Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An artificial tendon with durable muscle interface

A coupling mechanism that can permanently fix a forcefully contracting muscle to a bone anchor or any totally inert prosthesis would meet a serious need in orthopaedics. Our group developed the OrthoCoupler™ device to satisfy these demands. The objective of this study was to test OrthoCoupler's performance in vitro and in vivo in the goat semitendinosus tendon model. For in vitro evaluation, 40 samples were fatigue‐tested, cycling at 10 load levels, n = 4 each. For in vivo evaluation, the semitendinosus tendon was removed bilaterally in eight goats. Left sides were reattached with an OrthoCoupler, and right sides were reattached using the Krackow stitch with #5 braided polyester sutures. Specimens were harvested 60 days postsurgery and assigned for biomechanics and histology. Fatigue strength of the devices in vitro was several times the contractile force of the semitendinosus muscle. The in vivo devices were built equivalent to two of the in vitro devices, providing an additional safety factor. In strength testing at necropsy, suture controls pulled out at 120.5 ± 68.3 N, whereas each OrthoCoupler was still holding after the muscle tore, remotely, at 298 ± 111.3 N (mean ± SD) (p < 0.0003). Muscle tear strength was reached with the fiber–muscle composite produced in healing still soundly intact. This technology may be of value for orthopaedic challenges in oncology, revision arthroplasty, tendon transfer, and sports‐injury reconstruction. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:218–224, 2010
Sleep Quality and Sleepiness in Persons with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: Outcome from a Clinical Randomized Longitudinal Trial

Background: Patients receiving an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) report various types and degree of sleep disruptions, but little is known regarding their characteristics, duration, and associated factors. The purposes of this study were: (1) to describe the effect of a psychoeducational intervention on sleep quality and daytime sleepiness, (2) to describe patterns of sleep over time, and (3) to identify predictors of poor sleep in an ICD population.
IS1‐mediated intramolecular rearrangements: formation of excised transposon circles and replicative deletions.

A system is described which permits visualization and analysis of a number of molecular species associated with transposition activity of the bacterial insertion sequence, IS1, in vivo. The technique involves induction of an IS1 transposase gene carried by a plasmid which also includes an IS1‐based transposable element. It is, in principle, applicable to the identification of transposition intermediates as well as unstable transposition products and those which are not detectable by genetic means. Thirteen novel molecular species were detected after 4 h of induction. Five major species were characterized, based on their behaviour as a function of time, on their hybridization patterns and on the nucleotide sequences of the transposon‐backbone junctions. All result from intramolecular IS1 transposition events. The two reciprocal partner products of IS1‐mediated deletions, the intramolecular equivalent of co‐integrates generated by intermolecular transposition, have been identified. Both carry a single copy of the transposable element and present complementary distributions of deletion endpoints. These results establish, by direct physical means, that adjacent IS1‐mediated deletions are accompanied by duplication of the element. A second type of molecule identified was an excised circular copy of the transposon, raising the possibility that IS1 is capable of following an intermolecular transposition pathway, via excised transposon circles, leading to direct insertion.
Immunohistochemical localization of pulmonary surfactant apoproteins in various lung tumors: Special reference to nonmucus producing lung adenocarcinomas

Eighty‐nine primary lung carcinomas and 23 metastatic lung tumors were immunohistochemically studied for the expression of pulmonary surfactant apoproteins, by using monoclonal (PE‐10) and polyclonal antibodies. Surfactant apoprotein was demonstrated in the cytoplasm and/or nuclear inclusion bodies of only primary lung adenocarcinomas (36 of 75 cases), not in any other histologic type of primary lung carcinoma or in metastatic lung tumors. In primary lung adenocarcinoma, although typical type II pneumocyte type adenocarcinoma was not included in the current series, the majority of surfactant apoprotein‐positive single cell type tumors were of the Clara cell type, with a single bronchial surface epithelial cell type, according to the light microscopic subclassification of adenocarcinoma cells. The Clara cell type adenocarcinomas could at times be distinguished only with difficulty from adenocarcinoma of type II pneumocyte type. Normal and hyperplastic type II pneumocytes were of course positive for surfactant apoprotein in the cytoplasm. However, none of the positive cells could definitely be identified as Clara cells in non‐neoplastic lungs. The findings obtained in this study indicate that surfactant apoprotein is a good marker to distinguish adenocarcinoma of the lung from other histologic types of lung cancer and from neoplasms metastatic to the lung, and that type II pneumocytes and Clara cells, non‐neoplastic and neoplastic, are morphologically and functionally closely related and might belong to the same cell lineage.
Effect of Epidural Dexmedetomidine Combined With Ropivacaine in Labor Analgesia: A Randomized Double-Blinded Controlled Study

