julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Effects of the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine on stress hormone system regulation, cognitive functioning and posttraumatic stress symptomatology in accident victims
2007-09-01

We previously demonstrated a strong association between the administration of a single dose of the analgesic ketamine and symptoms of acute (Schönenberg M et al, J Psychopharmacol 2007; in press) and posttraumatic stress disorder (Schönenberg M et al, Psychopharmacology 2005; 182: 420–425) in accident victims. The purpose of the present, ongoing study is to replicate and extend previous findings in a prospective study design. Endocrine stress parameters and changes in cognitive functioning are assessed in order to elucidate the underlying mechanism of ketamines' action on PTSD symptomatology. Accident victims who had received a single or fractionated dose of either ketamine (n=20), or opioids (n=17) during initial emergency care, as well as 21 healthy volunteers were investigated so far. Initial assessments of posttraumatic psychopathology were carried out within 48 hrs post-event and were repeated two months post-event. Further, neuropsychological assessments and a diurnal profile of the biological stress markers cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were determined at each time point. Analyses revealed elevated morning cortisol in ketamine patients. Ketamine subjects also showed more pronounced cognitive impairment, and strongly increased posttraumatic symptomatology. Our preliminary results suggest a profound modulating influence of a single sub-anaesthetic dose ketamine on endocrine, neuropsychological, and psychopathological stress parameters in accident victims.
Reduced thalamic serotonin transporter availability in patients with major depression
2007-09-01

Background: Serotonergic dysfunction may contribute to negative mood states in affective disorders. Some in vivo imaging studies showed reduced availability of serotonin transporters (5-HTT) in the brainstem and thalamus of patients with major depression. We tested the hypothesis that 5-HTT availability is reduced in unmedicated unipolar patients with major depression compared with healthy control subjects matched for gender, age, genotype and smoking status. Methods: 5-HTT availability was measured in vivo with positron emission tomography and [11C]DASB in the midbrain, thalamus and amygdala. DASB binding was correlated with the severity of depression (Beck's Depression Inventory). Results: Patients with major depression displayed reduced 5-HTT availability in the thalamus (P=0.005) compared with healthy control subjects individually matched for age, smoking status, 5-HTT genotype and gender. In patients, low serotonin transporter availability correlated with severity of depression (BDI). However, this correlation did not survive correction for multiple testing. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis that central serotonergic dysfunction is associated with negative mood states in affective disorders. In the thalamus, a low serotonin reuptake capacity may interfere with thalamic control of cortical excitability.
The phenotype of retinal dystrophy in patients with CERKL mutations
2007-09-01

Abstract Purpose: Recently a new gene encoding for a ceramide kinase like protein (CERKL) has been identified in a Spanish population and described to be associated with RP26. CERKL is assumed to be involved in sphingolipid‐mediated apoptosis in the retina. Here we present a phenotypic study of patients carrying CERKL mutations. Methods: 210 unrelated Spanish families with autosomal recessive RP were screened using the ASPER arRP chip. Seven of these families presented a change in the CERKL sequence. Affected individuals of that families were investigated clinically including fundus examination, visual field testing and electroretinograhy. Results: The mutation p.Arg257ter was identified in homozygous state in all seven families. The 9 affected individuals presented a common phenotype with characteristic macular and peripheral lesions, the later resembling those found with Gyrate Atrophy. In fact, one of the affected individuals has initially been diagnosed as Gyrate Atrophy. Conclusions: This study presents the first genotype/phenotype correlation for persons carrying CERKL mutations From this initial study it seems likely that the p.Arg257ter mutation has a characteristic phenotype distinct from other arRP phenotypes.
Polymorphisms within Novel Risk Loci for Type 2 Diabetes Determine β-Cell Function
2007-09-04

The HHEX and SLC30A8 genes encode for proteins that were shown to be required for organogenesis of the ventral pancreas and for insulin maturation/storage, respectively. Therefore, the major alleles of type 2 diabetes candidate SNPs within these genetic loci represent crucial alleles for beta-cell dysfunction and, thus, might confer increased susceptibility of beta-cells towards adverse environmental factors.
The Paneitz equation in hyperbolic space
2007-09-04

