Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Needle Type, Gauge, and Tip Bend on Spinal Needle Deflection

Although the use of fine-gauge spinal needles reduces the incidence of postdural puncture headache, they are associated with increased risk of placement failure as a result of deflection and bending. This in vitro study quantifies spinal needle deflection from the axis of insertion with respect to needle type, gauge, and tip bend. In addition to straight-tip needles, those with standardized 5 degrees and 10 degrees tip bends were studied. The purpose was to examine the effect of tip bend, which has been described with small gauge spinal needles after bony contact, on needle path deflection. Needles studied included Quincke (Q), Sprotte (S), and Whitacre (W) in sizes ranging from 18-gauge to 29-gauge. Needles were inserted perpendicularly into porcine paraspinous muscle followed by radiologic investigation. Measurements of needle deflection from the axis of insertion at depths of 20, 40, and 60 mm were performed in a blinded fashion. Straight-tip Q needle deflection, but not W or S, was correlated with gauge and depth of insertion. Although there were differences within needle type groups, needle deflection was generally correlated with the degree of tip bend. We conclude that spinal needle deflection is dependent on the type of needle (W < S < Q), and that the magnitude of deflection is related to gauge (large < small) and tip bend (straight < 5 degrees < 10 degrees). (Anesth Analg 1996;82:297-301)
Lactobacillus plantarum 299: Beneficial in vitro immunomodulation in cells extracted from inflamed human colon

Background and Aim: The present study determined the pattern of cytokine secretion (interleukin [IL]‐1β, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]‐α, interferon [IFN]‐γ and IL‐10) and their cellular sources in mononuclear cells isolated from colonic mucosa from normal and ulcerative colitis (UC) in response to probiotic and pathogenic bacteria.
Study of CA1 place cell activity and exploratory behavior following spatial and nonspatial changes in the environment

Changes in the spatial arrangement or identity of objects inside a familiar environment induce reexploration. The present study looks at modifications of place cell activity during such renewed exploration. Hungry rats foraged for food in a cylinder with a salient cue card attached to the wall and with two distinct objects at fixed positions on the floor relative to each other and to the cue card. Once a set of CA1 place cells was recorded in this standard configuration, additional sessions were done after two kinds of manipulation. In the first, the two objects were rotated as a rigid set 90 degrees counterclockwise around the cylinder center while leaving the cue card in place; this was considered a spatial change. The effects of rotating the objects were different for fields near the objects (near fields) and fields far from the objects (far fields). Object rotation altered most near fields in complex ways, including remapping and cessation of firing. Near fields that remained intact after object rotation underwent unpredictable rotations that frequently departed considerably from the expected value of 90 degrees CCW. In contrast, the only change induced in far fields was a reduction of discharge rate on day 1, but not day 2, exposures of the rat to the rotated objects. The effects on both near and far fields were reversed when the objects were returned to their standard position. In the second manipulation, substitution of one of the two familiar objects with a novel object, a nonspatial change, had no detectable effect on place cell activity, regardless of field location. The sensitivity of hippocampal place cells to spatial changes but not to nonspatial changes is in agreement with earlier results showing that hippocampal lesions abolish reexploration after spatial but not after nonspatial object manipulations. The fact that reexploration is accompanied by place cell changes after spatial but not nonspatial changes reinforces the role that the hippocampus is believed to play in navigational computing and is perfectly compatible with the idea that another brain structure, likely perirhinal cortex, is responsible for object recognition. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
DUAL NATURE OF RESISTANCE MECHANISMS AS REVEALED BY STUDIES OF ANTHRAX SEPTICEMIA.

