Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Progression of gastritis to monoclonal B-cell lymphoma with resolution and recurrence following eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

OBJECTIVE To follow a patient with Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis by performing serial endoscopic biopsies to observe the histologic progression of the gastritis to a monoclonal B-cell lymphoma with resolution and subsequent recurrence following eradication of H pylori organisms. DESIGN A case report of a patient followed over 3 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Characteristics of the gastric mucosa as determined by histologic and gene rearrangement studies on multiple random biopsies obtained serially before and after the eradication of H pylori organisms. RESULTS A progression from H pylori-associated gastritis through lymphoid hyperplasia to a monoclonal B-cell lymphoma was observed. With the techniques used, a resolution of the lymphoma was observed on eradication of H pylori organisms, with a subsequent recurrence of the lymphoma 15 months later, despite the absence of H pylori organisms. CONCLUSION The observations made of this patient support an association between H pylori and the development of a gastric monoclonal B-cell lymphoma. This lesion appears to develop in the setting of gastritis and progresses through lymphoid hyperplasia followed subsequently by the lymphoma. We speculate that this process is initially antigen driven by the organism and may subsequently become autonomous as genetic damage is accumulated, so that eradication of H pylori organisms will lead to regression of the lesion to the degree that there are autonomously proliferating cells present.
[Determination of the size of the right atrium in patients with pulmonary hypertension using 2-dimensional echocardiography].

Normal values for right atrial area and tricuspid annular diameter and their percentage shortening measured from the two-dimensional echocardiographic four-chamber view are now available. In this study right atrial size of patients with pulmonary hypertension is evaluated and the results compared with the M-mode findings of the right ventricle in order to detect pulmonary hypertension. Hemodynamics and echocardiograms of 60 patients (mean age 57 +/- 10 years) with mitral stenosis III-IV NYHA and concomitant pulmonary hypertension were examined. 20 patients in group I with atrial fibrillation had additional functional tricuspid incompetence. Unlike the 20 patients in group II, who had atrial fibrillation, the remaining 20 in group III were still in sinus rhythm. The mean pulmonary artery pressure was 44.1 +/- 9.3 mmHg in group I, in group II 33.9 +/- 6.3 mmHg (grp. I vs. grp. II p less than 0.001) and in group III 33.2 +/- 7.1 mmHg (grp. II vs. grp. III ns). The end-systolic index of the right atrial area in group I was 19.6 +/- 5.7 cm2/m2 and thus significantly greater than in group II with 10.6 +/- 2.3 cm2/m2 (p less than 0.001) and in group III with 9.1 +/- 2.5 cm2/m2 (p less than 0.001). The maximal diameter of the tricuspid annulus measured 24.6 +/- 5.5 mm/m2 in group I, 18.9 +/- 3.5 mm/m2 in group II (grp. I vs. grp. II p less than 0.001) and 20.2 +/- 2.2 mm/m2 in group II (grp. I vs. grp. II p less than 0.001) and 20.2 +/- 2.2 mm/m2 in group III. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Pilot study of newborn screening of inborn error of metabolism using tandem mass spectrometry in Malaysia: outcome and challenges

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of performing newborn screening (NBS) of inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) using tandem mass spectrometry (TMS) and the impact on its detection rate in Malaysia. Methods: During the study period between June 2006 and December 2008, 30,247 newborns from 11 major public hospitals in Malaysia were screened for 27 inborn errors of amino acid, organic acid and fatty acid metabolism by TMS. Dried blood spot (DBS) samples were collected between 24 h and 7 days with parental consent. Samples with abnormal results were repeated and the babies were recalled to confirm the diagnosis with follow-up testing. Results: Cut-off values for amino acids and acylcarnitines were established. Eight newborns were confirmed to have IEM: two newborns with Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), two with methylmalonic aciduria (MMA) one with ethylmalonic aciduria, two with argininosuccinic aciduria and one with isovaleric aciduria. Diagnosis was missed in two newborns. The detection rate of IEMs in this study was one in 2916 newborns. The sensitivity and specificity of TMS were 80% and 99%, respectively. Conclusions: IEMs are common in Malaysia. NBS of IEMs by TMS is a valuable preventive strategy by enabling the diagnosis and early treatment of IEM before the onset of symptoms aiming at prevention of mental retardation and physical handicap. A number of shortcomings warrant further solution so that in near future NBS for IEMs will become a standard of care for all babies in Malaysia in tandem with the developed world.
Serum ferritin concentration and transferrin saturation before liver transplantation predict decreased long‐term recipient survival