The Paneitz operator is a fourth order differential operator which arises in conformal geometry and satisfies a certain covariance property. Associated to it is a fourth order curvature – the Q -curvature. We prove the existence of a continuum of conformal radially symmetric complete metrics in hyperbolic space \\mathbb{H}^{n} , n &gt; 4 , all having the same constant Q -curvature. Moreover, similar results can be shown also for suitable non-constant prescribed Q -curvature functions.
The pulsation modes of the pre-white dwarf PG 1159-035
2007-09-04

Context. PG 1159-035, a pre-white dwarf with Teff 140 000 K, is the prototype of both two classes: the PG 1159 spectroscopic class and&#13;\\nthe DOV pulsating class. Previous studies of PG 1159-035 photometric data obtained with the Whole Earth Telescope (WET) showed a rich&#13;\\nfrequency spectrum allowing the identification of 122 pulsation modes. Analyzing the periods of pulsation, it is possible to measure the stellar&#13;\\nmass, the rotational period and the inclination of the rotation axis, to estimate an upper limit for the magnetic field, and even to obtain information&#13;\\nabout the inner stratification of the star.&#13;\\nAims. We have three principal aims: to increase the number of detected and identified pulsation modes in PG 1159-035, study trapping of the star’s&#13;\\npulsation modes, and to improve or constrain the determination of stellar parameters.&#13;\\nMethods. We used all available WET photometric data from 1983, 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002 to identify the pulsation periods.&#13;\\nResults. We identified 76 additional pulsation modes, increasing to 198 the number of known pulsation modes in PG 1159-035, the largest number&#13;\\nof modes detected in any star besides the Sun. From the period spacing we estimated a mass M/M = 0.59 ± 0.02 for PG 1159-035, with the&#13;\\nuncertainty dominated by the models, not the observation. Deviations in the regular period spacing suggest that some of the pulsation modes are&#13;\\ntrapped, even though the star is a pre-white dwarf and the gravitational settling is ongoing. The position of the transition zone that causes the mode&#13;\\ntrapping was calculated at rc/R = 0.83 ± 0.05. From the multiplet splitting, we calculated the rotational period Prot = 1.3920 ± 0.0008 days&#13;\\nand an upper limit for the magnetic field, B &lt; 2000 G. The total power of the pulsation modes at the stellar surface changed less than 30% for&#13;\\n = 1 modes and less than 50% for = 2 modes. We find no evidence of linear combinations between the 198 pulsation mode frequencies.&#13;\\nPG 1159-035 models have not significative convection zones, supporting the hypothesis that nonlinearity arises in the convection zones in cooler&#13;\\npulsating white dwarf stars.
Octenidine in root canal and dentine disinfection ex vivo
2007-09-04

Abstract Aim The aim of the present study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of octenidine on Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 in a dentine block model. Methodology Fifty‐six root segments of extracted human teeth were infected with E. faecalis for 4 weeks. Octenidine‐phenoxyethanol gel (1 : 1) was applied for different timing: 1 min, 10 min, 7 days and in a different formula (1 : 3) for 10 min. Three samples were chosen for the group with placebo gel and for the group without infection (negative control). Dentine samples were collected, and the total count of bacteria and colony‐forming units were determined. In addition, for controls and the 10 min group with 1 : 1 gel, the proportion of viable bacteria (PVB) was assessed. Results Octenidine was particularly effective after incubation periods of 10 min and 7 days. The mean PVB decreased significantly from 57.2% to 5.7% after 10 min application. After 7 days, only one of 10 samples showed positive culture. Conclusion The present study showed the effectiveness of octenidine against E. faecalis in dentine disinfection. Further laboratory and clinical studies are required.
Identification of Ne VIII lines in H-deficient (pre-) white dwarfs: a new tool to constrain the temperature of the hottest stars
2007-09-04

