Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum indicators for the diagnosis of pneumocystis pneumonia.

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is difficult because it requires microscopic examination to identify pneumocystis from induced sputum or BAL fluid. STUDY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the usefulness of four serum markers-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), (1-->3) beta-D-glucan (beta-D-glucan), KL-6, and C-reactive protein (CRP)-in the diagnosis of PCP. DESIGN Case-control retrospective study. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS We reviewed the medical records of 295 consecutive patients who underwent BAL for the diagnosis of PCP. Differential cell counts in BAL fluid and serum levels of LDH, beta-D-glucan, KL-6, and CRP were examined. Oxygenation index was determined using arterial oxygen tension and inspiratory oxygen concentration. RESULTS Based on the microscopic examination of BAL fluid, 57 patients were PCP positive and 238 patients were PCP negative. There were no significant differences in cell count or differentials in BAL fluid between the positive and negative cases. Serum levels of LDH, beta-D-glucan, and KL-6 were significantly higher in PCP-positive patients (p < 0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curves suggest that beta-D-glucan was the most reliable indicator. The cut-off level of beta-D-glucan was estimated to be 31.1 pg/mL, with which the positive and negative predictive values were 0.610 and 0.980, respectively. In PCP-positive patients, the oxygenation index was decreased and correlated with LDH. Both LDH and beta-D-glucan levels were correlated with the proportion of neutrophils in BAL fluid. CONCLUSIONS Serum beta-D-glucan is a reliable marker for the diagnosis of PCP. Since BAL procedure is invasive, measuring beta-D-glucan should be considered as a primary modality for a diagnosis of PCP, especially for patients with severe respiratory failure.
Design and Analysis of a CO-OFDM Transmitter With Limited Modulator Extinction Ratio

In this paper, we consider the design and analysis of a coherent optical OFDM (CO-OFDM) transmitter using an optical in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) modulator with limited extinction ratio (ER) under four modulation formats. The transmitter-side digital signal processing (DSP), including hard clipping and predistortion, is introduced to combat the penalty induced by the limited ER of the modulator and the quantization noise of the digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The DAC resolution needed for transmitters using modulators with various ER values are examined. The peak-to-peak driving voltage (Vpp) and the clipping ratio (CR) of the transmitted signals are also optimized with respect to minimizing the Q-factor penalty for the modulator with different ER values. The simulation results show that, unlike previous work using modulators with an infinite ER, the optimum Vpp and CR values vary with different ERs and modulation levels.
The relationship between star formation rates, local density and stellar mass up to z ~ 3 in the GOODS NICMOS Survey

We investigate the relation between star formation rates and local galaxy environment for a stellar-mass-selected galaxy sample in the redshift range 1.5 ≤z≤ 3. We use near-infrared imaging from an extremely deep Hubble Space Telescope survey, the GOODS NICMOS Survey (GNS), to measure local galaxy densities based on the nearest neighbour approach, while star formation rates are estimated from rest-frame ultraviolet fluxes. Due to our imaging depth, we can examine galaxies down to a colour-independent stellar mass completeness limit of log M*= 9.5 M⊙ at z∼ 3. We find a strong dependence of star formation activity on galaxy stellar mass over the whole redshift range, which does not depend on local environment. The average star formation rates are largely independent of local environment, apart from those in the highest relative overdensities. Galaxies in overdensities of a factor of >5 have on average lower star formation rates by a factor of 2–3, but only up to redshifts of z∼ 2. We do not see any evidence for active galactic nucleus activity influencing these relations. We also investigate the influence of the very local environment on star formation activity by counting neighbours within 30 kpc radius. This shows that galaxies with two or more close neighbours have on average significantly lower star formation rates as well as lower specific star formation rates up to z∼ 2.5. We suggest that this might be due to star formation quenching induced by galaxy merging processes.
Functional Living in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: Older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) experience accelerated age-related decline in some domains of cognition. The present study sought to investigate executive functioning and dual tasking capacities in this group. Method: Older adults with DM2 and age-matched controls completed self-report measures assessing everyday activities, a comprehensive cognitive battery and more specific tasks assessing executive functioning, dual tasking, postural stability, and motor control. Results: Executive abilities were particularly compromised in the participants with DM2. Furthermore, the DM2 group exhibited reduced postural stability under dual task conditions. Discussion: These findings suggest that deficits in more complex cognitive activities underlie the decline in everyday function in DM2.
Evaluation of the radioprotective effect of Turkish propolis on foreskin fibroblast cells.

