Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biomarkers of alcohol consumption in patients classified according to the degree of liver disease severity

Objective. In the search for optimal biomarkers of excessive drinking, only a few studies have been conducted to compare the relationships between ethanol consumption, liver status, and various laboratory markers of ethanol‐induced diseases. Material and methods. Concentrations of carbohydrate‐deficient transferrin (%CDT and CDTect methods), serum sialic acid (SA), γ‐glutamyl transferase (γ‐GT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and a marker of fibrogenesis (PIIINP) were studied in 102 alcoholics with (n = 59) or without (n = 43) alcoholic liver disease. Controls were 34 healthy volunteers who were either social drinkers or abstainers. Results. Although concentrations of all markers were significantly higher in the alcoholic patients than in the healthy controls, their diagnostic characteristics showed a considerable degree of variation. The %CDT, SA, and MCV showed the strongest correlations with the amount of recent alcohol intake. The presence of liver pathology notably influenced the results of CDTect, GT, ASAT, and PIIINP. In ROC analyses, the highest rates of diagnostic accuracy for detecting hazardous drinking were reached with GT (0.94), CDT (0.86), and SA (0.85), followed by MCV (0.79) and ASAT (0.77). Upon abstinence, the estimated times for normalization varied between 10 days (CDTect) and 25 days (GT). Conclusions. Our data suggest distinct differences in the clinical characteristics of biological markers of ethanol consumption. While the overall accuracy of CDT and GT appear to be highest in the detection of problem drinking, serum SA and PIIINP measurements are of further value when the effects of liver pathology and ethanol drinking need to be differentiated.
Direct-Acting Antivirals in Kidney Transplant Patients: Successful Hepatitis C Treatment and Short-Term Reduction in Urinary Protein/Creatinine Ratios

Background: The role of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) clearance in kidney graft survival is unknown. We examined short-term trends of protein/creatinine (P/C) ratios in HCV-infected kidney transplant recipients treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Methods: This is a retrospective study of 19 kidney transplant patients with HCV infection treated with DAAs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham between January 2013 and June 2016. Markers of glomerular damage were assessed using average urinary protein/creatinine (P/C) ratios measured pretreatment and posttreatment. Treatment efficacy was defined as sustained virologic response at 12 weeks post-HCV treatment (SVR12). Results: The median age of the 19 patients included was 59 years (Q1 = 58, Q3 = 64). Of these patients, 68% were African American, 32% were White and 63% were male. The median time between kidney transplant and initiation of DAA therapy was 2.25 years (Q1 = 0.79, Q3 = 3.79). Posttreatment P/C ratios (median = 0.127, Q1=0.090, Q3 = 0.220) were significantly lower (P = 0.01) than pretreatment ratios (median = 0.168, Q1 = 0.118, Q3 = 0.385). P/C ratios decreased in 14 of 19 patients (74%) with a median change of -0.072 (median percent change = -40%). Post-treatment estimated glomerular filtration rates (median = 58.9, Q1 = 48.9, Q3 = 72.3) were not significantly different (P = 0.82) than the pretreatment values (median = 57.0, Q1 = 48.8, Q3 = 67.8). All patients achieved SVR12. Conclusions: In this preliminary study, there was a statistically significant decrease in P/C ratios associated with HCV clearance, suggesting a potential role for DAAs in improving kidney graft survival. Larger cohort studies will be needed to assess the clinical and long-term benefits of DAAs in this population.
The importance of high-frequency audibility with and without visual cues on speech recognition for listeners with normal hearing

