Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Duration of Hepatic Iron Exposure Increases the Risk of Significant Fibrosis in Hereditary Hemochromatosis: A New Role for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

OBJECTIVES:Hepatic fibrosis is a complication of hereditary hemochromatosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether the product of the magnitude and duration of hepatic iron exposure is related to the risk of significant fibrosis.METHODS:Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis to determine the utility of hepatic iron concentration (HIC) and age in the diagnosis of low- or high-grade fibrosis was undertaken retrospectively in 60 subjects who had undergone liver biopsy for assessment of hereditary hemochromatosis. A prospective pilot study was then conducted in 10 additional subjects to evaluate utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of HIC to predict fibrosis.RESULTS:Eighteen subjects had high-grade fibrosis while 42 subjects had low-grade fibrosis. Hepatic iron concentration alone was highly sensitive (100%) but of limited specificity (67%) in diagnosis of high-grade fibrosis. The product of [HIC × age] had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 86%, respectively, for diagnosis of high-grade fibrosis. Magnetic resonance imaging measurements also provided accurate assignment of subjects into fibrosis severity groups.CONCLUSIONS:Duration of exposure to iron is important in the development of hepatic fibrosis in hereditary hemochromatosis. The product of HIC and age is highly sensitive and specific for diagnosis of high-grade fibrosis and can be obtained using MRI.
Bone “mass” and the “mechanostat”: A proposal

The observed fit of bone mass to a healthy animal's typical mechanical usage indicates some mechanism or mechanisms monitor that usage and control the three longitudinal growth, bone modeling, and BMU‐based remodeling activities that directly determine bone mass. That mechanism could be named a mechanostat. Accumulated evidence suggests it includes the bone itself, plus mechanisms that transform its mechanical usage into appropriate signals, plus other mechanisms that detect those signals and then direct the above three biologic activities. In vivo studies have shown that bone strains in or above the 1500–3000 microstrain range cause bone modelling to increase cortical bone mass, while strains below the 100–300 microstrain range release BMU‐based remodeling which then removes existing cortical‐endosteal and trabecular bone. That arrangement provides a dual system in which bone modeling would adapt bone mass to gross overloading, while BMU‐based remodeling would adapt bone mass to gross underloading, and the above strain ranges would be the approximate “setpoints” of those responses.
Staining of Ova of Intestinal Parasites with Extracts of Hibiscus Sabdariffa and A zadirachta Indica

Ethanol extracts of two indigenous Nigerian plants Hibiscus sabdariffa and Azadirachta indica extracted using the soxhlet extraction method, were used to stain malaria parasites. The extracts were made with different percentages of ethanol (96%, 75%, 50% and 30%) and diluted to various concentrations. There was no previous record known on the use of H. saddariffa & A indica in staining intestinal protozoa according to the author's knowledge. By double dilution method, 0.13g/ml, 0.16g/ml, 0.11g/ml and 0.01g/ml to 0.08g/ml were made for H. sabdariffa, and 0.18g/ml, 0.09g/ml, 0.07g/ml, 0.05g/ml, 0.04g/ml, 0.03g/ml 0.02g/ml and 0.01g/ml for A.indica. Eggs of worms such as the ova of Ascaris lumbricoides, ova of Hookworm and Trichuris trichiura were deeply stained alike by high concentration of both dyes. Cyst of E. histolytica and E.coli stained grey in H. sabdariffa but were highly refractive with A.indica. In lower concentrations the outer covering of A.lumbricoides and T.trichiura were stained with the colour of the respective dyes while the granular segments retained its yellow-brown colour.
[Adaptation and convergent validity of a telephone-based Mini-Mental State Examination].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To adapt to Spanish and to determine the convergent validity of a Telephone Mini-Mental State Examination (t-MMSE) in order to assess the cognitive functions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. PATIENTS AND METHOD Prospective and observational study of a clinical sample consisting of patients with dementia from a memory clinic. Consecutive sampling of participants was used and convergent validity of the t-MMSE and MMSE scores was determined using several statistics measures. Patients were randomly assigned depending on the administration of the in-person/telephone test (MMSE and t-MMSE) or telephone/in-person (t-MMSE and MMSE) test within a 1- to 7-day interval. The effect of the confusion variables (age, gender, years of education, dementia severity, presence or absence of hearing impairment and administration order) on the concordance between the in-person and telephone MMSE versions was analysed. RESULTS After translating and retranslating the t-MMSE, of 141 participants, 77.47% subjects completed the protocol of the study. For the total score, the statistics for the convergent validity suggested a high consistency, independently of the order of test administration (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.87, Spearman's rho = 0.77); for the all subscores, it suggested moderate and good correlations. The difference between subscores did not range more than 1 point in any case. Confusion variables did not affect the variability of the performance scores between t-MMSE and MMSE. CONCLUSIONS The t-MMSE can be used as a good tool to estimate the MMSE score of patients with dementia.
UWB pulse propagation into human tissues

