Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gram-negative bacteraemia in non-ICU patients: factors associated with inadequate antibiotic therapy and impact on outcomes.

BACKGROUND A considerable number of gram-negative bacteraemias occur outside intensive care units (ICUs). Inadequate antibiotic therapy in ICUs has been associated with adverse outcomes; however, there are no prospective studies in non-ICU patients. METHODS A 6 month (1 August 2006-31 January 2007), prospective cohort study of non-ICU patients with gram-negative bacteraemia in a tertiary-care hospital was performed. Inadequate empirical antibiotic therapy was defined as no antibiotic or starting a non-susceptible antibiotic within 24 h after the initial positive blood culture. RESULTS Two hundred and fifty non-ICU patients had gram-negative bacteraemia. The mean age was 56.4 (+/-16.1) years. The predominant bacteria in monomicrobial infections were Escherichia coli (24%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (18%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8%). Sixty-one (24%) patients had polymicrobial bacteraemia. Seventy patients (28%) required ICU transfer and 35 (14%) died. Seventy-nine (31.6%) received inadequate empirical antibiotic therapy. These patients were more likely to have a hospital-acquired infection [odds ratio (OR) = 1.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.11-3.56, P = 0.02] and less likely to have E. coli monomicrobial bacteraemia [OR 0.40 (95% CI 0.19-0.86), P = 0.02]. There were no differences in occurrence of sepsis [72 (91.1%) patients with inadequate versus 159 (93.0%) with adequate therapy; P = 0.6], ICU transfer [20 (25.3%) versus 50 (29.2%); P = 0.5], post-bacteraemia length of stay (median = 6.8 versus 6.1 days; P = 0.09) or death [11 (13.9%) versus 24 (14.0%); P = 1.0]. CONCLUSIONS Nearly one-third of the non-ICU patients with gram-negative bacteraemia received inadequate empirical antibiotic therapy. There was no difference in adverse outcomes between patients receiving inadequate or adequate therapy in this study.
Effect of atropine on plasma amino acid levels and milk secretion of cows

Summary Subcutaneous injections of 30 mg atropine into lactating cows induced a 20–40% decrease of free amino acid (AA) levels in arterial plasma. Minimum levels were observed after 30–50 min. The decline persisted for more than 6 h. The greatest fall in concentration was noted for tyrosine, methionine, lysine, arginine, phenylalanine and threonine. Arterial glucose levels remained unaffected. The effect of atropine on milk secretion was studied in 2 cows which were milked every hour with the aid of oxytocin. Maximal effects were observed after 3–4 h. They included reduction in concentration of casein and ±-lactalbumin (±-la) and a decline in production of milk (20%), casein (35%), ±-la (45%) and lactose (18%). Uptake by the lactating udder over a period of about 1 h after injection of atropine was studied in 2 cows. Mammary blood flow and glucose uptake remained unaffected. There was a positive correlation between arteriovenous differences of essential AA and arterial plasma concentrations. The uptake of essential AA decreased by approximately 50 %. There was no evidence that atropine has a direct inhibiting effect on the udder. It is suggested that the decrease of ±-la synthesis might induce an inhibition of lactose synthesis and milk production.
N‐back working memory paradigm: A meta‐analysis of normative functional neuroimaging studies

