Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
No relevant effect of ursodeoxycholic acid on cytochrome P450 3A metabolism in primary biliary cirrhosis

Induction of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) has been suggested as a mechanism of action of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in cholestasis. CYP3A is of key importance in human drug metabolism, being involved in presystemic extraction of more than 50% of all drugs currently available and of various endogenous compounds. Therefore, we compared the induction potential of UDCA with that of the prototypical inducer rifampicin in a human model study with the CYP3A substrates budesonide and cortisol. Twelve patients with early‐stage primary biliary cirrhosis and eight healthy volunteers were treated with UDCA (15 mg/kg daily) for 3 weeks and subsequently with rifampicin (600 mg/d) for 1 week. Extensive pharmacokinetic profiling of oral budesonide (3 mg) was performed by determination of budesonide and phase I metabolites (6β‐hydroxybudesonide, 16α‐hydroxyprednisolone) in plasma and urine at baseline and at the end of each treatment. In parallel, urinary 6β‐hydroxycortisol, a validated marker of CYP3A induction, was determined. UDCA did not affect biotransformation of budesonide and urinary excretion of 6β‐hydroxycortisol either in patients or in healthy volunteers. Ratios of areas under plasma concentration‐time curves (AUC0‐12 h during UDCA/AUC0‐12 h before UDCA) of both metabolites were not higher than those of budesonide itself. In contrast, administration of rifampicin markedly induced CYP3A metabolism, resulting in abolished budesonide plasma levels and high urinary excretion of 6β‐hydroxycortisol. Metabolite formation was enhanced by rifampicin, but not by UDCA (e.g., AUC16α‐hydroxyprednisolone/AUCbudesonide in patients: baseline, 8.6 ± 3.9; UDCA, 10.7 ± 7.1; rifampicin, 527.0 ± 248.7). In conclusion, UDCA is not a relevant inducer of CYP3A enzymes in humans. (HEPATOLOGY 2005;41:595–602.)
Trends in children's attendance at hospital Accident and Emergency Departments for unintentional poisoning from 1990 to 1999 in the UK

Poisoning in children is a significant cause of morbidity. In 1999, an estimated 31 186 children aged 0 – 14 years attended Accident and Emergency (A&E) Departments in the UK following a poisoning (Department of Trade and Industry 2001). It is the second most common injury mechanism resulting in hospital admission in childhood (Hippisley-Cox et al. 2002) with 30% of 0 – 4 years olds attending A&E in 1999 being admitted (Department of Trade and Industry 2001). The most recent UK study examining trends in admission rates for poisoning amongst children aged under 5 years found that they declined by 7.7% between 1976 and 1986 (Sellar et al. 1991). However, admission rates for poisoning in Australia in children aged under 5 years increased over the period from 1987 to 1995 (Hoy et al. 1999). A&E attendance rates for childhood poisonings declined between 1982 and 1996 (Department of Trade and Industry 1999) However, there is no information on trends in childhood poisonings by specific agents. The authors were therefore interested in examining recent trends in poisoning attendances at A&E departments in children affected by a poisoning agent.
Airborne polarimetric SAR monitoring for ships and coastal seas

