Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surgical treatment of urethral obstruction due to urolithiasis in male cattle: a review of 85 cases

Eighty-five male cattle with urethral obstruction due to urolithiasis were treated by surgery. In most cases local anaesthetic techniques combined with sedation were applied to the dorsally recumbent animals. The penis was transected and transposed in animals with a ruptured urethra. A ruptured bladder was repaired by a paramedian abdominal approach. The bladder was fistulated through the ventral abdominal wall when no alternative treatment was possible. Complications related to the different surgical interventions are described. Only 35.3 per cent of the animals recovered satisfactorily.
UDP‐Galactose:Ceramide Galactosyl Transferase of Isolated Oligodendroglia

Abstract: The activity of UDP‐galactose:ceramide galactosyl transferase (CGalT) has been studied in isolated oligodendroglia from bovine brain white matter and myelinating rat brain. The specific activity and activity per mg DNA are 4‐ and 10‐fold higher in rat oligodendroglia compared with neuronal perikarya from rat brain, and is higher in oligodendroglia from myelinating rat brain compared with bovine oligodendroglia. In membranes isolated from oligodendroglia, the specific activity decreased in the order endoplasmic reticulum > plasma membrane > myelin.
Characterization of dopamine‐induced depolarization of prefrontal cortical neurons

Dopamine (DA) has been reported to depolarize neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). To further characterize this effect of DA, we made whole cell recordings from PFC pyramidal cells in rat brain slices. As reported previously, DA depolarized most PFC cells tested. This effect of DA was concentration‐dependent and persisted in the presence of synaptic blockade, indicating a direct effect of DA on the recorded cell. During DA‐induced depolarization, PFC neurons consistently showed an increase in excitability, suggesting that the depolarization is not directly related to DA‐induced inhibition of PFC neurons previously observed in vivo. Surprisingly, the effect of DA was not mimicked or blocked by several commonly used DA agonists and DA antagonists. The α and β antagonists phentolamine and alprenolol and the atypical antipsychotic drug clozapine also showed no significant effect on DA‐induced depolarization. These results suggest that DA‐induced depolarization may be mediated by a nonspecific mechanism. However, it remains possible that there exists a new type of DA receptors in the PFC not sensitive to classical DA agonists and antagonists, particularly given the fact that DA applied in the same manner depolarized only PFC neurons but not those in the striatum or the substantia nigra. Synapse 26:415–422, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss Inc.
Severe refractory hypoxaemia in H1N1 (2009) intensive care patients: initial experience in an Asian regional hospital.

INTRODUCTION The management of Influenza A (H1N1) patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an emerging challenge, especially during the 2009 pandemic. These patients frequently require advanced mechanical ventilation (MV) and on occasion, rescue therapy. We describe the demographics, presentation, course and outcomes of the first 12 H1N1 patients with ARDS who were admitted to our institution. METHODS This was a retrospective chart review of H1N1 patients with ARDS who were admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) between July and September 2009. RESULTS Seven of the 12 patients were female. The median age was 46 (range 27-66) years. 25 percent of the patients had good health prior to the infection. The presenting symptoms were mainly cough (100 percent), fever (92 percent) and dyspnoea (64 percent). The median times from symptom onset to both hospitalisation and ICU admission were five (range 2-9) days. Ten (83 percent) patients required invasive MV within 24 hours of presentation. The mean PaO2/ FiO2 ratio was 87.9 +/- 37.3 mmHg, with a mean positive end expiratory pressure at 16.1 +/- 7.3 cm H2O. Three patients required either unconventional MV and/or prone positioning, inhaled nitric oxide or nebulised prostacyclin. The mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 12.7 +/- 9.1. Among survivors, the median number of ventilator days was 7.5 (range 5-11), with a median length of ICU stay of ten (range 6-14) days. The median length of hospitalisation was 13.5 (range 9-31) days. The mortality rate in our case series was 50 percent. CONCLUSION Unlike patients of seasonal influenza, our severe H1N1 patients were of a younger age. A significant proportion had no underlying risk factors. Despite high ventilatory requirements, unconventional MV and adjunct therapy, the mortality rate remained high.
HAART and Lipid Metabolism in a Resource Poor West African Setting

ed by: African Index Medicus (WHO), CAB Abstracts, Index Copernicus, Global Health Abstracts, Asian Science Index, Index Veterinarius, Bioline International , African Journals online Full-text available at http://www.ajbrui. com http://www.bioline. br/md http://www.ajol. com
Antagonizing activity of chick Grg4 against tectum-organizing activity.

