Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial DNA fingerprinting of Acanthamoeba spp. isolated from clinical and environmental sources

Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA fingerprinting) was evaluated as an epidemiologic tool for identifying potential reservoirs of Acanthamoeba infection. Fingerprints for 15 clinical isolates recovered by our affiliated laboratories were compared with those for 25 environmental isolates from western Washington State and 10 American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) strains. Seven different fingerprint groups emerged from the analysis of clinical isolates with six selected restriction enzymes (BamHI, BglII, EcoRI, HindIII, KpnI, and SalI). Fourteen (56%) environmental and 4 (40%) ATCC isolates displayed fingerprints similar to those of clinical isolates. In all, five of the seven groups contained one or more environmental and/or ATCC isolates. Comparisons with published mtDNA fingerprints for Acanthamoeba isolates showed that two groups have counterparts in Europe and Japan and in Europe and Australia. The inclusion of environmental isolates demonstrated that the most common clinical isolates do have counterparts readily recoverable from the surrounding environment and that some of these counterparts appear to be geographically widespread.
Serum Prolactin Levels in Patients With Fibrocystic Breast Disease

In 193 patients suffering from fibrocystic breast disease, basal serum prolactin concentrations were determined and compared to serum prolactin levels in 193 healthy women. In 45 additional patients and 23 healthy control subjects, a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test was performed. The response to TRH in seven healthy female volunteers and in one patient with fibrocystic breast disease, was correlated with the mean serum prolactin levels over 24 hours. Serum prolactin levels were above normal in 45.6% of the patients and in 21.2% of the control subjects. Mean values of the two groups were significantly different (P < .001). The maximum prolactin response to TRH stimulation was significantly higher in the study patients than in the control subjects (P < .001). The TRH-stimulated prolactin response correlated positively with the mean 24-hour level (P < .01, r = 0.8705). These results indicate that a high proportion of patients with fibrocystic breast disease exhibit increased daily prolactin secretion.
The mouse MPTP model: gene expression changes in dopaminergic neurons

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Although valuable animal models have been developed, our knowledge of the aetiology and pathogenic factors implicated in PD is still insufficient to develop causal therapeutic strategies aimed at halting its progression. The neurotoxicity induced by 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) is one of the most valuable models for analysing pathological aspects of PD. In this paper we studied the gene expression patterns underlying the pathogenesis of MPTP‐induced neurodegeneration. We treated young and old C57BL/6 mice with different schedules of MPTP to induce degenerative processes that vary in intensity and time‐course. During the first week after intoxication we used nonradioactive in situ‐hybridization to investigate the expression patterns of genes associated with (i) dopamine metabolism and signalling; (ii) familial forms of PD; (iii) protein folding and (iv) energy metabolism. MPTP injections induced different severities of neuronal injury depending on the age of the animals and the schedule of administration as well as a significant degeneration in the striatum. In situ hybridization showed that MPTP intoxication initiated a number of gene expression changes that (i) were restricted to the neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta; (ii) were correlated in intensity and number of changes with the age of the animals and the severity of histopathological disturbances; (iii) displayed in each a significant down‐regulation by the end of one week after the last MPTP injection, but (iv) varied within one MPTP regimen in expression levels during the observation period. The subacute injection of MPTP into one‐year‐old mice induced the most severe changes in gene expression. All genes investigated were affected. However, α‐synuclein was the only gene that was exclusively up‐regulated in MPTP‐treated animals displaying cell death.
Patterns of International Capital Raisings

This paper documents several new patterns associated with firms issuing securities in foreign markets that motivate the need for and help guide future research. Besides noting that these international capital raisings grew almost four-fold from 1991 to 2005, accounting for 35 percent of all capital raised through security issuances, the paper has three main findings. First, a large and growing fraction of capital raisings, especially debt issuances, occurs in international markets, but a very small number of firms accounts for the bulk of international capital raisings, highlighting the distributional implications of financial globalization. Second, changes in firm performance following equity and debt issuances in international markets are qualitatively similar to those following domestic issuances, suggesting that capital raisings abroad are not intrinsically different from domestic ones. Third, after firms start accessing international markets, they significantly increase the amount raised in domestic markets, suggesting that international and domestic markets are complements.
Effect of ADP on slow‐twitch muscle fibres of the rat: implications for muscle fatigue