Serum ferritin (SF) concentration is a widely available parameter used to assess iron homeostasis. It has been described as a marker to identify high‐risk patients awaiting liver transplantation (LT) but is also elevated in systemic immune‐mediated diseases, metabolic syndrome, and in hemodialysis where it is associated with an inferior prognosis. This study analyzed whether SF is not only a predictor of liver‐related mortality prior to LT but also an independent marker of survival following LT. In a dual‐center, retrospective study, a cohort of 328 consecutive first‐LT patients from Hannover Medical School, Germany (2003‐2008, follow‐up 1260 days), and 82 consecutive LT patients from Regensburg University Hospital, Germany (2003‐2007, follow‐up 1355 days) as validation cohort were analyzed. In patients exhibiting SF ≥365 μg/L versus <365 μg/L prior to LT, 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year post‐LT survival was 73.3% versus 81.1%, 64.4% versus 77.3%, and 61.1% versus 74.4%, respectively (overall survival P = 0.0097), which was confirmed in the validation cohort (overall survival of 55% versus 83.3%, P = 0.005). Multivariate analyses identified SF ≥365 μg/L combined with transferrin saturation (TFS) <55%, hepatocellular carcinoma, and the survival after LT (SALT) score as independent risk factors for death. In patients with SF concentrations ≥365 μg/L and TFS <55%, overall survival was 54% versus 74.8% in the remaining group (P = 0.003). In the validation cohort, it was 28.6% versus 72% (P = 0.017), respectively. Conclusion: SF concentration ≥365 μg/L in combination with TFS <55% before LT is an independent risk factor for mortality following LT. Lower TFS combined with elevated SF concentrations indicate that acute phase mechanisms beyond iron overload may play a prognostic role. SF concentration therefore not only predicts pre‐LT mortality but also death following LT. (HEPATOLOGY 2011;)
Barreras de acceso de la mujer rural a crédito, programas asociativos y a la formalización de la tierra en el Norte del Cauca y el Sur del Tolima: Documento resumen

El Ministerio de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (MADR) y el Banco Agrario han desarrollado en los ultimos anos diversos programas asociativos y de microcredito para mejorar la generacion de ingresos y la competitividad en el campo, algunos de ellos con un enfasis especial de genero. Sin embargo, y a pesar de no tener restricciones directas que discriminen a las mujeres en estos programas, segun datos del MADR, la participacion de las mujeres en las diferentes estrategias es significativamente menor que la de los hombres, salvo para el Programa de Formalizacion de la Propiedad Rural. El objetivo central de este estudio es identificar y analizar las barreras de acceso y los cuellos de botella que las mujeres en zonas rurales tienen que enfrentar para acceder a programas asociativos del MADR (i.e. Oportunidades Rurales, Mujer Rural y Alianzas Productivas), al Programa de Formalizacion de la Propiedad Rural del MADR y al credito formal, en particular a las lineas de credito para mujer rural de bajos ingresos del Banco Agrario. Para tal fin se llevo a cabo trabajo de campo cuantitativo y cualitativo en dos zonas del pais fuertemente afectadas por el conflicto y con una proporcion importante de poblacion indigena y afrodescendiente: el Norte del Cauca y el Sur del Tolima. Se hallo que existen barreras de acceso especificas de genero (p.ej. falta de empoderamiento, autoridad patriarcal o machista, falta de acceso a informacion, falta de activos monetarios y productivos, baja participacion laboral e importantes responsabilidades en el hogar y en el cuidado de los hijos que dificultan su participacion en programas) y otras que son neutras en cuanto a genero, pero que por el contexto en el que viven estas mujeres rurales, afectan mas a las mujeres que a los hombres (p.ej. bajos niveles educativos, baja comprension de textos, baja educacion financiera, desconocimiento de estructuracion de proyectos, poca experiencia en proyectos productivos, aislamiento geografico, falta de documentos, desconocimiento de tramites y bajo conocimiento de aspectos juridicos, entre otros).
Hypoxia causes an abnormal contractile response in the atherosclerotic rabbit aorta. Implication of reduced nitric oxide and cGMP production.

