Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Safety and Impact on Infection Rates of Postnatal Probiotic and Prebiotic (Synbiotic) Treatment: Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE. Live probiotic bacteria and dietary prebiotic oligosaccharides (together termed synbiotics) increasingly are being used in infancy, but evidence of long-term safety is lacking. In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, we studied the safety and long-term effects of feeding synbiotics to newborn infants. METHODS. Between November 2000 and March 2003, pregnant mothers carrying infants at high risk for allergy were randomly assigned to receive a mixture of 4 probiotic species (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and LC705, Bifidobacterium breve Bb99, and Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp shermanii) or a placebo for 4 weeks before delivery. Their infants received the same probiotics with 0.8 g of galactooligosaccharides, or a placebo, daily for 6 months after birth. Safety data were obtained from clinical examinations and interviews at follow-up visits at ages 3, 6, and 24 months and from questionnaires at ages 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Growth data were collected at each time point. RESULTS. Of the 1018 eligible infants, 925 completed the 2-year follow-up assessment. Infants in both groups grew normally. We observed no difference in neonatal morbidity, feeding-related behaviors (such as infantile colic), or serious adverse events between the study groups. During the 6-month intervention, antibiotics were prescribed less often in the synbiotic group than in the placebo group (23% vs 28%). Throughout the follow-up period, respiratory infections occurred less frequently in the synbiotic group (geometric mean: 3.7 vs 4.2 infections). CONCLUSION. Feeding synbiotics to newborn infants was safe and seemed to increase resistance to respiratory infections during the first 2 years of life.
Early clinical and biomechanical results following cervical arthroplasty.

OBJECT Spinal arthroplasty may become the next gold standard for the treatment of degenerative cervical spine disease. This new modality must be studied rigorously to ensure in vivo efficacy and safety. The authors review the preliminary clinical experience and radiographic outcomes following insertion of the Bryan Cervical Disc Prosthesis (Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis, TN). METHODS This prospective cohort study included 26 patients undergoing single- or two-level implantation of the Bryan artificial cervical disc for treatment of cervical degenerative disc disease resulting in radiculopathy and/or myelopathy. Radiographic and clinical assessments were made preoperatively 1.5, 3 months, and at 6, 12, and up to 24 months postoperatively. The Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaires were used to assess pain and functional outcomes. Segmental sagittal rotation from C2-3 to C6-7 was measured using quantitative motion analysis software. A total of 30 Bryan discs were placed in 26 patients. A single-level procedure was performed in 22 patients and a two-level procedure in the other four. Follow-up duration ranged from 1.5 to 27 months, with a mean duration of 12.3 months. A statistically significant improvement in the mean NDI scores was seen between pre- and late postoperative follow-up evaluations. A trend toward improvement in the SF-36 physical component was also found. Motion was preserved in the treated spinal segments (mean range of motion 7.8 degrees ) for up to 24 months postsurgery. The relative contribution of each segment to overall spinal sagittal rotation differed depending on whether the disc was placed at C5-6 or C6-7. Overall cervical motion (C2-7) was moderately increased on late follow-up evaluations. CONCLUSIONS The Bryan artificial cervical disc provided in vivo functional spinal motion at the treated level. Overall cervical spinal motion was not significantly altered. Sagittal rotation did not change significantly at any level after surgery.
Analysis of protease‐activated receptor‐1 and ‐2 in human scar formation

Protease‐activated receptor (PAR)‐1 and PAR‐2 are reported to contribute to the fibrotic process in a number of organs, including lung, liver, pancreas, and kidney. The aim of this study was to localize expression and biological activity of PAR‐1 and PAR‐2 in normal and pathological cutaneous scars. First, we investigated the immunohistochemical expression of PAR‐1 and PAR‐2 proteins in a series of human normal scars (NS, n = 10), hypertrophic scars (HS, n = 10), and keloids (K, n = 10). Expression of PAR‐1 and PAR‐2 was observed in all types of scar. Specifically, in HS and K, diffuse PAR‐1 and PAR‐2 positivity was found in dermal cellular areas composed of myofibroblasts, while no or minor staining was observed in the scattered fibroblasts embedded in abundant extracellular matrix in the context of the more collagenous nodules, irrespective of the type of scar. The hyperplastic epidermis overlying K was also found to be strongly PAR‐1 and PAR‐2 positive, whilst in most NS and HS the epidermis was faintly to moderately stained. Second, ribonuclease protection assay on paraffin‐embedded specimens showed overexpression of PAR‐1 and PAR‐2 mRNA in K compared to NS and HS. Third, cultured human fibroblasts exposed to TGF‐β1 expressed a myofibroblast phenotype associated with overexpression of PAR‐2, while PAR‐1 expression was unaffected. Intracellular Ca2+ mobilization by PAR‐2 agonists in myofibroblasts was increased as compared to fibroblasts, whereas the effect of PAR‐1 agonists was unchanged. Our in vivo study indicates that PAR‐1 and PAR‐2 are expressed in cells involved in physiological and pathological scar formation and suggests that in vitro overexpression and exaggerated functional response of PAR‐2 may play a role in the function of myofibroblasts in scar evolution from a physiological repair process to a pathological tissue response. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Catalytic DNAs as potential therapeutic agents and sequence-specific molecular tools to dissect biological function