For the first time, we have identified NeVIII absorption lines in far-UV spectra of the hottest known (Teff>150,000 K) hydrogen-deficient (pre-) white dwarfs of spectral type PG1159. They are of photospheric origin and can be matched by synthetic non-LTE line profiles. We also show that a number of UV and optical emission lines in these stars can be explained as being photospheric NeVIII features and not, as hitherto suspected, as ultrahigh ionised OVIII lines created along shock-zones in the stellar wind. Consequently, we argue that the long-standing identification of the same emission lines in hot [WR]-type central stars as being due to ultrahigh-ionised species (OVII-VIII, CV-VI) must be revised. These lines can be entirely attributed to thermally excited species (NeVII-VIII, NV, OVI). Photospheric NeVIII lines are also identified in the hottest known He-rich white dwarf KPD0005+5106 some of which were also attributed to OVIII previously. This is a surprise because it must be concluded that KPD0005+5106 is much hotter (Teff=200,000 K) than hitherto assumed (Teff=120,000 K). This is confirmed by a re-assessment of the HeII line spectrum. We speculate that the temperature is high enough to explain the mysterious, hard X-ray emission (1 keV) as being of photospheric origin.
Identification of Ne VIII lines in H-deficient (pre-)\\n white dwarfs: a new tool to constrain the temperature of the hottest\\n stars
2007-09-04

\\n For the first time, we have identified \\nabsorption lines in far-UV spectra of the hottest known\\n(Teff 150 000 K) hydrogen-deficient (pre-) white dwarfs of\\nspectral type PG1159. They are of photospheric origin and can be matched\\nby synthetic non-LTE line profiles. We also show that a number of UV and\\noptical emission lines in these stars can be explained as being\\nphotospheric features and not, as hitherto suspected, as\\nultrahigh ionised lines created along shock-zones in the\\nstellar wind. Consequently, we argue that the long-standing\\nidentification of the same emission lines in hot [WR]-type central stars\\nas being due to ultrahigh-ionised species ( , )\\nmust be revised. These lines can be entirely attributed to thermally excited\\nspecies ( , , ). Photospheric\\n lines are also identified in the hottest known He-rich\\nwhite dwarf (KPD 0005+5106), some of which were also attributed to \\npreviously. This is a surprise because it must be concluded that KPD 0005+5106 is\\nmuch hotter (Teff ≈ 200 000 K) than hitherto assumed\\n(Teff ≈ 120 000 K). This is confirmed by a re-assessment of the\\n line spectrum. We speculate that the temperature is high\\nenough to explain the mysterious, hard X-ray emission (1 keV)\\nas being of photospheric origin.\\n
Analysis of the rigid and deformable component of setup inaccuracies on portal images in head and neck radiotherapy
2007-09-04

The issue of setup errors consisting of translation, rotation and deformation components in head and neck radiotherapy is addressed with a piecewise registration of small independent regions on a portal image to their reference position. These rectangular regions are termed featurelets as they contain relevant anatomical features. The resulting displacement vectors of each featurelet reflect both the center-of-mass (COM), i.e. the rigid, and the non-rigid component of the setup error. The displacement vectors of a series of daily portal images were subjected to a principal component analysis. In addition to the mean, systematic displacement of each featurelet, this analysis yields correlated patterns of anatomical deformations. Hence, the physiological movements of an individual patient can be obtained without a biomechanical model. It is shown that in the presence of setup errors that are due to rotations or deformations a correction by the COM displacement may deteriorate the error of parts of the anatomy further. The featurelet analysis can be used to refine setup correction protocols, tune spatially variable setup margins in treatment planning and optimize patient immobilization devices.
Synthetic NLTE accretion disc spectra for the dwarf nova SS Cygni during an outburst cycle
2007-09-04

Dwarf nova outbursts result from enhanced mass transport through the accretion disc of a cataclysmic variable system. We assess the question of whether these outbursts are caused by an enhanced mass transfer from the late-type main sequence star onto the white dwarf (so-called mass transfer instability model, MTI) or by a thermal instability in the accretion disc (disc instability model, DIM). We compute non-LTE models and spectra of accretion discs in quiescence and outburst and construct spectral time sequences for discs over a complete outburst cycle. We then compare our spectra to published optical spectroscopy of the dwarf nova SS Cygni. In particular, we investigate the hydrogen and helium line profiles that are turning from emission into absorption during the rise to outburst. The evolution of the hydrogen and helium line profiles during the rise to outburst and decline clearly favour the disc-instability model. Our spectral model sequences allow us to distinguish inside-out and outside-in moving heating waves in the disc of SS Cygni, which can be related to symmetric and asymmetric outburst light curves, respectively.
From Elasticity to Hypoplasticity: Dynamics of Granular Solids
2007-09-05

