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['In acute renal allograft rejection, T-cell-mediated processes have been generally regarded as dominant. Although there is recent evidence that macrophages play important roles in acute vascular rejection, less is known about the exact proportion of immunocytes in the intimal arteritis of renal allografts with unfavorable outcomes.', 'By immunohistochemical staining using nine primary antibodies, we classified the proportions of infiltrating immunocytes in intimal arteritis and glomerulitis in five allografts resected because of acute irreversible graft failure.', 'All five allografts had features of antibody-mediated rejection based on criteria established by the Banff classification. In intimal arteritis, CD3+ T-lymphocytes accounted for 30.6±13.3% of the immunocytes and macrophages for 40.4±9.2%. 45.4% of the T-cells were CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells. Neutrophils were also present but accounted for a relatively low proportion of the cells (8.8±8.6%). B-cells and plasma cells all accounted for <5% of the immunocytes. NK cells were readily detected (4.2±4.2%). When we compared types of arteritis, the CD15+ neutrophils accounted for as many as 27.8±15.1% of immunocytes in V3 vasculitis and only 1.0±1.4% in V2 vasculitis. CD3+ T-lymphocytes accounted for 25.8±7.3% of immunocytes in V3 vasculitis and 41.5±7.9% in V2 vasculitis. In glomerulitis, the immunocytes were mainly macrophages (53.1±9.1%) and neutrophils (34.6±9.9%).'] Are macrophages and T lymphocytes the predominant cells in intimal arteritis of resected renal allografts undergoing acute rejection? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.5021387338638306,
-1.6101112365722656,
2.1431992053985596
] |
['To explore the effect of myriocin on EDVD and atherosclerosis in diabetic rats.', 'Rats were fed with a high-fat/high-sucrose/high-cholesterol diet (20% sucrose, 10% animal oil, 1.0% bile salt and 2.5% cholesterol) (hereinafter defined as diabetic groups) or Purina Rodent Chow (NC group), the former was intervened with low dose streptozotocin (30 mg/kg) after feeding 1 month to make diabetic model. The NC group was intervened with citrate buffer and the diabetic rats were intervened with myriocin (0.3 mg/kg Qod) (MTD group) or just solvent (DC group) for 14 weeks. The EDVD, thickness of fatty deposition under endothelium, ceramide, PI3K/PKB/eNOS, NO and other vital parameters were measured after the rats sacrificed.', 'In DC group, the ceramide contents in serum and aorta increased, the EDVD was impaired, the fatty deposition under endothelium increased, and the phosphorylation of PI3K/PKB/eNOS and NO release decreased all compared with the NC group (P<0.05). Compared with the DC group, the ceramide contents in MTD group decreased, the EDVD ameliorated, the fatty deposition diminished, and PI3K/PKB/eNOS phosphorylation and NO release (P<0.05) increased.'] Does inhibition of ceramide synthesis reverse endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.2315189838409424,
-1.4204258918762207,
2.730713367462158
] |
['Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant pediatric brain tumor that requires surgery, whole brain and spine irradiation, and intense chemotherapy for treatment. A more sophisticated understanding of the pathophysiology of medulloblastoma is needed to successfully reduce the intensity of treatment and improve outcomes. Nuclear factor kappa-B (NFκB) is a signaling pathway that controls transcriptional activation of genes important for tight regulation of many cellular processes and is aberrantly expressed in many types of cancer.', 'To test the importance of NFκB to medulloblastoma cell growth, the effects of multiple drugs that inhibit NFκB, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, diethyldithiocarbamate, sulfasalazine, curcumin and bortezomib, were studied in medulloblastoma cell lines compared to a malignant glioma cell line and normal neurons. Expression of endogenous NFκB was investigated in cultured cells, xenograft flank tumors, and primary human tumor samples. A dominant negative construct for the endogenous inhibitor of NFκB, IκB, was prepared from medulloblastoma cell lines and flank tumors were established to allow specific pathway inhibition.', 'We report high constitutive activity of the canonical NFκB pathway, as seen by Western analysis of the NFκB subunit p65, in medulloblastoma tumors compared to normal brain. The p65 subunit of NFκB is extremely highly expressed in xenograft tumors from human medulloblastoma cell lines; though, conversely, the same cells in culture have minimal expression without specific stimulation. We demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of NFκB in cell lines halts proliferation and leads to apoptosis. We show by immunohistochemical stain that phosphorylated p65 is found in the majority of primary tumor cells examined. Finally, expression of a dominant negative form of the endogenous inhibitor of NFκB, dnIκB, resulted in poor xenograft tumor growth, with average tumor volumes 40% smaller than controls.'] Does inhibition of nuclear factor kappa-B signaling reduce growth in medulloblastoma in vivo? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.4769980907440186,
-1.2736159563064575,
2.827218770980835
] |
['To evaluate the relationship between facultative skin pigmentation, which predicts circulating levels of plasma 25-hydroxymitamin D, and several measures of bone mass and structure in a cross sectional sample of adolescent females living in Hawaii.', 'Our sample was composed of adolescent females (n = 94) living in Hawaii where seasonal sun exposure is minimal, and who self-identified as either white (n = 16) or Asian (n = 78). Bone mineral content (BMC) of the total body, the lumbar spine and the hip, and cross sectional area (CSA) and section modulus (Z) at the proximal femur were quantified using DXA. Facultative skin pigmentation was measured at the forehead and non-facultative skin pigmentation was measured at the inner arm using a Chroma Meter CR-200b colorimeter.', 'There were no significant differences between ethnic groups in terms of skin pigmentation. The difference between a* taken at the forehead and inner upper arm significantly predicted BMC at the lumbar spine, total hip, and total body. Other measures of skin pigmentation were not significant predictors of any other measure of skeletal integrity.'] Does tanning predict bone mass but not structure in adolescent females living in Hawaii? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.0089809894561768,
-0.8978914618492126,
2.0179941654205322
] |
['Alterations in the central nervous system leading to higher pain sensitivity have been shown in both chronic back pain (CBP) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The aim of this study was to disclose commonalities and differences in the pathophysiology of FMS and CBP.', 'We used the quantitative sensory testing protocol of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain to obtain comprehensive profiles of somatosensory functions. The protocol comprised thermal and mechanical detection and pain thresholds, vibration thresholds, and pain sensitivity to sharp and blunt mechanical stimuli. We studied 21 FMS patients (mean pain duration: 13.4 y), 23 CBP subjects (mean pain duration: 15.9 y), and 20 healthy controls (HCs). Each participant received the test battery on the back and on the dorsal hand (pain-free control site).', 'On the back, FMS patients showed increased thermal and mechanical pain sensitivity compared with HCs and CBP participants. On the hand dorsum, FMS patients showed higher mechanical pain sensitivity compared with CBP participants and HCs and higher cold pain sensitivity compared with HCs. CBP participants showed increased pressure pain sensitivity and lower vibration sensitivity on the back, but no significant differences on the hand dorsum compared with HCs.'] Are quantitative sensory testing profiles in chronic back pain distinct from those in fibromyalgia? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.327049493789673,
-1.0404949188232422,
2.4053869247436523
] |
['The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of assessing left atrial function during dobutamine stress testing.', 'Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction precedes systolic wall motion abnormalities in the ischemic cascade. Severity of left ventricular diastolic function during cardiac stress is not characterized well by current clinical imaging protocols but may be an important prognostic factor. We hypothesized that abnormal early left atrial emptying measured during dobutamine stress cardiac magnetic resonance will reflect these diastolic changes and may be associated with cardiovascular outcomes.', 'We enrolled 122 consecutive patients referred for dobutamine stress cardiac magnetic resonance for suspected myocardial ischemia. Left atrial volumes were retrospectively measured by the biplane area-length method at left ventricular end-systole (VOL(max)) and before atrial contraction (VOL(bac)). Left atrial passive emptying fraction defined by (VOL(max) - VOL(bac)) × 100%/VOL(max) and the absolute percent increase in left atrial passive emptying fraction during dobutamine stress (ΔLAPEF) were quantified.', 'Twenty-nine major adverse cardiac events (MACE) occurred during follow-up (median 23 months). By Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with ΔLAPEF <10.8 (median) experienced higher incidence of MACE than did patients with a ΔLAPEF >10.8 (p = 0.004). By univariable analysis, ΔLAPEF was strongly associated with MACE (unadjusted hazard ratio for every 10% decrease = 1.56, p < 0.005). By multivariable analysis, every 10% decrease in ΔLAPEF carried a 57% increase in MACE, after adjustment to presence of myocardial ischemia and infarction.'] Is left atrial passive emptying function during dobutamine stress MR imaging a predictor of cardiac events in patients with suspected myocardial ischemia? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.9398080110549927,
-1.5481098890304565,
2.520287275314331
] |
['To investigate whether R-848 (resiquimod, toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist) can induce late preconditioning in neonatal cardiac myocytes.', 'The protective effects of R-848 on neonatal myocytes against anoxia-reoxygenation-induced injury were tested, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were determined. The protein synthesis inhibitor cyclohexamide (CH) and the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC) were used in this model to test if new protein synthesis and oxidative stress were necessary for their cardioprotective effects. The activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) and hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF1) was investigated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was assessed by immunoblotting. After iNOS was down-regulated by small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection, the cardioprotective effect was reassessed.', 'ROS were triggered soon after R-848 (0.01-1.0 μg/L) administration, however, the cardioprotective effect of which was induced 24 h later. This protection was abolished by CH or NAC pretreatment. NFκB and HIF1 activation and iNOS up-regulation were involved in this protective mechanism. The cardioprotective effect was also attenuated after iNOS was knocked down.'] Does toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist resiquimod induce late preconditioning in neonatal cardiac myocytes? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.3478262424468994,
-1.3723726272583008,
2.773832321166992
] |
['To prove a causal link between an epigenetic change and an environmental or behavioural risk factor for a given disease, it is first necessary to show that the onset of exposure precedes the first detection of that epigenetic change in subjects who are still free of disease.', 'Towards this end, a cohort of women aged 15-19 years, recruited soon after they first had sexual intercourse, were used to provide sequential observations on the relationship between cigarette smoking and the detection in cervical cytological samples of methylated forms of CDKN2A (p16) using nested methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction.', 'Among women who remained cytologically normal and who tested negative for human papillomavirus DNA in cervical smears during follow-up, those who first started to smoke during follow-up had an increased risk of acquiring CDKN2A methylation compared with never-smokers (odds ratio=3.67; 95% confidence interval 1.09-12.33; P=0.04).'] Is smoking initiation followed by the early acquisition of epigenetic change in cervical epithelium : a longitudinal study? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.695277690887451,
-0.6455709338188171,
2.4566891193389893
] |
['In human subjects with back pain, the deep spinal stabiliser m. multifidus is inhibited ipsilaterally leading to atrophy, asymmetry and intervertebral instability. Specific physiotherapeutic exercises are required to reactivate m. multifidus. This study assesses the effect of dynamic mobilisation exercises on size and symmetry of m. multifidus in the equine caudal thoracic and lumbar spine.', 'Regular performance of dynamic mobilisation exercises over a period of 3 months increases cross sectional area (CSA) and left-right symmetry of m. multifidus muscles in the caudal thoracic and lumbar spine.', 'Eight horses performed dynamic mobilisation exercises (3 cervical flexions, one cervical extension and 3 lateral bending exercises to the left and right sides) with 5 repetitions/exercise/day on 5 days/week for 3 months during which time they were not ridden. Left and right m. multifidus CSA was measured ultrasonographically at 6 levels from T10 to L5 at the start (initial evaluation) and end (final evaluation) of the 3 month study. Changes in CSA of the right and left m. multifidus muscles and symmetry of m. multifidus CSA on the right and left sides between the 2 evaluations were sought using analysis of variance (P<0.05).', 'Between the initial evaluation and final evaluation m. multifidus CSA increased significantly at all 6 spinal levels on both right and left sides. Asymmetries in m. multifidus CSA between the right and left sides decreased between the initial and final evaluations.'] Does dynamic mobilisation exercise increase cross sectional area of musculus multifidus? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.9406285285949707,
-1.317645788192749,
2.311365842819214
] |
['Escape from anoikis, apoptosis induced by loss of cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix interactions, is important in tumor invasion and metastasis. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is known to play a pivotal role in pancreatic carcinomas. This study aimed to determine the antianoikis effect of HGF in pancreatic carcinoma cells.', 'Antianoikis effect of HGF was evaluated in human pancreatic carcinoma cells in nonadherent culture with or without anti-E-cadherin antibody. Signal pathways were investigated by Western blot analysis and inhibition assay using inhibitors for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and p38.', 'Pancreatic carcinoma cells underwent anoikis in nonadherent culture. However, some of the carcinoma cells survived by forming aggregations in suspension. Anti-E-cadherin antibody dissociated the aggregations, and the separated cells underwent additional anoikis. Hepatocyte growth factor inhibited anoikis irrespective of E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell contact. Inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway abolished the antianoikis effect of HGF. Phosphorylation of Akt was induced by HGF, and the phosphorylated Akt persisted even when E-cadherin was inhibited.'] Does hepatocyte growth factor inhibit anoikis of pancreatic carcinoma cells through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.4682064056396484,
-1.2652761936187744,
2.7496798038482666
] |
['Although intestinal-type intraductal papillary mucinous carcinoma (IPMC) is reported to have a better prognosis, few studies have addressed its invasive pattern. The meaning of "minimal invasion" (MI) in IPMC also remains unclear. We investigated the prognosis of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) focusing on MI and subtypes.', 'We evaluated 71 patients with IPMC among a total of 179 patients with resected IPMN.', 'Although 2 of 10 MI-IPMC patients had lymph node metastasis, there were no disease-specific deaths among the MI-IPMC patients. Minimally invasive IPMCs were more frequently observed in intestinal-type IPMC (23/33 cases) than in non-intestinal-type IPMCs (16/38 cases; P = 0.019). Among 32 patients with massively invasive IPMC, the prognosis was significantly better for patients with intestinal-type IPMC than for patients with non-intestinal-type IPMC (P = 0.013). When confined to massively invasive IPMC, tubular invasion (P < 0.001) and lymphatic (P = 0.001) or serosal (P = 0.021) invasion were less frequently observed in intestinal-type IPMC than in non-intestinal-type IPMC.'] Is invasive carcinoma derived from intestinal-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm associated with minimal invasion , colloid carcinoma , and less invasive behavior , leading to a better prognosis? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.9390475749969482,
-1.3519110679626465,
2.3507204055786133
] |
['Because of evidence from genetic linkage and genome-wide association studies, as well as suggested involvement of infection, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region on chromosome 6p21.3-22.1 has been implicated in the development of schizophrenia.', 'Here, we investigated how gene variants across the MHC region are associated with brain structure in a large ethnically homogenous sample (n = 420), including patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other severe mental illness and healthy control subjects.', 'We demonstrate highly significant associations between common gene markers in the MHC region and cerebral ventricular volume specifically in schizophrenia spectrum patients (uncorrected p values between 1.16 × 10⁻⁴ and 2.00 × 10⁻⁷). One single nucleotide polymorphism, rs2596532, survives Bonferroni correction for multiple testing across all single nucleotide polymorphisms and brain structure measures (adjusted p value 5.59 × 10⁻⁴).'] Do common sequence variants in the major histocompatibility complex region associate with cerebral ventricular size in schizophrenia? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.9980937242507935,
-1.0749096870422363,
2.1369385719299316
] |
['Chair-sitting may allow for more readily activated scalene, sternocleidomastoid, and parasternal intercostal muscles, and may raise and enlarge the upper thoracic cage, thereby allowing the thoracic cage to be more easily compressed.', 'To evaluate the effect of chair-sitting during exercise training on respiratory muscle function in mechanically ventilated patients.', "We randomized 16 patients to a control group and 18 patients to a chair-sitting group. The patients in the chair-sitting group were transferred by 2 intensive care unit nurses from bed to armchair and rested for at least 30 min, based on the individual patient's tolerance. We measured heart rate, blood pressure, S(pO(2)), and respiratory rate. In the treatment group, before transferring the patient from bed to armchair, and 30 min after the completion of chair-sitting we measured respiratory muscle function variables, including the ratio of respiratory rate (f) to tidal volume (V(T)), S(pO(2)), maximum inspiratory pressure (P(Imax)) and maximum expiratory pressure (P(Emax)). In the control patients we took those same measurements while the patient was in semirecumbent position, before and after treatments, for at least 6 days or until the patient was discharged from the intensive care unit or died.", 'The 2 groups did not significantly differ in age, sex, or clinical outcomes. Respiratory rate, V(T), f/V(T), S(pO(2)), P(Imax), and P(Emax) were not significantly better in the chair-sitting group. The study period significantly improved respiratory rate, V(T), P(Imax), and P(Emax) (all P < .001), but not f/V(T).'] Does chair-sitting exercise intervention improve respiratory muscle function in mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patients? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.8338649272918701,
-1.2044577598571777,
2.054894208908081
] |
['Metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) 2/3 receptor agonists inhibit amphetamine- and phencyclidine-induced hyperlocomotion. The mechanism for the antipsychotic effect of mGlu2/3 receptor agonists was studied in a hypoglutamatergic model, but not a hyperdopaminergic model.', 'To study the mechanism for the antipsychotic effect of the agonist in the hyperdopaminergic model, this study examined the effects of the selective mGlu2/3 receptor agonist MGS0028 on methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion and the increases in extracellular levels of serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, and glutamate in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of mice.', 'Systemic administration of MGS0028 attenuated methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion in a dose-dependent manner. Microdialysis studies showed that MGS0028 significantly inhibited methamphetamine-induced increases in the extracellular serotonin, but not dopamine and noradrenaline, levels in the prefrontal cortex, and it did not affect methamphetamine-induced increases in the extracellular amine levels in the nucleus accumbens. Methamphetamine did not affect the glutamate release in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Local application of MGS0028 into the prefrontal cortex also attenuated methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion and increases in the extracellular serotonin levels in the prefrontal cortex. Moreover, MGS0028 did not affect methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion in the mice pretreated with p-chlorophenylalanine, a serotonin synthesis inhibitor.'] Does activation of metabotropic glutamate 2/3 receptors attenuate methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion and increase in prefrontal serotonergic neurotransmission? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.3591129779815674,
-1.3029484748840332,
2.6548655033111572
] |
['Fluoxetine (Prozac®) is the most frequently prescribed drug to battle depression in pregnant women, but its safety in the unborn child has not yet been established. Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, crosses the placenta, leading to increased extracellular serotonin levels and potentially neurodevelopmental changes in the fetus.', 'The purpose of this study was to elucidate the long-term consequences of prenatal fluoxetine in rats.', 'Pregnant rats were injected daily with 12\xa0mg/kg fluoxetine or vehicle from gestational day\xa011 until birth, and the behavior of the offspring was monitored.', 'Plasma fluoxetine transfer from mother to pup was 83%, and high levels of fluoxetine (13.0\xa0μg/g) were detected in the pup brain 5\xa0h after the last injection. Fluoxetine-treated dams gave birth to litters 15% smaller than usual and to pups of reduced weight (until postnatal day\xa07). Furthermore, prenatal fluoxetine exposure significantly increased anxiety in the novelty-suppressed feeding test, the footshock-induced conditioned place aversion test, and the elevated plus maze test (following footshock pre-exposure) during adulthood, and also significantly decreased components of social play behavior at 4\xa0weeks of age, and a strong tendency for increased self-grooming and making less contact in adults. Behavioral despair, anhedonia, and sexual behavior were not different between treatment groups. Finally, the hypothermic response to the 5-HT(1A) agonist flesinoxan was observed at a lower dose in prenatally fluoxetine-exposed rats than in controls.'] Does fluoxetine administration to pregnant rats increase anxiety-related behavior in the offspring? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.4072458744049072,
-1.1677135229110718,
2.575028896331787
] |
["Minocycline is a tetracycline antibiotic that has been proposed as a potential conjunctive therapy for HIV-1 associated cognitive disorders. Precise mechanism(s) of minocycline's functions are not well defined.", 'Fourteen rhesus macaques were SIV infected and neuronal metabolites measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS). Seven received minocycline (4 mg/kg) daily starting at day 28 post-infection (pi). Monocyte expansion and activation were assessed by flow cytometry, cell traffic to lymph nodes, CD16 regulation, viral replication, and cytokine production were studied.', 'Minocycline treatment decreased plasma virus and pro-inflammatory CD14+CD16+ and CD14(lo)CD16+ monocytes, and reduced their expression of CD11b, CD163, CD64, CCR2 and HLA-DR. There was reduced recruitment of monocyte/macrophages and productively infected cells in axillary lymph nodes. There was an inverse correlation between brain NAA/Cr (neuronal injury) and circulating CD14+CD16+ and CD14(lo)CD16+ monocytes. Minocycline treatment in vitro reduced SIV replication CD16 expression on activated CD14+CD16+ monocytes, and IL-6 production by monocytes following LPS stimulation.'] Does minocycline inhibition of monocyte activation correlate with neuronal protection in SIV neuroAIDS? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.413952112197876,
-1.3806214332580566,
2.8642618656158447
] |
["The transcription factors CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBP) α, β and δ have been shown to be expressed in brain and to be involved in regulation of inflammatory genes in concert with nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). In general, C/EBPα is down-regulated, whereas both C/EBPβ and δ are up-regulated in response to inflammatory stimuli. In Alzheimer's disease (AD) one of the hallmarks is chronic neuroinflammation mediated by astrocytes and microglial cells, most likely induced by the formation of amyloid-β (Aβ) deposits. The inflammatory response in AD has been ascribed both beneficial and detrimental roles. It is therefore important to delineate the inflammatory mediators and signaling pathways affected by Aβ deposits with the aim of defining new therapeutic targets.", 'Here we have investigated the effects of Aβ on expression of C/EBP family members with a focus on C/EBPδ in rat primary astro-microglial cultures and in a transgenic mouse model with high levels of fibrillar Aβ deposits (tg-ArcSwe) by western blot analysis. Effects on DNA binding activity were analyzed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Cross-talk between C/EBPδ and NF-κB was investigated by analyzing binding to a κB site using a biotin streptavidin-agarose pull-down assay.', 'We show that exposure to fibril-enriched, but not oligomer-enriched, preparations of Aβ inhibit up-regulation of C/EBPδ expression in interleukin-1β-activated glial cultures. Furthermore, we observed that, in aged transgenic mice, C/EBPα was significantly down-regulated and C/EBPβ was significantly up-regulated. C/EBPδ, on the other hand, was selectively down-regulated in the forebrain, a part of the brain showing high levels of fibrillar Aβ deposits. In contrast, no difference in expression levels of C/EBPδ between wild type and transgenic mice was detected in the relatively spared hindbrain. Finally, we show that interleukin-1β-induced C/EBPδ DNA binding activity to both C/EBP and κB sites is abolished after exposure to Aβ.'] Is the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ( C/EBP ) δ differently regulated by fibrillar and oligomeric forms of the Alzheimer amyloid-β peptide? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.4195621013641357,
-1.2796326875686646,
2.714005708694458
] |
['This study evaluated common polymorphisms in excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) involved in repair of platinum-induced DNA damage in advanced-stage, epithelial ovarian/peritoneal/tubal cancer (EOC/PPC/FTC) patients treated with intravenous carboplatin- and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy.', 'Pyrosequencing was performed to examine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in codon 118 and C8092A in ERCC1 in leukocyte DNA from the Gynecologic Oncology Group phase III protocol, GOG-182. Kaplan-Meier method and adjusted Cox regression modeling were used to examine associations between ERCC1 polymorphisms and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).', 'The genotype distribution at codon 118 (n=278) in ERCC1 for CC, CT, and TT was 23%, 45% and 32%, and the median OS was 32, 47 and 43 months, respectively. Patients with the CT+TT versus CC genotype in codon 118 in ERCC1 were at a reduced risk of death (hazard ratio [HR]=0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.49-0.95, p=0.025). The genotype distribution for C8092A in ERCC1 (N=280) was 50%, 42% and 8%, and the median OS was 45, 40 or 30 months for CC, CA and AA, respectively. Women with the CA+AA versus CC genotype in C8092A in ERCC1 had a trend suggesting an increased risk of death (HR=1.29, 95% CI=0.97-1.72, p=0.077).'] Are single nucleotide polypmorphisms in ERCC1 associated with disease progression , and survival in patients with advanced stage ovarian and primary peritoneal carcinoma ; a Gynecologic Oncology Group study? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.001816987991333,
-1.5657734870910645,
2.585385799407959
] |
['Pancreatic pseudocysts are a major complication of chronic and acute pancreatitis and often require endoscopic intervention. Endoscopic single-step and multi-step transmural drainage techniques have been reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare technical results and clinical outcome rates of the single-step versus multi-step endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided endoscopic transmural drainage in patients with symptomatic pancreatic pseudocysts of >4 cm size.', 'Retrospective study at an academic tertiary referral center.', 'A total of 38 consecutive patients comprising 42 interventions were studied: 16 patients with pancreatic pseudocysts (18 interventions) had undergone single-step EUS-guided transmural cystostome drainage between 2007 and 2010. Results were compared with a cohort of 22 patients who had submitted to multi-step EUS-guided transmural drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts in 24 cases between 2005 and 2007.', 'The technical success rate for using the single-step procedure was 94% compared with multi-step procedure with 83% (n.s.). Primary clinical success rate was 88% for single-step drainage and 90% for the multi-step approach (n.s.). The mean procedure time was 36 ± 9 min in the single-step group compared with 62 ± 12 min for the multi-step access (p < 0.001).'] Is single-step versus multi-step transmural drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts : the use of cystostome effective and timesaving? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.941914439201355,
-1.3832144737243652,
2.3640799522399902
] |
['With immunosuppressive therapy of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) becoming more aggressive, the risk of serious infections is increasing. Guidelines are currently being modified in respect to advisable immunizations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunization habits of IBD patients in daily practice before the implementation of specific guidelines.', "Hundred and two consecutive patients attending the outpatients IBD clinic at our hospital were interviewed regarding their immunization record. In addition, hepatitis B and C, HIV, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus were measured following a European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO) consensus.", 'Hundred and two patients with IBD have been included; of these 72% were taking steroids, 46% azathioprine, and 23% anti-TNF medication. Nineteen percent of the study population had been vaccinated against influenza, 3% against pneumoccous pneumonia, 22% against hepatitis B, 5% against varizella, 55% against rubella/mumps/measles, and 63% against tetanus. Of those who had traveled, 9% had been vaccinated for hepatitis A and 1% for yellow fever. Reasons given for not being vaccinated were not being aware of the necessity in 45% of those questioned and being afraid in 17%. While no patient was tested positive for hepatitis B, HIV, and CMV-IgM, one female patient was tested positive for hepatitis C (antibody and PCR positive, genotype I), which was unknown at that point.'] Is the immunization status of patients with IBD alarmingly poor before the introduction of specific guidelines? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.216050863265991,
-1.090254545211792,
2.402287006378174
] |
['To test if individuals having height-for-age z scores between -2 and -1 present higher body fat percentage and, therefore, should not be categorized as having normal nutritional status.', 'The study involved 96 individuals (52 boys and 44 girls); 57% of whom had already attained puberty. Body composition was analyzed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.', 'The percentage of abdominal body fat in pre-pubertal stunted girls was higher (27.4%; p = 0.01) in comparison with their non-stunted counterparts (20.6%). Similar differences in abdominal fat content (%) were observed for pubertal stunted and non-stunted girls and boys (37.6 and 29.8%, respectively, p = 0.01; 24.6 and 15.7%, p = 0.01, respectively). The percentages of total body fat percent in pre-pubertal stunted girls and pubertal stunted boys (29.9 and 24.5%, p = 0.03; 26.3 and 18.1%, p = 0.01, respectively) were higher than those of their non-stunted counterparts. Non-stunted groups showed lower waist circumferences.'] Is mild stunting associated with higher body fat : study of a low-income population? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.201342821121216,
0.3663138151168823,
1.127018690109253
] |
['Recent clinical observations have indicated that nonlethal mechanical trauma significantly increases myocardial infarction risk even in the presence of completely normal coronary arteries. We investigated the molecular mechanisms responsible for exacerbation of ischemic myocardial injury after nonlethal mechanical trauma with a special focus on the role of tumor necrosis factor α and its potential downstream effector adiponectin, a novel adipokine with anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective properties.', 'Laboratory study.', 'University research unit.', 'Male adult adiponectin knockout mice and wild-type mice.', 'The animals were subjected to nonlethal mechanical trauma using the Noble-Collip drum (40 rpm ± 5 mins) followed by myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury 7 days posttrauma. We also investigated the effects of neutralizing tumor necrosis factor α with etanercept and exogenous adiponectin supplementation on ischemic myocardial injury after trauma.', 'Trauma significantly sensitized myocardium to ischemia/reperfusion injury as evidenced by increased apoptosis, enlarged infarct size, and decreased cardiac function. Plasma adiponectin concentrations were reduced after traumatic injury (the nadir occurring 3 days posttrauma), an effect abrogated by etanercept-mediated tumor necrosis factor α blockade. The downregulation of adiponectin was accompanied by increased myocardial superoxide and nitric oxide generation and peroxynitrite formation. Both etanercept and exogenous adiponectin supplementation (on day 3 posttrauma or 10 mins before reperfusion on day 7 posttrauma) markedly inhibited oxidative/nitrative stress and ischemia/reperfusion injury in posttraumatic ischemic/reperfused hearts of wild-type mice, whereas only adiponectin supplementation (but not tumor necrosis factor α inhibition) substantially attenuated posttraumatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in adiponectin knockout mice.'] Is downregulation of adiponectin induced by tumor necrosis factor α involved in the aggravation of posttraumatic myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.5043256282806396,
-1.3282842636108398,
2.8767547607421875
] |
['To investigate the role of chondrocyte apoptosis in the initiation and severity of articular cartilage (AC) damage.', "Articular cartilage from equine metacarpophalangeal (MCP) (n = 13) and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) (n = 16) joints was used and each graded macroscopically for cartilage degradation (macroscopic osteoarthritis [OA] grade). Cartilage was sampled from six regions on the articular surface of both joint types and graded using a 'modified' Mankin scoring system. Apoptosis of chondrocytes in cartilage sections was assessed by expression of active caspase-3 using indirect immunohistochemistry.", "\u2002 Apoptosis was found to increase significantly with macroscopic OA grade (P < 0.0001). There was a significant trend for increasing 'modified' Mankin score with increasing macroscopic OA grade (P < 0.0009). Apoptosis was significantly higher in the superficial zone than in the middle or deep zones (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). The incidence of apoptosis correlated significantly with the early stages of microscopic cartilage damage ('modified' Mankin scores 0-3). Significant differences in overall apoptosis were noted when cartilage specimens with a 'modified' Mankin score of 3 were compared to grade 2 (P < 0.001), grade 1 (P < 0.001) and grade 0 (P < 0.05) specimens. However, no significant difference in overall apoptosis was noted between grade 3, 4 and 5 samples."] Is chondrocyte death by apoptosis associated with the initiation and severity of articular cartilage degradation? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.896897554397583,
-1.5086195468902588,
2.4048714637756348
] |
['Practice patterns vary widely among centers with regard to the treatment of unruptured aneurysms. The purpose of the current study was to correlate outcome data with practice patterns, specifically the proportion of unruptured aneurysms treated with neurosurgical clipping versus endovascular coiling.', 'Using the NIS, we evaluated outcomes of patients treated for unruptured aneurysms in the United States from 2001 to 2007. Hospitalizations for clipping or coiling of unruptured cerebral aneurysms were identified by cross-matching ICD codes for diagnosis of unruptured aneurysm with procedure codes for clipping or coiling of cerebral aneurysms. Mortality and morbidity, measured as "discharge to long-term facility," were evaluated in relation to the fraction of cases treated with coils versus clipping as well as the annual number of unruptured aneurysms treated by individual hospitals and individual physicians.', 'Markedly lower morbidity (P < .0001) and mortality (P = .0015) were noted in centers that coiled a higher percentage of aneurysms compared with the proportion of aneurysms clipped. Multivariate analysis showed that greater annual numbers of aneurysms treated by individual practitioners were significantly related to decreased morbidity (OR = 0.98, P < .0001), while the association between morbidity and the annual number of aneurysms treated by hospitals was not significant (OR = 1.00, P = .89).'] Are patient outcomes better for unruptured cerebral aneurysms treated at centers that preferentially treat with endovascular coiling : a study of the national inpatient sample 2001-2007? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.1616790294647217,
-1.3396782875061035,
1.5161840915679932
] |
['The stability of atherosclerotic plaques determines the risk for rupture, which may lead to thrombus formation and potentially severe clinical complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Although the rate of plaque formation may be important for plaque stability, this process is not well understood. We took advantage of the atmospheric (14)C-declination curve (a result of the atomic bomb tests in the 1950s and 1960s) to determine the average biological age of carotid plaques.', 'The cores of carotid plaques were dissected from 29 well-characterized, symptomatic patients with carotid stenosis and analyzed for (14)C content by accelerator mass spectrometry. The average plaque age (i.e. formation time) was 9.6±3.3 years. All but two plaques had formed within 5-15 years before surgery. Plaque age was not associated with the chronological ages of the patients but was inversely related to plasma insulin levels (p\u200a=\u200a0.0014). Most plaques were echo-lucent rather than echo-rich (2.24±0.97, range 1-5). However, plaques in the lowest tercile of plaque age (most recently formed) were characterized by further instability with a higher content of lipids and macrophages (67.8±12.4 vs. 50.4±6.2, p\u200a=\u200a0.00005; 57.6±26.1 vs. 39.8±25.7, p<0.0005, respectively), less collagen (45.3±6.1 vs. 51.1±9.8, p<0.05), and fewer smooth muscle cells (130±31 vs. 141±21, p<0.05) than plaques in the highest tercile. Microarray analysis of plaques in the lowest tercile also showed increased activity of genes involved in immune responses and oxidative phosphorylation.'] Is carotid plaque age a feature of plaque stability inversely related to levels of plasma insulin? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.774760127067566,
-1.5612305402755737,
2.3150486946105957
] |
