Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Remifentanil on Convulsion Duration and Hemodynamic Responses During Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Among the drugs used for the induction of anesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), thiopental induces a greater degree of cardiovascular alteration than other agents. Remifentanil has been found to reduce blood pressure and heart rate when administered as an adjuvant during general anesthesia, with unknown effects on the duration of motor or electroencephalographic seizure activity during ECT. The purpose of this prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was to evaluate the effects of supplementing thiopental anesthesia with remifentanil on convulsion duration and cardiovascular response during ECT. Methods: Twenty-four American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II patients receiving 6 sessions of ECT were randomly allocated to 2 groups. All patients were premedicated with atropine (0.4 mg, intravenously), then anesthesia was induced by thiopental (1.0 mg/kg), succinylcholine (0.5 mg/kg), and remifentanil (1.0 &mgr;g/kg) in the case group or normal saline (3 mL) in the control group in a crossover format. Stimulus amplitude for applying ECT was kept constant during the sessions of treatment in the course of study for each patient. Hemodynamic parameters, convulsion duration, and recovery parameters were recorded. Statistical analysis was done using paired t tests. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding convulsion duration, recovery times to eye opening, obeying specific commands, and walking without help. Remifentanil significantly attenuated the increase in heart rate and arterial blood pressure (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Remifentanil (1 &mgr;g/kg) administered before thiopental (1 mg/kg) has no adverse effect on the duration of ECT-induced convulsion and recovery time, but it can attenuate the increase in heart rate and arterial blood pressure.
Differential progenitor dispersal and the spatial origin of early neurons can explain the predominance of single‐phenotype clones in the chick hindbrain

Clonal analysis of the chick embryo hindbrain has shown that during the first 48 hr of neurogenesis the large majority of neural progenitor cells generate clones of neurons of only a single major phenotype or of only closely related phenotypes. This is despite considerable spatial intermixing of diverse neuronal phenotypes at these stages of development and suggests that phenotype may be decided early in mitotic precursors and remembered through several subsequent rounds of division and dispersal (Lumsden et al. [1994] Development 120:1581–1589). Here we have used fate‐mapping and clonal analysis to study neuroepithelial cell dispersal and mixing in the early hindbrain and discuss this data in relation to the generation of single phenotype neuronal clones. We find that dispersal is not uniform throughout the dorsoventral axis of the neural tube, but is highly dependent on position along that axis. Neuronal identity is related to the spatial origin and, hence, environment of the cell, and the spatial intermixing of diverse neuronal phenotypes at HH stage 20 is largely the result of circumferential neuronal migration as medially born branchial motor neurons migrate laterally while the more laterally born mlf neurons migrate medially. Constraints on the dispersal of clonally related progenitors, in particular those that lie adjacent to the floor plate, may serve to restrict the fate of these cells to the generation of only one major neuronal phenotype, i.e., motor neurons. Dev. Dyn. 1998;212:14–26. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cultivation of gerbera irrigated with treated domestic effluents

This paper evaluates the nutritional impact on growth, production and quality variables of gerbera crop when fertigated with treated domestic effluents. An experiment was carried out in greenhouse at the Embrapa Meio-Norte in Teresina, in the State of Piaui, Brazil, from July to October 2007. A completely randomized experimental design with five treatments and five replications was adopted. The treatments investigated were T1 - 100% of water and nutritional requirements of crop were met with chemical fertigation (N e K2 O); T2 - 25% volume of water through fertigation and 75% treated wastewater effluents (TWE); T3: 50% volume of water through fertigation and 50% TWE; T4: 75% volume of water with fertigation and 25% TWE; and T5 - 100% volume of water supplied through TWE. Leaf growth and plant development were favored by the application of 50% fertigation and 50% TWE (T3). As for commercial requirements, the best results for number of flowers were obtained with T4. However, concerning quality, T2 produced flowers in July and August with longer stems, but in the months of September and October, no treatment achieved this standard due to high temperature and low relative humidity of the air in the region.
Genetic Risk Scores for Complex Disease Traits in Youth

