Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Achromobacter xylosoxidans respiratory tract infections in cystic fibrosis patients  

Achromobacter xylosoxidans is a ubiquitous Gram‐negative non‐fermenting rod, recently characterized as an emerging pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Its pathogenic potential and prevalent transmission routes are still unclear. This study investigated the PFGE genetic pattern and antimicrobial resistance profile of 42 A. xylosoxidans isolates obtained over 4 years from the respiratory tract of 22 CF patients. By genotypic analysis, 31 isolates were attributed to 8 distinct PFGE patterns (A–H), whereas 11 isolates were not typable because their DNA was not restricted by XbaI and DraI restriction enzymes. The majority of the isolates showed multidrug resistance; imipenem and piperacillin were the most active drugs. During the course of A. xylosoxidans chronic infection forced expiratory volume and body mass index values were not significantly lowered. The demonstration of widespread antibiotic resistance underscores the importance of antibiogram‐directed therapy. Our data suggest that in some cases the infection may have been acquired from other patients or from a common contaminated source. Further epidemiological studies may be important for the design and implementation of prophylactic measures in CF centers.
RENAL RESPONSES TO SLIGHT ELEVATIONS OF RENAL ARTERIAL PLASMA ANGIOTENSIN II CONCENTRATION IN DOGS

1. Angiotensin II was infused into the renal artery of intact kidneys of slightly volume expanded anaesthetized dogs at rates of 125, 250, 500, and 1000 pg/kg body weight per min, resulting in elevations of the calculated renal arterial plasma angiotensin II concentration of 16·9 (s.e.m. = 2·1), 35·0 (s.e.m. = 4·3), 73·3 (s.e.m. = 8·8), and 159·8 (s.e.m. = 20·4) pg/ml.
Typhoid fever in children.

An epidemic of typhoid fever occurred in a migrant labor camp some 15 miles south of Miami, Florida in February 1973. It was the largest reported outbreak of typhoid fever in the United States in the last 30 years. Epidemiological data revealed that an 11-year-old retarded girl was the index case, and that her disease was contracted from a carrier living next door. Spread occurred via a faulty well, chlorinator, and sewerage system in the camp. During a period of approximately three weeks, over 300 patients were hospitalized with suspected typhoid. Of this number, 147 were children under 13 years of age.
Modeling and analysis of stochastic differential equations driven by point processes

The modeling and analysis of nonlinear systems described by differential equations driven by point process noise are considered. The stochastic calculus of McShane is generalized to include such differential equations, and a more general canonical extension is defined. It is proved that this canonical extension possesses the same desirable properties for point process noise that it does for the noise processes, such as Brownian motion, considered by McShane. In addition, a new stochastic integral with respect to a point process is defined; this alternative integral obeys the rules of ordinary calculus. As a special case of the analysis of such systems, linear systems with multiplicative point process noise are investigated. The consistency of the canonical extension is studied by means of the product integral. Finally, moment equations and criteria for the stochastic stability of linear systems with multiplicative Poisson noise are derived.
Impaired glucose tolerance as a risk factor for stroke in a cohort of non-institutionalised people aged 70 years.

OBJECTIVE to determine whether impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is associated with an increased likelihood for ischaemic stroke. DESIGN prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS a sample of 1,032 non-institutionalised people aged 70 years in the Turku Elderly Study, Turku, Finland. MEASUREMENTS the association between IGT (defined as plasma glucose level between 7.80 and 11.09 mmol/l 2 h after administration of 75 g of an oral glucose load) and diabetes mellitus (DM) (defined as the current use of insulin or an oral hypoglycaemic medication, a fasting plasma glucose level of >/=7 mmol/l or a plasma glucose level of >/=11.1 mmol/l 2 h after administration of an oral glucose load) with 12-year follow-up for the development of ischaemic stroke. RESULTS a total of 742 (71.9%) subjects had normal glucose tolerance, 127 (12.3%) subjects had IGT and 163 (15.8%) had DM. Patients were examined in the year 1990 and followed up for stroke occurrence until death or until the end of 2002. Mean follow-up time was 9.6 years (SD +/-3.3 years). In total, 119 patients (11.5%) suffered a stroke during the follow-up. In logistic regression model, previous stroke, previous TIA, DM and atrial fibrillation were risk factors for stroke occurrence. CONCLUSION stroke tended to happen more often in the IGT group than in the normal group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Statistically significant risk factors for stroke in elderly people are previous TIA or stroke, DM and atrial fibrillation.
Influence of N substitution on antimycobacterial activity of ciprofloxacin

