Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain atrophy in mild or moderate traumatic brain injury: a longitudinal quantitative analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Although mild or moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to cause persistent neurologic sequelae, the underlying structural changes remain elusive. Our purpose was to assess decreases in the volume of brain parenchyma (VBP) in patients with TBI and to determine if clinical parameters are predictors of the extent of atrophy. METHODS We retrospectively assessed the total VBP in 14 patients with mild or moderate TBI at more than 3 months after injury and in seven patients at two time points more than 3 months apart. VBP was calculated from whole-brain MR images and then normalized by calculating the percent VBP (%VBP) to correct for intraindividual variations in cranial size. Clinical parameters at the time of trauma were evaluated for potential predictors of atrophy. Findings were compared with those of control subjects of similar ages. RESULTS In the single time-point analysis, brain volumes, CSF volumes, and %VBP were not significantly different between patients and control subjects. In the longitudinal analysis, the rate of decline in %VBP (0.02 versus 0.0064 U/day, P =.05) and the change in %VBP between the first and second time points (-4.16 +/- 1.68 versus -1.49 +/- 1.7, P =.022 [mean +/-SD]) were significantly greater in patients. Change in %VBP was significantly greater in patients with loss of consciousness (LOC) than in those without LOC (P =.023). CONCLUSION Whole-brain atrophy occurs after mild or moderate TBI and is evident at an average of 11 months after trauma. Injury that produces LOC leads to more atrophy. These findings may help elucidate an etiology for the persistent or new neurologic deficits that occur months after injury.
All Components of Metabolic Syndrome Are Associated with Microalbuminuria in a Chinese Population

Background and Aim Albuminuria is a well-known predictor of poor renal and cardiovascular outcomes and associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality. The study aimed to evaluate the associations between metabolic characteristics and the presence of albuminuria. Methods This cross-sectional study included 18,384 adult Chinese who participated in health examinations during 2013–2014. Differences in clinical characteristics were compared for microalbuminuria (MAU) and albuminuria, and between genders. Potential risk factors associated with the risk of developing MAU and albuminuria were analyzed using univariate logistic regression. Multiple logistic regression was applied to further identify the independent associations between different levels of risk factors and the presence of MAU and albuminuria. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to determine the discriminatory ability of metabolic risk factors in detecting albuminuria. Results There were significant gender differences in clinical characteristics according to albuminuria status. Risk for the presence of albuminuria was significantly associated with age, male gender, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), hypertension, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) in univariate logistic regression. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the factors significantly associated with the presence of MAU were WC > 90cm, WHtR at 0.6–0.7, hypertension, FPG > 6.1 mmole/L, and TG/HDL-C ratio > 1.6. The optimal cutoffs for risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MetS) to predict albuminuria in males and females were: WC, 90.8 vs. 80.0 cm; WHtR, 0.53 vs. 0.52; MAP, 97.9 vs. 91.9 mmHg; FPG, 5.40 vs. 5.28 mmole/L; and TG/HDL-C, 1.13 vs. 1.08. Conclusion MetS and all its components were associated with the presence of MAU in a health check-up population in China. Gender specific and optimal cutoffs for MetS components associated with the presence of MAU were determined.
Diel patterns of autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration among phenological stages

Improved understanding of the links between aboveground production and allocation of photosynthate to belowground processes and the temporal variation in those links is needed to interpret observations of belowground carbon cycling processes. Here, we show that combining a trenching manipulation with high‐frequency soil respiration measurements in a temperate hardwood forest permitted identification of the temporally variable influence of roots on diel and seasonal patterns of soil respiration. The presence of roots in an untrenched plot caused larger daily amplitude and a 2–3 h delay in peak soil CO2 efflux relative to a root‐free trenched plot. These effects cannot be explained by differences in soil temperature, and they were significant only when a canopy was present during the growing season. This experiment demonstrated that canopy processes affect soil CO2 efflux rates and patterns at hourly and seasonal time scales, and it provides evidence that root and microbial processes respond differently to environmental factors.
Diclofenac Hypersensitivity: Antibody Responses to the Parent Drug and Relevant Metabolites

