Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proposal for Objective Evaluation of the Performance of Various Functional APC-resistance Tests in Genotyped Patients

Summary The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relative performance of five screening methods for APC resistance caused by the factor V:Q506 mutation: the original method Coatest® APC™ Resistance Chromogenix, a modified method using the same reagents but a predilution 1+4 of the plasma in a factor V deficient plasma from Stago (Stago deficient V) or from Chromogenix (V-DEF Plasma), the Coatest® APC™ Resistance V (Chromogenix), and Accelerimat™ from bioMérieux. Normalization was done against a pool of normal plasmas for the methods from Chromogenix. The study included 350 subjects, 219 were genotyped (174 FV:R506R, 42 FV:Q506R, 3 FV:Q506Q) and most of them were assessed by more than one method. Uncertainty in predicting the FV genotype was evaluated by statistical analysis, which provided a way to quantitate the performance of the different diagnostic approaches. Performance of each test was evaluated by its sensitivity, specificity, R.O. C. curves, positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR), and the overall performance was determined by two parameters derived from the LR curves : the maximum LR value obtained at the crossover of the two curves, and the distance between the two curves for LR = 10. Coatest® APC™ Resistance V and Accelerimat™ were proven to be the methods most able to discriminate for factor V:Q506, while normalization was not shown to improve the screening performance. The original method from Chromogenix was confirmed to undergo many influences (factor XII, PAI-1, thrombin- antithrombin complexes, antithrombin III, hematocrit). Although a very good improvement was provided by the newest methods, they were shown to be influenced by protein S and/or factor V levels in the sample plasma.
Age and sex dependency of cartilage T2 relaxation time mapping in MRI of children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE T2 relaxation times on MRI are sensitive to the configuration of cartilage collagen and continually increase during aging in adults. In children, T2 relaxation times increase as a result of cartilage microstructure changes in early inflammatory arthritis. The purpose of this study was to determine age- and sex-related differences in T2 mapping of the patellar cartilage in children and adolescents during normal skeletal maturation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety-seven subjects (age range, 5-22 years; 51 females and 46 males; mean age, 14.3 and 13.7 years, respectively) without patellofemoral instability or inflammatory arthritis were included. All subjects underwent 1.5-T knee MRI with T2 mapping. The mean T2 relaxation time and thickness of the patellar cartilage were documented for each MRI examination. Skeletal maturation was determined by physeal patency (open; or closed or closing) on MRI. The associations between T2 relaxation times, cartilage thickness, sex, age, and physeal patency were assessed using Wilcoxon rank sum test and least-squares means regression models. RESULTS T2 relaxation times and thickness of the patellar cartilage significantly decreased (p<0.0001) with increasing chronologic age. T2 relaxation times and cartilage thickness in the open physis group were found to be greater than in the closed or closing physis group (p<0.0001). T2 relaxation times and cartilage thickness were greater in males than in females (p<0.05). CONCLUSION In contrast to senescent changes in adults, skeletal maturation in children results in a sequential decrease in T2 relaxation times that are age- and sex-dependent. Similar to cartilage in adults, cartilage in children gets progressively thinner during skeletal maturation.
The Value of Public Information in Storable Commodity Markets: Application to the Soybean Market

This article provides a framework to estimate the potential effects and benefits of the provision of market information in storable commodity markets. This framework is applied to the case of production forecasts for the soybean market. A rational expectations storage model of the global soybean market accounting for both inter‐annual and intra‐annual market dynamics is built. Shocks that occur between planting and harvesting affect the size of the potential harvest. Estimates of the size of these shocks are reported publicly and affect the market equilibrium through adjustments to stock levels. By varying counterfactually the observability of seasonal shocks, we can estimate the efficiency gains related to the availability of advance information. They are equivalent to 2% of storage costs; the reduction of stock levels being the main channel explaining the welfare gains. The presence of advance information has a limited effect on inter‐annual price volatility but redistributes price volatility during the season, increasing it just before harvest when almost all news has been received and stocks are tight and decreasing it after harvest. The effect of news shocks is stronger on higher order moments of the distribution with a strong decrease in skewness and kurtosis related to the lower frequency of price spikes.
Microparticulate Caspase 1 Regulates Gasdermin D and Pulmonary Vascular Endothelial Cell Injury

