Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regionalization of Emergent Vascular Surgery for Patients With Ruptured AAA Improves Outcomes

Objective: Safe and efficient endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (r-AAA) requires advanced infrastructure and surgical expertise not available at all US hospitals. The objective was to assess the impact of regionalizing r-AAA care to centers equipped for both open surgical repair (r-OSR) and EVAR (r-EVAR) by vascular surgeons. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients with r-AAA undergoing open or endovascular repair in a 12-hospital region. Patient demographics, transfer status, type of repair, and intraoperative variables were recorded. Outcomes included perioperative morbidity and mortality. Results: Four hundred fifty-one patients with r-AAA were treated from 2002 to 2015. Three hundred twenty-one patients (71%) presented initially to community hospitals (CHs) and 130 (29%) presented to the tertiary medical center (MC). Of the 321 patients presenting to CH, 133 (41%) were treated locally (131 OSR; 2 EVAR) and 188 (59%) were transferred to the MC. In total, 318 patients were treated at the MC (122 OSR; 196 EVAR). At the MC, r-EVAR was associated with a lower mortality rate than r-OSR (20% vs 37%, P = 0.001). Transfer did not influence r-EVAR mortality (20% in r-EVAR presenting to MC vs 20% in r-EVAR transferred, P > 0.2). Overall, r-AAA mortality at the MC was 20% lower than CH (27% vs 46%, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Regionalization of r-AAA repair to centers equipped for both r-EVAR and r-OSR decreased mortality by approximately 20%. Transfer did not impact the mortality of r-EVAR at the tertiary center. Care of r-AAA in the US should be centralized to centers equipped with available technology and vascular surgeons.
The Maize Low-Phytic Acid Mutant lpa2 Is Caused by Mutation in an Inositol Phosphate Kinase Gene

Reduced phytic acid content in seeds is a desired goal for genetic improvement in several crops. Low-phytic acid mutants have been used in genetic breeding, but it is not known what genes are responsible for the low-phytic acid phenotype. Using a reverse genetics approach, we found that the maize (Zea mays) low-phytic acidlpa2 mutant is caused by mutation in an inositol phosphate kinase gene. The maize inositol phosphate kinase (ZmIpk) gene was identified through sequence comparison with human and Arabidopsis Ins(1,3,4)P3 5/6-kinase genes. The purified recombinant ZmIpk protein has kinase activity on several inositol polyphosphates, including Ins(1,3,4)P3, Ins(3,5,6)P3, Ins(3,4,5,6)P4, and Ins(1,2,5,6)P4. The ZmIpk mRNA is expressed in the embryo, the organ where phytic acid accumulates in maize seeds. The ZmIpk Mutator insertion mutants were identified from a Mutator F2family. In the ZmIpk Mu insertion mutants, seed phytic acid content is reduced approximately 30%, and inorganic phosphate is increased about 3-fold. The mutants also accumulatemyo-inositol and inositol phosphates as in thelpa2 mutant. Allelic tests showed that the ZmIpkMu insertion mutants are allelic to thelpa2. Southern-blot analysis, cloning, and sequencing of the ZmIpk gene from lpa2 revealed that thelpa2-1 allele is caused by the genomic sequence rearrangement in the ZmIpk locus and the lpa2-2 allele has a nucleotide mutation that generated a stop codon in the N-terminal region of the ZmIpk open reading frame. These results provide evidence that ZmIpk is one of the kinases responsible for phytic acid biosynthesis in developing maize seeds.
Effects of a chronic lower range of triclosan exposure on a stream mesocosm community