One of the most popular experimental paradigms for functional neuroimaging studies of working memory has been the n‐back task, in which subjects are asked to monitor the identity or location of a series of verbal or nonverbal stimuli and to indicate when the currently presented stimulus is the same as the one presented n trials previously. We conducted a quantitative meta‐analysis of 668 sets of activation coordinates in Talairach space reported in 24 primary studies of n‐back task variants manipulating process (location vs. identity monitoring) and content (verbal or nonverbal) of working memory. We found the following cortical regions were activated robustly (voxelwise false discovery rate = 1%): lateral premotor cortex; dorsal cingulate and medial premotor cortex; dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex; frontal poles; and medial and lateral posterior parietal cortex. Subsidiary meta‐analyses based on appropriate subsets of the primary data demonstrated broadly similar activation patterns for identity monitoring of verbal stimuli and both location and identity monitoring of nonverbal stimuli. There was also some evidence for distinct frontoparietal activation patterns in response to different task variants. The functional specializations of each of the major cortical components in the generic large‐scale frontoparietal system are discussed. We conclude that quantitative meta‐analysis can be a powerful tool for combining results of multiple primary studies reported in Talairach space. Here, it provides evidence both for broadly consistent activation of frontal and parietal cortical regions by various versions of the n‐back working memory paradigm, and for process‐ and content‐specific frontoparietal activation by working memory. Hum Brain Mapp 25:46–59, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differential roles of Toll-like receptors in the elicitation of proinflammatory responses by macrophages

BACKGROUND Mammalian Toll-like receptor (TLR) proteins are pattern recognition receptors for a diverse array of bacterial and viral products. Gram negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates cells through TLR4, whereas the mycobacterial cell wall glycolipids, lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and mannosylated phosphatidylinositol (PIM), activate cells through TLR2. Furthermore, short term culture filtrates ofM tuberculosis bacilli contain a TLR2 agonist activity, termed soluble tuberculosis factor (STF), that appears to be PIM. It was recently shown that stimulation of RAW264.7 murine macrophages by LPS, LAM, STF, and PIM rapidly activated NF-κB, AP1, and MAP kinases. RESULTS This study shows that signalling by TLR2 and TLR4 also activates the protein kinase Akt, a downstream target of phosphatidylinositol-3′-kinase (PI-3-K). This finding suggests that activation of PI-3-K represents an additional signalling pathway induced by engagement of TLR2 and TLR4. Subsequently, the functional responses induced by the different TLR agonists were compared. LPS, the mycobacterial glycolipids, and the OspC lipoprotein (a TLR2 agonist) all induced macrophages to secrete tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), whereas only LPS could induce nitric oxide (NO) secretion. Human alveolar macrophages also exhibited a distinct pattern of cellular response after stimulation with TLR2 and TLR4 agonists. Specifically, LPS induced TNFα, MIP-1β, and RANTES production in these cells, whereas the TLR2 agonists induced only MIP-1β production. CONCLUSION Together, these data show that different TLR proteins mediate the activation of distinct cellular responses, despite their shared ability to activate NF-κB, AP1, MAP kinases, and PI-3-K.
Update of Spectroscopic Data for 4-Hydroxydictyolactone and Dictyol E Isolated from a Halimeda stuposa — Dictyota sp. Assemblage †

The methanol extract of an assemblage of Halimeda stuposa and a Dictyota sp. , yielded three natural products characteristic of Dictyota sp. , and one of Halimeda sp. These included the xenicane diterpene 4-hydroxydictyolactone (1), and the diterpenes dictyol E (2), 8α,11-dihydroxypachydictyol A (3) and indole-3-carboxaldehyde (4). A minor revision of 1 and new spectroscopic data for 1 and 2 are provided, along with associated anti-cancer activities of compounds 1–4.
Lifetime prevalence, correlates, and persistence of oppositional defiant disorder: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.

