Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unpredictable cyclosporin--fluconazole interaction in renal transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND Cyclosporin (CsA) is metabolized primarily in the liver by cytochrome P-450 enzymes. Concomitant use of fluconazole can increase CsA concentrations by inhibiting this enzyme system and the effect seems to be dose dependent, with no interaction noted when fluconazole is used in a dose of 100 mg/day. Two previous investigations studying this interaction while using higher doses of fluconazole have provided inconsistent results. Recommendations advising an empirical 50% CsA dosage reduction in these patients have not been tested in a prospective trial. METHODS We studied six renal transplant recipients on CsA immunosuppression in a prospective, unblinded, crossover trial. Baseline renal functions, CsA area under the curve (AUC), Cmax, Cmin, CsA clearance, and Tmax were compared with those 2, 4 and 7 days after starting fluconazole orally in a dose of 200 mg/day. From day 8 onwards, patients reduced CsA dose by 50% and the above parameters were repeated on day 14. RESULTS CsA AUC increased from 2887 +/- 1729 ng.h/ml on day 0 to 3842 +/- 1975 ng.h/ml on day 2 (P < 0.05), 4750 +/- 1718 ng.h/ml on day 4 (P< 0.01) and then decreased to 4052 +/- 1687 ng.h/ml on day 7 (P<0.01). Following CsA dose reduction by 50%, the mean AUC decreased significantly to 2330 +/- 1602 ng x h/ml (P<0.01). The Cmax showed a significant increase from 701 +/- 345 ng/ml on day 0 to 941 +/- 326 ng/ml (P < 0.01) on day 4 but decreased from 768 +/- 292 ng/ml on day 7 to 498 +/- 289 ng/ml on day 14, P<0.01. The mean Cmin increased from 207 +/- 138 ng/ml on day 0 to 274 +/- 168 ng/ml on day 4. No significant changes were observed in CsA clearance and Tmax. On repeated-measurement ANOVA, only the AUC and Cmax on day 4 of fluconazole were significantly higher than day 0 (P<0.001). There was a large interindividual variability in the degree of drug interaction between patients. CONCLUSIONS Fluconazole given orally in a dose of 200 mg/day is associated with significant increase in bioavailability of CsA. The maximum effect occurs on day 4 after starting fluconazole. Although repeated monitoring of CsA Cmin is convenient as opposed to repeated determination of AUC, changes in Cmin may not be sensitive enough to pick up this interaction. The increase in bioavailability of CsA is unpredictable in individual patients and all patients should be monitored with AUC near day 4 of treatment to guide CsA dosage reductions.
BioShuttle Mobility in Living Cells Studied with High-Resolution FCS & CLSM Methodologies

With the increase in molecular diagnostics and patient-specific therapeutic approaches, the delivery and targeting of imaging molecules and pharmacologically active agents gain increasing importance. The ideal delivery system does not exist yet. The realization of two features is indispensable: first, a locally high concentration of target-specific diagnostic and therapeutic molecules; second, the broad development of effective and safe carrier systems. Here we characterize the transport properties of the peptide-based BioShuttle transporter using FFM and CLSM methods. The modular design of BioShuttle-based formulations results in a multi-faceted field of applications, also as a theranostic tool.
Revisiting the generality of the rank-based human mobility model

Location-based social networks, in addition to revealing users' online social network, also informs users' actual movements in the offline physical world. Due to this, they have recently been used in large-scale mobility and urban studies. In this paper, using a rigorous statistical methodology, we have found that a rank-distance distribution, which in recent research has been suggested to be a universal mobility law across cultural, demographic and national boundaries, does not follow a power-law distribution as originally claimed. Using a large-scale dataset obtained from Foursquare in Switzerland and New York City, we have shown that place transitions can be better explained using a log-normal and power-law with exponential cutoff model. Our study suggests that urban mobility patterns are more nuanced than previously reported and that goodness-of-fit tests need to be done in view of the generality of human mobility models.
Synesthesia for Color Is Linked to Improved Color Perception but Reduced Motion Perception