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: For most disease-related traits the magnitude of the contribution of genetic factors in adolescents remains unclear. Methods: Twenty continuous traits related to anthropometry, cardiovascular and renal function, metabolism, and inflammation were selected from the ongoing prospective Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey cohort in the Netherlands with measurements of up to 5 waves from age 11 to 22 years (n=1354, 47.6% males) and all traits available at the third wave (mean age [SD]=16.22 [0.66]). For each trait, unweighted and weighted genetic risk scores (GRSs) were generated based on significantly associated single nucleotide polymorphisms identified from literature. The variance explained by the GRSs in adolescents were estimated by linear regression after adjustment for covariates. Results: Except for ALT (alanine transaminase), all GRSs were significantly associated with their traits. The trait variance explained by the GRSs was highest for lipoprotein[a] (39.59%) and varied between 0.09% (ALT) and 18.49% (LDL [low-density lipoprotein]) for the other traits. For most traits, the variances explained in adolescents were comparable with or slightly smaller than those in adults. Significant increases of trait levels (except ALT) and increased risks for overweight/obesity (odds ratio, 6.41 [95% CI, 2.95–15.56]) and hypertension (odds ratio, 2.86 [95% CI, 1.39–6.17]) were found in individuals in the top GRS decile compared with those at the bottom decile. Conclusions: Variances explained by adult-based GRSs for disease-related traits in adolescents, although still relatively modest, were comparable with or slightly smaller than in adults offering promise for improved risk prediction at early ages.
Pioglitazone, quercetin and hydroxy citric acid effect on hepatic biomarkers in Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Background: Non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), severe form of diseases belonging to the spectrum of the Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It is an asymptomatic disease which leads to fibrosis and finally to cirrhosis, an end stage liver disease. Objective: To study the effect of pioglitazone, quercetin and hydroxy citric acid on hepatic biomarkers and various biochemical parameters in experimentally induced non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Materials and Methods: Male Wister rats were divided into 8 groups. The activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and γ-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) were assayed in serum. The levels of various other biochemical parameters such as serum albumin, total bilirubin, creatinine, urea, uric acid and glucose were also estimated in experimental NASH. Results: The NASH group produced severe liver injury by significantly increasing the serum levels of ALT, AST, GGT and LDH compared with that of the control. However, the experimental NASH rats treated with pioglitazone, with quercetin and with hydroxy citric acid showed an obvious decrease in ALT, AST, GGT and LDH levels when compared with that of NASH induced group. A significant increase in the levels of albumin, creatinine, urea, uric acid, glucose and total bilirubin was noticed in experimentally induced NASH group (group 2) when compared to rats in control group (group 1). Conclusion: It could be inferred from this study that, pioglitazone, quercetin and hydroxy citric acid may afford protection to the liver against NASH, as evidenced by the results of this study on the levels of various biochemical parameters such as glucose, urea, uric acid, creatinine and bilirubin. Whereas from the results of hepatic marker enzymes, it is evident that optimal protection was observed after quercetin treatment against experimental NASH whereas pioglitazone and hydroxy citric acid also confers protection to some extent against NASH.
Probing Native Protein Structures by Chemical Cross-linking, Mass Spectrometry, and Bioinformatics*

Chemical cross-linking of reactive groups in native proteins and protein complexes in combination with the identification of cross-linked sites by mass spectrometry has been in use for more than a decade. Recent advances in instrumentation, cross-linking protocols, and analysis software have led to a renewed interest in this technique, which promises to provide important information about native protein structure and the topology of protein complexes. In this article, we discuss the critical steps of chemical cross-linking and its implications for (structural) biology: reagent design and cross-linking protocols, separation and mass spectrometric analysis of cross-linked samples, dedicated software for data analysis, and the use of cross-linking data for computational modeling. Finally, the impact of protein cross-linking on various biological disciplines is highlighted.
Vaccination of Patients With Metastatic Renal Cancer With Modified Vaccinia Ankara Encoding the Tumor Antigen 5T4 (TroVax) Given Alongside Interferon-α

Approximately 90% of renal cell tumors overexpress the tumor antigen 5T4. The attenuated strain of vaccinia virus, modified vaccinia Ankara, has been engineered to express 5T4 (TroVax). We conducted an open-label phase 1/2 trial in which TroVax was administered alongside interferon-α (IFNα) to 11 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Antigen-specific cellular and humoral responses were monitored throughout the study, and clinical responses were assessed by measuring the changes in tumor burden by computed tomography scan (Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors). The primary objective was to assess the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of TroVax when given alongside IFNα. Treatment with TroVax plus IFNα was well tolerated with no serious adverse events attributed to TroVax. All 11 patients mounted 5T4-specific antibody responses and 5 (45%) mounted cellular responses. No objective tumor responses were seen, but the overall median time to progression (TTP) of 9 months (range: 2.1 to 26+ mo) was longer than expected for IFNα alone. For the 10 clear cell patients the TTP ranged from 3.9 to 26+ months, with a median TTP of 10.4 months. The high frequency of 5T4-specific immune responses and prolonged median TTP for clear cell patients compared with that expected for IFNα alone is encouraging and warrants further investigation.
Export intensity, domestic competition, and product innovation in an emerging economy