Both atherosclerotic lesions and hypoxia alter the contractile properties of the arterial wall and, in particular, may interfere with the relaxation mechanisms dependent or not on the endothelium. The present study was designed to test the effect of severe hypoxia on the contractile behavior of the atherosclerotic rabbit aorta. Segments of aortas obtained from control, cholesterol-fed, or Watanabe hereditary hyperlipidemic rabbits were mounted in organ chambers for isometric tension recording. A change of the bath PO2 from "normoxic" conditions (95% O2-5% CO2) to "hypoxic" conditions (95% N2-5% CO2) caused relaxation in the precontracted control aortas (by approximately 85%) but a transient contraction (approximately 20% of the maximal contraction obtained with 30 mM KCl) followed by a relaxation in the precontracted atherosclerotic aortas. Both types of responses were observed in aortas contracted with aggregating platelets, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine, endothelin, and prostaglandin F2 alpha. The hypoxic contractions in atherosclerosis were not dependent on the presence of an intact endothelium. They could not be antagonized by blockers of alpha-adrenoceptors, 5-HT2 receptors, histamine receptors, thromboxane receptors, and muscarinic cholinoreceptors. Inhibitors of cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, Na+, K(+)-ATPase, and free radical scavengers or an activator of endothelium-derived relaxing factor did not significantly affect the hypoxic contraction; the absence of effect of some inhibitors of protein synthesis seems to rule out the involvement of endothelin, angiotensin II, and bradykinin. The hypoxic contraction was not influenced by omission of Ca2+ from the medium or by inhibition of Ca2+ influx but was prevented by blockade of intracellular Ca2+. The inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (nitro-L-arginine, 100 microM) and the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor (methylene blue, 10 microM) both enhanced the initial contractile responses to 5-HT to a similar extent as hypoxia and completely prevented the hypoxic contraction in the atherosclerotic tissues. The cyclic nucleotide analogues 8-bromo-cGMP and dibutyryl cAMP also inhibited the hypoxic contraction in the atherosclerotic aorta. The cGMP levels were markedly decreased and the cAMP levels were moderately decreased in the aortas of the cholesterol-fed rabbits as compared with the control aortas. Hypoxia further decreased cGMP but not the cAMP levels in atherosclerotic aortas with and without endothelium. Our data thus demonstrate the occurrence of an unusual vasoconstrictor response in atherosclerotic arteries; this constrictor response depends on the availability of intracellular Ca2+ and seems to be due to the further inhibition of an already impaired cGMP production. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Mouse Geminin Inhibits Not Only Cdt1-MCM6 Interactions but Also a Novel Intrinsic Cdt1 DNA Binding Activity*

DNA replication is controlled by the stepwise assembly of a pre-replicative complex and the replication apparatus. Cdt1 is a novel component of the pre-replicative complex and plays a role in loading the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) 2–7 complex onto chromatin. Cdt1 activity is inhibited by geminin, which is essential for the G2/M transition in metazoan cells. To understand the molecular basis of the Cdt1-geminin regulatory mechanism in mammalian cells, we cloned and expressed the mouse Cdt1 homologue cDNA in bacterial cells and purified mouse Cdt1 to near homogeneity. We found by yeast two-hybrid analysis that mouse Cdt1 associates with geminin, MCM6, and origin recognition complex 2. MCM6 interacts with the Cdt1 carboxyl-terminal region (amino acids 407–477), which is conserved among eukaryotes, whereas geminin associates with the Cdt1 central region (amino acids 177–380), which is conserved only in metazoans. In addition, we found that Cdt1 can bind DNA in a sequence-, strand-, and conformation-independent manner. The Cdt1 DNA binding domain overlaps with the geminin binding domain, and the binding of Cdt1 to DNA is inhibited by geminin. Taken together, we have defined structural domains and novel biochemical properties for mouse Cdt1 that suggest that Cdt1 behaves as an intrinsic DNA binding factor in the pre-replicative complex.
Remedial hydration reduces the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy and short-term adverse events in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a single-center, randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate whether remedial hydration (RH) reduces the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) and short-term adverse events in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS A total of 216 consecutive STEMI patients were prospectively and randomly assigned into two groups: 108 patients in the RH group and 108 patients in the no RH (control) group. The serum creatinine (SCr) and creatinine clearance (CCr) levels were measured on admission and at 24, 48 and 72 hours after primary PCI. The rates of CIN and short-term adverse events were analyzed for each group. After surgery, the patients were categorized into four groups according to the Mehran risk score: low (≤5, n =98), moderate (6-10, n=56), high (11-15, n=40) or very high (≥16, n=22). RESULTS The incidence of CIN in the RH group was lower than that observed in the control group (22/108; 20.4% vs. 38/108; 35.2%, p<0.05). The subgroup analysis showed that the rate of CIN was lower in the moderate (6/29; 20.7% vs. 13/30; 43.3%, p<0.10) and significantly lower in both the high (5/21; 23.8% vs. 10/18; 55.6%, p<0.05) and very high score groups (3/12; 25.0% vs. 8/12; 66.7%, p<0.05) among the RH patients compared to the controls. At 24, 48 and 72 hours after PCI, the patients in the RH group exhibited lower SCr levels and higher CCr levels than the patients in the control group (both p<0.05). A lower incidence of in-hospital clinical events was also observed in the RH group. CONCLUSION Remedial hydration decreases the occurrence of CIN and improves the short-term prognosis of STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.
Osteoinductive ability of human allograft formulations.