"Granular elasticity," useful for calculating static stress distributions in granular media, is generalized by including the effects of slowly moving, deformed grains. The result is a hydrodynamic theory for granular solids that agrees well with models from soil mechanics.
Facilitation in plant communities: the past, the present, and the future
2007-09-06

Once neglected, the role of facilitative interactions in plant communities has received considerable attention in the last two decades, and is now widely recognized. It is timely to consider the progress made by research in this field. We review the development of plant facilitation research, focusing on the history of the field, the relationship between plantplant interactions and environmental severity gradients, and attempts to integrate facilitation into mainstream ecological theory. We then consider future directions for facilitation research. With respect to our fundamental understanding of plant facilitation, clarification of the relationship between interactions and environmental gradients is central for further progress, and necessitates the design and implementation of experiments that move beyond the clear limitations of previous studies. There is substantial scope for exploring indirect facilitative effects in plant communities, including their impacts on diversity and evolution, and future studies should connect the degree of non-transitivity in plant competitive networks to community diversity and facilitative promotion of species coexistence, and explore how the role of indirect facilitation varies with environmental severity. Certain ecological modelling approaches (e.g. individual-based modelling), although thus far largely neglected, provide highly useful tools for exploring these fundamental processes. Evolutionary responses might result from facilitative interactions, and consideration of facilitation might lead to re-assessment of the evolution of plant growth forms. Improved understanding of facilitation processes has direct relevance for the development of tools for ecosystem restoration, and for improving our understanding of the response of plant species and communities to environmental change drivers. Attempts to apply our developing ecological knowledge would benefit from explicit recognition of the potential role of facilitative plantplant interactions in the design and interpretation of studies from the fields of restoration and global change ecology. Synthesis: Plant facilitation research provides new insights into classic ecological theory and pressing environmental issues. Awareness and understanding of facilitation should be part of the basic ecological knowledge of all plant ecologists.
Cytotoxic effects of treosulfan on prostate cancer cell lines.
2007-09-06

The results demonstrate a sensitivity of prostate carcinoma cells to the cytotoxic activity of treosulfan. Therefore, treosulfan might be a promising compound for novel treatment protocols for prostate cancer.
[Immunocytochemical examination of biological traces on knife blades].
2007-09-06

In cases of penetrating stab wounds by different knives it is highly relevant to prove which knife caused which injury, especially if one of the injuries was lethal. This is possible by immunocytochemical examination of cellular material remaining on the injuring blade because some organs have organ-specific antigen determinants such as alpha-l-fetoprotein in the liver cells or cardiac troponin I in the heart muscle cells, to which antibodies can bind. Even when penetrations occur through several layers of clothing, enough cells from the injured organ remain on the blade of a knife to allow immunohistochemical examination. These cells can be collected by means of adhesive film or wiping the blade and can be stained immunocytochemically. The organ specificity of the examined proteins allows proof of their origin. The present study shows that immunocytochemical alpha-l-fetoprotein and cardiac troponin I staining of the cells remaining on a knife blade enables proof of whether the knife blade injured the heart or the liver, or both.
Estrogen and the inner ear: megalin knockout mice suffer progressive hearing loss
2007-09-10