Airborne polarimetric and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PiSAR) images are analyzed for monitoring ships and coastal seas especially for estimating sea surface wind speed and direction. Though in situ ships data through AIS (Automatic Identification System) were not available by the time of analysis, PiSAR's X band images showed the potential to map coastal wind vectors with high spatial resolution of 2.5 m
Isoniazid prophylaxis for tuberculosis in HIV infection: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy of isoniazid for the prevention of tuberculosis in tuberculin skin test-positive and negative individuals with HIV infection. DESIGN Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. SETTING Seven trials from Mexico, Haiti, the United States, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya. PATIENTS Individuals free from tuberculosis, 2367 persons in the intervention and 2162 in the control groups. INTERVENTION Comparison of isoniazid with placebo or no prophylaxis. METHODS A systematic search of the literature was carried out from 1985 to October 1997 for randomized controlled trials of isoniazid prophylaxis in HIV-infected persons. Two reviewers evaluated the relevance of each candidate study and the validity of eligible trials. Studies were pooled using a random effect model, conducting secondary analyses for tuberculin skin test-positive and negative persons. RESULTS Mean follow-up in trials varied between 0.4 and 3.2 years. Pooling all seven trials, a risk ratio was found for persons treated with isoniazid for developing tuberculosis of 0.58 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.43-0.80] and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.83-1.07) for death. In groups of tuberculin skin test-positive and negative persons, the risk ratio of tuberculosis was 0.40 (95% CI, 0.24-0.65) and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.54-1.30), respectively, and the difference in the effectiveness of isoniazid versus placebo between these groups was statistically significant (P = 0.03, for the difference of summary estimates). Consistency of results was found across trials (P > 0.10, heterogeneity value) for all comparisons. CONCLUSIONS Prophylaxis with isoniazid reduces the risk of tuberculosis in persons with HIV infection. The effect is restricted to tuberculin skin test-positive persons.
Prevalence and morphometric studies on porcine cysticercosis in Adamawa State, Nigeria.

Porcine cysticercosis is emerging as a serious agricultural and public health problem in African countries. A study on the prevalence and morphometric of porcine cysticercosis was conducted at post mortem using palpation and incision technique of routine meat inspection. Out of the 247 slaughter pigs examined at post mortem, 8(3.2%) were infected and of this number 5(2.7%) were males and 3(5.1%) were females. Infection was more common in the Hampshire breed 7(3.5%), than the black Ashanti 1(3.3%). The Landrace breed had no infection. A total of 760 cysts were removed from infected animals. Out of this number, 261(34.3%) were removed from the shoulder muscle, 189 (24.9%) from the masseters, 176 (23.2%) from the tongue and 134 (17.3%) were removed from the heart respectively. 5 (0.65%) of the cyst were matured and 755 (99.34%) were immature. A total of 632 (83.2%) were viable while 128 (16.8%) were non-viable. Cyst morphometry indicated an overall mean ± SD (range) of 8.8±1.0(5-12) by 5.4±1.1(3-7) mm. Cysts from the shoulder had a mean ± SD (range) (length x breadth in mm) of 7.6±8.7(5-11) by 4.4±8.8(3-6) while those from the masseters were 7.8±6.9(6-12) by 4.7 ± 3.8 (4-6), tongue 8.7 ± 2.9 (6-12) by 5.7±2.6(4-6), and heart 8.6±3.5(5-12) by 5.3±3.7(3-7). The mean ±SD (range) number of hooks counted was 4.4±0.4 (4-6). This study has confirmed the presence of Cysticercus cellulosae and its morphological characteristics, which are useful aids in providing diagnostic and public health alerts.
Heat Sterilization of Fluids for Peritoneal Dialysis Gives Rise to Aldehydes

Objective To chemically identify and quantify glucose degradation products in heat sterilized fluids for peritoneal dialysis. Design Three different brands of commercial PD-fluids and one laboratory made fluid, sterilized either by heat or filtration, were investigated for the presence of aldehydes. Measurements Aldehydes were identified and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography. Results The tested brands of heat sterilized PD-fluids were found to contain several different aldehydes while the sterile filtered PD-fluid contained none. The highest concentrations in commercial PD-fluids of these aldehydes were: acetaldehyde (420 μm), glyoxal (14 μm), methylglyoxal (12 μm) and formaldehyde (11 μm). Valeraldehyde was also identified but not quantified. The presence of 5–HMF (15 μm) and 2-furaldehyde (2 μm), which has been identified by others, was confirmed. Conclusions The heat sterilization of commercial PD fluids gives rise to several aldehydes which may contribute to adverse effects of PD-fluids on patients.
Radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis: a long-term prospective study of 109 patients.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the long-term radiographic course as a mathematical function of disease duration in individual patients and in a group of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS In 109 patients with RA, radiographic examinations of 46 diarthrodial joints were performed at regular intervals of 1-3 years, for up to 30 years after disease onset. RESULTS Five main types of progression were identified: 1) a rare type (<1%), with no radiographic progression at all; 2) a type with a slow or moderate onset, but an increasing progression rate (9% exponential growth type and 30% linear type); 3) a type with a moderate-to-fast onset and a stable progression rate (the square-root type; 11%); 4) a type with a fast onset, but a later decreasing progression rate (the first-order kinetics type, 30%); and 5) a type characterized by slow onset, then acceleration and later deceleration (the sigmoid type, 20%). CONCLUSION The progression of radiographic damage in RA followed mathematical functions of time. The identification of progression type may be used in the prediction of outcome in patients with RA.
Estimating extinction with the fossil record

