Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inpatient paediatric use of intravenous immunoglobulin at an academic medical centre.

INTRODUCTION Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is an important research topic because of its efficacy in the management of an increasing number of diseases, its high cost and limited availability. This study was designed to evaluate the paediatric inpatient use of IVIG and identify strategies to reduce the drug expenditures. METHODS Over a six-month period, physician and nursing charts, and notes for subjects who were treated with IVIG, were reviewed to gather the required data. This included patient demographics, IVIG, indications, dosage regimen, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and their management. RESULTS 58.3 percent of IVIG infusions were ordered for labelled indications. Patients in the labelled group experienced more clinical improvement than subjects in the off-label group. Haematologists and neurologists were the most prevalent prescribers. ADRs were more prevalent in the off-label group. Hypotension, fever, headache and chills were the most common adverse effects. ADRs were managed with drugs in 22.9 percent of IVIG administrations and IVIG infusions were modified in 12.5 percent of infusions. CONCLUSION ADRs were more prevalent in this hospital than those reported by other authors. This may be due to nursing negligence of the recommended infusion rate, higher sensitivity of our population or to the brands of IVIG which are used in the hospital. This shows the need for further evaluation of IVIG prescription and administration.
Cardiological Signs and Symptoms in Friedreich's Ataxia

SUMMARY: The cardiovascular signs and symptoms were recorded in 36 patients with typical Friedreich's Ataxia (Group la, lb). Seventeen patients were asymptomatic and this did not correlate with the severity of the disease. No pathognomonic clinical constellation was found to reveal the underlying cardiomyopathy.
Estimating the detectable rate of capture of stellar mass black holes by massive central black holes in normal galaxies

The capture and subsequent inspiral of stellar mass black holes on eccentric orbits by central massive black holes, is one of the more interesting likely sources of gravitational radiation detectable by LISA. We estimate the rate of observable events and the associated uncertainties. A moderately favourable mass function could provide many detectable bursts each year, and a detection of at least one burst per year is very likely given our current understanding of the populations in cores of normal spiral galaxies.
Anaerobic regulation of pyruvate formate-lyase from Escherichia coli K-12

The anaerobic regulation of the gene encoding pyruvate formate-lyase from Escherichia coli was investigated. Expression of a pfl'-'lacZ protein fusion demonstrated that the gene is subject to a 12-fold anaerobic induction which can be stimulated a further 2-fold by the addition of pyruvate to the growth medium. Construction of a strain deleted for pfl verified that either pyruvate or a metabolite of glycolysis functions as an inducer of pfl gene expression. Complete anaerobic induction required the presence of a functional fnr gene product. However, the dependence was not absolute since a two- to threefold anaerobic induction could still be observed in an fnr mutant. These results could be confirmed immunologically by analyzing the levels of pyruvate formate-lyase protein present in cells grown under various conditions. It was also shown that pfl'-'lacZ expression was partially repressed by nitrate and that this repression was mediated by the narL gene product.
Expression of an angiotensin-(1-7)-producing fusion protein in rats induced marked changes in regional vascular resistance.

We have described a transgenic rat line that expresses an angiotensin-(1-7)-producing fusion protein, the TGR(A1-7)3292. In these rats, testis acts as an angiotensin-(1-7) biological pump, increasing its plasma concentration 2.5-fold. In this study, we performed hemodynamic measurements in TGR(A1-7)3292 and age-matched Hannover Sprague-Dawley (SD) control rats, using fluorescent microspheres. Urethane-anesthetized transgenic rats had similar levels of baseline blood pressure (99 +/- 3 mmHg) as did SD rats (101 +/- 3 mmHg). However, pronounced differences were observed in other hemodynamic measurements. TGR(A1-7)3292 rats presented a significant increase in stroke volume (0.29 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.25 +/- 0.01 ml in SD), increased cardiac index (24.6 +/- 0.91 vs. 21.9 +/- 0.65 ml.min(-1). kg) and decreased total peripheral resistance (3.9 +/- 0.13 vs. 4.5 +/- 0.13 mmHg.ml(-1). min.100 g). The increase in stroke volume in transgenic rats may be partially explained by the small decrease in heart rate (326 +/- 7.0 vs. 359 +/- 6.0 beats/min in SD). Strikingly, TGR(A1-7)3292 rats presented a substantial decrease in the vascular resistance in lung, spleen, kidney, adrenals, brain, testis and brown fat tissue with no significant differences in the left ventricle, mesentery, skin, gastrocnemius muscle and white fat tissue. These results corroborate and extend previous results observed after acute angiotensin-(1-7) infusion, showing that chronic increase in circulating angiotensin-(1-7) produces sustained and important changes in regional and systemic hemodynamics. Moreover, our data suggest a physiological role for angiotensin-(1-7) in the tonic control of regional blood flow.
Novel rpoB Mutations Conferring Rifampin Resistance on Bacillus subtilis: Global Effects on Growth, Competence, Sporulation, and Germination

