Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphologic Analysis of the Microcirculation During Reperfusion of Ischemic Skeletal Muscle and the Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen

The morphologic events in the microcirculation that lead to reperfusion injury of ischemic skeletal muscle remain incompletely understood. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate leukocyte endothelial adherence characteristics and dynamic changes in microvessel caliber during reperfusion of an in vivo skeletal muscle ischemia preparation. In addition, the effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on these microcirculatory changes also was studied. An intravital microscopy preparation of a transilluminated gracilis muscle in 27 rats was used to observe a total of 101 arterioles and 63 venules (13 to 73 μm diameter). Baseline hemodynamics were videotaped for 30 minutes following muscle isolation. The animals were divided into six groups: (1) sham, no ischemia, (2) 4 hours of global ischemia only, (3) no ischemia plus hyperbaric oxygen (one 2.5 ATA/1 hour of treatment with 100% oxygen), (4) 4 hours of ischemia plus hyperbaric oxygen during ischemia, (5) 4 hours of ischemia plus hyperbaric oxygen immediately on reperfusion, and (6) 4 hours of ischemia plus hyperbaric oxygen 1 hour after reperfusion. Changes in arteriolar and venular diameters at specific times during 3 hours of reperfusion were recorded, and the number of adherent and slow-rolling leukocytes in 100-μm venular segments were counted and compared with baseline measurements. The proximity of arterioles to venules was classified as adjacent (<15 μm) or distant (>15 μm). No significant changes in leukocyte endothelial adherence or arteriolar diameter were noted in group 1 sham or group 3 nonischemic hyperbaric oxygen-treated rats when compared with baseline measurements. A significant increase in adherent leukocytes was observed in group 2 ischemic venules (+14.9 ± 2.5) within 5 minutes of reperfusion, which was maintained for 3 hours. Reperfusion measurements of arteriolar diameter in group 2 ischemic muscle preparations demonstrated an initial vasodilation that was followed at 1 hour by a progressive and severe vasoconstriction (−46.9 ±11.3 percent at 3 hours) in arterioles adjacent to venules that was not seen in distant arterioles. The increase in adherent leukocytes seen in group 2 ischemic venules was significantly reduced by hyperbaric oxygen treatment given during ischemia (group 4) or up to 1 hour during reperfusion (groups 5 and 6). In addition, the progressive ischemic arteriolar vasoconstriction was inhibited in all groups (4, 5, and 6) treated with hyperbaric oxygen. These results suggest that (1) leukocyte venular endothelial adherence and microarteriolar vasoconstriction are important morphologic events leading to reperfusion injury of skeletal muscle, (2) this vasoconstriction is seen primarily in arterioles that are in close proximity to venules, and (3) hyperbaric oxygen treatment does not exacerbate reperfusion injury, but rather appears to protect the microcirculation by reducing venular leukocyte adherence and inhibiting progressive adjacent arteriolar vasoconstriction.
Chloride Transport in Layered Soil Systems with Hydraulic Trap Effect

The natural and engineered hydraulic trap systems in sanitary-engineered solid waste landfills were investigated using three layer one dimensional laboratory models. The models consisted of a top reservoir containing a sodium chloride source solution, a compacted upper silt layer as a primary liner, a coarse sand layer as a secondary leachate collection system or a hydraulic control layer, a compacted lower silt layer as a secondary liner, and a bottom water reservoir as a groundwater aquifer. In the first test, the natural hydraulic trap system (upward flow through the lower silt layer) was modeled. In this case, the contaminant transport mechanisms through the upper silt layer were downward advection and diffusion, and through the lower silt layer, diffusion was downward and advection was upward. The results showed that the implementation of the natural hydraulic control system could effectively reduce chloride transport to the bottom reservoir. In the second test, the natural and engineering hydraulic trap systems were simulated (upward flow from the bottom reservoir to the upper reservoir). In the third test, the engineered hydraulic trap system (downward flow through the upper silt layer and upward flow through the lower silt layer) was modeled. The results showed that the natural and engineered hydraulic trap systems have an important effect in reducing chloride migration toward the underlying aquifer. In all experiments the chloride concentrations in the silt and coarse sand layers and top and bottom reservoirs were measured and the observed concentrations were compared with concentrations calculated by a theoretical model. A good agreement was obtained between the observed and theoretical data confirming the acceptable accuracy of the experimental methodologies, observations, and the theoretical model.
Functional category production in English agrammatism