Atherosclerosis arises from an excessive fibroproliferative-inflammatory response to injury of the artery wall and typically evolves over decades (1). Smooth muscle cells play a central role in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Their ability to migrate from the medial compartment of the artery wall to the intima, where they proliferate, accumulate lipid, and generate extracellular matrix, is key to the development of occlusive vascular lesions. A common intervention for treating arterial blockage is percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, in which an inflatable balloon is positioned at the site of arterial narrowing and used to physically disrupt the local atherosclerotic plaque. While angioplasty usually provides immediate symptomatic relief, its longer-term benefits are limited in a large proportion of cases (30–50% within 6 months) because the treated artery once again narrows at the site of inflation (2). This process, termed restenosis, involves elastic recoil, in the first instance, followed by extensive replication and remodeling — mainly by smooth muscle cells, which lay down matrix and eventually decrease luminal diameter at the site of ballooning. Most angioplasties are now performed in conjunction with the local deployment of metallic stents (3), which provide structural support in the reopened vessel by helping to prevent vascular recoil (4, 5). Pharmacologic agents able to decrease the incidence of restenosis in human subjects are extremely limited, with antiplatelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists (inhibitors of platelet aggregation and thrombus formation) providing most utility. Intracoronary radiation, antioxidants, and growth factor antagonists have also shown promise as inhibitors of restenosis (6). The hunt for efficient inhibitors of restenosis remains an ongoing challenge. Here, I review the transcriptional control of specific genes that regulate smooth muscle cell biology, and I discuss the use of novel nucleic acid–based therapeutics that might be employed at the time of treatment to block restenosis over the long term. Activation of Egr-1 in response to injury Cell movement, proliferation, and extracellular matrix deposition in the injured artery wall are mediated by the local activity of growth factors, cytokines, and other regulatory molecules. Mechanical injury activates signaling and transcriptional pathways that converge at the promoters of many genes whose products then influence the development of lesions. Insights into the molecular mechanisms associated with the transcriptional response to injury derive from a wealth of rat and other animal studies involving balloon catheter injury. As seen in these models, injury to the artery wall results in the rapid activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase subclasses, such as extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) and stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH2-terminal protein kinase (JNK), as well as a multitude of transcription factors (Table 1), including early growth response factor-1 (Egr-1) (7, 8).
Dysregulated Class I histone deacetylases are indicators of poor prognosis in multiple myeloma

Histone deacetylases (HDAC) control gene expression through their ability to acetylate proteins, thereby influencing a diverse range of cellular functions. Class I HDAC (HDAC1–3 and 8) and HDAC6 are predominantly upregulated in malignancies and their altered expression in some cancers has a significant prognostic implication. The expression and prognostic consequence of dysregulated Class I HDAC and HDAC6, key players in multiple myeloma (MM), are unknown. This study hypothesized that HDAC are dysregulated in MM and patients with high expression have significantly poorer prognostic outcomes. Quantitative PCR for 11 HDAC (Class I, II, and IV) was performed in genetically heterogeneous human myeloma cell lines (HMCL) and primary MM and compared to normal plasma cells (PC). In HMCL, HDAC1–3 and 8 (Class I), and HDAC5 and HDAC10 (Class II) were significantly upregulated compared to normal PC. In primary MM, the median expression level of all of the HDAC, except HDAC1 and HDAC11, were elevated when compared to normal PC. Patients with higher levels of HDAC1–3, HDAC4, HDAC6, and HDAC11 transcripts demonstrated a significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS). Immunohistochemical staining for HDAC1 and HDAC6 on bone marrow trephines from a uniformly treated cohort of transplant eligible MM patients revealed that HDAC1 protein was detectable in most patients and that higher levels of MM cell HDAC1 protein expression (≥90 % versus ≤20 % MM cell positivity) correlated with both shorter PFS (P = 0 .07) and shorter overall survival (P = 0 .003). Conversely, while the majority of patients expressed HDAC6, there was no correlation between HDAC6 levels and patient outcome. Together, these results indicate that overexpression of Class I HDAC, particularly HDAC1, is associated with poor prognosis in MM.
Generation of reactive oxygen species by raphidophycean phytoplankton.

