Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Melatonin reduces bacterial translocation by preventing damage to the intestinal mucosa in an experimental severe acute pancreatitis rat model

Recent studies have demonstrated that melatonin significantly decreased all studied acute pancreatitis-associated inflammatory parameters, in addition to reducing apoptosis and necrosis associated with pancreatic injury. However, the effect of melatonin on gut barrier dysfunction and bacterial translocation has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of melatonin on intestinal integrity in a rat model of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) to evaluate whether melatonin prevented intestine barrier dysfunction and reduced bacterial translocation. Forty male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups, with 8 rats in the sham operation (SO) group, 18 rats in the SAP group and 14 SAP rats in the melatonin treatment (MT) group. SAP was induced by retrograde injection of 4% taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct. Melatonin was administered 30 min prior to taurocholate injection in the melatonin-treated rats. All rats were sacrificed 24 h subsequent to pancreatitis induction. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect and quantify Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157 in postcava blood. The microvilli structure was also analyzed with transmission electron microscopy. The level of E. coli DNA in the MT group was significantly lower than in rats in the SAP group. No E. coli DNA was detected in the control group. Villus height and crypt depth in the ileum were significantly higher in the MT and control groups compared to the SAP group, and were significantly higher in the MT group than in the SAP group. These results suggested that melatonin prevented gut barrier dysfunction and reduced bacterial translocation, resulting in reduced pancreatic-associated infections and decreased early mortality rates.
Evaluation of the skin-prick test for predicting the outgrowth of cow's milk allergy

Background Although considerable efforts have been made to develop diagnostic tools for predicting the outcome of oral food challenges, tests for predicting the outgrowth of food allergies are lacking. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of the wheal size and skin index (SI) (the ratio of an allergen-induced wheal to a histamine-induced wheal diameter) of the skin-prick test based on the outcome of a controlled oral provocation test for cow's milk. Moreover, we assessed whether wheal size and/or SI were useful for predicting the outgrowth of cow's milk allergy (CMA). Methods This study included 135 children with suspected CMA. Eighty-one patients were definitely diagnosed by oral provocation tests for cow's milk, and their wheal diameters, SIs, and cow milk's–specific serum immunoglobulin E concentrations were determined. Results The wheal diameters were significantly larger and the SIs significantly higher in children with positive oral provocation test results than in those with negative test results. We found that 50% of the patients were expected to be able to drink cow's milk by age 5 years. In these patients, the wheal diameters were significantly smaller and the SIs significantly lower at the time of CMA outgrowth than at the time of diagnosis, whereas these values were apt to increase in patients who did not outgrow CMA, with no significant difference. Conclusions The skin-prick test can be used to diagnose CMA and predict CMA outgrowth. A wheal diameter of 8 mm or/and an SI of 1.0 is informative, not only in diagnosing CMA but also in predicting a natural CMA outgrowth.
Fixed-time stabilization of high-order linear systems: Sliding mode control scheme

A fixed-time sliding mode control scheme is designed in this paper for the high-order linear systems in the pure-feedback form with system uncertainties. A recursive procedure is utilized where a set of switching manifolds have been resorted to realize the fixed-time stability. The initial conditions of the system variables are confined in a particular region so as to avoid the singularity problem. Finally, simulation results are included to show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology established in this paper.
Factors associated with no or delayed linkage to care in newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected patients identified by emergency department-based rapid HIV screening programs in two urban EDs.

OBJECTIVES The objective was to describe the proportions of successful linkage to care (LTC) and identify factors associated with LTC among newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, from two urban emergency department (ED) rapid HIV screening programs. METHODS This was a retrospective analysis of programmatic data from two established urban ED rapid HIV screening programs between November 2005 and October 2009. Trained HIV program assistants interviewed all patients tested to gather risk behavior data using a structured data collection instrument. Reactive results were confirmed by Western blot testing. Patients were provided with scheduled appointments at HIV specialty clinics at the institutions where they tested positive within 30 days of their ED visit. "Successful" LTC was defined as attendance at the HIV outpatient clinic within 30 days after HIV diagnosis, in accordance with the ED National HIV Testing Consortium metric. "Any" LTC was defined as attendance at the outpatient HIV clinic within 1 year of initial HIV diagnosis. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with any LTC or successful LTC. RESULTS Of the 15,640 tests administered, 108 (0.7%) were newly identified HIV-positive cases. Nearly half (47.2%) of the patients had been previously tested for HIV. Successful LTC occurred in 54% of cases; any LTC occurred in 83% of cases. In multivariate analysis, having public medical insurance and being self-pay were negatively associated with successful LTC (odds ratio [OR] = 0.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.12 to 0.96; OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.89, respectively); being female and having previously tested for HIV was negatively associated with any LTC (OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.93; OR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.07 to 0.77, respectively). CONCLUSIONS In spite of dedicated resources for arranging LTC in the ED HIV testing programs, nearly 50% of patients did not have successful LTC (i.e., LTC occurred at >30 days), although >80% of patients were LTC within 1 year of initial diagnosis. Further evaluation of the barriers associated with successful LTC for those with public insurance and self-pay is warranted.
Delta-like 4 is indispensable in thymic environment specific for T cell development