BACKGROUND Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a leading cause of referral for youth mental health services; yet, many uncertainties exist about ODD given it is rarely examined as a distinct psychiatric disorder. We examined the lifetime prevalence, onset, persistence, and correlates of ODD. METHODS Lifetime prevalence of ODD and 18 other DSM-IV disorders was assessed in a nationally representative sample of adult respondents (n = 3,199) in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Retrospective age-of-onset reports were used to test temporal priorities with comorbid disorders. RESULTS Lifetime prevalence of ODD is estimated to be 10.2% (males = 11.2%; females = 9.2%). Of those with lifetime ODD, 92.4% meet criteria for at least one other lifetime DSM-IV disorder, including: mood (45.8%), anxiety (62.3%), impulse-control (68.2%), and substance use (47.2%) disorders. ODD is temporally primary in the vast majority of cases for most comorbid disorders. Both active and remitted ODD significantly predict subsequent onset of secondary disorders even after controlling for comorbid conduct disorder (CD). Early onset (before age 8) and comorbidity predict slow speed of recovery of ODD. CONCLUSIONS ODD is a common child- and adolescent-onset disorder associated with substantial risk of secondary mood, anxiety, impulse-control, and substance use disorders. These results support the study of ODD as a distinct disorder. Prospective and experimental studies are needed to further delineate the temporal and causal relations between ODD and related disorders.
Feasibility and Outcomes of a Community-Based, Pedometer-Monitored Walking Program in Chronic Stroke: A Pilot Study

Abstract Background and Purpose: After stroke, many individuals have reduced physical activity. Pedometer use is reported to enhance physical activity in patients with other health conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a community-based, pedometer-monitored walking program and determine its effects on gait speed and distance, quality of life, and balance self-efficacy post stroke. Methods: A single-group, pretest-posttest follow-up design was used. Eleven individuals with chronic stroke (mean age, 60.4 years; mean time since stroke, 12.2 years) completed a pedometer-monitored, community-based intervention. Primary outcomes were the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and 10-meter walk test. Secondary outcomes were the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, Stroke Impact Scale-16 (SIS-16), and a pedometer satisfaction survey. Subjects used pedometers daily for 6 weeks and recorded step counts, adverse symptoms, and exertion levels in exercise diaries. Weekly phone coaching was used to set walking goals. Results: No adverse events occurred. All subjects were able to don pedometers, 91% could read step counts, and 80% expressed satisfaction. There were no significant group changes across outcome measures. There were moderate effect sizes for changes in SIS-16 (0.312) and 6MWT (0.293). Increasing steps correlated with increased perception of physical function. Discussion: The results support the feasibility of and participant satisfaction with a community-based, pedometer-monitored walking program post stroke. Limitations include small sample size and lack of a comparison group. Conclusions: This study represents a preliminary step in determining the effectiveness of pedometer-based interventions for enhancing physical activity in persons with chronic stroke. Further study is warranted.
Document segmentation using Relative Location Features

In this paper we evaluate the use of Relative Location Features (RLF) on a historical document segmentation task, and compare the quality of the results obtained on structured and unstructured documents using RLF and not using them. We prove that using these features improve the final segmentation on documents with a strong structure, while their application on unstructured documents does not show significant improvement. Although this paper is not focused on segmenting unstructured documents, results obtained on a benchmark dataset are equal or even overcome previous results of similar works.
Trust and Trustworthiness in an Economy with Heterogeneous Individuals

We analyze the determinants of trust and trustworthiness in a matching equilibrium when agents have heterogeneous predispositions towards trusting and trustworthy behavior, there is transmission of information via both individual and collective reputations, and successful matches may persist. In new matches, more social trustworthiness breeds more individual trust. However, whether more social trust breeds more or less individual trustworthiness depends on the observability of individual histories of play. If it is low, more trust generally breeds less trustworthiness, while if it is high, more trust breeds more trustworthiness. We combine the links between social trust and trustworthiness to construct a general trust/trustworthiness equilibrium and discuss its properties.
Relationship between functional loss before hospital admission and mortality in elderly persons with medical illness.