Chattonella marina, a raphidophycean flagellate, is one of the most toxic red tide phytoplankton and causes severe damage to fish farming. Recent studies demonstrated that Chattonella sp. generates superoxide (O2-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radicals (.OH), which may be responsible for the toxicity of C. marina. In this study, we found the other raphidophycean flagellates such as Heterosigma akashiwo, Olisthodiscus luteus, and Fibrocapsa japonica also produce O2- and H2O2 under normal growth condition. Among the flagellate species tested, Chattonella has the highest rates of production of O2- and H2O2 as compared on the basis of cell number. This seems to be partly due to differences in their cell sizes, since Chattonella is larger than other flagellate species. The generation of O2- by these flagellate species was also confirmed by a chemiluminescence assay by using 2-methyl-6-(p-methoxyphenyl)-3,7-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin++ +-3-one (MCLA). All these raphidophycean flagellates inhibited the proliferation of a marine bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus, in a flagellates/bacteria co-culture system, and their toxic effects were suppressed by the addition of superoxide dismutase (SOD) or catalase. Our results suggest that the generation of reactive oxygen species is a common feature of raphidophycean flagellates.
The Development of a New Method of Cephalometric and Study Cast Mensuration with a Computer Controlled, Video Image Capture System: Part I

A computerized system for handling cephalometric images, developed at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, was tested against a conventional manual tracing method and a computer-controlled digitizer. Systematic errors, calibration, and handling aspects are discussed. Results showed that the computerized system provided data which compared favourably with the same measurements carried out Conventionally using manual or digitizing methods.
A 24-Hour Screening Protocol for Identification of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium

ABSTRACT We describe a 24-h protocol for the identification of patients who are positive for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), using stool and rectal swab samples and VRE screening broth, automated DNA extraction, and real-time PCR for vanA and vanB genes. Compared to conventional screening methods, this protocol had a high sensitivity and specificity and a negative predictive value.
Weakly Supervised Semantic Segmentation with Convolutional Networks

We are interested in inferring object segmentation by leveraging only object class information, and by considering only minimal priors on the object segmentation task. This problem could be viewed as a kind of weakly supervised segmentation task, and naturally fits the Multiple Instance Learning (MIL) framework: every training image is known to have (or not) at least one pixel corresponding to the image class label, and the segmentation task can be rewritten as inferring the pixels belonging to the class of the object (given one image, and its object class). We propose a Convolutional Neural Network-based model, which is constrained during training to put more weight on pixels which are important for classifying the image. We show that at test time, the model has learned to discriminate the right pixels well enough, such that it performs very well on an existing segmentation benchmark, by adding only few smoothing priors. Our system is trained using a subset of the Imagenet dataset and the segmentation experiments are performed on the challenging Pascal VOC dataset (with no fine-tuning of the model on Pascal VOC). Our model beats the state of the art results in weakly supervised object segmentation task by a large margin. We also compare the performance of our model with state of the art fully-supervised segmentation approaches.
Prescribing Practice of General Practitioners in Northern Ireland for Peripheral Arterial Disease

Peripheral arterial disease is prevalent and reflects overall cardiovascular disease state. Best medical treatment is the cornerstone of management to reduce peripheral arterial disease symptoms and to minimize vascular morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the prescription practice of general practitioners in Northern Ireland for patients with peripheral arterial disease. All general practitioners were from the Northern Ireland Professional Medical Directory, and a questionnaire was used to determine the prescribing patterns for peripheral arterial disease. In all, 468 general practitioners responded; 94% prescribed aspirin to nondiabetic patients, and 44.9% prescribed statin, with similar results for diabetic patients. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, multivitamins, and β-blockers were not often prescribed. Statin was prescribed to patients with diabetic peripheral arterial disease at a lower cholesterol concentration. In all, 52% would consider statin and fibrate together. Budgetary consideration influenced 6%. Northern Ireland general practitioners are reluctant to prescribe medication that is effective in the secondary prevention of vascular morbidity and mortality in high-risk patients.
Salt Stimulation and Tolerance in an Intertidal Stem-Succulent Halophyte