Slow‐twitch mechanically skinned fibres from rat soleus muscle were bathed in solutions mimicking the myoplasmic environment but containing different [ADP] (0.1 μm to 1.0 mm). The effect of ADP on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+‐content was determined from the magnitude of caffeine‐induced force responses, while temporal changes in SR Ca2+‐content allowed determination of the effective rates of the SR Ca2+‐pump and of the SR Ca2+‐leak. The SR Ca2+‐pump rate, estimated at pCa (−log10[Ca2+]) 7.8, was reduced by 20% as the [ADP] was increased from 0.1 to 40 μm, with no further alteration when the [ADP] was increased to 1.0 mm. The SR Ca2+‐leak rate constant was not altered by increasing [ADP] from 0.1 to 40 μm, but was increased by 26% when the [ADP] was elevated to 1.0 mm. This ADP‐induced SR Ca2+‐leak was insensitive to ruthenium red but was abolished by 2,5‐di(tert‐butyl)‐1,4‐hydroquinone (TBQ), indicating that the leak pathway is via the SR Ca2+‐pump and not the SR Ca2+‐release channel. The decrease in SR Ca2+‐pump rate and SR Ca2+‐leak rate when [ADP] was increased led to a 40% decrease in SR Ca2+‐loading capacity. Elevation of [ADP] had only minor direct effects on the contractile apparatus of slow‐twitch fibres. These results suggest that ADP has only limited depressing effects on the contractility of slow‐twitch muscle fibres. This is in contrast to the marked effects of ADP on force responses in fast‐twitch muscle fibres and may contribute to the fatigue‐resistant nature of slow‐twitch muscle fibres.
Long-term results after pulmonary resection in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND The number of elder by patients with lung cancer is expected to increase. But, there was no report that 10 years completely passed in surgically treated elderly patients (E-pts). This study assesses late results of surgery. METHODS From 1981 to 1987, 160 patients with non-small cell lung cancer underwent lobectomy or pneumonectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection. Of these, 37 (23%) were 70 years of age or older. The outcome of this group was compared with that of 123 non-elderly patients (NE-pts). RESULTS There were no significant differences in the background between E-pts and NE-pts. Five- and 10-year survivals in the E-pts were 35.1%, and 24.3%, respectively. In outcome more than 5 years from operation, E-pts had a significantly poorer prognosis than NE-pts (p=0.04) by any causes of death, but a similar prognosis by primary death. E-pts died of nontumor-related death significantly more than NE-pts (p=0.6). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that E-pts could consummate their lives completely. Additionally, when long-term prognosis of the postoperative E-pts was discussed, we should contemplate that E-pts had more deaths from nontumor-related causes.
Individual differences and predictors of forgetting in old age: The role of processing speed and working memory

ABSTRACT The goal of the present study was to examine whether individual differences in basic cognitive abilities, processing speed, and working memory, are reliable predictors of individual differences in forgetting rates in old age. The sample for the present study comprised 364 participants aged between 65 and 80 years from the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging. The impact of basic cognitive abilities on forgetting was analyzed by modeling working memory and processing speed as predictors of the amount of forgetting of 27 words, which had been learned across five trials. Forgetting was measured over a 30-minute interval by using parceling and a latent change model, in which the latent difference between recall performance after five learning trials and a delayed recall was modeled. Results implied reliable individual differences in forgetting. These individual differences in forgetting were strongly related to processing speed and working memory. Moreover, an age-related effect, which was significantly stronger for forgetting than for learning, emerged even after controlling effects of processing speed and working memory.
The Coronary Arteries of the Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

The pattern of distribution of the coronary arteries of the camel was studied by combining dissection and vinyl acetate casts. The results showed that in the camel the right coronary artery supplies the interventricular subsinuosal artery, characteristic of a right coronary pattern. The septal branch that supplied the interventricular septum originated from the paraconal interventricular artery. A muscular bridge was observed crossing each of the paraconal and subsinuosal interventricular arteries in the middle third of the longitudinal grooves.
Significant recovery of motor function in a patient with complete T7 paraplegia receiving etanercept.

OBJECTIVE To report an unusual case of significant motor recovery in a patient with T7 complete paraplegia treated with etanercept for ankylosing spondylitis. DESIGN Case report. RESULTS During the first year sensory-motor recovery occurred, and the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) improved from A to D. CONCLUSION Initial spinal cord injury is a direct consequence of the trauma. It triggers a series of molecular and cellular reactions leading to "secondary damage". Tumour necrosis factor alpha is a key inflammatory mediator that is increasingly expressed after spinal cord injury. Etanercept is a recombinant dimer of human tumour necrosis factor alpha receptor protein that inhibits tumour necrosis factor alpha activity. It has shown an immunomodulatory effect in mice after traumatic spinal cord injury. It significantly reduced the post-traumatic spinal cord inflammation and the perilesional area. In this case, a reduction in the secondary damage, due to etanercept treatment could explain the significant motor recovery, which is unusual since 80% of AIS A lesions remain complete.
Immune Globulins

The products discussed in this section are readily divisible into two major sections according to the species of origin. The major category comprises those fractionated from human plasma; the other, those prepared from animal (equine) sources. Inasmuch as this series of reviews includes an article devoted to historical and potential future products [3], the emphasis here has been placed on products that are currently available and are likely to remain in clinical use. The selection is indicated in Table 1. As elsewhere in this series, the discussion centers about fractions distributed and used in the United States. *
Mapping of functional regions of Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin

Studies were conducted to allow construction of an initial map of the structure-versus-function relationship of the Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin (CPE). Removal of the N-terminal 25 amino acids of CPE increased the primary cytotoxic effect of CPE but did not affect binding. CPE sequences required for at least four epitopes were also identified.
New guidelines for coding physicians' services--a step backward.