Background: Individuals with agrammatism show selective deficits in functional categories. The tree‐pruning hypothesis (TPH; Friedmann & Grodzinsky, 1997) suggests that this results from inability to project certain nodes in the syntactic tree. On this account, higher nodes in the tree are more vulnerable than lower ones. Other theories, however, suggest that functional category impairments can be explained in the context of a morphological deficit (e.g., Arabatzi & Edwards, 2002; Penke, 2003; Thompson, Fix, & Gitelman, 2002). Aims: This study examined production of complementisers, tense, and agreement morphology in four English‐speaking agrammatic participants to test the hierarchical nature of functional category deficits. The consistency of verb inflection errors was also tested under conditions examining a minimal set versus a full array of English inflected forms. Materials & Procedures: In Experiment 1 participants were asked to produce sentences by using a complementiser (i.e., whether, that, and if), a tense (‐ed), or agreement marker (‐s), in structured sentence elicitation tasks. In Experiment 2 the participants' production of both finite and non‐finite verb inflection forms was examined. Outcome & Results: All participants produced complex sentences successfully using a complementiser, indicating intact projection to the Complementiser Phrase (CP). As for tense and agreement—structures within the Inflection Phrase (IP)—the agrammatic speakers were impaired in both categories and they showed higher scores in non‐finite vs finite verb conditions. Further, their errors were dominated by substitutions, rather than omissions, with various non‐target morphemes. Conclusions: Our agrammatic participants' deficits are morphological, rather than syntactic. The participants were able to project to the uppermost structure, CP. They showed the ability to project verb inflection and to implement inflectional rules in their grammar. However, instantiation of grammatical markers sometimes failed to operate, resulting in incorrect inflectional forms. These findings suggest that within the domain of functional categories, IP‐ and CP‐level deficits may result from disruption of differing underlying mechanisms and, therefore, they may require separate treatment strategies.
Are medical students agreeable? An exploration of personality in relation to clinical skills training

Background: Clinical competencies like trust, empathy, and cooperation are emphasized in medical school curricula. Agreeableness, a personality domain, reflects these competencies. It is unclear, however, whether medical student personality is intrinsically agreeable. Aim: We explored whether medical student personality reflects Agreeableness, and compared student Agreeableness with that of police officer recruits, a group in which high Agreeableness is not preferred. Methods: Students and recruits completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, which measures domains of the five-factor model: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Results: Medical student Agreeableness was at average levels. Students were high in Extraversion and Openness, reflecting personal growth, leadership, problem solving, and influencing. Relative to recruits, students had higher Neuroticism and Openness and lower Conscientiousness. Agreeableness and Extraversion did not differ. Using discriminant analysis, Neuroticism, Openness, and Conscientiousness accurately classified 77% of students and recruits. Conclusion: Medical students were not inordinately agreeable. They were ambitious, intellectually-creative problem solvers with a preference to direct/influence. Clinical skills training that acknowledges this style may enhance clinical education processes. Model-based methods for clinical skills—including agenda-setting, conflict resolution, and alliance making – that require mastery of techniques and have evidence-based relevance to patient care may be useful adjuncts to conventional clinical training.
Human neutrophil alloantigen genotype frequencies in Thai blood donors.