Ciprofloxacin analogs with various substitutions on the piperazine nitrogen were tested against several mycobacteria. In contrast to what has been found with other gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, alkyl analogs such as N-isopropylciprofloxacin were shown to be significantly more active than ciprofloxacin. MICs of 0.125 microgram/ml against Mycobacterium tuberculosis were found.
Large Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Response to Bone-Conducted Sounds in Patients with Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome

Dehiscence of the superior semicircular canal is a ‘new’ vestibular entity. Among these patients, the vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) in response to air-conducted sounds are large. In the present study, VEMP in response to bone-conducted sounds were studied in 5 normal subjects, in 3 patients after (unilateral) labyrinthectomy and in 4 patients with (unilateral) superior canal dehiscence syndrome. The bone-conducted sound stimulus was a 250- and a 500- tone burst delivered monaurally on the mastoid using standard bone conductors. Among the normals, bone-conducted sounds delivered monaurally caused VEMP bilaterally. There was, however, a transcranial attenuation for the 500-Hz stimulus, but less so for the 250-Hz stimulus. Among the patients with labyrinthectomy there were VEMP on the healthy side, but not on the lesioned side, irrespective of whether the bone-conducted sounds were presented behind the healthy or the operated ear. Among the patients with superior canal dehiscence syndrome, the VEMP on the affected side were larger than on the healthy side. This suggests that there is also vestibular hypersensitivity for bone-conducted sounds in these patients.
Epidemiology of Head Injuries

THE aims ofthe Scottish Head Injury ManageStudy are to discover how patients with head injury are currently managed and with what consequences for patients and the health service both in hospital and in the community; to define the needs of head injured patients in the acute and later stages after mild or severe injury and to determine the implications for the health service of making reasonable provision to meet these needs; and to devise and test alternative management policies which could improve care by more effective use of existing resources. Similarities in age and sex structure make it valid to compare admissions and discharged between Scotland and England and Wales. Rates of head injuries defined by ICD (World Health Organization, 1965) rubrics N800-804 and N850-854 at all ages were markedly higher for Scottish males (Scottish Home & Health Department, 1976). Proportions of head injury deaths by external cause of injury in England and Wales for 1972 (Field, 1975) were similar to those in Scotland between 1969-1972 (Head injuries-Scotland, 1974); motor vehicle accidents comprised about two-thirds, falls a fifth and industrial accidents between 3 and 4 per cent. In Scotland death rates from head injuries for men and women were about 115 per million and have remained fairly constant since 1962. In hospital age-specific death rates have changed little from 1972 to 1974. Case fatality rates on the other hand have almost halved from about 2.9 per cent in 1963 to 1.5 per cent in 1974 probably because of a rise in admissions of milder injuries over this period. To provide new information and a baseline for more detailed studies, the records of 3,035 patients attending accident/emergency departments throughout Scotland for two randomly selected weeks, one in summer the other in winter, were examined for 1974. Admission rates were 26 and 10 per thousand of the Scottish population for males and
Adoptive Immunotherapy of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer with Vγ9Vδ2 T Cells, Potentiated by Liposomal Alendronic Acid