In July 1998, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) intended to implement a revised and more complex set of guidelines specifying how physicians should code and document “evaluation and management” services billed to Medicare. These services include office visits and hospital visits and are distinguished from surgery and other invasive procedures. In 1996, Medicare payments for evaluation and management services totaled about $16 billion, or 40 percent of payments to physicians under the program.1 Before the proposed date of implementation, the new guidelines created considerable turmoil among practicing physicians and were a subject of spirited and sometimes angry commentary in .
Pulsed Field Magnetization for GdBaCuO Bulk With Stronger Pinning Characteristics

The GdBaCuO superconducting bulk with stronger pinning characteristics (<i>B</i> <sub>T</sub> = 1.8 T at 77 K by the field cooled magnetization (FCM)) has been magnetized at <i>T</i> <sub>s</sub> = 70 - 20 K by the pulsed field magnetization (PFM) techniques; a sequential pulsed-field application (SPA) and a modified multi pulse technique with stepwise cooling (MMPSC). With decreasing <i>T</i> <sub>s</sub>, the pinning force <i>F</i> <sub>p</sub> increases especially at the growth sector boundaries (GSBs), and then the nonuniformity of the trapped field profile becomes more and more conspicuous on the bulk surface. At low <i>T</i> <sub>s</sub>, the SPA technique is not necessarily a suitable technique to enhance the trapped field <i>B</i> <sub>T</sub> and the total trapped flux <i>Phi</i> <sub>T</sub>. However, these values can be enhanced by the MMPSC method. The properties of the bulk with stronger pinning characteristics during PFM are discussed.
Cerebrospinal fluid lactate and pyruvate concentrations and their ratio in children: age-related reference intervals.

BACKGROUND Lactate (L) and pyruvate (P) concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the L/P ratio have diagnostic value in numerous primary and acquired disorders affecting the central nervous system, but age-related reference values are not available for children. METHODS We analyzed CSF and blood lactate and pyruvate concentrations and their ratio in a 4-year retrospective survey of a children's hospital laboratory database. Reference intervals (10th-90th percentiles) were established from data on 197 hospitalized children. A recent regression modeling method was used to normalize and smooth values against age. The model equation of best fit was calculated for each variable. RESULTS Slight age-related variations were shown by the model, with an increase in lactate, a decrease in pyruvate, and a resulting increase in the L/P ratio with increasing age. However, the SD did not vary with age. We defined the upper limit of the reference intervals as the 90th percentiles, which from birth to 186 months of age varied continuously from 1.78 to 1.88 mmol/L (6%), 148 to 139 micro mol/L (6%), and 16.9 to 19.2 (14%) for lactate, pyruvate, and the L/P ratio, respectively. At a threshold of 2 (in Z-score units), the sensitivity for a subgroup of inborn errors of metabolism (respiratory chain disorders) was 73%, 42%, and 31% for lactate, pyruvate, and the L/P ratio, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In children, CSF lactate and pyruvate concentrations and their ratio appear to vary slightly with age. Average 90th percentile values of 1.8 mmol/L, 147 micro mol/L, and 17, respectively, could be used in infants up to 24 months of age. In older children, age-adjusted reference intervals should be used, especially when values are close to the 90th percentile.
Factors Affecting Postoperative Recurrence of Chronic Subdural Hematoma

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a relatively common disease, especially in the geriatric population, frequently encountered in neurosurgical practice. Formation of the outer membrane with an interior containing hyperosmolar blood collection causes development of CSDH, and the outer membrane has abnormally permeable microcapillaries leading to accumulation of exudation from the macrocapillaries in the outer membrane, therefore enlarging the area of the subdural hematoma. CSDHs have been reported to show good postoperative prognosis with relatively simple method of surgical treatment including burr hole trephination. Traditionally, burr hole trephination and evacuation of hematoma with closed drainage system has been widely accepted as the optimal treatment for CSDH. It is agreeable that surgical decompression offers a dramatic improvement of symptoms, and the procedure is relatively noninvasive and safe with satisfactory postoperative outcome in the majority of patients with CSDH. However, considerable recurrence rates have been reported ranging from 3 to 20% following surgical management. This clinical analysis evaluated the postoperative course of CSDH and the factors correlated with recurrence.
Staged Repair of Extensive Aortic Aneurysms: Long-term Experience With the Elephant Trunk Technique

