Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Adrenal function in children with sepsis and septic shock].

OBJECTIVES To assess adrenal function in children with sepsis and septic shock with petechiae and to investigate the possible relationship between adrenal hypofunction, sonographic diagnosis of massive bilateral adrenal hemorrhage, and other factors available early in this disturbance. PATIENTS AND METHODS Prospective observational study of 24 patients (14 boys, 10 girls), aged 2.9. 24 years, admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with sepsis and septic shock with petechiae during a 1.5-year period. The control group included 26 healthy children (13 boys, 13 girls), aged 8.8. 6.4. 2 years. Plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were measured by radioimmunoassay and adrenal ultrasonography was performed. RESULTS Plasma cortisol and ACTH levels were 243.7 ng/ml and 135.0 pg/ml in the patient group and 145.4 ng/ml and 21.1 pg/ml in the control group (p<0.01 in both). Adrenal insufficiency was found in four patients. Children with insufficiency more frequently required noradrenaline than did those with normal adrenal function (4/4 vs 2/20). Necrotic purpura (2/4 vs 2/20), massive adrenal hemorrhage (2/3 vs 1/20), lower platelet count (69.500 vs 212.895/l), lower prothrombin activity (19.0 vs 49.2%), lower fibrinogenemia (51.2 vs 304,4 mg/dl), higher pediatric risk of mortality III (PRISM III) scores (11.7 vs 2.7) and higher mortality rate (3/4 vs 1/20) were found in children with adrenal insufficiency than in those with normal adrenal function. CONCLUSIONS Plasma cortisol and ACTH levels were increased in children with sepsis and septic shock. Adrenal insufficiency was uncommon. Adrenal insufficiency was associated with severe hemodynamic failure, necrotic purpura, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, massive bilateral adrenal hemorrhage and high mortality rate.
Advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

The intense pursuit of novel therapies in rheumatoid arthritis has provided physicians with an assorted set of biologic drugs to treat patients with moderate to severe disease activity. Nine different biologic therapies are currently available: seven inhibitors of pro-inflammatory cytokines (five targeting tumor necrosis factor [TNF], one interleukin [IL]-1 and one IL-6), as well as a T- and a B-lymphocyte targeting agent. All these drugs have roughly similar efficacy profiles and are approved as first- or second-line therapy in patients who failed to respond to conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and in most cases for first line use in rheumatoid arthritis as well. Despite the irrefutable clinical and radiological benefits of biologic therapies, there are still low rates of patients achieving stable remission. Therefore, the quest for new and more effective biologic therapies continues and every year new drugs are tested. Simultaneously, optimal use of established agents is being studied in different ways. Recently, the approval of the first small molecule targeting intracellular pathways has opened a new chapter in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Other emerging treatment strategies include the activation of regulatory T cells as well as new cytokine-targeting therapies.
Effect of photoperiod on prenatal and early post hatch growth of broiler chicks.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of a 16L:8D lighting on pre-and postnatal growth in broiler chicks. Relative asymmetry (RA) in face length as a measure of developmental stability was also measured. For this purpose, broiler breeder hatching eggs were divided to 3 groups and exposed to 16h light (L) and 8h darkness (D) (16L: 8D) daily either from first day of incubation to 21 (IL 0-21) or from 14 to 21 d of incubation (IL 14-21). Darkness during the incubation as control (ID) was also provided. Newly hatched chicks were reared for 2 days either under 16L:8D or 24L:0D lighting. Prenatal lighting did not have a significant effect on hatchability although IL 0-21 had a numerically better hatchability than the other two groups. IL 0-21 embryos showed an increase in growth at embryonic days of 13 and 18 compared with the ID (P≤0.05). However, hatching weight did not differ among incubation treatments. Post hatch body weight and gain of chicks from IL treatments were significantly higher than those from ID group at 2 d (P≤0.05). RA measurements were not different between incubation treatments at hatching and d 2. However, chickens from ID group showed lower RA values under 24L:0D as compared with their counterparts reared at 16L:8D (P≤0.05). As a result, IL 0-21 would modified growth of embryos at prenatal stage without affecting hatching weights but improving body weight of 2 d old chicks as compared with the ID. RA measures for face length may indicate that chicks not experienced a daily light/dark rhythm during embryo stage might have perceived the 16L:8D lighting as more stressful, at least, at the beginning of their life. Further research may be appropriate to clarify this finding with regard to lighting environment during incubation that may have a potential to modify birds' growth and welfare.
An investigation of using music to provide navigation cues