Many ecological and palaeontological studies focus on extinction. The fossil record is particularly important for studying long-term patterns in extinction: although analyses of extant phylogenies can estimate extinction rates (e.g. Alfaro et al. 2009) and even suggest mass extinctions (e.g. Crisp & Cook 2009), they cannot imply trilobites ever existed or that sphenodonts (now represented only by the tuatara) were once as diverse as lepidosaurs (lizards and snakes). However, workers also use the fossil record to test ideas about the pace of major extinction events that use methods similar to those that conservation biology might use. Here we will review current palaeobiological methods for inferring extinction patterns, spanning ‘traditional’ methods using stratigraphic ranges to methods using more exact information about distributions of finds within stratigraphic ranges. Palaeontological studies of diversity patterns also focus extensively on standing richness and origination rates. We do not focus on either of these parameters for their own sake. However, standing richness (usually referred to simply as ‘diversity’ in palaeontological studies) is an important parameter when discussing extinction as extinction metrics necessarily rely on changes in standing richness. Origination rates also can be an important parameter as the distribution of originations within time spans (i.e. evenly throughout the interval vs concentrated in the beginning) have small but important effects on the predictions of extinction rate hypotheses. Moreover, palaeontological techniques for estimating origination rates are essentially identical to those for estimating extinction, save that they are done ‘in reverse’. Thus, discussions of how one estimates extinction rates using fossil data can almost double for discussion of how one estimates origination from fossil data. The other parameter that will be important throughout this review is preservation (i.e. sampling) rate. Just as ecologists know that incomplete sampling affects sampled richness (e.g. Hurlbert 1971) and implied extinction (e.g. Solow 1993a), palaeontologists know that incomplete sampling affects the first and last appearances of fossils, both in local sedimentary sections (Signor & Lipps 1982) and globally (Sepkoski 1975). Workers have expressed concern that major extinctions are exaggerated by or possibly even illusions of intervals of poor preservation (Raup 1979; Smith et al. 2001; Peters & Foote 2002). Because sampling intensity is of interest to both fields, we shall also discuss how palaeontological studies address sampling when estimating diversity and diversity dynamics.
PREVALENCE OF PAN MASALA USE IN A COASTAL POPULATION OF KERALA

Result : The prevalence of pan masala use was 28.3%. panmasala use is highest among the men of age group of 45-50 years. The mean age of onset of pan masala use was 17.7(standard deviation [sd] 9.7). Only 40.4% of the study population had awareness about the fact that pan chewing can cause oral cancer . 87.2% subjects agreed that panmasala which they consume regularly contain tobacoo. The factors which favour pan masala use were(p<0.05) low education, ageing and low awareness .
Serum Gastrin in the Rat: Cholinergic and Adrenergic Effects 1

