covalent interactions. Thermal decomposition of the compound leads to W 6 Br 12 .
Comparing Tactile Pattern and Vibrotactile Frequency Discrimination: A Human fMRI Study
2010-05-11

We investigated to which extent the discrimination of tactile patterns and vibrotactile frequencies share common cortical areas. An adaptation paradigm has been used to identify cortical areas specific for processing particular features of tactile stimuli. Healthy right-handed subjects performed a delayed-match-to-sample (DMTS) task discriminating between pairs of tactile patterns or vibrotactile frequencies in separate functional MRI sessions. The tactile stimuli were presented to the right middle fingertip sequentially with a 5.5 s delay. Regions of interest (ROIs) were defined by cortical areas commonly activated in both tasks and those that showed differential activation between both tasks. Results showed recruitment of many common brain regions along the sensory motor pathway (such as bilateral somatosensory, premotor areas, and anterior insula) in both tasks. Three cortical areas, the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS), supramarginal gyrus (SMG)/parietal operculum (PO), and PO, were significantly more activated during the pattern than in the frequency task. Further BOLD time course analysis was performed in the ROIs. Significant BOLD adaptation was found in bilateral IPS, right anterior insula, and SMG/PO in the pattern task, whereas there was no significant BOLD adaptation found in the frequency task. In addition, the right hemisphere was found to be more dominant in the pattern than in the frequency task, which could be attributed to the differences between spatial (pattern) and temporal (frequency) processing. From the different spatio-temporal characteristics of BOLD activation in the pattern and frequency tasks, we concluded that different neuronal mechanisms are underlying the tactile spatial and temporal processing.
Bis(tetramethylaluminate) Complexes of Yttrium and Lanthanum Supported by a Quinolyl-Substituted Cyclopentadienyl Ligand: Synthesis and Performance in Isoprene Polymerization
2010-05-11

Quinolyl-substituted half-sandwich complexes (CpQ)Ln(AlMe4)2 (CpQ = 2,3,4,5-tetramethyl-1-(8-quinolyl)cyclopentadienyl; Ln = Y, La) were obtained in quantitative yield via protonolysis reactions utilizing HCpQ and homoleptic tetramethylaluminates Ln(AlMe4)3. X-ray structure analyses revealed that the quinolyl-substituted cyclopentadienyl ligand coordinates to the rare-earth metal centers in an η5:η1 fashion through the Cp ring carbon atoms and the N atom of the quinolyl substituent. The complexes (CpQ)Ln(AlMe4)2 show good activity and high trans-1,4-stereoselectivity (maximum 93%) in the polymerization of isoprene upon activation with the organoborates [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] and [PhNMe2H][B(C6F5)4]. The effects of metal size, cocatalyst, temperature, and solvent were assessed in these polymerization reactions, and the performance of such N-donor-functionalized complexes was compared to that of (CpR)Ln(AlMe4)2 containing different types of nondonor-functionalized cyclopentadienyl ligands.
Working Memory in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Auditory Event-Related Potentials and Neuropsychological Evidence
2010-05-11

Aim of this study is to investigate working memory functions in nondemented patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using neuropsychological testing and auditory event-related potentials. Twenty-four patients with ALS and 17 age- and education-matched controls underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, with particular emphasis on working memory functions. Event-related potentials were assessed with an active auditory oddball paradigm. In a subsample (67%) of patients with ALS, the neuropsychological assessment revealed impaired performance on working memory tests (semantic and letter verbal fluency, modified card sorting test, trail making test, digit span, Corsi blocks tapping test, and prose memory). The analysis of event-related potentials showed a significant delay of the N100, P200, and N200 latency in ALS compared with controls. Correlation analysis showed a relation between clinical parameters (disease duration and functional rating scale) and neuropsychological test results (letter fluency and trail making test) and between disease duration and P300 amplitude. The neuropsychological and event-related potentials profile of patients with ALS at an average is consistent with a mild dysfunction of the central executive component of working memory. In conclusion, the results support previously published reports that indicate the involvement of the extramotor functions in a significant subsample of ALS.
Tetramethylcyclopentadienyl-supported rare-earth metal bis(tetramethyl)aluminate complexes: Synthesis, structural chemistry, cation formation, and isoprene polymerization
2010-05-11

