Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gastrointestinal implications in pigs of wheat and oat fractions

The present work was undertaken to study the microbial activity in various segments of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of pigs as influenced by the source and level of wheat and oat dietary fibre (DF). Eight experimental diets were prepared from wheat and oat fractions and studied in a series of two experiments using wheat flour as the DF-depleted control. The diets in Expt 1 were based on wheat flour and three iso-DF enriched diets comprising fractions rich in wheat aleurone, pericarp/testa or bran. In Expt 2, oat bran was added to wheat flour to achieve the same DF intake level as in Expt 1. This series included further diets based on rolled oats and rolled oats plus oat bran. The eight diets were given to thirty-two ileal-cannulated pigs, with sixteen pigs in each experiment. After a total period of 34 d (Expt 1) and 42 d (Expt 2), the pigs were slaughtered 4 h post-feeding and samples taken for adenine nucleotides (adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP); adenylate energy charge (AEC)), organic acids (lactic acid (LA); short chain fatty acids (SCFA)) and pH at twelve sites of the GI tract. The microbial activity as measured by the ATP concentration was low in the stomach and the cranial two-thirds of the small intestine, but tended to increase in the distal third. In the caecum a sharp rise in microbial activity was observed; the highest level was found for the diet providing most fermentable substrates. In all the diets but the rolled oats+oat bran diets, microbial activity showed a descending pattern as the digesta moved through the colon. In the large intestine source and level of residues had a marked influence on microbial activity. LA was the chief organic acid in the stomach and small intestine (10–40 mmol/l) while LA relative to SCFA was a minor component in the caecum and colon (10–20 mmol/l). The contribution of SCFA to total organic acids was reciprocal to LA, i. e. low in the stomach and small intestine (<20 mmol/l) and high in the caecum and colon. In the large intestine the concentration of SCFA decreased from 100–140 mmol/l in the caecum and proximal colon to 40–80 mmol/l in the distal colon. The acetic: propionic acid ratio increased from the caecum to the distal colon. With the diets based on oat alone (rolled oats; rolled oats+oat bran) the increase was less significant. DF addition and oats in particular increased the butyric acid molar ratio, from 0.06–0.08 for the wheat flour diet to 0.10–0.12 for the diet based on rolled oats+oat bran. For the same two diets the proportion of isobutyric and isovaleric acids increased more rapidly with the wheat-flour diet compared with the rolled oats+oat bran diet.
Empirical Relationships for Monitoring Water Quality of Lakes and Reservoirs Through Multispectral Images