The thymic microenvironment is required for T cell development in vivo. However, in vitro studies have shown that when hematopoietic progenitors acquire Notch signaling via Delta-like (Dll)1 or Dll4, they differentiate into the T cell lineage in the absence of a thymic microenvironment. It is not clear, however, whether the thymus supports T cell development specifically by providing Notch signaling. To address this issue, we generated mice with a loxP-flanked allele of Dll4 and induced gene deletion specifically in thymic epithelial cells (TECs). In the thymus of mutant mice, the expression of Dll4 was abrogated on the epithelium, and the proportion of hematopoietic cells bearing the intracellular fragment of Notch1 (ICN1) was markedly decreased. Corresponding to this, CD4 CD8 double-positive or single-positive T cells were not detected in the thymus. Further analysis showed that the double-negative cell fraction was lacking T cell progenitors. The enforced expression of ICN1 in hematopoietic progenitors restored thymic T cell differentiation, even when the TECs were deficient in Dll4. These results indicate that the thymus-specific environment for determining T cell fate indispensably requires Dll4 expression to induce Notch signaling in the thymic immigrant cells.
Noninferiority of Inhaled Epoprostenol to Inhaled Nitric Oxide for the Treatment of ARDS

Background: Inhaled nitric oxide and inhaled epoprostenol have been evaluated for the management of hypoxemia in acute respiratory distress syndrome, with clinical trials demonstrating comparable improvements in oxygenation. However, these trials have several limitations, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions regarding clinical outcomes. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the noninferiority and safety of inhaled epoprostenol compared with inhaled nitric oxide in mechanically ventilated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients with a primary outcome of ventilator-free days from day 1 to day 28. Methods: This was a retrospective, noninterventional, propensity-matched, noninferiority cohort study. Propensity score for receipt of inhaled nitric oxide was developed and patients were matched accordingly using a prespecified algorithm. Secondary objectives included evaluating day 28 intensive care unit–free days, changes in PaO2/FiO2 ratio after inhalation therapy initiation, and hospital mortality. Safety endpoints assessed included hypotension, methemoglobinemia, renal dysfunction, rebound hypoxemia, significant bleeding, and thrombocytopenia. Results: Ninety-four patients were included, with 47 patients in each group. Patients were well-matched with similar baseline characteristics, except patients in inhaled nitric oxide group had lower PaO2/FiO2 ratio. Management of ARDS was similar between groups. Mean difference in ventilator-free days between inhaled epoprostenol and inhaled nitric oxide was 2.16 days (95% confidence interval = −0.61 to 4.9), with lower limit of 95% confidence interval greater than the prespecified margin, hence satisfying noninferiority. There were no differences in any secondary or safety outcomes. Conclusions: Inhaled epoprostenol was noninferior to inhaled nitric oxide with regard to ventilator-free days from day 1 to day 28 in ARDS patients.
Development of Speed, Memory, and Fluid Reasoning in Children

ion and application of different rules. Thus, both complex learning and rule abstraction are variables that can be considered as potential mediators that might help to explain some of the remaining age-related variance in fluid reasoning in children. More importantly, however, another possible missing mediator that needs to be considered are the developmental changes in the brain, particularly the frontal cortex, that take place during childhood and adolescence (Goldman-Rakic,1987; Demspter,1992). The maturation of the frontal regions of the brain is associated with the development of executive functions (Conklin, Luciana, Hooper & Yager, 2007) that help with the performance on higher-order reasoning tasks, including fluid reasoning. (Ferrer, O’ Hare & Bunge, 2009). Future studies involving both neuroimaging and behavioral measures are needed to further explore the possibility that underlying developmental changes in the frontal regions of the brain can account for age-related improvement in children’s fluid reasoning. In conclusion, the results in this study suggest that working memory is a better predictor of fluid reasoning in children than secondary memory. However, secondary
Monotone quantities and unique limits for evolving convex hypersurfaces