Alar plate of chick mesencephalon differentiates into the optic tectum. It has been shown that factors expressed in the mes-metencephalic boundary induce the tectum and give positional specificity. Chick Grg4 is expressed at first in the anterior neural fold. The expression localizes from the posterior diencephalon to the mesencephalon by stage 10. To investigate the function of Grg4 in mesencephalic development, Grg4 overexpression was carried out by in ovo electroporation. After Grg4 overexpression, expression of En-2, Pax5, Fgf8, and EphrinA2 was repressed, and Pax6 was upregulated in the mesencephalic region. Grg4 overexpression caused the morphological change; mesencephalic swelling became smaller and the di-mesencephalic boundary shifted posteriorly, that is, the anterior limit of tectum shifted posteriorly. Importantly, cotransfection of Grg4 with Pax5 canceled the tectum-inducing activity of Pax5. These results suggest that Grg4 works as an antagonist against tectum-organizing activity. It was also shown that transfected N-terminal domains of Grg4 induced En-2 expression. Since N-terminal domains were transported to the nucleus in the neuroepithelium, they could act as dominant negative for endogenous Grg4. These results indicate that Grg4 has repressing activity against the organizing molecules and suggest that Grg4 plays important roles in formation of anterior tectal boundary and polarity.
A new method for the comparison of bone loss measurements on non-standardized radiographs.

A mathematical algorithm was derived which allows comparison of measurements of bone loss from sequential non-standardized radiographs. The same three anatomical landmarks were defined on both a reference and an alternate radiograph. These coordinates were used to compute a transformation matrix which mathematically “bent” the alternate radiograph to fit the reference radiograph in 44 pairs of non-standardized radiographs. Comparison of direct measurements of bone loss in reference and alternate radiographs revealed a mean error of 0.55 mm. This error was significantly reduced to 0.15 mm when direct measurements in reference films were compared to transformed measurements on the alternate radiograph. These data indicate the transformation method may be of value in comparing non-standardized radiographs.
Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy in a Nigerian child

Summary Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy is a rare, benign lympho-proliferative disorder of unknown aetiology that chiefly affects the cervical lymphnodes of children. Various extranodal manifestations are recognized, especially in the head and neck. A case is described in a Nigerian child that illustrates problems of differential diagnosis.
Gerard W. Ostheimer “What's New in Obstetric Anesthesia” Lecture

BEGINNING in 1975, a review of the preceding year’s medical literature relevant to obstetric anesthesiologists has been presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. In 1995, the lecture was renamed in honor of Dr. Gerald Ostheimer. Dr. Ostheimer was a Boston obstetric anesthesiologist known for considerable contributions to research and education. The 2007 Ostheimer lecture was based on a review of medical literature published between January and December 2006, with the goal of identifying articles relevant to obstetric anesthesia practice. This year’s review identified 1,637 articles in 52 journals in the field of anesthesiology and obstetrics (appendix). The content areas covered by these articles included obstetric complications (25% of total), maternal coexisting disease (20%), fetal and neonatal disease (17%), labor analgesia (14%), anesthetic complications (4%), cesarean delivery anesthesia (3%), and miscellaneous topics (18%). Topical areas presented in 2006 included morbidity related to inflammation during pregnancy, genetic polymorphisms and outcomes, primary elective cesarean delivery and vaginal birth after cesarean trials, maternal obesity, global maternal health, reduction of multiple gestations with assisted reproductive technologies, and the recurring themes of preterm delivery and preeclampsia. The objective of this review of the 2006 literature was to present key articles published in the areas of maternal coexisting disease, labor analgesia, anesthesia for operative delivery, obstetric complications, anesthetic complications, and postpartum issues.
Sparse AC/AC Modular Multilevel Converter

