Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Bagby and Kuslich Method of Lumbar Interbody Fusion: History, Techniques, and 2‐Year Follow‐up Results of a United States Prospective, Multicenter Trial

Study Design. A prospective, multicenter trial of the Bagby and Kuslich method of lumbar interbody stabilization for chronic discogenic low back pain, with follow‐up evaluation at 3 months, 6 months, and yearly thereafter, with independent radiographic analysis. Objectives. To report the history of development, the surgical techniques, and results of the Bagby and Kuslich method when used to manage discogenic pain of the lumbar spine in humans. Summary of Background Data. Disabling chronic low back pain frequently is resistant to conservative management. The "Bagby Basket" effectively has fused the equine and baboon spine. The results of biomechanical and animal studies performed over the last 20 years have suggested that a similar but improved design‐the Bagby and Kuslich device‐would be useful in stabilizing the human spine. Methods. From 1992 to 1995, 947 patients with chronic discogenic low back pain were treated by Bagby and Kuslich interbody fusion in a strict, multicenter, prospective clinical trial by using either the open anterior or open posterior approach. The study involved 42 surgeons at 19 medical centers. The authors of the current report analyzed the fusion rates, pain relief, functional status, and complications occurring in patients who underwent long‐term follow‐up observation. Results. The Bagby and Kuslich method is safe and effective when compared with methods described in previous reports of posterior and anterior lumbar interbody arthrodesis performed by using bone graft alone. Fusion occurred in 91% of patients at 24 months after‐surgery, and pain was eliminated or reduced in 84%. Function was improved in 91%. There were no devicerelated deaths, cases of major paralyses, device failures, or deep infections. Conclusions. Carefully selected middle‐aged patients with chronic low back pain secondary to degenerative disc disease can be treated effectively and safely by skilled surgeons using the Bagby and Kuslich device for one‐ and two‐level interbody fusion.
Elimination of Mycoplasma Contamination from Infected Human Hepatocyte C3A Cells by Intraperitoneal Injection in BALB/c Mice

Background/Aims: The use of antibiotics to eliminate Mycoplasma contamination has some serious limitations. Mycoplasma contamination can be eliminated by intraperitoneal injection of BALB/c mice with contaminated cells combined with screening monoclonal cells. However, in vivo passage in mice after injection with contaminated cells requires a long duration (20–54 days). Furthermore, it is important to monitor for cross-contamination of mouse and human cells, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) infection, and altered cell function after the in vivo treatment. The present study aimed to validate a reliable and simplified method to eliminate mycoplasma contamination from human hepatocytes. BALB/c mice were injected with paraffin oil prior to injection with cells, in order to shorten duration of intraperitoneal passage. Cross-contamination of mouse and human cells, XMRV infection and cell function-related genes and proteins were also evaluated. Methods: PCR and DNA sequencing were used to confirm Mycoplasma hyorhinis (M. hyorhinis) contamination in human hepatocyte C3A cells. Five BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with 0.5 ml paraffin oil 1 week before injection of the cells. The mice were then intraperitoneally injected with C3A hepatocytes (5.0 × 106/ml) contaminated with M. hyorhinis (6.2 ± 2.2 × 108 CFU/ml). Ascites were collected for monoclonal cell screening on the 14th day after injection of contaminated cells. Elimination of mycoplasma from cells was determined by PCR and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Human–mouse cell and XMRV contamination were also detected by PCR. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR and western blotting were used to compare the expression of genes and proteins among treated cells, non-treated infected cells, and uninfected cells. Results: Fourteen days after injection with cells, 4 of the 5 mice had ascites. Hepatocyte colonies extracted from the ascites of four mice were all mycoplasma-free. There was no cell cross-contamination or XMRV infection in treated cell cultures. Elimination of Mycoplasma resulted in partial or complete recovery in the expression of ALB, TF, and CYP3A4 genes as well as proteins. Proliferation of the treated cells was not significantly affected by this management. Conclusion: The method of elimination of Mycoplasma contamination in this study was validated and reproducible. Success was achieved in four of five cases examined. Compared to the previous studies, the duration of intraperitoneal passage in this study was significantly shorter.
Tolerance And Efficacy of Polyethylene Glycol 3350/Electrolyte Solution Versus Lactulose In Relieving Opiate Induced Constipation: A Double‐Blinded Placebo‐Controlled Trial