['The cell-surface carbohydrate Lewis(y) antigen (blood group 8, BG8) has recently been investigated in bladder cancer, but its role in the differential diagnosis of flat urothelial lesions of the bladder has not yet been systematically evaluated.', '30 carcinoma in situ (CIS) and 30 non-CIS conditions of the bladder mucosa (four dysplasia and 26 reactive atypia according to consensus diagnoses) were comparatively assessed in terms of their Lewis(y) antigen staining profiles by two independent clinical pathologists.', 'Lewis(y) antigen expression differed significantly (p<0.001) between CIS (full thickness expression throughout the entire urothelium including the basal cell layer) and non-CIS conditions (patchy discontinuous expression restricted to individual cells scattered singly throughout the urothelial mucosa). The four dysplastic study cases showed Lewis(y) antigen expression more closely related to the staining profiles observed in most of the reactive urothelial atypia. κ statistics showed excellent inter-observer agreement between both raters in terms of Lewis(y) antigen staining evaluation (κ=0.9, p<0.001).'] Is lewis ( y ) antigen ( blood group 8 , BG8 ) a useful marker in the histopathological differential diagnosis of flat urothelial lesions of the urinary bladder? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.261136054992676,
-1.4286634922027588,
2.7649455070495605
] |
['Endothelial dysfunction has been hypothesized as a possible pathogenic factor in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). We examined the relationship of DR to endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent responses in skin microvascular flow.', 'Participants consisted of 224 individuals with diabetes: 85 with type 1 diabetes and 139 with type 2 diabetes. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and acetylcholine (ACh) were delivered across the skin by iontophoresis. Laser Doppler flowmetry was used to assess the skin microcirculation response to SNP (endothelium-independent response) and ACh (endothelium-dependent response). The presence and severity of DR were graded from retinal photographs using a standard protocol.', 'Of 224 participants, 64.3% had DR. After multivariable adjustment, participants with reduced responses to SNP or ACh were more likely to have DR, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.33 (95% CI 1.09-5.01) for SNP and 2.20 (1.05-4.61) for ACh, comparing participants with responses below and above the median values. Participants with reduced responses (below the median) to both SNP and ACh were nearly four times more likely to have DR (OR 3.86 [1.45-10.3]) than those with SNP and ACh both above the median values.'] Is diabetic retinopathy related to both endothelium-dependent and -independent responses of skin microvascular flow? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.8015761375427246,
-1.4091955423355103,
2.2111732959747314
] |
['This study used clinical and administrative data to describe the clinical prevalence and correlates of substance use disorders (SUDs) in 622 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years who were evaluated with 1 or more psychiatric diagnoses after presenting to an urban psychiatric emergency service.', 'Clinical and administrative data including demographics, diagnosis, psychiatric severity, suicidality, treatment history, treatment disposition, social support, and overall functioning were retrospectively obtained from patient records. These data were used to describe the prevalence and correlates of SUDs in this sample of adolescents with psychiatric disorders.', 'Twenty-eight percent of youth had an SUD. Marijuana and alcohol use disorders were the most common. The diagnosis of SUD was not associated with specific psychiatric diagnostic categories (mood, anxiety, and psychotic), psychiatric symptom severity, or suicidality, in the overall sample. There was limited evidence for a mediating/moderating effect of sex on the correlation between psychiatric measures and SUD diagnosis. Older age, SUD treatment history, and role dysfunction (ie, poor school functioning) were independently associated with any SUD diagnosis or a drug use disorder when accounting for sex. Older age and history of SUD treatment were independently correlated with alcohol use disorders. Twenty-three percent of youth with SUDs were referred for SUD treatment.'] Does clinical prevalence and correlate of substance use in adolescent psychiatric emergency patients? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 1 | [
-2.0728838443756104,
1.2478206157684326,
0.16143997013568878
] |
['Diabetic patients often experience visceral hypersensitivity and anorectal dysfunction. We hypothesize that the enhanced excitability of colon projecting dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons observed in diabetes is caused by a decrease in the amplitude of the transient A-type K(+) (I(A)) currents resulting from increased phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and reduced opening of K(v)4.2 channels.', 'We performed patch-clamp recordings of colon projecting DRG neurons from control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ-D) rats. Western blot analyses and immunocytochemistry studies were used to elucidate the intracellular signaling pathways that modulate the I(A) current. In vivo studies were performed to demonstrate that abnormal MAPK signaling is responsible for the enhanced visceromotor response to colorectal distention in STZ-D rats.', 'Patch-clamp studies demonstrated that I(A) current was diminished in the colon projecting DRG neurons of STZ-D rats. Western blot analysis of STZ-D DRG neurons revealed increases in phosphorylated MAPK and K(V)4.2. In diabetic DRG neurons, increased intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)), protein kinase C (PKC), and MAPK were involved in the regulation of I(A) current through modulation of K(v)4.2. Hypersensitive visceromotor responses to colorectal distention in STZ-D rats were normalized by administration of MAPK inhibitor U0126.'] Is diabetic visceral hypersensitivity associated with activation of mitogen-activated kinase in rat dorsal root ganglia? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.4596662521362305,
-1.3077597618103027,
2.7727112770080566
] |
['8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is a marker of oxidative stress in DNA. This study was undertaken to reveal whether serum 8-OHdG could be a prognostic factor in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC).', 'Preoperative serum 8-OHdG levels were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 84 stage I-IV EOC patients. Immunohistochemical (IHC) 8-OHdG expression was determined in 78 of these patients.', 'Strong 8-OHdG immunostaining predicted poor survival. High serum 8-OHdG (>140 pg/ml) was associated with poor ovarian cancer-specific survival (p<0.05) in patients with grade 1-2 EOC (p<0.05), but was not observed among the grade 3 patients. High 8-OHdG levels both in the serum and in the tumour tissue was associated with traditional factors of poor prognosis and serous histology.'] Is elevated serum 8-OHdG associated with poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.1842713356018066,
-1.4723937511444092,
2.690298318862915
] |
['To investigate the association of the genetic variants in excision repair cross-complementation group 2 (ERCC2) R156R and ERCC4 rs3136038 with survival duration for patients with esophageal cancer.', 'ERCC2 and ERCC4 are important molecules participating nucleotide excision repair system. The clinical relevance of the genetic variants of these genes is largely unknown currently.', 'A total of 400 patients with a diagnosis of esophageal cancer were included. The genetic variants in the promoter regions of ERCC2 on R156R and ERCC4 on rs3136038 were analyzed with the TaqMan assay from leukocyte DNA collected before treatment and correlated to survival of the patients.', 'Presence with ERCC2 R156R C/C or ERCC4 rs3136038 C/T genotype of the patients could additively increase risk of death and disease progression. Under multivariate analysis, T, N staging and simultaneous presentation of these unfavorable genotypes were found significant for prognosis (P < 0.05). Accumulation of each unfavorable genotype would associate with adjusted HRs [95% CI] of 1.35 [1.10-1.65] and 1.37 [1.12-1.68] (P ≤ 0.05) for death and disease progression respectively. The prognostic impact of these genotypes were more evident in the subgroup of patients with early disease status including T staging (II or less), free from lymph node metastasis or being able to undergo surgical resection (P < 0.05 for both overall and disease progression-free survival duration, respectively).'] Does genetic variants in DNA repair predict the survival of patients with esophageal cancer? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.9710521697998047,
-1.4806675910949707,
2.4783427715301514
] |
['Central nervous system vascular malformations (VMs) result from abnormal vasculo- and/or angiogenesis. Cavernomas and arteriovenous malformations are also sites of active inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine whether MRI detection of VMs can be improved by administration of ferumoxytol iron oxide nanoparticle, which acts as a blood pool agent at early time points and an inflammatory marker when taken up by tissue macrophages.', 'Nineteen patients (11 men, 8 women; mean age, 47.5 years) with central nervous system VMs underwent 3-T MRI both with gadoteridol and ferumoxytol. The ferumoxytol-induced signal changes on the T1-, T2-, and susceptibility-weighted images were analyzed at 25 minutes (range, 21 to 30 minutes) and 24 hours (range, 22 to 27 hours).', 'Thirty-five lesions (capillary telangiectasia, n=6; cavernoma, n=21; developmental venous anomaly, n=7; arteriovenous malformation, n=1) were seen on the pre- and postgadoteridol images. The postferumoxytol susceptibility-weighted sequences revealed 5 additional VMs (3 capillary telangiectasias, 2 cavernomas) and demonstrated further tributary veins in all patients with developmental venous anomalies. The 24-hour T1 and T2 ferumoxytol-related signal abnormalities were inconsistent among patients and within VM types. No additional area of T1 or T2 enhancement was noted with ferumoxytol compared with gadoteridol in any lesion.'] Does mRI using ferumoxytol improve the visualization of central nervous system vascular malformations? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.237602472305298,
-1.4813220500946045,
2.7566914558410645
] |
['Stroke is frequently associated with autonomic dysfunction, which causes secondary cardiovascular complications. Early diagnosis of autonomic imbalance prevents complications, but it is only available at specialized centers. Widely available surrogate markers are needed. This study tested whether stroke severity, as assessed by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, correlates with autonomic dysfunction and thus predicts risk of autonomic complications.', 'In 50 ischemic stroke patients, we assessed NIHSS scores and parameters of autonomic cardiovascular modulation within 24 hours after stroke onset and compared data with that of 32 healthy controls. We correlated NIHSS scores with parameters of total autonomic modulation (total powers of R-R interval [RRI] modulation; RRI standard deviation [RRI-SD], RRI coefficient of variation), parasympathetic modulation (square root of the mean squared differences of successive RRIs, RRI-high-frequency-powers), sympathetic modulation (normalized RRI-low-frequency-powers, blood pressure-low-frequency-powers), the index of sympatho-vagal balance (RRI-LF/HF-ratios), and baroreflex sensitivity.', 'Patients had significantly higher blood pressure and respiration, but lower RRIs, RRI-SDs, RRI coefficient of variation, square root of the mean squared differences of successive RRIs, RRI-low-frequency-powers, RRI-high-frequency-powers, RRI-total powers, and baroreflex sensitivity than did controls. NIHSS scores correlated significantly with normalized RRI-low-frequency-powers and RRI-LF/HF-ratios, and indirectly with RRIs, RRI-SDs, square root of the mean squared differences of successive RRIs, RRI-high-frequency-powers, normalized RRI-high-frequency-powers, RRI-total-powers, and baroreflex sensitivity. Spearman-Rho values ranged from 0.29 to 0.47.'] Do high NIHSS values predict impairment of cardiovascular autonomic control? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.5211292505264282,
-1.526127576828003,
2.032195568084717
] |
['Chronic deficiencies in regional blood flow lead to cerebral cortical thinning without evidence of gross tissue loss at the same time as potentially negatively impacting on neurological and cognitive performance. This is most pronounced in patients with severe occlusive cerebrovascular disease in whom affected brain areas exhibit "steal physiology," a paradoxical reduction of cerebral blood flow in response to a global vasodilatory stimulus intended to increase blood flow. We tested whether surgical brain revascularization that eliminates steal physiology can reverse cortical thinning.', 'We identified 29 patients from our database who had undergone brain revascularization with pre- and postoperative studies of cerebrovascular reactivity using blood oxygen(ation) level-dependent MRI and whose preoperative study exhibited steal physiology without MRI-evident structural abnormalities. Cortical thickness in regions corresponding to steal physiology, and where applicable corresponding areas in the normal hemisphere, were measured using Freesurfer software.', 'At an average of 11 months after surgery, cortical thickness increased in every successfully revascularized hemisphere (n=30). Mean cortical thickness in the revascularized regions increased by 5.1% (from 2.40 ± 0.03 to 2.53 ± 0.03; P<0.0001).'] Does surgical revascularization reverse cerebral cortical thinning in patients with severe cerebrovascular steno-occlusive disease? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.10115909576416,
-1.01040780544281,
2.216590404510498
] |
['Aqueous extract of Piper sarmentosum (AEPS) is known to possess antioxidant and anti-atherosclerotic activities but the mechanism responsible for it remains unclear. In early part of atherosclerosis, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) induces the expression of cellular adhesion molecules such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and E-selectin. NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) is the predominant source of superoxide in the endothelial cells whereas superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) are the antioxidant enzymes responsible for inactivating reactive oxygen species. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of AEPS on the gene expression of NF-κB, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, E-selectin, Nox4, SOD1, CAT and GPx in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).', 'HUVECs were divided into four groups:- control; treatment with 180 μM hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂); treatment with 150 μg/mL AEPS and concomitant treatment with AEPS and H₂O₂ for 24 hours. Total RNA was extracted from all the groups of HUVEC using TRI reagent. Subsequently, qPCR was carried out to determine the mRNA expression of NF-κB, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, E-selectin, Nox4, SOD1, CAT and GPx. The specificity of the reactions was verified using melting curve analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis.', 'When stimulated with H₂O₂, HUVECs expressed higher level of ICAM-1 (1.3-fold) and Nox4 (1.2-fold) mRNA expression. However, AEPS treatment led to a reduction in the mRNA expression of ICAM-1 (p < 0.01) and Nox4 (p < 0.05) in the H₂O₂-induced HUVECs. AEPS also upregulated the mRNA expression of SOD1 (p < 0.05), CAT (p < 0.01) and GPx (p < 0.05) in oxidative stress-induced HUVECs. There was no significant change in the mRNA expression of VCAM-1 and E-selectin.'] Does piper sarmentosum inhibit ICAM-1 and Nox4 gene expression in oxidative stress-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.34824800491333,
-1.4402079582214355,
2.807119131088257
] |
['Insulin resistance is associated with elevated content of skeletal muscle lipids, including triacylglycerols (TAGs) and diacylglycerols (DAGs). DAGs are by-products of lipolysis consecutive to TAG hydrolysis by adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and are subsequently hydrolyzed by hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL). We hypothesized that an imbalance of ATGL relative to HSL (expression or activity) may contribute to DAG accumulation and insulin resistance.', 'We first measured lipase expression in vastus lateralis biopsies of young lean (n = 9), young obese (n = 9), and obese-matched type 2 diabetic (n = 8) subjects. We next investigated in vitro in human primary myotubes the impact of altered lipase expression/activity on lipid content and insulin signaling.', 'Muscle ATGL protein was negatively associated with whole-body insulin sensitivity in our population (r = -0.55, P = 0.005), whereas muscle HSL protein was reduced in obese subjects. We next showed that adenovirus-mediated ATGL overexpression in human primary myotubes induced DAG and ceramide accumulation. ATGL overexpression reduced insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis (-30%, P < 0.05) and disrupted insulin signaling at Ser1101 of the insulin receptor substrate-1 and downstream Akt activation at Ser473. These defects were fully rescued by nonselective protein kinase C inhibition or concomitant HSL overexpression to restore a proper lipolytic balance. We show that selective HSL inhibition induces DAG accumulation and insulin resistance.'] Do altered skeletal muscle lipase expression and activity contribute to insulin resistance in humans? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.440563917160034,
-1.1922023296356201,
2.6606316566467285
] |
['Phytosterols (PS) lower LDLc, but their effect on metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains unknown. We evaluated whether low-fat milk enriched with PS improves cardiovascular risk factors in these patients.', 'A randomised parallel trial employing 24 moderate-hypercholesterolaemic MetS patients and consisting of two 3-month intervention phases. After a 3-month healthy diet, patients were divided into two intervention groups: diet (n\xa0=\xa010) and diet\xa0+\xa0PS (n\xa0=\xa014) (2\xa0g/day). A control group of 24 moderate-hypercholesterolaemic patients without MetS (matched in age and BMI) underwent the same procedure.', 'Neither dietary intervention nor enrichment of PS induced any improvement in the serum lipoprotein profile of MetS patients. By contrast, in the non-MetS population, a healthy diet effectively reduced TC, LDLc, non-HDLc and Apo B-100, with further decreases in TC (6.9%), LDLc (10.5%), non-HDLc (10.3%), Apo B-100 (6.2%) and Apo B-100/ApoA-I ratio (11.6%) being observed when PS were administered. No differences in LDL diameter, hsCRP or homocysteine were detected in any of the groups after consuming PS. This supplementation produced a significant increase in PS levels only in the non-MetS population.'] Is low intestinal cholesterol absorption associated with a reduced efficacy of phytosterol esters as hypolipemic agents in patients with metabolic syndrome? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.0857367515563965,
-1.5239365100860596,
2.627216100692749
] |
['Iron may contribute to the pathogenesis of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of this study was to determine iron regulator hepcidin and iron metabolic parameters in Type 2 DM patients, the relationships among them were evaluated in this specific sub-groups.', 'The study included sixty-four people: 34 cases of diabetes and 30 age-matched controls. Serum hepcidin, IL-6, hsCRP, ferritin, sTfR, EPO as well as other clinical parameters were detected, and the associations between hepcidin levels and iron/inflammatory parameters were analyzed in diabetes and the controls.', 'Serum ferritin and hepcidin levels in diabetic patients were significant higher than the controls (p<0.001 respectively). A positive correlation between hepcidin and ferritin, as well as between ferritin and IL-6 levels was existed in diabetes and the control groups (p<0.001 respectively).'] Do hepcidin expression and iron parameters change in Type 2 diabetic patients? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.042470932006836,
-1.1194672584533691,
2.1811721324920654
] |