This paper describes an experiment that investigates new principles for representing hierarchical menus such as telephone-based interface menus, with non-speech audio. A hierarchy of 25 nodes with a sound for each node was used. The sounds were designed to test the efficiency of using specific features of a musical language to provide navigation cues. Participants (half musicians and half non-musicians) were asked to identify the position of the sounds in the hierarchy. The overall recall rate of 86% suggests that syntactic features of a musical language of representation can be used as meaningful navigation cues. More generally, these results show that the specific meaning of musical motives can be used to provide ways to navigate in a hierarchical structure such as telephone-based interfaces menus.
Magnesium Transport in Bacillus subtilis W23 During Growth and Sporulation

The active transport of magnesium by cells of Bacillus subtilis strain W23 occurs by a highly specific transport system (Mg2+ is favored over Mn2+, Co2+, or Ca2+) that is energy dependent (i.e., glucose is required in minimal medium and the system is inhibited by cyanide and m-chlorophenyl carbonylcyanidehydrazone). The rate of magnesium uptake by log-phase B. subtilis cells follows saturation kinetics with a Km of 2.5 × 10−4 M and a Vmax of 4.4 μmol per min per g (dry weight) at 30 C. Manganese is a competitive inhibitor showing a Ki of 5 × 10−4 M. During sporulation the rate of magnesium transport declines. This decline in rate is specific for the magnesium system as the manganese and calcium transport rates increase. The residual magnesium transport function in sporulating cells shows both an altered Km and an altered Vmax. The magnesium content of late sporulating cells is also lower than that for log-phase cells.
Knowledge of and Attitudes towards Preventive Dental Care among Iranian Dentists

Objectives To assess Iranian dentists’ knowledge of and attitudes towards preventive dental care. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted at two nationwide annual dental congresses in 2004 and 2005 in Tehran, Iran. Dentists’ level of knowledge was assessed based on their responses on a Likert scale (0–4) to nine statements on preventive dental care. Higher scores indicated more accurate knowledge. Dentists’ attitudes towards preventive dental care were rated based on responses on a Likert scale (1–7) to nine pairs of bipolar adjectives. The respondents were to choose the response which best described their opinion. Higher scores indicated more positive attitudes. Of 1033 responding dentists, 980 (64% men) were deemed eligible for this study. Statistical evaluation was by t-test and the Chi-square test. Results Highest ratings were obtained for knowledge of the role of sugar consumption (Mean±SD: 3.73±0.60), sealants (3.58±0.68), and water fluoridation (3.35±0.81) in caries prevention; the lowest for their knowledge of the superiority of the use of fluoride toothpaste over technique of brushing (1.11±1.09). Dentists’ attitudes towards preventive dental care appeared most positive regarding its usefulness (Useful — Useless; 6.67±0.94), value (Valuable — Worthless; 6.59±0.98) to the community and for its status as a scientific (Scientific — Unscientific; 6.47±1.06) subject. Overall, female dentists had more favourable attitudes towards preventive dental care than male colleagues. Conclusions Preventive dentistry should be emphasised in dental education in order to update dentists’ knowledge and attitudes regarding preventive dental care.
Can the early X-ray afterglow of gamma-ray bursts be explained by a contribution from the reverse shock?