Remote sensing techniques can be used to estimate water quality variables such as chlorophyll\mbi a, total suspended particles, and water transparency. This paper describes empirical algorithms for the estimation of these variables using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data. Ground data were taken from several Spanish lakes covering a variety of trophic statuses, ranging from oligotrophic to hypereutrophic. The studied lakes were the Albufera de Valencia and lakes and ponds of the Southeast Regional Park in Madrid. Empirical equations were obtained to estimate chlorophyll\mbi a from the ratio in reflectance values between bands 2 and 4 of TM ( R2\mmb = 0.66, p\lt 0.001), transparency [Secchi disk (SD)] from reflectance in band 2 ( R2\mmb = 0.80, pbf \lt 0.001), and total suspended particles from reflectance in band 4 ( R2 \mmb = 0.92, p\lt 0.001). The spectral equivalence between TM and the recent satellite Deimos-1 was also tested. By applying the proposed algorithms to this new sensor, the temporal resolution is improved by up to 3 days, which increases spatial resolution to 22 m. The algorithms were validated using three Deimos-1 scenes of the Albufera de Valencia together with ground measurements. Results of this validation showed root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of 40\nbspmg·m\mmb-3 for Chl-\mbi a (data range: 32\mmb - 238\nbspmg·m-3), 10\nbspmg·L\mmb -1 for total suspended solid (TSS) (data range: 25\mmb -89\nbspmg·L\mmb -1), and 0.10 m for SD (data range: 0.17-0.40 m). In any case, these results show the potential of Deimos-1 as a substitute of TM in water quality monitoring in small/medium water bodies, providing continuity to three decades of TM imagery.
Use of guidelines in treating community-acquired pneumonia.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Guidelines for empiric treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) have been developed to assist in prescribing appropriate antimicrobials. We studied utilization of guidelines developed by the American Thoracic, Canadian Infectious Diseases, and Canadian Thoracic Societies (ATS, CIDS, and CTS, respectively), physicians' familiarity with them, reasons that prompt deviation from them, and their effects on clinical outcomes. DESIGN Two-part observational study, with prospective and retrospective groups. SETTING A 1,100-bed, two-campus, tertiary-care teaching hospital. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS Patients admitted to the general medical ward who were being treated empirically for CAP and housestaff who provided their care. INTERVENTIONS Medical residents reported on patients admitted to the hospital with CAP. The charts of all unreported patients admitted with CAP over the same period were reviewed. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS One hundred twenty-two patients were prospectively described and another 130 patients were identified retrospectively. There was no difference in guidelines adherence between the prospective and retrospective groups (81% compared with 80%; p=0.94). Deviation occurred most commonly in suspected aspiration. When physicians believed that they were following guidelines, this was true in 88%. When physicians believed that they were deviating, they were actually adhering in 46%. Guidelines adherence did not alter in-hospital mortality (12% compared with 14%, p=0.92) or length of hospitalization (median, 6 days for both groups). CONCLUSIONS ATS/CIDS/CTS guidelines for empiric treatment of CAP are widely used in our institution. Future amendments should address aspiration more explicitly. Residents' familiarity with them could be improved. Beneficial effects on outcomes remain unproven.
Relationship Between Age and Symptoms of Pain and Fatigue in Adults Undergoing Treatment for Cancer

Background:Pain and fatigue are 2 of the most common symptoms experienced by individuals undergoing treatment for cancer. It has been hypothesized that older adults experience lower levels of severity and interference from pain and fatigue when compared with younger adults. Objective:The purpose of this study was to identify how pain and fatigue, severity, and interference may vary between younger and older adults undergoing cancer treatment over time. Methods:This study is a secondary analysis of data of 2 different randomized controlled trials that examined the symptom experience in adults undergoing treatment for cancer. A linear mixed model analysis was used to determine the differences based on age across 6 contacts over 8 weeks. Results:Results indicate that pain severity is significantly (P < .01) related to age. Age was not found to be significantly related to the level of interference associated with pain or the severity or interference associated with fatigue. Conclusion:Symptoms of pain and fatigue are prevalent across age groups and will vary across time. Older and younger adults do not necessarily experience symptoms differently. Interference associated with pain and fatigue impacts all age groups; interference may not be directly related to the level of severity. Implications for Practice:This study highlights the importance of assessing both severity and interference associated with symptoms in all adults undergoing treatment for cancer. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between age and symptoms in individuals undergoing treatment for cancer.
Signs and symptoms of prevalent and incident cases of gonorrhea and genital chlamydial infection among female prostitutes in Kinshasa, Zaire.

Most studies that have examined the clinical features of gonorrhea and chlamydial infection have been based on prevalent cases (cases of undetermined onset). In our investigation, we compared signs and symptoms of incident (new) cases of these infections with those observed in prevalent cases (involving the same women) that were diagnosed at enrollment in a prospective study of female prostitutes in Kinshasa, Zaire. Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia trachomatis was present at enrollment in 29.2% (225 of 771) of the women in the study. As they were followed during the study, 509 (66.0%) had at least one episode of gonorrhea or chlamydial infection. No symptom was significantly associated with these infections at enrollment or during follow-up. Clinical signs, such as endocervical mucopus (P < .001) and vaginal discharge (P = .001), were associated with both the prevalent and incident cases. However, none of these signs was simultaneously sensitive and specific for detection of these infections. The frequency of clinical signs was significantly reduced after successful treatment (all P values, < .05). This study shows that a syndromic approach to screening for gonococcal and chlamydial infections in female prostitutes is as problematic for acute incident cases as for prevalent cases. Therefore, there is still an urgent need for simple, cheap, reliable tests that could be used in sexually transmitted disease intervention programs in developing countries.
Physiological responses to successive days of intense training in competitive swimmers.