['Endurance training improves skeletal muscular function including energy metabolism and structure. Sex steroid hormones partly contribute to the exercise-induced muscular adaptations. Recently, we demonstrated that skeletal muscle contains steroidogenic converting enzymes to synthesize sex steroid hormones and an acute endurance exercise activates local steroidogenesis in skeletal muscle. However, whether chronic endurance training leads to enhanced steroidogenesis in skeletal muscle is unknown. Here, we examined changes in steroidogenic enzymes and sex steroid hormones in the skeletal muscle after chronic endurance exercise training.', 'Eleven male rats were divided into two groups: sedentary (n = 6) and trained (n = 5). Endurance training was performed on a treadmill (30 m·min(-1), 30 min) for 5 d·wk(-1) for 12 wk. The posttraining harvesting was performed 48 h after the last exercise training.', 'The mRNA expressions of 3β-HSD, aromatase cytochrome P450, and 5α-reductase in the skeletal muscle of trained rats were significantly higher than those of sedentary rats (P < 0.05). The protein expressions of aromatase cytochrome P450 and 5α-reductase in the skeletal muscle of trained rats were also significantly higher than those of sedentary rats (P < 0.05). The muscular dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentrations in the skeletal muscle of trained rats were significantly higher than those of sedentary rats (P < 0.01), but there was no change in dehydroepiandrosterone, total testosterone, free testosterone, and estradiol. Furthermore, muscle weight corrected for body weight of trained rats was moderately correlated with the level of muscular DHT concentration in trained rats (r = 0.41, P < 0.05).'] Does endurance exercise training enhance local sex steroidogenesis in skeletal muscle? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.6291413307189941,
-1.0323405265808105,
1.6788966655731201
] |
['The aim of this study was to examine changes in fasting total peptide YY (PYY) and ghrelin in nonobese premenopausal women after an exercise and diet program with and without weight loss.', 'Body composition, energy balance parameters, ghrelin, and PYY were measured before and after a 3-month intervention in nonexercising controls (n = 7) and exercising women who either remained weight stable (n = 5) or lost weight (n = 10). At baseline, subjects were 20.6 ± 2.2 yr, weighed 58.0 ± 4.8 kg, and had 27.2% ± 4.9% body fat. Supervised exercise training occurred five times a week for up to 90 min at 70%-80% of maximum HR. Subjects were fed a controlled diet.', 'Body weight (-3.2 ± 0.8 kg) and fat mass (-2.6 ± 0.7 kg) decreased significantly in the weight-loss exercise group. Neither fasting ghrelin nor PYY changed in response to exercise training in the absence of weight loss, and PYY did not change with exercise and weight loss. Fasting ghrelin did reveal a significant time × experimental group interaction (P = 0.025). The change in ghrelin was inversely correlated with the change in body weight, body mass index, fat-free mass, and energy availability.'] Is ghrelin but not peptide YY related to change in body weight and energy availability? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.8356655836105347,
-1.0040853023529053,
1.977379560470581
] |
['The primary aim was to determine whether incidental physical activity (IPA), expressed either as duration or intensity, was associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).', 'Participants were inactive abdominally obese men (n = 43, waist circumference ≥ 102 cm) and women (n = 92, waist circumference ≥ 88 cm) recruited from Kingston, Canada. IPA (>100 counts per minute) was determined by accelerometry during 7 d and categorized into duration (min·d(-1)) and intensity (counts per minute). In secondary analyses, IPA was further categorized as light physical activity (LPA, 100-1951 counts per minute) and sporadic moderate physical activity (MPA, ≥ 1952 counts per minute accumulated in bouts <10 consecutive minutes). CRF was assessed using a maximal treadmill exercise test.', 'Participants accumulated 308.2 ± 98.8 (mean ± SD) min of IPA per day of which 19.2 ± 13.5 min was spent in sporadic MPA. Mean CRF was 26.8 ± 4.7 mL·kg(-1) body weight·min(-1). IPA duration was positively associated with CRF in the univariate model (r2 = 0.03, P < 0.05) and after control for gender and body mass index (r2 = 0.53, P < 0.01). Likewise, IPA intensity was positively associated with CRF in univariate (r2 = 0.18, P < 0.001) and multivariate analyses (r2 = 0.56, P < 0.01). After further control for each other, IPA duration was not associated with CRF (P = 0.05), whereas IPA intensity remained a significant predictor (r2 = 0.57, P < 0.001). In secondary analyses, LPA was not associated with CRF (P > 0.05). Sporadic MPA was associated with CRF (r2 = 0.20, P < 0.001) and remained a positive correlate after control for gender, body mass index, and the other physical activity variables (r2 = 0.60, P < 0.001).'] Is incidental physical activity positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
0.12377842515707016,
-1.802037000656128,
0.7134671807289124
] |
['The high prevalence of obesity in Western societies has been attributed in part to high-fat low-CHO food consumption. However, people have also become less active, and inactivity may have increased the risk for weight gain from poor dietary choices. Analyses were performed to test whether diet-weight relationships were attenuated by vigorous exercise.', "Age- and education-adjusted cross-sectional regression analyses of 62,042 men and 44,695 women recruited for the National Runners' Health Study were conducted. Reported meat and fruit intakes were analyzed separately and as indicators of high-risk diets.", "The runners were generally lean (mean ± SD: males = 24.15 ± 2.81 kg·m(-2), females = 21.63 ± 2.70 kg·m(-2)) as measured by body mass index (BMI), educated (males = 16.42 ± 2.47 yr, females = 16.04 ± 2.32 yr), and middle-aged (males = 44.40 ± 10.83 yr, females = 38.21 ± 10.08 yr), who ran 5.30 ± 3.23 km·d(-1) if male and 4.79 ± 3.00 km·d(-1) if female. Running significantly attenuated BMI's relationship to reported meat and fruit intakes in men (P < 10(-8) and P < 10(-12), respectively) and women (P < 10(-15) and P < 10(-6), respectively). Specifically, compared with running <2 km·d(-1), running >8 km·d(-1) reduced the apparent BMI increase per serving of meat by 43% in men (slope ± SE = from 0.74 ± 0.10 to 0.42 ± 0.06) and 55% in women (from 1.26 ± 0.13 to 0.57 ± 0.09) and reduced the apparent BMI reduction per serving of fruit by 75% in men (from -0.28 ± 0.04 to -0.07 ± 0.02) and 94% in women (from -0.16 ± 0.05 to -0.01 ± 0.02). Running also significantly attenuated the concordant relationship between reported meat intake and waist and chest circumferences in men (P < 10(-9) and P = 0.0002, respectively) and women (P = 0.0004 and P < 10(-5), respectively) and the concordant relationship between meat intake and hip circumference in women (P < 10(-6))."] Does exercise attenuate the association of body weight with diet in 106,737 runners? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 0 | [
2.0495119094848633,
-1.368603229522705,
-1.3998228311538696
] |
['Given the widespread use of water immersion during recovery from exercise, we aimed to investigate the effect of contrast water immersion on recovery of sprint cycling performance, HR and, blood lactate.', 'Two groups completed high-intensity sprint exercise before and after a 30-min randomized recovery. The Wingate group (n = 8) performed 3 × 30-s Wingate tests (4-min rest periods). The repeated intermittent sprint group (n = 8) cycled for alternating 30-s periods at 40% of predetermined maximum power and 120% maximum power, until exhaustion. Both groups completed three trials using a different recovery treatment for each trial (balanced randomized application). Recovery treatments were passive rest, 1:1 contrast water immersion (2.5 min of cold (8°C) to 2.5 min of hot (40°C)), and 1:4 contrast water immersion (1 min of cold to 4 min of hot). Blood lactate and HR were recorded throughout, and peak power and total work for pre- and postrecovery Wingate performance and exercise time and total work for repeated sprinting were recorded.', 'Recovery of Wingate peak power was 8% greater after 1:4 contrast water immersion than after passive rest, whereas both contrast water immersion ratios provided a greater recovery of exercise time (∼ 10%) and total work (∼ 14%) for repeated sprinting than for passive rest. Blood lactate was similar between trials. Compared with passive rest, HR initially declined more slowly during contrast water immersion but increased with each transition to a cold immersion phase.'] Is sprint cycling performance maintained with short-term contrast water immersion? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-0.15222512185573578,
-0.8924304842948914,
0.16731572151184082
] |
['The human epigenome is profoundly altered in cancers, with a characteristic loss of methylation in repetitive regions and concomitant accumulation of gene promoter methylation. The degree to which these processes are coordinated is unclear so we investigated both in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.', 'Global methylation was measured using the luminometric methylation assay (LUMA) and pyrosequencing of LINE-1Hs and AluYb8 repetitive elements in a series of 138 tumors. We also measured methylation of more than 27,000 CpG loci with the Illumina HumanMethylation27 Microarray (n = 91).', "LINE-1 methylation was significantly associated with LUMA and Infinium loci methylation (Spearman's ρ = 0.52/ρ = 0.56, both P < 0.001) but not that of AluYb8. Methylation of LINE-1, AluYb8, and Infinium loci differed by tumor site (each Kruskal-Wallis, P < 0.05). Also, LINE-1 and LUMA methylation were associated with HPV16 E6 serology (each Mann-Whitney, P < 0.05). Comparing LINE-1 methylation to gene-associated methylation, we identified a distinct subset of CpG loci with significant hypermethylation associated with LINE-1 hypomethylation. An investigation of sequence features for these CpG loci revealed that they were significantly less likely to reside in repetitive elements (Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, P < 0.02), enriched in CpG islands (P < 0.001) and were proximal to transcription factor-binding sites (P < 0.05). We validated the top CpG loci that had significant hypermethylation associated with LINE-1 hypomethylation (at EVI2A, IFRD1, KLHL6, and PTPRCAP) by pyrosequencing independent tumors."] Does global hypomethylation identify Loci targeted for hypermethylation in head and neck cancer? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.1684508323669434,
-1.493430495262146,
2.7049508094787598
] |
['The administration of pravastatin to patients with cholestatic liver disease has suggested the potential of the drug with regard to reducing raised plasma cholesterol and bile acid levels. Information about the mechanisms associated with this effect is lacking. Thus, the aim of the present study is to evaluate pravastatin effects on the liver bile acid and cholesterol homeostasis in healthy and cholestatic rats.', 'Control sham-operated and reversibly bile duct-obstructed (BDO) rats were treated with pravastatin (1 or 5 mg/kg) or the vehicle alone for 7 days after surgery.', 'Lower doses of pravastatin reduced bile acid plasma concentrations in cholestatic animals. The effect was associated with reduced liver mRNA expression of Cyp7a1, Cyp8b1, Mrp2, Ugt1a1 and the increased expression of Bsep. In addition, BDO-induced increase in the liver content of cholesterol was normalized by pravastatin. The change was accompanied by the reduced liver expression of Hmg-CoA reductase, LDL receptor, and Acat2, and induced the expression of Abca1 and Mdr2. These changes corresponded with the upregulation of nuclear receptors LXRα and PPARα, and the downregulation of FXR, CAR, SREBP-2 and HNF1α. High doses of pravastatin lacked any positive effects on bile acids and cholesterol homeostasis, and blocked bile formation through the reduction of the biliary excretion of bile acids.'] Does pravastatin modulate liver bile acid and cholesterol homeostasis in rats with chronic cholestasis? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.494189977645874,
-1.2405807971954346,
2.810312271118164
] |
['Dynamic hyperinflation, caused by expiratory flow limitation, markedly increases resting end-expiratory lung volume (functional residual capacity) in many COPD patients.', 'To determine the impact and duration of impact of CPAP on hyperinflation and airway resistance in patients with stable COPD.', 'In a case series, 21 patients underwent CPAP at 8 cm H(2)O for 15 min, then whole-body plethysmography immediately after, and at 15 and 30 min after CPAP.', "The cohort's mean ± SD age was 70 ± 9 y, and the mean FEV(1) was 41 ± 8% of predicted. Residual volume, functional residual capacity, total lung capacity, the ratio of residual volume to total lung capacity, and airway resistance decreased after CPAP and did not significantly change at 15 min (P < .001), but returned to baseline at 30 min."] Does cPAP decrease lung hyperinflation in patients with stable COPD? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.5401002168655396,
-1.4089040756225586,
2.0168890953063965
] |
['The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, seliciclib (R-roscovitine, CYC202), has anti-proliferative activity through its inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 2. We hypothesized that treatment with seliciclib would reduce glomerular macrophage numbers and glomerular crescent formation in experimental crescentic glomerulonephritis even when treatment is started after onset of disease.', 'Nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN) was induced in Wistar Kyoto rats. In experiment 1, seliciclib (150 mg/kg per day) was given by oral gavage from 1 h before induction of NTN and continued to day 14. In experiment 2, treatment was started on day 4 of NTN and continued to day 14 in order to examine the effect of seliciclib in established glomerulonephritis.', 'In experiment 1, seliciclib reduced proteinuria (119.5 ± 13.9 vs 191.4 ± 18.8 mg/day, P < 0.01), serum creatinine (54.0 ± 3.0 vs 81.0 ± 2.5 µmol/L, P < 0.005) and glomerular crescent score (23.9 ± 2.1 vs 44.6 ± 2.2, P < 0.005) in comparison with controls. In experiment 2, seliciclib ameliorated established glomerulonephritis, with reduction in proteinuria (58 ± 16 vs 165 ± 13 mg/day, P < 0.005), serum creatinine (39 ± 3 vs 62 ± 5 µmol/L, P < 0.05), glomerular macrophage numbers (6.8 ± 2.5 vs 18.5 ± 1.2 ED1+ cells per glomerular cross section, P < 0.05), glomerular cell proliferation (1.2 ± 0.37 vs 4.2 ± 0.80 bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)+ cells per glomerular section, P < 0.05) and crescent score (10.8 ± 1.6 vs 43.9 ± 1.4, P < 0.05), in comparison with the controls.'] Is treatment with a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor , seliciclib , effective in reducing glomerular macrophage numbers and the severity of established experimental glomerulonephritis? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.7200167179107666,
-1.5794740915298462,
2.315166473388672
] |
['Nocturnal hypoglycemia is an aggravating factor for liver cirrhosis. However, in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis, a clinical parameter associated with nocturnal hypoglycemia remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate a clinical parameter associated with nocturnal hypoglycemia in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related compensated liver cirrhosis.', 'Twenty patients with HCV-related compensated liver cirrhosis were enrolled in this study. Nocturnal glucose profile was examined by the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System. According to the glucose levels between 21:00 to 6:00, patients were classified into a normoglycemia group (glucose level >70 mg/dL, n=10) or a nocturnal hypoglycemia group (glucose level <70 mg/dL, n=10). Differences in body compositions and biochemical parameters were examined between the two groups.', 'Fifty percent of compensated cirrhotic patients showed nocturnal hypoglycemia. The serum level of free fatty acids, but not any other parameters, was significantly higher in the nocturnal hypoglycemia group compared to that in the normoglycemia group (553 +/- 209 vs. 367 +/- 131 mEq/L; p < 0.05).'] Is serum level of free fatty acids associated with nocturnal hypoglycemia in cirrhotic patients with HCV infection : a pilot study? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.6930981874465942,
-1.258683204650879,
2.044623374938965
] |
['The Pringle maneuver is traditionally used to avoid hemorrhage during hepatectomy for hepatic metastasis. However, metastasis can occur under ischemic conditions due to some unknown mechanism.', 'An orthotopic model of murine colon cancer was established in syngeneic BALB/c mice. Viable CT-26 cells were implanted into the spleen of these mice. The mice underwent a laparotomy 5 days after the implantation and the hepato-duodenal ligament was clamped for 0 or 10 minutes (Pringle maneuver). The mice were sacrificed 7 days after this maneuver and the number of hepatic metastasis were counted.', 'The mice that underwent the maneuver developed a greater number of hepatic metastasis. An immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the expression of microvessel density, VEGF and KDR/Flk-1 were higher in the hepatic metastasis in the mice treated with the maneuver. In addition, the mice which were treated by the maneuver had a higher level VEGF in the serum.'] Does pringle maneuver induce hepatic metastasis by stimulating the tumor vasculature? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.529813051223755,
-1.1882938146591187,
2.731037139892578
] |
['\u2002 Hepatitis C virus (HCV) proteins can activate the PI3K/Akt pathway which is involved in multiple cellular functions such as inflammatory cell activation and liver fibrosis. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the correlation between Akt expression and liver fibrosis staging in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.', '\u2002 Paraffin-embedded liver sections from 133 consecutive treatment-naïve CHC patients were recruited. The expression features of Akt were analyzed using immunohistochemical methods and the results were compared with histological, virological and biochemical profiles.', '\u2002 The 73 patients with high Akt expression carried higher histological activity index scores (6.52\u2003±\u20032.5 vs 5.62\u2003±\u20032.4, P\u2003=\u20030.04) and advanced fibrosis (72.7% vs 26.3%, P\u2003<\u20030.01) than other 60 patients with low Akt expression. The high Akt expression showed a significant incremental trend dependent on fibrosis stages, from 33.3% of F0 to 85.7% of F4 (P\u2003=\u20030.005). Akt expression was not correlated with degrees of steatosis and virological features of HCV infection, such as viral load and genotypes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed advanced fibrosis was the most significant factor associated with high Akt expression (odds ratio\u2003=\u20033.16).'] Does hepatic Akt expression correlate with advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.8790899515151978,
-1.5558210611343384,
2.4078164100646973
] |
['\u2002 Serum chemokine levels and amino acid substitutions in the interferon-sensitivity determining region (ISDR) and core region have been associated with treatment outcome of pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy in genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. The present study was conducted to clarify the association between serum chemokines and treatment outcome in patients with chronic HCV-1 infection in a Japanese cohort.', '\u2002 A total of six serum chemokines were quantified before, during and after pegylated interferon and ribavirin treatment in 79 genotype 1 chronic HCV patients using a multiple bead array system. Viral ISDR and core region variants were determined by direct sequencing.', '\u2002 The baseline serum levels of eotaxin, IP-10 and RANTES were significantly higher in chronic HCV patients than in controls. High levels of eotaxin and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1β before therapy and more than two mutations in the ISDR were associated with a sustained virological response, and patients with more than two mutations in the ISDR also had significantly higher MIP-1β levels. Receiver-operator curve analysis showed a 77% sensitivity and 73% specificity for predicting an SVR using MIP-1β values.'] Are serum chemokine levels associated with the outcome of pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.2103264331817627,
-1.474144458770752,
2.765937328338623
] |