We propose to explain the recent observations of GRB early X-ray afterglows with SWIFT by the dissipation of energy in the reverse shock which crosses the ejecta as it is decelerated by the burst environment. We compute the evolution of the dissipated power and discuss the possibility that a fraction of it can be radiated in the X-ray range. We show that this reverse shock contribution behaves in a way very similar to the observed X-ray afterglows if the following two conditions are satisfied: (i) the Lorentz factor of the material which is ejected during the late stages of source activity decreases to small values < 10 and (ii) a large part of the shock dissipated energy is transferred to a small fraction (� ∼ 10 2 ) of the electron population. We also discuss how our results may help to solve some puzzling problems raised by multiwavelength early afterglow observations such as the presence of chromatic breaks.
Differences in Factors Affecting Various Crash Types with High Numbers of Fatalities and Injuries in China

Objectives Road traffic crashes that involve very high numbers of fatalities and injuries arouse public concern wherever they occur. In China, there are two categories of such crashes: a crash that results in 10–30 fatalities, 50–100 serious injuries or a total cost of 50–100 million RMB ($US8-16m) is a “serious road traffic crash” (SRTC), while a crash that is even more severe or costly is a “particularly serious road traffic crash” (PSRTC). The aim of this study is to identify the main factors affecting different types of these crashes (single-vehicle, head-on, rear-end and side impact) with the ultimate goal of informing prevention activities and policies. Methods Detailed descriptions of the SRTCs and PSRTCs that occurred from 2007 to 2014 were collected from the database “In-depth Investigation and Analysis System for Major Road Traffic Crashes” (IIASMRTC), which is maintained by the Traffic Management Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security of China (TMRI). 18 main risk factors, which were categorized into four areas (participant, vehicle, road and environment-related) were chosen as potential independent variables for the multinomial logistic regression analysis. Comparisons were made among the single-vehicle, head-on, rear-end and side impact crashes in terms of factors affecting crash occurrence. Findings Five risk factors were significant for the six multinomial logistic regression models, which were location, vertical alignment, roadside safety rating, driver distraction and overloading of cargo. It was indicated that intersections were more likely to have side impact SRTCs and PSRTCs, especially with poor visibility at night. Overloaded freight vehicles were more likely to be involved in a rear-end crash than other freight vehicles. Driver distraction is an important risk factor for head-on crashes, while vertical alignment and roadside safety rating are positively associated with single-vehicle crashes. Conclusion Based on the findings, promising measures were proposed to prevent each type of SRTC and PSRTC, which governmental or regulatory agencies could employ to plan strategies to reduce SRTCs and PSRTCs and support lifesaving policies.
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis among adult patients with ascites attending Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

Summary Background Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is one of the most common and life-threatening complications of ascites, mostly in patients with cirrhotic ascites and children with nephrotic syndrome. Recognition and prompt treatment of this condition is essential to prevent serious morbidity and mortality. It is therefore important to determine the prevalence of SBP among in-patients with ascites attending our facility and to determine the clinical characteristics associated with SBP among these patients. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 140 patients with ascites irrespective of the underlying cause from 25th March 2016 to 25th November 2016. Demographic information and clinical data were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Ascitic fluid culture, the gold standard for SBP diagnosis and ascitic fluid cell count was done. Positive ascitic fluid culture and/ or ascitic polymorpho nuclear leukocyte ≥250cells/mm3 were diagnostic for SBP Results Of the 140 patients with ascites the mean age was 44.7±13.2 years. There were seventy six (76) male and sixty four (64) female patients. The prevalence of SBP was 21.43% (30/140). Majority, (41.7%) of the bacteria isolated from ascitic fluid with SBP was Escherichia coli. History of jaundice, low arterial blood pressure on admission and encephalopathy were found to be independent predictors of SBP. Conclusion SBP is common among patients with ascites admitted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Jaundice, encephalopathy and low blood pressure are highly suggestive of SBP and diagnostic paracentesis should be done immediately on admission to confirm the diagnosis. Funding None
HIF-1α of Bone Marrow Endothelial Cells Implies Relapse and Drug Resistance in Patients with Multiple Myeloma and May Act as a Therapeutic Target