Background: The purpose of our study is to evaluate the effect of adding dexmedetomidine to epidural ropivacaine in patients undergoing labor epidural analgesia. Methods: Eighty healthy women were randomly assigned to 2 groups: control group (R; n=40) received epidural 0.125% ropivacaine for labor analgesia, whereas the study group (D; n=40) received epidural 0.125% ropivacaine with dexmedetomidine in addition. The blood pressure, heart rate, and the severity of pain of the parturient was assessed, the duration of the first stage and the second stage of labor time, the rate of instrumental delivery and the rate of cesarean section were recorded. The side effects (nausea and vomiting), intensity of maternal sedation, and neonatal Apgar scores were also recorded. Results: The visual analog scales, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rates of D group were significant lower than that of R group at most time intervals after epidural analgesia. The duration of the first and second stage of labor, the rate of instrumental delivery and cesarean section, neonatal 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores, umbilical artery pH, maternal motor blockade scores, intensity of maternal sedation, and the incidence of maternal complications did not show significant difference between 2 groups. Conclusions: Low concentration of epidural ropivacaine (0.125%) combined with dexmedetomidine (0.5 &mgr;g/kg) reduces the feeling of pain, and does not show the problems of motor blockage, hemodynamic instability, extension of production process, and complications such as nausea and vomiting. Our study was registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IOR-15007263).
Plasma cortisol and progression of dementia in subjects with Alzheimer-type dementia.

OBJECTIVE Studies of subjects with dementia of the Alzheimer type have reported correlations between increases in activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and hippocampal degeneration. In this study, the authors sought to determine whether increases in plasma cortisol, a marker of HPA activity, were associated with clinical and cognitive measures of the rate of disease progression in subjects with Alzheimer-type dementia. METHOD Thirty-three subjects with very mild and mild Alzheimer-type dementia and 21 subjects without dementia were assessed annually for up to 4 years with the Clinical Dementia Rating scale and a battery of neuropsychological tests. Plasma was obtained at 8 a.m. on a single day and assayed for cortisol. Rates of change over time in the clinical and cognitive measures were derived from growth curve models. RESULTS In the subjects with dementia, but not in those without dementia, higher plasma cortisol levels were associated with more rapidly increasing symptoms of dementia and more rapidly decreasing performance on neuropsychological tests associated with temporal lobe function. No associations were observed between plasma cortisol levels and clinical and cognitive assessments obtained at the single assessment closest in time to the plasma collection. CONCLUSIONS Higher HPA activity, as reflected by increased plasma cortisol levels, is associated with more rapid disease progression in subjects with Alzheimer-type dementia.
Financial Markets and the Political Center of Gravity