&NA; Lung endothelial cell apoptosis and injury occur throughout all stages of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome and impact disease progression. Caspases 1, 4, and 5 are essential for completion of the apoptotic program known as pyroptosis that also involves proinflammatory cytokines. Because gasdermin D (GSDMD) mediates pyroptotic death and is essential for pore formation, we hypothesized that it might direct caspase 1‐encapsulated microparticle (MP) release and mediate endothelial cell death. Our present work provides evidence that GSDMD is released by LPS‐stimulated THP‐1 monocytic cells, where it is packaged into microparticles together with active caspase 1. Furthermore, only MP released from stimulated monocytic cells that contain both cleaved GSDMD and active caspase 1 induce endothelial cell apoptosis. MPs pretreated with caspase 1 inhibitor Y‐VAD or pan‐caspase inhibitor Z‐VAD do not contain cleaved GSDMD. MPs from caspase 1‐knockout cells are also deficient in p30 active GSDMD, further confirming that caspase 1 regulates GSDMD function. Although control MPs contained cleaved GSDMD without caspase 1, these fractions were unable to induce cell death, suggesting that encapsulation of both caspase 1 and GSDMD is essential for cell death induction. Release of microparticulate active caspase 1 was abrogated in GSDMD knockout cells, although cytosolic caspase 1 activation was not impaired. Last, higher concentrations of microparticulate GSDMD were detected in the plasma of septic patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome than in that of healthy donors. Taken together, these findings suggest that GSDMD regulates the release of microparticulate active caspase 1 from monocytes essential for induction of cell death and thereby may play a critical role in sepsis‐induced endothelial cell injury.
The Influence of Extracellular Matrix on the Generation of Vascularized, Engineered, Transplantable Tissue

Abstract: In a recently described model for tissue engineering, an arteriovenous loop comprising the femoral artery and vein with interposed vein graft is fabricated in the groin of an adult male rat, placed inside a polycarbonate chamber, and incubated subcutaneously. New vascularized granulation tissue will generate on this loop for up to 12 weeks. In the study described in this paper three different extracellular matrices were investigated for their ability to accelerate the amount of tissue generated compared with a no‐matrix control. Poly‐d,l‐lactic‐co‐glycolic acid (PLGA) produced the maximal weight of new tissue and vascularization and this peaked at two weeks, but regressed by four weeks. Matrigel was next best. It peaked at four weeks but by eight weeks it also had regressed. Fibrin (20 and 80 mg/ml), by contrast, did not integrate with the generating vascularized tissue and produced less weight and volume of tissue than controls without matrix. The limiting factors to growth appear to be the chamber size and the capacity of the neotissue to integrate with the matrix. Once the sides of the chamber are reached or tissue fails to integrate, encapsulation and regression follow. The intrinsic position of the blood supply within the neotissue has many advantages for tissue and organ engineering, such as ability to seed the construct with stem cells and microsurgically transfer new tissue to another site within the individual. In conclusion, this study has found that PLGA and Matrigel are the best matrices for the rapid growth of new vascularized tissue suitable for replantation or transplantation.
Low Fusion Rate After L5–S1 Laparoscopic Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Using Twin Stand-Alone Carbon Fiber Cages