Chronicity and high therapeutic cost prompted this study to determine a cost‐effective and efficacious regimen in treating narcotic‐induced constipation. The efficacy of lactulose was compared with polyethylene glycol 3350/electrolyte solution for relief of methadone‐induced constipation. This was a randomized, triple cross‐over after control run‐in (no treatment) study conducted at a methadone maintenance program in Baltimore, Maryland in 57 patients who are affected by opiate‐induced constipation. The study was measured by self‐reported frequencies, consistency, and ease of defecation during a 1 week run‐in control period, followed by 3 treatment phases of 2 weeks each. Polyethylene glycol 3350/electrolyte solution and lactulose produced more “nonhard” stools than the placebo (P<0.01) and control (P<0.003). Polyethylene glycol 3350/electrolyte solution produced the loosest stool (P<0.0001) compared with the control, whereas lactulose had the most adverse effects. There were no significant differences in reducing hard stool formation in either experimental group, but both were better than having nothing or just the placebo. Polyethylene glycol/electrolyte solution resulted in the loosest (diarrheal) stool. It is also likely that polyethylene glycol/electrolyte solution is the most cost effective. J Clin Pharmacol 1997;37:904–907.
SeNet: Structured Edge Network for Sea–Land Segmentation

Separating an optical remote sensing image into sea and land areas is very challenging yet of great importance to coastline extraction and subsequent object detection. Traditional methods based on handcrafted feature extraction and image processing often face this dilemma when confronting high-resolution remote sensing images for their complicated texture and intensity distribution. In this letter, we apply the prevalent deep convolutional neural networks to the sea–land segmentation problem and make two innovations on top of the traditional structure. First, we propose a local smooth regularization to achieve better spatially consistent results, which frees us from the complicated morphological operations that are commonly used in traditional methods. Second, we use a multitask loss to simultaneously obtain the segmentation and edge detection results. The attached structured edge detection branch can further refine the segmentation result and dramatically improve edge accuracy. Experiments on a set of natural-colored images from Google Earth demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in terms of quantitative and visual performances compared with state-of-the-art methods.
Specificity of O-glycosylation in enhancing the stability and cellulose binding affinity of Family 1 carbohydrate-binding modules

Significance Plant biomass decomposition has broad implications for the global carbon cycle, agriculture, and ecology, and it is primarily accomplished by fungi. Recently, research into fungal biomass degradation mechanisms has been driven by the growing biofuels industry, because enzymes from fungi are among the primary catalysts being investigated for industrial processes to convert polysaccharides into upgradeable sugars. Understanding the mechanisms used by polysaccharide-degrading enzymes and identifying means to improve their performance is of paramount importance because of the scale of enzyme production for biofuels processes. Here, we use glycoprotein synthesis and biophysical measurements to characterize the specific effects of glycosylation on ubiquitous fungal carbohydrate-binding modules for biomass degradation, which reveal key features of the importance of posttranslational modifications on enzyme function. The majority of biological turnover of lignocellulosic biomass in nature is conducted by fungi, which commonly use Family 1 carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) for targeting enzymes to cellulose. Family 1 CBMs are glycosylated, but the effects of glycosylation on CBM function remain unknown. Here, the effects of O-mannosylation are examined on the Family 1 CBM from the Trichoderma reesei Family 7 cellobiohydrolase at three glycosylation sites. To enable this work, a procedure to synthesize glycosylated Family 1 CBMs was developed. Subsequently, a library of 20 CBMs was synthesized with mono-, di-, or trisaccharides at each site for comparison of binding affinity, proteolytic stability, and thermostability. The results show that, although CBM mannosylation does not induce major conformational changes, it can increase the thermolysin cleavage resistance up to 50-fold depending on the number of mannose units on the CBM and the attachment site. O-Mannosylation also increases the thermostability of CBM glycoforms up to 16 °C, and a mannose disaccharide at Ser3 seems to have the largest themostabilizing effect. Interestingly, the glycoforms with small glycans at each site displayed higher binding affinities for crystalline cellulose, and the glycoform with a single mannose at each of three positions conferred the highest affinity enhancement of 7.4-fold. Overall, by combining chemical glycoprotein synthesis and functional studies, we show that specific glycosylation events confer multiple beneficial properties on Family 1 CBMs.
Zinc Toxicosis in a Free-flying Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

A trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) was observed near a mill pond in Picher, Oklahoma, USA. It became weakened and emaciated after about 1 mo, was captured with little resistance, and taken into captivity for medical care. Serum chemistry results were consistent with hepatic, renal, and muscular damage. Serum zinc concentration was elevated at 11.2 parts per million (ppm). The swan was treated for suspected heavy-metal poisoning, but died overnight. Gross postmortem findings were emaciation and pectoral muscle atrophy. Histopathologic lesions in the pancreas included mild diffuse disruption of acinar architecture, severe diffuse depletion or absence of zymogen granules, occasional apoptotic bodies in acinar epithelial cells, and mild interstitial and capsular fibrosis. Zinc concentration in pancreas was 3,200 ppm wet weight, and was similar to that reported in the pancreases of waterfowl known to be killed by zinc toxicity. Zinc concentrations in liver (154 ppm) and kidneys (145 ppm) also were elevated. Acute tubular necrosis of the collecting tubules of the kidneys was also possibly due to zinc toxicity. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first confirmed case of zinc poisoning in a trumpeter swan associated with mining wastes.
Effectiveness of switching from long-acting injectable fluphenazine or haloperidol decanoate to long-acting injectable risperidone microspheres: an open-label, randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE This multisite randomized trial addressed risks and benefits of staying on long-acting injectable haloperidol or fluphenazine versus switching to long-acting injectable risperidone microspheres. METHOD From December 2004 through March 2008, adult outpatients with a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders-Patient Edition diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were taking haloperidol decanoate (n = 40) or fluphenazine decanoate (n = 22) were randomly assigned to stay on current long-acting injectable medication or switch to risperidone microspheres and followed for 6 months under study protocol and an additional 6 months naturalistic follow-up. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to examine the primary outcome (time to treatment discontinuation), and random regression models were used to examine secondary outcomes. RESULTS Groups did not differ significantly in time to treatment discontinuation through 6 months of protocol-driven treatment. When the 6-month naturalistic follow-up period was included, time to treatment discontinuation was significantly shorter for individuals assigned to switch than for individuals assigned to stay (10% of stayers discontinued versus 31% of switchers; P = .01). Groups did not differ with respect to psychopathology, hospitalizations, sexual side effects, new-onset tardive dyskinesia, or new-onset extrapyramidal symptoms. However, those randomized to switch to long-acting injectable risperidone microspheres had greater increases in body mass (increase of 1.0 body mass index [BMI] versus decrease of -0.3 BMI; P = .00) and prolactin (maximum increase to 23.4 ng/mL versus decrease to 15.2 ng/mL, P = .01) compared to those randomized to stay. CONCLUSION Switching from haloperidol decanoate or fluphenazine decanoate to risperidone microspheres resulted in more frequent treatment discontinuation as well as significant weight gain and increases in prolactin. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00044655.
Evaluation of Sunscreen Protection in Human Melanocytes Exposed to UVA or UVB Irradiation Using the Alkaline Comet Assay ¶