BACKGROUND Bone graft materials are needed in periodontics that are osteoinductive, have good handling characteristics, and have physical properties that provide appropriate stiffness for the treatment site. Demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (DFDBA), also called demineralized bone matrix (DBM), is osteoinductive but requires a carrier to meet the other clinical objectives, thereby decreasing the DBM content per volume of the bone graft material. The present study determined whether the DBM content of a carrier formulation is an important variable with respect to its effectiveness as an osteoinductive material. METHODS The immunocompromised Nu/Nu mouse-muscle implantation assay of osteoinductivity was used to test human DBM formulated with hyaluronic acid (HY) and cancellous and cortical bone granules from the same donor: DBM alone (11 mg); DBM (11 mg):HY, 55:45, weight/weight (wt/wt); DBM (6.4 mg):HY, 32:68, wt/wt; DBM mixed with cortical and cancellous bone chips 1:4 (DBMC) (11 mg total, of which 2.2 mg was DBM); DBMC (11 mg):HY, 55:45, wt/wt; heat-treated DBM (11 mg); HY alone; and positive-control DBM (11 mg). Osteoinduction was scored using a qualitative scale and by histomorphometry. RESULTS Results showed that all DBM was osteoinductive and the addition of HY did not change this as long as the amount of DBM used was held constant. The reduction in the absolute amount of DBM resulted in a reduced osteoinduction score, reduced ossicle area, and reduced new bone formation. The addition of HY also caused a decrease in the amount of residual non-vital bone particles, particularly when DBMC was implanted. Results were donor dependent. CONCLUSION This study showed the importance of DBM content and donor variability in osteoinductivity of DBM formulations with improved handling and stiffness characteristics.
Delivery of a constitutively active form of the heat shock factor using a virus vector protects neuronal cells from thermal or ischaemic stress but not from apoptosis

The heat shock proteins (HSPs) are induced by stressful stimuli and have a protective effect. Different HSPs protect with different efficiencies against different stresses indicating that optimal protection would be obtained with a non‐stressful agent which induced a range of HSPs. We have prepared a herpesvirus vector expressing a constitutively active mutant form of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) which, unlike the wild‐type form of this transcription factor, does not require stress for its activation. Upon infection of neuronal cells, this virus induced a more restricted range of HSPs than in non‐neuronal cells. Infection with the virus protected neuronal cells against subsequent thermal or ischaemic stress in accordance with its ability to induce HSP70 expression but did not protect them against apoptotic stimuli. The mechanisms of these effects and their significance for the use of HSF to manipulate HSP gene expression is discussed.
Chloromethane Utilization Gene Cluster fromHyphomicrobium chloromethanicum Strain CM2T and Development of Functional Gene Probes To Detect Halomethane-Degrading Bacteria