In this paper the propagation of a UWB pulse into a layered model of the human body is studied to characterize absorption and reflection of the UWB signal due to the different body tissues. Several time behaviours for the incident UWB pulse are considered and compared with reference to the feasibility of breath and heartbeat activity monitoring. Results show that if the UWB source is placed far from the human body, the reflection coming from the interface between air and skin can be used to detect the respiratory activity. On the contrary, if the UWB source is placed close to the human body, a small reflection due to the interface between the posterior lung wall and the bone, which is well distanced in time from the reflections due to the first layers of the body model, can be used to detect lung and heart changes associated with the cardio-respiratory activity.
Reactivation of Human Herpesviruses after Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation and Bone Marrow Transplantation

Reactivation of latent herpesviruses results in outcomes ranging from asymptomatic shedding of viruses to severe disease, depending on the immunological competence of the host. Severe and prolonged suppression of cellular arid humoral immunity alter hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is accompanied by a high incidence of symptomatic recurrent herpesvirus infections. Subclinical activation also occurs more herpesvirus than previously expected in transplant recipients. An increasing viral load in the blood detected by an antinomian assay or PCR and viral shedding in regional fluids have a predictive value for subsequent diseases. Monitoring of viral DNA in the peripheral blood after allgencic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) reveals unique temporal profiles of detection hr each herpesvirus. Recent studies demonstrate that recovery of CD4+ T cells is enhanced within one month after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (allo-PBSCT) compared to allo-BMT. To clarify whether this immunological advantage could affect the reactivation of human herpesvirus (HHV). we monitored the emergence of viral DNA by a nested-double polymerase chain reaction in peripheral blood leukocytes. Detection rates of HHV-6 DNAs which peak at 3-4 weeks post-transplant, were significantly reduced after allo-PBSCT compared to allo-BMT, while those of other herpesviruses, which tend 1.0 be reactivated late than this period (Epstein-Barr vii-virus and cytomegalovirus) were similar between the two types of transplants. Detection of HHV-6 DNA within the first month after the transplant was associated with delayed platelet engraftment. These results underscore the important role of CD4+ T reconstitution in inhibiting virus reactivation post-transplant.
Secular Trends in Mortality From Common Cancers in the United States by Educational Attainment, 1993–2001

Background Death rates for the four major cancer sites (lung, breast, prostate, and colon and rectum) have declined steadily in the United States among persons aged 25–64 years since the early 1990s. We used national data to examine these trends in relation to educational attainment. Methods We calculated age-standardized death rates for each of the four cancers by level of education among 25- to 64-year-old non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black men and women for 1993 through 2001 using data on approximately 86% of US deaths from the National Center for Health Statistics, education level as recorded on the death certificate, and population data from the US Bureau of Census Current Population Survey. Annual percent changes in age-adjusted death rates were estimated using weighted log-linear regression models. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Death rates for each cancer decreased statistically significantly from 1993 to 2001 in people with at least 16 years of education in every sex and race stratum except lung cancer in black women, for whom death rates were stable. For example, colorectal cancer death rates among white men, black men, white women, and black women with at least 16 years of education decreased by 2.4% (P < .001), 4.8% (P = .011), 3.0% (P < .001), and 2.6% (P = .030) annually, respectively. By contrast, among people with less than 12 years of education, a statistically significant decrease in death rates from 1993 through 2001 was seen only for breast cancer in white women (1.4% per year; P = .029). Death rates among persons with less than 12 years of education over the same time interval increased for lung cancer in white women (2.4% per year; P < .001) and for colon cancer in black men (2.7% per year; P < .001) and were stable for the remaining race/sex/site strata. Temporal trends generally followed an educational gradient in which the slopes of the decreases in death rate became steeper with higher educational attainment. Conclusion The recent declines in death rates from major cancers in the United States mainly reflect declines in more highly educated individuals.
Characterization of InGaAs/AlGaAs pseudomorphic modulation-doped field-effect transistors

