Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Benign Radiographic Coronal Synostosis After Sagittal Synostosis Repair

AbstractWhether cranial vault remodeling surgery for nonsyndromic, isolated sagittal suture synostosis affects the patency of initially normal, unaffected sutures is unknown. The influence of coronal and lambdoidal suture patency after cranial vault remodeling on the trajectory of subsequent cranial growth is also unknown. Disruption of normal sutural anatomy during cranial vault reconstruction could influence the incidence of secondary craniosynostosis and need for reoperation in a small proportion of these patients.We performed a retrospective review of patients younger than 1 year with nonsyndromic sagittal synostosis treated at a single tertiary referral pediatric hospital from September 2005 to January 2010 by an interdisciplinary team. Computed tomographic images obtained preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and 2 years postoperatively were evaluated for the occurrence of secondary synostosis of initially nonsynostotic sutures. Craniofacial disorders clinic and ophthalmologic follow-up records were also analyzed for the occurrence of radiographic cranial restenosis, clinical or ophthalmologic signs of intracranial hypertension (ICH), and reoperation.Fifty-one patients younger than 1 year underwent primary surgical repair of isolated, nonsyndromic sagittal suture synostosis during the study period. Thirty-seven of these patients (71%) had completed 2-year clinical and radiographic follow-up by the time of analysis, constituting the study population. The average age at surgery was 5.4 months (range, 3.1–11.5 months). Thirty-three (89%) of the 37 study patients showed radiographic evidence of bilateral secondary coronal synostosis (SCS). Five patients (15%) additionally showed partial lambdoid synostosis. One patient with radiographic SCS (3%) required reoperation for radiographic cranial restenosis, clinical signs and symptoms of ICH, and papilledema first noted 1 year after primary cranial vault reconstruction.There is a high incidence of secondary coronal suture synostosis following cranial vault remodeling for isolated, nonsyndromic sagittal synostosis. Postoperative SCS was only rarely associated with secondary radiographic cranial stenosis, clinical or ophthalmologic signs of ICH, and the need for reoperation.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Hypoglycaemia in diabetes

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Endosymbiotic Gene Transfer in Tertiary Plastid-Containing Dinoflagellates

ABSTRACT Plastid establishment involves the transfer of endosymbiotic genes to the host nucleus, a process known as endosymbiotic gene transfer (EGT). Large amounts of EGT have been shown in several photosynthetic lineages but also in present-day plastid-lacking organisms, supporting the notion that endosymbiotic genes leave a substantial genetic footprint in the host nucleus. Yet the extent of this genetic relocation remains debated, largely because the long period that has passed since most plastids originated has erased many of the clues to how this process unfolded. Among the dinoflagellates, however, the ancestral peridinin-containing plastid has been replaced by tertiary plastids on several more recent occasions, giving us a less ancient window to examine plastid origins. In this study, we evaluated the endosymbiotic contribution to the host genome in two dinoflagellate lineages with tertiary plastids. We generated the first nuclear transcriptome data sets for the “dinotoms,” which harbor diatom-derived plastids, and analyzed these data in combination with the available transcriptomes for kareniaceans, which harbor haptophyte-derived plastids. We found low level of detectable EGT in both dinoflagellate lineages, with only 9 genes and 90 genes of possible tertiary endosymbiotic origin in dinotoms and kareniaceans, respectively, suggesting that tertiary endosymbioses did not heavily impact the host dinoflagellate genomes.
The effects of perioperative probiotic treatment on serum zonulin concentration and subsequent postoperative infectious complications after colorectal cancer surgery: a double-center and double-blind randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Zonulin is a newly discovered protein that has an important role in the regulation of intestinal permeability. Our previous study showed that probiotics can decrease the rate of infectious complications in patients undergoing colectomy for colorectal cancer. OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine the effects of the perioperative administration of probiotics on serum zonulin concentrations and the subsequent effect on postoperative infectious complications in patients undergoing colorectal surgery. DESIGN A total of 150 patients with colorectal carcinoma were randomly assigned to the control group (n = 75), which received placebo, or the probiotics group (n = 75). Both the probiotics and placebo were given orally for 6 d preoperatively and 10 d postoperatively. Outcomes were measured by assessing bacterial translocation, postoperative intestinal permeability, serum zonulin concentrations, duration of postoperative pyrexia, and cumulative duration of antibiotic therapy. The postoperative infection rate, the positive rate of blood microbial DNA, and the incidence of postoperative infectious complications-including septicemia, central line infection, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and diarrhea-were also assessed. RESULTS The infection rate was lower in the probiotics group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Probiotics decreased the serum zonulin concentration (P < 0.001), duration of postoperative pyrexia, duration of antibiotic therapy, and rate of postoperative infectious complications (all P < 0.05). The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway was inhibited by probiotics. CONCLUSIONS Perioperative probiotic treatment can reduce the rate of postoperative septicemia and is associated with reduced serum zonulin concentrations in patients undergoing colectomy. We propose a clinical regulatory model that might explain this association. This trial was registered at http://www.chictr. org/en/ as ChiCTR-TRC-00000423.
Comparative evaluation of T-type topologies comprising standard and reverse-blocking IGBTs