ABSTRACT Hyphomicrobium chloromethanicum CM2T, an aerobic methylotrophic member of the α subclass of the classproteobacteria, can grow with chloromethane as the sole carbon and energy source. H. chloromethanicum possesses an inducible enzyme system for utilization of chloromethane, in which two polypeptides (67-kDa CmuA and 35-kDa CmuB) are expressed. Previously, four genes, cmuA, cmuB, cmuC, andpurU, were shown to be essential for growth ofMethylobacterium chloromethanicum on chloromethane. ThecmuA and cmuB genes were used as probes to identify homologs in H. chloromethanicum. A cmugene cluster (9.5 kb) in H. chloromethanicum contained 10 open reading frames: folD (partial), pduX,orf153, orf207, orf225,cmuB, cmuC, cmuA, fmdB, and paaE (partial). CmuA from H. chloromethanicum (67 kDa) showed high identity to CmuA fromM. chloromethanicum and contains an N-terminal methyltransferase domain and a C-terminal corrinoid-binding domain. CmuB from H. chloromethanicum is related to a family of methyl transfer proteins and to the CmuB methyltransferase fromM. chloromethanicum. CmuC from H. chloromethanicum shows identity to CmuC from M. chloromethanicum and is a putative methyltransferase.folD codes for a methylene-tetrahydrofolate cyclohydrolase, which may be involved in the C1 transfer pathway for carbon assimilation and CO2 production, and paaE codes for a putative redox active protein. Molecular analyses and some preliminary biochemical data indicated that the chloromethane utilization pathway in H. chloromethanicum is similar to the corrinoid-dependent methyl transfer system in M. chloromethanicum. PCR primers were developed for successful amplification of cmuA genes from newly isolated chloromethane utilizers and enrichment cultures.
Multi-cue Normalized Non-Negative Sparse Encoder for image classification

Recently, the sparse coding based image representation has achieved state-of-the-art recognition results on many benchmarks. In this paper, we propose Multi-cue Normalized Non-Negative Sparse Encoder (MN3SE) which enforces both the non-negative constraint and the shift-invariant constraint on top of the traditional sparse coding criteria, and takes multi-cue to further boost the performance. The former constraint reduces information loose by the negative coefficients and improves the coding stability, and the latter allows the sparseness to be self-adaptive to the local feature. The proposed coding scheme is then approximated by an neural network based encoder for speed-up. More importantly, the multi-layer neural network architecture allows us to apply a multi-task learning strategy to fuse information from multi-cue. Specifically, we take one type of descriptor, such as SIFT as the input, and enforce the learned encoder to produce sparse code that can reconstruct not only SIFT but also other types of descriptors such as color moments. In this way, we could achieve not only 10 to 33 times speed up for sparse-coding, the multi-cue enforced learning strategy gives the image feature extracted by MN3SE superior image classification accuracy.
Offshoring and ICT: Evidence for German manufacturing and service firms

In this paper, I analyse the relationship between oﬀshoring and ICT at the ﬁrm level diﬀerentiating between manufacturing and services. Using ﬁrm-level data from the manufacturing and service sector in Germany and a broad range of ICT measures, overall, the results reveal a positive relationship between oﬀshoring and ICT. Thus, they support the argument that ICT might be relevant for oﬀshoring. Controlling for other ﬁrm characteristics, software to coordinate and to manage the supply chain increases the oﬀshoring probability, in particular for manufacturing ﬁrms. For service ﬁrms, also general enterprise software and e-commerce purchases from suppliers make oﬀshoring more likely. Labour productivity and the realisation of a product innovation are signiﬁcantly and positively linked to oﬀshoring for ﬁrms from both sectors. This ﬁnding conﬁrms the productivity advantage of oﬀshoring in comparison to non-oﬀshoring ﬁrms that is stated in the literature.
A new topology for high step-up DC-DC converters

This paper proposes a new topology with high voltage gain and low voltage stress across the devices. The proposed converter combines the conventional boost converter with a switched-inductor branch (SIB) and one inductor-capacitor-diode (L-C-D) cell. The SIB is used at the input side which consists of three diodes and two inductors. During magnetization, the two inductors are charged in parallel and discharged in series during demagnetization. At the output side, above-mentioned L-C-D cell comprising two capacitors, one inductor, and one diode is used. Therefore, the proposed converter can achieve high voltage gains without extreme duty cycle values. Besides, the normalized devices voltage stress is low which causes the devices nominal voltage to be reduced. The operation principles are explained and the analysis of the devices voltage stress is accomplished. The circuit performance is compared with other solutions in the literature. Eventually, the converter operation is verified using simulation results.