AIM OF STUDY Propolis is a resinous bee product, rich of polyphenolic compounds and flavonoids. It is known that in different geographic zones its chemical composition varies due to the different plant sources. Many biological properties including antimicrobial, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, antigenotoxic, antimutagenic, cytostatic activities have been ascribed to propolis. These biological effects are predominantly attributed to its content of polyphenols. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the radioprotective effect of ethanolic extract of Turkish propolis. (EETP) against γ-ray-induced DNA damage on fibroblast cells using comet assay for the first time. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fibroblast cells were pretreated 15 and 30 min with concentrations of 100, 200 and 300 μg/mL EETP then they were exposed to 3 Gy γ-rays. Amifostine (synthetic aminothiol compound) was used as a positive control. RESULTS The results showed a significant decrease in γ-ray-induced DNA damage on cells treated with EETP and amifostine when compared to only irradiated cells. (P < 001). CONCLUSION It was concluded that EETP prevent γ-ray-induced DNA damage in fibroblast cells and might have radioprotective activity.
Interleukin-17 serum levels and TLR4 polymorphisms in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND Inflammatory bowel disease, an autoimmune disease, has two clinical manifestations including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). IL-17 has been the target of intensive research in autoimmune diseases. The influence of Toll like receptor 4 (TLR-4) gene polymorphisms on IL-17 production has also been revealed in UC patients and tissue inflammation in mice. OBJECTIVES To investigate the association between the TLR-4 gene polymorphisms, Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile and IL-17 serum levels with ulcerative colitis. Additionally, we aimed to study modulation effects of forenamed gene polymorphisms on IL-17 serum levels in UC patients and controls. METHODS A total of 256 healthy controls and 85 UC patients enrolled in our study. DNA was extracted and PCR-RFLP technique was employed to determine Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms in TLR-4 gene and IL-17 serum levels were measured by ELISA method. RESULTS There was no significant difference between the frequency of Asp299Gly A>G and Thr399Ile C>T in UC patients and controls. While IL-17 serum levels in UC patients were significantly higher than controls (p=0.003), no significant difference in IL-17 levels between different genotypes existed. Additionally, a significant inverse relationship was observed between hemoglobin level and IL-17 serum levels in UC patients (p=0.039). CONCLUSIONS Increased IL-17 serum levels in our UC patients might be explained through the synergistic activity of IL-17/IL-23 axis and pro-inflammatory cytokines, causing severe clinical outcome in patients with IBD. The prolonged excretion of blood in stool driven by inflammatory process which causes iron metabolism disorder and anemia may elucidate the inverse correlation between hemoglobin and IL-17 serum levels in UC patients. Lack of association between the TLR-4 gene polymorphisms and UC in our study was consistent with the results from other Caucasian populations.
Relationship between 18 F-FDG PET SUV with Partial Volume Correction and Histology in Gastric and Gastro-Oesophageal Cancer

In vivo molecular imaging techniques is increasingly used in the management of oncological patients, allowing different aspects of oncological pathologies to be assessed (e.g. metabolism, hypoxia) non invasively. The possibility to extract indexes of disease from in vivo biomedical images and to associate them with their biological drivers opens new pro-spective on the role of in vivo molecular imaging and expedites the translation of novel biomarkers from the bench to the clinical environment. In this work we investigate the relationship between 18F-FDG uptake measured by Body- Weight Standardized Uptake Value (SUVBW) as index of cell glucose metabolism, and histological indices for gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancer. For this purpose, Partial Volume Effect Correction (PVC) has been properly compen- sated prior to the measurement of the PET index (PVC-SUVsub>BW). The correlation of 18F-FDG PVC-SUVBW with histol- ogy data was evaluated by bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Although obtained in a limited number of pa- tients, our results suggest that correlations can be found when PVC is applied to SUVBW and that 18F-FDG PET can provide information on biological characteristics of gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancer lesions.
Swallowing Disorders following Acute Stroke: Prevalence and Diagnostic Accuracy