The protonolysis reaction of [Ln(AlMe 4 ) 3 ] with H(Cp′) (Cp′ = C 5 Me 4 H) gives access to half-sandwich complexes [(Cp′)Ln(AlMe 4 ) 2 ]. X-ray structure analyses of the samarium, neodymium, and lanthanum derivatives reveal a distinct [AlMe 4 ] coordination (one η 2 , one bent η 2 ) for the two smaller rare-earth metals. The lanthanum complex displays an unprecedented dimeric structure with two μ 2 - η 1 : η 2 coordinating [AlMe 4 ] ligands in the solid state. Treatment of complexes [(Cp′)Ln(AlMe 4 ) 2 ] with perfluorinated organoborates and -boranes produces discrete contact ion-pairs, which are characterized by 1 H, 13 C, 27 Al, 19 F, and 11 B NMR spectroscopy and act as efficient initiators for the fabrication of trans -1,4 polyisoprene. The polymerization performance is hereby affected by the rare-earth metal cation size, the type of boron cocatalyst, and the polymerization temperature.
Coulomb gauge confinement in the heavy quark limit
2010-05-11

The relationship between the nonperturbative Green's functions of Yang-Mills theory and the confinement potential is investigated. By rewriting the generating functional of quantum chromodynamics in terms of a heavy quark mass expansion in Coulomb gauge, restricting to leading order in this expansion and considering only the two-point functions of the Yang-Mills sector, the rainbow-ladder approximation to the gap and Bethe-Salpeter equations is shown to be exact in this case and an analytic, nonperturbative solution is presented. It is found that there is a direct connection between the string tension and the temporal gluon propagator. Further, it is shown that for the 4-point quark correlation functions, only confined bound states of color-singlet quark-antiquark (meson) and quark-quark (baryon) pairs exist.
Thrombolysis to Treat Thrombi of the Aortic Arch
2010-05-11

Thoracic mobile aortic mural thrombus (TAMT) of the aortic arch is a rare condition. We report 3 cases of symptomatic TAMT treated with systemic alteplase (tissue plasminogen activator [t-PA]) thrombolysis. The first patient was symptomatic with repetitive thromboembolism to the left brachial artery. She was treated with repetitive thrombolysis after surgical embolectomy of the brachial artery. The second patient was symptomatic with splenic infarction and mesenteric ischemia. She was treated with a single cycle of systemic thrombolysis followed by ileocoecal resection. The third patient presented with a TAMT obstructing the left common carotid artery, causing ischemic stroke. After systemic thrombolysis, a reduction in thrombus size was documented; however, the patient died later, of acute heart failure, during the clinical course. On follow-up 6 months after the incidences, the 2 surviving patients were in good condition and free of thromboembolic events. We show that systemic thrombolytic therapy can be performed successfully in patients with TAMT.
Rapid effect of single-dose rosiglitazone treatment on endothelial function in healthy men with normal glucose tolerance: data from a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study
2010-05-11

Antidiabetic thiazolidinediones (TZDs) improve endothelial function in patients with or without type 2 diabetes. The present randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study examined the time course of a single dose of rosiglitazone on flow-mediated endothelium-dependent vasodilation (FMD), metabolic parameters, and its effect on inflammatory markers in non-diabetic men. Forty non-obese, healthy men with normal glucose tolerance were randomised to a single dose of rosiglitazone (8 mg) or placebo, and FMD was assessed at baseline as well as after 6 h and 24 h. Rosiglitazone did not significantly affect blood glucose and insulin levels or lipid parameters after 6 and 24 h compared with placebo. Treatment with rosiglitazone significantly increased FMD after 6 h from 4.3% (3.3; 4.9) to 7.6% (5.6; 9.2) ( p&lt;0.0001 vs. baseline) resulting in a highly significant effect compared with placebo ( p&lt;0.0001 for difference between groups). After 24 h FMD was still significantly higher in the rosiglitazone group compared with baseline ( p=0.001), but the effect was no longer statistically significant versus placebo ( p=0.171). Our study shows a very rapid effect of single dose rosiglitazone treatment on endothelial function in non-diabetic healthy men, underscoring the hypothesis that TZDs may exhibit direct effect in the vasculature independent of their metabolic action.
Surface and interface analysis of iodine‐doped pentacene structures for OTFTs
2010-05-11