For a Three-Level Three-phase T-type (3LTTC) rectifier and inverter of a high efficiency Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) with an output power of 20 kVA, most suitable semiconductor components are selected. For this purpose, this paper details conduction and switching loss models of T-type rectifiers and inverters, compares the total semiconductor losses achieved for RB-IGBTs and for different types of conventional IGBTs, and evaluates the improvements achieved if the Si rectifier diodes are replaced by SiC Schottky Barrier Diodes (SiC SBDs). The switching loss model is parameterized with measured switching losses. According to the results of this comparison, the rectifier preferably employs RB-IGBTs to realize the bi-directional switch and SiC SBDs for the rectifier diodes; switching frequencies up to 32.5 kHz are feasible for total semiconductor losses of the rectifier of 250W. For the inverter, a realization of the bi-directional switch using an anti-series connection of conventional IGBT/SiC SBD modules is found to be most suitable and facilitates a switching frequency of 19.7 kHz for maximum allowed losses of 250 W.
High 6-Thioguanine Nucleotide Levels and Low Thiopurine Methyltransferase Activity in Patients With Lupus Erythematosus Treated With Azathioprine

Azathioprine (AZA) is characterized by a high interindividual variability in bioavailability and metabolism. AZA is converted into 6-thioguanine nucleotides (6-TGN) to which the immune modifier activity is attributed. The 6-TGN levels are known to be affected by the activity of the key enzyme, thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT), which is under genetic dependence. The authors measured a significantly lower TPMT activity in 53 women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (12.2 ± 2.4 pmol/h/ml RBC;P < 0.01) when compared with 30 healthy control participants (13.15 ± 3.1 pmol/h/ml RBC) but not with 28 patients with other dysimmune diseases (non-SLE; 13.0 ± 3.0 pmol/h/ml RBC;P = 0.10). To evaluate the impact of TPMT activity on the concentrations of AZA metabolites, we measured the TPMT activity and 6-TGN levels in a subgroup of 26 patients in remission and treated with a stable dose of AZA (mean value: 1.9 ± 0.5 mg/kg/day) for at least six months (n = 13 with SLE and n = 13 with other dysimmune diseases, ie, non-SLE). In such a subgroup, no correlation between 6-TGN levels and TPMT activity was observed. However, patients with SLE presented lower TPMT activity and higher 6-TGN levels (215 ± 123 versus 140 ± 75 pmol/8 × 10 8 RBC in non-SLE patients;P < 0.04). It must be noted that transient increase in 6-methylmercaptopurine levels (6-MMP), a putative toxic metabolite (up to 21.7 nmol/8 × 10 8 RBC), was more frequently observed in the non-SLE group (P < 0.01). Even if a relationship was observed between low TPMT activity and 6-TGN levels in SLE, its clinical impact appears to be limited as far as regular hematologic controls are performed.
Dbf4p, an Essential S Phase-Promoting Factor, Is Targeted for Degradation by the Anaphase-Promoting Complex