We prospectively examined 128 patients with acute first-ever stroke to determine the prevalence of swallowing disorders, the diagnostic accuracy of our clinical assessment of swallowing function compared with videofluoroscopy, and interobserver agreement for the clinical and videofluoroscopic diagnosis of swallowing disorders and aspiration. We found clinical and videofluoroscopic evidence of a swallowing disorder in 51% [95% confidence interval (CI) 42–60%] and 64% (95% CI 55–72%) of patients, respectively, and aspiration in 49% (95% CI 40–58%) and 22% (95% CI 15–29%) of patients, respectively. The optimal clinical criteria for detecting videofluoroscopic evidence of a swallowing disorder and aspiration were any clinical evidence of a swallowing disorder (sensitivity 73%, 95% CI 62–82%; specificity 89%, 95% CI 76–96%), and any clinical evidence of aspiration (sensitivity 93%, 95% CI 76–99%; specificity 63%, 95% CI 53–72%). The interobserver agreement between two speech pathologists for the clinical diagnosis of a swallowing disorder (κ: 0.82 ± 0.09) and aspiration (κ: 0.75 ± 0.09) was good, and between a speech pathologist and radiologist for the videofluoroscopic diagnosis of a swallowing disorder (κ: 0.75 ± 0.09) and aspiration (κ: 0.41 ± 0.09), it was good and fair, respectively. Although clinical bedside examination underestimates the frequency of swallowing abnormalities and overestimates the frequency of aspiration compared with videofluoroscopy, it may still offer valuable information for the diagnosis of swallowing impairment. Long-term follow-up studies are required to determine the independent functional significance of the findings of the bedside and videofluoroscopic examinations in predicting the occurrence of important outcome events such as aspiration pneumonia.
Human respiratory syncytial virus detection in children admitted at a community hospital in Botucatu, SP, Brazil

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (HRSV) is recognized as the single most important pathogen responsible for acute viral infection of the lower respiratory tract in young children. In this study, 84 samples from children under two years of age presenting acute respiratory symptoms were obtained from September 2000 to November 2001. Analysis by immunofluorescence and reverse-transcription followed by PCR, revealed that 18% (15/84) of all the samples were positive for HRSV, in which 80% (12/15) of the cases was observed in children under six months of age and the subgroups A and B co-circulated in the studied period. These are the first data obtained for Botucatu city and seasonality is evident by the higher circulation of the virus between May and July.
Stochastic resonance in an autonomous system with a nonuniform limit cycle.

In a recent numerical study, Gang et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 807 (1993)] presented the first example of stochastic resonance in an autonomous system. They considered a two-variable model in which a limit cycle is born as some parameter is varied. Their numerical experiments revealed various noise-induced effects, including a noise-induced shift in the frequency of the limit-cycle oscillations, and noise-induced oscillations in the absence of a deterministic limit cycle. We show that both of these effects are simple consequences of the nonuniformity of the motion along the limit cycle.
PROLACTIN LEVELS DURING THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE *

The levels of prolactin, FSH, LH, oestradiol and progesterone were measured daily during fourteen ovulatory cycles. The behaviour of FSH, LH, oestradiol and progesterone was classical. Non‐systematic changes occurred in prolactin levels during the course of the menstrual cycle with the highest level being either during the ovulatory period or during the luteal phase. However, the mean level of prolactin was significantly higher during the ovulatory and luteal phases than during the follicular phase. A direct relationship between oestradiol and prolactin levels was noted, although there was no correlation between prolactin on the one hand and FSH, LH and progesterone on the other.
Null mutations of the Dictyostelium cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase gene block chemotactic cell movement in developing aggregates.

