Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Myasthenic Crisis

Myasthenic crisis is a complication of myasthenia gravis characterized by worsening of muscle weakness, resulting in respiratory failure that requires intubation and mechanical ventilation. Advances in critical care have improved the mortality rate associated with myasthenic crisis. This article reviews the epidemiology of myasthenic crisis and discusses patient evaluation. Therapeutic options including mechanical ventilation and pharmacological and surgical treatments are also discussed.
Full-Course Drug Challenge Test in the Diagnosis of Delayed Allergic Reactions to Penicillin

Background: Drug challenge test (DCT) has long been the most sensitive test in the allergological work-up when investigating for penicillin allergy. Objective: To improve sensitivity of the diagnostic work-up in diagnosing penicillin allergics with histories of allergic reactions on day 2 or later in the course of penicillin treatment. Methods: A full-course DCT was added to the current protocol if specific IgE, skin tests and DCT were all negative in patients who had a nonimmediate reaction to penicillin treatment. Sixteen patients with a history of an immediate reaction to penicillin treatment underwent testing with negative outcomes. Results: Fifty percent of patients undergoing full-course DCT experienced a cutaneous adverse drug reaction. None of the controls reacted (p = 0.001). The mean time of reaction was 6 days. Penicillin V accounted for most reactions. Urticaria was the most frequent clinical reaction observed. Conclusions: Full-course DCT offers an improvement of sensitivity and predictive values of the diagnostic work-up of allergic reactions to penicillin occurring on day 2 of penicillin treatment or later.
Dopamine agonists in Parkinson's disease: a look at apomorphine

Summary— Apomorphine is a D1 and D2 dopamine receptor agonist with anti‐parkinsonian properties qualitatively similar to those seen with l‐dopa. It was first used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease by Schwab in the 1950s but owing to its short duration of action, the need for parenteral administration, and adverse reactions including nausea, vomiting, postural hypotension and sedation, it was not widely prescribed. In the early 1970s, Cotzias confirmed its potent anti‐parkinsonian effects and that some of its secondary effects were diametrically opposite to those seen with l‐dopa. The advent of peripheral dopamine receptor antagonist drugs, which counteract the unwanted effects of apomorphine, and the development of new drug delivery systems including insulin pens and ambulatory mini pumps have led to the resurrection of apomorphine for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Over the last five years in Europe, the drug has proved to be a major advance in the treatment of refractory “on‐off” oscillations in Parkinson's disease. It has also been used as a diagnostic test for dopaminergic responsiveness in Parkinson syndromes and tremors of uncertain aetiology. The drug has also proved particularly useful in dealing with certain “off‐period” disabilities, including pain, bladder dysfunction, dystonia and gastro‐intestinal symptoms. Continuous steady state infusion of apomorphine by mini‐pump may reduce the severity of “on” phase dyskinesias over time. The drug has also proved useful in the clinical pharmacological investigation of the pathophysiology of the motor response to dopaminergic drugs in Parkinsons's disease and the occurrence of involuntary movement sequences. Neuropsychiatry side‐effects are relatively infrequent when compared with ergolene dopamine agonists. Studies with apomorphine raise the hope that it may be possible to develop a long acting, orally active dopamine receptor agonist with therapeutic effect comparable to that observed with l‐dopa and with fewer long term adverse reactions.
Mast cell numbers in appendices with threadworm infestation

A study has been made of mast cells (MC) in surgically resected appendices using a long toluidine blue (LTB) staining method. The numbers of MC in measured areas of both mucosa and submucosa/muscularis were counted and comparisons made between 22 appendices containing threadworms and 22 which were histologically normal. There was considerable variation in MC numbers from case to case and the patients aged under 15 as a group had a higher mean number of mucosal MC than the older patients. The reasons for the high individual variation could not be identified from the histological sections, and no correlation was found between MC numbers and the presence of threadworms.
TV white spaces in Africa: Trials and role in improving broadband access in Africa