Background Hypersensitivity reactions against nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like diclofenac (DF) can manifest as Type I-like allergic reactions including systemic anaphylaxis. However, except for isolated case studies experimental evidence for an IgE-mediated pathomechanism of DF hypersensitivity is lacking. In this study we aimed to investigate the possible involvement of drug- and/or metabolite-specific antibodies in selective DF hypersensitivity. Methodology/Principal Findings DF, an organochemically synthesized linkage variant, and five major Phase I metabolites were covalently coupled to carrier proteins. Drug conjugates were analyzed for coupling degree and capacity to crosslink receptor-bound IgE antibodies from drug-sensitized mice. With these conjugates, the presence of hapten-specific IgE antibodies was investigated in patients' samples by ELISA, mediator release assay, and basophil activation test. Production of sulfidoleukotrienes by drug conjugates was determined in PBMCs from DF-hypersensitive patients. All conjugates were shown to carry more than two haptens per carrier molecule. Immunization of mice with drug conjugates induced drug-specific IgE antibodies capable of triggering mediator release. Therefore, the conjugates are suitable tools for detection of drug-specific antibodies and for determination of their anaphylactic activity. Fifty-nine patients were enrolled and categorized as hypersensitive either selectively to DF or to multiple NSAIDs. In none of the patients' samples evidence for drug/metabolite-specific IgE in serum or bound to allergic effector cells was found. In contrast, a small group of patients (8/59, 14%) displayed drug/metabolite-specific IgG. Conclusions/Significance We found no evidence for an IgE-mediated effector mechanism based on haptenation of protein carriers in DF-hypersensitive patients. Furthermore, a potential involvement of the most relevant metabolites in DF hypersensitivity reactions could be excluded.
Short-Term Heart Rate Variability Strongly Predicts Sudden Cardiac Death in Chronic Heart Failure Patients

Background—The predictive value of heart rate variability (HRV) in chronic heart failure (CHF) has never been tested in a comprehensive multivariate model using short-term laboratory recordings designed to avoid the confounding effects of respiration and behavioral factors. Methods and Results—A multivariate survival model for the identification of sudden (presumably arrhythmic) death was developed with data from 202 consecutive patients referred between 1991 and 1995 with moderate to severe CHF (age 52±9 years, left ventricular ejection fraction 24±7%, New York Heart Association class 2.3±0.7; the derivation sample). Time- and frequency-domain HRV parameters obtained from an 8′ recording of ECG at baseline and during controlled breathing (12 to 15 breaths/min) were challenged against clinical and functional parameters. This model was then validated in 242 consecutive patients referred between 1996 and 2001 (validation sample). In the derivation sample, sudden death was independently predicted by a model that included low-frequency power (LFP) of HRV during controlled breathing ≤13 ms2 and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter ≥77 mm (relative risk [RR] 3.7, 95% CI 1.5 to 9.3, and RR 2.6, 95% CI 1.0 to 6.3, respectively). The derivation model was also a significant predictor in the validation sample (P =0.04). In the validation sample, LFP ≤11 ms2 during controlled breathing and ≥83 ventricular premature contractions per hour on Holter monitoring were both independent predictors of sudden death (RR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2 to 7.6, and RR 3.7, 95% CI 1.5 to 9.0, respectively). Conclusions—Reduced short-term LFP during controlled breathing is a powerful predictor of sudden death in patients with CHF that is independent of many other variables. These results refine the identification of patients who may benefit from prophylactic implantation of a cardiac defibrillator.
Comparative Economic Evaluation of Haemophilus influenzae Type b Vaccination in Belarus and Uzbekistan