Synesthesia is a rare condition in which one property of a stimulus (e.g., shape) triggers a secondary percept (e.g., color) not typically associated with the first. Work on synesthesia has predominantly focused on confirming the authenticity of synesthetic experience, but much less research has been conducted to examine the extent to which synesthesia is linked to broader perceptual differences. In the research reported here, we examined whether synesthesia is associated with differences in color and motion processing by comparing these abilities in synesthetes who experience color as their evoked sensation with nonsynesthetic participants. We show that synesthesia for color is linked to facilitated color sensitivity but decreased motion sensitivity. These findings are discussed in relation to the neurocognitive mechanisms of synesthesia and interactions between color and motion processing in typical adults.
Burden of Influenza-Related Hospitalizations and Attributable Mortality in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

BACKGROUND Influenza can be severe in patients with underlying malignancy; however, the rate of influenza hospitalizations and attributable mortality in children with cancer is unknown. METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study among 10 698 children with new-onset acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) from 41 US children's hospitals between January 1999 and September 2011. Influenza-related hospitalizations were identified using ICD-9 discharge diagnosis codes, excluding hospitalizations during low-prevalence influenza periods. Follow-up was censored at the earliest of 5 events: end of study period, expected end of chemotherapy, last known hospitalization, hematopoietic stem cell transplant, or death. Data were collected on hospitalization characteristics and resource utilization. Hospitalization rates were calculated using season-adjusted person-time. Crude attributable in-hospital mortality was calculated using baseline mortality for noninfluenza hospitalizations during the same period. Subgroup analysis was performed by time from ALL diagnosis and by age category. RESULTS The rate of influenza-related hospitalizations was 618.3 per 100 000 person-months. Rates were similar by time from ALL diagnosis and across age categories. Overall attributable in-hospital mortality was 1.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3%-2.3%) and was highest for children <6 months from diagnosis (1.6%; 95% CI, 0.4%-4.5%) and children <2 years of age (6.7%; 95% CI, 1.3%-22.7%). Total length of stay, days of broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure, and duration of intensive care were significantly greater for influenza-related hospitalizations compared with noninfluenza hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS The burden of influenza-related hospitalizations in children with ALL is high and associated with significantly increased resource utilization and attributable mortality.
Processing of the Arousal of Subliminal and Supraliminal Emotional Stimuli by the Human Amygdala

The amygdala is known to play an important role in conscious and unconscious processing of emotional and highly arousing stimuli. Neuroanatomical evidence suggests that the amygdala participates in the control of autonomic responses, such as skin conductance responses (SCRs), elicited by emotionally salient stimuli, but little is known regarding its functional role in such control. We investigated this issue by showing emotional visual stimuli of varying arousal to patients with left (n = 12), right (n = 8), and bilateral (n = 3) amygdala damage and compared their results with those from 38 normal controls. Stimuli were presented both subliminally (using backward masking) and supraliminally under lateralized presentation to one visual hemifield. We collected SCRs as a physiological index of emotional responses. Subjects subsequently rated each stimulus on valence and arousal under free viewing conditions. There were two key findings: (1) impaired overall SCR after right amygdala damage; and (2) impaired correlation of SCR with the rated arousal of the stimuli after left amygdala damage. The second finding was strengthened further by finding a positive correlation between the evoked SCR magnitude and postsurgery amygdala volume, indicating impaired autonomic responses with larger tissue damage. Bilateral amygdala damage resulted in severe impairments on both of the above measures. Our results provide support for the hypothesis that the left and right amygdalae subserve different functions in emotion processing: the left may decode the arousal signaled by the specific stimulus, whereas the right may provide a global level of autonomic activation triggered automatically by any arousing stimulus.
Impact de la motivation et des styles d’apprentissage sur la performance scolaire d’élèves-ingénieurs

Dans cette etude, nous explorons l’apport des variables de la motivation et des styles d’apprentissage dans la prediction de la performance scolaire d’eleves-ingenieur. Les styles d’apprentissage, definis a partir du profil de preferences cerebrales, et la motivation a poursuivre des etudes, definie a partir de la theorie de l’autodetermination, ont ete mesures pour un ensemble de 211 etudiants inscrits dans une ecole francaise d’ingenieurs. Les analyses de regression hierarchique indiquent que la performance scolaire s’accroit lorsque les etudiants sont intrinsequement motives et que leur attirance pour les processus interactifs, la pensee divergente et la creativite est faible.
Neuropsychological and linguistic correlates of atypical language lateralization: evidence from sodium amytal studies.