In recent decades, academics across multiple disciplines and policymakers in multiple institutions have searched for the economic, political, and institutional foundations for financial market strength. Promising theories and empirics have developed, including major explanations from differences in nationsâ€™ political economy. A common view among multiple academic observers is that, particularly because many pro-market corporate reforms occurred in Europe during the 1990s, when social democratic parties governed and financial markets deepened, basic left-right explanations fail to explain financial market depth. Hence, more complex political explanations are in play, and the correlation of left governments, market-oriented reforms and financial deepening presents an unexpected paradox. This finding might be interpreted to indicate that left-right orientation is unimportant in affecting financial development and that either nonpolitical institutional issues or different political considerations are more central. We show here, first, that conceptually itâ€™s not relative local placement of the governing coalition on the nationâ€™s left-right spectrum that counts, but whether the polity as a whole â€” i.e., its political center of gravity or its dominant governing coalition â€” is left or right on economic issues. If interests and opinion shift in a nation, such that its political center of gravity is no longer statist and anti-market, then even locally left parties could and would often implement pro-market reforms. (And conversely, in an earlier era when interests and opinions were statist and anti-market, one should not expect to see even locally right parties pushing pro-market financial reforms forward.) Second, we bring forward data showing substantial movement over recent decades of political parties and governing coalitions; these shifts must be accounted for in assessing the impact of left-right divisions on financial and securities markets. In large measure, these political shifts correlate with financial markets shifts. Leftright matters not only in the fixed-in-time cross-section, but also the left-right economic shifts over time make an often significant empirical difference. The result from this data and study, in our view, leads to results and correlations that comport with most observersâ€™ intuitions about the impact of left-right politics on financial market depth. The results thereby further buttress the importance of a nationâ€™s basic left-right political orientation in explaining financial market outcomes.
Growth and macro and micronutrients concentration in spinach ( Spinacia oleracea L.) as influenced by salinity and nitrogen rates

Salinity and nitrogen (N) deficiency are growth limiting factors for most plants including spinach in arid and semiarid areas. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of salinity levels and N rates on growth and concentration of macro and micronutrients in spinach aerial parts. Treatments included four salinity levels 0 (S0), 1000 (S1), 2000 (S2) and 3000 (S3) mg NaCl kg -1 of soil and five N rates 0, 75, 150, 225 and 300 mg N kg -1 of soil as urea. Results showed that shoot dry matter yield (DMY) of spinach decreased at S3 compared to those of S0, S1 and S2. Increasing N rates up to 225 mg kg -1 significantly increased DMY. Addition of NaCl increased concentrations of N, phosphorus (P), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl), but decreased those of potassium (K), iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg) in spinach aerial parts. Increasing NaCl levels, at 300 mg N rate, increased concentration of calcium (Ca) but decreased that of manganese (Mn) in spinach shoot. Application of N rates increased concentration of N, Ca, Mg, Cu and Na in spinach shoot. Iron concentration decreased in shoot at 75 mg N level compared to that of control. Application of N up to 150 mg significantly increased Mn concentration, while decreased that of Cl in spinach shoot. Detrimental effects of salinity at S3 level on the reduction of DMY increased at 225 and 300 mg N rates compared to lower rates of N and salinity. Spinach is considered as a moderately salt sensitive leafy vegetable that tolerance threshold is 2 dS m -1 , however; our results indicated that tolerance threshold for Virofly cultivar was at least 8 dS m -1 , therefore, it might be considered as a moderately salt tolerant spinach cultivar. In conclusion, over fertilization of N aggravated detrimental effect of salinity on the growth of spinach.
Essays on cultural and institutional dynamics in economic development using spatial analysis

This thesis seeks to research patterns of economic growth and development from a number of perspectives often resonated in the growth literature. By addressing themes about history, geography, institutions and culture the thesis is able to bring to bear a wide range of inter-related literatures and methodologies within a single content. Additionally, by targeting different administrative levels in its research design and approach, this thesis is also able to provide a comprehensive treatment of the economic growth dilemma from both cross-national and sub-national perspectives. The three chapters herein discuss economic development from two broad dimensions. The first of these chapters takes on the economic growth inquiry by attempting to incorporate cultural geography within a cross-country formal spatial econometric growth framework. By introducing the global cultural dynamics of languages and ethnic groups as spatial network mechanisms, this chapter is able to distinguish economic growth effects accruing from own-country productive efforts from those accruing from interconnections within a global productive network chain. From this, discussions and deductions about the implications for both developed and developing countries are made as regards potentials for gains and losses from such types and levels of productive integration. The second and third chapters take a different spin to the economic development inquiry. They both focus on economic activity in Africa, tackling the relevant issues from a geo-intersected dimension involving historic regional tribal homelands and modern national and subnational administrative territories. The second chapter specifically focuses on attempting to adopt historical channels to investigate the connection between national institutional quality and economic development in demarcated tribal homelands at the fringes of national African borders. The third chapter on the other hand focuses on looking closer at the effects of demarcations on economic activity. It particularly probes how different kinds of demarcation warranted by two different but very relevant classes of politico-economic players have affected economic activity quite distinguishably within the resulting subnational regions in Africa.
The Real Effects of Ratings Actions: Evidence from Corporate Asset Sales