To examine the physiological responses to successive days of intense training, 12 male collegiate swimmers doubled their training distance (4,266 +/- 264 to 8,970 +/- 161 m.d-1) while maintaining the intensity at approximately 95% VO2max for 10 d. Blood samples were obtained pre-exercise and immediately and 5 min after a sub-maximal (approximately 95% VO2max) front crawl swim (365.8 m) on days 0, 5, and 11. Swim performance was assessed from a maximal front crawl swim (365.8 m), two maximal front crawl sprints (22.9 m), and a semi-tethered swim power test. No significant changes were observed in performance. Pre-exercise serum cortisol (17.5 +/- 1.5, 19.5 +/- 1.6, and 20.6 +/- 1.2 micrograms.dl-1 for days 0, 5, and 11, respectively) and creatine kinase (56.2 +/- 7.7, 93.1 +/- 10.1, and 119.0 +/- 23.1 U.l-1 for days 0, 5, and 11, respectively) values were significantly elevated (P less than 0.05) on days 5 and 11 compared to day 0. Resting plasma catecholamine concentrations were higher but not significantly different (P greater than 0.05) at the end of the training period. Measurements of hemoglobin and hematocrit indicated a relative increase of 11.4 +/- 2.7% (P less than 0.05) in estimated plasma volume during the training period. Resting blood glucose values were unaffected by the training regimen while small but significant decreases in resting blood lactate values (1.01 +/- 0.06, 0.85 +/- 0.06, and 0.86 +/- 0.06 mmol.l-1 for days 0, 5, and 11, respectively) were observed on days 5 and 11. Resting heart rate and systolic blood pressure were not affected by the increased training load. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Medical decision-making capacity in patients with malignant glioma

Objective: Patients with malignant glioma (MG) must make ongoing medical treatment decisions concerning a progressive disease that erodes cognition. We prospectively assessed medical decision-making capacity (MDC) in patients with MG using a standardized psychometric instrument. Methods: Participants were 22 healthy controls and 26 patients with histologically verified MG. Group performance was compared on the Capacity to Consent to Treatment Instrument (CCTI), a psychometric measure of MDC incorporating 4 standards (choice, understanding, reasoning, and appreciation), and on neuropsychological and demographic variables. Capacity outcomes (capable, marginally capable, or incapable) on the CCTI standards were identified for the MG group. Within the MG group, scores on demographic, clinical, and neuropsychological variables were correlated with scores on each CCTI standard, and significant bivariate correlates were subsequently entered into exploratory stepwise regression analyses to identify multivariate cognitive predictors of the CCTI standards. Results: Patients with MG performed significantly below controls on consent standards of understanding and reasoning, and showed a trend on appreciation. Relative to controls, more than 50% of the patients with MG demonstrated capacity compromise (marginally capable or incapable outcomes) in MDC. In the MG group, cognitive measures of verbal acquisition/recall and, to a lesser extent, semantic fluency predicted performance on the appreciation, reasoning, and understanding standards. Karnofsky score was also associated with CCTI performance. Conclusions: Soon after diagnosis, patients with malignant glioma (MG) have impaired capacity to make treatment decisions relative to controls. Medical decision-making capacity (MDC) impairment in MG seems to be primarily related to the effects of short-term verbal memory deficits. Ongoing assessment of MDC in patients with MG is strongly recommended.
Accounting for Nonignorable Verification Bias in Assessment of Diagnostic Tests