Objective:This paper reports our experience of a large series of elephant trunk patients accumulated over 12 years. Summary Background Data:Extensive aneurysms of the ascending/arch and descending thoracic or thoracoabdominal aorta are significant surgical problems that have potential for great morbidity. We adopted a staged approach known as the elephant trunk procedure in 1991, and we have used it with some modifications since that time. Methods:Between February 1991 and December 2003, we performed 1660 operations for ascending/arch or descending thoracic/thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. Of these, 321 operations were performed in 218 patients for extensive aneurysms with the elephant trunk technique. We performed 218 ascending/arch repairs and 103 descending thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic replacements. Results:In 218 ascending/arch repairs, strokes occurred in 3 of 218 (2.7%) patients, with 1 of 187 (0.5%) in the retrograde cerebral perfusion group and 2 of 31 (6.5%) in the no-retrograde cerebral perfusion group (odds ratio 0.08, P < 0.009). Thirty-day mortality for this group was 19 of 218 (8.7%). Among 199 recovering patients after stage 1 repair, 4 of 199 (2%) died during the 30-day to 6-week interval between stages. After stage 2 repair, 0 of 103 patients experienced immediate neurologic deficit, and 10 of 103 (9.7%) died within 30 days of surgery. Actuarial survival after completed stage 2 was 71% at 5 years. Conclusion:Despite extreme underlying disease, long-term survival is excellent in patients with extensive aneurysms when both stages of repair are completed. To prevent rupture, the second stage should be completed as soon as the patient's condition permits, preferably within 6 weeks.
A Pólya Approximation to the Poisson-Binomial Law

Using Stein's method, we derive explicit upper bounds on the total variation distance between a Poisson-binomial law (the distribution of a sum of independent but not necessarily identically distributed Bernoulli random variables) and a Pólya distribution with the same support, mean, and variance; a nonuniform bound on the pointwise distance between the probability mass functions is also given. A numerical comparison of alternative distributional approximations on a somewhat representative collection of case studies is also exhibited. The evidence proves that no single one is uniformly most accurate, though it suggests that the Pólya approximation might be preferred in several parameter domains encountered in practice.
Operative strategies in pancreatic trauma

Pancreatic injuries are relatively uncommon and the choice of an appropriate operative procedure can be difficult. Operations for pancreatic trauma from January 1990 to June 1993 have been reviewed. Fifty‐one patients were studied; 13 had blunt trauma, 17 gunshot wounds and 21 stab wounds. The distribution of injuries was: pancreatic head (17), body (15) and tail (19). Most patients had associated injuries of surrounding organs. Operations performed included pancreatoduodenectomy (seven), distal pancreatectomy (seven) and external drainage (35). Five patients (10 per cent) died: two from haemorrhage, one from an acute subdural haematoma and two from multiple organ failure. Ten patients (20 per cent) developed a pancreatic fistula, four following blunt trauma, four after gunshot wounds and two with stab wounds; all but one had undergone drainage procedures. Stab wounds were associated with a low incidence of duct injury and external drainage was usually satisfactory. After blunt trauma and gunshot wounds, duct injuries were common and easily missed; careful exploration by an experienced surgeon is essential. In appropriately selected patients, pancreatic resection can be performed with good result.
Frailty modelling for clustered recurrent incidence of diarrhoea

Recurrent incidence of infant diarrhoea is studied, using daily data collected in Salvador, Brazil, from 754 children over 455 days. Aalen's additive intensity model is taken as the basis of the modelling strategy and a frailty extension is proposed. The idea is to estimate the frailty dynamically as time proceeds and information accrues. This provides an alternative to the inclusion of dynamic covariates based on individual event patterns. Simulation results indicate good performance of the estimation methods. In our first analysis, there is no account taken in the natural clustering of the children into 21 different districts of the city. The model is therefore extended to incorporate the possibility of spatial or spatio‐temporal clustering effects, possibly caused by unobserved environmental factors or infectivity. Significant frailty and significant clustering are both identified in the data. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lyapunov Spectra of Coulombic and Gravitational Periodic Systems

We compute Lyapunov spectra for Coulombic and gravitational versions of the one-dimensional systems of parallel sheets with periodic boundary conditions. Exact time evolution of tangent-space vectors are derived and are utilized toward computing Lypaunov characteristic exponents using an event-driven algorithm. The results indicate that the energy dependence of the largest Lyapunov exponent emulates that of Kolmogorov-entropy density for each system at different degrees of freedom. Our approach forms an effective and approximation-free tool toward studying the dynamical properties exhibited by the Coulombic and gravitational systems and finds applications in investigating indications of thermodynamic transitions in large versions of the spatially periodic systems.