Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1), genetic markers of insulin resistance and cardiomyopathy in patients with kidney failure.

BACKGROUND Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a major cardiovascular (CV) complication in patients with kidney failure, and an association between polymorphisms in the ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) gene, a genetic marker of insulin resistance, and LVH and Left ventricular (LV) concentric remodelling has been recently documented in these patients. Aims. Since myocardial fibrosis is a prominent feature in LVH induced by insulin resistance, we tested the hypothesis that the interaction between ENPP1 rs1974201 and rs9402349 polymorphisms and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1)--a pro-fibrotic protein which inhibits extracellular matrix degradation--is implicated in concentric LVH and diastolic dysfunction in a cohort of 223 dialysis patients. RESULTS Both ENPP1 polymorphisms rs1974201 and rs9402349 were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in dialysis patients. In an analysis stratified by ENPP1, rs1974201 polymorphism, circulating levels of TIMP-1 in GG patients were coherently associated with two markers of concentric remodelling [relative wall thickness (RWT) and LV mass-to-volume ratio] as well as with a marker of diastolic dysfunction (E/A ratio) (P ranging from 0.005 to 0.02), whereas no such associations existed in CC or CG patients. These observations suggest that the rs1974201 modifies the relationship between TIMP-1 and LV geometry and diastolic dysfunction. Accordingly, in a multiple regression model, an identical increase of TIMP-1 (100 ng/mL) was associated with an increase of 22% in RWT, 14% in LV mass-to-volume ratio and 29% in E/A ratio in GG patients but with almost no change (from -0.22 to -3.78%) in these echocardiographic indices in the remaining patients (P for the effect modification ≤ 0.024). The rs9402349 did not modify the relationship between TIMP-1 and LV geometry and function. CONCLUSIONS In dialysis patients, the ENPP1 rs1974201 polymorphism modifies the association between TIMP-1 and LV geometry and diastolic function. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that insulin resistance is involved not only in LVH but also in myocardial fibrosis, an alteration of primary importance in the high risk of this population.
Testing mediators hypothesized to account for the effects of a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program over longer term follow-up.

OBJECTIVE Test the hypothesis that reductions in thin-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction mediate the effects of a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program on reductions in eating disorder symptoms over 1-year follow-up. METHOD Data were drawn from a randomized effectiveness trial in which 306 female high school students (mean age = 15.7 years, SD = 1.1) with body image concerns were randomized to the 4-session dissonance-based prevention program or an educational brochure control condition, wherein school counselors and nurses were responsible for participant recruitment and intervention delivery. RESULTS Dissonance-intervention participants showed greater reductions in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptoms; change in thin-ideal internalization predicted change in body dissatisfaction and symptoms; change in body dissatisfaction predicted change in symptoms; and all indirect effects were significant. Change in thin-ideal internalization fully mediated the effects of intervention condition on change in body dissatisfaction and partially mediated the effects on symptoms; change in body dissatisfaction partially mediated the effect of intervention condition on change in symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Findings provided support for the intervention theory of this eating disorder prevention program over longer term follow-up, extending the evidence base for this effective intervention.
Managing the risks from the water-related impacts of extreme weather and uncertain climate change on inland aquaculture in Northern Thailand

ABSTRACT Climate change will have significant impacts on inland aquaculture. This article assesses the robustness of a set of potential adaptation strategies for Northern Thailand using a rule-based assessment model to synthesize information from secondary sources, fish farmers, officials and experts. The net benefits of different strategy types vary substantially with water demand and fish demand, as well as future climate. No-regret and low-regret strategies are worthwhile under a broad range of conditions, but may not be sufficient to maintain profitability as the negative impacts of climate change unfold. The main implication is that adaptation pathways must be flexible.
Cephalometric appraisal of tongue and related soft tissues in normal and open bite subjects at rest.

AIM To compare the tongue position of normal and open bite subjects at rest and to study if there is any difference in the hyoid bone and posterior pharyngeal wall positions in normal and open bite subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sample size consisted of 48 individuals with 24 subjects having normal occlusion and 24 subjects having open bite malocclusion within the age range of 16 to 25 y. Standardized Lateral cephalograms were taken for all the subjects. The subjects were asked to protrude their tongue as much as possible. The dorsum of the tongue was then coated with a palatable suspension of Barium Sulphate (MICROBAR). The subjects were asked to swallow on command, after 10 sec of the swallow, lateral cephalograms were taken. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS t-test RESULTS The antero-posterior relationship of maxilla and mandible to the cranial base is normal in both the groups. The open bite subjects had a larger over jet and as compared to the normal subjects, and had steeper mandibular planes.It was also seen that as the total tongue occupancy area increased so did the partial tongue occupancy area. CONCLUSION A significant positive correlation was found between the horizontal position of the tongue tip and the lower incisor position in the normal group, also for the ratio of total tongue area to total oral area & the ratio of upper tongue area to the anterior oral area in the normal and openbite groups. There was no difference in the position of the tongue, hyoid bone and posterior wall in the normal and openbite groups. The mandibular plane angle and palatal plane - mandibular plane angles were found to be larger in the openbite subjects as compared to normal subjects. Supra-eruption of the maxillary molars was seen in the openbite group leading to a downward and backward rotation of the mandible. The maxillary and mandibular incisors were more proclinated in the normal as well as openbite groups.
Release of resource constraints allows greater carbon allocation to secondary metabolites and storage in winter wheat.

The atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2 ]) is rapidly increasing, and this may have substantial impact on how plants allocate metabolic resources. A thorough understanding of allocation priorities can be achieved by modifying [CO2 ] over a large gradient, including low [CO2 ], thereby altering plant carbon (C) availability. Such information is of critical importance for understanding plant responses to global environmental change. We quantified the percentage of daytime whole-plant net assimilation (A) allocated to night-time respiration (R), structural growth (SG), nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and secondary metabolites (SMs) during 8 weeks of vegetative growth in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) growing at low, ambient and elevated [CO2 ] (170, 390 and 680 ppm). R/A remained relatively constant over a large gradient of [CO2 ]. However, with increasing C availability, the fraction of assimilation allocated to biomass (SG + NSC + SMs), in particular NSC and SMs, increased. At low [CO2 ], biomass and NSC increased in leaves but decreased in stems and roots, which may help plants achieve a functional equilibrium, that is, overcome the most severe resource limitation. These results reveal that increasing C availability from rising [CO2 ] releases allocation constraints, thereby allowing greater investment into long-term survival in the form of NSC and SMs.
Brain death: understanding of the conceptual basis by pediatric intensivists in Canada.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether pediatric intensivists in Canada are aware of the controversies regarding the concept of brain death (BD). DESIGN Prospective survey. SETTING From February to April 2004, a survey was mailed to each intensivist in the 15 pediatric intensive care units across the 8 provinces of Canada. PARTICIPANTS Sixty-four practicing pediatric intensivists. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Response rate, conceptual reasons to explain why BD is equivalent to death, and clinical findings that exclude a diagnosis of BD. RESULTS Of the 64 surveys, 54 (84%) were returned. When asked to choose a conceptual reason to explain why BD is equivalent to death, 26 (48%) chose a higher brain concept, 17 (31%) chose a prognosis concept, and only 19 (35%) chose a loss of integration of the organism concept. More than half the respondents answered that BD is not compatible with electroencephalographic activity, brainstem evoked potential activity, or some cerebral blood flow. More than a third of respondents answered that a brainstem with minimal microscopic damage was not compatible with BD. Of the 36 respondents who answered they were comfortable diagnosing BD because "the conceptual basis of brain death makes it equivalent to death of the patient," in their own words, only 8 (22%) used a loss of integration of organism concept, 9 (25%) used a prognosis concept, 7 (19%) used a higher brain concept, and 13 (36%) did not articulate a concept. CONCLUSIONS There is significant confusion about the concept of BD among pediatric intensivists in Canada. The medical community should reconsider whether BD is equivalent to death.
Cardiopulmonary bypass elicits a pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokine response and impaired neutrophil chemotaxis in neonatal pigs

Background: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induces a systemic inflammatory response and organ dysfunction, especially in children. Plasma concentration of inflammatory markers are increased in response to the trauma of cardiac surgery and CPB. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the CPB procedure in itself elicits increased levels of inflammatory markers in neonatal pigs.
The Chlamydia trachomatis parasitophorous vacuolar membrane is not passively permeable to low-molecular-weight compounds

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligately intracellular bacterial parasite of eucaryotic cells that undergoes a biphasic life cycle within a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) called an inclusion. The parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM) constitutes a barrier between the replicating bacteria and the nutrient-rich environment of the host cytoplasm. To determine whether the chlamydial PVM contains pores that allow passive diffusion of metabolites between the host cytoplasm and the PV, fluorescent tracer molecules were introduced directly into the cytoplasm of infected cells by transfection or microinjection. Fluorescence microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy were subsequently employed to determine whether equilibration of the fluorescent tracers between the cytoplasm and the PV occurred. No movement of tracer molecules as small as 520 Da from the cytoplasm to the PV was observed. These data suggest that the chlamydial PV is not passively permeable to small molecules through open channels in the PVM.
17 β-estradiol and 17 α-ethinylestradiol mineralization in sewage sludge and biosolids