Abstract We investigated the impact of iodine doping on structural properties of pentacene layers as a function of iodine concentration, which is controlled by the diffusion time. Furthermore, also the storing history of the samples is examined. We found that the iodine doping properties of pentacene samples strongly depend on the storing conditions (ambient atmosphere, time) before diffusion. We observed that the iodine diffusion process into pentacene layers is much faster for new recently prepared samples in contrast to old samples that were stored a few months at atmospheric ambient condition in the dark box before iodine diffusion. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.
Subitizing and counting in typical and atypical development
2010-05-12

Abstract Enumeration performance in standard dot counting paradigms was investigated for different age groups with typical and atypically poor development of arithmetic skills. Experiment 1 showed a high correspondence between response times and saccadic frequencies for four age groups with typical development. Age differences were more marked for the counting than the subitizing range. In Experiment 2 we found a discontinuity between subitizing and counting for dyscalculic children; however, their subitizing slopes were steeper than those of typically developing control groups, indicating a dysfunctional subitizing mechanism. Across both experiments a number of factors could be identified that affect enumeration in the subitizing and the counting range differentially. These differential patterns further support the assumption of two qualitatively different enumeration processes.
Symplectic integration of post-Newtonian equations of motion with spin
2010-05-12

We present a non-canonically symplectic integration scheme tailored to\\nnumerically computing the post-Newtonian motion of a spinning black-hole\\nbinary. Using a splitting approach we combine the flows of orbital and spin\\ncontributions. In the context of the splitting, it is possible to integrate the\\nindividual terms of the spin-orbit and spin-spin Hamiltonians analytically,\\nexploiting the special structure of the underlying equations of motion. The\\noutcome is a symplectic, time-reversible integrator, which can be raised to\\narbitrary order by composition. A fourth-order version is shown to give\\nexcellent behavior concerning error growth and conservation of energy and\\nangular momentum in long-term simulations. Favorable properties of the\\nintegrator are retained in the presence of weak dissipative forces due to\\nradiation damping in the full post-Newtonian equations.\\n
ChemInform Abstract: Synthesis of Unusual Phthalocyanines and Naphthalocyanines
2010-05-12

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
Faculty Opinions recommendation of Numerous classes of general anesthetics inhibit etomidate binding to gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors.
2010-05-12

Enhancement of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABA(A)R)-mediated inhibition is a property of most general anesthetics and a candidate for a molecular mechanism of anesthesia. Intravenous anesthetics, including etomidate, propofol, barbiturates, and neuroactive steroids, as well as volatile anesthetics and long-chain alcohols, all enhance GABA(A)R function at anesthetic concentrations. The implied existence of a receptor site for anesthetics on the GABA(A)R protein was supported by identification, using photoaffinity labeling, of a binding site for etomidate within the GABA(A)R transmembrane domain at the beta-alpha subunit interface; the etomidate analog [(3)H]azietomidate photolabeled in a pharmacologically specific manner two amino acids, alpha1Met-236 in the M1 helix and betaMet-286 in the M3 helix (Li, G. D., Chiara, D. C., Sawyer, G. W., Husain, S. S., Olsen, R. W., and Cohen, J. B. (2006) J. Neurosci. 26, 11599-11605). Here, we use [(3)H]azietomidate photolabeling of bovine brain GABA(A)Rs to determine whether other structural classes of anesthetics interact with the etomidate binding site. Photolabeling was inhibited by anesthetic concentrations of propofol, barbiturates, and the volatile agent isoflurane, at low millimolar concentrations, but not by octanol or ethanol. Inhibition by barbiturates, which was pharmacologically specific and stereospecific, and by propofol was only partial, consistent with allosteric interactions, whereas isoflurane inhibition was nearly complete, apparently competitive. Protein sequencing showed that propofol inhibited to the same extent the photolabeling of alpha1Met-236 and betaMet-286. These results indicate that several classes of general anesthetics modulate etomidate binding to the GABA(A)R: isoflurane binds directly to the site with millimolar affinity, whereas propofol and barbiturates inhibit binding but do not bind in a mutually exclusive manner with etomidate. PMID: 20083606 Funding information This work was supported by: NIGMS NIH HHS, United States Grant ID: GM 58448 NIGMS NIH HHS, United States Grant ID: P01 GM058448
In Vivo and In Vitro Development of S- and M-Cones in Rat Retina
2010-05-13