Recent studies have found contradictory evidence about the relationship between a firm's exporting intensity and its success in product innovation. Data on 6,197 firms in the Chinese auto industry were analysed to demonstrate that the relationship is actually inverted-U shaped, at least in that specific context. Exporters in emerging economies can be technology and market leaders in their domestic markets, but internationally they tend to be technology and market laggards. When the export intensity is low firms that also export can benefit from knowledge gained in overseas markets, improving their product innovation. When the export intensity is very high, focused exporters tend to focus on the overseas markets where they may not have competitive advantages in product innovation, developing fewer product innovations. Furthermore, the paper found that the inverted-U shaped relationship between export intensity and product innovation is strengthened by more intense competition in the home market.
Comparing Public Procurement Auctions

This article contrasts two auction formats often used in public procurement: first price auctions with ex post screening of bid responsiveness and average bid auctions (ABAs), in which the bidder closest to the average bid wins. The equilibrium analysis reveals that their ranking is ambiguous in terms of revenues, but the ABA is typically less efficient. Using a data set of Italian public procurement auctions run alternately under the two formats, a structural model of bidding is estimated for the subsample of first price auctions and used to quantify the efficiency loss under counterfactual ABAs.
The Low pH-Dependent Entry of Avian Reovirus Is Accompanied by Two Specific Cleavages of the Major Outer Capsid Protein μ2C

Avian reoviruses are capable of inducing rapid and extensive syncytium formation, a process that occurs preferentially under conditions of neutral or alkaline pH. In order to ascertain whether the membrane fusion-inducing capability of avian reovirus confers a pH-independent entry mechanism on the virus, virus entry was investigated using internalization assays and several lysomotropic agents that inhibit endosomal acidification. The ability of avian reovirus to infect cells was severely restricted under all conditions that prevented endosomal acidification. The decreased infection efficiency in the presence of the lysomotropic agents correlated with an inhibition in the proteolytic processing of the major outer capsid protein μ2C. The importance, with respect to virus infection, of the low pH-dependent cleavage of the avian reovirus μ2C protein was confirmed by demonstrating that infectious subviral particles, generated by proteolytic processing in vitro, were capable of efficiently infecting cells in the presence of the lysomotropic agents. These results indicated that avian reovirus entry-specific membrane interactions are largely dependent on an endosome-mediated proteolytic processing of the virus particle, suggesting that the syncytium-inducing property of the sigma3 protein is not sufficient to promote virus uptake. Furthermore, avian reovirus internalization was associated with two distinct cleavages of the major outer capsid protein μ2C, unlike the entry-specific processing of the analagous mammalian reovirus major outer capsid protein μ1C. The μ2C cleavages occured sequentially and appeared to involve distinct cleavage specificities. Moreover, the second cleavage event was observed to be both virus strain- and cell type-independent, suggesting that the cleavage is both specific and biologically significant.
Changes in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Populations after Treatment Interruption in Patients Failing Antiretroviral Therapy

ABSTRACT Mutations in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase and protease that confer resistance to antiretroviral agents are usually accompanied by a reduction in the viral replicative capacity under drug-free conditions. Consequently, when antiretroviral treatment is interrupted in HIV-1-infected patients harboring drug-resistant virus, resistant quasi-species appear to be most often replaced within several weeks by wild-type virus. Using a real-time PCR-based technique for the selective quantification of resistant viral sequences in plasma, we have studied the kinetics of the switch from mutant to wild-type virus and evaluated the extent to which minority populations of resistant viruses not detected by genotyping persist in these individuals. Among 12 patients with viruses expressing the V82A or L90M resistance mutation who had undergone a 3-month interruption of therapy and for whom conventional genotyping had revealed an apparent total reconversion to wild-type virus, minority populations expressing these mutations, representing 0.1 to 21% of total virus, were still detectable in 9 cases. Kinetic studies demonstrated that viruses expressing resistance mutations could be detected for >5 months after the discontinuation of treatment in some patients. Most of the minority resistant genomes detected more than 3 months after the interruption of therapy carried only part of the mutations present in the resistant viruses prior to treatment interruption and appeared to result from the emergence of existing strains selected at earlier stages in the development of drug resistance. Thus, following the interruption of treatment, viral populations containing resistance mutations can persist for several months after the time when conventional genotyping techniques detect only wild-type virus. These populations include viral strains with only some of the resistance mutations initially present, strains that presumably express better fitness under drug-free conditions.
Indirect bullying: predictors of teacher intervention, and outcome of a pilot educational presentation about impact on adolescent mental health