Triclosan (5‐chloro‐2‐(2,4‐dichlorophenoxy)phenol) is an antimicrobial found in consumer soaps and toothpaste. It is in treated wastewater effluents at low parts‐per‐billion concentrations, representing a potentially chronic exposure condition for biota inhabiting receiving streams. For the present study, a naturally colonized benthos was created using flow‐through indoor mesocosms; then, the benthic communities were dosed to achieve different in‐stream triclosan concentrations (control, 0.1 µg/L, 0.5 µg/L, 1.0 µg/L, 5.0 µg/L, and 10 µg/L) for 56 d. Water quality parameters and endpoints from bacteria to macroinvertebrates, as well as interacting abiotic components, were measured. Effects of triclosan on specific microbial endpoints were observed at all doses, including an effect on litter decomposition dynamics at doses of 1.0 µg/L and higher. Resistance of periphytic bacteria to triclosan significantly increased at doses of 0.5 µg/L and above. By the end of dosing, the antimicrobial appeared to stimulate the stream periphyton at the 3 lowest doses, while the 2 highest doses exhibited decreased stocks of periphyton, including significantly lower bacteria cell densities and cyanobacteria abundance compared with the control. Other than an effect on benthic ostracods, the changes that occurred in the periphyton did not translate to significant change in the colonizing nematodes, the macroinvertebrate community as a whole, or other measurements of stream function. The results shed light on the role a low, chronic exposure to triclosan may play in effluent‐dominated streams. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:2874–2887. © 2013 SETAC
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of 4-aminopyridine in anesthetized dogs.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), a drug which antagonizes nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockade, were studied in seven anesthetized dogs. Using a constant infusion of pancuronium, force of the anterior tibialis contraction in response to stimulation of the sciatic nerve was depressed to 10% of the control tension (90% depression of twitch tension). After 20 min of steady state, 4-AP (1.0 mg/kg) was administered i.v. Serum, urine and bile samples were analyzed for 4-AP concentration at several intervals for 10 hr after administration of 4-AP, using a sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic assay (1 ng/ml). Serum data best fit a three-compartment pharmacokinetic model. The volume of the central compartment was 412 +/- 352 ml/kg (mean +/- S.D.) and the volume of distribution at steady state was 2517 +/- 363 ml/kg. Initial half-lives were 1.1 +/- 0.7 and 25.4 +/- 11 min. The terminal elimination half-life was 125 +/- 23 min and total clearance was 21 +/- 4 ml/kg/min. Of the injected dose, 60 +/- 9% was recovered in the urine and only 0.01 +/- 0.01% of the dose was recovered in the bile in 10 hr. Inasmuch as renal clearance of 4-AP exceeded glomerular filtration rate we conclude that 4-AP undergoes tubular secretion into the urine. The pharmacodynamic results included an onset time of 14 +/- 8 min, peak effect (maximum percentage of antagonism of twitch tension depression) 97 +/- 27% and duration of action 219 +/- 54 min. We conclude that 4-AP has a longer serum elimination half-life and a longer and more variable duration of action than other antagonists (i.e., neostigmine and pyridostigmine) of nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockade.
Ethanol extract of Oenanthe javanica increases cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the adolescent rat dentate gyrus

Oenanthe javanica is an aquatic perennial herb that belongs to the Oenanthe genus in Apiaceae family, and it displays well-known medicinal properties such as protective effects against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. However, few studies regarding effects of Oenanthe javanica on neurogenesis in the brain have been reported. In this study, we examined the effects of a normal diet and a diet containing ethanol extract of Oenanthe javanica on cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus of adolescent rats using Ki-67 (an endogenous marker for cell proliferation) and doublecortin (a marker for neuroblast). Our results showed that Oenanthe javanica extract significantly increased the number of Ki-67-immunoreactive cells and doublecortin-immunoreactive neuroblasts in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus in the adolescent rats. In addition, the immunoreactivity of brain-derived neurotrophic factor was significantly increased in the dentate gyrus of the Oenanthe javanica extract-treated group compared with the control group. However, we did not find that vascular endothelial growth factor expression was increased in the Oenanthe javanica extract-treated group compared with the control group. These results indicate that Oenanthe javanica extract improves cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor immunoreactivity in the rat dentate gyrus.
Diabetic neuropathy and surface sway-referencing disrupt somatosensory information for postural stability in stance