Background Hib vaccine has gradually been introduced into more and more countries during the past two decades, partly due to GAVI Alliance support to low-income countries. However, since Hib disease burden is difficult to establish in settings with limited diagnostic capacities and since the vaccine continues to be relatively expensive, some Governments remain doubtful about its value leading to concerns about financial sustainability. Similarly, several middle-income countries have not introduced the vaccine. The aim of this study is to estimate and compare the cost-effectiveness of Hib vaccination in a country relying on self-financing (Belarus) and a country eligible for GAVI Alliance support (Uzbekistan). Methods and Findings A decision analytic model was used to estimate morbidity and mortality from Hib meningitis, Hib pneumonia and other types of Hib disease with and without the vaccine. Treatment costs were attached to each disease event. Data on disease incidence, case fatality ratios and costs were primarily determined from national sources. For the Belarus 2009 birth cohort, Hib vaccine is estimated to prevent 467 invasive disease cases, 4 cases of meningitis sequelae, and 3 deaths, while in Uzbekistan 3,069 invasive cases, 34 sequelae cases and 341 deaths are prevented. Estimated costs per discounted DALY averted are US$ 9,323 in Belarus and US$ 267 in Uzbekistan. Conclusion The primary reason why the cost-effectiveness values are more favourable in Uzbekistan than in Belarus is that relatively more deaths are averted in Uzbekistan due to higher baseline mortality burden. Two other explanations are that the vaccine price is lower in Uzbekistan and that Uzbekistan uses a three dose schedule compared to four doses in Belarus. However, when seen in the context of the relative ability to pay for public health, the vaccine can be considered cost-effective in both countries.
Effect of Extracorporeal Shock Waves on Calcaneal Bone Spurs

In a prospective study of 435 patients with chronic proximal plantar fasciitis, 283 (65%) had an inferior calcaneal bone spur of variable size evident prior to treatment with electrohydraulic high-energy extracorporeal shock waves (ESW). This included 308 patients who received extracorporeal shock wave treatments and 127 placebo (sham control) patients. At both initial (3 months) and final (12 months) evaluations after receiving ESW, no patient who received shock wave applications had significant disappearance or change in the radiographic appearance of the heel spur. Clinical outcome after ESW was satisfactory in 168 patients (82%) with a radiographically demonstrable inferior heel spur and in 81 patients (79%) without such a heel spur. The results showed no correlation between the presence or absence of the heel spur and the eventual treatment outcome.
Satisfaction With VA and Non-VA Outpatient Care Among Veterans

This study examines veterans' satisfaction with outpatient care within the context of outpatient user type, race/ ethnicity, and veteran identity. The sample includes 2652 veterans who participated in the VIP 2001 Survey. After controlling for enabling and need characteristics in logistic regression models, Veterans Administration (VA)-only users were 2 to 8 times more satisfied with their outpatient care than were VA nonusers on 5 out of 10 satisfaction measures. White veterans were 1.5 to 3.4 times more satisfied than nonwhite veterans on 8 out of 10 satisfaction measures. Members of veterans' organizations were less satisfied with their outpatient care than nonmembers on 5 out of 10 satisfaction measures. Factors associated with race/ethnicity and veteran identity may be incorporated into interventions to improve VA outpatient care satisfaction.
The actin filament-severing domain of plasma gelsolin

Gelsolin, a multifunctional actin-modulating protein, has two actin- binding sites which may interact cooperatively. Native gelsolin requires micromolar Ca2+ for optimal binding of actin to both sites, and for expression of its actin filament-severing function. Recent work has shown that an NH2-terminal chymotryptic 17-kD fragment of human plasma gelsolin contains one of the actin-binding sites, and that this fragment binds to and severs actin filaments weakly irrespective of whether Ca2+ is present. The other binding site is Ca2+ sensitive, and is found in a chymotryptic peptide derived from the COOH-terminal two- thirds of plasma gelsolin; this fragment does not sever F-actin or accelerate the polymerization of actin. This paper documents that larger thermolysin-derived fragments encompassing the NH2-terminal half of gelsolin sever actin filaments as effectively as native plasma gelsolin, although in a Ca2+-insensitive manner. This result indicates that the NH2-terminal half of gelsolin is the actin-severing domain. The stringent Ca2+ requirement for actin severing found in intact gelsolin is not due to a direct effect of Ca2+ on the severing domain, but indirectly through an effect on domains in the COOH-terminal half of the molecule to allow exposure of both actin-binding sites.
Characterization of proteins from sunflower leaves and seeds: relationship of biomass and seed yield.