['Immunosuppression medications contribute to posttransplant diabetes mellitus in patients and can cause insulin resistance in male rats. Tacrolimus (TAC)-sirolimus (SIR) immunosuppression is also associated with appearance of ovarian cysts in transplant patients. Because insulin resistance is observed in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, we hypothesized that TAC or SIR may induce reproductive abnormalities.', 'We monitored estrus cycles of adult female rats treated daily with TAC, SIR, and combination of TAC-SIR, or diluent (control) for 4 weeks. Animals were then challenged with oral glucose to determine their glucose and insulin responses, killed, and their blood and tissues, including ovaries and uteri harvested.', 'TAC and TAC-SIR treatments increased mean random glucose concentrations (P<0.05). TAC, SIR, and TAC-SIR treatments also increased the glucose response to oral glucose challenge (P<0.05). The insulin response to glucose was significantly higher in rats treated with SIR compared with TAC (P<0.05). TAC, SIR and TAC-SIR treatments reduced number of estrus cycles (P<0.05). The ovaries were smaller after SIR and TAC-SIR treatment compared with controls. The TAC and TAC-SIR treatment groups had fewer preovulatory follicles. Corpora lutea were present in all groups. Ovarian aromatase expression was reduced in the SIR and TAC-SIR treatment groups. A significant (P<0.05) reduction in uterine size was observed in all treatment groups when compared with controls.'] Do tacrolimus and sirolimus induce reproductive abnormalities in female rats? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.0270698070526123,
-1.4562203884124756,
2.442621946334839
] |
['Lymphatics are important for their conduit functions of transporting antigen, immune cells, and inflammatory mediators to draining lymph nodes and to the general circulation. Lymphangiogenesis is involved in many pathologic processes; however, the roles for lymphatic responses in transplantation have not been thoroughly investigated.', 'Mice were made diabetic by a single high dose of streptozotocin and then received islet allografts. Animals were treated with three different lymphatic inhibitors. FTY720, an analog of sphingosine 1-phosphate, inhibited lymphocyte migration into afferent and efferent lymphatics. Sunitinib, a kinase inhibitor, blocked several receptors, including vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3), the major growth factor receptor for lymphatic endothelial cells. Anti-VEGFR3 monoclonal antibody specifically inhibited VEGFR3. Diabetes was determined by daily monitoring of blood glucose levels. Inflammation within islet grafts was assessed by immunohistochemistry for insulin, T cells (CD3), and lymphatics (LYVE-1).', 'After transplantation, lymphangiogenesis occurred in islet allografts and in draining lymph nodes. FTY720, sunitinib, and anti-VEGFR3 each inhibited lymphangiogenesis in the islets and significantly prolonged allograft survival. Immunofluorescent staining demonstrated that administration of each of the lymphatic inhibitors resulted in preservation of islets and β-cells along with a markedly reduced infiltration of T cells into the grafts.'] Does targeting lymphangiogenesis after islet transplantation prolong islet allograft survival? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.452446222305298,
-1.3579665422439575,
2.8479270935058594
] |
['Most reports on airway anatomy after maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have focused on changes in airway diameter, ie, posterior airway space (PAS), rather than airway length. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in cephalometrically measured upper airway length (UAL) after MMA.', 'This was a retrospective cohort study. The sample was composed of subjects who underwent MMA for OSA. The primary outcome measurement was change in UAL measured on lateral cephalograms. Predictor variables included patient demographic and cephalometric characteristics. Secondary outcome measurements were changes in sleep disturbance. Descriptive, bivariate, and regression statistics were computed. For all analyses, P ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant.', 'The sample included 23 adult subjects (mean age, 39.3 ± 12.1 years; 6 women). Subjects had average maxillary and mandibular advancements of 9.8 ± 2.0 and 10.8 ± 2.2 mm, respectively. Mean pre- and postoperative UALs were 75.8 ± 7.0 and 67.0 ± 5.7 mm, respectively (P < .001). Mean pre- and postoperative respiratory disturbance indexes were 53.2 ± 22.4 and 19.0 ± 12.0 events/hour, respectively (P = .003). All patients had improvement in OSA symptoms, but 3 (13%) required continuous positive airway pressure.'] Does upper airway length decrease after maxillomandibular advancement in patients with obstructive sleep apnea? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-0.9910068511962891,
-1.3740659952163696,
1.4028397798538208
] |
['The aim of this study was to characterize the relationship between pericardial fat and atrial fibrillation (AF).', 'Obesity is an important risk factor for AF. Pericardial fat has been hypothesized to exert local pathogenic effects on nearby cardiac structures above and beyond that of systemic adiposity.', 'One hundred ten patients undergoing first-time AF ablation and 20 reference patients without AF underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for the quantification of periatrial, periventricular, and total pericardial fat volumes using a previously validated technique. Together with body mass index and body surface area, these were examined in relation to the presence of AF, the severity of AF, left atrial volume, and long-term AF recurrence after ablation.', 'Pericardial fat volumes were significantly associated with the presence of AF, AF chronicity, and AF symptom burden (all p values <0.05). Pericardial fat depots were also predictive of long-term AF recurrence after ablation (p = 0.035). Finally, pericardial fat depots were also associated with left atrial volume (total pericardial fat: r = 0.46, p < 0.001). Importantly, these associations persisted after multivariate adjustment and additional adjustment for body weight. In contrast, however, systemic measures of adiposity, such as body mass index and body surface area, were not associated with these outcomes in multivariate-adjusted models.'] Is pericardial fat associated with atrial fibrillation severity and ablation outcome? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.2544286251068115,
-1.1796503067016602,
2.5365116596221924
] |
['It is generally assumed that T cells do not produce active TGF-β since active TGF-β as measured in supernatants by ELISA without acidification is usually not detectable. However, it is possible that active TGF-β from T cells may take a special form which is not detectable by ELISA.', 'We constructed a TGF-β bioassay which can detect both soluble and membrane-bound forms of TGF-β from T cells. For this bioassay, 293T cells were transduced with (caga)(12) Smad binding element-luciferase along with CD32 (Fc receptor) and CD86. The resulting cells act as artificial antigen presenting cells in the presence of anti-CD3 and produce luciferase in response to biologically active TGF-β. We co-cultured pre-activated murine CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells or CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells with the 293T-caga-Luc-CD32-CD86 reporter cells in the presence of anti-CD3 and IL-2. CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells induced higher luciferase in the reporter cells than CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells. This T cell-produced TGF-β is in a soluble form since T cell culture supernatants contained the TGF-β activity. The TGF-β activity was neutralized with an anti-mouse LAP mAb or an anti-latent TGF-β/pro-TGF-β mAb, but not with anti-active TGF-β Abs. An anti-mouse LAP mAb removed virtually all acid activatable latent TGF-β from the T cell culture supernatant, but not the ability to induce TGF-β signaling in the reporter cells. The induction of TGF-β signaling by T cell culture supernatants was cell type-specific.'] Do murine CD4 T cells produce a new form of TGF-β as measured by a newly developed TGF-β bioassay? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.296274423599243,
-1.3361560106277466,
2.6846117973327637
] |
['The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of remifentanil continuous infusion on the blood flow in rabbit oral tissue during propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia, as well as its dose dependency.', 'Sixteen male tracheotomized Japan white rabbits were anesthetized with propofol or sevoflurane under mechanical ventilation. The infusion rate of remifentanil was 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 μg·kg(-1)·min(-1), respectively, for 20 minutes. Observed variables were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), common carotid artery blood flow, tongue mucosal blood flow (TBF), mandibular bone marrow blood flow (BBF), masseter muscle blood flow (MBF), upper alveolar tissue blood flow (UBF), and lower alveolar tissue blood flow (LBF).', 'HR, SBP, MAP, TBF, BBF, MBF, UBF, and LBF showed dose-dependent decreases during remifentanil infusion with both propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia. The decreases in BBF, MBF, UBF, and LBF explained as a percent change were greater than those in HR, SBP, MAP, and TBF. In the sevoflurane group, there were no changes in diastolic blood pressure and common carotid artery blood flow during remifentanil infusion.'] Does dose-dependent remifentanil decrease oral tissue blood flow during sevoflurane and propofol anesthesia in rabbits? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.19399094581604,
-1.3945517539978027,
2.6931991577148438
] |
['The aim of this study was to examine whether CHADS(2) score is associated with clinical outcomes following recombinant tissue type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) therapy in stroke patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).', 'We studied 218 consecutive stroke patients with AF [126 men, mean age 74.2 (SD 9.6) years] who received intravenous rt-PA therapy. CHADS(2) score was calculated as follows: 2 points for prior ischemic stroke and 1 point for each of the following: age≥75 years, hypertension, diabetes, and congestive heart failure.', 'Congestive heart failure was documented in 23 patients, hypertension in 138, age≥75 years in 116, diabetes in 35, and prior stroke in 35. The distribution of each CHADS(2) score was: score of 0, 16.1% of patients; 1, 30.3%; 2, 29.4%; and 3 to 5, 24.3%. The median initial NIHSS score for each CHADS(2) category was 12 (IQR 8-17), 16 (10-20), 14.5 (10-20.75), and 16 (11-21), respectively (p=0.168). Symptomatic ICH within the initial 36 h was found in 2.9%, 4.6%, 6.3%, and 0% of patients with each CHADS(2) category, respectively. Cardiovascular events within 3 months occurred in 0%, 0%, 7.8% and 5.7%, respectively. Percentage of patients with chronic independence at 3 months corresponding to modified Rankin Scale≤2 was 57.1%, 45.5%, 31.3%, and 28.3%, respectively. Adjusted CHADS(2) score was inversely associated with chronic independence (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.55-0.93).'] Is cHADS2 score associated with 3-month clinical outcomes after intravenous rt-PA therapy in stroke patients with atrial fibrillation : SAMURAI rt-PA Registry? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-0.6345897912979126,
-1.7802199125289917,
1.43838632106781
] |
['The clinico-pathological and molecular heterogeneity of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) complicates its early diagnosis and successful treatment. Highly aneuploid tumours and the presence of ascitic fluids are hallmarks of EOC. Two microcephaly-associated proteins, abnormal spindle-like microcephaly-associated protein (ASPM) and microcephalin, are involved in mitosis and DNA damage repair. Their expression is deregulated at the RNA level in EOC. Here, ASPM and microcephalin protein expression in primary cultures established from the ascites of patients with EOC was determined and correlated with clinical data to assess their suitability as biomarkers.', 'Five established ovarian cancer cell lines, cells derived from two benign ovarian ascites samples and 40 primary cultures of EOC derived from ovarian ascites samples were analysed by protein slot blotting and/or immunofluorescence to determine ASPM and microcephalin protein levels and their cellular localisation. Results were correlated with clinico-pathological data.', 'A statistically significant correlation was identified for ASPM localisation and tumour grade, with high levels of cytoplasmic ASPM correlating with grade 1 tumours. Conversely, cytoplasmic microcephalin was only identified in high-grade tumours. Furthermore, low levels of nuclear microcephalin correlated with reduced patient survival.'] Does aSPM and microcephalin expression in epithelial ovarian cancer correlate with tumour grade and survival? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.4176576137542725,
-1.3066515922546387,
2.829496383666992
] |
["The aim of this study is to know the prevalence of anxiety and depression in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and assess the association of caregiver burden (CB) with characteristics of both patients and caregivers.", 'Sociodemographic and clinical variables have been obtained (patients: age, gender, marital status, years of education, duration and severity of dementia, psychiatric disorders, previous history, and use of psychoactive and antidementia drugs; caregivers: age, gender, relationship with patient, and marital status). Cognition was assessed with Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE); severity of dementia was assessed with Global Deterioration Scale (GDS); caregiver burden was assessed with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the number of hours of attention to the basic activities of daily-living (H-BADL).', 'More than 50% of caregivers have shown high anxiety and depression scores. Patients with longer duration of dementia, greater severity of dementia, and lower education levels significantly differ in anxiety and depression mean scores.'] Are anxiety and depression in caregivers associated with patient and caregiver characteristics in Alzheimer 's disease? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.5470895767211914,
0.40450429916381836,
1.3357243537902832
] |
['Insulin resistance, an independent risk-factor for cardiovascular disease, precedes type 2 diabetes and is associated with ectopic lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle and liver. Recent evidence indicates that cardiac steatosis plays a central role in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, it is not known whether insulin resistance as such in the absence of type 2 diabetes is associated with heart steatosis and/or impaired function. We therefore assessed myocardial steatosis and myocardial function in a sample of women with normal insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes.', 'Magnetic resonance imaging and localised spectroscopy were used to measure left ventricular dynamic variables and myocardial lipid accumulation in interventricular septum of non-diabetic, age- and BMI-matched insulin-sensitive (n\u2009=\u200911, 47\u2009±\u20096 years, BMI 25\u2009±\u20092 kg/m(2); clamp-like index [CLIX]\u2009=\u20099.7\u2009±\u20090.7) and insulin-resistant (n\u2009=\u200910, 48\u2009±\u20095 years, 27\u2009±\u20094 kg/m(2); CLIX\u2009=\u20094.5\u2009±\u20090.4) women with normal glucose tolerance as well as of women with IGT (n\u2009=\u20096, 45\u2009±\u20095 years, 28\u2009±\u20096 kg/m(2); CLIX\u2009=\u20093.6\u2009±\u20091.1) and type 2 diabetes (n\u2009=\u20097, 52\u2009±\u200910 years, 27\u2009±\u20093 kg/m(2)).', 'Myocardial lipid content was increased in type 2 diabetic women only (insulin-sensitive 0.4\u2009±\u20090.2% [means ± SD]; insulin-resistant 0.4\u2009±\u20090.1%; IGT 0.5\u2009±\u20090.2%; type 2 diabetes 0.7\u2009±\u20090.3%; p\u2009<\u20090.05). In insulin-resistant and type 2 diabetic women, stroke volume was lower (-15% and -27%, respectively, vs insulin-sensitive) and heart rate was higher (11% and 14%, respectively, vs insulin-sensitive, p\u2009<\u20090.05). No other differences in systolic and diastolic function were observed between study groups.'] Is insulin resistance associated with myocardial steatosis in women? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-0.7204128503799438,
-1.861283540725708,
1.575941562652588
] |
['Mandibular displacement is a common complication of condylar fracture. In the mandibular displacement due to condylar fracture, it is difficult to restore both esthetics and function without using orthognathic surgery.', 'This clinical report described a full mouth rehabilitation in the patient with bilateral condylar fractures and displaced mandible using bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO) and simultaneous dental implant surgery. Mandibular position was determined by model surgery through the diagnostic wax up and restoration of fractured teeth. The precise amount of the mandibular shift can be obtained from the ideal intercuspation of remaining teeth.'] Do full mouth rehabilitation on a bilateral condylar fractured patient using orthognathic surgery and dental implant? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.6181232929229736,
-0.8604110479354858,
2.620246410369873
] |
['If the sentinel node (SN) concept is established for esophageal cancer, it will be possible to reduce safely the extent of lymphadenectomy. Our objective was to perform SN mapping in esophageal cancer to assess distribution of lymph node metastases with the goal to reduce the need for extensive lymphadenectomy.', 'A total of 134 patients who underwent esophagectomy with lymph node dissection were enrolled. The number of patients with clinical T1, T2, and T3 tumors was 60, 31, and 32, respectively. Eleven patients also received neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT). (99m)Tc-Tin colloid was injected endoscopically into the esophageal wall around the tumor 1\xa0day before surgery. SNs were identified by using radioisotope (RI) uptake. RI uptake of all dissected lymph nodes was measured during and after surgery. Lymph node metastases, including micrometastases, were confirmed by hematoxylin eosin and immunohistochemical staining.', 'Detection rates of SNs were 93.3% in cT1, 100% in cT2, 87.5% in cT3, and 45.5% in CRT patients. In the 120 cases where SNs were identified, lymph node metastases were found in 12 patients with cT1, 18 with cT2, 24 with cT3 tumors, and 3 with CRT. Accuracy rate of SN mapping was 98.2% in cT1, 80.6% in cT2, 60.7% in cT3, and 40% in CRT patients. Although one false-negative case had cT1 tumor, the lymph node metastasis was detected preoperatively.'] Is sentinel node navigation surgery acceptable for clinical T1 and N0 esophageal cancer? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.9789390563964844,
-1.531638264656067,
2.575338363647461
] |
["Entacapone is a promising drug used widely for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) as a catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) inhibitor. However, entacapone has gastrointestinal side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of entacapone on the epithelial ion transport in rat distal colon, and explore the underlying mechanism.", 'The study was performed on freshly isolated colonic mucosa-only, submucosa-only and mucosa-submucosa preparations in rat. The short circuit current (I(SC) ) was measured to determine electrogenic ion transport, and a scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET) was used to directly measure Cl(-) flux across the epithelium. The content of intracellular cAMP was measured with radioimmunoassay (RIA).', "Entacapone increased mucosal I(SC) in the rat distal colon. I(SC) was inhibited significantly by apical addition of diphenylamine-2,2'-dicarboxylic acid (DPC), a blocker of the Cl(-) channel, basolateral application of bumetanide, an inhibitor of Na(+) -K(+) -2Cl(-) co-transporter (NKCC), removal of Cl(-) from the bathing solution, and pretreatment with MDL 12330A, an inhibitor of adenylate cyclase. Inhibiting endogenous prostaglandin (PG) synthesis with indomethacin, and eliminating submucosal enteric neural activity with tetrodotoxin (TTX)-inhibited entacapone-evoked I(SC) increases. Similar results were also obtained when Cl(-) flux was measured with SIET. Entacapone significantly increased intracellular cAMP content, which was greatly inhibited by either indomethacin or TTX in the tissues containing submucosal plexus, and by only indomethacin in the mucosa-only preparations."] Does entacapone promote cAMP-dependent colonic Cl ( - ) secretion in rats? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.486774206161499,
-1.2721624374389648,
2.8370954990386963
] |
['Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited connective tissue disorders characterised by joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility and tissue fragility. It has recently been shown that muscle weakness occurs frequently in EDS, and that fatigue is a common and clinically important symptom. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between fatigue severity and subjective and objective measures of muscle weakness. Furthermore, the predictive value of muscle weakness for fatigue severity was determined, together with that of pain and physical activity.', 'An explorative, cross-sectional, observational study.', 'Thirty EDS patients, recruited from the Dutch patient association, were investigated at the neuromuscular outpatient department of a tertiary referral centre in The Netherlands.', 'Muscle strength measured with manual muscle strength testing and hand-held dynamometry. Self-reported muscle weakness, pain, physical activity levels and fatigue were assessed with standardised questionnaires.', 'Fatigue severity in EDS was significantly correlated with measured and self-reported muscle weakness (r=-0.408 for manual muscle strength, r=0.461 for hand-held dynamometry and r=0.603 for self-reported muscle weakness). Both muscle weakness and pain severity were significant predictors of fatigue severity in a multiple regression analysis.'] Is fatigue associated with muscle weakness in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome : an explorative study? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.426679849624634,
-1.030051827430725,
2.5838699340820312
] |
['To investigate whether overactivated Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and subsequent activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) correlate with the development of diabetic cystopathy via induction of bladder apoptosis. Diabetic cystopathy as a common complication of diabetes is frequently associated with increased oxidative stress and apoptosis of the bladder. PARP is activated by hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress and plays a critical role in cell apoptosis and the development of diabetic complications, such as retinopathy and nephropathy.', 'Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: control, diabetic, and diabetic treated with PARP inhibitor (DM+Vit-B3). Four weeks after induction of diabetes, the DM+Vit-B3 group was treated with PARP inhibitor (nicotinamide, 400 mg/kg/d) for 3 weeks. Bladder function was then assessed by conscious cystometry. The extent of oxidative stress and apoptosis, expression of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR), NF-κB, phosphorylated inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB)-α, Bcl-2, and Bax in the bladder were also investigated.', 'Bladder dysfunction was strongly associated with increased oxidative stress and bladder apoptosis. In addition, the amount of PAR, phosphorylated IκB-α, expression of NF-κB, and Bax were significantly increased in diabetic rat bladder. Inhibition of PARP significantly reduced PARP activation and expression of NF-κB and Bax. As a result, bladder apoptosis was attenuated and bladder function was improved.'] Is poly ( ADP-ribose ) polymerase involved in the development of diabetic cystopathy via regulation of nuclear factor kappa B? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.4500467777252197,
-1.3291406631469727,
2.769098997116089
] |
['Growing evidence suggests that vascular risk factors (VRF) contribute to cognitive decline. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of VRF on the conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer disease (AD) dementia.', 'A total of 837 subjects with MCI were enrolled at baseline and followed up annually for 5 years. The incidence of AD dementia was investigated. A mixed random effects regression model was used to analyze the association between VRF and the progression of MCI assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination and instrumental Activities of Daily Living. Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify the association between VRF and dementia conversion, and to examine whether treatment of VRF can prevent dementia conversion.', 'At the end of the follow-up, 298 subjects converted to AD dementia, while 352 remained MCI. Subjects with VRF had a faster progression in cognition and function relative to subjects without. VRF including hypertension, diabetes, cerebrovascular diseases, and hypercholesterolemia increased the risk of dementia conversion. Those subjects with MCI in whom all VRF were treated had a lower risk of dementia than those who had some VRF treated. Treatment of individual VRF including hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia was associated with the reduced risk of AD conversion.'] Do vascular risk factors promote conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer disease? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.011215925216675,
-0.7201946377754211,
1.7270195484161377
] |
["Because of difficulties associated with pediatric speech testing, most pediatric cochlear implant (CI) speech studies necessarily involve basic and simple perceptual tasks. There are relatively few studies regarding Mandarin-speaking pediatric CI users' perception of more difficult speech materials (e.g., words and sentences produced by multiple talkers). Difficult speech materials and tests necessarily require older pediatric CI users, who may have different etiologies of hearing loss, duration of deafness, CI experience. The present study investigated how pediatric CI patient demographics influence speech recognition performance with relatively difficult test materials and methods.", 'In this study, open-set recognition of multi-talker (two males and two females) Mandarin Chinese disyllables and sentences were measured in 37 Mandarin-speaking pediatric CI users. Subjects were grouped according to etiology of deafness and previous acoustic hearing experience. Group 1 subjects were all congenitally deafened with little-to-no acoustic hearing experience. Group 2 subjects were not congenitally deafened and had substantial acoustic hearing experience prior to implantation. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed within each group using subject demographics such as age at implantation and age at testing.', 'Pediatric CI performance was generally quite good. For Group 1, mean performance was 82.3% correct for disyllables and 82.8% correct for sentences. For Group 2, mean performance was 76.6% correct for disyllables and 84.4% correct for sentences. For Group 1, multiple linear regression analyses showed that age at implantation predicted disyllable recognition, and that age at implantation and age at testing predicted sentence recognition. For Group 2, neither age at implantation nor age at testing predicted disyllable or sentence recognition. Performance was significantly better with the female than with the male talkers.'] Do mandarin Chinese speech recognition by pediatric cochlear implant users? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-0.6734075546264648,
-0.7743951678276062,
0.4807332754135132
] |
['Trastuzumab is widely used for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. Despite encouraging clinical results, a significant fraction of patients are, or become, refractory to the drug. To overcome this, trastuzumab-DM1 (T-DM1), a newer, more potent drug has been introduced. We tested the efficacy and mechanisms of action of T-DM1 in nine HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo. The nine cell lines studied included UACC-893, MDA-453 and JIMT-1, which are resistant to both trastuzumab and lapatinib.', 'AlamarBlue cell-proliferation assay was used to determine the growth response of breast cancer cell lines to trastuzumab and T-DM1 in vitro. Trastuzumab- and T-DM1-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) was analysed by measuring the lactate dehydrogenase released from the cancer cells as a result of ADCC activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Severe Combined Immunodeficient (SCID) mice were inoculated with trastuzumab-resistant JIMT-1 cells to investigate the tumour inhibitory effect of T-DM1 in vivo. The xenograft samples were investigated using histology and immunohistochemistry.', 'T-DM1 was strongly growth inhibitory on all investigated HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines in vitro. T-DM1 also evoked antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) similar to that of trastuzumab. Outgrowth of JIMT-1 xenograft tumours in SCID mice was significantly inhibited by T-DM1. Histologically, the cellular response to T-DM1 consisted of apoptosis and mitotic catastrophe, the latter evidenced by an increased number of cells with aberrant mitotic figures and giant multinucleated cells.'] Does trastuzumab-DM1 cause tumour growth inhibition by mitotic catastrophe in trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer cells in vivo? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.3803188800811768,
-1.3619623184204102,
2.7989799976348877
] |
['Epidemiologic studies have suggested that helminth infections play a protective role against allergy; this inverse association, however, has not been consistent. Clonorchis sinensis, the liver fluke of human, is prevalent in the Far East. The association between C. sinensis infection and allergy has not yet been reported.', 'We evaluated the association between clonorchiasis and atopy or allergic diseases in adults in endemic areas of clonorchiasis.', 'A total of 1116 subjects (males 419, females 697; age range, 30-86; mean age=61 years) were recruited from two endemic areas of C. sinensis in Korea. Clonorchiasis was confirmed by stool examination. Allergic symptoms were evaluated with a modified ISAAC questionnaire, and atopy was defined by skin prick test for common inhalant allergens. Total serum IgE and C. sinensis-specific IgE level was measured by ELISA and methacholine bronchial provocation test was performed to evaluate airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR).', 'Clonorchiasis was positively associated with atopy [odds ratio (OR), 1.856; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.199-2.873] and high levels of total serum IgE (OR, 1.455; 95% CI, 1.050-2.016). Higher association with clonorchiasis was shown in subjects who showed both atopy and high total serum IgE levels (OR, 2.540; 95% CI, 1.448-4.455). Clonorchiasis had no association with wheezing, AHR, asthma or allergic rhinitis.'] Is clonorchis sinensis infection positively associated with atopy in endemic area? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.9651167392730713,
-1.4099328517913818,
2.384958505630493
] |
['The Duffy-null trait and ethnic netropenia are both highly prevalent in Africa. The influence of pre-seroconversion levels of peripheral blood cell counts (PBCs) on the risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection among Africans is unknown.', 'The triangular relationship among pre-seroconversion PBC counts, host genotypes, and risk of HIV acquisition was determined in a prospective cohort of black South African high-risk female sex workers. Twenty-seven women had seroconversion during follow-up, and 115 remained HIV negative for 2 years, despite engaging in high-risk activity.', 'Pre-seroconversion neutrophil counts in women who subsequently had seroconversion were significantly lower, whereas platelet counts were higher, compared with those who remained HIV negative. Comprising 27% of the cohort, subjects with pre-seroconversion neutrophil counts of <2500 cells/mm(3) had a ∼3-fold greater risk of acquiring HIV infection. In a genome-wide association analyses, an African-specific polymorphism (rs2814778) in the promoter of Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC -46T > C) was significantly associated with neutrophil counts (P = 7.9 × 10(-11)). DARC -46C/C results in loss of DARC expression on erthyrocytes (Duffy-null) and resistance to Plasmodium vivax malaria, and in our cohort, only subjects with this genotype had pre-seroconversion neutrophil counts of <2500 cells/mm(3). The risk of acquiring HIV infection was ∼3-fold greater in those with the trait of Duffy-null-associated low neutrophil counts, compared with all other study participants.'] Does duffy-null-associated low neutrophil count influence HIV-1 susceptibility in high-risk South African black women? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.8212000131607056,
-1.3459696769714355,
2.2079579830169678
] |
['Adequate exposure to antiretrovirals is important to maintain durable responses, but methods to assess exposure (eg, querying adherence and single plasma drug level measurements) are limited. Hair concentrations of antiretrovirals can integrate adherence and pharmacokinetics into a single assay.', "Small hair samples were collected from participants in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), a large cohort of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected (and at-risk noninfected) women. From 2003 through 2008, we analyzed atazanavir hair concentrations longitudinally for women reporting receipt of atazanavir-based therapy. Multivariate random effects logistic regression models for repeated measures were used to estimate the association of hair drug levels with the primary outcome of virologic suppression (HIV RNA level, <80 copies/mL).", '424 WIHS participants (51% African-American, 31% Hispanic) contributed 1443 person-visits to the analysis. After adjusting for age, race, treatment experience, pretreatment viral load, CD4 count and AIDS status, and self-reported adherence, hair levels were the strongest predictor of suppression. Categorized hair antiretroviral levels revealed a monotonic relationship to suppression; women with atazanavir levels in the highest quintile had odds ratios (ORs) of 59.8 (95% confidence ratio, 29.0-123.2) for virologic suppression. Hair atazanavir concentrations were even more strongly associated with resuppression of viral loads in subgroups in which there had been previous lapses in adherence (OR, 210.2 [95% CI, 46.0-961.1]), low hair levels (OR, 132.8 [95% CI, 26.5-666.0]), or detectable viremia (OR, 400.7 [95% CI, 52.3-3069.7]).'] Is atazanavir concentration in hair the strongest predictor of outcomes on antiretroviral therapy? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.039503574371338,
-1.441960334777832,
2.4450676441192627
] |
["Neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), if severe, may involve cerebral vasoparalysis. In HIE, Pourcelot's cerebral vascular resistance index (RI) below 0.55 (by Doppler ultrasound) from published literature at normothermia predicted poor outcome with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 84%. The aim of this study was to re-assess RI as a predictor of outcome in HIE during hypothermia.", 'One hundred and twenty-five infants with HIE treated with hypothermia with outcome data and at least one measurement of RI at 24 h or later were included. Poor outcome was defined as death or severe disability.', 'Positive predictive value of low RI (≤ 0.55) was 60% (95% CI 45%, 74%), while the negative predictive value (NPV) was 78% (95% CI: 67%, 86%). The PPV during hypothermia is significantly lower than the pooled PPV of 84% (95% CI 73%, 91%) from all published studies of RI at normothermia. NPV during hypothermia and normothermia was similar [76%, (95% CI 69%, 82%)].'] Is cerebral Resistance Index less predictive in hypothermic encephalopathic newborns? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.0967265367507935,
-1.6330335140228271,
1.7869824171066284
] |
["Previous studies have provided inconsistent results on whether variants in the MBL2 gene, coding for the complement-activating mannan-binding lectin (MBL) protein, associate with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We re-evaluated this in context of the main environmental and genetic risk factors (smoking, HLA-DRB1 'shared epitope' (SE), PTPN22*620W), which predispose to rheumatoid factor (RF) and/or anti-citrullinated-protein antibody (ACPA)-positive RA.", 'In this population-based EIRA study, rheumatoid factor (RF), ACPA, smoking, SE and PTPN22*620W status was determined in incident RA cases and matched controls. MBL-high (n = 1330) and MBL-low (n = 1257) genotypes predicting MBL levels were constructed from four promoter and exon-1 polymorphisms in the MBL2 gene. Odds ratios with 95% confidence interval (OR, 95% CI) were calculated by logistic regression. In extended families (n = 316), previously reported data were re-analyzed, considering RF and smoking.', 'MBL-high genotypes tended to be associated with RF-negative (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 0.96-1.51) but not RF-positive (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.83-1.20) RA. Results divided by ACPA status did not differ. When stratified for smoking, MBL-high genotype was strongly associated with RF-negative RA in never smokers (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.24-2.69) but not in ever smokers (OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.73-1.30). In never smokers, the association was observed in both the RF-negative/ACPA-negative (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.10-2.55) and RF-negative/ACPA-positive subgroups (OR = 3.07, 95% CI 1.37-6.89), and remained on an SE/PTPN22*620W negative background. In the extended families, the reported association between high MBL and RA was in fact confined to never smokers.'] Are mannan Binding Lectin ( MBL ) genotypes coding for high MBL serum levels associated with rheumatoid factor negative rheumatoid arthritis in never smokers? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.7205278873443604,
-1.5705739259719849,
2.303593158721924
] |
['Dialysis patients show "reverse causality" between serum cholesterol and mortality. No previous studies clearly separated the risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the risk of death or fatality after such events. We tested a hypothesis that dyslipidemia increases the risk of incident atherosclerotic CVD and that protein energy wasting (PEW) increases the risk of fatality after CVD events in hemodialysis patients.', 'This was an observational cohort study in 45,390 hemodialysis patients without previous history of myocardial infarction (MI), cerebral infarction (CI), or cerebral bleeding (CB) at the end of 2003, extracted from a nationwide dialysis registry in Japan. Outcome measures were new onsets of MI, CI, CB, and death in 1 year.', 'The incidence rates of MI, CI, and CB were 1.43, 2.53, and 1.01 per 100 person-years, and death rates after these events were 0.23, 0.21, and 0.29 per 100 person-years, respectively. By multivariate logistic regression analysis, incident MI was positively associated with non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and inversely with HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). Incident CI was positively associated with non-HDL-C, whereas CB was not significantly associated with these lipid parameters. Among the patients who had new MI, CI, and/or CB, death risk was not associated with HDL-C or non-HDL-C, but with higher age, lower body mass index, and higher C-reactive protein levels.'] Does elevated non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( non-HDL-C ) predict atherosclerotic cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.12636661529541,
-1.3401368856430054,
2.5361030101776123
] |
['Aquaporin (AQP) is a membrane protein that facilitates osmotic water transport. Aquaporin 5 (AQP5) expresses at type I alveolar epithelia of apical membrane that confers high osmotic water permeability. Osmosis or stretch challenge in alveoli significantly up-regulates AQP5 expression, which suggests that AQP5 may play a role in the maintenance of epithelia barrier function. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), a leading gram-negative bacterial frequently isolated from ventilation-associated pneumonia patients, disrupts alveolar and airway epithelial cells and subsequently leads to blood dissemination. In this study, we hypothesized that AQP5 might be protective in acute lung injury induced by PA, and deletion of AQP5 might lead to aggravated lung injury.', "Lung injury model was induced by intratracheal instillation of PA (1 × 10(6) colony-forming unit) in wild-type and AQP5 knockout mice, 2 hours and 6 hours later, blood and lung lysate were cultured to detect blood dissemination, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue were collected for histology analysis. Lung injury assessment, wet/dry weight ratio, protein leakage, and Evan's blue dye extravasation were evaluated for pulmonary barrier function.", 'AQP5 deficiency led to increased bacterial blood dissemination and aggravated lung injury during PA infection, and AQP5 deletion also reduced mucin production in lung. Moreover, AQP5 deficiency showed declined activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor-kappa B pathways in lungs before and after PA infection.'] Does deletion of aquaporin 5 aggravate acute lung injury induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.489708662033081,