Summary. A “gold” standard test, providing definitive verification of disease status, may be quite invasive or expensive. Current technological advances provide less invasive, or less expensive, diagnostic tests. Ideally, a diagnostic test is evaluated by comparing it with a definitive gold standard test. However, the decision to perform the gold standard test to establish the presence or absence of disease is often influenced by the results of the diagnostic test, along with other measured, or not measured, risk factors. If only data from patients who received the gold standard test were used to assess the test performance, the commonly used measures of diagnostic test performance—sensitivity and specificity—are likely to be biased. Sensitivity would often be higher, and specificity would be lower, than the true values. This bias is called verification bias. Without adjustment for verification bias, one may possibly introduce into the medical practice a diagnostic test with apparent, but not truly, high sensitivity. In this article, verification bias is treated as a missing covariate problem. We propose a flexible modeling and computational framewzork for evaluating the performance of a diagnostic test, with adjustment for nonignorable verification bias. The presented computational method can be utilized with any software that can repetitively use a logistic regression module. The approach is likelihood‐based, and allows use of categorical or continuous covariates. An explicit formula for the observed information matrix is presented, so that one can easily compute standard errors of estimated parameters. The methodology is illustrated with a cardiology data example. We perform a sensitivity analysis of the dependency of verification selection process on disease.
Small Molecules VP-14637 and JNJ-2408068 Inhibit Respiratory Syncytial Virus Fusion by Similar Mechanisms

ABSTRACT Here we present data on the mechanism of action of VP-14637 and JNJ-2408068 (formerly R-170591), two small-molecule inhibitors of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Both inhibitors exhibited potent antiviral activity with 50% effective concentrations (EC50s) of 1.4 and 2.1 nM, respectively. A similar inhibitory effect was observed in a RSV-mediated cell fusion assay (EC50 = 5.4 and 0.9 nM, respectively). Several drug-resistant RSV variants were selected in vitro in the presence of each compound. All selected viruses exhibited significant cross-resistance to both inhibitors and contained various single amino acid substitutions in two distinct regions of the viral F protein, the heptad repeat 2 (HR2; mutations D486N, E487D, and F488Y), and the intervening domain between HR1 and HR2 (mutation K399I and T400A). Studies using [3H]VP-14637 revealed a specific binding of the compound to RSV-infected cells that was efficiently inhibited by JNJ-2408068 (50% inhibitory concentration = 2.9 nM) but not by the HR2-derived peptide T-118. Further analysis using a transient T7 vaccinia expression system indicated that RSV F protein is sufficient for this interaction. F proteins containing either the VP-14637 or JNJ-2408068 resistance mutations exhibited greatly reduced binding of [3H]VP-14637. Molecular modeling analysis suggests that both molecules may bind into a small hydrophobic cavity in the inner core of F protein, interacting simultaneously with both the HR1 and HR2 domains. Altogether, these data indicate that VP-14637 and JNJ-2408068 interfere with RSV fusion through a mechanism involving a similar interaction with the F protein.
Use of skin‐lightening products among selected urban communities in Accra, Ghana

The practice of skin lightening has been reported from North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. In literature, some prevalence rates exceed 50%, and both sexes are involved. Common agents used include hydroquinone, mercury, corticosteroids, and caustic agents. The agents are easily accessible and affordable with very little regulation. Cutaneous and systemic side effects occur but do not appear to be a deterrent, as the notion of light skin as a surrogate for beauty is strong. In Ghana, anecdotal reports of high bleaching rates among certain urban communities resulted in a study supported by the Food and Drugs Authority to determine various facets of this practice.
A transient forward‐targeting element for microneme‐regulated secretion in Toxoplasma gondii

Background information. Accurate sorting of proteins to the three types of secretory granules in Toxoplasma gondii is crucial for successful cell invasion by this obligate intracellular parasite. As in other eukaryotic systems, propeptide sequences are a common yet poorly understood feature of proteins destined for regulated secretion, which for Toxoplasma occurs through two distinct invasion organelles, rhoptries and micronemes. Microneme discharge during parasite apical attachment plays a pivotal role in cell invasion by delivering adhesive proteins for host receptor engagement.
Coupled Homologous and Nonhomologous Repair of a Double-Strand Break Preserves Genomic Integrity in Mammalian Cells