ABSTRACT Previously, spontaneous rifampin resistance mutations were isolated in cluster I of the rpoB gene, resulting in amino acid replacements (Q469R, H482R, H482Y, or S487L) in the Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase β subunit (W. L. Nicholson and H. Maughan, J. Bacteriol. 184:4936-4940, 2002). In this study, each amino acid change in the β subunit was observed to result in its own unique spectrum of effects on growth and various developmental events, including sporulation, germination, and competence for transformation. The results thus establish the important role played by the RNA polymerase β subunit, not only in the catalytic aspect of transcription, but also in the regulation of major developmental events in B. subtilis.
Cochlear Implant Outcomes in the Elderly

Objective: This study aimed to review cochlear implantation with respect to surgical and auditory outcomes in subjects aged 70 years and older. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Tertiary referral centers. Patients: Sixty-five patients aged 70 years or older at the time of implantation were compared to a group of patients aged <70 years. Intervention: Patients underwent multichannel cochlear implantation with either the Clarion or Nucleus device. Main Outcome Measure: Presence or absence of surgical complications and auditory performance with open-set word and sentence recognition testing. Results: In patients implanted at age 70 or older, significant improvement in speech understanding was demonstrated in performance scores using Consonant Nucleus Consonant words, Central Institute for the Deaf sentences, and Hearing in Noise Test sentences at 3, 6, and 12 months when compared to preimplantation scores. However, their performance was slightly poorer when compared to a control group of patients <70 years of age in the same measures at 3, 6, and 12 months. Conclusions: The elderly population showed significant improvement in auditory performance tests following cochlear implantation compared to their preimplantation scores but performed less well than younger patients.
Long‐term regeneration of fast and slow murine skeletal muscles after induced injury by ACL myotoxin isolated from Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus (broad‐banded copperhead) venom

The aim of the present work was to analyze the regenerated muscle types I and II fibers of the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles of mice, 8 months after damage induced by ACL myotoxin (ACLMT). Animals received 5 mg/kg of ACLMT into the subcutaneous lateral region of the right hind limb, near the Achilles tendon; contralateral muscles received saline. Longitudinal and cross sections (10 μm) of frozen muscle tissue were evaluated. Eight months after ACLMT injection, both muscle types I and II fibers of soleus and gastrocnemius muscles still showed centralized nuclei and small regenerated fibers. Compared with the left muscle, the incidence of type I fibers increased in the right muscle (21% ± 03% versus 12% ± 06%, P = 0.009), whereas type II fibers decreased (78% ± 02% versus 88% ± 06%, P = 0.01). The incidence of type IIC fibers was normal. These results confirm that ACLMT induced muscle type fiber transformation from type II to type I, through type IIC. The area analysis of types I and II fibers of the gastrocnemius revealed that injured right muscles have a higher percentage of small fibers in both types I and II fibers (0–1,500 μm2) than left muscles, which have larger normal type I and II fibers (1,500–3,500 μm2). These results indicate that ACLMT can be used as an excellent model to study the rearrangement of motor units and the transformation of muscle fiber types during regeneration. Anat Rec 254:521–533, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relationships among attention function, exercise, and body mass index: a comparison between young breast cancer survivors and acquaintance controls

Although regular physical activity is associated with lower all‐cause and disease‐specific mortality among breast cancer survivors (BCS), most BCS do not meet its recommended guidelines. Attention function, a domain of cognition, is essential for daily tasks such as exercising, a form of planned physical activity. We tested the hypotheses that lower self‐reported attention function in BCS would be associated with less exercise and higher body mass index (BMI) by comparing a group of 505 young BCS (45 years or younger at diagnosis and 3–8 years post‐treatment) with 466 acquaintance controls (AC).
A pharmacokinetic study including some relevant clinical effect of medetomidine and atipamezole in lactating dairy cows.