Purpose: To investigate the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in angiogenesis and drug resistance of bone marrow endothelial cells of patients with multiple myeloma. Experimental Design: HIF-1α mRNA and protein were evaluated in patients with multiple myeloma endothelial cells (MMEC) at diagnosis, at relapse after bortezomib- or lenalidomide-based therapies or on refractory phase to these drugs, at remission; in endothelial cells of patients with monoclonal gammapathies of undetermined significance (MGUS; MGECs), and of those with benign anemia (controls). The effects of HIF-1α inhibition by siRNA or panobinostat (an indirect HIF-1α inhibitor) on the expression of HIF-1α proangiogenic targets, on MMEC angiogenic activities in vitro and in vivo, and on overcoming MMEC resistance to bortezomib and lenalidomide were studied. The overall survival of the patients was also observed. Results: Compared with the other endothelial cell types, only MMECs from 45% of relapsed/refractory patients showed a normoxic HIF-1α protein stabilization and activation that were induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The HIF-1α protein correlated with the expression of its proangiogenic targets. The HIF-1α inhibition by either siRNA or panobinostat impaired the MMECs angiogenesis–related functions both in vitro and in vivo and restored MMEC sensitivity to bortezomib and lenalidomide. Patients with MMECs expressing the HIF-1α protein had shorter overall survival. Conclusions: The HIF-1α protein in MMECs may induce angiogenesis and resistance to bortezomib and lenalidomide and may be a plausible target for the antiangiogenic management of patients with well-defined relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. It may also have prognostic significance. Clin Cancer Res; 20(4); 847–58. ©2013 AACR.
Analysis of beak morphometry of the horned octopus Eledone cirrhosa, Lamarck 1798 (Cephalopoda: Octopoda), in the south-eastern Adriatic Sea

This paper presents the first information on Eledone cirrhosa beak morphometry and pigmentation in the Adriatic Sea. The analysis was performed on beaks from 136 female and 82 male specimens caught by demersal trawls in the south–eastern Adriatic. Male–to–female ratio was 0.6:1. Males had larger beaks relative to the mantle length than females, but the difference was not statistically significant. Beak growth was allometrically negative in relation to mantle length and body weight. The situation was similar regarding beak growth in relation to upper and lower mandible hood length, where only the upper rostral length and lower jaw width values in females showed b– values higher than 1. Four stages of pigmentation were identified in upper and lower beaks, with a significant degree of overlapping in relation to mantle length. ISSN: 0001-5113 AADRAY ACTA ADRIAT. , 55(1): 43 56, 2014
Identification of enteroviruses in clinical specimens by competitive PCR followed by genetic typing using sequence analysis

A sensitive method based on competitive PCR was developed to detect and quantitate enteroviral RNA in clinical specimens, with special emphasis on controlling contamination and the presence of potential inhibitory factors in the specimens. Oligonucleotide primers from the conserved parts of the 5' untranslated and VP2 capsid protein-coding regions were selected to differentiate between enteroviruses and rhinoviruses on the basis of the length of the cDNA amplicons. RNA transcribed from a truncated cDNA copy of the echovirus 11 genome was used as an internal control for the reverse transcription reaction and PCR. This allowed simple differentiation of the control and viral PCR products from each other by agarose gel electrophoresis and nonradioactive quantitation of the viral RNA in the clinical specimens. By direct sequencing of the PCR products and subsequent computer analysis of the data, potential laboratory contaminations could be monitored and enteroviruses from clinical samples could be grouped into four distinct clusters, thus enabling genetic typing of the viruses. The described method can be applied to the diagnosis and epidemiology of enteroviral infections.
Influenza vaccination for NHS staff: attitudes and uptake