We examined teacher characteristics predicting likelihood of intervening in indirect bullying (N=55) and piloted a 45-minute educational presentation about its mental health impact. Teachers' global empathy and perceived seriousness of indirect bullying vignettes were predictors of their likelihood of intervening, but knowledge of mental health impact was not. The presentation increased knowledge of impact and perceived seriousness, immediately and seven weeks later, compared with a treated control group. However, empathy for victims and likelihood of intervening did not increase. Recommendations include adding skills-based material, a self-efficacy measure and a focus on increasing global empathy rather than specific empathy for victims.
Churn Identification in Microblogs using Convolutional Neural Networks with Structured Logical Knowledge

For brands, gaining new customer is more expensive than keeping an existing one. Therefore, the ability to keep customers in a brand is becoming more challenging these days. Churn happens when a customer leaves a brand to another competitor. Most of the previous work considers the problem of churn prediction using the Call Detail Records (CDRs). In this paper, we use micro-posts to classify customers into churny or non-churny. We explore the power of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) since they achieved state-of-the-art in various computer vision and NLP applications. However, the robustness of end-to-end models has some limitations such as the availability of a large amount of labeled data and uninterpretability of these models. We investigate the use of CNNs augmented with structured logic rules to overcome or reduce this issue. We developed our system called Churn_teacher by using an iterative distillation method that transfers the knowledge, extracted using just the combination of three logic rules, directly into the weight of the DNNs. Furthermore, we used weight normalization to speed up training our convolutional neural networks. Experimental results showed that with just these three rules, we were able to get state-of-the-art on publicly available Twitter dataset about three Telecom brands.
Comparison of Routine Prophylaxis With Vancomycin or Cefazolin for Femoral Neck Fracture Surgery: Microbiological and Clinical Outcomes

Objective. To assess the impact of antibiotic prophylaxis on the emergence of vancomycin-resistant strains of Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus and the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) after vancomycin or cefazolin prophylaxis for femoral neck fracture surgery. Design. Prospective cohort study. Setting. A hospital with a high prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) carriage. Patients. All patients admitted with a femoral neck fracture from March 1, 2004 through February 28, 2005 were prospectively identified and screened for MRSA and vancomycin-resistant (VRE) carriage at admission and at day 7. Deep incisional and organ/space SSIs were also recorded. Results. Of 263 patients included in the study, 152 (58%) received cefazolin and 106 (40%) received vancomycin. At admission, the prevalence of MRSA carriage was 6.8%; it was 12% among patients with risk factors and 2.2% among patients with no risk factors (P = .002). At day 7 after surgery, there were 6 patients (2%) who had hospital-acquired MRSA, corresponding to 0.7% in the cefazolin group and 5% in the vancomycin group (P = .04); none of the MRSA isolates were resistant to glycopeptides. The rate of VRE carriage at admission was 0.4%. Three patients (1%) had acquired carriage of VRE (1 had E. faecium and 2 had E. faecalis); all 3 were in the cefazolin group (2% of patients) and none in the vancomycin group (P = .27). Eight SSIs (3%) occurred, 4% in the cefazolin group and 2% in the vancomycin group (P = .47). Conclusions. This preliminary study demonstrates that cefazolin and vancomycin prophylaxis have similar impacts on the emergence of glycopeptide-resistant pathogens. Neither MRSA infection nor increased rates of SSI with other bacteria were observed in the vancomycin group, suggesting that a larger multicenter study should be initiated.
Impedance control complements imcomplete internal models under complex external dynamics

In this paper, we investigate motor adaptation of human arm movements to external dynamics. In an experiment, we tried to determine whether humans can learn an internal model of a mixed force field (V+P) that was the sum of a velocity-dependent force field (V) and a position-dependent force field (P). The experimental results show that the subjects did not learn the internal model of V+P accurately and they compensated for the loads by using impedance control. Our results suggest that humans use impedance control when internal models become inaccurate because of the complexity of the external dynamics.