-1.3202909231185913,
2.8266515731811523
] |
['This study sought to determine if the automated absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) predicts a "low" (<200 × 10(6) cells/μL) CD4 count in patients with known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+) who are admitted to the hospital from the emergency department (ED).', 'This retrospective cohort study over an 8-year period was performed in a single, urban academic tertiary care hospital with over 85,000 annual ED visits. Included were patients who were known to be HIV+ and admitted from the ED, who had an ALC measured in the ED and a CD4 count measured within 24 hours of admission. Back-translated means and confidence intervals (CIs) were used to describe CD4 and ALC levels. The primary outcome was to determine the utility of an ALC threshold for predicting a CD4 count of <200 × 10(6) cells/μL by assessing the strength of association between log-transformed ALC and CD4 counts using a Pearson correlation coefficient. In addition, area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) and a decision plot analysis were used to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, and the positive and negative likelihood ratios to identify prespecified optimal clinical thresholds of a likelihood ratio of <0.1 and >10.', '\u2002 A total of 866 patients (mean age 42 years, 40% female) met inclusion criteria. The transformed means (95% CIs) for CD4 and ALC were 34 (31-38) and 654 (618-691), respectively. There was a significant relationship between the two measures, r = 0.74 (95% CI = 0.71 to 0.77, p < 0.01). The AUC was 0.92 (95% CI = 0.90 to 0.94, p < 0.001). An ALC of <1700 × 10(6) cells/μL had a sensitivity of 95% (95% CI = 93% to 96%), specificity of 52% (95% CI = 43% to 62%), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.09 (95% CI = 0.05 to 0.2) for a CD4 count of <200 × 10(6) cells/μL. An ALC of <950 × 10(6) cells/μL has a sensitivity of 76% (95% CI = 73% to 79%), specificity of 93% (95% CI = 87% to 96%), and positive likelihood ratio of 10.1 (95% CI = 8.2 to 14) for a CD4 count of <200 × 10(6) cells/μL.'] Does absolute lymphocyte count in the emergency department predict a low CD4 count in admitted HIV-positive patients? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-0.559333086013794,
-1.8017834424972534,
1.3812834024429321
] |
['Sunitinib is an inhibitor that blocks tyrosine phosphorylation (p-Tyr) of receptors including vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor. Sunitinib suppresses angiogenesis and cell proliferation and is an effective treatment for renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. In the present study, we examined the antitumor and antimetastatic activities of sunitinib in mouse metastatic mammary cancer.', 'Mammary tumors induced by inoculation of BJMC3879 cells into mice were treated with sunitinib using mini-osmotic pumps. At 1 week and 7 weeks after initiation of drug administration, cancer tissue was removed and carried out histopathological and immunohistochemical examination.', 'Tumor growth, as well as metastasis to the lungs and other organs, was significantly inhibited in sunitinib-treated mice. Cell death areas in mammary carcinomas were much larger in the sunitinib-treated groups than in the control group. In addition, sunitinib induced necrotic cell death rather than apoptosis. Although microvessel density was significantly lower in the sunitinib-treated mammary tumors, numbers of metastases to lymph nodes and the number of lymphatic vessels in the mammary tumors were not significantly different among groups. Cell proliferation, as assessed by BrdU-labeling indices, was significantly lower in mammary carcinomas of sunitinib-treated mice. The amounts of p-VEGFR-2 and p-Tyr, as determined by immunohistochemistry, were greatly reduced in sunitinib-treated mice.'] Does sunitinib suppress tumor growth and metastases in a highly metastatic mouse mammary cancer model? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.2770919799804688,
-1.3663058280944824,
2.693516731262207
] |
['To evaluate the ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) engineered to produce and secrete brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to protect retinal function and structure after intravitreal transplantation in a rat model of chronic ocular hypertension (COH).', 'COH was induced by laser cauterization of trabecular meshwork and episcleral veins in rat eyes. COH eyes received an intravitreal transplant of MSCs engineered to express BDNF and green fluorescent protein (BDNF-MSCs) or just GFP (GFP-MSCs). Computerized pupillometry and electroretinography (ERG) were performed to assess optic nerve and retinal function. Quantification of optic nerve damage was performed by counting retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and evaluating optic nerve cross-sections.', 'After transplantation into COH eyes, BDNF-MSCs preserved significantly more retina and optic nerve function than GFP-MSC-treated eyes when pupil light reflex (PLR) and ERG function were evaluated. PLR analysis showed significantly better function (P = 0.03) in BDNF-MSC-treated eyes (operated/control ratio = 63.00% ± 11.39%) than GFP-MSC-treated eyes (operated/control ratio = 31.81% ± 9.63%) at 42 days after surgery. The BDNF-MSC-transplanted eyes also displayed a greater level of RGC preservation than eyes that received the GFP-MSCs only (RGC cell counts: BDNF-MSC-treated COH eyes, 112.2 ± 19.39 cells/section; GFP-MSC-treated COH eyes, 52.21 ± 11.54 cells/section; P = 0.01).'] Does transplantation of BDNF-secreting mesenchymal stem cells provide neuroprotection in chronically hypertensive rat eyes? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.9891139268875122,
-1.5634346008300781,
2.5220632553100586
] |
['Despite recent success in pharmacologic treatment of depression, the inability to predict individual treatment response remains a liability. This study replicates and extends findings relating pretreatment electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha to treatment outcomes for serotonergic medications.', 'Resting EEG (eyes-open and eyes-closed) was recorded from a 67-electrode montage in 41 unmedicated depressed patients and 41 healthy control subjects. Patients were tested before receiving antidepressants including a serotonergic mode of action (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI], serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI plus norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor). EEG was quantified by frequency principal components analysis of spectra derived from reference-free current source density (CSD) waveforms, which sharpens and simplifies EEG topographies, disentangles them from artifact, and yields measures that more closely represent underlying neuronal current generators.', 'Patients who did not respond to treatment had significantly less alpha CSD compared with responders or healthy control subjects, localizable to well-defined posterior generators. The alpha difference between responders and nonresponders was greater for eyes-closed than eyes-open conditions and was present across alpha subbands. A classification criterion based on the median alpha for healthy control subjects showed good positive predictive value (93.3) and specificity (92.3). There was no evidence of differential value for predicting response to an SSRI alone or dual treatment targeting serotonergic plus other monoamine neurotransmitters.'] Do current source density measures of electroencephalographic alpha predict antidepressant treatment response? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.3115270137786865,
-1.3648252487182617,
2.712503433227539
] |
['To document the ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) during pregnancy compared to three months after delivery in singleton and twin pregnancies.', 'Descriptive study with a follow-up design.', 'University hospital in Eastern Finland.', '43 childbearing women; 32 with singleton and 11 with twin pregnancies.', 'Ambulatory blood pressure measurements were conducted using a digital ambulatory blood pressure system. AASI was calculated as 1 minus the regression slope of diastolic on systolic blood pressures obtained from 24-hour monitoring.', 'Arterial stiffness measured by AASI.', 'In normotensive pregnant women, the 95th percentiles of AASI were 0.40 in singleton and 0.46 in twin pregnancies, respectively, implying arterial normality and high elasticity. There were no differences in AASI values between singleton and twin pregnancies and no changes were observed postpartum. After delivery, but not during pregnancy, AASI correlated negatively with nocturnal systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduction (dipping) (r=-0.536, p=0.001; r=-0.674, p<0.001) and with maternal HDL (r=-0.363, p=0.038) and positively with maternal age (r=0.440, p=0.009), whereas maternal BMI had a significant impact on AASI both during and after pregnancy (r=0.366, p=0.016; r=0.377, p=0.028).'] Is ambulatory arterial stiffness index unchanged in uncomplicated third-trimester singleton and twin pregnancies? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.4264582395553589,
-1.5951236486434937,
2.0194034576416016
] |
['Science-based wildlife management relies on genetic information to infer population connectivity and identify conservation units. The most commonly used genetic marker for characterizing animal biodiversity and identifying maternal lineages is the mitochondrial genome. Mitochondrial genotyping figures prominently in conservation and management plans, with much of the attention focused on the non-coding displacement ("D") loop. We used massively parallel multiplexed sequencing to sequence complete mitochondrial genomes from 40 fishers, a threatened carnivore that possesses low mitogenomic diversity. This allowed us to test a key assumption of conservation genetics, specifically, that the D-loop accurately reflects genealogical relationships and variation of the larger mitochondrial genome.', 'Overall mitogenomic divergence in fishers is exceedingly low, with 66 segregating sites and an average pairwise distance between genomes of 0.00088 across their aligned length (16,290 bp). Estimates of variation and genealogical relationships from the displacement (D) loop region (299 bp) are contradicted by the complete mitochondrial genome, as well as the protein coding fraction of the mitochondrial genome. The sources of this contradiction trace primarily to the near-absence of mutations marking the D-loop region of one of the most divergent lineages, and secondarily to independent (recurrent) mutations at two nucleotide position in the D-loop amplicon.'] Do mitochondrial genome sequences illuminate maternal lineages of conservation concern in a rare carnivore? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.2906835079193115,
0.2993572950363159,
1.0849761962890625
] |
['To evaluate the role of SLC5A8 in the transport of 2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate (OTC) and to determine whether OTC augments glutathione production in RPE cells, thereby providing protection against oxidative stress.', 'SLC5A8-mediated transport of OTC was monitored in Xenopus laevis oocytes by electrophysiological means. Saturation kinetics, Na(+)-activation kinetics, and inhibition by ibuprofen were analyzed by monitoring OTC-induced currents as a measure of transport activity. Oxidative stress was induced in ARPE-19 cells and primary RPE cells isolated from wild type and Slc5a8(-/-) mouse retinas using H(2)O(2), and the effects of OTC on cell death and intracellular glutathione concentration were examined.', 'Heterologous expression of human SLC5A8 in X. laevis oocytes induced Na(+)-dependent inward currents in the presence of OTC under voltage-clamp conditions. The transport of OTC via SLC5A8 was saturable, with a K(t) of 104 ± 3 μM. The Na(+)-activation kinetics was sigmoidal with a Hill coefficient of 1.9 ± 0.1, suggesting involvement of two Na(+) in the activation process. Ibuprofen, a blocker of SLC5A8, inhibited SLC5A8-mediated OTC transport; the concentration necessary for half-maximal inhibition was 17 ± 1 μM. OTC increased glutathione levels and protected ARPE-19 and primary RPE cells isolated from wild type mouse retinas from H(2)O(2)-induced cell death. These effects were abolished in primary RPE isolated from Slc5a8(-/-) mouse retinas.'] Is transport via SLC5A8 ( SMCT1 ) obligatory for 2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate to enhance glutathione production in retinal pigment epithelial cells? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.2352025508880615,
-1.4475218057632446,
2.654426336288452
] |
['Proteasome inhibitors have been found to suppress glioma cell proliferation and induce apoptosis, but the mechanisms are not fully elucidated. In this study we investigated the mechanisms underlying the apoptosis induced by the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 in glioma cells.', 'C6 glioma cells were used. MTT assay was used to analyze cell proliferation. Proteasome activity was assayed using Succinyl-LLVY-AMC, and intracellular ROS level was evaluated with the redox-sensitive dye DCFH-DA. Apoptosis was detected using fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy as well as flow cytometry. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins was investigated using Western blot analysis.', 'MG-132 inhibited C6 glioma cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner (the IC(50) value at 24 h was 18.5 μmol/L). MG-132 (18.5 μmol/L) suppressed the proteasome activity by about 70% at 3 h. It induced apoptosis via down-regulation of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and XIAP, up-regulation of pro-apoptotic protein Bax and caspase-3, and production of cleaved C-terminal 85 kDa PARP). It also caused a more than 5-fold increase of reactive oxygen species. Tiron (1 mmol/L) effectively blocked oxidative stress induced by MG-132 (18.5 μmol/L), attenuated proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in C6 glioma cells, and reversed the expression pattern of apoptosis-related proteins.'] Does proteasome inhibitor MG-132 induce C6 glioma cell apoptosis via oxidative stress? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.2118818759918213,
-1.3858281373977661,
2.5756635665893555
] |
['To investigate the effects of bezafibrate on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells, and to determine the signaling pathway underlying the effects.', 'MC3T3-E1 cells, a mouse osteoblastic cell line, were used. Cell viability and proliferation were examined using MTT assay and colorimetric BrdU incorporation assay, respectively. NO production was evaluated using the Griess reagent. The mRNA expression of ALP, collagen I, osteocalcin, BMP-2, and Runx-2 was measured using real-time PCR. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of AMPK and eNOS proteins.', 'Bezafibrate increased the viability and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Bezafibrate (100 μmol/L) significantly enhanced osteoblastic mineralization and expression of the differentiation markers ALP, collagen I and osteocalcin. Bezafibrate (100 μmol/L) increased phosphorylation of AMPK and eNOS, which led to an increase of NO production by 4.08-fold, and upregulating BMP-2 and Runx-2 mRNA expression. These effects could be blocked by AMPK inhibitor compound C (5 μmol/L), or the PPARβ inhibitor GSK0660 (0.5 μmol/L), but not by the PPARα inhibitor MK886 (10 μmol/L). Furthermore, GSK0660, compound C, or N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME, 1 mmol/L) could reverse the stimulatory effects of bezafibrate (100 μmol/L) on osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, whereas MK886 only inhibited bezafibrate-induced osteoblast proliferation.'] Does bezafibrate enhance proliferation and differentiation of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells via AMPK and eNOS activation? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.039992094039917,
-1.421799659729004,
2.5094094276428223
] |
['Boar taint is an unpleasant condition of pork, mainly due to the accumulation of androstenone and skatole in male pigs at onset of puberty. This condition is the cause of considerable economic losses in the pig industry and the most common practice to control it is to castrate male piglets. Because of the economic and animal welfare concerns there is interest in developing genetic markers that could be used in selection schemes to decrease the incidence of boar taint. The Porcine 60 K SNP Beadchip was used to genotype 891 pigs from a composite Duroc sire line, for which skatole levels in fat had been collected.', 'The genome-wide association study revealed that 16 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) located on the proximal region of chromosome 6 were significantly associated with skatole levels. These SNPs are grouped in three separate clusters located in the initial 6 Mb region of chromosome 6. The differences observed between the homozygote genotypes for SNPs in the three clusters were substantial, including a difference of 102.8 ng/g skatole in melted fat between the homozygotes for the ALGA0107039 marker. Single SNPs explain up to 22% of the phenotypic variance. No obvious candidate genes could be pinpointed in the region, which may be due to the need of further annotation of the pig genome.'] Is the distal end of porcine chromosome 6p involved in the regulation of skatole levels in boars? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.0027530193328857,
-0.9915362596511841,
2.104727268218994
] |
['This study aimed to test the effects of a circuit training (CT; aerobic + strength training) program, with and without motivational interviewing (MI) behavioral therapy, on reducing adiposity and type 2 diabetes risk factors in Latina teenagers.', 'Thirty-eight Latina adolescents (15.8 ± 1.1 yr) who are overweight/obese were randomly assigned to control (C; n = 12), CT (n = 14), or CT + MI (n = 12). The CT classes were held twice a week (60-90 min) for 16 wk. The CT + MI group also received individual or group MI sessions every other week. The following were measured before and after intervention: strength by one-repetition maximum; cardiorespiratory fitness (V·O 2max) by submaximal treadmill test; physical activity by accelerometry; dietary intake by records; height, weight, waist circumference; total body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; visceral adipose tissue, subcutaneous adipose tissue, and hepatic fat fraction by magnetic resonance imaging; and glucose/insulin indices by fasting blood draw. Across-intervention group effects were tested using repeated-measures ANOVA with post hoc pairwise comparisons.', 'CT and CT + MI participants, compared with controls, significantly increased fitness (+16% and +15% vs -6%, P = 0.03) and leg press (+40% vs +20%, P = 0.007). Compared with controls, CT participants also decreased waist circumference (-3% vs +3%; P < 0.001), subcutaneous adipose tissue (-10% vs 8%, P = 0.04), visceral adipose tissue (-10% vs +6%, P = 0.05), fasting insulin (-24% vs +6%, P = 0.03), and insulin resistance (-21% vs -4%, P = 0.05).'] Does startup circuit training program reduce metabolic risk in Latino adolescents? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.8497668504714966,
-1.3586571216583252,
2.2606818675994873
] |
['Work place injuries have socioeconomic and workforce health implications. Results of clinical studies on the effect of alcohol (ETOH) ingestion on short-term outcomes in trauma are varied. We performed this study to estimate the prevalence of ETOH-related injury in the workplace and its relevance to outcomes.', 'Using the National Trauma Data Bank v. 7.0, incident codes identified as being work related were extracted. The study group comprised those work-related injury cases wherein an ETOH result was documented. The ETOH (+) group was compared with the ETOH (-) group with respect to injury mechanism, injury severity, complications, and mortality. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent associations with these outcomes.', 'There were 31,028 cases who met inclusion criteria. Overall mortality was 2.9% (909, odds ratio [95% confidence interval], p-value) while complication rate was 2.9% (911). The incidence of a ETOH (+) screen was 10.8% (3356). Mortality in the ETOH (+) group was 3.5% (117) versus 2.9% (792) in the ETOH (-) group. This was not significantly different on logistic regression (0.88 [0.69-1.12], 0.30). The overall complication rate in the ETOH (+) group was 5.9% (197) versus 2.6% (714) in the ETOH (-) group (2.27 [1.95-2.65], <0.01). In particular, infectious complications (on post hoc analysis) were significantly increased in the ETOH (+) group (3.7% [125] vs. 1.4% [381]; 2.71 [2.22-3.30], <0.01). On logistic regression analysis, an ETOH (+) screen was not independently associated with death; however, a (+) screen was independently associated with complications.'] Is alcohol ingestion independently associated with complications after work place injuries : a national trauma data bank analysis of injury severity and outcomes? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.0654386281967163,
