Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SERONEGATIVE NECROLYTIC ACRAL ERYTHEMA: A DISTINCT CLINICAL SUBSET?

A patient was referred to us with asymptomatic, erythematous, nonitchy, scaly lesions present bilaterally on the dorsa of his feet and toes since the last 2 months. Both the legs had pitting edema as well. There were hyperkeratosis, focal parakeratosis, acanthosis and scattered spongiosis in the epidermis, and proliferation of capillaries with perivascular infiltration of lymphomononuclear cells in the dermis. There was no serological evidence of hepatitis C virus. Laboratory investigations revealed hypoalbuminemia and low-normal serum zinc. On clinicopathological correlation, we made a diagnosis of necrolytic acral erythema (NAE). The lesions responded dramatically to oral zinc sulfate and topical clobetasol propionate within 3 weeks with disappearance of edema and scaling and only a minimal residual erythema. This is the first reported case of NAE from Eastern India. NAE with negative serology for hepatitis C may be viewed as a distinct subset of the condition that had been originally described.
Early management of traumatic brain injury in a Tertiary hospital in Central Kenya: A clinical audit

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide and is mostly attributed to road traffic accidents in resource-poor areas. However, access to neurosurgical care is poor in these settings and patients in need of neurosurgical procedures are often managed by general practitioners or surgeons. Materials and Methods: A retrospective clinical audit of the initial management of patients with TBI in Thika Level 5 Hospital (TL5H), a Tertiary Hospital in Central Kenya. Seventeen audit criteria divided into five clinical domains were identified and patient case notes reviewed for compliance with each criterion. Data were analyzed separately for those below 13 years owing to differences in response to brain trauma in those below this age. Results: Overall, there was poor compliance with audit criteria in both groups. Among those below 13 years of age, only 3 out of 17 criteria achieved compliance and 4 out of 17 criteria achieved compliance for those above 13 years of age. Assessment for the need for a cervical radiograph (7.1% and 8.8% compliance) and administration of oxygen (21.4% and 20.6% compliance) had the worst performance in both groups. Conclusion: Poor compliance to audit criteria indicates the low quality of care for patients with TBI in TL5H. Quality improvement strategies with follow-up audits are needed to improve care. There is a need to develop and enforce evidence-based protocols and guidelines for use in the management of patients with TBI in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Impact of Economic Globalization on the Employment Policies in 19 Western Democracies from 1985 to 2010. Limited Change or Radical Shift towards Workfare

Among the most significant issues facing welfare states are the implications of economic globalization for employment policies. This issue is confronted from the viewpoint of workfarism, the incentives created by social policies for increasing participation in the labor market. To measure the limited changes involved, the analytical framework also includes institutional stickiness, pointing to the capability of welfare state institutions to resist external pressures. Panel data on capital flow, an active labor market policy (ALMP), and unemployment benefit (UB) expenditures in 19 welfare states between 1985 and 2010 are drawn from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the KOF Index of Globalization (KOF). The Vector Autoregressive Moving-Average model with exogenous regressors (VARMAX)-regression analysis found institutional stickiness to be a more significant factor than capital flow in 61% of the observations. The impact of capital flow was particularly significant in the United Kingdom, and in northern and continental Europe, and a tendency toward workfarism was detected in 37% of the welfare states. From a comparative perspective, the impact via the increased capital flow to workfare-related policies is a matter of contrasts rather than a unilateral phenomenon.
Alcoholic leukopenic pneumococcal sepsis

Abstract Alcohol abuse has been associated with an increased mortality and morbidity due to increased aspiration, delirium tremens, and seizures. The association of pneumococcal lung infections and leukopenia in the setting of alcohol abuse are rarely reported; however, when present, severe lung infections can happen with severe lung injury and poor response to conventional therapy and ultimately, death. We are reporting a case of 55-year-old-man presented with shortness of breath, cough and altered mental status and eventually found with severe pneumococcal lung infection in the setting of leukopenia and long-term alcohol abuse representing alcoholic leukopenic pneumococcal sepsis syndrome.
Dermonecrotic toxin and tracheal cytotoxin, putative virulence factors of Bordetella avium