BACKGROUND Antibodies to human neutrophil antigens (HNA) can cause transfusion reactions, as well as autoimmune and neonatal neutropenia. This study is the first to report the frequencies of human neutrophil antigen genotypes in the Thai population. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three hundred unrelated, healthy Thai blood donors at the National Blood Centre, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand were typed for HNA-1a, -1b, -1c, -3a, -3b and -4a using polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers. Moreover, HNA-5a genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS The gene frequencies of HNA-1a, -1b and -1c were 0.470, 0.530 and 0.005, respectively. The frequencies of HNA-3a and -3b were 0.490 and 0.510, respectively. Additionally, the HNA-4a+/+ and HNA-4a+/- genotype frequencies were 0.947 and 0.053, respectively. The frequencies of HNA-5a+/+, HNA-5a+/- and HNA-5a-/- genotypes were 0.641, 0.297 and 0.062, respectively. Compared with other Asian populations, Thais have higher frequencies of HNA-1b (P<0.001). On the other hand, the frequency of HNA-5a observed in Thais is lower than that reported among Koreans (P<0.001). DISCUSSION These findings suggest that Thais would be more susceptible to HNA-1b alloimmunisation. Furthermore, our results could establish a useful human neutrophil antigen donor file to provide more effective transfusion of blood and blood components.
Correlations between the offensive subtype of social anxiety disorder and personality disorders

Aims: Recent studies have revealed the possibility that the offensive subtype of social anxiety disorder (SAD) may no longer be a culture‐bound syndrome; however, detailed clinical pictures have never been reported. This study investigated the differences between the offensive and non‐offensive subtypes of SAD in terms of the background and axis I and II comorbidity.
Flutamide versus prednisone in patients with prostate cancer symptomatically progressing after androgen-ablative therapy: a phase III study of the European organization for research and treatment of cancer genitourinary group.

PURPOSE Time to progression (TTP), overall survival, and quality of life (QL) were compared in patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer (HRPC) treated with prednisone (5 mg orally, four times a day) or flutamide (250 mg orally, three times a day). PATIENTS AND METHODS Symptomatic patients were randomized to receive either prednisone (101 patients) or flutamide (100 patients). Subjective response was assessed based on performance status, the use of analgesics, and the need to apply alternative palliative treatment. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based biochemical response (>or= 50% reduction of baseline PSA) was recorded. At baseline and at 6-week intervals during follow-up, patients completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C-30. RESULTS There was no difference between the groups in median TTP (prednisone, 3.4 months; flutamide, 2.3 months) or overall survival (prednisone, 10.6 months; flutamide, 11.2 months). In the prednisone group, 56% of the patients experienced a subjective response, compared with 45% in the flutamide group (P: = .18). The median response duration was 4.8 months for prednisone and 4.2 months for flutamide. A biochemical response was observed in 21% and 23% of the prednisone and flutamide groups, respectively. Gastrointestinal toxicity was the reason for trial discontinuation in seven patients receiving flutamide and two patients receiving prednisone. The QL assessment parameters favored the use of prednisone with statistically significant differences in pain, fatigue, role functioning, appetite loss, gastrointestinal distress, and overall QL. CONCLUSION In symptomatic HRPC, treatment with prednisone or flutamide leads to similar rates of TTP and overall survival and no difference in subjective or biochemical response. The QL results favor the use of low-cost prednisone in patients with HRPC.
IS HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM CARCINOGENIC VIA INGESTION? A WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE REVIEW