Summary Effects of vagotomy, acetyl-choline and various adrenergic drugs on serum immunoreactive gastrin levels were studied in the rat. In rats fasted 24 hr or longer serum gastrin concentrations generally were <50 pg/ml; 60 min after the onset of feeding, serum gastrin concentrations reached levels >100 pg/ml. In rats fasted overnight, injections of epinephrine, isoproterenol and phenoxybenzamine all raised the serum gastrin level. Pretreatment with propranolol, a β-adrenergic blocking agent, abolished the hypergastrinemic affect of iso-proterenol. Administration of propranolol also lowered basal serum gastrin levels and reduced the increase in serum gastrin produced by feeding. In vagotomized rats, iso-proterenol futher increased the already elevated serum gastrin levels while propranolol alone slightly reduced the elevated basal gastrin levels in four or five vagotomized rats. Bathing the antral mucosa by gavage with isoproterenol (even in 0.01 N HC1) also increased serum gastrin levels, indicating that isoproterenol acted directly on the antrum and not indirectly by elevating intra-gastric pH. Possible interactions between cholinergic and adrenergic agents on serum gastrin responses also were examined. Acetylcholine given by gavage produced its well known large increase in serum gastrin. An anticho-linergic drug, atropine, given orally, greatly restricted the ability of acetylcholine to raise serum gastrin, and propranolol given orally also inhibited the increase in serum gastrin levels produced by oral acetylcholine. The findings support the idea that both cholinergic and adrenergic systems influence gastrin secretion in the rat. The authors wish to thank Drs. Paul L. Munson, Philip F. Hirsch, Tai-Chan Peng, and Fred W. Ellis for advice during the course of this work. The technical assistance of Mr. Johnny F. Obie, Mrs. Deloris B. Alston, and Mr. John R. Hagaman, Jr. is deeply appreciated.
Outcome-Based Education: the future is today

Medical education, perhaps more than at any other time, faces pressures for change in response to the rapid developments in medical and health care delivery, advances in information technology, globalisation influencing medicine and education, changing political and public expectations, demands from within the profession and developments in how we look at teaching and learning. The greatest catalyst for change, it has been argued, is a language that will allow us to discuss what we are expecting students to learn and how we should assess this (Jessup 1995). This themed issue of Medical Teacher illustrates how learning outcomes can provide this necessary language. Jessup’s essential thesis in relation to outcome-based education (OBE) is ‘‘if education or training is defined by outcomes, it opens access to learning and assessment in ways which are not possible in traditional syllabus or programme based systems. Once learning is targeted on outcomes, the other features of the model follow as a natural consequence. Many of the problems we face in education and training could be solved by this model. ’’ (Jessup 1991). Traditionally courses in medicine as in other disciplines were defined in terms of their duration – a four year course, a week module or rotation – and in terms of their syllabus with specification of content and the teaching provided in the form of lectures, practical classes etc. Clear statements as to what students were expected to learn was not on the agenda. It was almost as if we expected students to join us in some sort of magical mystery tour with an assessment at the end. As Rowntree (1982) noted: ‘‘to set the student off in pursuit of an unnamed quarry may be merely wasteful, but to punish him for failing to catch it is positively mischievous. Do we sometimes appear to say to the student: ‘I can’t say precisely what skills or knowledge I want you to acquire from this course. Just do your own thing (guessing what might come into my mind) and I’ll give you a grade according to how I feel about it’’’? This has all changed however, with the move to an OBE model. In medicine the process of exploring learning outcomes has been illuminating and has uncovered what in the past has remained mainly hidden. It has made us question the validity of much of what we teach and how we teach it. Course descriptions, for the most part, have made no reference to decision making, self assessment and other personal skills – all essential attributes for a doctor. In OBE it is specified what students are expected to learn and the course of study is arranged so that they achieve this. It is a message difficult to disagree with. This themed issue of Medical Teacher recognizes that a significant change has taken place in medical education with
Dye indicators of membrane potential.