High-performance pseudomorphic In<inf>y</inf>Ga<inf>1-y</inf>As/Al<inf>0.15</inf>- Ga<inf>0.85</inf>As (<tex>0.05 \le y \le 0.2</tex>) MODFET's grown by MBE have been characterized at dc (300 and 77 K) and RF frequencies. Transconductances as high as 310 and 380 mS/mm and drain currents as high as 290 and 310 mA/mm were obtained at 300 and 77 K, respectively, for 1-µm gate lengths and 3-µm source-drain spacing devices. Lack of persistent trapping effects,<tex>I-V</tex>collapse, and threshold voltage shifts observed with these devices are attributed to the use of low mole fraction Al<inf>x</inf>Ga<inf>1-x</inf>As while still maintaining 2DEG concentrations of about 1.3 × 10<sup>12</sup>cm<sup>-2</sup>. Detailed microwave S-parameter measurements indicate a current gain cut-off frequency Of 24.5 GHz When<tex>y = 0.20</tex>, which is as much as 100 percent better than similar GaAs/AlGaAs MODFET structures, and a maximum frequency of oscillation of 40 GHz. These superior results are in part due to the higher electron velocity of InGaAs as compared with GaAs. Velocity field measurement performed up to 3 kV/cm using the magnetoresistance method indicates an electron saturation velocity of greater than 1.7 × 10<sup>7</sup>cm/s at 77 K for<tex>y = 0.15</tex>, which is 20 percent higher than GaAs/AlGaAs MODFET's of similar structure.
Pig surgery: cryptorchidectomy using an inguinal approach

The objective of the study was to determine whether a less-invasive surgical technique used in cryptorchid horses, dogs and cats can be used successfully to remove retained testicles in pigs on farm. In total, 284 monolateral cryptorchid pigs underwent surgery on-farm condition, during which an incision was made over the inguinal ring and the undescended testicle was located for removal via identification of the vaginal process and the embryonic gubernaculum. A traction of these structures allowed the testis to pass through the deep and the superficial rings up to its exteriorisation outside the abdominal wall through the inguinal canal. The undescended testicle was located in the abdomen in 258 cases (90.8 per cent) and in the inguinal region in the remaining 26 cases (9.1 per cent). In none of the pigs was the abdominal cavity breached or the inguinal rings enlarged. However, in 23 pigs (8.1 per cent) the gubernaculum testis was thin and it frayed and ruptured when traction was applied, requiring a recovering by inserting a finger and Kelly curved forceps into the abdomen through the inguinal ring. In two pigs (0.7 per cent), the undescended testicle was not found. All surgical procedures were completed within 6–12 minutes. Four pigs died within two days after surgery (1.4 per cent). Major intraoperative or long-term complications did not occur. Results suggested that this surgical method is highly effective and could be used as a primary surgical approach in cryptorchid pigs as it is in cryptorchid dogs, cats and horses.
Arabidopsis GPAT9 contributes to synthesis of intracellular glycerolipids but not surface lipids

Highlight Arabidopsis glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 9 (GPAT9) is an sn-1 specific acyl-CoA:GPAT that contributes to intracellular glycerolipid biosynthesis in seeds, developing leaves and pollen grains, but not to extracellular glycerolipid biosynthesis.
FOXP3 expressing CD127lo CD4+ T cells inversely correlate with CD38+ CD8+ T cell activation levels in primary HIV‐1 infection

During the course of HIV‐1 infection, the status of immune activation has been determined to be a powerful indicator of disease progression. The immune system has adopted self‐regulatory mechanisms to counterbalance undesirable immune responses. CD25+CD4+ T regulatory (Treg) cells that express the transcription regulator, forkhead box P3 (FOXP3), play an important role in this immunosuppression. Using a combination of Treg cell discriminatory markers (FOXP3, CD25, CD127), we predicted that an expansion of Treg cell subsets would negatively correlate with immune activation during the early stages of HIV‐1 infection. We report that FOXP3+CD127lo expressing CD4+ T cells increases in primary HIV‐1 infection over time. Furthermore, the FOXP3+CD127lo CD4+ T cells may, in fact, reduce the levels of T cell activation following primary infection. It is interesting that the positive correlation between FOXP3+CD127lo CD4+ and CD25+CD127lo CD4+ T cells noted in HIV‐uninfected persons is not only lost but may also be reversed in early, chronic HIV‐1 infection. Unlike FOXP3+CD127lo CD4+, the level of FOXP3+CD25+CD127lo CD4+ T cells did not correlate with T cell activation, suggesting that these cells were not effective in reducing T cell activation. These observations suggest that different Treg populations may have different effects on reducing immune activation in HIV‐1 infection and that the FOXP3+CD127lo CD4+ T cell population may be particularly important in limiting immune activation.
Aberrant DNA repair and DNA replication due to an inherited enzymatic defect in human DNA ligase I

Two missense mutations in different alleles of the DNA ligase I gene have been described in a patient (46BR) with immunodeficiencies and cellular hypersensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. One of the mutant alleles produces an inactive protein, while the other encodes an enzyme with some residual activity. A subline of identical phenotype that is homozygous (or hemizygous) for the mutant allele encoding this partially active enzyme has facilitated characterization of the enzymatic defect in 46BR. This subline retains only 3 to 5% of normal DNA ligase I activity. The intermediates in the ligation reaction, DNA ligase I-AMP and nicked DNA-AMP, accumulate in vitro and in vivo. The defect of the 46BR enzyme lies primarily in conversion of nicked DNA-AMP into the final ligated DNA product. Assays of DNA repair in 46BR cell extracts and of DNA replication in permeabilized cells have clarified functional roles of DNA ligase I. The initial rate of ligation of Okazaki fragments during DNA replication is apparently normal in 46BR cells, but 25 to 30% of the fragments remain in low-molecular-weight form for prolonged times. DNA base excision repair by 46BR cell extracts shows a delay in ligation and an anomalously long repair patch size that is reduced upon addition of purified normal DNA ligase I.
Short-term/low-dose aspirin-induced duodenal erosions are not dependent on Helicobacter pylori infection, cyclooxygenase expression and prostaglandin E2 levels