INTRODUCTION Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., Asteraceae), currently cultivated for its seeds, is the world’s fourth largest oil-seed crop. World seed production was 25.2 million tonnes (t) during 1995/1996 from approximately 50 million ha of cultivated land. In the US, during 1999, sunflower seed production was 1,971,205 t from 1,438,000 ha, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sunflower meal is a potential source of protein for human consumption (Sosulski 1979) due to its high nutritional value and lack of antinutritional factors (Smith 1968). About 3 to 7 t of plant biomass per ha, including 10% of the flowerhead, is left in the field and represents biomass that may have other uses (Marechal and Rigal 1999). Information on the biochemical and biophysical composition of sunflower seed proteins is limited and there are fewer reports dealing with leaf proteins. The majority of seed proteins are globulins (Gheyasuddin et al. 1970) with sedimentation constants of about 11S (Joubert 1955). The reported molecular masses are 300,000–350,000 Da for the sunflower globulins (Sabir et al. 1973). The major seed storage globulin in several sunflower species (heliantinin) has been studies by Anisimova (1992) who found three main groups of polypeptides: one with basic polypeptides of 20,000 Da molecular mass and two with acidic polypeptides (30,000 and 40,000 Da). However, the composition was highly variable. In Mexico, approximately 80% of oil-seeds for human food are imported so increasing sunflower production is an option to reduce this deficit. The Universidad Autonoma Agraria, Antonio Narro (UAAAN) has developed sunflower cultivars for the semi-arid regions. Understanding the relationship between biomass and seed yield and their correlation with leaf and seed proteins is important for plant selection. The objectives of this paper were to characterize the leaf and seed proteins from six sunflower cultivars and relate these to biomass and seed yield.
DDT-based indoor residual spraying suboptimal for visceral leishmaniasis elimination in India

Significance Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is a major parasitic disease on the Indian subcontinent, with 85% of the disease incidence in India. As with malaria, indoor residual spraying (IRS) can be used to control and, ultimately, eliminate VL as a public health problem. However, in India, widespread resistance to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), the insecticide used, combined with poor quality assurance (QA) of IRS and limited entomological surveillance, is hindering the VL elimination effort. Here, we present entomological abundance and insecticide resistance data and data arising from QA of IRS to explore these issues and establish an evidence base for improving the Indian VL elimination program. Unless these issues are addressed, the South Asian VL elimination effort will fail. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is used to control visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in India, but it is poorly quality assured. Quality assurance was performed in eight VL endemic districts in Bihar State, India, in 2014. Residual dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was sampled from walls using Bostik tape discs, and DDT concentrations [grams of active ingredient per square meter (g ai/m2)] were determined using HPLC. Pre-IRS surveys were performed in three districts, and post-IRS surveys were performed in eight districts. A 20% threshold above and below the target spray of 1.0 g ai/m2 was defined as “in range. ” The entomological assessments were made in four districts in IRS and non-IRS villages. Vector densities were measured: pre-IRS and 1 and 3 mo post-IRS. Insecticide susceptibility to 4% DDT and 0.05% deltamethrin WHO-impregnated papers was determined with wild-caught sand flies. The majority (329 of 360, 91.3%) of pre-IRS samples had residual DDT concentrations of <0.1 g ai/m2. The mean residual concentration of DDT post-IRS was 0.37 g ai/m2; 84.9% of walls were undersprayed, 7.4% were sprayed in range, and 7.6% were oversprayed. The abundance of sand flies in IRS and non-IRS villages was significantly different at 1 mo post-IRS only. Sand flies were highly resistant to DDT but susceptible to deltamethrin. The Stockholm Convention, ratified by India in 2006, calls for the complete phasing out of DDT as soon as practical, with limited use in the interim where no viable IRS alternatives exist. Given the poor quality of the DDT-based IRS, ready availability of pyrethroids, and susceptibility profile of Indian sand flies, the continued use of DDT in this IRS program is questionable.
Shock deformation of polycrystalline aluminium