In order to determine the type of somatosensory information for postural control that is most affected by neuropathy, we compared the relative effects of three methods of sway-referencing the surface in a group of subjects with profound loss of somatosensory function associated with sensory polyneuropathy from diabetes with age-matched control subjects. Sway-referencing disrupted somatosensory feedback for postural control by servo-controlling the dorsi- and plantar-flexion rotation of the support surface in proportion to anterior-posterior excursion of (1) ankle angle, (2) center of body mass (CoM) angle or (3) filtered center of pressure (CoP). Postural sway in subjects with somatosensory loss was significantly larger than normal on a firm surface but not on the sway-referenced surfaces, suggesting that sway-referencing disrupts somatosensory information for postural control already disrupted by neuropathy. Control subjects standing on any sway-referenced surface swayed significantly more than neuropathy subjects who stood on a firm surface, suggesting that sway-referencing disrupts more somatosensory information than disrupted by severe neuropathy. CoP sway-referencing was less sensitive than ankle or CoM sway-referencing for distinguishing postural sway in subjects with somatosensory loss from age-matched control subjects. Given that filtered CoP sway-referencing disrupts the ability to utilize somatosensory information related to surface reactive force to a greater extent than the other two methods of sway-referencing, then these results support the hypothesis that subjects with diabetic peripheral neuropathy have lost more CoP information, than ankle or CoM angle information, for controlling postural sway in stance.
Defective protein histidine phosphorylation in islets from the Goto-Kakizaki diabetic rat.

We recently described novel regulatory roles for protein histidine phosphorylation of key islet proteins (e.g., nucleoside diphosphate kinase and succinyl thiokinase) in insulin secretion from the islet beta-cell (Kowluru A. Diabetologia 44: 89-94, 2001; Kowluru A, Tannous M, and Chen HQ. Arch Biochem Biophys 398: 160-169, 2002). In this context, we also characterized a novel, ATP- and GTP-sensitive protein histidine kinase in isolated beta-cells that catalyzed the histidine phosphorylation of islet (endogenous) proteins as well as exogenously added histone 4, and we implicated this kinase in the activation of islet endogenous G proteins (Kowluru A. Biochem Pharmacol 63: 2091-2100, 2002). In the present study, we describe abnormalities in ATP- or GTP-mediated histidine phosphorylation of nucleoside diphosphate kinase in islets derived from the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat, a model for non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Furthermore, we provide evidence for a marked reduction in the activities of ATP- or GTP-sensitive histidine kinases in GK rat islets. On the basis of these observations, we propose that alterations in protein histidine phosphorylation could contribute toward insulin-secretory abnormalities demonstrable in the diabetic islet.
Effect of periodontal therapy on metabolic control and levels of IL-6 in the gingival crevicular fluid in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of metabolic control and levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in gingival crevicular fluid after periodontal therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and nondiabetic (NDM) patients. METHODS This study was performed in 20 subjects (10 type 2 DM and 10 NDM patients with generalized chronic periodontal disease. Both groups were recorded for clinical parameters (plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR) and clinical attachment level (CAL)), metabolic control (fasting glucose levels, glycated a-hemoglobin (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TR)), and IL-6 levels at baseline and 3 months after periodontal treatment. RESULTS DM and NDM patients revealed significant statistical reductions for clinical parameters (P < 0.05, RM ANOVA) after 3 months. DM group had improvements on HbA1c and had significant statistical increased of TRG (P < 0.05, RM ANOVA) after 3 months. No differences of LDL/HDL and IL-6 levels were found after 3 months in both groups. CONCLUSION DM group presented a significant reduction of HbA1c levels after periodontal therapy. However, TRG levels increased after 3 months, which suggest more confirmatory studies to investigate if these results will be repeated in other studies.
Three-wavelength method for the optical differentiation of methemoglobin and sulfhemoglobin in oxygenated blood