Abstract Objective: To examine the impact of visual cues, speech materials, age and listening condition on the frequency bandwidth necessary for optimizing speech recognition performance. Design: Using a randomized repeated measures design; speech recognition performance was assessed using four speech perception tests presented in quiet and noise in 13 LP filter conditions and presented in multimodalities. Participants’ performance data were fitted with a Boltzmann function to determine optimal performance (10% below performance achieved in FBW). Study sample: Thirty adults (18–63 years) and thirty children (7–12 years) with normal hearing. Results: Visual cues significantly reduced the bandwidth required for optimizing speech recognition performance for listeners. The type of speech material significantly impacted the bandwidth required for optimizing performance. Both groups required significantly less bandwidth in quiet, although children required significantly more than adults. The widest bandwidth required was for the phoneme detection task in noise where children required a bandwidth of 7399 Hz and adults 6674 Hz. Conclusions: Listeners require significantly less bandwidth for optimizing speech recognition performance when assessed using sentence materials with visual cues. That is, the amount of bandwidth systematically decreased as a function of increased contextual, linguistic, and visual content.
The Sialyltransferase ST3Gal-I Is Not Required for Regulation of CD8-Class I MHC Binding during T Cell Development1

The CD8 coreceptor plays a crucial role in thymocyte and T cell sensitivity by binding to class I MHC and recruiting downstream signaling molecules to the TCR. Previous studies reported considerable changes in TCR-independent CD8/class I MHC binding (i.e., CD8 noncognate interactions) during T cell development, changes that correlated with altered glycosylation of surface molecules. In particular, expression of the sialyltransferase ST3Gal-I has been proposed as a critical factor regulating the attenuation of CD8 avidity during the double-positive to CD8 single-positive progression. This hypothesis is strengthened by the fact that ST3Gal-I−/− animals show a profound disregulation of CD8 T cell homeostasis. In contrast to this model, however, we report in this study that ST3Gal-I deficiency had no detectable impact on CD8 noncognate binding to multimeric peptide/MHC class I ligands at any stage of thymocyte development. We also found that the susceptibility to CD8-induced cell death is not markedly influenced by ST3Gal-I deficiency. Thus, the profound effects of ST3Gal-I on CD8 T cell survival evidently do not involve a role for this enzyme in controlling CD8-class I binding.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE Graduate Studies VOLUMETRIC MODULATED ARC THERAPY VERSUS DYNAMIC CONFORMAL ARC STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY FOR INTRACRANIAL LESIONS A Research Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Medical Dosimetry

The aim of this study is to dosimetrically evaluate dynamic conformal arc therapy (DCAT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) via frameless, linear accelerator based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for the treatment of brain metastases. Dosimetric evaluation parameters included the target coverage, conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), gradient index (GI), and the volume of the normal brain tissue receiving doses of 12 and 5 Gray (Gy). Two plans were developed per each patient, with a total of ten patients, utilizing DCAT and VMAT. Results of this research outline which planning method may provide benefits or lack thereof depending on the brain metastases location and size, thus providing data in terms of conformity of target coverage as well as lower dose spillage to the rest of the brain. This study also provides dosimetric results regarding advantages and disadvantages of forward versus inverse planning, in addition to the impact of a multi-leaf collimator (MLC) width size. The results of this study showed the superiority of DCAT when compared to 2 coplanar arc VMAT
Swept-source optical coherence tomography imaging of the cortical vitreous and the vitreoretinal interface in proliferative diabetic retinopathy: assessment of vitreoschisis, neovascularisation and the internal limiting membrane

Anomalous posterior vitreous detachment leads to shrinkage of the inner vitreous with the outer precortical vitreous cortex remaining attached to the macula and retina, resulting in vitreoschisis.1 Sebag and coworkers have reported vitreoschisis in macular disorders, and vitreoschisis has been demonstrated using ultrasonography and histopathology.2–⇓4 Swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) is a new imaging technology (Atlantis DRI-OCT-1, Topcon, Japan). We demonstrate for the first time in vivo the microstructural tomographic features of and spatial vitreoretinal relationships between vitreoschisis, retinal and optic nerve head neovascularisation, detachment of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) and traction on the neuroretina in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). We identified four diabetic patients with PDR who were previously treated with panretinal laser photocoagulation at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. Patients had no history of intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor or steroid treatment, or previous surgical intervention. All patients were phakic with no other ocular comorbidity. Patients underwent SS-OCT imaging as part of their routine ophthalmic care. The study adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. SS-OCT imaging showed hyper-reflective fibrovascular neovascularisation elsewhere (NVE) complexes on the retinal surface and adherent to the ILM. Hyper-reflective neovascularisation at the optic disc (NVD) loops and complexes (figure 1A) were shown to extend along the inner aspects of the disc and peripapillary ILM surface. A split within the posterior cortical vitreous was visualised as two distinct hyper-reflective bands (figure 1A). The inner and outer posterior cortical vitreous layers produced similar reflectivity signals with a bilinear appearance on the SS-OCT scans . In another case, with greater antero-posterior vitreous separation, an anomalous split within the posterior cortical vitreous was clearly visible between the NVD and NVE anchorage points on SS-OCT. A detached macular ILM with sub-ILM haemorrhage …
A Comparison of Polymer Clips and Endoloop Applications for Securing the Appendiceal Stump During Laparoscopic Surgery in Children