-1.1217055320739746,
1.3008458614349365
] |
['To evaluate the biological effects of three calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings with nanostructures on relatively smooth implant surfaces.', 'Stable CaP nanoparticle suspensions of different particle sizes and structures were coated onto implants by immersion and subsequent heat treatment. An uncoated implant was used as the control. After topographical and chemical characterizations, implants were randomly inserted into rabbit tibiae for removal torque (RTQ) testing. To confirm the biological reaction, implants were placed in the bilateral femurs of three rabbits.', 'The topographical characterization showed that each surface had different nanostructural characteristics and X-ray photon spectroscopy showed various CaP compositions. The control and test groups had different nanotopographies; however, the differences among the test groups were only significant for Surfaces B and C and the rest were insignificant. The RTQ tests showed significantly higher values in two test groups (Surface A and Surface C). Histologically, no adverse effects were seen in any group. Histomorphometrical evaluation showed comparable or better osseointegration along the implant threads in the test groups.'] Do the biological response to three different nanostructures applied on smooth implant surfaces? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.5346922874450684,
-1.1038920879364014,
2.7606887817382812
] |
['Evidence suggests that vascular calcification (VC) portends poor cardiovascular (CV) prognosis in patients undergoing maintenance dialysis (CKD-5). Nonetheless, how VC might predispose to CV mortality still remains to be clarified. Herein, we report on the association between coronary artery calcification (CAC) progression and changes in cardiac repolarization as well as arterial stiffness.', '132 patients new to dialysis were identified. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected at study entry and during the 12-month follow-up. CAC, 12-lead ECG and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were assessed at baseline and study completion. Uni- and multivariable analyses were applied to detect factors associated with worsening of cardiac repolarization (QTd) and arterial stiffness (PWV).', 'Uni- and multivariable analyses revealed that CAC progression was associated with a significant increase in both QTd and PWV. Every 20-unit increase in the CAC score corresponded to a significant 23% (95% CI 1.12-1.27; p < 0.001) and 32% (95% CI 1.09-1.37; p < 0.01) increase in the risk of experiencing a 1-m/s increase in PWV and 1 ms in QTd, respectively.'] Is coronary artery calcification progression associated with arterial stiffness and cardiac repolarization deterioration in hemodialysis patients? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.004591464996338,
-1.3134452104568481,
2.408484935760498
] |
['To analyze the relationship between hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) patients.', '340 HBV patients with OLT were included in the study; among them were 148 patients with HBV-associated HCC.', 'HCC recurrence rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 21, 29, and 46%, respectively. Exceeding Milan criteria (hazard ratio, HR = 12.35; 95% confidence interval, CI, 2.80-54.49; p = 0.001), HBV DNA level >5 log(10) copies/ml before transplant (HR = 2.45; 95% CI 1.10-5.45; p = 0.03) and HBV recurrence (HR = 2.27; 95% CI 1.10-4.75; p = 0.03) were significant independent predictors of HCC recurrence. HBV DNA >5 log(10) copies/ml before transplant (HR = 8.65; 95% CI 3.40-21.98; p < 0.001) and concomitance with HCC (HR = 2.79; 95% CI 1.33-5.87; p = 0.007) were predictors of HBV recurrence. Further stratified analysis showed that HBV recurrence was more prevalent in the HCC recurrence group (HR = 4.58; 95% CI 1.88-11.12; p = 0.001).'] Does high hepatitis B virus DNA level in serum before liver transplantation increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.1904382705688477,
-1.7011209726333618,
1.9041132926940918
] |
['Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are capable of enhancing re-endothelialization and attenuating neointimal formation. However, inefficient homing limits the therapeutic efficacy of EPCs transplantation. CXCR4 plays a critical role in regulating EPCs homing. Here, we studied the effect of Foxc2 overexpression on CXCR4 expression and the homing capacity of EPCs as well as the EPCs-mediated therapeutic benefit after artery injury.', 'Bone marrow-derived EPCs were transfected with Foxc2 expression vector (Foxc2-EPCs) or empty control vector (Ctrl-EPCs) and examined 48 hours later. CXCR4 expression of EPCs was detected by flow cytometry and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The migration of EPCs toward SDF-1α was evaluated in a transwell migration assay, and the adhesion to fibronectin was determined using a static adhesion assay. For in vivo studies, EPCs were injected intravenously into the mice subjected to carotid injury. At 3 days after green fluorescent protein (GFP)/EPCs delivery, the recruited cells to the injury sites were detected by fluorescent microscopy. Re-endothelialization and neointimal formation were, respectively, assessed by Evans blue dye at 7 days and by the morphometric analysis for neointima and media area ratio (N/M) at 28 days after EPCs transfusion.', 'Foxc2 overexpression significantly increased the surface expression of CXCR4 on EPCs (about 1.9-fold of Ctrl-EPCs, P < .05). Foxc2-EPCs showed an increased migration toward SDF-1α (P < .05); Foxc2 overexpression increased also the adhesion capacity of EPCs (P < .05). In vivo, the number of recruited GFP cells was significantly higher in the mice transfused with Foxc2-GFP/EPCs compared with Ctrl-GFP/EPCs (about 2-fold of Ctrl-GFP/EPCs). The degree of re-endothelialization was higher in mice transfused with Foxc2-EPCs compared with Ctrl-EPCs (90.3% ± 1.6% vs 57.2% ± 1.3%; P < .05). Foxc2-EPCs delivery resulted in a greater inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia than Ctrl-EPCs administration (N/M: 0.38 ± 0.03 vs 0.67 ± 0.05, P < .05). Preincubation with CXCR4-Ab, AMD3100, or LY294002 significantly attenuated the enhanced in vitro and in vivo effects of Foxc2-EPCs.'] Does foxc2 overexpression enhance benefit of endothelial progenitor cells for inhibiting neointimal formation by promoting CXCR4-dependent homing? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.025113344192505,
-1.5638840198516846,
2.549574375152588
] |
['There are currently three postulated genomic subtypes of the childhood tumour neuroblastoma (NB); Type 1, Type 2A, and Type 2B. The most aggressive forms of NB are characterized by amplification of the oncogene MYCN (MNA) and low expression of the favourable marker NTRK1. Recently, mutations or high expression of the familial predisposition gene Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) was associated to unfavourable biology of sporadic NB. Also, various other genes have been linked to NB pathogenesis.', "The present study explores subgroup discrimination by gene expression profiling using three published microarray studies on NB (47 samples). Four distinct clusters were identified by Principal Components Analysis (PCA) in two separate data sets, which could be verified by an unsupervised hierarchical clustering in a third independent data set (101 NB samples) using a set of 74 discriminative genes. The expression signature of six NB-associated genes ALK, BIRC5, CCND1, MYCN, NTRK1, and PHOX2B, significantly discriminated the four clusters (p < 0.05, one-way ANOVA test). PCA clusters p1, p2, and p3 were found to correspond well to the postulated subtypes 1, 2A, and 2B, respectively. Remarkably, a fourth novel cluster was detected in all three independent data sets. This cluster comprised mainly 11q-deleted MNA-negative tumours with low expression of ALK, BIRC5, and PHOX2B, and was significantly associated with higher tumour stage, poor outcome and poor survival compared to the Type 1-corresponding favourable group (INSS stage 4 and/or dead of disease, p < 0.05, Fisher's exact test)."] Does a 6-gene signature identify four molecular subgroups of neuroblastoma? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.064293146133423,
-1.433952808380127,
2.4842588901519775
] |
['The pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and inflammasome activation involves sequential hits. The inflammasome, which cleaves pro-interleukin-1β (pro-IL-1β) into secreted IL-1β, is induced by endogenous and exogenous danger signals. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a toll-like receptor 4 ligand, plays a role in NASH and also activates the inflammasome. In this study, we hypothesized that the inflammasome is activated in NASH by multiple hits involving endogenous and exogenous danger signals. Using mouse models of methionine choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced NASH and high-fat diet-induced NASH, we found up-regulation of the inflammasome [including NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NALP3; cryopyrin), apoptosis-associated speck-like CARD-domain containing protein, pannexin-1, and pro-caspase-1] at the messenger RNA (mRNA) level increased caspase-1 activity, and mature IL-1β protein levels in mice with steatohepatitis in comparison with control livers. There was no inflammasome activation in mice with only steatosis. The MCD diet sensitized mice to LPS-induced increases in NALP3, pannexin-1, IL-1β mRNA, and mature IL-1β protein levels in the liver. We demonstrate for the first time that inflammasome activation occurs in isolated hepatocytes in steatohepatitis. Our novel data show that the saturated fatty acid (FA) palmitic acid (PA) activates the inflammasome and induces sensitization to LPS-induced IL-1β release in hepatocytes. Furthermore, PA triggers the release of danger signals from hepatocytes in a caspase-dependent manner. These hepatocyte-derived danger signals, in turn, activate inflammasome, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor α release in liver mononuclear cells.'] Do fatty acid and endotoxin activate inflammasomes in mouse hepatocytes that release danger signals to stimulate immune cells? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.4291045665740967,
-1.334345817565918,
2.7800469398498535
] |
['Muscle fatigue could have a greater impact on position sense when antagonists of the movement are fatigued. Hence, this study aimed to compare the effects of antagonist and agonist exercise-induced muscle fatigue on knee joint position sense.', 'This within-subjects repeated-measures study included 40 subjects. Knee position sense and muscle strength were measured before and after two exercise protocols consisting of 30 consecutive maximal concentric/eccentric contractions of the knee extensors or flexors on the isokinetic dynamometer at an angular velocity of 180°/s (3.14 rad/s).', 'Both exercise protocols increased the absolute angular error (F(1.78) = 39.89, P < 0.001; knee extensors protocol from 2.0 ± 1.3° to 3.5 ± 2.0°, knee flexors protocol from 2.1 ± 1.2° to 3.7 ± 2.2°), and no differences were detected between protocols (F(1.78) = 0.034, P = 0.855). No changes were observed in the relative angular error.'] Is the effect of fatigue on knee position sense dependent upon the muscle group fatigued? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.413880467414856,
-1.1894886493682861,
1.7078425884246826
] |
['Although operative injury is thought generally to worsen the prognosis of cancer patients, the relevant mechanisms are not yet understood fully. We tested the hypothesis that operative injury induces mobilization and recruitment of bone marrow stem cells, thereby enhancing angiogenesis and accelerating tumor growth.', 'Mice were subjected to an open gastrotomy, and naïve mice were used as controls. The mobilization of bone marrow stem cells was monitored after operation. Using an established tumor model in green fluorescent protein (GFP)(+) bone marrow-transplanted chimera mice, we investigated further whether the mobilized stem cells affected tumor growth.', 'Compared with the control, gastrotomy increased the populations of CD34(+) cells (6.9 ± 4.5 % vs 3.3 ± 0.4%, P < .05) and CD34(+)/Flk-1(+) cells (0.08 ± 0.02% vs 0.05 ± 0.01%, P < .05) in peripheral blood 12 h after operation. Twelve days after operation, the tumor volume almost doubled in mice after gastrotomy compared with control (580 ± 106 mm(3) vs 299 ± 162 mm(3), P < .05). A histologic analysis of tumor tissue revealed that the microvessel density and number of proliferating cells were significantly greater, but those of apoptotic cells were significantly less, in mice after gastrotomy as compared with control. Furthermore, the number of GFP(+) cells found in tumor tissue was significantly greater in mice that underwent gastrotomy than in controls. Some of the stained GFP(+) cells were positive for CD34 and had been incorporated into microvessels. Administration of AMD3100, which is an antagonist of stromal-cell-derived factor (SDF)-1/CXCR4 signaling pathway, inhibited the recruitment of GFP(+) cells and negated completely the acceleration in tumor growth after operation (345 ± 172 mm(3), P < .05).'] Does operative injury accelerate tumor growth by inducing mobilization and recruitment of bone marrow-derived stem cells? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.0017549991607666,
-1.5201129913330078,
2.498940944671631
] |
["Chronic cocaine exposure has been associated with progressive brain structural and functional changes. Clarifying mechanisms underlying cocaine's progressive brain effects may help in the development of effective cocaine abuse treatments.", 'We used a controlled squirrel monkey model of chronic cocaine exposure (45\xa0mg/kg/week for 9\xa0months) combined with ultra-high magnetic field (9.4\xa0T) proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to prospectively measure putamen metabolite changes.', 'Proton metabolites were measured with a STEAM sequence, quantified with LCModel using a simulated basis set, and expressed as metabolite/total creatine (tCr) ratios.', 'We found cocaine-induced time-dependent changes in putamen glutamate/tCr and glutamine/tCr metabolite ratios suggestive of altered glutamate compartmentalization, neurotransmission, and metabolism. By contrast, saline-treated monkeys exhibited no metabolite changes over time. The time course of cocaine-induced metabolite abnormalities we detected is consistent with the apparent time course of glutamate abnormalities identified in a cross-sectional study in human cocaine users, as well as with microdialysis findings in rodent models of repeated cocaine exposure.'] Does chronic cocaine exposure induce putamen glutamate and glutamine metabolite abnormalities in squirrel monkeys? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-2.366396903991699,
-1.1820787191390991,
2.5990724563598633
] |
['The risk of poor vaccine immunogenicity and more severe influenza disease in HIV necessitate strategies to improve vaccine efficacy.', 'A randomized, multi-centered, controlled, vaccine trial with three parallel groups was conducted at 12 CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network sites. Three dosing strategies were used in HIV infected adults (18 to 60 years): two standard doses over 28 days, two double doses over 28 days and a single standard dose of influenza vaccine, administered prior to the 2008 influenza season. A trivalent killed split non-adjuvanted influenza vaccine (Fluviral™) was used. Serum hemagglutinin inhibition (HAI) activity for the three influenza strains in the vaccine was measured to assess immunogenicity.', '297 of 298 participants received at least one injection. Baseline CD4 (median 470 cells/µL) and HIV RNA (76% of patients with viral load <50 copies/mL) were similar between groups. 89% were on HAART. The overall immunogenicity of influenza vaccine across time points and the three influenza strains assessed was poor (Range HAI ≥ 40 =\u200a 31-58%). Double dose plus double dose booster slightly increased the proportion achieving HAI titre doubling from baseline for A/Brisbane and B/Florida at weeks 4, 8 and 20 compared to standard vaccine dose. Increased immunogenicity with increased antigen dose and booster dosing was most apparent in participants with unsuppressed HIV RNA at baseline. None of 8 serious adverse events were thought to be immunization-related.'] Is immunogenicity improved by increased antigen dose or booster dosing of seasonal influenza vaccine in a randomized trial of HIV infected adults? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-1.399826169013977,
-1.5849684476852417,
2.0440118312835693
] |
['Virtual reality (VR) simulation provides unique training opportunities. This study evaluates whether the deliberate practice (DP) can be successfully applied to simulated laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for enhancement of the quality of surgical skills.', 'Twenty-six inexperienced surgeons underwent a training program for LC on a VR simulator. Trainees were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 specific protocols of 10 sessions comprising a total of 20 LCs. For each session, the control group performed 2 LCs separated by 30 minutes of occupational activities; the DP group were assigned 30 minutes of DP activities in between 2 LCs. Each participant then performed 2 LCs on a cadaveric porcine model. Quantitative parameters were recorded from the simulator and a motion tracking device; qualitative assessment utilized validated rating scales.', 'Twenty-two subjects completed training. Learning curves on the VR simulator were significant for time taken and number of movements in both groups. The DP group was slower from the third LC (1373 vs. 872 seconds, P = 0.022) and utilized more movements from the seventh (942 vs. 701, P = 0.033). Global rating scores improved significantly in both groups over repeated LCs. The DP group revealed higher scores than control from tenth (19.5 vs. 14, P = 0.014) until the twentieth LC (22 vs. 16, P = 0.003). On the porcine model, the DP group also achieved higher global rating scores (25.5 vs. 19.5, P = 0.002).'] Does deliberate practice on a virtual reality laparoscopic simulator enhance the quality of surgical technical skills? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-0.586318850517273,
-0.683175265789032,
0.3778117895126343
] |
['Since Alzheimer disease (AD) neuropathology is thought to develop years before dementia, it may be possible to detect subtle AD-related atrophy in preclinical AD. Here we hypothesized that the "disease signature" of AD-related cortical thinning, previously identified in patients with mild AD dementia, would be useful as a biomarker to detect anatomic abnormalities consistent with AD in cognitively normal (CN) adults who develop AD dementia after longitudinal follow-up.', 'We studied 2 independent samples of adults who were CN when scanned. In sample 1, 8 individuals developing AD dementia (CN-AD converters) after an average of 11.1 years were compared to 25 individuals who remained CN (CN-stable). In sample 2, 7 CN-AD converters (average follow-up 7.1 years) were compared to 25 CN-stable individuals.', 'AD-signature cortical thinning in CN-AD converters in both samples was remarkably similar, about 0.2 mm (p < 0.05). Despite this small absolute difference, Cohen d effect sizes for these differences were very large (> 1). Of the 11 CN individuals with baseline low AD-signature thickness (≥ 1 SD below cohort mean), 55% developed AD dementia over nearly the next decade, while none of the 9 high AD-signature thickness individuals (≥ 1 SD above mean) developed dementia. This marker predicted time to diagnosis of dementia (hazard ratio = 3.4, p < 0.0005); 1 SD of thinning increased dementia risk by 3.4.'] Does alzheimer-signature MRI biomarker predict AD dementia in cognitively normal adults? | qiaojin/PubMedQA | 2 | [
-0.8560227155685425,
-1.5982961654663086,
1.4901355504989624
] |
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