Klein, Frederick (Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md.), Bertram W. Haines, Bill G. Mahlandt, Ira A. DeArmon, Jr., and Ralph E. Lincoln. Dual nature of resistance mechanisms as revealed by studies of anthrax septicemia. J. Bacteriol. 85:1032-1038. 1963. -From studies of septicemic anthrax, resistance was described in relation to toxin and to growth of bacilli. This description was based on the observations that the terminal concentrations of bacilli in the blood were influenced primarily by the susceptibility of the host to toxin, whereas the death-response time of the host was dependent on both resistance to bacilli and toxin susceptibility. Resistance to the establishment and growth of infecting organisms and susceptibility to the toxin produced by growth of the bacilli are separate aspects of pathogenesis. A complete description of pathogenesis must accordingly treat of both these phenomena as individual entities.
Growth effect of neutrophil elastase on breast cancer: favorable action of sivelestat and application to anti-HER2 therapy.

AIM To investigate the relation between neutrophil elastase (NE) and proliferation of breast cancer cells and whether the NE inhibitor sivelestat could both contribute and be applied to therapy for anti-epithelial growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS The proliferation or inhibition of breast cancer cell line SKBR-3 by each agent was evaluated by methylthiazole tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Signal transduction and expression of signaling molecules were evaluated by Western blot analysis. RESULTS The auto tumor progression mechanism initiated by NE through tumor growth factor-α (TGF-α) was present in breast cancer cells, and this mechanism was intensively suppressed by sivelestat. The effect of trastuzumab was suppressed, and trastuzumab-induced HER2 down-regulation was impaired by TGF-α. TGF-α not only promoted cell proliferation as a ligand but also enhanced resistance to trastuzumab by impairing HER2 down-regulation. Furthermore, combined use of trastuzumab and sivelestat suppressed cell proliferation more intensively than either drug alone and did not provoke impairment by TGF-α of HER2-induced down-regulation. CONCLUSION Combinatorial use of sivelestat and trastuzumab might be a novel therapeutic strategy for HER2-positive breast cancer.
Time-Varying Degree of Wage Indexation and the New Keynesian Wage Phillips Curve

Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) coverage figures suggest a time variation in the degree of wage indexation. In spite of this observation, most current literature conveniently assume a constant degree of indexation as this variable is not directly observable. This study intends to empirically measure the time variation in the degree of wage indexation. To this end, we derive a reduced form version of the New Keynesian Wage Phillips Curve under the assumption of a time varying degree of wage indexation. A state space methodology is then employed in estimating this model using data of selected OECD countries. The study subsequently investigates variables influencing the time variation in the degree of wage indexation. Our results consistently suggest a substantial time variation in the degree of wage indexation in all countries considered. The wage indexation estimates obtained for the US bear remarkable similarities with the figures suggested by COLA coverage. It is subsequently shown that variations in trend inflation significantly explain variations in the degree of wage indexation. Finally, there is weak evidence in support of the Gray hypothesis that wage indexation is negatively correlated with the variance of productivity shocks.
BAT3 and SET1A Form a Complex with CTCFL/BORIS To Modulate H3K4 Histone Dimethylation and Gene Expression

ABSTRACT Chromatin status is characterized in part by covalent posttranslational modifications of histones that regulate chromatin dynamics and direct gene expression. BORIS (brother of the regulator of imprinted sites) is an insulator DNA-binding protein that is thought to play a role in chromatin organization and gene expression. BORIS is a cancer-germ line gene; these are genes normally present in male germ cells (testis) that are also expressed in cancer cell lines as well as primary tumors. This work identifies SET1A, an H3K4 methyltransferase, and BAT3, a cochaperone recruiter, as binding partners for BORIS, and these proteins bind to the upstream promoter regions of two well-characterized procarcinogenic genes, Myc and BRCA1. RNA interference (RNAi) knockdown of BAT3, as well as SET1A, decreased Myc and BRCA1 gene expression but did not affect the binding properties of BORIS, but RNAi knockdown of BORIS prevented the assembly of BAT3 and SET1A at the Myc and BRCA1 promoters. Finally, chromatin analysis suggested that BORIS and BAT3 exert their effects on gene expression by recruiting proteins such as SET1A that are linked to changes in H3K4 dimethylation. Thus, we propose that BORIS acts as a platform upon which BAT3 and SET1A assemble and exert effects upon chromatin structure and gene expression.
Categoriality in Language Change