Study Design. Prospective study of a cohort of patients who underwent L5–S1 laparoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion. Objectives. To assess the fusion rate and the clinical outcome more than 2 years after L5–S1 laparoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion using twin stand-alone carbon-fiber cages. Summary of Background Data. The first reports on laparoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion using stand-alone cages appeared in 1995. Since then several articles have reported contradictory data regarding fusion rate. There are no publications describing the fusion rate of stand-alone lumbar carbon-fiber cages. Methods. The authors evaluated 12 patients (mean age 36.5 years) in whom endoscopic L5–S1 anterior lumbar interbody fusion was performed using twin stand-alone laparoscopic carbon-fiber cages. Clinical evaluation was carried out prospectively by the use of three self-evaluation scales. Radiologic evaluation was performed by an independent radiologist using dynamic flexion–extension films and CT scans at 6 and 12 months after surgery and subsequently every year until fusion was demonstrated. Results. After a mean follow-up of 36.6 months (range 24–63 months) the clinical condition of the patients was significantly better than their preoperative status: visual analog scale (P < 0.01), Prolo score (P < 0.05), and Waddell Disability Index (P < 0.01). L5–S1 mobility did not exceed 5° in any dynamic study. However, the overall CT scan fusion rate at 2 years of follow-up was 16.6%. Three years after surgery, CT demonstrated fusion in one of five patients. Conclusion. Two years after endoscopic L5–S1 anterior lumbar interbody fusion using twin stand-alone laparoscopic carbon-fiber cages, the fusion rate was unacceptably low. However, the clinical outcomes of these patients were significantly improved compared with their preoperative status.
Antipeptide antiserum identifies a widely distributed cellular tyrosine kinase related to but distinct from the c-fps/fes-encoded protein

We raised antibodies directed against a synthetic peptide representing an amino acid sequence of the conserved kinase domain of the transforming protein of Fujinami sarcoma virus (FSV) (P140). The antiserum obtained specifically recognized FSV-P140 and its cellular homolog and in addition, it recognized a new cellular protein of 94,000 daltons (NCP94) in avian and mammalian cells. NCP94 was found to be associated with a cyclic nucleotide-independent protein kinase activity that was specific for tyrosine residues. Although NCP94 and FSV-P140 share antigenic determinants, NCP94 is not a cellular homolog of FSV-P140: NCP94 and the previously identified c-fps/fes product were different in their tryptic fingerprints and in their tissue specificities. Thus, the function of NCP94 in normal cells is probably different than that of the c-fps/fes product. NCP94 was expressed in every tissue and cell line that was examined. In chickens, NCP94 levels were highest during embryonic development and NCP94 expression was high in gizzard, brain, and spleen throughout embryonic and adult life. The universal expression of NCP94 suggests that this protein may be involved in an essential function of normal cells. NCP94 may be a new cellular tyrosine kinase of the src gene family.
Antioxidant activities of alkaloid extracts of two Algerian species of Fumaria : Fumaria capreolata and Fumaria bastardii

The antioxidant activities of the alkaloid extracts of Fumaria capreolata (L.) and Fumaria bastardii (L.) were determined by measuring their reducing power, their ability to inhibit linoleic acid peroxidation, and 2,2-diphenyl-�-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities. Total quinolizidine alkaloid contents were found to be 426 mg/100 g ( F.capreolata) and 521 mg/100g ( F.bastardii) . Both plant extracts exhibited strong total antioxidant activity, however, extract of F.bastardii was more potent then F.capreolata . Concentrations of 100, 300, and 500µ g mL -1 showed 42, 55, 65 and 48.3, 60, and 67.8 % inhibition of lipid peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, for F.capreolata and F.bastardii extracts, respectively. On the other hand, 500µg mL -1 of the standard antioxidant butylated hydroxyianisole (BHA), quercetine, and caffeine exhibited 80, 56.2, and 64.3% inhibition of lipid peroxidation, respectively. In addition, the both extracts had effective reducing power, DPPH free radical scavenging activity at 250 and 50 µg mL -1 . The isoquinoline alkaloids, stylopine, protopine, fumaritine, fumaricine, fumarophycine, fumariline, fumarofine were determined by GC-MS from the aerial parts of F. capreolata and F. bastardii.
IS IT NECESSARY TO INVAGINATE THE STUMP AFTER APPENDICECTOMY