ABSTRACT Megalin, the largest member of the low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein family, functions as an endocytic receptor for a variety of essential lipophilic metabolites, including the steroid hormone estrogen. In the cochlea, megalin is strongly expressed within the marginal cells of the stria vascularis, and previous studies demonstrated that β‐estro‐gen receptors are also expressed in megalin‐expressing marginal cells. In the present study, we demonstrate that homozygous megalin mutant mice exhibit profound hearing loss at 3 months of age associated with features of presbycusis, enrichment of lipofuscin granules, and a reduced number of microvilli in marginal cells of the stria vascularis. FITC‐labeled β‐estrogen is taken up into the strial marginal cells; however, in megalin‐deficient mice the uptake of FITC‐labeled β‐estrogen is reduced. This highlights β‐estrogen as a possible carrier‐bound candidate ligand for megalin and supports the concept that estrogen may function via megalin within the inner ear. A crucial role of megalin in hearing should be considered and the mega‐lin/estrogen interaction needs to be discussed in the context of early presbycusis in estrogen‐deficient humans and mice.—König, O., Rüttiger, L., Müller, M., Zimmermann, U., Erdmann, B., Kalbacher, H., Gross, M., Knipper, M. Estrogen and the inner ear: megalin knockout mice suffer progressive hearing loss. FASEB J. 22, 410–417 (2008)
Validation of the flash-evoked response from fetal MEG
2007-09-10

Flash-evoked responses can be recorded from the fetus in utero. However, a standard analysis approach based on orthogonal projection (OP) to attenuate maternal and fetal cardiac signals leads to a spatial redistribution of the signal. This effect prevents the correlation of source location with a known fetal head location in some cases and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is sometimes limited such that the response latency is difficult to determine. We used a modified beamformer model search analysis to avoid the redistribution shortcoming and to improve the SNR. We included a statistical test for residual interference in the average and quantified significance of the evoked response with a bootstrap method. Selected source locations compared favorably to fetal head locations estimated from ultrasound exams. The evoked response time course was found to have a significant post-trigger peak with a latency between about 180 and 770 ms in more than 90% of the subject measurements. These results confirm that the combined application of a beamformer model search and bootstrap significance test provides a validation of the flash-evoked response observed in OP processed fetal MEG channels.
Lymph node gastrinoma in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1– a diagnostic challenge
2007-09-10

We report on the difficulty to differentiate between metastatic and primary lymph node gastrinoma in a 62-year-old female patient with multiple endocrine neoplasie type 1 (MEN1). At six and twelve months after resection of a retroduodenal lymph node gastrinoma, no signs of recurrence of gastrinoma were observed. Basal and peak gastrin levels during secretin test were normalized. An extensive exploration, including gastrointesinal endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography, and Ga-68-DOTATOC-PET/CT, did not reveal a primary duodenal or pancreatic tumour. Localization of gastrinomas in patients with MEN1 is challenging due to their small size, frequent duodenal location, and multiplicity. Therefore, primary lymph node gastrinoma remains an exclusion diagnosis and extensive follow-ups are required.
Assessment of Morphological MRI for Pulmonary Changes in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Patients
2007-09-12

Morphologic MRI of the lung in CF patients demonstrates comparable results to MDCT and chest x-ray. Because radiation exposure is an issue in CF patients, MRI might have the ability to be used as an appropriate alternative method for pulmonary imaging.
EDISA: extracting biclusters from multiple time-series of gene expression profiles
2007-09-12

We successfully applied the EDISA to different 3D datasets. While previous studies were mostly aimed at detecting coherent modules only, our results show that coherent responses are often part of a more general module type with independent response profiles under different conditions. Our approach thus allows for a more comprehensive view of the gene expression response. After subsequent analysis of the resulting modules, the EDISA helped to shed light on the global organization of transcriptional control. An implementation of the algorithm is available at http://www-ra.informatik.uni-tuebingen.de/software/IAGEN/.
Pupil diameter in darkness differentiates progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) from other extrapyramidal syndromes
2007-09-12

Abstract The most important features that characterize and differentiate progressive supranuclear palsy from other Parkinsonian syndromes are postural instability, supranuclear gaze palsy, pseudobulbar palsy, parkinsonism, and cognitive disturbances. In this article, we demonstrate that progressive supranuclear palsy patients exhibit pathologically decreased pupil diameters after dark adaptation recorded by TV pupillography. A cut off value of 3.99 mm was defined to differentiate progressive supranuclear palsy patients from patients with other extrapyramidal disorders like Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy with a specificity of 86.4% and a sensitivity of 70.8%. Other pupil abnormalities could not be described in patients with extrapyramidal syndromes. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society