: The intracarotid injection of sodium amytal is a technique that has been used to determine on which hemisphere language functions depend. Based on use of this technique in a series of patients (n = 99), three groups of patients - one with left hemisphere language lateralization, one right hemisphere language lateralization, and one bilateral language representation - were identified. These three groups were compared in relation to demographic variables, variables related to seizure disorder and neuropsychological variables. Comparisons were also made between the groups on incidence of speech blockage, naming errors and reading errors and on patterns of linguistic breakdown during reading under conditions of left and right amytal perfusion. The nature, potential etiology and effects of atypical (right hemisphere or bilateral) as opposed to the more common left hemisphere language organization are discussed.
Participation Motives in Competitive Sports: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

The motives for participating in competitive sports among male and female elite disabled athletes from different countries have not been studied. Similarities and differences were therefore examined in the rating of importance of the seven motive factors of fitness, team atmosphere, skill development, excitement and challenge, friendship, achievement and status, and energy release. The countries studied included the U.S., Great Britain, and Japan. Data were collected during the Seoul Paralympics from 15 male and 15 female track athletes ages 20–30 from each country. All subjects competed in wheelchairs and met the eligibility criteria of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation. The instrument used was a questionnaire designed by Gould, Feltz, and Weiss (1985) to examine motives for participating in competition. There were significant differences among athletes from the three countries in the motive factors of fitness, team atmosphere, and excitement and challenge. Gender differences were found.
NEGOTIATING SERVICE LEARNING THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP, KNOWLEDGE, DIALOGUE AND POWER

This article builds on two recent publications (Preece 2013; 2013a) concerning the application of asset-based community development and adaptive leadership theories when negotiating university service learning placements with community organisations in one South African province. The first publication introduced the concept of ‘adaptive engagement’. The second analysed empirical findings from the first phase of an action research project that endeavoured to take a teamwork approach to service learning placements. This paper reports on the larger, second phase. Different student teams were each tasked with undertaking an activity that had been identified by an NGO as an area of development need. The paper discusses this approach filtering the above-mentioned theories through a Foucauldian lens for analysing power relationships, knowledge and ownership over decision-making. Findings highlight the multi-layered complexity of community engagement, communication and power relations, and the limiting nature of institutional governmentality in terms of student contributions to sustainable community outcomes and university recognition of community-based knowledge. But the findings also demonstrate the potential for contributing to community change and knowledge sharing when an adaptive leadership approach of clarifying competing goals and values is used alongside respect for community assets of experiential, or subjugated, knowledge.
HLA class I antigen down-regulation in primary ovary carcinoma lesions: association with disease stage.