Natural steroid estrogens (e.g., 17 β-estradiol, E2), synthetic steroid estrogens (e.g., 17 α-ethinylestradiol, EE2) and pharmaceutical antibiotics (e.g., ciprofloxacin) are chemicals detected in biosolids and sewage sludges because they partition into the solids fraction during the wastewater treatment process. This research utilized a three-way factorial design (six media × two estrogens × three antibiotic treatments) to quantify cumulative E2 and EE2 mineralization over 133 d (MAX) in a range of sewage sludge and biosolid samples in the presence (4 and 40 mg kg−1) and absence of ciprofloxacin. The same three-way factorial design was utilized to quantify the impact of the six media, E2 or EE2, and ciprofloxacin on cumulative soil respiration over 133 d (RESP). Minimal ciprofloxacin mineralization was observed (<0.05% over 133 d), but despite its persistence, ciprofloxacin had no significant effect on MAX of E2 or EE2, and, in general, no significant effect on RESP. MAX ranged from 38.38% to 48.44% for E2 but from only 0.72% to 24.27% for EE2 although RESP was relatively similar, ranging from 101.00 to 866.54 mg CO2 in the presence of E2 and from 69.55 to 893.95 mg CO2 in the presence of EE2. The sorption-limited bioavailability of EE2, which is inherently resistant to biodegradation due to chemical structure, as MAX and Freundlich sorption coefficients (Kf) were negatively correlated. As such, the Kf values of EE2 were largest in composted biosolids in which EE2 was particularly resistant to microbial degradation as the MAX of EE2 was <3%. In contrast, the MAX of E2 showed a positive association with the Kf values of E2 because some steps in the E2 transformation process have been found to occur in the sorbed phase. The MAX of E2 was significantly greater in the biosolid and composted biosolid media than in any other media, whereas the MAX of E2 decreased in the following order: secondary sewage sludge > primary sewage sludge > biosolid = composted biosolid. This suggests that sewage sludges in municipal lagoons and pre-treatment holding lagoons are a more favorable media for mineralization of EE2, whereas biosolids in post-treatment storage lagoons are a more favorable media for the mineralization of E2. The presence of ciprofloxacin will have no impact on the potential E2 or EE2 mineralization rates in these cases.
Effectiveness of alternative rail passenger equipment crashworthiness strategies

Crashworthiness strategies, which include crash energy management (CEM), pushback couplers, and push/pull operation, are evaluated and compared under specific collision conditions. Comparisons of three strategies are evaluated in this paper: push versus pull operation (cab car led versus locomotive led consists); conventional versus CEM consists; and incremental CEM versus full-CEM. Rail cars that incorporate CEM are designed to absorb collision energy through crushing of unoccupied structures within the car. Pushback couplers are designed to recede into the draft sill under collision loads and enable the car ends to come into contact, minimizing the likelihood of lateral buckling. Push/pull operation refers to operating either a locomotive (pull mode) or a cab car (push mode) at the leading end of the train. Five cases using combinations of these three strategies are evaluated. The basic collision scenario for each case analyzed in this paper is a train-to-train collision between like trains. Each train has a locomotive, four coach cars, and a cab car. The impact velocity ranges from 10 to 40 mph. The following five cases are evaluated: (1) all conventional cars with a cab car leading (baseline case); (2) all conventional cars with a locomotive leading; (3) conventional coach cars with pushback couplers, with CEM cab car leading; (4) all CEM cars with a cab car leading: (5) all CEM cars with a locomotive leading. A one-dimensional lumped-mass collision dynamics model is used to evaluate the effectiveness of each strategy, or combination of strategies, in terms of preserving survivable space for occupants and minimizing secondary impact velocity (SIV). Test data is used to correlate SIV with head, chest, and neck injury. Probability of serious injuries and fatalities are calculated based on calculated car crush and injury values. The maximum crashworthy speed, or the maximum impact speed at which everyone is expected to survive, is calculated for each case. Of the five cases evaluated, the scenario of a cab car led conventional consist represents the baseline level of crashworthiness. The highest levels of crashworthiness are achieved by a consist of all CEM cars with a locomotive leading, followed by all CEM cars with a cab car leading. The results indicate that incremental improvements in collision safety can be made by judiciously applying different combinations of these crashworthiness strategies. A CEM cab car leading conventional cars that are modified with pushback couplers enhances the level of crashworthiness over a conventional cab car led consist and provides a level of crashworthiness equal to a locomotive leading conventional passenger cars
[Clinical evaluation of clonidine associated to ropivacaine for epidural anesthesia.].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Clinical effects and the potential synergism between clonidine, an alpha2-adrenergic agonist, and ropivacaine have not been studied in patients undergoing epidural anesthesia. This research aimed at clinically evaluating clonidine associated to ropivacaine for epidural anesthesia. METHODS Participated in this double-blind study 60 patients of both genders who were distributed in two groups: G control = epidural 0.75% ropivacaine (150 mg); G clonidine = epidural 0.75% ropivacaine (150 mg) plus clonidine (300 microg). The following parameters were studied: total analgesic block (onset time), motor block onset, analgesic and motor block duration, upper level of analgesia, consciousness level, need for intraoperative analgesia and supplemental sedation, peri and postoperative arterial hypotension, intensity of postoperative pain, analgesia duration, and side-effects. RESULTS Epidural clonidine (300 microg) had not affected onset (p > 0.05) but has prolonged sensory and motor block duration (p < 0.0001) and postoperative analgesia (p > 0.001). Arterial hypotension rate was the same for both groups, but the incidence of bradycardia and sedation was higher in the clonidine group (p < 0.02 and p < 0.001 respectively). Shivering was more common in the control group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In the conditions of our study, there has been a clear synergism between epidural clonidine and ropivacaine. Clonidine increases sensory and motor block duration during epidural anesthesia with ropivacaine and prolongs postoperative analgesia. Additional advantages of clonidine are increased sedation and decreased shivering, but its drawback is to increase the incidence of bradycardia.
Adaptive Practical Finite-Time Stabilization for Uncertain Nonstrict Feedback Nonlinear Systems With Input Nonlinearity