These results in rat retina showed for the first time that cone development and expression dynamics can be mimicked in organ culture. With this experimental approach, it will be possible to evaluate aspects of cone development under controlled experimental conditions and to elucidate factors crucial for proper cone differentiation.
Chromosome 11p15 duplication in Silver‐Russell syndrome due to a maternally inherited translocation t(11;15)
2010-05-14

Abstract The role of 11p15 disturbances in the aetiology of Silver‐Russell syndrome (SRS) is well established: in addition to hypomethylation of the H19/IGF2 differentially methylated regions, five patients with a duplication of maternal 11p15 material have been described. We report on a boy with SRS carrying a maternally inherited duplication of chromosome 11p15. The patient showed the typical clinical picture of SRS including severe intrauterine and postnatal growth restriction, relative macrocephaly, a prominent forehead, a triangular face, down‐turned corners of the mouth and fifth digit clinodactyly. Body asymmetry was not observed. By molecular genetic analyses, MLPA and microsatellite typing detected a duplication of chromosome 11p15 and cytogenetic analysis showed an unbalanced translocation t(11;15)(p15.5:p12). The size of the duplicated region is ∼8.8 Mb as determined by SNP‐array analysis. The healthy mother carried a balanced reciprocal chromosome translocation t(11;15). Thus, there is an increased risk for further children with SRS due to 11p15 duplication. Additionally, the family is at risk for offspring with an 11p15 deletion and Beckwith‐Wiedemann syndrome whereby the phenotype will be influenced by haploinsufficiency of additional genes at 11p15 due to the deletion. The balanced aberrant karyotype was identified in several other family members, but interestingly there was no history of recurrent miscarriages, intrauterine fetal death, or multiple congenital anomaly syndromes in the family. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of Steady-State Enoxacin on Single-Dose Pharmacokinetics of Roflumilast and Roflumilast N-Oxide
2010-05-14

Roflumilast is an oral phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is metabolized by CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 to its primary metabolite, roflumilast N-oxide, through which >90% total PDE4 inhibitory activity (tPDE4i) is mediated. Fluoroquinolones, of which enoxacin is the most potent CYP1A2 inhibitor, are used to treat COPD exacerbations. This phase I, open, nonrandomized, fixed-sequence, 2-period study evaluated the effects of steady-state enoxacin on the single-dose pharmacokinetics of roflumilast and roflumilast N-oxide. Twenty healthy participants received roflumilast, 500 μg once daily, on days 1 and 12, and enoxacin, 400 mg twice daily, on days 7 to 18. Pharmacokinetic profiles were obtained for days 1 to 6 and 12 to 19. The safety and tolerability of all treatments were also assessed. In 19 evaluable participants, coadministration led to 56% higher mean systemic exposure, 20% higher mean peak concentrations, and 36% lower mean apparent oral clearance compared with roflumilast alone. For roflumilast N-oxide, 23% higher mean systemic exposure and 14% lower mean peak concentrations were seen after coadministration. Roflumilast was well tolerated both alone and in combination with enoxacin. A weak interaction was shown between roflumilast and enoxacin, as mean tPDE4i increased by 25%, but is unlikely to have clinical relevance.