Introduction: In this study, for the first time in children a polymer clip and endoloop (EL) for securing an appendiceal stump have been prospectively correlated and evaluated radiologically. Methods: Forty-nine patients aged 1 to 15 years were operated upon by the same surgeon for acute or perforated appendicitis between May 2008 and May 2009. The appendiceal stump was ligated by an EL or polymer clip. Patients were radiologically evaluated during the postoperative period. Results: In the EL group, the mean operating time for perforated appendicitis was recorded as 57.40 minutes and in nonperforated appendicitis as 39.37 minutes, respectively. In the clips-applied group, these periods were 48.23 and 34.72 minutes, respectively. Clip application is 3 times cheaper than EL. Conclusions: Polymer clip is an instrument that is cheaper, safe, easily applicable, and takes less time for securing appendiceal stumps compared with EL.
Clinical Evaluation of Demineralized Bone Allograft for Sinus Lifts in Humans: A Clinical and Histologic Study

Purpose:Severe alveolar bony resorption in the edentulous posterior maxilla and pneumatization of the maxillary sinus wall make traditional implant placement impossible in the posterior maxilla. To reconstruct the severely resorbed maxilla for dental implant placement, 1 successful technique is to elevate the maxillary sinus floor using demineralized bone matrix (DBM) grafts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a histologic and histomorphometric evaluation of DBM grafts in the human maxilla. Patients and Methods:Nine months after grafting, at the time of dental implantation, biopsy samples were taken from the grafted areas of 8 patients and were analyzed histologically. Results:All the sinus lifts were successful in the clinical study conducted after implantation. Resorption of the graft materials and new bone formation were observed, and there was direct deposition of bone on the surface of the graft particles. Conclusion:The results of this study indicate that limited maxillary sinus lift with DBM graft material is a clinically reliable preimplant procedure.
An Atmospheric-Density Anomaly with a Magnetostatic Analog

Solar heating of a localized region of dust particles or water droplets can lead to a localized anomaly of density and pressure in the Earth’s atmosphere. Consider an idealized model of such an anomaly, with initial ellipsoidal shape, in an incompressible fluid with density ρ(r, t) = ρ0 + ρ1(r, t) and pressure p(r, t) = p0(z) + p1(r, t), where ρ0 is constant over the volume relevant to the evolution of the anomaly, and p0(z) is the pressure in the absence of the anomaly. Initially the velocity field u(r, t = 0) is everywhere zero over this volume, and the initial density perturbation ρ1(t = 0) is uniform over the (initial) ellipsoidal volume of the anomaly (and zero outside this volume). Discuss the early-time evolution of the anomaly, assuming that the perturbations are always small, and that the volume of the anomaly is small enough that the gravitational acceleration −g ẑ can be regarded as constant. Viscosity, as well as electric, magnetic and thermal forces on the system, can be ignored.
Liposomes for (trans)dermal drug delivery: the skin-PVPA as a novel in vitro stratum corneum model in formulation development