Extracellular cAMP is a critical messenger in the multicellular development of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. The levels of cAMP are controlled by a cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) that is secreted by the cells. The PDE gene (pdsA) is controlled by three promoters that permit expression during vegetative growth, during aggregation, and in prestalk cells of the older structures. Targeted disruption of the gene aborts development, and complementation with a modified pdsA restores development. Two distinct promoters must be used for full complementation, and an inhibitory domain of the PDE must be removed. We took advantage of newly isolated PDE-null cells and the natural chimerism of the organism to ask whether the absence of PDE affected individual cell behavior. PDE-null cells aggregated with isogenic wild-type cells in chimeric mixtures, but could not move in a coordinated manner in mounds. The wild-type cells move inward toward the center of the mound, leaving many of the PDE-null cells at the periphery of the aggregate. During the later stages of development, PDE-null cells in the chimera segregate to regions which correspond to the prestalk region and the rear of the slug. Participation in the prespore/spore population returns with the restoration of a modified pdsA to the null cells.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Positron Emission Tomography Provides a Roadmap for Surgical Planning and Serves as a Predictive Biomarker in Patients With Recurrent Gynecological Cancers Undergoing Pelvic Exenteration

Objective Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the modality of choice for staging gynecological cancers owing to its superb soft tissue resolution, whereas 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) allows the assessment of glycolytic activity within the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we evaluated the incremental value of fused MRI/PET over MRI or fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT alone for assessing local disease extent in patients with recurrent gynecological cancers undergoing pelvic exenteration and determined the associations between imaging findings and clinical outcomes in this patient population. Materials and Methods The institutional review board approved this retrospective, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant study of 31 patients who underwent pelvic MRI and PET/CT 3 months or less before pelvic exenteration for recurrent cancers of the uterine cervix, corpus, or vulva/vagina. Using a 1 to 5 scale (1, definitely not present; 5, definitely present), 2 readers independently evaluated MRI, PET/CT, and fused MRI/PET images for the presence of bladder, rectum, and pelvic sidewall invasion. Surgical pathology constituted the reference standard. Measurements of diagnostic accuracy, interreader agreement, and associations between imaging findings and progression-free survival and overall survival were calculated. Results Compared with MRI or PET/CT, fused MRI/PET correctly improved readers’ diagnostic confidence in detecting bladder, rectum, or pelvic sidewall invasion in up to 52% of patients. Interreader agreement was consistently in the highest (“almost perfect”) range only for MRI/PET (&kgr; = 0.84–1.0). The highest sensitivities (0.82–1.0), specificities (0.91–1.0), and predictive values (0.80–1.0) were consistently achieved with fused MRI/PET (although the differences were not statistically significant [P > 0.05]). Pelvic sidewall invasion on MRI/PET was the only finding significantly associated with both progression-free and overall survival for both readers (P = 0.0067–0.0440). Conclusions In patients with recurrent gynecological cancers undergoing pelvic exenteration, fused MRI/PET served as a predictive biomarker and yielded greater diagnostic confidence and interreader agreement than either MRI or PET/CT.
Rapamycin inhibits growth of cholangiocarcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The immunosuppressive agent rapamycin is currently being evaluated for its antineoplastic effect. In the present study, the antineoplastic effect of rapamycin against cholangiocarcinoma was studied in vitro. METHODOLOGY To explore the therapeutic potential of rapamycin, expression of mTOR in four cholangiocarcinoma cell lines--TFK1, HuCCT1, NOZW, and OZ--was evaluated by real-time PCR. The cell lines were then cultured with rapamycin (200 nM), and changes in the expression of Akt, phosphorylated PTEN (pPTEN), and phosphorylated S6 (pS6) were evaluated by western blotting. Finally, the cell lines were cultured with rapamycin (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 nM), gemcitabine (0, 0.5, 1, 2 microM), or both, and the antiproliferative effect was evaluated by MTT assay. RESULTS All four cholangiocarcinoma cell lines expressed endogenous mTOR-mRNA, the of expression being highest in HuCCT1 (65.8) and lowest in TFK1 (17.6). Western blotting revealed that rapamycin treatment decreased Akt expression significantly in all four cell lines (TFK1; 15.5%, HuCCT1; 6.3%, NOZW; 9.8%, OZ; 19.5%), and also decreased the expression of p-PTEN (TFK1; 10.6%, HuCCT1; 5.4%, NOZ-W; 12.2%, OZ; 12.2%) and pS6 (TFK1; 64.0%, HuCCT1; 73.9%, NOZW; 78.6%, OZ; 47.6%) in all four cell lines. Finally, rapamycin significantly inhibited the growth of all four cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Gemcitabine inhibited the growth of NOZW and HuCCT1, but its effect was less marked on TFK1 and OZ. Furthermore, a synergistic anti-proliferative effect of rapamycin and gemcitabine was observed in TFK1, NOZW, and OZ, but not in HuCCT1. CONCLUSION Rapamycin effectively inhibited the growth of the four cholangiocarcinoma cell lines tested, and a synergistic effect with gemcitabine was observed in three of them. Rapamycin offers a new therapeutic strategy to inhibit the growth of cholangiocarcinoma.
Approaches for Developing a Regression Model for Sizing a Stand-Alone Photovoltaic System