We examined Bordetella avium for virulence factors common to Bordetella pertussis, including pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, adenylate cyclase, dermonecrotic toxin, and tracheal cytotoxin. B. avium produced a dermonecrotic toxin and a tracheal cytotoxin. The dermonecrotic toxin of B. avium is a 155,000-molecular-weight, heat-labile protein which was lethal for mice, guinea pigs, young chickens, and turkey poults and produced dermonecrosis when injected intradermally into guinea pigs, chickens, and turkey poults. High-pressure liquid chromatography of B. avium culture supernatant fluid revealed the presence of a tracheal cytotoxin chemically identical to that produced by B. pertussis. B. avium isolates were negative for B. pertussis-like filamentous hemagglutinin and pertussis toxin when assayed with antibody against B. pertussis filamentous hemagglutinin and pertussis toxin. Furthermore, B. avium failed to induce the clustered CHO cell morphology characteristic of pertussis toxin. Adenylate cyclase assays indicated that B. avium does not produce an extracytoplasmic adenylate cyclase, even after passage through embryonated turkey eggs. Since production of virulence proteins by B. pertussis is regulated by growth in media containing nicotinamide or MgSO4 or by growth at reduced temperatures, we determined the effect of these supplements and growth conditions on production of dermonecrotic toxin by B. avium. Production of dermonecrotic toxin in B. avium was not altered by growth in media containing 100 microM FeSO4 or 500 micrograms of nicotinamide per ml or by growth at 25 or 42 degrees C, but production was significantly decreased by growth in media containing 20 mM MgSO4 and slightly reduced by growth in media containing 500 micrograms of nicotinic acid per ml. These studies revealed that B. avium is similar to B. pertussis in that both species produce a dermonecrotic toxin and a tracheal cytotoxin and production of dermonecrotic toxin is regulated by nicotinamide and MgSO4. The presence of dermonecrotic toxin and tracheal cytotoxin in all Bordetella species indicates that these products may be important virulence factors in bordetellosis.
Influence of volatility on the collection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon PAH vapors with polyurethane foam.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) vapor penetration through thin sections of polyurethane foam (PUF) was studied to determine the relationships between sample breakthrough, PAH vapor pressure, and total air volume. Frontal chromatographic movement of fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, and pyrene vapors through a PUF bed at high volume airflow was examined. From these fronts, the thickness of foam corresponding to 50% breakthrough was obtained for each compound. This breakthrough point was related to total air volume, and breakthrough point was related to total air volume, and breakthrough volumes (V/sub B/) were determined for a 7.5-cm PUF thickness (equivalent to a single field sampling plug). A log-log plot of V/sub B/ vs. PAH solid phase vapor pressure showed only a rough relationship between the two parameters, but the correlation was much improved when the subcooled liquid vapor pressure was used. From the frontal chromatograms the number of theoretical plates (N) in the absorbent bed was determined. When V/sub B/ and N were known, the maximum safe sampling volume at a required collection efficiency was calculated. 25 references.
Additive manufacturing of porous Ti-based alloys for biomedical applications – a review

Titanium (together with its alloys) has become 'king' among biometals and has demonstrated to function perfectly in the human body. Despite its well-known celebrated biocompatibility properties, it has a major drawback due to its relatively high Elastic modulus as compared to bony tissue. Using additive manufacturing (AM) methods to manufacture porous Ti-based implants by a process called porosification would greatly reduce the Elastic modulus to a value suitable for biomedical applications. Varying the processing parameters of AM methods could lead to production of graded pore implants. Scanning speed was identified as the major influencing parameter which could be varied to produce pore-graded implants. Even though the fundamental principles of manufacturing porous Ti-implants are very well grounded in literature, the optimum pore size and corresponding mechanical properties for bone ingrowth are yet to be determined.
Levels of house dust mite allergen in cars / Razine alergena prašinskih grinja u automobilima

Abstract This small study investigated house dust mite (HDM) allergen levels in cars and their owners’ homes in north-east Scotland. Dust samples from twelve households and cars were collected in a standardised manner. The dust samples were extracted and measured for the Dermatophagoides group 2 allergens (Der p 2 and Der f 2) and total soluble protein. Allergen levels at homes tended to be higher than in the cars, but not significantly. However, they significantly correlated with paired car dust samples expressed either per unit weight of dust or soluble protein (rho=0.657; p=0.02 and 0.769; p=0.003, respectively). This points to house-to-car allergen transfer, with the car allergen levels largely reflecting levels in the owner’s home. Car HDM allergen levels were lower than those reported in Brazil and the USA. Twenty-five percent of the houses and none of the cars had allergen levels in dust greater than 2000 ng g-1. This value is often quoted as a threshold for the risk of sensitisation, although a number of studies report increased risk of sensitisation at lower levels. This small study does not allow for characterisation of the distribution of HDM allergen in vehicles in this geographic area, or of the likely levels in other warmer and more humid areas of the UK. Cars and other vehicles are an under-investigated micro-environment for exposure to allergenic material. U ovome smo preliminarnom istraživanju izmjerili razine alergena prašinskih grinja u automobilima i domovima njihovih vlasnika u sjevernoistočnoj Škotskoj. Uzorci prašine uzeti su na standardizirani način iz dvanaest domova i dvanaest odgovarajućih automobila. Nakon ekstrakcije izmjerene su razine 2. skupine alergena grinja roda Dermatophagoides (Der p 2 i Der f 2) te njihove ukupne topljive bjelančevine. Razine alergena u kućama bile su mahom više nego u automobilima, ali ne značajno. Uočena je međutim značajna korelacija njihovih razina s razinama u automobilima, bez obzira na to jesu li iskazane udjelom težine po gramu prašine ili topljivim bjelančevinama (rho=0,657; p=0,02 odnosno 0,769; p=0,003). To upućuje na prijenos alergena iz kuće u auto tj. pokazuje da razine alergena u autima odražavaju razine u domovima njihovih vlasnika. Razine alergena kućnih prašinskih grinja u automobilima u Škotskoj bile su niže od onih izmjerenih u Brazilu i SAD-u. U 25 % domova razina alergena bila je viša od 2000 ng g-1, a ni u jednom uzorku nije izmjerena razina viša od te. Ta se vrijednost često smatra graničnom za rizik od senzitizacije, premda neka istraživanja govore o povišenom riziku od senzitizacije i pri nižim razinama alergena. Rezultati ovog istraživanja ne daju uvida u stvarnu prisutnost alergena kućnih prašinskih grinja u vozilima u sjeveroistočnoj Škotskoj niti upućuju na to kolike bi mogle biti njihove razine u toplijim i vlažnijim krajevima Ujedinjenog Kraljevstva. Automobili i ostala vozila zanemareni su kao izvori izloženosti alergenima.
Role of gastric atrophy in mediating negative association between Helicobacter pylori infection and reflux oesophagitis, Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma

The incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma has increased markedly over the past three decades, particularly in the Western world.1 2 The cancer is considered to be a long-term complication of chronic oesophageal mucosal damage produced by acidic gastric refluxate. The gastric juice, which also contains pepsin and intermittently bile, produces ulceration of the oesophageal squamous mucosa, and in some individuals the mucosa undergoes columnar metaplasia to resemble that of the gastric antrum or small or large intestine. This metaplastic mucosa referred to as Barrett’s oesophagus is believed to be the precursor of oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Though the evidence for the increasing incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma is unequivocal and there is also some evidence of an increase in Barrett’s oesophagus,3 the evidence for an increase in the incidence of reflux oesophagitis is less robust. However, this may simply be due to the problem in obtaining reliable population incidence rates for reflux oesophagitis. The rapid rise in incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma indicates a change in the environment, and there is considerable interest in identifying the responsible factor or factors. Increased body weight due to dietary and lifestyle factors is a strong candidate. Body mass index (BMI) has been progressively increasing over the past few decades in the Western world, and there is a strong positive association between BMI and oesophageal adenocarcinoma.4 Another environmental candidate for explaining the rising incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma is loss of a protective effect related to Helicobacter pylori infection. The prevalence of H pylori infection has been falling in the Western world over recent decades, thus showing the opposite trend to oesophageal adenocarcinoma.5 In addition, numerous studies have demonstrated a negative association between H pylori infection and reflux oesophagitis, Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma.6–10 There is also a plausible, biological mechanism by which …
RAB2A Polymorphism impacts prefrontal morphology, functional connectivity, and working memory

Calbindin‐containing γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic interneurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) have been found to play an important role in working memory (WM) and their malfunctions have been linked to psychiatric disorders. A recent genome‐wide association and expression‐SNP study indicated that the RAB2A gene was associated with the density of prefrontal calbindin‐positive neurons, suggesting this gene may have a broader influence on prefrontal structure and function. Using multimodal MRI and behavioral tasks, the current study investigated the effect of RAB2A on prefrontal morphology, resting‐state functional connectivity, and WM performance in a large sample of healthy Han Chinese subjects. Results showed that the RAB2A AGCAAA haplotype was associated with improved WM accuracy, increased cortical thickness in the left inferior frontal gyrus, and decreased functional connectivity between the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left dorsolateral PFC. Our findings provide consistent evidence supporting the effect of RAB2A on the structure and function of the PFC and related cognitive functions. These results should provide new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the GABAergic genes' role in WM as well as its dysfunction. Hum Brain Mapp 36:4372–4382, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
AMPKα1: A glucose sensor that controls CD8 T-cell memory

The adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated by antigen receptor signals and energy stress in T cells. In many cell types, AMPK can maintain energy homeostasis and can enforce quiescence to limit energy demands. We consequently evaluated the importance of AMPK for controlling the transition of metabolically active effector CD8 T lymphocytes to the metabolically quiescent catabolic memory T cells during the contraction phase of the immune response. We show that AMPKα1 activates rapidly in response to the metabolic stress caused by glucose deprivation of CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Moreover, AMPKα1 restrains mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 activity under conditions of glucose stress. AMPKα1 activity is dispensable for proliferation and differentiation of CTLs. However, AMPKα1 is required for in vivo survival of CTLs following withdrawal of immune stimulation. AMPKα1null T cells also show a striking defect in their ability to generate memory CD8 T‐cell responses during Listeria monocytogenes infection. These results show that AMPKα1 monitors energy stress in CTLs and controls CD8 T‐cell memory.
An Overview of Randomization and Minimization Programs for Randomized Clinical Trials