A new bidirectional multilevel converter topology called the sparse modular multilevel converter suitable for high power ac/ac applications is presented. The proposed topology has fewer insulated-gate bipolar transistor switches and capacitors compared with conventional approaches. Moreover, a salient feature of the proposed topology is that more than half of the switches are operating in soft switching conditions, which considerably decreases the switching losses of the converter. The theoretical calculations and simulation results are provided to verify the feasibility of the proposed topology.
The efficacy of axillary ultrasound in the detection of nodal metastasis in breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE Recent reports indicate a lack of survival benefit for axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) versus sentinel lymph node biopsy in early breast cancer. To study this issue further, we assessed the accuracy and effectiveness of ultrasound examination in detecting axillary nodal involvement in breast cancer patients with the aim of refining our current clinical pathways. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ultrasound data were collected from breast cancer cases over 3 years. Images were reviewed by experienced radiologists and the following characteristics were assessed: size, morphology, hyperechoic hilum, and cortical thickness of the ipsilateral axillary nodes. The findings were correlated with histologic outcomes after ALND. RESULTS Two hundred twenty-four cases were included in the analysis, 113 (50.4%) of which had evidence of metastatic nodal involvement at final histology. Of these 113 cases, ultrasound findings for 59 (52.2%) were positive. The overall positive predictive value of ultrasound for detecting metastatic nodal involvement measured 0.81. The negative predictive value was 0.60. The sensitivity was 53.7%; specificity, 85.1%; and accuracy, 67.9%. The ultrasound morphologic lymph node features with the greatest correlation with malignancy were the absence of a hyperechoic hilum (p = 0.003) and increased cortical thickness (p = 0.03). Patients with a metastatic nodal burden density of at least 20% were more likely to have abnormal findings on axillary ultrasound examination (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION Axillary ultrasound has a low negative predictive value and negative ultrasound results do not exclude axillary node metastases with sufficient sensitivity to justify its routine clinical use. Clinical pathways need to consider an evidence-based approach, focusing on the criteria by which we select breast cancer patients for ALND.
Implementation of EuroSCORE II as an adjunct to APACHE II model and SOFA score, for refining the prognostic accuracy in cardiac surgical patients.

AIM The aim of this paper was to assess the comparable applicability of European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II (EuroSCORE II), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) and Sequential Organ Failure (SOFA) scores, in cardiac surgical population, on the basis of morbidity and mortality. METHODS EuroSCORE II, APACHE II score and SOFA score derivatives such as TMS (total maximum SOFA), MaxSOFA (single-day maximum total), SOFA 1 (admission SOFA), ΔSOFA (TMS minus SOFA 1), ΔmaxSOFA (MaxSOFA minus SOFA 1) and mean SOFA (daily SOFA to ICU stay), were prospectively calculated for 1058 consecutive patients admitted to postcardiac surgery intensive care unit (ICU). The study endpoints were length of ICU stay (LOS-ICU) and hospital mortality. RESULTS A disproportionate elevation of the studied algorithms was associated with prolonged LOS-ICU (P<0.001). TMS, MeanSOFA, MaxSOFA and EuroSCORE II provided better discrimination for in-hospital death [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.949, 0.929, 0.927 and 0.906, respectively] and LOS-ICU more than 2 days (AUC 0.853, 0.823, 0.819 and 0.806, respectively), compared to other risk models. EuroSCORE II, TMS and MeanSOFA were also identified as independent predictors of prolonged LOS-ICU. CONCLUSION EuroSCORE II seems to confer noteworthy prognostic value, being almost equivalent to that of TMS, MeanSOFA and MaxSOFA scores, and superior than APACHE II in cardiac surgical population. Thus, EuroSCORE II emerges as an imperative adjunct to ICU-based APACHE II and SOFA algorithms as it enables risk stratification, morbidity and mortality prediction even from preoperative assessment.
Deficiency of ER beta and prostate tumorigenesis in FGF8b transgenic mice