The in vivo assessment of sunscreen protection does not include the photogenotoxicity of UVA or UVB solar radiation. Using the comet assay we have developed a simple and rapid technique to quantify sunscreen efficacy against DNA damage induced by UV light. Cutaneous human melanocytes from primary cultures were embedded in low‐melting point (LPM) agarose and exposed to UVA (0.8 J/cm2) or to UVB (0.06 J/cm2) through a quartz slide covered with 10 μL volumes of sunscreens. DNA single‐strand breaks induced directly by UVA at 4°C and indirectly through nucleotide excision repair by UVB following a 35 min incubation period at 37°C were quantified using the comet assay. Tail moments (TM) (tail length ×%tail DNA) of 100 cells/sample were determined by image analysis. DNA damage was evaluated with a nonlinear regression analysis on the normalized distribution frequencies of TM using a χ2 function. The coefficients of genomic protection (CGP) were defined as the percentage of inhibition of DNA lesions caused by the sunscreens. Twenty‐one sunscreens were evaluated, and the calculated CGP were compared with the in vivo sun protective factor (SPF) and with the protection factor UVA (PFA). Nonlinear relationships were found between SPF and CGPUVB and between PFA and CGPUVA.
Light-induced degeneration and microglial response in the retina of an epibenthonic pigmented teleost: age-dependent photoreceptor susceptibility to cell death

SUMMARY Constant intense light causes apoptosis of photoreceptors in the retina of albino fish. However, very few studies have been performed on pigmented species. Tench (Tinca tinca) is a teleost inhabiting dimly lit environments that has a predominance of rods within the photoreceptor layer. To test the hypothesis that constant high intensity light can result in retinal damage in such pigmented epibenthonic teleost species, photodegeneration of the retina was investigated in the larvae and in juveniles of tench to assess whether any damage may also be dependent on fish age. We exposed both groups of animals to 5 days of constant darkness, followed by 4 days of constant 20,000 lx light, and then by 6 days of recovery in a 14 h light:10 h dark cycle. The results showed that the retina of the larvae group exhibited abundant photoreceptor cell apoptosis during the time of exposition to intense light, whereas that of juveniles was indifferent to it. Damaged retinas showed a strong TUNEL signal in photoreceptor nuclei, and occasionally a weak cytoplasmic TUNEL signal in Müller glia. Specific labelling of microglial cells with Griffonia simplicifolia lectin (GSL) histochemistry revealed that photoreceptor cell death alerts microglia in the degenerating retina, leading to local proliferation, migration towards the injured outer nuclear layer (ONL), and enhanced phagocytosis of photoreceptor debris. During the first days of intense light treatment, Müller cells phagocytosed dead photoreceptor cells but, once microglial cells became activated, there was a progressive increase in the phagocytic capacity of the microglia.
Early Activation of Inflammation and Clotting in the Preterm Lamb with Neonatal RDS: Comparison of Conventional Ventilation and High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation

In neonatal respiratory distress syndrome activation of inflammation and clotting is demonstrated. High frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is considered to be less damaging to the human preterm lung, resulting in less activation of inflammation and clotting compared with conventional ventilation (CV). To assess the sequence of events of activation of inflammation and clotting and to compare the impact of HFOV to CV, we ventilated preterm lambs delivered by cesarean section at 132 d gestational age (term 145 d) for 8 h by CV (n = 10) or HFOV (n = 11). Fifteen minutes after birth and at 2-h intervals thereafter blood samples, from umbilical catheters, were analyzed for AP50 (complement activation), number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, β-glucuronidase, platelet function, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time and thrombin inhibition, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was analyzed for elastase, thrombin and protein. We found complement activation, low number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and high levels of β-glucuronidase already at 15 min after birth. Within 2 to 4 h after birth platelet function deteriorated, activated partial thromboplastin time prolonged, and thrombin inhibition decreased. Activation of inflammation and clotting in the lungs was demonstrated by increased levels of elastase and thrombin in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In the HFOV group, AP50 remained significantly higher than in the CV group, reflecting less complement activation, and platelet function analysis remained significantly lower, reflecting better platelet function. We conclude that systemic activation of inflammation can be found in the ventilated preterm lamb with respiratory distress syndrome within 15 min after birth. Afterward, or due to activation of inflammation, clotting is activated. HFOV possibly attenuates activation of inflammation.
[The value of number connection test in the diagnosis of subclinical hepatic encephalopathy].