OBJECTIVE This hospital-based prospective study tests the hypothesis that, in a large group of hospitalized elderly patients, those who report functional decline between pre-illness baseline and hospital admission have a higher risk of death. METHODS Nine hundred fifty elderly ambulant patients (F = 69.3%; mean age 78.3 +/- 8.5 years) were consecutively admitted to a geriatric ward (Poliambulanza Hospital, Brescia, Italy) during a 15-month period. Number and severity of somatic diseases, Charlson Index score, APACHE II score, level of serum albumin, cognitive status (by Mini-Mental State Examination), and depression score (by Geriatric Depression Scale), were assessed on admission and evaluated as potential prognostic factors. Functional status (by Barthel Index) was assessed by self-report on admission. Preadmission function was also assessed by self-report at the time of admission. Impairment of function due to an acute event is measured as the difference between performances on admission and 2 weeks before the acute event. Six-month survival was the main outcome variable. RESULTS Factors related to mortality in bivariate analysis were: male sex, age over 80, cancer, congestive heart failure, pulmonary diseases, elevated Charlson Index score, and (independently) dementia (Mini-Mental State Examination < 18), APACHE-Acute Physiology Score , albumin level <3.5 g/dL, and anemia. After controlling for these variables and for Barthel Index score 2 weeks before the acute event, change in function due to the acute disease is independently related to 6-month mortality (minor functional change [<30 Barthel Index Point] relative risk: 1.3, 95% confidence interval, 0.6-3.0 and major functional change [major functional decrement] relative risk: 2.8, 95% confidence interval, 1.3-5.7). CONCLUSIONS Disease-induced disability may reflect a condition of biological inability to react to acute diseases (i.e., frailty), and should be assessed as a relevant prognostic indicator.
Involvement of MicroRNAs in Infection of Silkworm with Bombyx mori Cytoplasmic Polyhedrosis Virus (BmCPV)

Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) is one of the most important pathogens of silkworm. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to play key roles in regulating host-pathogen interaction. However, there are limited reports on the miRNAs expression profiles during insect pathogen challenges. In this study, four small RNA libraries from BmCPV-infected midgut of silkworm at 72 h post-inoculation and 96 h post-inoculation and their corresponding control midguts were constructed and deep sequenced. A total of 316 known miRNAs (including miRNA*) and 90 novel miRNAs were identified. Fifty-eight miRNAs displayed significant differential expression between the infected and normal midgut (P value < = 0.01 and fold change > = 2.0 or < = 0.5), among which ten differentially expressed miRNA were validated by qRT-PCR method. Further bioinformatics analysis of predicted target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs showed that the miRNA targets were involved in stimulus and immune system process in silkworm.
Mug Handle Affordance and Automatic Response Inhibition: Behavioural and Electrophysiological Evidence

Behavioural evidence has shown that the perception of an object's handle automatically activates the corresponding action representation. The activation appears to be inhibited if the object is a task-irrelevant prime mug that is presented very briefly prior to responding to the target arrow. The present study uses an electrophysiological indicator of automatic response priming, the lateralized readiness potential (LRP), to investigate the mechanisms of this inhibition effect. We presumed that this effect would reflect motor self-inhibition processes. The self-inhibition explanation of the effect would assume that the effect reflects activation-followed-by-inhibition observed rapidly after the offset of the prime at the primary motor cortex. However, the results showed that the effect is not associated with modulation of the early LRP deflections. In contrast, the inhibition manifested itself in the later LRP deflections that we assume to be linked to interference in the processing of response-related aspects of the target. We propose that the LRP pattern is similar to what would be predicted from the negative priming explanation of the effect. The study sheds light on understanding inhibition mechanisms associated with automatically activated affordance representations.
Direct Observations of the Mechanical Behaviors of the Cytoskeleton in Living Fibroblasts

Cytoskeletal proteins tagged with green fluorescent protein were used to directly visualize the mechanical role of the cytoskeleton in determining cell shape. Rat embryo (REF 52) fibroblasts were deformed using glass needles either uncoated for purely physical manipulations, or coated with laminin to induce attachment to the cell surface. Cells responded to uncoated probes in accordance with a three-layer model in which a highly elastic nucleus is surrounded by cytoplasmic microtubules that behave as a jelly-like viscoelastic fluid. The third, outermost cortical layer is an elastic shell under sustained tension. Adhesive, laminin-coated needles caused focal recruitment of actin filaments to the contacted surface region and increased the cortical layer stiffness. This direct visualization of actin recruitment confirms a widely postulated model for mechanical connections between extracellular matrix proteins and the actin cytoskeleton. Cells tethered to laminin-treated needles strongly resisted elongation by actively contracting. Whether using uncoated probes to apply simple deformations or laminin-coated probes to induce surface-to-cytoskeleton interaction we observed that experimentally applied forces produced exclusively local responses by both the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton. This local accomodation and dissipation of force is inconsistent with the proposal that cellular tensegrity determines cell shape.
Effects of HIV Infection on the Metabolic and Hormonal Status of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition

Background HIV infection occurs in 30% of children with severe acute malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Effects of HIV on the pathophysiology and recovery from malnutrition are poorly understood. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of 75 severely malnourished Ugandan children. HIV status/CD4 counts were assessed at baseline; auxologic data and blood samples were obtained at admission and after 14 days of inpatient treatment. We utilized metabolomic profiling to characterize effects of HIV infection on metabolic status and subsequent responses to nutritional therapy. Findings At admission, patients (mean age 16.3 mo) had growth failure (mean W/H z-score −4.27 in non-edematous patients) that improved with formula feeding (mean increase 1.00). 24% (18/75) were HIV-infected. Nine children died within the first 14 days of hospitalization; mortality was higher for HIV-infected patients (33% v. 5%, OR = 8.83). HIV-infected and HIV-negative children presented with elevated NEFA, ketones, and even-numbered acylcarnitines and reductions in albumin and amino acids. Leptin, adiponectin, insulin, and IGF-1 levels were low while growth hormone, cortisol, and ghrelin levels were high. At baseline, HIV-infected patients had higher triglycerides, ketones, and even-chain acylcarnitines and lower leptin and adiponectin levels than HIV-negative patients. Leptin levels rose in all patients following nutritional intervention, but adiponectin levels remained depressed in HIV-infected children. Baseline hypoleptinemia and hypoadiponectinemia were associated with increased mortality. Conclusions Our findings suggest a critical interplay between HIV infection and adipose tissue storage and function in the adaptation to malnutrition. Hypoleptinemia and hypoadiponectinemia may contribute to high mortality rates among malnourished, HIV-infected children.
Inflammation and Endothelial Dysfunction during Aging: Role of Nf-κb

One of the major conceptual advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of age-associated cardiovascular diseases has been the insight that age-related oxidative stress may promote vascular inflammation even in the absence of traditional risk factors associated with atherogenesis (e.g. hypertension or metabolic diseases). In the present review we summarize recent experimental data suggesting that mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species, innate immunity, the local TNFα converting enzyme (TACE)-TNFα and the renin-angiotensin system may underlie NF-κB induction and endothelial activation in aged arteries. The theme that emerges from this review is that multiple pro-inflammatory pathways converge on NF-κB in the aged arterial wall, and that the transcriptional activity of NF-κB is regulated by multiple nuclear factors during aging, including nuclear enzymes PARP-1 and SIRT-1. We also discuss the possibility that nucleophosmin (NPM or nuclear phosphoprotein B23), a known modulator of the cellular oxidative stress response, may also regulate NF-κB activity in endothelial cells. Introduction There are over 35 million Americans 65 years of age or older and the majority of them will suffer from age-associated cardiovascular disease(53-55). Understanding the critical mechanisms underlying cardiovascular aging and age-related arterial pathophysiological alterations may hold promise in developing novel interventional treatments for promotion of cardiovascular health in older persons. There is increasing evidence that in the absence of other risk factors, aging per se promotes development of atherosclerosis and increases the morbidity and mortality of myocardial infarction and stroke. The mechanisms by which endothelial oxidative stress and arterial inflammatory processes act as potent pro-atherogenic stimuli have been the subject of intense study. This review focuses on emerging evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activation of inflammatory pathways each play a central role in cardiovascular aging (52-55, 95), and discusses the role of NF-κB in the endothelial oxidative stress response during aging.