ABSTRACT The Dbf4p/Cdc7p protein kinase is essential for the activation of replication origins during S phase. The catalytic subunit, Cdc7p, is present at constant levels throughout the cell cycle. In contrast, we show here that the levels of the regulatory subunit, Dbf4p, oscillate during the cell cycle. Dbf4p is absent from cells during G1and accumulates during the S and G2 phases. Dbf4p is rapidly degraded at the time of chromosome segregation and remains highly unstable during pre-Start G1 phase. The rapid degradation of Dbf4p during G1 requires a functional anaphase-promoting complex (APC). Mutation of a sequence in the N terminus of Dbf4p which resembles the cyclin destruction box eliminates this APC-dependent degradation of Dbf4p. We suggest that the coupling of Dbf4p degradation to chromosome separation may play a redundant role in ensuring that prereplicative complexes, which assemble after chromosome segregation, do not immediately refire.
Physiological investigation of a unique extract of black cohosh (Cimicifugae racemosae rhizoma): a 6-month clinical study demonstrates no systemic estrogenic effect.

OBJECTIVE This study sought to confirm the efficacy and safety of the currently recognized dose of Cimicifugae racemosae rhizoma (40 mg/day) and to evaluate a higher dose and its associated physiological effects. METHODS We conducted a controlled, randomized, double-blinded parallel group study of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women treated with two different doses (39 mg and 127.3 mg) of a unique C. racemosa preparation over a 24-week period. Efficacy and tolerability were determined by the Kupperman Menopause Index, Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), a global assessment of tolerability, adverse events, routine hematology, and biochemical tests. To determine if the unique C. racemosa preparation exerts its effect through an estrogen-identical mode of action, we investigated vaginal cytology and gynecologically relevant hormones. RESULTS Both perimenopausal and postmenopausal patients tolerated the treatment well, and menopausal symptoms decreased regardless of dose (responder rate 70% and 72%, respectively). The lack of change in vaginal cytology measures indicates a nonestrogenic effect of the tested extract in this critical organ. Likewise, the lack of significant changes in the levels of gynecologically relevant hormones does not indicate an overall estrogenic effect. CONCLUSIONS The higher dose did not exert a significantly greater effect on any end point. Thus, the currently recognized standard dose of the isopropanolic aqueous C. racemosa extract should be preferred over the higher dose. Despite the absence of a placebo group, this study suggests that C. racemosa extract is associated with improvement in menopause symptoms without evidence of estrogenlike effects.
The Role of Peer Groups in Male and Female Adolescents' Task Values and Physical Activity

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the role of peer groups and sex in adolescents' task values and physical activity. The participants were 330 Finnish Grade 6 students (173 girls, 157 boys), who responded to questionnaires that assessed physical education task values during the spring semester (Time 1). Students' physical activity was assessed one year later (Time 2). The results indicated that adolescent peer groups were moderately homogeneous in terms of task values toward physical education and physical activity. Girls' peer groups were more homogeneous than those of boys in regards to utility and attainment values. Furthermore, the results for both girls and boys showed that particularly intrinsic task value typical for the peer group predicted group members' physical activity. The findings highlight the important role of peer group membership as a determinant of future physical activity.
Evaluation of Four Commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays for the Diagnosis of Bovine Paratuberculosis in Chilean Dairy Herds