Methemoglobinemia and sulfhemoglobinemia are rare, but potentially life threatening, diseases that refer to an abnormal amount of methemoglobin or sulfhemoglobin in the blood, respectively. Unfortunately, blood samples containing abnormal quantities of methemoglobin or sulfhemoglobin have similar spectral characteristics. This makes it difficult to optically differentiate them and, hence, difficult to diagnose a patient with either disease. However, performing treatments for one of the diseases without a correct diagnosis can introduce increased risk to the patient. In this paper, we propose a method for differentiating the presence of methemoglobin and sulfhemoglobin in blood, under several conditions, using reflectance values measured at three wavelengths. In order to validate our method, we perform in silico experiments considering various levels of methemoglobin and sulfhemoglobin. These experiments employ a cell-based light interaction model, known as CLBlood, which accounts for the orientation and distribution of red blood cells. We then discuss the reflectance curves produced by the experiments and evaluate the efficacy of our method. In particular, we consider various experimental conditions by modifying the flow rate, hemolysis level and incident light direction.
Fast-Fourier based full-vectorial mode solver for arbitrarily shaped dielectric waveguides

In this work we present a novel full-vectorial fast Fourier transform (FFT) based mode solver to analyze arbitrarily shaped optical dielectric waveguides. The method is computationally efficient not only in computing time but also in memory requirements, thus overcoming some of the drawbacks of previously published Fourier decomposition methods (FDMs) mode solvers. To assess the method four different strongly guiding waveguides of practical interest have been analyzed: a step-index fiber, a photonic crystal fiber (PCF), a rectangular rib waveguide and finally a trapezoidal rib waveguide in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology. Obtained results clearly confirm the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method
Nasalance scores of Brazilian Portuguese speakers at 5 years of age.

Purpose To determine nasalance scores of Brazilian Portuguese speaking children without evident speech disorders, language delay and orofacial deformities, at age 5 years, and analyze differences between types of speech samples and genders. Methods Twenty children were analyzed, 11 males, age ranging from 4 years and 10 months to 5 years and 11 months. The Nasometer II 6450 (KayPENTAX) was used for nasalance assessment. Speech samples were eight consonant-vowel syllables and one sequence of nine words. The significance of differences between speech samples and genders were assessed by the Tukey test and Mann-Whitney test, respectively, at a significance level of 5%. Results Mean nasalance scores were: /pa/= 10±4%, /pi/= 22±7%, /sa/= 11±5%, /si/= 24±11%, /ma/= 57±11%, /mi/= 73±13%, /la/= 14±9%, /li/= 25±11%, words (pipa, bis, burro, tatu, pilha, cuca, gui, fila, luz)= 20±6%. Nasalance scores of nasal syllables were significantly higher than those of oral syllables (with high or neutral vowels) and nasalance scores of oral syllables with high vowels were significantly higher than those of oral syllables with neutral vowels, for the majority of comparisons. There was no difference between genders. Conclusion Normative nasalance scores for 5-year-old Brazilian children were determined. The methodology can serve as a standard for the early diagnosis of nasality deviations, such as hypernasality observed in cleft palate speech.
Parental experiences and attitudes regarding the management of acute otitis media--a comparative questionnaire between Finland and The Netherlands.

BACKGROUND Both treatment guidelines and the amount of antibiotics used for acute otitis media (AOM) vary across western countries. Parental expectations and their awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance, which may also be influenced by the guidelines, are not yet completely known. OBJECTIVE To compare parental experiences and opinions regarding the management of AOM in children with AOM in Finland and The Netherlands. METHODS We sent the questionnaires via public day care in Turku, Finland, and Utrecht, The Netherlands. We asked about family background, child's history of AOM and parental experiences and attitudes about AOM treatment and antimicrobial resistance. RESULTS Of 1151 participants, 83% in Finland and 49% in The Netherlands had had at least one episode of AOM. Antibiotics were used more frequently in Finland than in The Netherlands, 99% versus 78%, respectively. More Finnish parents reported to believe that antibiotics are necessary in the treatment of AOM as compared to Dutch parents. Use of analgesics for AOM was similar (80% in Finland and 86% in The Netherlands). One-third of the parents had discussed resistance with their doctor. According to parental experiences, antimicrobial resistance had caused more problems in Finland than in The Netherlands (20% versus 2%). Finally, 88% of parents in Finland and 65% in The Netherlands were worried that bacteria could become resistant to antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS Treatment practices and parental expectations seem to interact with each other. Therefore, if we aim to change AOM treatment practices, we have to modify both guidelines and parental expectations.
Differences in socio-economic status, service utilization, and pregnancy outcomes between teenage and adult mothers.