Objective: To compare the technique of simple ligation of the appendix with ligation and burial of the stump during appendicectomy for acute appendicitis. Design: A comparative study of 677 appendicectomies. Place and duration of study: Department of General Surgery, Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi from June 1999 to June 2003. Patients and methods: All patients who underwent appendicectomy for uncomplicated acute appendicitis were divided into two groups. In Group-I simple ligation and in Group-II ligation with invagination of appendix stump was carried out. Patients were followed up for nine months to check the development of complications. Results: Both groups were similar with respect to age and sex. Simple ligation of the stump was done in 382 patients, while in 295 cases invagination of the stump after ligation was done. The incidence of postoperative wound infection (6.44%) and paralytic ileus (4.40%) was higher in Group-II as compared to Group-I. Conclusion: Simple ligation of appendix stump is better and safe procedure during appendicectomy.
The security-liberty balance: individuals' attitudes towards internet government surveillance

In the Security-Liberty balance, individuals would weigh the benefits of government surveillance against what the cost would be to our civil liberties. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this study empirically operationalises and tests citizens’ attitudes towards internet government surveillance and discusses predictors of these attitudes that help elicit the notion of Security-Liberty balance through a survey study. We propose that individuals’ internet self-efficacy and social awareness affect perceived need for government surveillance and government intrusion concerns. The study presents empirically tested relationships which are important for informing the debate and developing well-balanced policies of security protection and civil liberties.
Fixed partial prostheses supported by two or three implants

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term performance of fixed partial prostheses supported by two or three implants. Material and methods: Inclusion criteria comprised all patients treated with partial prostheses supported by either two or three implants during the period 1985 to 1998. At total of 178 patients had received fixed partial prostheses during the period of which 122 (77 women and 45 men) were available for follow-up (x=65 years, range 32-91). The clinical examination followed the departments standard recall protocol. Results: A total of 145 implant-supported partial prostheses (64 two-implant and 81 three-implant supported) were performed on 371 implants. The mean observation period for the two and three-implant supported constructions was 9.2 years and 9.4 years, respectively. Survival rate for the threeand two-implant supported prostheses was 99% and 95%, respectively (range 5-18 years). No statistically significant differences as regards implant failures or mechanical complications were found between the two designs. Conclusion: The twoimplant supported partial prostheses exhibited a long-term clinical performance comparable to prostheses supported by the three-implants.
Piecewise Sliding-Mode Control for T–S Fuzzy Systems

This paper addresses piecewise sliding-mode control for Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy models. A novel sliding-mode control (SMC) design approach is developed which is based on individual sliding surface in each local region of the T-S fuzzy systems. Conditions of existence of sliding mode in the associated region are given. The chattering effect around region boundaries is analyzed, and prevention of such chattering is discussed. Two illustrative examples are finally given to illustrate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed controller.
Subclinical hypothyroidism, arterial stiffness, and myocardial reserve.

CONTEXT Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is associated with increased risk of cardiac disease; its impact on arterial function is less clear. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was the assessment of arterial and cardiac function. DESIGN The study was a 6-month controlled observational study using pulse wave analysis and tissue Doppler dobutamine stress echocardiography. SETTING The study was conducted at a thyroid clinic. PATIENTS Nineteen female SCH patients with raised TSH, normal free T(4), and no cardiovascular disease [aged 49.2 +/- 3.8 yr; body mass index (BMI) 29.9 +/- 6.7 kg/m(2)] were recruited from the thyroid clinic, and 10 female controls (aged 50.2 +/- 3.4 yr; BMI 29.7 +/- 7.2 kg/m(2)) also participated in the study. INTERVENTIONS Incremental doses of l-thyroxine were used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Indices of vascular stiffness and left ventricular echocardiographic function were measured. RESULTS Baseline augmentation gradient was elevated in SCH, compared with controls [10.3 +/- 5.1 (sd) mm Hg vs. 8.0 +/- 4.2, P < 0.05]; when euthyroid (mean T(4) dose 114 mug/d), it fell to 8.8 +/- 5.3 mm Hg (P < 0.05). Heart rate-corrected augmentation index was 26.7 +/- 9.9 vs. 18.8 +/- 9.9% (P < 0.02), falling to 19.7 +/- 9.6% (P < 0.001) after treatment. Time of travel of the reflected wave was 139.3 +/- 11.7 msec, compared with 141.5 +/- 8.8 msec in controls (P < 0.05), increasing to 144.9 +/- 11.9 msec (P < 0.05). There were no differences in resting global, regional left ventricular function, or regional myocardial velocities during maximal dobutamine stress between SCH patients and controls, or in treated patients, compared with baseline. CONCLUSIONS Arterial stiffness was increased in SCH and improved with l-thyroxine, which may be beneficial, whereas myocardial functional reserve was similar to controls and remained unaltered after treatment.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a high school wrestling team and the surrounding community.