Objective. The mechanisms of interaction between Helicobacter pylori infection and low-dose aspirin in the induction of duodenal erosions are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low-dose aspirin on the induction of duodenal erosions, the expression of cyclooxygenases and prostaglandin (PG)-E2 levels in healthy subjects according to their H. pylori status. Material and methods. Twenty healthy volunteers (H. pylori-negative n=10, H. pylori-positive n=10) received 100 mg aspirin/day for 1 week. During esophagogastroduodenoscopy, duodenal biopsies were taken before and at days 1, 3, and 7 of medication. COX-1 and -2 expressions were analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and immunohistochemistry; mucosal PGE2 levels were determined by ELISA. Three months after successful eradication of infection, nine H. pylori-positive subjects repeated the protocol. Results. Aspirin-induced duodenal erosions occurred independently of whether H. pylori infection was present or not. There was no difference in duodenal COX-1 and COX-2 expression among the groups and expression was not affected by aspirin. Basal duodenal PGE2 levels were similar among the different groups (H. pylori-negative 4.3±4.2, H. pylori-positive 5.2±1.3, following H. pylori eradication 5.2±1.4 ng/µg protein) and were not affected by low-dose aspirin. Conclusions. In healthy subjects, low-dose aspirin-induced duodenal erosions are not influenced by H. pylori status. Low-dose aspirin medication for one week does not affect either cyclooxygenase expression or duodenal PGE2 levels and therefore is likely to induce duodenal damage mainly through topical toxicity.
Assessment of selected psychological factors in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Introduction In the majority of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) mental health problems are demonstrated in the form of excessive anxiety and unstable emotional reactions. Emotional instability affects the wellbeing of these patients, and also their attitude towards the disease and the course of treatment. Aim The objective of the study is to evaluate psychological factors in patients with IBD, and to compare patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and patients suffering from Crohn's disease (CD) with respect to intensity of these factors. Material and methods The study included 108 patients with IBD. NEO-FFI and type-D Scale were used to evaluate personality traits. Anxiety level was measured with STAI. CECS was used to measure the patients’ tendency to suppress negative emotions. Results In the patients with CD 45% of subjects presented type D personality. In the group of patients with UC, type D personality was found in 38%. The higher levels of neuroticism and extraversion were observed in patients with UC, whereas the patients with CD exhibited a higher level of openness to experience and agreeableness. In patients with CD the levels of state anxiety were elevated, whereas in patients with UC higher scores were both for state and trait anxiety. Conclusions There were no statistically significant differences in terms of personality factors in a group of patients with CD and UC. It was found that the majority of patients with IBD suffer elevated or high sense of anxiety.
Smoking increases peptidylarginine deiminase 2 enzyme expression in human lungs and increases citrullination in BAL cells

Objectives: A gene–environment interaction between HLA-DR shared epitope genes and smoking in anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been reported. Identification of citrullinated proteins in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from smokers has led to the suggestion that citrullination induced by smoking might be the first step in the pathogenic chain of RA. Objective: To confirm and extend these findings. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed on BAL cells and bronchial mucosal biopsy sections obtained through bronchoscopy from 14 healthy smokers and 16 healthy non-smokers. Two antibodies recognising citrullinated proteins, two antibodies recognising peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD)2 enzyme and one recognising PAD4 enzyme were used. Results: Citrullinated proteins are upregulated in BAL cells of healthy smokers compared with healthy non-smokers. This was associated with higher expression of the PAD2 enzyme. The same level of citrullinated proteins was present in bronchial mucosal biopsy specimens of healthy smokers and non-smokers, despite higher expression of PAD2 in smokers. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that smoking enhances PAD2 expression in the bronchial mucosal and alveolar compartment, with consequent generation of citrullinated proteins in the latter. Smoking is an environmental factor that may lead to citrulline autoimmunity in genetically susceptible subjects.
Effects of Grapefruit Juice on Intestinal P‐glycoprotein: Evaluation Using Digoxin in Humans

Study Objectives. To determine the effects of grapefruit juice on the pharmacokinetics of oral digoxin, a P‐glycoprotein substrate not metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4, in healthy volunteers, and to assess whether polymorphic multidrug‐resistance‐1 (MDR1) expression contributes to interindividual variability in digoxin disposition.