TV white spaces (TVWS), together with dynamic spectrum access (DSA), offers a great promise in bridging the digital divide gap in Africa and making broadband connectivity affordable and ubiquitous. TVWS offers a great promise because there is plenty of unused spectrum in Africa and, due to the good propagation characteristics of sub-1GHz spectrum band, TVWS is a great rural technology. Some of the application areas of TVWS and DSA are delivery of government services, education and telemedicine. Trials have been conducted across Africa to demonstrate that TVWS technology can be used to deliver low cost broadband services, to increase awareness of the potential of TVWS technology and to provide information about costs involved in the technology. TVWS trials in Kenya and South Africa have demonstrated that the performance of a TVWS network compares to that of a Wimax network. In order for TVWS networks to be operational, TVWS and DSA regulations are required. The success of the use of TVWS in Africa depends on the national authorities across the continent in enacting the necessary regulations so as to enable the use of this technology.
Heterotopic gastric mucosa (inlet patch): endoscopic prevalence, histopathological, demographical and clinical characteristics

Objective: Heterotopic gastric mucosa (HGM) is found in the cervical oesophagus, just below the upper oesophageal sphincter, and has generally been overlooked by endoscopists. The objective of the present study is to determine endoscopic prevalence and histopathological and clinical characteristics of HGM and to classify patients according to their clinicopathological features.
Interaction between topography and coating in the formation of bone nodules in culture for hydroxyapatite- and titanium-coated micromachined surfaces.

Rat osteoblast cultures were maintained from 24 h to 6 weeks on hydroxyapatite (HA)- or titanium (Ti)-coated smooth and micromachined grooved substrata in medium supplemented with L-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate and beta-glycerophosphate to promote mineralization. The HA coatings, approximately 1 microm thick, were characterized using X-ray diffraction, surface roughness, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Osteoblasts elongated, aligned, and moved in the direction of the grooves on both Ti and HA grooved surfaces. HA surfaces produced significantly more bone-like nodules than Ti surfaces. All grooved substrata produced significantly more nodules than smooth surfaces. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that substrata can increase osteogenesis by formation of an appropriate microenvironment. There was also a statistically significant interaction between topography and chemistry in the formation of mineralized nodules. A strong correlation (r = 0.958) between alkaline phosphatase (Alk-P) at 2 weeks and nodule counts at 6 weeks was observed, suggesting that Alk-P may possibly be used as a leading indicator of osteogenesis on microfabricated surfaces. The results of this study indicate that surface topography and chemistry can affect osteogenesis, and that interactions between chemistry and topography can occur.
Lamellar Bodies of Human Epidermis PROTEOMICS

Lamellar bodies (LBs) are tubulovesicular secretory organelles of epithelial cells related to lysosomes. In the epidermis, they play a crucial role in permeability barrier homeostasis, secreting their contents, lipids, a variety of hydrolases, protease inhibitors, and antimicrobial peptides, in the upper keratinocyte layers. The identification of proteins transported in epidermal LBs is still far from complete, and the way their secretion is controlled unknown. In this study, we describe the first proteomics characterization by nano-LC-MS/MS of a fraction enriched in epidermal LBs. We identified 984 proteins, including proteins known or thought to be secreted by LBs. Moreover 31 proteins corresponded to lysosomal components further suggesting that LBs are a new class of secretory lysosomes. Many of the newly found proteins could play a role in the epidermal barrier and desquamation (one acid ceramidase-like protein, apolipoproteins, glycosidases, protease inhibitors, and peptidases) and in LB trafficking (e.g. Rab, Arf, and motor complex proteins). We focus here on CLIP-170/restin, a protein that mediates interactions between organelles and microtubules. Western blotting confirmed the presence of CLIP-170 and its known effectors IQGAP1 and Cdc42 in the LB-enriched fraction. We showed, by confocal microscopy analysis of skin cryosections, that CLIP-170 was expressed in differentiated keratinocytes, first at the periphery of the nucleus then with a granular cytoplasmic labeling evocative of LBs. It was preferentially co-localized with Cdc42 and with the known LB protein cathepsin D. CLIP-170 was also largely co-localized with Rab7. This study strongly suggests a new function for CLIP-170, its involvement together with Cdc42 and/or Rab7 in the intracellular trafficking of LBs, and provides evidence that nano-LCMS/MS combined with monodimensional electrophoresis separation constitutes a powerful method for identifying proteins in a complex mixture such as subcellular structures. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 7: 2151–2175, 2008.
Bone Marrow Chimeric Rats Reveal the Unique Distribution of Resident and Recruited Macrophages in the Contused Rat Spinal Cord