OBJECTIVES To describe a community outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and to investigate risk factors for MRSA transmission and infection in a wrestling team. DESIGN Case series and retrospective cohort study. SETTING A high school wrestling team and the surrounding community in southern Vermont, 1993 to 1994. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS The case series included persons whose MRSA-positive infections were identified at a hospital laboratory from January 1, 1993, through February 28, 1994, and a health maintenance organization laboratory from July 1, 1993, through February 28, 1994. A wrestling team case-patient was a 1993-1994 team member with an MRSA-positive culture during the period from January 1, 1993, through February 28, 1994. INTERVENTIONS Visual inspection of wrestlers before matches was instituted. Affected wrestlers were excluded from wrestling and advised to seek appropriate medical care. Heightened attention was given to personal and environmental hygiene. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Colonization or infection with MRSA. RESULTS Seven of 32 team members were MRSA positive (6 infected, 1 colonized). All lesion-positive wrestlers were tested by pulsed field gel electrophoresis and found to be infected with the same MRSA strain, as were 6 nonwrestlers. No risk factors for MRSA infection were identified. CONCLUSIONS The MRSA was transmitted among members of a wrestling team. Infection with MRSA should be suspected in outbreaks of boils that are nonresponsive to standard antibiotic therapy among healthy participants of contact sports and their close contacts.
Decline in physical activity in black girls and white girls during adolescence.

BACKGROUND Physical activity declines during adolescence, but the underlying reasons remain unknown. METHODS We prospectively followed 1213 black girls and 1166 white girls enrolled in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study from the ages of 9 or 10 to the ages of 18 or 19 years. We used a validated questionnaire to measure leisure-time physical activity on the basis of metabolic equivalents (MET) for reported activities and their frequency in MET-times per week; a higher score indicated greater activity. RESULTS The respective median activity scores for black girls and white girls were 27.3 and 30.8 MET-times per week at base line and declined to 0 and 11.0 by year 10 of the study (a 100 percent decline for black girls and a 64 percent decline for white girls, P<0.001). By the age of 16 or 17 years, 56 percent of the black girls and 31 percent of the white girls reported no habitual leisure-time activity. Lower levels of parental education were associated with greater decline in activity for white girls at both younger ages (P<0.001) and older ages (P=0.005); for black girls, this association was seen only at the older ages (P=0.04). Pregnancy was associated with decline in activity among black girls (P<0.001) but not among white girls, whereas cigarette smoking was associated with decline in activity among white girls (P<0.001). A higher body-mass index was associated with greater decline in activity among girls of both races (P< or =0.05). CONCLUSIONS Substantial declines in physical activity occur during adolescence in girls and are greater in black girls than in white girls. Some determinants of this decline, such as higher body-mass index, pregnancy, and smoking, may be modifiable.
THALASSEMIA IN THAILAND *

In Thailand, a and B thalassemia, hemoglobin (Hb) E, and Hb Constant Spring (Con Sp) are The frequencies are 20%-30% for a thalassemia, 3%-9% for thalassemia, up to 52% for Hb E and at least 4% for Hb Con Sp. The abnormal genes in different combinations lead to over 60 thalassemic syndromes. TABLE 1 shows the numbers of patients with major thalassemic diseases examined in our unit, exclusive of the Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis. This is in the department of medicine; in the department of pediatrics of this hospital they have seen more or less the same numbers of thalassemic patients. Clinical features, although of extreme interest, will not be described here; however, certain other salient points will be discussed.