Medetomidine is the most potent and selective alpha2-agonist used in veterinary medicine and its effects can be antagonized by the alpha2-antagonist atipamezole. The pharmacokinetics of medetomidine and atipamezole were studied in a cross-over trial in eight lactating dairy cows. The animals were injected intravenously (i.v.) with medetomidine (40 microg/kg) followed by atipamezole i.v. (200 microg/kg) or saline i.v. after 60 min. Drug concentrations in plasma were measured by HPLC. After the injection of atipamezole, the concentration of medetomidine in plasma increased slightly, the mean increment being 2.7 ng/mL and the mean duration 12.1 min. However, atipamezole did not alter the pharmacokinetics of medetomidine. It is likely that the increase in medetomidine concentration is caused by displacement of medetomidine by atipamezole in highly perfused tissues. The volume of distribution at steady state (Vss) for medetomidine followed by saline and medetomidine followed by atipamezole was 1.21 and 1.32 L/kg, respectively, whereas the total clearance (Cl) values were 24.2 and 25.8 mL/min x kg. Vss and Cl values for atipamezole were 1.77 mL/kg and 48.1 mL/min x kg, respectively. Clinically, medetomidine significantly reduced heart rate and increased rectal temperature for 45 min. Atipamezole reversed the sedative effects of medetomidine. However, all the animals, except one, relapsed into sedation at an average of 80 min after injection of the antagonist.
Assessing the Coagulation Factor Levels, Inherited Thrombophilia, and ABO Blood Group on the Risk for Venous Thrombosis Among Brazilians

Increased coagulation factor levels have been demonstrated to be a risk factor for venous thromboembolism in patients of Caucasian origin. Coagulation factors, hereditary thrombophilia, and ABO blood group were evaluated for venous thrombosis risk in a heterogeneous Brazilian population consisting of 122 women and 53 men, with a median age of 36 years (range 13-63), matched to a control group by age, sex, and ethnicity. Increased levels of factor VIII (odds ratio [OR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-6.0), von Willebrand factor (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.4-5.4), non-O blood group (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.3-3.4), and thrombophilia (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.6-7.1) emerged as independent risk factors for venous thromboembolism. The interaction of high levels of factor IX and factor XI with other independent variables increased the potential for thrombosis synergistically. Therefore, the ability of identifying underlying thrombophilia risk factors in our population was enhanced by the inclusion of these factors in the prothrombotic laboratory workup.
Social Status of Hearing Impaired Children in Regular Classrooms

This study examined the peer status and the self perceived peer status of 15 first and second grade hearing impaired children enrolled in regular classrooms. Subjects included four children with mild to moderate hearing losses and 11 children with severe to profound hearing losses who were full time hearing aid users. Three sociometric tests were used to assess the peer acceptance as well as the self perceived peer status for both normally hearing and hearing impaired students. Results indicated that the hearing impaired children received a higher degree of social acceptance from normally hearing peers than reported in previous studies. They were also as perceptive of their own social status as normally hearing children.
Resident-Assisted Montessori Programming (RAMP™): Use of a Small Group Reading Activity Run by Persons With Dementia in Adult Day Health Care and Long-Term Care Settings

Six persons in the early to middle stages of dementia (“leaders”) were trained in Resident-Assisted Montessori Programming (RAMP™) to lead a reading activity for 22 persons with more advanced dementia (“participants”) in an adult day health center (ADHC) and a special care unit (SCU) in a skilled nursing facility. Researchers assessed the leaders’ abilities to learn and follow the procedures of leading a group, as well as their satisfaction with their roles. In addition, participants’ engagement and affect were measured, both during standard activities programming and during client-led activities. Results of this study suggest that persons with dementia can indeed successfully lead small group activities, if several important prerequisites are met. Furthermore, the engagement and affect of participants was more positive in client-led activities than in standard activities programming.
MINORITIES IN CHILDREN'S TELEVISION COMMERCIALS: AN EXAMINATION OF REPRESENTATION AND STATUS