ABSTRACT DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) may be caused by normal metabolic processes or exogenous DNA damaging agents and can promote chromosomal rearrangements, including translocations, deletions, or chromosome loss. In mammalian cells, both homologous recombination and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) are important DSB repair pathways for the maintenance of genomic stability. Using a mouse embryonic stem cell system, we previously demonstrated that a DSB in one chromosome can be repaired by recombination with a homologous sequence on a heterologous chromosome, without any evidence of genome rearrangements (C. Richardson, M. E. Moynahan, and M. Jasin, Genes Dev., 12:3831–3842, 1998). To determine if genomic integrity would be compromised if homology were constrained, we have now examined interchromosomal recombination between truncated but overlapping gene sequences. Despite these constraints, recombinants were readily recovered when a DSB was introduced into one of the sequences. The overwhelming majority of recombinants showed no evidence of chromosomal rearrangements. Instead, events were initiated by homologous invasion of one chromosome end and completed by NHEJ to the other chromosome end, which remained highly preserved throughout the process. Thus, genomic integrity was maintained by a coupling of homologous and nonhomologous repair pathways. Interestingly, the recombination frequency, although not the structure of the recombinant repair products, was sensitive to the relative orientation of the gene sequences on the interacting chromosomes.
Comparison of the effectiveness of two enhanced glaucoma referral schemes

Citation information: Parkins DJ & Edgar DF. Comparison of the effectiveness of two enhanced glaucoma referral schemes. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011, 31, 343–352. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011. 00853.x
Merkel cell carcinoma in Western Australia: a population‐based study of incidence and survival

Background Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon but aggressive cutaneous skin cancer. Even with the appropriate treatment, MCC is prone to recurrence, and metastases are common. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation has been suggested as contributing towards the development of MCC. MCC has not been extensively investigated in Australia, even though Australia has the highest incidence of sun‐related cancers in the world.
Enhanced host defense after gene transfer in the murine p47phox-deficient model of chronic granulomatous disease.

The p47phox-/- mouse exhibits a phenotype similar to that of human chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and, thus, is an excellent model for the study of gene transfer technology. Using the Moloney murine leukemia virus-based retroviral vector MFG-S encoding the human form of p47phox, we performed ex vivo gene transfer into Sca-1+ p47phox-/- marrow progenitor cells without conditioning of donors with 5-fluorouracil. Transduced progenitors were transplanted into moderately irradiated (500 cGy), G-CSF preconditioned sibling p47phox-/- mice. Using the fluorescent probe dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR), in vivo biochemical correction of the superoxide-generating NADPH oxidase system was detected by flow cytometry in 12.3% +/- 0.9% of phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated peripheral blood neutrophils at 4 weeks and 2.6% +/- 1.0% at 14 weeks after transplantation. Following gene therapy, mice were challenged with the CGD pathogen Burkholderia (formerly Pseudomonas) cepacia and bacteremia levels were assessed at 24 hours and 7 days after inoculation. At both time points, bacteremia levels in gene corrected p47phox-/- mice were significantly lower than untreated p47phox-/- mice (0.89 +/- 0.30 colonies v 237.7 +/- 83.6 colonies at 24 hours, P < .02; 4.0 +/- 2.0 colonies v 110.2 +/- 26.5 colonies at 7 days, P < .0014). More importantly, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a significant survival advantage of gene corrected versus untreated p47phox-/- mice (P < .001). Thus, stem-cell-directed ex vivo gene therapy is capable of restoring phagocyte oxidant-dependent host-defense function in this mouse model of a human immune-system disorder.
Motor, Volitional and Behavioural Disorders in Schizophrenia

An alternative to the conventional separation of extrapyramidal and catatonic symptoms exists in the ‘conflict of paradigms' hypothesis, which proposes that there is a relative rather than absolute distinction between the two. The hypothesis predicts that a clinical association should exist between extrapyramidal and catatonic symptoms in schizophrenia. After rating 75 schizophrenic patients, a highly significant correlation between scores on the two classes of disorder was indeed found. This was composed of separate correlations between tardive dyskinesia and ‘positive’ catatonic phenomena, and Parkinsonism and ‘negative’ catatonic phenomena. The associations were not easily attributable to confounding factors and they were supported by factor analysis.