The accuracy of 4 commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for diagnosis of bovine paratuberculosis was compared using sera from 53 Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) fecal culture–positive dairy cows (cases) and sera from 345 dairy cattle resident in 11 fecal culture–negative herds on 2 consecutive occasions 1 year apart (controls). The specificity of all 4 ELISA kits was >99%, and their diagnostic sensitivity ranged from 30.2% to 41.5%. Pairwise comparison of ELISAs found no significant differences (McNemar's chi-square test > 0.05), and assay agreement for categorical assay interpretation (positive or negative) was high (>98%) with κ values ranging from 0.84 to 0.95. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the corresponding area under the ROC curves indicate that kit B had the highest overall accuracy. Thus, all 4 ELISA kits for bovine paratuberculosis had comparable accuracy when tested on Chilean dairy cattle, with kit B having a slight statistical advantage based on ROC area under the curve analysis. This suggests that any of the 4 kits could be appropriate for herd certification and for paratuberculosis control programs on Chilean dairy cattle.
Capacity of Random Wireless Networks: Impact of Physical-Layer Network Coding

Since the pioneer work by Gupta and Kumar, the throughput capacity of random wireless networks has been studied extensively in the literature. Nevertheless, most existing studies are based on the assumption that each node can receive at most one transmission at a time. However, several recent studies have shown that such a constraint can be relaxed. Particularly, with physical-layer network coding, one node can receive more than one transmission from different transmitters simultaneously. In this paper, we investigate the impact of physical-layer network coding on the throughput capacity of random wireless networks. Our analysis show that the physical-layer network coding scheme can improve the throughput capacity but cannot change the scaling law. Specifically, for one-dimensional random wireless network, our analysis provides the capacity of network with physical-layer network coding. For two-dimensional random wireless networks, we derive tighter capacity bounds for existing transmission schemes, as well as the bounds for physical-layer network coding.
Effect of taurine on sarcoplasmic reticulum function and force in skinned fast‐twitch skeletal muscle fibres of the rat

We examined the effect of taurine on depolarisation‐induced force responses and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) function in mechanically skinned skeletal muscle fibres from the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) of the rat. Taurine (20 mm) produced a small but significant (P < 0.01) decrease in the sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to Ca2+ (increase in the [Ca2+] corresponding to 50 % of maximum force of about 7 %; n= 10) and in maximum force (92.0 ± 1.0 % of controls) in the skinned fibres. Taurine had no statistically significant effect on the slope of the force‐pCa curve. Depolarisation‐induced force responses in the skinned fibres were markedly increased in peak value by 20 mm taurine, to 120.8 ± 5.3 % of control measurements (P= 0.0006, n= 27). Taurine (20 mm) significantly increased the SR Ca2+ accumulation in the skinned fibres by 34.6 ± 9.3 % compared to control conditions (measured by comparing the integral of caffeine contractures in fibres previously loaded with Ca2+ in the absence or presence of taurine; P= 0.0014, n= 10). Taurine (20 mm) also increased both the peak and rate of rise of caffeine‐induced force responses in the fibres by 29.2 ± 9.7 % (P= 0.0298, n= 6) and 27.6 ± 8.9 % (P= 0.037), respectively, compared with controls. This study shows that taurine is a modulator of contractile function in mammalian skeletal muscle. Taurine may increase the size of depolarisation‐induced force responses by augmenting SR Ca2+ accumulation and release.
Transmission of Campylobacter spp. in a poultry slaughterhouse and genetic characterisation of the isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

1. Contamination of retail products with Campylobacter spp. during the slaughter of poultry is a well-known problem of product hygiene. Mechanical evisceration often leads to intestinal rupture and discharge of gut contents, which can contain zoonotic and human pathogens. Processes along the slaughter line cause aerosols and airborne droplets, containing bacterial loads. 2. To estimate the possible transmission routes of intestinal Campylobacter, 36 measurements of the bioaerosol (Andersen sampler and SKC BioSampler), 30 cloacal (of three flocks), 10 equipment and 4 sedimentation samples were tested for the presence of Campylobacter species. 3. The results imply that, in addition to contaminated equipment, which was Campylobacter-positive in 80% of cases, aerosols with peak values of 4·0 × 104 (test series 1) and 1·4 × 104 (test series 2) CFU/m3 also provide a potential vector for horizontal transmission. 4. To explore the genetic similarities of isolates from different origins, 18 isolates recovered from air, 26 cloacal, 8 equipment and 4 sedimentation isolates were analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), using the restriction enzymes Sma I and Sal I. The similarity of cloacal isolates with isolates from equipment, air and sediment, suggest that the contamination is of intestinal origin. 5. There were direct links between Campylobacter-positive flocks and the presence of the same strains in the aerosol of the slaughter hall. Air as a potential source for microbial transmission must be taken into account.
Targeting single-walled carbon nanotubes for the treatment of breast cancer using photothermal therapy