During the hours spent watching television, children are exposed to commercials in which minorities are usually underrepresented and portrayed negatively. When children see negative racial stereotypes, the stereotypes can affect children’s perceptions of ethnicity and in turn affect their behaviors toward others of different races. This research examined the representation of ethnic groups in 340 children’s commercials through a comparison to the national population. Although Caucasians and African Americans exceeded their percentages, Asians and Hispanics were still severely underrepresented. Also ethnic minorities were shown in low status roles while Caucasians were in high status roles. These findings suggest that minorities are not equally represented in children’s commercials.
Integrated design of AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encrypter and decrypter

This paper proposed a method of integrating the AES encrypter and the AES decrypter into a full functional AES crypto-engine. This method can make it a very low-complexity architecture, especially in saving the hardware resource in implementing the AES (Inv)SubBytes module and (Inv)Mixcolumns module, etc. Most designed modules can be used for both AES encryption and decryption. Besides, the architecture can still deliver a high data rate in both encryption/decryption operations. The proposed architecture is suited for hardware-critical applications, such as smart cards, PDAs, and mobile phones, etc.
Clinical Significance of Pathological and Anatomical Findings in Cone Beam CT Scans of the Maxillary Sinus

Objective: To determine the range and prevalence of pathological conditions and demonstration of significant anatomical structures in the maxillary sinuses using the cone beam computerized tomographic (CBCT) scan. Methodology: Case series of 60 CBCT scans of the maxillae. Results: Forty (67%) of the scans were of female patients while the rest (20, 33%) were of males. Remarkably, the majority of the scans were requested for those patients who sought dental implant fabrication. Overall, 35 (58%) scans demonstrated pathological features while 8 (13%) demonstrated significant anatomical structures. Pathological features included mucosal thickening in 26 (43%), polypoid lesions in 9 (15%), total antral opacification in 1 (2%) and foreign body in 1 (2%). The commonest anatomic feature was dental root protrusion into the maxillary sinuses in 8 (13%). Conclusion: The CBCT imaging is an important tool for investigating the maxillary sinuses for pathology and the demonstration of the associated anatomic relations.
Chaotic flows and magnetic dynamos.

Examples of time-dependent kinematic magnetic dynamos arising from chaotic flows in the zero-resistivity limit are presented. These examples suggest that typically (1) the flux concentrates on a fractal, and (2) the magnetic field exhibits arbitrarily fine-scaled oscillations between parallel and antiparallel directions. Results quantitatively relating these effects to the dynamo growth rate are presented.
Unrestricted Factor Analytic Procedures for Assessing Acquiescent Responding in Balanced, Theoretically Unidimensional Personality Scales

This article describes and proposes an unrestricted factor analytic procedure to: (a) assess the dimensionality and structure of a balanced personality scale taking into account the potential effects of acquiescent responding, and (b) correct the individual trait estimates for acquiescence. The procedure can be considered as an extension of ten Berge's (1999) principal component-based approach, and is intended for scales that attempt to measure a single trait. First, the rationale of the procedure is described for the correlation and covariance cases, and the relations with an alternative restricted model are discussed. Next, additional criteria for supporting the proposed unrestricted solution are suggested. The procedure and the additional criteria are illustrated using empirical data. The usefulness of the procedure in applied personality measurement is discussed.
Functional impairment and co-occurring psychiatric disorders in medically hospitalized men.

BACKGROUND Although previous research has described a high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity among general medical and surgical patients, prevalence estimates based on diagnostic criteria and the assessment of health care outcomes including functional status has not been conducted for a broad range of psychiatric disorders. METHODS A random sample of male medical and surgical admissions to 3 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers was enrolled in the study. Subjects were administered a computerized structured psychiatric diagnostic interview and completed a multidimensional measure of health-related functioning, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. RESULTS Of 1007 medical and surgical inpatients, almost half (46.6%) met lifetime criteria for at least 1 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition disorder, most commonly for alcohol abuse or dependence (32.5%), posttraumatic stress disorder (10.0%), and major depression or dysthymia (9.0%). Almost one fifth reported recent symptoms, most frequently for major depression or dysthymia (7.0%). Co-occurring psychiatric disorders were associated with substantial and significant (P<.001) impairment on all dimensions of functioning, with the greatest decrements observed in physical and emotional role functioning. Anxiety and mood disorders were associated with the most and somewhat similar reductions in functioning. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of co-occurring psychiatric disorders was substantial but consistent with other studies of populations receiving health services. Given the observed additional burden of psychiatric disorders on functioning in medically hospitalized patients, the study indicates the importance of identification and treatment of co-occurring psychiatric disorders in this high-risk and clinically challenging group of patients.
ROLE OF DOMINANT FOLLICLE COUNT IN CONTROLLED OVARIAN STIMULATION WITH INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION CYCLES IN PATIENTS WITH UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY

Amac: Bu calismanin amaci aciklanmayan infertilite nedeniyle kontrollu overyan hiperstimulasyon (KOH) ve intrauterin inseminasyon (IUI) yapilan kadinlarda dominant folikul sayisinin gebelik basarisi ve cogul gebelik oranlari uzerine etkilerini degerlendirmektir.Gerec ve Yontemler: Prospektif ve non-randomize olarak planlanan ve Mersin Universitesi Kadin Hastaliklari ve Dogum Ana Bilim Dali’nda yapilan bu calismaya Mayis 2008 ile Eylul 2010 tarihleri arasinda aciklanamayan infertilite tanisi ile KOH-IUI uygulanan 214 kadin dahil edildi.Bulgular: KOH baslanan 532 siklustan 513’u tamamlanarak IUI yapilmis ve 62 klinik gebelik elde edilmistir (siklus basina klinik gebelik orani %12,1). Bu gebeliklerden 9’unda cogul gebelik (%14,5) gelisirken 7’si (%11,3) ise abortusla sonuclanmistir. hCG gunu tek, iki ve uc dominant folikul (>16 mm) gelisen sikluslardaki klinik gebelik oranlari sirasiyla %8,3, %14,7 ve %27,1 olarak saptanmistir. Klinik gebelik orani bir ve iki dominant folikul gelisen olgularda benzerken (p>0,05), uc dominant folikul gelisen olgularda bir ve iki dominant folikul gelisenlere kiyasla daha yuksek bulunmustur (p degerleri sirasi ile 0,001 ve 0,044). Bir, iki ve uc folikul gelisen olgularin cogul gebelik oranlari ise sirasiyla %7,4, %15,8 ve %25 olarak saptanmistir. Cogul gebelik oranlari bir ve iki dominant folikul gelisen olgularda benzerken (p>0,05), uc dominant folikul gelisen olgularda bir ve iki dominant folikul gelisenlere kiyasla istatistiksel anlamli olarak daha yuksek bulunmustur (p=0,004). Sonuc: Aciklanamayan infertilite nedeniyle KOH-IUI yapilan kadinlarda hCG gunu uc folikul gelisimi artmis gebelik orani ile iliskilidir. Ancak, uc folikul gelisimi artmis cogul gebelik oranina da sahiptir.
Ontogeny of the Thermal Limits in the Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina)

We measured metabolic rates (mL O₂ h⁻¹, converted to kcal d⁻¹), deep body temperatures (°C), and skin temperatures (°C) and calculated whole-animal thermal conductances (mL O₂ g⁻¹ h⁻¹ °C⁻¹) of five 3-yr-old harbor seals (Phoca vitulina concolor) at air temperatures between -20° and 35°C. The mean thermal neutral zone of these seals extended from a lower critical temperature of -12.9° ± 1.6°C (SD) to an upper critical temperature of 28.6° ± 1.7°C. Hyperthermia was observed at an ambient air temperature of 35°C. Mean standard metabolic rate was 1,553.6 ± 168.2 kcal d⁻¹, about 1.2 times the value expected for adult animals of similar body mass (mean mass = 49.2 ± 7.5 kg). Mean deep body temperature increased from 37.5° ± 0.30°C at an ambient temperature of 30°C and reached 39.3° ± 0.33°C at an ambient temperature of 35°C. Skin temperature decreased with decreasing ambient temperature but remained well above ambient temperature. Mean whole-animal thermal conductance decreased from an ambient temperature of 35°C until it reached a minimum value of 0.007 mL O₂ g⁻¹ h⁻¹ °C⁻¹ at -4.0°C; it then increased with a further decrease in ambient temperature. In comparison to the thermal limits of the same seals during their first year of life, the results indicate a broadening of the thermal neutral zone with age: an 11°C decrease in the lower critical temperature and a 3.5°C increase in the upper critical temperature. These findings suggest that warm ambient air temperatures should not pose any particular thermoregulatory problems for larger and older harbor seals, even beyond the limits of their current annual distribution.