22 Estrogens contribute to the development and growth of the prostate and are implicated in prostate 23 tumorigenesis. In their target tissues, estrogens mediate their effects via estrogen receptor alpha 24 (ERa) and beta (ERb). Hyperplasia and decreased differentiation of epithelial cells in the prostate 25 have been reported in ERb knockout (BERKO) mice. We studied here the effect of ERb deficiency 26 on prostate tumorigenesis by crossing BERKOFVB mice with prostate-targeted fibroblast growth 27 factor 8b transgenic (FGF8b-Tg) mice. Consistent with our previous report, the prostates of one28 year-old FGF8b-Tg mice displayed stromal aberrations, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (mPIN) 29 lesions, inflammation and occasionally cancer. The prostates of BERKOFVB mice contained mild 30 epithelial hypercellularity and inflammation. The prostate phenotypes of FGF8b-Tg-BERKOFVB 31 mice closely resembled those of FGF8b-Tg mice. However, mucinous metaplasia, indicated by 32 Goblet-like cells in the epithelium, was significantly more frequent in the prostates of FGF8b-Tg33 BERKOFVB mice than FGF8b-Tg mice. Furthermore, compared to FGF8b-Tg mice, there was a 34 tendency for increased frequency of inflammation but milder hyperplasias in the prostate stroma of 35 FGF8b-Tg-BERKOFVB mice. The expression levels of mRNAs for FGF8b-regulated genes 36 including osteopontin (Spp1), connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf), fibroblast growth factor 37 receptors (Fgfrs), and for steroid hormone receptors and cytokines were similar in the prostates of 38 FGF8b-Tg and FGF8b-Tg-BERKOFVB mice. Our results suggest that ERb plays a role in 39 differentiation of the prostatic epithelium and potentially in protection from inflammation but do 40 not support a direct tumor suppressive function of ERb in the prostate of FGF8b-Tg mice. 41
Does Wolbachia infection affect Trichogramma atopovirilia behaviour ?

Unisexual Trichogramma forms have attracted much attention due to their potential advantages as biocontrol agents. Fitness studies have been performed and understanding the cost that Wolbachia may inflict on their hosts will help in deciding if Wolbachia infected (unisexual) forms are indeed better than sexual forms when used in biological control programmes. The influence of Wolbachia on the foraging behaviour (including walking activity and speed) of T. atopovirilia is reported in this paper. Temperature strongly affected T. atopovirilia female walking activity, but Wolbachia infected and uninfected females differed in none of the behavioural components that were measured such as walking activity and walking speed. Walking activity was highest at 25 °C and differed significantly from that at 20 and 15 °C. Trichogramma wasps were highly affected at 15 °C. Behaviour analysis with females showed that female wasps spend most of the time on drilling + ovipositing on host eggs followed by host drumming and walking while drumming. The parasitism rate and number of offspring did not differ significantly between infected and cured Trichogramma females. Biological control implications of these findings are discussed.
Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin Spikes Local Inflammation That Induces Th2 Cell and T Follicular Helper Cell Responses to the Coadministered Antigen

Cyclodextrins are commonly used as a safe excipient to enhance the solubility and bioavailability of hydrophobic pharmaceutical agents. Their efficacies and mechanisms as drug-delivery systems have been investigated for decades, but their immunological properties have not been examined. In this study, we reprofiled hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) as a vaccine adjuvant and found that it acts as a potent and unique adjuvant. HP-β-CD triggered the innate immune response at the injection site, was trapped by MARCO+ macrophages, increased Ag uptake by dendritic cells, and facilitated the generation of T follicular helper cells in the draining lymph nodes. It significantly enhanced Ag-specific Th2 and IgG Ab responses as potently as did the conventional adjuvant, aluminum salt (alum), whereas its ability to induce Ag-specific IgE was less than that of alum. At the injection site, HP-β-CD induced the temporary release of host dsDNA, a damage-associated molecular pattern. DNase-treated mice, MyD88-deficient mice, and TBK1-deficient mice showed significantly reduced Ab responses after immunization with this adjuvant. Finally, we demonstrated that HP-β-CD–adjuvanted influenza hemagglutinin split vaccine protected against a lethal challenge with a clinically isolated pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, and the adjuvant effect of HP-β-CD was demonstrated in cynomolgus macaques. Our results suggest that HP-β-CD acts as a potent MyD88- and TBK1-dependent T follicular helper cell adjuvant and is readily applicable to various vaccines.
Strategic Choices for Redistribution and the Veil of Ignorance: Theory and Experimental Evidence