BACKGROUND Teenage pregnancies put mothers at high-risks to many health-related complications and newborn infants to poor birth-outcomes. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to explore the relationship of socio-economic status, service utilization, and pregnancy outcomes between teenage and adult mothers. MATERIAL AND METHOD The study design was a population-based prospective cohort study conducted in four districts located in different geographical areas of Thailand All pregnancies occurring within one year, in each of the selected districts as of October 2000, were identified and recruited as the study's cohorts. Data was collected by interviewing cohort-respondents and through reviewing medical records. RESULTS The present study showed that teenage pregnancies accounted for 13.3% of all pregnancies in the study area. Approximately two thirds of the teenage cohort (i.e. 68.8%) were 18-19 years of age, while the remaining cohort members were 14-17 years of age (i.e. 26.1% aged 16-17 years, and 5.1% aged 14-15 years). The percentage of low-birth weights for teenage and adult mothers were 15.1% and 8.8% respectively. A higher percentage of teenage mothers enrolled in or completed secondary or higher levels of education has had more abnormal deliveries in comparison with adult mothers. In comparison with the non-teenage mothers, a greater proportion of teenage mothers had insufficient income, did not own their homes/houses, were single parents, had fewer consultations with health personnel, did not plan their pregnancy, were pregnant for the first time, and delivered infants with low-birth weights. CONCLUSION The prevalence of teenage pregnancies in Thailand remains high. Most teenage mothers and their newborn infants are vulnerable to a variety of potentially serious health problems, and accordingly need appropriate help and support.
Multilayer $W$ -Band Artificial Dielectric on Liquid Crystal Polymer

We present an artificial dielectric material designed to operate at W-band millimeter-wave frequencies. The artificial dielectric exhibits a wide range of variation in its effective refractive index, making it suitable for use in planar gradient index (GRIN) microwave lenses and other quasi-optical devices. These devices include those designed using recently developed transformation optics techniques. Because the artificial materials are designed to be nonresonant, their effective refractive indices display very low dispersion with frequency; simulation and measurement results for a number of test samples are presented that confirm the expected broad bandwidth properties. A comparison between the expected and experimentally determined indices-of-refraction for these samples further reveals close, quantitative agreement.
Challenges to and opportunities for improving mental health services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Ireland: a narrative account.

The views and opinions of people who use mental health services are being increasingly acknowledged in relation to rights-based, socially-inclusive, and recovery-oriented care. However, little is known of the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in this respect. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences and needs of LGBT people in relation to mental health services. The study was an exploratory design utilizing mixed methods. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a survey instrument (n = 125) and in-depth semistructured interviews (n = 20) with a sample of people who had completed the survey. This paper will report on the findings from the interview data. The data were thematically analysed, and the main themes that emerged included accessing services, treatment choices, mental health service experiences, and other supports. The findings inform the discussion, and recommendations are made in terms of future mental health practice, education, and research.
Simulation of Reliability on Nanoscale Devices

We study the trapping kinetics of oxide traps and the subsequent degradation in p-channel MOSFET under bias temperature stress and in presence of random discrete dopants. Using our simulator Minimos-NT we self-consistently undertake time-dependent simulations of defect creation employing our multistate non-radiative multi phonon model. We find that random discrete dopants shift and broaden the distribution of the trapping time constants resulting in lower ∆Vth than one would obtain without random discrete dopants. Additionally, the influence of self-consistency on the trapping kinetics is investigated.