OBJECTIVE To explore the influencing factors and diagnostic values of number connection test (NCT) in detection of subclinical hepatic encephalopathy (SHE). METHODS NCT was carried out in four hundred and fifty healthy volunteers to explore the influencing factors and to work out a reference value. Then forty patients with liver cirrhosis were studied with NCT, intelligence quotient (IQ) and evoked potentials(EP) to determine the value of NCT in the diagnosis of SHE. RESULTS (1) NCT results were influenced by age and educational background. The older the age and the lower the educational level, the longer the NCT time (P < 0.001); (2) The abnormal rate of NCT was 30% (12/40), being lower than the IQ abnormal rate of 58% (23/40) (P < 0.01). (3) IQ or/and EP were abnormal in 85%. (4) The combination of four tests i.e. block design, picture arrangement, object assembly and NCT were abnormal in 53% of the patients. Comparing with the abnormal rate (58%) of full set of IQ test, the sensitivity and specificity were 87% and 94%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS NCT result was influenced by age and educational background and the sensitivity was low for the scanning of SHE. Combination of four psychometric tests: block design test, picture arrangement, object assembly and NCT was recommended to substitute full set of IQ test in the diagnosis of SHE.
EphA2 Induces Metastatic Growth Regulating Amoeboid Motility and Clonogenic Potential in Prostate Carcinoma Cells

EphA2 kinase regulates cell shape, adhesion, and motility and is frequently overexpressed in several cancers, including melanoma, prostate, breast, and colon cancers and lung carcinoma. Although a function in both tumor onset and metastasis has been proposed, the role played by EphA2 in tumor progression is still debated. In melanoma, EphA2 has been reported to affect cell migration and invasiveness allowing cells to move by a proteolysis-independent strategy, commonly referred as amoeboid motility. With the aim to understand the role of EphA2 in prostate cancer metastatic spreading, we stably silenced EphA2 expression in a model of aggressive metastatic prostate carcinoma. Our results show that EphA2 drives the metastatic program of prostate carcinoma, although its involvement greatly differs among metastatic steps. Indeed, EphA2 expression (i) greatly affects prostate carcinoma cell motility style, guiding an amoeboid movement based on Rho-mediated cell rounding and independent from metalloprotases, (ii) is ineffective on transendothelial migration, adhesion onto extracellular matrix proteins, and on resistance to anoikis, (iii) regulates clonogenic potential of prostate carcinoma, thereby increasing anchorage-independent growth and self-renewal, prostasphere formation, tumor onset, dissemination to bone, and growth of metastatic colonies. Our finding indicate that EphA2-overexpressing prostate carcinoma cells gain an invasive benefit from their amoeboid motility style to escape from primary tumors and then, enhancing their clonogenic potential successfully target bone and grow metastases, thereby acknowledging EphA2 as a target for antimetastatic therapy of aggressive prostate cancers. Mol Cancer Res; 9(2); 149–60. ©2011 AACR.
The impact of acute myocardial infarction and stroke on health care costs in patients with type 2 diabetes in Sweden

Background Estimates of the economic impact of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the health care costs associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes in Sweden. Design Population-based open cohort study of 9941 patients with type 2 diabetes retrospectively identified in primary care records at 26 centres in Uppsala County. Methods Episodes of AMI and stroke suffered by study patients were tracked in the Swedish National Inpatient Register. Annual per patient costs of health care were computed for the years 2000-2004 using register data covering inpatient care, outpatient hospital care, primary care and drugs. Panel data regression was applied to determine the impact of suffering a first or repeat AMI or stroke on health care costs during the year of the event and in subsequent years. Results Total health care costs of patients suffering a first AMI/stroke increased by 4.1/6.5 during the year of the event [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.1-5.4/4.9-8.5] and by 1.1/1.4 during subsequent years (95% CI: 1.0-1.3/1.2-1.6), controlling for age, sex, the event of amputation and presence of renal failure, heart failure and diabetic eye disease. Total health care costs of patients suffering a first or repeat AMI/stroke increased by 4.1/6.4 during the year of an event (95% CI: 3.2-5.2/5.0-8.1) but were not significantly higher during subsequent years. Conclusion Estimates of the costs related to major cardiovascular complications of type 2 diabetes are critical input to economic evaluations.