We investigate whether and through which channel credit rating downgrades induce corporate restructurings. For a comprehensive sample, we find a strong and robust link between rating actions and subsequent restructuring activity and hypothesize these could be disciplinary (ex post efficient) or meant to counter tighter financial constraints (ex post inefficient). Based on the self-reported restructuring types and the choice of assets sold, we find evidence for rating-induced asset sales aimed to relax financial constraints. We find no evidence of firms addressing inefficiencies in their assets allocations as a result of rating actions. This paper was accepted by Victoria Ivashina, finance. Funding: F. Schlingemann gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the Barry J. Epstein Fellowship and the H.R. and Betty Young Fellowship. D. Bongaerts gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Veni grant [Grant 016.135. 059]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023. 4754 .
Helicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance patterns and genotypes in adult dyspeptic patients from a regional population in North Wales.

OBJECTIVE Surveillance data on Helicobacter pylori antibiotic susceptibilities in Wales are limited, despite resistance being a key factor in treatment failure. A single-centre survey was undertaken over 3 years to determine local antibiotic resistance rates on isolates from dyspeptic patients in Bangor, Gwynedd (North Wales). METHODS Susceptibilities were determined for 363 isolates by disc diffusion and the Etest. Isolates were also genotyped (cagA presence and vacA allelic types). RESULTS Overall in vitro resistance rates were 24% for metronidazole and 7% for clarithromycin, with 4% resistant to both antibiotics. Resistant strains typically had high MICs of >256 mg/L. Tetracycline resistance was identified in only one isolate whereas no isolates showed resistance to amoxicillin. There was a two-fold increase in resistance over the study period. No gender and age associations with resistance were detected. Resistant and susceptible isolates were genotypically diverse with respect to cagA/vacA type but the vacA s1m2 form was a feature of all clarithromycin-resistant isolates compared with 56% of the susceptible isolates. CONCLUSION Although the overall antibiotic resistance rates of H. pylori from North Wales were low compared with many other regions in Europe, continued surveillance, particularly of high-level resistance (MIC >256 mg/L), is recommended to monitor the effects of the 'test and treat' strategy for H. pylori eradication.
Risk factors for interstitial pneumonia following bone marrow transplantation for severe aplastic anaemia

Summary. Data from 547 patients with aplastic anaemia who received bone marrow transplants from HLA‐identical siblings were analysed to determine factors associated with the risk of interstitial pneumonia (IPn). IPn developed in 92 patients (17%). 37% of cases were associated with cytomegalovirus infection and 22% with other organisms: in 41% of cases no organism was identified. The case fatality rate was 64%; the mortality rate due to IPn was 11%. In multivariate analysis, four factors were associated with an increased probability of interstitial pneumonia: use of methotrexate rather than cyclosporine after transplantation (relative risk, 2.8: P<0.0008); occurrence of moderate to severe acute graft‐versus‐host disease (relative risk, 2.2; P<0.002); inclusion of total body radiation in the pretransplant preparative regimen (relative risk 2.2, P<0.004); and patient age >20 (relative risk 1.7, P<0.002). The probability of IPn ranged from 4% for patients with none of these adverse risk factors to 51% (relative risk of 13.4) for patients with all four. The incidence of IPn decreased significantly between 1978 and 1985, paralleling a decrease in the use of total body radiation pretransplant for immune suppression and methotrexate post‐transplant for prophylaxis against graft‐versushost disease.
Centlein mediates an interaction between C-Nap1 and Cep68 to maintain centrosome cohesion