Objectives Annual vaccination against influenza (flu) is recommended for all UK National Health Service (NHS) staff to help reduce the risk of contracting the virus and transmitting it to patients. However, despite flu campaigns and vaccination promotion, uptake remains low. The aim of this study was to investigate staff attitudes to flu vaccination to see how this may influence their decision to be vaccinated. Methods An online survey was sent to staff members across 6 NHS trusts, asking if staff had been vaccinated in the preceding flu season (2013–2014); the survey included questions about beliefs and attitudes to the vaccination, scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Results 3059 NHS staff members responded to the survey (86% in the 26–59 age group, 77% female and 84% hospital based). 68% of respondents reported being vaccinated in the preceding year. Using a stepwise regression model, the survey response retained as a positive predictor of having been vaccinated was ‘people working in healthcare should have the flu vaccination every year’ (p<0.001), and the responses retained as negative predictors were ‘the flu vaccination will make me unwell’ (p<0.001) and ‘the flu vaccination was too much trouble for me’ (p<0.001). Analysis by staff group showed a significant difference in the response to ‘the flu vaccination will make me unwell’ between groups (p=0.01), with doctors having a greater tendency to disagree with this statement than other staff members. Conclusions These results suggest that addressing NHS staff beliefs around the need for vaccination, while ensuring that practical barriers to having the vaccination are removed, may help to increase uptake. An emphasis on alleviating the concerns of particular staff groups regarding adverse effects of the vaccine may also be of benefit in improving uptake, to protect patients as well as staff.
Diversity in Mechanisms of Substrate Oxidation by Cytochrome P450 2D6

Cytochrome P450 (P450) 2D6 was first identified as the polymorphic human debrisoquine hydroxylase and subsequently shown to catalyze the oxidation of a variety of drugs containing a basic nitrogen. Differences in the regioselectivity of oxidation products formed in systems containing NADPH-P450 reductase/NADPH and the model oxidant cumene hydroperoxide have been proposed by others to be due to an allosteric influence of the reductase on P450 2D6 (Modi, S., Gilham, D. E., Sutcliffe, M. J., Lian, L.-Y., Primrose, W. U., Wolf, C. R., and Roberts, G. C. K. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 4461–4470). We examined the differences in the formation of oxidation products ofN-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine, metoprolol, and bufuralol between reductase-, cumene hydroperoxide-, and iodosylbenzene-supported systems. Catalytic regioselectivity was not influenced by the presence of the reductase in any of the systems supported by model oxidants, ruling out allosteric influences. The presence of the reductase had little effect on the affinity of P450 2D6 for any of these three substrates. The addition of the reaction remnants of the model oxidants (cumyl alcohol and iodobenzene) to the reductase-supported system did not affect reaction patterns, arguing against steric influences of these products on catalytic regioselectivity. Label from H2 18O was quantitatively incorporated into 1′-hydroxybufuralol in the iodosylbenzene- but not in the reductase- or cumene hydroperoxide-supported reactions. We conclude that the P450 systems utilizing NADPH-P450 reductase, cumene hydroperoxide, and iodosylbenzene use similar but distinct chemical mechanisms. These differences are the basis for the variable product distributions, not an allosteric influence of the reductase.
The evolutionary origin of bilaterian smooth and striated myocytes

The dichotomy between smooth and striated myocytes is fundamental for bilaterian musculature, but its evolutionary origin is unsolved. In particular, interrelationships of visceral smooth muscles remain unclear. Absent in fly and nematode, they have not yet been characterized molecularly outside vertebrates. Here, we characterize expression profile, ultrastructure, contractility and innervation of the musculature in the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii and identify smooth muscles around the midgut, hindgut and heart that resemble their vertebrate counterparts in molecular fingerprint, contraction speed, and nervous control. Our data suggest that both visceral smooth and somatic striated myocytes were present in the protostome-deuterostome ancestor, and that smooth myocytes later co-opted the striated contractile module repeatedly – for example in vertebrate heart evolution. During these smooth-to-striated myocyte conversions the core regulatory complex of transcription factors conveying myocyte identity remained unchanged, reflecting a general principle in cell type evolution.