Recently it has become possible to measure changes in the electrical poten­ tial difference across membranes of cells, organelles, and vesicles that are too small to be studied with microelectrodes. One novel technique involves the use of dye molecules as optical probes of membrane potential. Figure 1 illustrates the apparatus for observing fluorescence changes (.:1 F) and light transmission changes (.:1 J) of a preparation to which a membrane potential probe has been added. The preparation could be a single nerve or muscle fiber, many neurons in a region of brain, or a suspension of cells, organelles, or vesicles in a cuvet. As an example, Figure 2 shows the "optical action potential" of a squid giant axon stained with dye 375 (structure in Figure 3). The absorption signal of this very responsive dye is nearly superimposible on the trace of the membrane potential measured with electrodes (72). This review centers on three main classes of polymethine dyes that have provided an important source of potential-sensitive probes. These classes are the merocyanines, cyanines, and oxonols. A number of the more sensitive dyes are shown in Figure 3. Optical methods for measuring membrane potentials were reviewed earlier by Rottenberg (73), Waggoner (89), and Cohen & Salzberg (26). Membrane potential probes can also be divided into two classes based on the speed, size, and mechanism of the potential-dependent optical change. The slow dyes (or redistribution or accumulation dyes) respond to membrane potential changes in times of seconds. They are permeant and work by a mechanism involving potential-dependent redistribution of the charged dye between the medium and the inside of the cell, organelle, or vesicle. Often these dyes show absorption and fluorescence changes as large as 80-90%. Cyanine and oxonol dyes can work by this mechanism.
Tibial Post Wear in Posterior Stabilized Total Knee Arthroplasty: An Unrecognized Source of Polyethylene Debris

Background: With extensive use of posterior stabilized total knee arthroplasty implants, it is increasingly important to assess the mechanical performance of this design alternative. The purpose of this study was to examine the wear patterns at the femoral cam-tibial post interface in a series of posterior stabilized prostheses retrieved at revision arthroplasty. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative wear analysis was performed over the surface of the stabilizing posts from twenty-three retrieved total knee components that had been implanted for a mean of 35.6 months (range, 2.3 to 107.2 months). The implants were designs from four different manufacturers. Digital images of the anterior, posterior, medial, and lateral surfaces of the tibial post were made for quantitative analysis and determination of a post wear score. Wear was characterized with a grading system that isolates adhesive, abrasive, and fatigue wear, inferring a weighted score from an estimation of generated polyethylene debris. Results: Evidence of wear or damage was observed on all twenty-three of the stabilizing posts, including those revised because of infection. On the average, 39.9% (range, 18.5% to 60%) of the post surface demonstrated some form of deformation, with adhesive wear, or burnishing, being the predominant wear mechanism. Seven posts (30%) exhibited severe damage with gross loss of polyethylene. The wear caused premature failure and early revision of two components: one of these failures was related to isolated post wear and the other, to severe post wear and subsequent fracture. Overall, wear was primarily posterior, but wear over the anterior, medial, and lateral surfaces was also notable. Conclusions: The cam-post articulation in posterior stabilized implants can be an additional source of polyethylene wear debris. The variability in wear patterns observed among designs may be due to differences in cam-post mechanics, post location, and post geometry. The surgeon should be aware that the cam-post interface is not an innocuous articulation, and manufacturers should be motivated to produce implants that maintain the function of the post while limiting wear and surface damage.
Poisson Image Editing

The gradient of images can be directly edited to perform useful operations; this is called gradientbased image processing or Poisson editing. For example operations such as seamless cloning, contrast enhancement, texture flattening or seamless tiling can be performed in a very simple and efficient way by combining/modifying the image gradients. In the present work we will describe the Poisson image editing method, and review the contributions that have been made since it was proposed in 2003. In addition the integration problem will be discussed and analyzed, both from the theoretical and numerical points of view. Two different numerical implementations will be discussed, the first one uses discrete versions of differential operators to convert the problem into a sparse linear system of equations, while the second one is based on Fourier transform properties. Source Code The Octave/Matlab source code, the code documentation, and the online demo are accessible at the IPOL web page of this article1 and usage instruction are included in the README.txt file of the compressed archive.