Abstract Penetration potential of vesicles destined for trans(dermal) administration remains to be of great interests both in respect to drug therapy and cosmetic treatment. This study investigated the applicability of the phospholipid vesicle-based permeation assay (PVPA) as a novel in vitro skin barrier model for screening purposes in preformulation studies. Various classes of liposomes containing hydrophilic model drug were examined, including conventional liposomes (CLs), deformable liposomes (DLs) and propylene glycol liposomes (PGLs). The size, surface charge, membrane deformability and entrapment efficiency were found to be affected by the vesicle lipid concentration, the presence of the surfactant and propylene glycol. All liposomes exhibited prolonged drug release profiles with an initial burst effect followed by a slower release phase. The permeation of the drug from all of the tested liposomes, as assessed with the mimicked stratum corneum – PVPA model, was significantly enhanced as compared to the permeability of the drug in solution form. Although the DLs and the PGLs exhibited almost the same membrane elasticity, the permeability of the drug delivered by PGLs was higher (6.2 × 10−6 cm/s) than DLs (5.5 × 10−6 cm/s). Therefore, this study confirmed both the potential of liposomes as vesicles in trans(dermal) delivery and potential of the newly developed skin-PVPA for the screening and optimization of liposomes at the early preformulation stage.
Rapid method for the preparation of an AGE‐BSA standard calibrator using thermal glycation

Estimation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) by determining fluorescence is based on the use of a standard calibrator prepared by incubating bovine serum albumin (BSA) and glucose at 37°C for 60 days. In the present study we attempted to reduce the duration of incubation to 4 days by increasing the temperature to 50°C. It is noteworthy that incubation at 50°C resulted in the rapid production of an AGE‐BSA standard calibrator within 4 days. Aminoguanidine reduced the intensity of the glycation‐induced fluorescence, while the addition of lysine intensified the reaction, as shown by the calibrator incubated at 37°C. The protein carbonyl content was shown to increase in the rapidly‐formed standard calibrator. Thus we conclude that a simple increase in temperature and the addition of lysine (0.1M) can accelerate the process of glycation‐induced fluorescence. This calibrator can be used effectively in fluorescence assays of AGEs. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 19:11–15, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Control of Meligethes aeneus, Ceutorhynchus assimilis and Dasineura brassicae in winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.).

Abstract The influenceof different class insecticides on the effective control of pollen beetle ( Meligethes aeneus F.) and pod pests ( Ceutorhynchus assimilis Payk. and Dasineura brassicae Winn.) in winter oilseed rape crops was investigated in fieldtrials carried out during the 2007–2009 period in the central part of Lithuania. All insecticides tested significantlyreduced the number of pollen beetle ( M. aeneus F.) adults, seed pod weevil ( C. assimilis Payk.) and brassica pod midge ( D. brassicae Winn.) larvae and pods infested by them. The use of insecticides in the middle of inflorescenceemergence (GS 55–57) is not only effective in reducing pollen beetles, but also in reducing pod damage done by pests. Comparison of the efficacyof pyrethroid groups I (Bulldock 025 EC, Kaiso 24 WG, Karate Zeon 5 CS) and II (Mavrik2F) showed the insecticides in the second group to be more effective.Key words: insecticide, neonicotinoid, pyrethroid, organophosphorus, oxidiazines. Introduction
Pudendal Nerve Conduction to Evaluate Organic Erectile Dysfunction

Fishel B, Chen J, Alon M, Zhukovsky G, Matzkin H: Pudendal nerve conduction to evaluate organic erectile dysfunction. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2001;80:885–888. ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the value of testing pudendal nerve conduction in men with erectile dysfunction. DesignThis open prospective study was conducted on 150 men with documented erectile dysfunction of at least 6 mo of duration, all of whom underwent pudendal nerve conduction by the same investigator. ResultsOnly patients with erectile dysfunction and low back pain (n = 9) showed statistically significant prolonged pathologic pudendal nerve conduction latency of 43.1 msec/div (SD ± 11.3 msec/div, P < 0.05). There were no correlations between the pudendal nerve conduction latency in patients suffering from erectile dysfunction associated with diabetes mellitus, local trauma, pelvic surgery, or antihypertensive drugs. ConclusionsPudendal nerve conduction may contribute valuable information to the evaluation of patients with erectile dysfunction caused by neurologic deficits as manifested by low back pain.
Development of short-baseline time-difference of arrival location system and observations on lightning discharge