Brain and spinal cord inflammation that develops after traumatic injury is believed to differentially influence the structural and/or physiological integrity of surviving neurons and glia. It is possible that the functional dichotomy of CNS inflammation results from the activity of a heterogeneous macrophage population elicited by trauma. Indeed, unique functions have been attributed to macrophages derived from resident microglia versus those originating from infiltrating monocytes. Thus, whether progressive tissue injury or repair is favored could be explained by the disproportionate contributions of one macrophage subset relative to the other. Descriptive neuroanatomical studies are a reasonable first approach to revealing a relationship between microglia, recruited blood monocytes/macrophages, and regions of tissue degeneration and/or repair. Unfortunately, it is not possible to differentiate between CNS macrophage subsets using conventional immunohistochemical approaches. In the present study, we have used radiation bone marrow chimeric rats to definitively characterize the macrophage reaction elicited by experimental spinal contusion injury. In chimeric animals, antibodies raised against unique cell surface molecules expressed on bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) were used to distinguish infiltrating BMCs from resident microglial-derived macrophages. Our findings indicate that the onset and plateau of macrophage activation (previously shown to be 3 and 7 days postinjury, respectively) is dominated initially by microglial-derived macrophages and then is supplanted by hematogenous cells. While resident macrophages are ubiquitously distributed throughout the injury site, leukocyte-derived monocytes exclusively infiltrate the gray matter and to a lesser extent subpial white matter. Generally, monocyte foci in white matter remain associated with the lumen or abluminal surface of blood vessels, i.e. few cells actually infiltrate the parenchyma. If functional differences exist between CNS macrophage subsets, differences in the time-dependent accumulation and distribution of these cell types could differentially influence the survival of surrounding neurons and glia.
Normalization of contralateral metabolic function following temporal lobectomy demonstrated by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging

We studied 10 medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients prior to surgery using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) to localize seizure foci. We found significantly elevated creatine/N‐acetylaspartate (Cr/NAA) unilaterally in 8 and bilaterally in 2 patients. Five patients have been studied again 1 year after surgery. In the 2 patients with bilateral temporal seizure onsets, MRSI showed normalization of Cr/NAA in the unoperated contralateral tissue following surgical elimination of seizures. This study suggests that metabolic recovery can occur in contralateral temporal areas following surgical treatment of partial epilepsy.
Separation and Some Properties of Two Intracellular β-Glucosidases of Sporotrichum (Chrysosporium) thermophile

Intracellular, inducible β-glucosidase from the cellulolytic fungus Sporotrichum (Chrysosporium) thermophile (ATCC 42464) was fractionated by gel chromatography or isoelectric focusing into components A and B. Enzyme A (molecular weight 440,000) had only aryl-β-glucosidase activity, whereas enzyme B (molecular weight 40,000) hydrolyzed several β-glucosides but had only low activity against o-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (ONPG). Both enzymes had temperature optima of about 50°C. The pH optimum was 5.6 for enzyme A and 6.3 for enzyme B, respectively. The Km (ONPG) value for enzyme A was 0.5 mM, and the corresponding values for enzyme B were 0.18 mM (ONPG) and 0.28 mM (cellobiose). Enzyme B, when tested with ONPG, showed substrate inhibition at a substrate concentration above 0.4 mM which could be released by cellobiitol and other alditols. Enzyme A was isoelectric at pH 4.48, and enzyme B was isoelectric at pH 4.64. Several inhibitors were tested for their action on the activity of enzymes A and B. Both enzymes were found to be concomitantly induced in cultures with either cellobiose or cellulose as carbon source.
Summary health statistics for U.S. children: National Health Interview Survey, 2012.