Abstract The deformation microstructures associated with aluminium after shock loading and cold rolling at room temperature and at liquid nitrogen temperature are presented and discussed. A high density of point defects is produced by shock loading aluminium and it is observed that vacancy-produced dislocation loops are more numerous than those produced by interstitial clustering. Comparison is made with the response of copper and nickel to shock and it is shown that aluminium does not form dislocation cell structures as these metals do under similar loading conditions. The temperature of deformation has little effect on the microstructure in the low pressure range, but as pressure increases the temperature of deformation becomes more important. Mechanisms for the production of defects are discussed.
Collisions between Moving Visual Targets: What Controls Alternative Ways of Seeing an Ambiguous Display?

When identical visual targets move directly toward and then past one another, they appear either to stream past one another or to bounce off each other. Bertenthal et al (1993 Perception 22 193–207) accounted for the relative strengths of these two percepts by invoking a directional bias, arising from cooperative interactions within a network of motion detectors. We tested this explanation by devising conditions that would enhance or diminish the strength of such a directional bias. In separate experiments we varied (i) the presence or absence of temporal transients (pausing, disappearance, occlusion); (ii) the distances travelled by the targets; and (iii) their acceleration or deceleration before and after collision. The tendency to see the objects stream past one another was not related to the strength of an hypothesized directional bias, suggesting that the perception of this ambiguous motion display was not mediated by directional recruitment. Instead, the results suggest that perceived direction reflects the operation of neural constraints that mirror the constraints operating upon moving objects in the three-dimensional natural world.
Daily and Weekly Smoking Habits: A Box-Jenkins Analysis

The objective of this research was to ascertain if there are different temporal patterns of smoking. The method of data collection was to use voluntary subject smokers who recorded their daily cigarette consumption for 84 days. Subjects had smoked more than 5 cigarettes per day throughout the previous year; 29 subjects kept accurate autorecords. The daily smoking data of each subject were analyzed via the time-series procedure ARIMA(p,d,q)(P,D,Q) S of Box and Jenkins. 15 subjects (52%) showed simple autoregressive smoking models for which smoking on any given day was a function of the number of cigarettes smoked on the previous day or days, but 13 subjects (45%) showed autoregressive models of weekly seasonality, i.e., the number of cigarettes smoked on any given day is a function of the number smoked on the same day of the previous week, and only 1 subject's data (3%) had unpredictable smoking patterns.
Quality of life in patients with psoriasis: the contribution of clinical variables and psoriasis‐specific stress

Summary The purpose of this study was: (i) to examine the impact of the clinical severity, anatomical location and treatment of psoriasis on patients' quality of life, and (ii) to investigate the effects of perceptions of psoriasis‐related stress on patients' physical and mental health and on areas of disability in everyday life. All patients (n= 204) attending a psoriasis speciality clinic were invited to complete a multidimensional quality of life assessment comprising the Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI), the SF‐36 Health Survey and the Psoriasis Life Stress Inventory (PLSI). Results(n= 150) indicated that overall clinical severity of psoriasis as assessed by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, and duration of psoriasis, were unrelated to impairment in any areas of quality of life. Anatomical location (social visibility) of psoriasis was associated with self‐report of poor physical health (P = 0–01), and there was a modest association with patients' mental health (P = 0.04); however, anatomical location of psoriasis was not significantly associated with self‐reported disability in everyday life, or stress scores.Patients who were classified as more reactive to the stress associated with psoriasis (78% of the sample) were functioning less well in terms of their mental health (P = 0.001) and also experienced significantly more disability in all areas of everyday life (P = 0.001). Differences in method of treatment for psoriasis did not significantly affect scores on the psoriasis‐specific (PDI; PLSI) or generic (SF‐36) quality of life measures. A multiple regression analysis demonstrated that stress resulting from anticipating other people's reactions to their psoriasis contributed more to the variance in patients' disability in everyday life than any other medical or health status variable.The results support the importance of assessing the effects of stress in patients' adjustment to their condition and may indicate a role for adjunctive psychological stress management training for a significant number of patients with psoriasis.