This paper proposes a methodology to develop a regression model for sizing a stand-alone photovoltaic (SAPV) system, thereby predicting the operational requirements of an SAPV system for a given location and the load conditions. The application of this methodology is demonstrated by developing a pair of regression models for a particular case of solar irradiation, load, and efficiency, which serve as main inputs to this model. The proposed model is based on the simulated long-term performance of an SAPV system. The validation of the simulation methodology is done by comparing the simulated and experimental values of current distribution pattern of an SAPV system. The comparative results of simulation and experiment results match a confidence level of 92%. The proposed regression model was also compared with a real-time example. This model explicitly helps a designer to evaluate the system requirements for given input data within a predefined tolerance.
PSA‐NCAM‐dependent GDNF signaling limits neurodegeneration and epileptogenesis in temporal lobe epilepsy

Polysialylated neuronal cell adhesion molecule (PSA‐NCAM), a polysialylated protein constitutively expressed in the hippocampus, is involved in neuronal growth, synaptic plasticity and neurotrophin signaling. In particular, PSA‐NCAM mediates Ret‐independent glial‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) signaling, leading to downstream FAK activation. GDNF has potent seizure‐suppressant action, whereas PSA‐NCAM is upregulated by seizure activity. However, the involvement of Ret‐independent GDNF signaling in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is not established. We tested the effects of PSA‐NCAM inactivation on neurodegeneration and epileptogenesis in a mouse model of TLE. In this model, unilateral intrahippocampal kainic acid (KA) injection induced degeneration of CA1, CA3c and hilar neurons, followed by spontaneous recurrent focal seizures. In the contralateral, morphologically preserved hippocampus, a long‐lasting increase of PSA‐NCAM immunoreactivity was observed. Inactivation of PSA‐NCAM by endoneuraminidase (EndoN) administration into the contralateral ventricle of KA‐treated mice caused severe degeneration of CA3a,b neurons and dentate gyrus granule cells in the epileptic focus, and led to early onset of focal seizures. This striking trans‐hemispheric alteration suggested that PSA‐NCAM mediates GDNF signaling, leading to transport of neuroprotective signals into the lesioned hippocampus. This hypothesis was confirmed by injecting GDNF antibodies into the contralateral hippocampus of KA‐treated mice, thereby reproducing the enhanced neurodegeneration seen after PSA‐NCAM inactivation. Furthermore, contralateral EndoN and anti‐GDNF treatment decreased GDNF family receptor α1 immunoreactivity and FAK phosphorylation in the epileptic focus. Thus, Ret‐independent GDNF signaling across the commissural projection might protect CA3a,b neurons and delay seizure onset. These findings implicate GDNF in the control of epileptogenesis and offer a possible mechanism explaining lesion asymmetry in mesial TLE.
Lytic effect of two fluoroquinolones, ofloxacin and pefloxacin, on Escherichia coli W7 and its consequences on peptidoglycan composition

Examination of biochemical changes in Escherichia coli W7 after exposure to ofloxacin or pefloxacin revealed distinct concentration-dependent responses. At levels close to the MIC, extensive filamentation was followed by a lytic event, which involved an active protein synthesis. This lysis was correlated with changes in the peptidoglycan composition, particularly a decrease in the average glycan chain length, involving the action of the autolysines. At higher concentrations, no lysis occurred and the growth was totally inhibited as well as the protein synthesis. The peptidoglycan composition exhibited an increase in the average glycan chain length, suggesting an apparent reduced activity of the lytic transglycosylase. These results show that exposure to low concentrations of quinolones leads to the induction of lysis and peptidoglycan modifications which might contribute to the bactericidal effects of quinolones.