This study presents the first elaborate attempt to set out a functional-semantic definition of diachronic transcategorial shift between the major classes “noun”/“nominal” and “verb”/“clause. ” In English, speakers have different options to refer to an event by using “deverbal nominalization” strategies (e.g., Him guessing her size/His guessing of her size (was incredibly lucky)). Interestingly, not only do these strategies each resemble “prototypical” nominals to varying extents, it also has been observed that some of these strategies increasingly resemble clauses and decreasingly resemble prototypical nominals over time, as if they are gradually shifting categories. Thus far, the literature on such cases of diachronic categorial shift has mainly described the processes by focusing on form, leaving the reader with a clear picture of what and how changes have occurred. Yet, the question of why these formal changes have occurred is still shrouded in mystery. This study tackles this mystery by showing that the diachronic processes of nominalization and verbalization can also involve functional-semantic changes. The aim of this study is both theoretical and descriptive. The theoretical aim is to present a model that allows one to study diachronic nominalization and verbalization as not just formal or morpho-syntactic but also functional-semantic processes. The descriptive aim is to offer “workable” definitions of the abstract functional-semantic properties of nominals and verbs/clauses, and subsequently apply them to one of the most intriguing deverbal nominalization systems in the history of English: the English gerund.
A prospective pilot study of antibodies against human papillomaviruses and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma nested in the Oxford component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

In a prospective pilot study nested in the EPIC‐Oxford cohort, we examined the seroprevalence of antibodies against the L1 antigen of 38 human papilloma virus (HPV) types among 39 cases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) for whom plasma was collected prior to diagnosis (incident) and 80 controls. Fifteen cases having already developed SCC at blood collection (prevalent) were also tested. There were no statistically significant differences in the seroprevalence of antibodies against any of the HPV types examined between incident cases and controls, nor was there a difference in the seroprevalence of multiple infections. However, consistent with results from published case–control studies, the seroprevalence of many β‐HPV types was higher among prevalent cases than among either incident cases or controls. For example the seroprevalence of antibodies against HPV‐8 was 20% (16/80) in controls, 23% (9/39) among incident cases and 40% (6/15) among prevalent cases. Among the incident cases only, the seroprevalence was 16% (5/32) among those for whom blood was collected 18+ months prior to diagnosis, but 57% (4/7) among those for whom diagnosis was within 18 months of blood collection, a pattern seen for many of the HPV types. This might suggest that if HPV is involved in the aetiology of SCC, the process occurs close to the time of diagnosis, or that the antibody response observed in people with SCC is a consequence of tumor formation. Further and larger prospective studies are needed to clarify the role of HPV in the aetiology of cutaneous SCC. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Coronary artery bypass graft and/or valvular operations following prior pneumonectomy: report of four new patients and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND The reported experience is sparse for patients with prior pneumonectomy who are undergoing surgery for ischemic or valvular heart disease. Such surgery poses special technical challenges. To expand the experience with this challenging clinical intervention, we reviewed the reported patients with prior pneumonectomy who were undergoing cardiac surgery as well as the experience at the Cleveland Clinic. METHODS A MEDLINE search of the literature for articles published in the English language from 1966 to August 2006 was conducted using the search terms "pneumonectomy" and "cardiac surgery. " We included all available individually described patients and also reviewed the Cardiovascular Information Registry at the Cleveland Clinic from 1972 to 2006. RESULTS A total of 19 individually described patients in 13 reports were available, 15 of which had previously been reported and 4 that were newly reported from our institution (1 of whom had undergone two operations separated by 8 years). Of the 20 operations performed in these 19 patients, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) alone was performed in 15 patients (75%), valve replacement or repair was performed in 4 patients (20%), and CABG with both aortic valve replacement and mitral valve repair was performed in 1 patient (5%). Most patients (13; 68%) had undergone left pneumonectomy. For these 19 patients, the postoperative mortality rate was 16%. Postoperative complications followed 10 of the operations (50%). CONCLUSIONS Although complications and postoperative deaths occurred more frequently than in other high-risk patient groups (eg, those with COPD undergoing cardiac surgery), this experience suggests that cardiac surgery can be undertaken with a reasonable likelihood of a favorable outcome in this challenging population, justifying the approach in appropriately selected and counseled patients.
Nitric oxide production decreases after salt loading but is not related to blood pressure changes or nitric oxide-mediated vascular responses