Randomization is an essential component of sound clinical trials, which prevents selection biases and helps in blinding the allocations. Randomization is a process by which subsequent subjects are enrolled into trial groups only by chance, which essentially eliminates selection biases. A serious consequence of randomization is severe imbalance among the treatment groups with respect to some prognostic factors, which invalidate the trial results or necessitate complex and usually unreliable secondary analysis to eradicate the source of imbalances. Minimization on the other hand tends to allocate in such a way as to minimize the differences among groups, with respect to prognostic factors. Pure minimization is therefore completely deterministic, that is, one can predict the allocation of the next subject by knowing the factor levels of a previously enrolled subject and having the properties of the next subject. To eliminate the predictability of randomization, it is necessary to include some elements of randomness in the minimization algorithms. In this article brief descriptions of randomization and minimization are presented followed by introducing selected randomization and minimization programs.
Composition of the galactic center star cluster. Population analysis from adaptive optics narrow ban

Context. The GC is the closest galactic nucleus, offering the unique possibility of studying the population of a dense stellar cluster surrounding an SMBH. Aims. The goals of this work are to develop a new method of separating early and late type stellar components of a dense stellar cluster based on narrow band filters, applying it to the central parsec of the GC, and conducting a population analysis of this area. Methods. We use AO assisted observations obtained at the ESO VLT in the NIR H-band and 7 intermediate bands covering the NIR K -band. A comparison of the resulting SEDs with a blackbody of variable extinction then allows us to determine the presence and strength of a CO absorption feature to distinguish between early and late type stars. Results. This new method is suitable for classifying K giants (and later), as well as B2 main sequence (and earlier) stars that are brighter than 15.5 mag in the K band in the central parsec. Compared to previous spectroscopic investigations that are limited to 13–14 mag, this represents a major improvement in the depth of the observations and reduces the needed observation time. Extremely red objects and foreground sources can also be reliably removed from the sample. Comparison to sources of known classification indicates that the method has an accuracy of better than ~87%. We classify 312 stars as early type candidates out of a sample of 5914 sources. Several results, such as the shape of the KLF and the spatial distribution of both early and late type stars, confirm and extend previous works. The distribution of the early type stars can be fitted with a steep power law ($\beta_{1''}$ = -1.49 ± 0.12), alternatively with a broken power law, $\beta_{1-10''}$ = -1.08 ± 0.12, $\beta_{10-20''}$ = -3.46 ± 0.58, since we find a drop in the early type density at ~10″. We also detect early type candidates outside of 0.5 pc in significant numbers for the first time. The late type density function shows an inversion in the inner 6″, with a power-law slope of $\beta_{R ± 0.09. The late type KLF has a power-law slope of 0.30 ± 0.01, closely resembling the KLF obtained for the bulge of the Milky Way. The early type KLF has a much flatter slope of (0.14 ± 0.02). Our results agree best with an in-situ star formation scenario.
Allelopathic Effects of Water Hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes]

Eichhornia crassipes (Mart) Solms is an invasive weed known to out-compete native plants and negatively affect microbes including phytoplankton. The spread and population density of E. crassipes will be favored by global warming. The aim here was to identify compounds that underlie the effects on microbes. The entire plant of E. crassipes was collected from El Zomor canal, River Nile (Egypt), washed clean, then air dried. Plant tissue was extracted three times with methanol and fractionated by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The crude methanolic extract and five fractions from TLC (A–E) were tested for antimicrobial (bacteria and fungal) and anti-algal activities (green microalgae and cyanobacteria) using paper disc diffusion bioassay. The crude extract as well as all five TLC fractions exhibited antibacterial activities against both the Gram positive bacteria; Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus faecalis; and the Gram negative bacteria; Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Growth of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were not inhibited by either E. crassipes crude extract nor its five fractions. In contrast, Candida albicans (yeast) was inhibited by all. Some antialgal activity of the crude extract and its fractions was manifest against the green microalgae; Chlorella vulgaris and Dictyochloropsis splendida as well as the cyanobacteria; Spirulina platensis and Nostoc piscinale. High antialgal activity was only recorded against Chlorella vulgaris. Identifications of the active antimicrobial and antialgal compounds of the crude extract as well as the five TLC fractions were carried out using gas chromatography combined with mass spectroscopy. The analyses showed the presence of an alkaloid (fraction A) and four phthalate derivatives (Fractions B–E) that exhibited the antimicrobial and antialgal activities.