This paper focuses on the targeting of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) for the treatment of breast cancer with minimal side effects using photothermal therapy. The human protein annexin V (AV) binds specifically to anionic phospholipids expressed externally on the surface of tumour cells and endothelial cells that line the tumour vasculature. A 2 h incubation of the SWNT-AV conjugate with proliferating endothelial cells followed by washing and near-infrared (NIR) irradiation at a wavelength of 980 nm was enough to induce significant cell death; there was no significant cell death with irradiation or the conjugate alone. Administration of the same conjugate i.v. in BALB/c female mice with implanted 4T1 murine mammary at a dose of 0.8 mg SWNT kg−1 and followed one day later by NIR irradiation of the tumour at a wavelength of 980 nm led to complete disappearance of implanted 4T1 mouse mammary tumours for the majority of the animals by 11 days since the irradiation. The combination of the photothermal therapy with the immunoadjuvant cyclophosphamide resulted in increased survival. The in vivo results suggest the SWNT-AV/NIR treatment is a promising approach to treat breast cancer.
Characterization of macrolide resistance genes in Haemophilus influenzae isolated from children with cystic fibrosis.

OBJECTIVES to determine the mechanism(s) of macrolide resistance in Haemophilus influenzae isolated from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients participating in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of azithromycin. METHODS macrolide susceptibility, mutations and carriage of the macrolide resistance genes erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), erm(F) and mef(A) were determined using PCR assays and sequencing or hybridization of the PCR products. H. influenzae isolates were used as donors in conjugation studies with H. influenzae and Enterococcus faecalis recipients. Transconjugant susceptibility and the macrolide resistance genes carried were determined. RESULTS of the 106 H. influenzae isolates, 27 were resistant and 78 intermediate resistant to azithromycin and/or erythromycin. All isolates carried one or more macrolide resistance gene(s), with the mef(A), erm(B) and erm(F) genes found in 74%, 31% and 29% of the isolates, respectively. None of the selected isolates had L4 or L22 mutations. Twenty-five donors, with various macrolide MICs, transferred macrolide resistance genes to H. influenzae Rd (3.5 × 10(-7)-1 × 10(-10)) and/or E. faecalis (1 × 10(-7)-1 × 10(-8)) recipients. The H. influenzae transconjugants were phenotypically resistant or intermediate to both macrolides while E. faecalis transconjugants were erythromycin resistant. CONCLUSIONS this is the first identification of erm(A), erm(C) and erm(F) genes in H. influenzae or bacteria from CF patients and the first characterization of macrolide gene transfer from H. influenzae donors. The high level of H. influenzae macrolide gene carriage suggests that the use of azithromycin in the CF population may ultimately reduce the effectiveness of continued or repeated macrolide therapy.
Advances to the study of international public administration

ABSTRACT As an area of research, specifying crucial conditions under which international public administration (IPA) may enjoy independence from member-state governments has become an increasingly vibrant research area. This collection responds to three as yet unresolved research tasks: (1) systematically comparing IPAs by offering large-N data across cases; (2) taking organization seriously by identifying how the organizational architectures of IPAs affect decision-making processes and subsequently the pursuit of public policy-making; and (3) examining the varied consequences of the autonomization of IPAs, notably for member-state public sector governance and for the integration of transnational regulatory regimes.