PURPOSE To investigate TAP1, TAP2, and HLA class I antigen expression in primary ovarian carcinoma lesions and to assess the clinical significance of defects in the expression of these molecules. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Fifty-one formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary ovarian carcinoma lesions were stained with affinity-purified rabbit anti-TAP1 and anti-TAP2 antibodies and with anti-HLA class I heavy chain monoclonal antibody (mAb) HC-10 using the immunoperoxidase reaction. The results of immunohistochemical staining were correlated with the histopathologic characteristics of the lesions and with patients' survival. RESULTS Ovarian surface epithelium, thecal cells of follicles, and stromal cells were stained by anti-TAP1, anti-TAP2, and anti-HLA class I antigen xenoantibodies with a homogeneous pattern. In contrast, no staining of lutheinic cells by these antibodies was detected. Forty-one and 32 out of 51 primary ovarian carcinoma lesions were stained by anti-TAP1 and anti-TAP2 xenoantibodies and by anti-HLA class I antigen mAb HC-10, respectively. The staining patterns by anti-TAP1 and anti-TAP2 xenoantibodies were completely concordant, but did not correlate with that by anti-HLA class I heavy chain mAb HC-10. TAP1 and TAP2 expression was associated neither with the histopathologic characteristics of the lesions nor with clinical variables. On the other hand, HLA class I antigen down-regulation was associated with disease stage: the odds ratio of stage III for HLA class I antigen negative patients was 7.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.9-30.5; P= 0.007), whereas for TAP negative patients was 5.1 (95% confidence interval, 0.9-28.4; P = 0.07). Follow up was available for 39 out of the 51 patients. Multivariate analysis showed that both grading and staging were associated with a higher risk of death, whereas TAP and HLA class I antigen phenotypes were not. CONCLUSIONS The lack of association between TAP and HLA class I antigen expression is compatible with the possibility that multiple mechanisms underlie HLA class I antigen down-regulation in primary ovarian carcinoma lesions. The potential role of immunologic events in the clinical course of ovarian carcinoma suggests that the association between HLA class I antigen down-regulation and disease progression may reflect the escape of tumor cells from immune recognition and destruction.
Channel capacity related power allocation for distributed sensor networks with application in object classification

This publication analyzes the power allocation problem for a distributed wireless sensor network which is based on ultra-wide bandwidth communication technology. The network is used to classify target objects. In the considered scenarios, the absence, the presence, or the type of an object is observed by the sensors independently. Due to noisy communication channels, the interfered observations are fused into a reliable global decision in order to increase the overall classification probability. An approach based on information theory that aims at maximization of the mutual information is employed. It enables the analytical allocation of the given total power to the sensor nodes so as to optimize the overall classification probability. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of object classification by using the introduced power allocation method in ultra-wide bandwidth signaling and energy-efficient systems.
In Vitro Antibacterial and Time-Kill Evaluation of the Erythrina caffra Thunb. Extract against Bacteria Associated with Diarrhoea

The antibacterial activities of stem bark ethanolic extract of Erythrina caffra Thunb. against bacteria in diarrhoea was determined in vitro by the agar diffusion and dilution, macrobroth dilution, and time-kill assay methods. The result showed that the extract produced inhibition zones ranging between 15 ± 1.0 mm and 23 ± 1.0 mm, and the bacteria were susceptible at concentrations ranging between ≤100 and ≤1000 μg/mL. While the MICs of the extract ranged between 39.1 and 625 μg/mL, and the MBCs ranged between 78.1 and 625 μg/mL, the MICs of Micrococcus luteus, Proteus vulgaris CSIR 0030, Enterococcus faecalis KZN, and Staphylococcus aureus OK3 were less than 100 μg/mL, and the mechanisms of antibiosis indicated that the crude ethanolic extract was highly bactericidal against the entire test bacteria isolates. In the time-kill assay, the average log reduction of the viable cell count ranged between 0.916log 10 and 1.851log 10 cfu/mL on incubating the bacteria for 4 h at the MICs, while the reduction ranged between 0.183log 10 and 1.105log 10 cfu/mL after 8 h of incubation. Incubating the bacteria for 4 h at 2 × MICs resulted in the reduction of the viable cell count to between −0.264log 10 and 0.961log 10 cfu/mL, while the average log reduction ranged between −3.968log 10 and −0.425log 10 cfu/mL after 8 h of incubation with Micrococcus luteus, Proteus vulgaris CSIR 0030, and Staphylococcus aureus OK3 being the most highly affected bacteria. The result showed that the extract exhibited broader-spectrum antibacterial activity and justifies the use of Erythrina caffra in the folkloric medicine for treating gastrointestinal infections in South Africa.
Fitting Vast Dimensional Time-Varying Covariance Models

Abstract Estimation of time-varying covariances is a key input in risk management and asset allocation. ARCH-type multivariate models are used widely for this purpose. Estimation of such models is computationally costly and parameter estimates are meaningfully biased when applied to a moderately large number of assets. Here, we propose a novel estimation approach that suffers from neither of these issues, even when the number of assets is in the hundreds. The theory of this new method is developed in some detail. The performance of the proposed method is investigated using extensive simulation studies and empirical examples. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
A self-tuning DVS processor using delay-error detection and correction