Adoptive immunotherapy using γδ T cells harnesses their natural role in tumor immunosurveillance. The efficacy of this approach is enhanced by aminobisphosphonates such as zoledronic acid and alendronic acid, both of which promote the accumulation of stimulatory phosphoantigens in target cells. However, the inefficient and nonselective uptake of these agents by tumor cells compromises the effective clinical exploitation of this principle. To overcome this, we have encapsulated aminobisphosphonates within liposomes. Expanded Vγ9Vδ2 T cells from patients and healthy donors displayed similar phenotype and destroyed autologous and immortalized ovarian tumor cells, following earlier pulsing with either free or liposome-encapsulated aminobisphosphonates. However, liposomal zoledronic acid proved highly toxic to SCID Beige mice. By contrast, the maximum tolerated dose of liposomal alendronic acid was 150-fold higher, rendering it much more suited to in vivo use. When injected into the peritoneal cavity, free and liposomal alendronic acid were both highly effective as sensitizing agents, enabling infused γδ T cells to promote the regression of established ovarian tumors by over one order of magnitude. Importantly however, liposomal alendronic acid proved markedly superior compared with free drug following i.v. delivery, exploiting the “enhanced permeability and retention effect” to render advanced tumors susceptible to γδ T cell–mediated shrinkage. Although folate targeting of liposomes enhanced the sensitization of folate receptor–α+ ovarian tumor cells in vitro, this did not confer further therapeutic advantage in vivo. These findings support the development of an immunotherapeutic approach for ovarian and other tumors in which adoptively infused γδ T cells are targeted using liposomal alendronic acid.
Testicular Biopsy in Evaluation of Male Infertility

Testicular biopsy findings in 100 infertile men were correlated with the clinical findings. Mild or moderately severe tubular lesions were seen in 57 cases and severe changes in 43. Clinical examination and semen analysis were no guide to the severity of the testicular lesion. Though patients with normal sized testes more commonly had mild tubular lesions, many were severe. Patients with small testes more often had severe lesions but some had only mild tubular changes. Biopsy findings in both aspermic and oligospermic patients ranged from normal to a complete loss of germinal tissue. Testicular biopsy is advocated in infertile men for the complete assessment of the case and for identifying those which are potentially treatable. Patients with a severe lesion can be spared further investigations. The choice and results of treatment are discussed, particularly the surgical treatment of varicocele or obstruction. Only patients with a mild or moderate testicular tubular lesion should participate in future trials with drugs for male infertility.
Copepod carcasses as microbial hot spots for pelagic denitrification

Copepods are exposed to a high non‐predatory mortality and their decomposing carcasses act as microniches with intensified microbial activity. Sinking carcasses could thereby represent anoxic microenvironment sustaining anaerobic microbial pathways in otherwise oxic water columns. Using non‐invasive O2 imaging, we document that carcasses of Calanus finmarchicus had an anoxic interior even at fully air‐saturated ambient O2 level. The extent of anoxia gradually expanded with decreasing ambient O2 levels. Concurrent microbial sampling showed the expression of nitrite reductase genes (nirS) in all investigated carcass samples and thereby documented the potential for microbial denitrification in carcasses. The nirS gene was occasionally expressed in live copepods, but not as consistently as in carcasses. Incubations of sinking carcasses in 15 NO3− amended seawater demonstrated denitrification, of which on average 34% ± 17% (n = 28) was sustained by nitrification. However, the activity was highly variable and was strongly dependent on the ambient O2 levels. While denitrification was present even at air‐saturation (302 μmol L−1), the average carcass specific activity increased several orders of magnitude to ∼ 1 nmol d−1 at 20% air‐saturation (55 μmol O2 L−1) at an ambient temperature of 7°C. Sinking carcasses of C. finmarchicus therefore represent hotspots of pelagic denitrification, but the quantitative importance as a sink for bioavailable nitrogen is strongly dependent on the ambient O2 level. The importance of carcass associated denitrification could be highly significant in O2 depleted environments such as Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZ).
Invariant continuous aggregation functions

Continuous aggregation functions, being invariant under any monotone bijective transformation, are discussed and characterised. As a basic tool for this characterisation, self-dual -valued capacities or their counterparts, self-dual monotone Boolean functions, are exploited. A generating role of is discussed. The relevant role of simple medians in describing monotone threshold Boolean functions is made apparent.
Inflammatory and cardiometabolic risk on obesity: role of environmental xenoestrogens.