A new short-baseline TDOA VHF lightning location system is developed. The results indicate that the location system could effectively map the lightning radiation sources, and visually reproduced the development of lightning occurring inside the cloud. The technique provides an effective approach to describe the temporal and spatial development of lightning discharge in two dimensions with high temporal and spatial resolution.
Impact on Genetic Networks in Human Macrophages by a CCR5 Strain of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) impacts multiple lineages of hematopoietic cells, including lymphocytes and macrophages, either by direct infection or indirectly by perturbations of cell networks, leading to generalized immune deficiency. We designed a study to discover, in primary human macrophages, sentinel genetic targets that are impacted during replication over the course of 7 days by a CCR5-using virus. Expression of mRNA and proteins in virus- or mock-treated macrophages from multiple donors was evaluated. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis grouped into distinct temporal expression patterns >900 known human genes that were induced or repressed at least fourfold by virus. Expression of more than one-third of the genes was induced rapidly by day 2 of infection, while other genes were induced at intermediate (day 4) or late (day 7) time points. More than 200 genes were expressed exclusively in either virus- or mock-treated macrophage cultures, independent of the donor, providing an unequivocal basis to distinguish an effect by virus. HIV-1 altered levels of mRNA and/or protein for diverse cellular programs in macrophages, including multiple genes that can contribute to a transition in the cell cycle from G1 to G2/M, in contrast to expression in mock-treated macrophages of genes that maintain G0/G1. Virus treatment activated mediators of cell cycling, including PP2A, which is impacted by Vpr, as well as GADD45 and BRCA1, potentially novel targets for HIV-1. The results identify interrelated programs conducive to optimal HIV-1 replication and expression of genes that can contribute to macrophage dysfunction.
Preemptive ketamine during general anesthesia for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

AIM Preemptive analgesia is currently in use in the management of postoperative pain and no more under search. The administration of ketamine as intraoperative analgesic agent is well-known since a long time; the analgesic properties of this drug are related to its actions as a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors antagonist; these receptors present an excitatory function on pain transmission and this binding seems to prevent or reverse the central sensitisation of every kind of pain, including postoperative pain. In literature, the use of this anesthetic for the preemptive analgesia in the management of postoperative pain is controversial; for this reason the aim of our study was the clinical evaluation of preemptive perioperative analgesia with low-doses ketamine. METHODS This trial involved 40 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, with the same surgical operator; postoperative analgesia was performed with the intraoperative administration of ketamine (0.7 mg/kg) or tramadol (15 mg/kg). A randomized, double-blind study was performed; after an inhalatory/analgesic general anesthesia (sevofluorane + remifentanyl) the postoperative-pain control was clinically evaluated through algometric measurements (Visual Analog Scale, Verbal Rating Scale, Pain Intensity Difference); supplemental doses of tramadol were administered if required, also to quantify the adequacy of analgesia, and adverse effects were evaluated. RESULTS The results show that preemptive intraoperative analgesia with ketamine produces a good analgesia at the awakening, despite low duration (approximately 1 hour), and upgrades the analgesic effect of tramadol in the postoperative period. Among the adverse effects, some (for example nausea) were related to the administration of both analgesics and to the kind of surgery, others (hallucinosis, nystagmus, photophobia, psychomotor excitation, psychotic symptoms) were due to ketamine, and others (respiratory depression and hypotension) could be related to tramadol. Although the adverse effects due to ketamine are more numerous than those related to tramadol, the second could potentially be more dangerous. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that preemptive low-doses ketamine is able to produce an adequate postoperative analgesia and increases the analgesic effect of tramadol; furthermore, ketamine adverse effects could be reduced by intraoperative administration of benzodiazepines and/or antiemetic drugs, or by the association of ketamine and a peripheral analgesic (ketorolac).