In this paper, we present a dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) technique called Razor which incorporates an in situ error detection and correction mechanism to recover from timing errors. We also present the implementation details and silicon measurements results of a 64-bit processor fabricated in 0.18-/spl mu/m technology that uses Razor for supply voltage control. Traditional DVS techniques require significant voltage safety margins to guarantee computational correctness at the worst case combination of process, voltage and temperature conditions, leading to a loss in energy efficiency. In Razor-based DVS, however, the supply voltage is automatically reduced to the point of first failure using the error detection and correction mechanism, thereby eliminating safety margins while still ensuring correct operation. In addition, the supply voltage can be intentionally scaled below the point of first failure of the processor to achieve an optimal tradeoff between energy savings from further voltage reduction and energy overhead from increased error detection and correction activity. We tested and measured savings due to Razor DVS for 33 different dies and obtained an average energy savings of 50% over worst case operating conditions by scaling supply voltage to achieve a 0.1% targeted error rate, at a fixed frequency of 120 MHz.
Dopamine selectively modulates lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-10 within mice tissues.

OBJECTIVES Dopamine (DA) administration in sepsis is used to modulate the hypotensive condition and to normalize the blood vessels perfusion. However, whether this administration of DA has an effect on the release of cytokines in vivo deserves investigation. METHODS AND RESULTS Pre-exposure of DA (1 µg/ml) to whole blood enhanced IL-10 (30%) production level following LPS stimulation. This IL-10 enhancement became statistically significant (p<0.001) upon the addition of D2-DA receptor (DAR) antagonists, Clozapine or Haloperidol. Furthermore, systemic administration of DA (0.5-50 mg/kg) in mice suppressed significantly LPS-induced TNF-α levels in blood, liver, spleen, brain, and lungs; IL-10 levels in blood, brain and liver; and IFN-γ levels in blood, liver, brain, and lungs. On the other hand, DA enhanced significantly LPS-induced IL-10 production in the lungs and spleen, and IFN-γ levels in the spleen. Administration of Clozapine (54 mg/kg) or Haloperidol (62 mg/kg) with LPS (1 µg) and DA (5 mg/kg) reversed DA suppressive effects on LPS-induced cytokines in blood, IFN-γ in brain and lungs, and enhanced significantly LPS-induced IL-10 production in blood, spleen, liver, and lungs. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that DA modulatory effect on LPS-induced blood cytokines-producing cells is mediated mainly by D2-DAR (D2/ D3/D4) through enhancing immune cells migration and extravasation into tissues. Furthermore, DA selectivity on cytokines modulation is tissue specific, mediated by the type of DAR expressed and on the immune cells lodged in each tissue.
Intraspecies and Interspecies Transformation Reactions in Pneumococcus and Streptococcus

The efficiency of transformation of pneumococcus and a strain of viridans streptococcus (strain D) to streptomycin resistance is influenced by the species in which the mutation to resistance occurred, as well as by the species in which the mutated gene has been replicated. Pneumococcus and streptococcus strain D transform in higher frequency with DNA that has been replicated in bacteria of the same species than with DNA from the heterologous species. However, the difference between the frequencies of interspecific and intraspecific transformation is much greater with pneumococcus as receptor than with streptococcus. In addition pneumococcus transforms in higher frequency with wholly homologous (pneumococcal) DNA than with DNA from pneumococci that have replicated the streptococcal Sm r gene. Pneumococcus is transformed in lower frequency by wholly heterologous (streptococcal) DNA than by DNA from streptococci that have replicated the pneumococcal Sm r gene. Streptococcus behaves similarly in that wholly homologous (streptococcal) DNA transforms it more efficiently than when the transforming fragment contains a pneumococcal moiety. Streptococcus is transformed in the same or lower frequency by wholly heterologous (pneumococcal) DNA than by DNA from pneumococci that have replicated the streptococcal Sm r gene. When erythromycin resistance was used as genetic marker instead of streptomycin resistance, similar results were found.