Background Nitric oxide production is a homeostatic mechanism that may regulate blood pressure during salt loading. Salt-sensitive hypertension in animal models and in humans is characterized by increased blood pressure and decreased nitric oxide production after salt loading. It is not known if this impaired nitric oxide production is the result of hypertension or is a mechanism contributing to the blood pressure response to salt. Methods and results The effects of salt loading on blood pressure, nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation and nitric oxide production were measured in 25 normotensive subjects after 6 days on either a high (400 mmol/day) or low (10 mmol/day) sodium, low nitrate diet. Mean arterial pressure increased during the high-salt diet [4 ± 1 mmHg (mean ± SEM)] in 12 subjects and remained unchanged or decreased (−4 ± 1 mmHg) in 13 subjects. Plasma nitrite and nitrate, a measure of nitric oxide production, decreased significantly from 39 ± 3.3 μmol/l during the low-salt diet to 22.4 ± 2.4 μmol/l during the high-salt diet (P = 0.0001). However, changes in mean arterial pressure from low- to high-salt diet did not correlate with changes in plasma nitrite and nitrate (r = 0.14, P = 0.51). Forearm blood flow increased significantly (P < 0.0001) in response to mental stress, a nitric oxide-mediated response, but was not affected by sodium intake (from 7.8 ± 0.9 to 11.2 ± 1.4 ml/min per 100 ml during low salt versus 8.5 ± 1.2 to 10.4 ± 1.3 ml/min per 100 ml during high salt, P = 0.3). Conclusions Salt loading results in a decrease in nitric oxide production in both salt-sensitive and salt-resistant normotensive subjects, which is independent of changes in blood pressure and does not affect the nitric oxide-mediated vascular response to mental stress. In contrast to salt-resistant animal models, salt loading in healthy subjects does not increase nitric oxide production. Therefore, the increased blood pressure response to salt loading may occur through mechanisms other than nitric oxide, or salt-sensitive individuals are more sensitive to the reduced nitric oxide production that occurs after salt loading in both salt-sensitive and salt-resistant subjects.
Platelet activation through the efficacy of aspirin in congenital heart disease patients undergoing transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects or ventricular septal defects.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to compare preoperative and postoperative conditions of GMP-140 concentration, the aggregation and activation of platelets in congenital heart disease patients undergoing transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects (ASDs) or ventricular septal defects (VSDs), and the appropriate dose of aspirin of patients after transcatheter closure. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-two consecutive patients with ASD (n=16) and VSD (n=16), as shown on transthoracic echocardiography and right heart catheter examination, were treated with a percutaneous catheter occlusion. The patients comprised 13 males and 19 females with a mean age of 25.6±9.15. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups within half an hour after ASD or VSD occlusion. Group A cases were treated with 3 mg/kg/day enteric-coated aspirin tablets for 6 months, while patients in group B received 5 mg/kg/day enteric-coated aspirin tablets for 6 months. RESULTS The rates of platelet aggregation (PAG) in the immediate postoperative ASD/VSD occlusion were significantly higher than those in the preoperative ASD/VSD occlusion (adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-induced PAG: 64.98%±7.65% vs. 86.33%±6.54%, p<0.05; arachidonic acid [AA]-induced PAG: 62.92%±9.11% vs. 86.96%±6.90%, p<0.05, respectively). After treatment with aspirin, the GMP-140 levels presented a clearly defined downward trend in the immediate postoperative period (3 mg/kg/day aspirin: 18.30±3.42 vs. 13.37±1.80, p<0.05; 5 mg/kg/day aspirin: 18.30±3.42 vs. 13.41±1.60, p<0.05), but no obvious difference was observed considering the GMP-140 levels in the 4 days after occlusion (all p>0.05). CONCLUSION Our study showed that the GMP-140 serum level and PAG were increased after ASD and VSD occlusion, and patients may have a trend of decreased GMP-140 serum levels after the ASD or VSD occlusion surgeries after the treatment with aspirin. Daily oral administration of 3 and 5 mg/kg/day aspirin can induce a significant decrease in PAG of patients after VSD/ASD occlusion.
A decision-feedback autocorrelation receiver for pulsed ultra-wideband systems