ABSTRACT Centrosome cohesion, mostly regarded as a proteinaceous linker between parental centrioles, ensures that the interphase centrosome(s) function as a single microtubule-organizing center. Impairment of centrosome cohesion leads to the splitting of centrosomes. Although the list of cohesion proteins is growing, the precise composition and regulation of centrosome cohesion are still largely unknown. In this study, we show that the centriolar protein centlein (also known as CNTLN) localizes to the proximal ends of the centrioles and directly interacts with both C-Nap1 (also known as Cep250) and Cep68. Moreover, centlein complexes with C-Nap1 and Cep68 at the proximal ends of centrioles during interphase and functions as a molecular link between C-Nap1 and Cep68. Depletion of centlein impairs recruitment of Cep68 to the centrosomes and, in turn, results in centrosome splitting. Both centlein and Cep68 are novel Nek2A substrates. Collectively, our data demonstrate that centrosome cohesion is maintained by the newly identified complex of C-Nap1–centlein–Cep68.
Histological evaluation of the effects of angiotensin peptides on wound repair in diabetic mice

Abstract: Recent studies have shown that angiotensin peptides accelerate dermal repair. Histological observation of samples taken at the termination of studies showed that the wounds treated with peptides were more mature and organized by day 25 after full thickness excision in diabetic mice. However, the mechanism by which this acceleration occurs has not been determined. In the experiments described here, the effect of angiotensin peptides [AII, A(1–7) and NorLeu3‐A(1–7)] on the quality of the healing wound was evaluated histologically. Administration of the peptides accelerated collagen deposition, re‐epithelialization and new blood vessel formation. By day 4, the percentage of the wound with collagen increased two‐ to six‐fold depending upon the peptide. The increase by angiotensin peptides continued throughout the experimental period. On days 4 and 7 (only) after injury, exposure to angiotensin peptides increased the number of blood vessels at the wound site two‐ to three‐fold. Finally, the percentage of the wound site covered with new epithelium increased after administration of angiotensin peptides. Re‐epithelialization was observed as early as day 4 in wounds treated with angiotensin peptides. The increase was greater at later time points [up to 8‐fold at day 14 with NorLeu3‐A(1–7)]. Fibroblast infiltration and proliferation occurred earlier in wounds treated with angiotensin peptides. Wounds treated with A(1–7) and NorLeu3‐A(1–7) had an increase in neutrophils and macrophages on day 4 after wounding. Overall, administration of these peptides resulted in a healing site that was more mature, including reorganization of the collagen into a basket‐weave appearance. Further, these studies confirm the superiority of NorLeu3‐A(1–7) to AII and A(1–7) in wound healing evaluated at a microscopic level.
[Soft laser therapy in combination with tebonin i.v. in tinnitus].

28 patients were treated with soft-laser therapy. Two-thirds of them had suffered from tinnitus for more than six months and had undergone different therapies before. Each patient was treated twelve times, treatment lasting ten minutes. Before therapy six ml of Tebonin were given i.v. Four minutes later, the laser was positioned at a distance of one centimetre from the patients' mastoid. The laser beam was directed two fingers above the mastoid tip aiming at the lateral wall of the contralateral orbit. Before and three weeks after treatment each patient underwent pure tone audiometry and determination of the tinnitus intensity. Patients were asked to score symptoms before and three weeks after therapy. Hearing levels before and after soft-laser therapy did not show any statistic difference. Three weeks after the last treatment, twenty patients denied any change in tinnitus. Two patients felt an improvement of tinnitus and one patient had recovered completely. Five patients remained undecided about the outcome of therapy. To sum up, according to our results, the trial so far failed to show clear benefits of soft-laser therapy for patients suffering from chronic tinnitus.