The aim of this paper is to introduce a new family of monotone integral quantities associated with certain parabolic evolution equations for hypersurfaces; and to deduce from these some results about the limiting behaviour of the evolving hypersurfaces. A variety of parabolic equations for hypersurfaces have been considered. One of the earliest was the Gauss curvature flow; introduced in [Fi] as a model for the changing shape of a stone wearing on a beach. The stone is represented by a bounded convex region; and each point on its surface moves in the inward normal direction with speed equal to the Gauss curvature: If the surface at timet is given by an embeddingxt; then @x @t DiK n; whereK is the Gauss curvature; and n the outward unit normal. Firey showed that stones which are symmetric about the origin shrink to points in finite time; and are asymptotically spherical in shape. Other evolution equations have been considered since then; of the form
Action, gesture, and symbol : the emergence of language

This collection of essays puts the challenge: is there a develop- mental continuity between preverbal and verbal levels of com-munication; is the latter predicated on the former? The book suggests that the infant's early interaction with the social milieu lays the foundation for language, and pursues this view in five sections, each exploring a particular facet of the topic. Theoretical problems regarding the continuity of the communicative systems are posed, and the evolutionary question, early mother-infant interaction, and the transition from gesture into language symbols are explored. Finally, the role of social processes in the creation of linguistic abilities is considered. This book discusses the interrelationship between perceptual and cognitive processes, describing recent experimental work carried out by the authors with sensorily and cognitively impaired children. It reports and compares the coding strategies of blind, deaf, autistic, subnormal and normal children presented with different tasks, with the underlying hypothesis that sensory deficits will affect cognition, and cognitive impairment will in turn influence perceptual organization. The study groups were chosen to contain children of different intellectual attainment as well as different diagnoses, so that the question-begging explanation of cognitive deficit in terms of intelligence might be avoided and the com- ponents of the deficit properly analysed.
Computational Stimulation of the Basal Ganglia Neurons with Cost Effective Delayed Gaussian Waveforms

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has compelling results in the desynchronization of the basal ganglia neuronal activities and thus, is used in treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Accurate definition of DBS waveform parameters could avert tissue or electrode damage, increase the neuronal activity and reduce energy cost which will prolong the battery life, hence avoiding device replacement surgeries. This study considers the use of a charge balanced Gaussian waveform pattern as a method to disrupt the firing patterns of neuronal cell activity. A computational model was created to simulate ganglia cells and their interactions with thalamic neurons. From the model, we investigated the effects of modified DBS pulse shapes and proposed a delay period between the cathodic and anodic parts of the charge balanced Gaussian waveform to desynchronize the firing patterns of the GPe and GPi cells. The results of the proposed Gaussian waveform with delay outperformed that of rectangular DBS waveforms used in in-vivo experiments. The Gaussian Delay Gaussian (GDG) waveforms achieved lower number of misses in eliciting action potential while having a lower amplitude and shorter length of delay compared to numerous different pulse shapes. The amount of energy consumed in the basal ganglia network due to GDG waveforms was dropped by 22% in comparison with charge balanced Gaussian waveforms without any delay between the cathodic and anodic parts and was also 60% lower than a rectangular charged balanced pulse with a delay between the cathodic and anodic parts of the waveform. Furthermore, by defining a Synchronization Level metric, we observed that the GDG waveform was able to reduce the synchronization of GPi neurons more effectively than any other waveform. The promising results of GDG waveforms in terms of eliciting action potential, desynchronization of the basal ganglia neurons and reduction of energy consumption can potentially enhance the performance of DBS devices.
Associations of daily pediatric asthma emergency department visits with air pollution in Newark, NJ: utilizing time-series and case-crossover study designs

Abstract Objective: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting children. This study assesses the associations of ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with pediatric emergency department visits in the urban environment of Newark, NJ. Two study designs were utilized and evaluated for usability. Methods: We obtained daily emergency department visits among children aged 3–17 years with a primary diagnosis of asthma during April to September for 2004–2007. Both a time-stratified case-crossover study design with bi-directional control sampling and a time-series study design were utilized. Lagged effects (1-d through 5-d lag, 3-d average, and 5-d average) of ozone and PM2.5 were explored and a dose–response analysis comparing the bottom 5th percentile of 3-d average lag ozone with each 5 percentile increase was performed. Results: Associations of interquartile range increase in same-day ozone were similar between the time-series and case-crossover study designs (RR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.04–1.12) and (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.06–1.14), respectively. Similar associations were seen for 1-day lag and 3-day average lag ozone levels. PM2.5 was not associated with the outcome in either study design. Dose–response assessment indicated a statistically significant and increasing association around 50–55 ppb consistent for both study designs. Conclusions: Ozone was statistically positively associated with pediatric asthma ED visits in Newark, NJ. Our results were generally comparable across the time-series and case-crossover study designs, indicating both are useful to assess local air pollution impacts.
Sidescan Sonar Segmentation Using Texture Descriptors and Active Contours