OBJECTIVES This report presents both age-adjusted and unadjusted statistics from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) on selected health measures for children under age 18 years, classified by sex, age, race, Hispanic origin, family structure, parent's education, family income, poverty status, health insurance coverage, place of residence, region, and current health status. Topics included are asthma, allergies, learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), prescription medication use for at least 3 months, respondent-assessed health status, school days missed due to illness or injury, usual place of health care, time since last contact with a health care professional, selected measures of health care access, emergency room (ER) visits, dental care, and special education or early intervention services. DATA SOURCE NHIS is a multistage probability sample survey conducted annually by interviewers of the U.S. Census Bureau for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics and is representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. This report analyzes data from two of the main components of NHIS: the Family Core, in which data are collected for all family members by interviewing an adult family respondent, and the Sample Child Core, in which additional health information is collected about a randomly selected child (the sample child) from an adult familiar with the child's health. SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS In 2012, most U.S. children under age 18 years had excellent or very good health (83%). However, 7% of children had no health insurance coverage, and 4% of children had no usual place of health care. Six percent of children had unmet dental need because their families could not afford dental care. Twelve percent of children had one ER visit and 6% had two or more visits. Ten percent of children aged 3-17 years had ADHD.
The Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Reviewing the Literature and a Surgical Algorithm

PURPOSE To provide an overview of the literature related to the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. TARGET AUDIENCE This continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in wound care. OBJECTIVES After reading this article and taking this test, the reader should be able to: Outline the management goals and assessment of diabetic foot ulcers. Describe the surgical treatment and wound care of diabetic foot ulcers.
Effect of Chloride Ions on Anthrasesamone C Production in a Sesamum indicum Hairy Root Culture and Identification of the Precursor for Its Abiotic Formation

The content of anthrasesamone C (5), a rare chlorine-containing anthraquinone, in a hairy root culture of Sesamum indicum increased with increasing chloride ion concentration in the culture medium and reached a maximum at 100 mM. However, the amount of anthrasesamone C (5) in the extract obtained from the hairy roots was increased by incubating the extract. This result suggests that anthrasesamone C (5) was produced from an unidentified metabolite by an abiotic process. 2,3-Epoxyanthrasesamone B (1), a precursor for the non-enzymatic formation of anthrasesamone C (5), was isolated from S. indicum hairy roots cultured in a chloride-deficient medium. Its structure was elucidated to be 2,3-epoxy-9,10-dihydroxy-2-(4-methylpent-3-en-1-yl)-2,3-dihydroanthracene-1,4-dione by spectroscopic methods.
Environmental Tax Reform : Who Benefits the Double Dividend ? Preliminary Version

By the turn of 2010, one of the controversial policy issues in France was the choice of the most suited economic instrument to yield the desired GHG abatement effort in all fossil fuels consumptions which are not yet regulated. In fact, the implementation of the European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) has given rise to a number of criticisms. The most prominent of them addresses the successful lobbying of the biggest firms in the covered industries (energy production, automobile or cement) about the amount of the freely allowed emission permits. During the first phase of the EUETS (2005-2007), permits were allocated in excess which has led to an insufficient carbon price in regards to the needs of innovation and the target levels of emission expected by the Kyoto protoco l. This market failure has given new arguments to the tax advocates.
Differential expression of mRNA aromatase in ejaculated spermatozoa from infertile men in relation to either asthenozoospermia or teratozoospermia