Efficient capture of multipath energy is one of the most significant problems of pulse-based ultra-wideband (UWB) systems in non-line-of-sight propagation environments. The traditional RAKE receiver could practically capture only a small fraction of the received signal energy because tracking and estimation of a large number of multipath components are very challenging. The transmitted-reference schemes could effectively collect energy in all received multipath components, but the energy efficiency and data rate drop significantly because of the required pilots. In addition, the use of a noisy template waveform may significantly degrade the receiver performance. In this paper, we propose a decision-feedback autocorrelation receiver for pulsed UWB systems. The decision-feedback structure provides an effective method that enables efficient capture of energy in all received multipath components and could eliminate the noise in the self-derived template waveform. A performance comparison between a RAKE receiver, a transmitted-reference scheme, and the proposed scheme is provided.
In vivo and in vitro ovarian carcinoma growth inhibition by a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor (LY294002).

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) induces mitogenesis, cell growth, and cell transformation. Amplification of the gene encoding the P110alpha subunit likely is an important event in ovarian cancer progression, and PI3-K inhibitors are possible therapeutic agents for this disease. We evaluated effects of LY294002, a potent inhibitor of PI3-K, on growth of ovarian carcinoma in vivo and in vitro, and on ascites formation in vivo. Athymic mice were inoculated i.p. with the ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR-3. Seven days after inoculation, mice were treated with or without LY294002 (100 mg/kg of body weight) for 3 weeks. Body weight and abdominal circumference were measured twice weekly. At the end of the experiment, mice were sacrificed, ascites volume was measured, and tumors were excised. Mean tumor burden in the LY294002-treated group was reduced by approximately 65% versus controls. Virtually no ascites developed in the treatment group; mean volume of ascites in controls was 3.3 +/- 0.38 ml. OVCAR-3 cells also were cultured in vitro without and with LY294002 (1, 5, and 10 microM) for 24 h. The number of cells in 1, 5, and 10 microM LY294002-treated wells was reduced by 27, 56, and 75%, respectively, versus controls. In vivo and in vitro morphological studies demonstrated that LY294002 induced marked nuclear pyknosis and diminished cytoplasmic volume in the tumor cells, confirmed as apoptosis. Thus, LY294002 significantly inhibits growth and ascites formation of ovarian carcinoma in vivo and markedly inhibits ovarian cancer cell proliferation in vitro, suggesting an important role of PI3-K inhibitors as a potentially useful treatment for women with ovarian carcinoma.
The Risk-sensitivity of Bank Capital Requirements: The Moderating Effects of Capital Regulation and Supervisory Power

This study examines the moderating effects of capital regulation and supervisory power on the risk-sensitivity of bank capital requirements. Using two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator, we work on the international sample of 222 banks charted in 30 countries. The finding suggests that asset volatility is a critical variable in explaining the risk-sensitivity of banks. The results indicate that stricter capital regulatory regimes and higher supervisory power enhance the risk sensitivity of capital requirements. Moreover, the capital regulation was found to moderate the relationship between asset volatility and risk-sensitivity while supervisory power was found not to exert any impact on the level of risk of the banks. Another interesting result is that governments with a higher debt to gross domestic product ratio tend to overregulate the other banks’ investments compared to government bonds. This is the first study that investigates the moderating effects of capital regulation and power of supervision on the risk sensitivity of capital requirements. The results of this study show that the efficiency of risk-based capital requirements depends on the stringency of capital regulation in different countries.