This paper is concerned with the application of active contour methods to unsupervised binary segmentation of high-resolution sonar images. First, texture features are extracted from a sidescan image containing two distinct regions. A region-based active contour model of Chan et al. [J. Vis. Commun. Image represent, vol. 11, pp. 130-141,2000] is then applied to the vector-valued image extracted from the original data. Our implementation includes a new automatic feature selection step used to readjust the weights attached to each feature in the curve evolution equation that drives the segmentation. Results are shown on simulated and real data. The influence of the algorithm parameters and contour initialization are also analyzed.
Fructus mume Ethanol Extract Prevents Inflammation and Normalizes the Septohippocampal Cholinergic System in a Rat Model of Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion

Abstract Fructus mume (F. mume), the unripe fruit of Prunus mume, has long been used in Asian countries to treat cough and chronic diarrhea. We previously reported that F. mume exerts anti-inflammatory effects in a model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH), a key etiological factor of vascular dementia (VaD). The present study was performed to investigate the protective effects of an ethanolic extract of F. mume on the inflammatory response and cholinergic dysfunction in a model of CCH induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAo) in Wistar rats. Rats were assigned to three treatment groups: sham plus vehicle, BCCAo plus vehicle, and BCCAo plus F. mume extract (200 mg/kg). F. mume was administered by oral gavage from days 21 to 42 following BCCAo. Glial cell numbers were measured in the white matter and hippocampus. The hippocampal expressions of proinflammatory cytokines, angiotensin-II (Ang-II), receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) were also evaluated. Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) levels in the hippocampus and basal forebrain were examined. Rats with BCCAo showed an increase in the number of glial cells and levels of proinflammatory cytokines, Ang-II, RAGE, and MAPKs, all of which were significantly attenuated by F. mume treatment. F. mume administration also restored ChAT expression in the basal forebrain and hippocampus following chronic BCCAo. These results suggest that F. mume is a potentially valuable drug or nutraceutical for the treatment of VaD.
Pointwise Error Estimates for Scalar Conservation Laws with Piecewise Smooth Solutions

We introduce a new approach to obtain sharp pointwise error estimates for viscosity approximation (and, in fact, more general approximations) to scalar conservation laws with piecewise smooth solutions. To this end, we derive a transport inequality for an appropriately weighted error function. The key ingredient in our approach is a one-sided interpolation inequality between classical L1 error estimates and Lip+ stability bounds. The one-sided interpolation, interesting for its own sake, enables us to convert a global L1 result into a (nonoptimal) local estimate. This, in turn, provides the necessary bounds on the coefficients of the above-mentioned transport inequality. Estimates on the weighted error then follow from the maximum principle, and a bootstrap argument yields optimal pointwise error bound for the viscosity approximation. Unlike previous works in this direction, our method can deal with finitely many waves with possible collisions. Moreover, in our approach one does not follow the characteristics but instead makes use of the energy method, and hence this approach could be extended to other types of approximate solutions.
Variations of cystic duct (CD)--common hepatic duct (CHD) junction determined by ERCP.

INTRODUCTION Cystic Duct (CD) join Common Hepatic Duct (CHD) to the right with right angle close to 75% of cases and in 25% of cases like spiral intersects the CHD from above or behind and join it to his left to form the Common Bile Duct (CBD). There are authors who describe that CD may join CHD at any level to form CBD. The importance of recognizing union of CD and CHD has significant importance for the surgeons that perform Cholecystectomy, in order to avoid injuries to the CHD or CBD. AIM OF THE STUDY to present the variations of CD-CHD junction determined by ERCP. To recognize variations of CD-CHD junction in Albanian population used in this study. To present differences of CD-CHD junction between male and female population. METHODS AND RESULTS Data were taken from the protocols of ERCP that has been done in UCC of Kosova - Department of Endoscopy, Clinic of Surgery. During last 2 years period we have had 398 patients in ERCP from those we have determined CD-CHD junction on 148 (37.85%) patients. 76 were Female (51.35%) and 72 male (48.65%). CD-CHD junction was identified as right junction in 117(79.05%) patients: UR in 64(43.24%), MR in 46(31.08%), LR in 7 (4.73%). Left CD-CHD junction was identified in 31 (20.95%) of patients: UL in 4(2.70%), ML 6(4.07%) and LL in 21 (14.18%) of patients. It is important to notice that Lower Left union of CD and CHD is rare or not prescribed in literature. We haven't find significant differences between male and female groups according to right or left CD-CHD junction (p<0.05). There is deference between male and female in lower CD-CHD junction (p<0.01), and there is also deference between male and female in left lower CD-CHD junction (p<0.05). CONCLUSION We conclude that CD-CHD junction was identified as right junction in 79.05% patients and as left CD-CHD junction was identified in 20.95%. There is deference between male and female in left lower CD-CHD junction (p<0.01). We have identified LL CD-CHD junction in 14.18% of patients and that is rare or not prescribed in literature.