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is recognized as a human carcinogen via inhalation, based on elevated rates of lung cancer among occupationally exposed workers in certain industries. Cr(VI) is also genotoxic in bacterial and mammalian cell lines. In contrast, scientific panels in the United States and abroad have reviewed the weight of evidence (WOE) and decided that the available data are insufficient to conclude that Cr(VI) is an oral carcinogen. A criterion of 0.2 ppb was established by a California agency for Cr(VI) in drinking water to prevent cancer, however, this criterion was withdrawn in November, 2001. This criterion was remarkably lower than the promulgated California and federal drinking-water standards for total chromium of 50 ppb and 100 ppb, respectively. Both of the promulgated standards are designed to be protective of humans who ingest Cr(VI). This article describes a WOE analysis to examine the likelihood that Cr(VI) in drinking water poses a cancer hazard at the current U.S. drinking-water standard. The results indicate that: (1) From the historical epidemiological studies, there are a few reports of increased rates of digestive system cancer among Cr(VI)-exposed workers, although most are not statistically significant; (2) the preponderance of evidence from recent epidemiological studies of Cr(VI)-exposed workers does not support an increased risk of cancer outside of the respiratory system; (3) studies of four environmentally exposed populations are negative; (4) there is only one lifetime animal feeding study, and the findings from that study are considered to be flawed and inconclusive; and (5) recent kinetics and in vivo genotoxicity data demonstrate that Cr(VI) is reduced to nontoxic Cr(III) in saliva, in the acidic conditions of the stomach, and in blood. In short, at concentrations at least as high as the current U.S. maximum contaminant level (100 ppb), and probably at least an order of magnitude higher, Cr(VI) is reduced to Cr(III) prior to or upon systemic absorption. The weight of scientific evidence supports that Cr(VI) is not carcinogenic in humans via the oral route of exposure at permissible drinking-water concentrations.
Vitellogenin Recognizes Cell Damage through Membrane Binding and Shields Living Cells from Reactive Oxygen Species*

Background: Vitellogenin is a central regulator of honey bee life span by largely unknown mechanisms. Results: Honey bee vitellogenin has membrane affinity that is connected to cell damage recognition and antioxidant function. Conclusion: Membrane binding documents a new molecular behavior among vitellogenins. Significance: Vitellogenins are widespread phylogenetically, and their molecular behavior is essential for fitness traits in many animals. Large lipid transfer proteins are involved in lipid transportation and diverse other molecular processes. These serum proteins include vitellogenins, which are egg yolk precursors and pathogen pattern recognition receptors, and apolipoprotein B, which is an anti-inflammatory cholesterol carrier. In the honey bee, vitellogenin acts as an antioxidant, and elevated vitellogenin titer is linked to prolonged life span in this animal. Here, we show that vitellogenin has cell and membrane binding activity and that it binds preferentially to dead and damaged cells. Vitellogenin binds directly to phosphatidylcholine liposomes and with higher affinity to liposomes containing phosphatidylserine, a lipid of the inner leaflet of cell membranes that is exposed in damaged cells. Vitellogenin binding to live cells, furthermore, improves cell oxidative stress tolerance. This study can shed more light on why large lipid transfer proteins have a well conserved α-helical domain, because we locate the lipid bilayer-binding ability of vitellogenin largely to this region. We suggest that recognition of cell damage and oxidation shield properties are two mechanisms that allow vitellogenin to extend honey bee life span.
Innovative Start-Ups in Italy: Their Special Features and the Effects of the 2012 Law

In 2012 the Italian Parliament introduced into Italian law a special section in the Companies Register and a large number of financial incentives to create a favorable environment for the development of ‘innovative start-ups’ (ISUPs). In this paper we compare ISUPs with other start-ups. In accordance with the eligibility criteria established by law, ISUPs show a striking capacity for innovation apparent in a higher incidence of intangible assets and the longer time it takes to begin selling their products. ISUPs also report higher investment rates and stronger growth in sales and assets, while their financial structures are characterized by higher capitalization and greater availability of liquid assets. Based on propensity score matching, we also highlight some direct effects of the 2012 law on their financial structures, almost exclusively on ISUPs operating in the service sectors: their external funding, either debt or equity, increases more than for other similar firms; higher investment rates are specifically associated with a stronger upsurge in their capital.
Optimal Location and Orientation of Suture Placement in Abdominal Sacrocolpopexy