CONTEXT Some chemicals used in consumer products or manufacturing (eg, plastics, pesticides) have estrogenic activities; these xenoestrogens (XEs) may affect immune responses and have recently emerged as a new risk factors for obesity and cardiovascular disease. However, the extent and impact on health of chronic exposure of the general population to XEs are still unknown. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to investigate the levels of XEs in plasma and adipose tissue (AT) depots in a sample of pre- and postmenopausal obese women undergoing bariatric surgery and their cardiometabolic impact in an obese state. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS We evaluated XE levels in plasma and visceral and subcutaneous AT samples of Portuguese obese (body mass index ≥ 35 kg/m(2)) women undergoing bariatric surgery. Association with metabolic parameters and 10-year cardiovascular disease risk was assessed, according to menopausal status (73 pre- and 48 postmenopausal). Levels of XEs were determined by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. Anthropometric and biochemical data were collected prior to surgery. Adipocyte size was determined on tissue sections obtained during surgery. RESULTS Our data show that XEs are pervasive in this obese population. Distribution of individual and concentration of total XEs differed between plasma, visceral AT, and subcutaneous AT, and the pattern of accumulation was different between pre- and postmenopausal women. Significant associations between XE levels and metabolic and inflammatory parameters were found. In premenopausal women, XEs in plasma seem to be a predictor of 10-year cardiovascular disease risk. CONCLUSIONS Our findings point toward a different distribution of XE between plasma and AT in pre- and postmenopausal women, and reveal the association between XEs on the development of metabolic abnormalities in obese premenopausal women.
Primary Prevention with Defibrillator Therapy in Women: Results from the Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial

Introduction: The Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD‐HeFT) demonstrated that implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy reduced overall mortality in patients with class II or III heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 35%, while amiodarone had no effect on survival. There are limited data regarding the influence of gender on outcome of patients receiving ICDs for primary prevention.
Molecular and Functional Characterization of Acid-sensing Ion Channel (ASIC) 1b*

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are activated by extracellular protons and are involved in neurotransmission in the central nervous system, in pain perception, as well as in mechanotransduction. Six different ASIC subunits have been cloned to date, which are encoded by four genes (ASIC1-ASIC4). Proton-gated currents have been described in isolated neurons from sensory ganglia as well as from central nervous system. However, it is largely unclear which of the cloned ASIC subunits underlie these native proton-gated currents. Recently, a splice variant, ASIC-β, has been described for ASIC1a. In this variant about one-third of the protein is exchanged at the N terminus. Here we show that ASIC-β has a longer N terminus than previously reported, extending the sequence divergence between ASIC1a and this new variant (ASIC1b). We investigated in detail kinetic and selectivity properties of ASIC1b in comparison to ASIC1a. Kinetics is similar for ASIC1b and ASIC1a. Ca2+permeability of ASIC1a is low, whereas ASIC1b is impermeable to Ca2+. Currents through ASIC1a resemble currents, which have been described in sensory and central neurons, whereas the significance of ASIC1b remains to be established. Moreover, we show that a pre-transmembrane 1 domain controls the permeability to divalent cations in ASIC1, contributing to our understanding of the pore structure of these channels.
Interactions of Warfarin with Garlic, Ginger, Ginkgo, or Ginseng: Nature of the Evidence

OBJECTIVE: To review and characterize the evidence describing potential interactions between warfarin and garlic, ginger, ginkgo, or ginseng. DATA SOURCES: Searches of MEDLINE (1966–1999), other bibliographic databases, several abstracting services, and tertiary references were conducted. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Articles were examined by each author, and additional citations were obtained from the references of these articles. Preference was given to English-language articles of human studies. DATA SYNTHESIS: Evidence is lacking for an interaction of warfarin with garlic or ginger. One case report associates ginseng use with decreased warfarin-maintained anticoagulation effect. Another case report links concomitant use of ginkgo and warfarin with the development of intracerebral hemorrhage. Hemorrhage and bleeding tendencies were noted in four cases with ginkgo use and in three cases with garlic; in none of these cases were patients receiving warfarin. CONCLUSIONS: The true risks of these interactions and effects are difficult to characterize due to the limited number and nature of existing reports.
Repetitive-Sequence-PCR-Based DNA Fingerprinting Using the DiversiLab System for Identification of Commonly Encountered Dermatophytes