We provide experimental evidence on the emergence of redistributive societies. Individuals first vote on redistribution by feet and then learn their productivity and invest. We vary the individuals’ information about their productivities at the time when they choose a distribution rule and find that there is more redistribution behind a veil of ignorance than under full information. However, the scope of redistribution is less sensitive towards the degree of uncertainty than predicted. For all degrees of uncertainty, we find a coexistence of libertarianism and redistribution as well as incomplete sorting, so that heterogeneous redistribution communities turn out to be sustainable.
VEGF, bFGF, and their receptors in the endometrium of rhesus monkey during menstrual cycle and early pregnancy

A number of cytokines and growth factors are known to modulate proliferation and differentiation of human endometrium. In this study, the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and VEGF receptors, fms‐like tyrosine kinase (Flt1) and kinase insert domain‐containing region (KDR), and bFGF receptor 1 (Flg) were examined in the endometrium of rhesus monkey on Day 5, 10, 16, 20, 25 of menstrual cycle and on Day 19 of early pregnancy. Western blot analysis showed the specificity of the anti‐human antibodies with the monkey tissue. The expression of mRNA and protein of VEGF was correlated with that of its receptor KDR, which was detected in epithelial, vascular, and myometrial cells. The localization of bFGF and its receptor Flg was similar to that of VEGF, except that the Flg was absent in the endothelial cells. Strong expression of VEGF and bFGF in the glandular epithelial cells was observed in the proliferative phase, declined in the secretory phase during the cycle. Stronger staining of these factors was also observed in the decidual cells of the pregnant uterus, as compared with the stromal cells of cycling uterus. No expression of Flt1 was detected in the tissue examined in this study. These data suggest that VEGF, bFGF, and their receptors play important roles in epithelial and stromal development, angiogenesis, and blood vessel function in the endometrium during the menstrual cycle and early pregnancy of the rhesus monkey. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 68: 456–462, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assignment of Tasks For Experimental Research of Large-Diameter Thin Shells With Infill

A method of studying the nature of the stress-strain condition of thin shell structures is proposed in the paper. The proposed method takes into account the interaction (in a physical model) in between ground environment and thin shell with filler. The method is one of the steps in creating a more accurate mathematical model of thin shell structures interacting with infill and foundation.
Glucose biosensor based on functionalized ZnO nanowire/graphite films dispersed on a Pt electrode

We present a glucose biosensor based on ZnO nanowire self-sustained films grown on compacted graphite flakes by the vapor transport method. Nanowire/graphite films were fragmented in water, filtered to form a colloidal suspension, subsequently functionalized with glucose oxidase and finally transferred to a metal electrode (Pt). The obtained devices were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The electrochemical responses of the devices were determined in buffer solutions with successive glucose aggregates using a tripolar electrode system. The nanostructured biosensors showed excellent analytical performance, with linear response to glucose concentrations, high sensitivity of up to ≈17 μA cm−2 mM−1 in the 0.03–1.52 mM glucose concentration range, relatively low Michaelis–Menten constant, excellent reproducibility and a fast response. The detection limits are more than an order of magnitude lower than those achievable in commercial biosensors for glucose control, which is promising for the development of glucose monitoring methods that do not require blood extraction from potentially diabetic patients. The strong detection enhancements provided by the functionalized nanostructures are much larger than the electrode surface-area increase and are discussed in terms of the physical and chemical mechanisms involved in the detection and transduction processes.