This paper investigates the adaptive practical finite-time stabilization for a class of nonstrict feedback nonlinear systems. The nonlinear systems under consideration contain unknown nonlinearities and control coefficients, and unknown deadzone and saturation input nonlinearities. Without imposing any conditions on the unknown nonlinearities, neural networks are utilized as the approximators to cope with these unknown nonlinear functions. The adding a power integrator technique is employed to construct controller and adaptive laws. The stability of the corresponding closed-loop system is proved with the help of the finite-time Lyapunov theory. Finally, two simulation examples are provided to show the validity of the proposed design method.
Race and gender influence hemodynamic responses to psychological and physical stimuli.

To evaluate factors influencing hemodynamic responses to psychological and physical stress, 117 normotensive college students were studied. The standardized tests included arithmetic, Stroop word-color, mirror draw, isometric handgrip and cold pressor challenges. The responses of blood pressure and pulse during the tests were compared to the baseline measurements. All the challenges produced a significant (P less than 0.01) increase in systolic and diastolic pressure and pulse rate, with the greatest increase being seen with the isometric handgrip test. The increases in the systolic and diastolic pressure and the heart rate to the psychological stressors were highly correlated (P less than 0.001). The responses to the physical stressors were correlated for the diastolic pressure (P less than 0.01) and the heart rate (P less than 0.001), but not for the systolic pressure. The responses of the systolic and diastolic pressure, but not the heart rate, to the isometric handgrip correlated with the responses to the psychological stressors. The responses of the diastolic pressure and the heart rate, but not the systolic pressure, to the cold pressor stimulus correlated with the responses to the psychological stressors. The gender influenced the response to all the stressors with males having a greater (P less than 0.05) blood pressure response and a lesser (P less than 0.001) heart rate response than females. Black subjects had greater blood pressure responses to the cold pressor test and a greater diastolic pressure response to the handgrip, but there were no observed racial differences in the responses to the psychological stressors. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Development of an In Situ Mouse Brain Perfusion Model and its Application to mdr1a P-Glycoprotein-Deficient Mice

An in situ mouse brain perfusion model predictive of passive and carrier-mediated transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was developed and applied to mdr1a P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-deficient mice [mdr1a(−/−)]. Cerebral flow was estimated from diazepam uptake. Physical integrity of the BBB was assessed with sucrose/inulin spaces; functional integrity was assessed with glucose uptake, which was saturable with a Km of ∼17 mmol/L and Vmax of 310 mmol · 100 g−1 · min−1. Brain uptake of a Pgp substrate (colchicine) was significantly enhanced (two- to fourfold) in mdr1a(−/−) mice. These data suggest that the model is applicable to elucidating the effects of efflux transporters, including Pgp, on brain uptake.
BEVQUAL: a tool for measuring performance quality in beverage operations

ABSTRACT The main objective of this study was to develop an instrument to measure the multidimensional nature of performance quality in beverage establishments. This study was based on a sequential exploratory mixed methods design. Interviews with beverage managers and customer focus groups were conducted to create an initial instrument. After that, 405 customers were surveyed, and the final BEVQUAL instrument was developed, including six dimensions that were measured with 23 items. Atmosphere, service quality, and pricing were shown to be good predictors of customer satisfaction, while ambiance, beverage quality, and location did not affect customer satisfaction.