ABSTRACT The performance of repetitive-sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) using the DiversiLab system for identification of dermatophytes commonly isolated in a clinical laboratory was assessed by comparing results to those of conventional tests (colony morphology, microscopic examination of slide cultures, and, for suspected Trichophyton species, use of additional media). Sixty-one cultures were tested in phase 1, the feasibility portion of the study; 64 additional cultures were tested in phase 2, the validation portion conducted to assess reproducibility and confirm accuracy. Discrepancies were resolved by repeating rep-PCR and conventional tests and, in phase 2, sequencing the internal transcribed spacers. After initial testing of the cultures in phase 1 (excluding one contaminated culture), agreement between conventional tests and rep-PCR was 90% (54 of 60). Agreement was 98.3% after resolution of discrepancies, and in all but one case the initial rep-PCR result was correct. After initial testing of cultures in phase 2 (excluding one discarded and one contaminated culture), agreement between rep-PCR and conventional testing was 88.7% (55 of 62). After discrepancies were resolved, agreement was 100%. Initial rep-PCR results were correct, except for one Microsporum canis culture containing two colony variants, which could not be initially identified by rep-PCR. The performance of the DiversiLab system for identification of the dermatophytes commonly encountered in a clinical mycology laboratory—Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton tonsurans, and M. canis—was excellent. Moreover, the DiversiLab system is technically simple and provides results in <24 h once a pure culture is available for testing, which is considerably more rapid than conventional identification tests.
Survival and Cause-specific Mortality of a Protected Population of River Otters In Minnesota

ABSTRACT Determining causes of mortality and estimating survival rates can provide insight into the status of species for which population trends are not well understood. From Apr. 2002–May 2004 we radio-marked and monitored 39 (13 adult males; 6 subadult males; 8 adult females; 12 subadult females) river otters (Lontra canadensis) in the upper Mississippi River watershed to document causes of mortality, and to evaluate the effects of season, age and sex on survival of river otters in southeastern Minnesota. Further, we assessed the relative importance of demographic parameters to population growth using a projection matrix, which incorporated reproductive data with our observed survival estimates. Human induced mortalities, including accidental captures by fur-harvesters targeting other species (n = 6) and vehicle collisions (n = 1), accounted for the majority of deaths while natural mortality was low (n = 1). Annual survival of females was 0.680 (SE = 0.099) and was 0.946 (SE = 0.052) for adult males. Elasticity of adult female survival was 3.1 times higher than subadult survival, 2.7 times higher than juvenile survival and 2.7 times higher than the sum of elasticity for subadult and adult female reproduction. River otters and other furbearers need to be monitored to assess population status, and management should be responsive to ensure persistence of populations experiencing intentional and/or accidental harvest.
Hippocampal Sclerosis: MR Prediction of Seizure Intractability

Summary: Purpose: Patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (refractory TLE) often have hippocampal sclerosis (HS). However, some HS patients have less‐severe, drug‐responsive epilepsy (mild TLE). We investigated the pattern of MR changes in these two HS groups.
Technological Organization and Settlement Mobility: An Ethnographic Examination

Functional requirements of activities do not alone explain variability in the technologies of forager groups. Rather, they are one among a larger set of factors that determine how technologies are organized within cultural systems. Failure to consider these other factors can impair interpretations of behavior based on analysis of artifact assemblages. One promising avenue of research is the relationship between technology and settlement mobility. Ethnographic evidence shows that elements of technology are related to the settlement mobility of forager societies. The implications of this relationship for archaeology are far-reaching, and they deserve careful consideration.