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the strongest location and optimal orientation of suture placement in the anterior longitudinal ligament for abdominal sacrocolpopexy in female cadavers. METHODS: The anterior longitudinal ligament was exposed below the level of the aortic bifurcation in 23 unembalmed female cadavers. To the right of midline of the vertebral column, sutures were placed in a horizontal orientation into the ligament at the sacral promontory, 1 and 2 cm above (sacral promontory+1 and sacral promontory+2), and 1, 2, and 3 cm below (sacral promontory–1, sacral promontory–2 and sacral promontory–3). At these same locations, but to the left of midline, sutures were placed in a vertical orientation. Pull-out force and ligament thickness at each level of testing were measured. Data were analyzed using Student t test and repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Sutures (either horizontally or vertically placed) had greater pull-out strengths at or above, compared with those placed below, the level of the sacral promontory. At sacral promontory and sacral promontory+1, there were no differences in the pull-out strengths of the ligament when sutures were placed in either orientation. However, horizontally placed sutures had significantly greater pull-out strengths than vertically placed sutures at sacral promontory+2, sacral promontory–1 and sacral promontory–2. Ligament thickness decreased from 2 cm above (mean±standard error of the mean sacral promontory+2, 1.8±0.1 mm) to 3 cm below (sacral promontory–3, 1.3±0.1 mm) the sacral promontory. CONCLUSION: Sutures placed in the anterior longitudinal ligament at or above the sacral promontory are more secure than those placed below. Horizontally oriented sutures should be considered for mesh attachment below the sacral promontory because they are significantly stronger when compared with vertically placed sutures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III
Antigenic studies of Candida. III. Comparative pathogenicity of Candida albicans group A, group B, and Candida stellatoidea.

Hasenclever, H. F. (U. S. Public Health Service, Bethesda, Md.), and William O. Mitchell. Antigenic studies of Candida. III. Comparative pathogenicity of Candida albicans group A, group B, and Candida stellatoidea. J. Bacteriol. 82:578-581. 1961. -Since the antigenic differences between Candida albicans group A and C. albicans group B had been established, the problem of a difference in pathogenicity for laboratory animals was studied. Candida stellatoidea was also included in this investigation. Similar experiments with Candida tropicalis have been reported. The virulence of 24 strains of C. albicans group A, 23 strains of C. albicans group B, and 11 strains of C. stellatoidea for mice was determined. Five C. albicans group B and four C. stellatoidea strains were tested for lethality in rabbits.C. albicans group A and C. albicans group B displayed about the same degree of virulence for mice. Although C. stellatoidea in general showed less virulence for mice than C. albicans, some of its strains were more virulent than the least virulent C. albicans strains. All five C. albicans group B strains tested in rabbits demonstrated considerably more virulence for this laboratory animal than any of the four C. stellatoidea strains tested.C. albicans group B was isolated from more diverse clinical specimens than C. albicans group A, but only a small number of specimens were studied.
Gene expression profile analysis of pancreatic cancer based on microarray data

The present study identified differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) between pancreatic cancer (PC) tissues and normal tissues, and assessed genetic factors associated with the pathogenesis of PC. The mRNA expression microarray dataset, GSE16515, containing 52 samples, including 16 paired tumor and normal tissue samples, and 20 tumor samples, was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. Raw data were normalized and DEGs were identified. Subsequently, clustering was performed, protein-protein interaction networks were drawn, and functional and pathway enrichment analyses of the DEGs were performed. Copy number variations of DEGs were also identified. A total of 1,765 DEGs between PC and normal tissues were identified, including 1,312 upregulated and 453 downregulated DEGs. Upregulated DEGs were associated with the regulation of nucleocytoplasmic and intracellular transport, whereas downregulated DEGs were associated with the response to organic substances and hormone stimulus. The pancreatic cancer pathway was connected to three DEGs, namely transforming growth factor β1 (TGFB1), TGFβ receptor 1 (TGFBR1) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), which had 2, 3 and 5 CNVs, respectively. These results indicated the important roles of TGFB1, TGFBR1 and EGF in the pathogenesis of PC. These genes may be potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of PC.