Oestrogen biosynthesis in ejaculated spermatozoa is an autonomous process, which may influence sperm functions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the expression of aromatase, sperm quality and seminal neutral α–glucosidase marker in semen of Tunisian infertile men: asthenozoospermia (A; n = 16), teratozoospermia (T; n = 12) and asthenoteratozoospermia (AT; n = 11) in comparison with 18 normozoospermic ones. Aromatase mRNA levels estimated by real‐time PCR were reduced in groups T (52%) and AT (67%) compared to controls and inversely correlated with the percentage of normal forms. A higher coefficient of correlation was noted in presence of microcephaly or acrosome malformations (r = −0.64). The asthenozoospermic group was divided into two subgroups according to the relative amount of aromatase. The subgroup (A2) with higher aromatase transcript level was associated with an increased seminal pH, a decreased sperm viability, low sperm percentage motility and low neutral α‐glucosidase semen levels. Our data highlight the involvement of aromatase in motility and morphology of spermatozoa. Thus, this enzyme could bring new insights about quality and fertilising capacity of human spermatozoa.
Clinical impact of initiating insulin glargine therapy with disposable pen versus vial in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a managed care setting.

OBJECTIVE To investigate health care utilization, cost, and clinical outcomes among non-insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who initiated insulin glargine therapy with use of either a disposable pen or vial and syringe in a managed care setting in the United States. METHODS This retrospective cohort study of a large national claims database consisted of a 6-month baseline period and a follow-up period extending 12 months from the date of the patient's first filled insulin glargine prescription. Outcomes included medication persistence, hypoglycemic events, health care utilization and costs, and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (A1C) levels. RESULTS There were 3,842 matched patients (n = 1,921 per group). Patients initiating insulin glargine therapy with a disposable pen were significantly less likely to discontinue or switch treatment during the 12-month follow-up period versus patients in the vial and syringe group (P<.001). Disposable pen use was also associated with a reduced hypoglycemia risk. The disposable pen group had overall health care utilization similar to the vial and syringe group; however, the pen group had significantly fewer diabetes-related hospitalizations (P = .04) and significantly more diabetes-related endocrinologist visits (P = .04). Overall health care costs were similar between the 2 groups, despite higher pharmacy costs in the disposable pen group. In a subgroup of patients with available baseline and follow-up A1C values (n = 511), the disposable pen group achieved similar A1C control at follow-up despite a higher baseline A1C value than in the vial and syringe group. CONCLUSION Initiation of insulin glargine therapy with a disposable pen in patients with type 2 diabetes was associated with better treatment persistence and decreased hypoglycemia in comparison with the vial and syringe method, without any increase in total health care utilization or costs.
The Two SH2-Domain-Containing Inositol 5-Phosphatases SHIP1 and SHIP2 Are Coexpressed in Human T Lymphocytes

Abstract The activation of many hematopoietic cells via cytokine receptors, as well as B and T cell receptors, leads to the tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc and its association with both Grb2-Sos1 complexes and with a 145 kDa protein referred to as the SH2 containing inositol 5-phosphatase (SHIP1). In a search of putative 5-phosphatase isoenzymes, we have isolated a second SH2 domain containing inositol 5-phosphatase, referred to as (SHIP2). Both SHIP1 and SHIP2 are coexpressed in human T lymphocytes. This was shown at the protein level by Western blot analysis in transformed T cell lines and in peripheral blood T lymphocytes either unstimulated or after in vitro activation through TCR-CD3 complex. SHIP1 protein level was not modulated after activation of T lymphocytes, in contrast to SHIP2, which was increased after longterm stimulation. SHIP1 was tyrosine phosphorylated in resting naive T cells. This was not observed in the transformed T cell lines. T lymphocyte is therefore a model of coexpression of the two SH2-containing inositol 5-phosphatases SHIP1 and SHIP2.