ABSTRACT Salt tolerance of Arthrocnemum macrostachyum (Moric.) C. Koch (Chenopodiaceae), a stem-succulent halophyte most commonly found in the intertidal regions of the provinces of Sind and Balochistan, Pakistan, was investigated. Plants were grown for 125 d at six sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations from 0 to 1000 mM to determine the effects of salinity on ion accumulation, plant water status, and biomass. Shoot biomass was greatest at 200 to 400 mM NaCl, but it was inhibited at salinities of 600 mM NaCl or higher. Tissue water content (g g−1dry mass) of shoots under 200 to 600 mM NaCl treatments was higher than under the control nutrient solution, equal to the control at 800 mM NaCl, but significantly lower at 1000 mM NaCl than under all other treatments, indicating an increase in shoot succulence at salinity levels up to that of seawater. Ash content increased with added salt, but was about 60% of plant dry mass under all salinity treatments. The Na+ and Cl− concentrations of shoots were significantly higher under 1000 mM NaCl than under the control treatment. These results indicate that A. macrostachyum is salt tolerant and capable of accumulating large quantities of Na+ and Cl− when treated with from 200 to 1000mM NaCl.
The effect of brochure use versus therapist teaching on patients performing therapeutic exercise and on changes in impairment status.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the mode of teaching exercises (use of brochures versus therapist teaching) affects whether patients correctly perform the exercises and whether it affects changes in impairment. SUBJECTS Eighty-seven patients (33 women, 54 men) with neck pain and low back pain were examined. The average age was 48 years (SD = 12.7, range = 21-67). METHODS Two groups of patients were analyzed. The supervised (physical therapist-instructed) group (n = 47) exercised under the supervision of a physical therapist, whereas the brochure group (n = 40) received their instructions only from one of three brochures. A rating scale was used to assess the correctness of exercise performance. Muscle status was registered using a standardized procedure for determination of muscle force and length. Pain severity was determined by means of a visual analogue scale. RESULTS On the rating scale evaluating the correctness of exercise performance at follow-up, the patients in the supervised group performed better than the patients in the brochure group. In addition, there was a strong correlation between the quality of exercise performance and decrease in pain. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION Exercises learned only from a brochure without being monitored by a physical therapist were done properly by only about half of the patients and appeared to result in fewer improvements in impairments.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae MVP1 gene interacts with VPS1 and is required for vacuolar protein sorting

The VPS1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes an 80-kDa GTPase that associates with Golgi membranes and is required for the sorting of proteins to the yeast vacuole. Vps1p is a member of a growing family of high-molecular-weight GTPases that are found in a number of organisms and are involved in a variety of cellular processes. Vps1p is most similar to mammalian dynamin and the Drosophila Shibire protein, both of which have been shown to play a role in an early step of endocytosis. To identify proteins that interact with Vps1p, a genetic screen was designed to isolate multicopy suppressors of dominant-negative vps1 mutations. One such suppressor, MVP1, that exhibits genetic interaction with VPS1 and is itself required for vacuolar protein sorting has been isolated. Overproduction of Mvp1p will suppress several dominant alleles of VPS1, and suppression is dependent on the presence of wild-type Vps1p. MVP1 encodes a 59-kDa hydrophilic protein, Mvp1p, which appears to colocalize with Vps1p in vps1d and vps27 delta yeast cells. We therefore propose that Mvp1p and Vps1p act in concert to promote membrane traffic to the vacuole.
Xylazine epidural analgesia for cesarian section in cattle.

Recent studies have demonstrated that xylazine hydrochloride (HCl) will produce caudal analgesia in horses and cattle following its administration into the epidural space (1-5). Traditionally, local anesthetics have been used to produce caudal analgesia. Local anesthetics stabilize nerve cell membranes by decreasing membrane permeability. Sodium and potas-sium ion diffusion cannot occur and nerve impulses are blocked. Local anesthetics, such as lidocaine, show little discrimination among fibers blocking sensory, sympathetic, and motor fibers, although the smaller C fibers, sensory, are blocked first and recover first. Blockade of motor fibers will result in ataxia. Epidural analgesia is used in many species to produce analgesia of the abdomen for laparotomy. Blockade of sympathetic fibers that originate from the thoracic spinal cord may result in hypotension (6).
Indian Ocean Dipole and El Niño/Southern Oscillation impacts on regional chlorophyll anomalies in the Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are independent climate modes, which frequently co-occur, driving significant inter-annual changes within the Indian Ocean. We use a four-decade hindcast from a coupled biophysical ocean general circulation model, to disentangle patterns of chlorophyll anomalies driven by these two climate modes. Comparisons with remotely sensed records show that the simulation competently reproduces the chlorophyll seasonal cycle, as well as open-ocean anomalies during the 1997/1998 ENSO and IOD event. Results suggest that anomalous surface and euphotic-layer chlorophyll blooms in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean in fall, and southern Bay of Bengal in winter, are primarily related to IOD forcing. A negative influence of IOD on chlorophyll concentrations is shown in a region around the southern tip of India in fall. IOD also depresses depth-integrated chlorophyll in the 5-10 • S thermocline ridge region , yet the signal is negligible in surface chlorophyll. The only investigated region where ENSO has a greater influence on chlorophyll than does IOD, is in the Somalia upwelling region , where it causes a decrease in fall and winter chlorophyll by reducing local upwelling winds. Yet unlike most other regions examined, the combined explanatory power of IOD and ENSO in predicting depth-integrated chlorophyll anomalies is relatively low in this region, suggestive that other drivers are important there. We show that the chlorophyll impact of climate indices is frequently asymmetric, with a general tendency for larger positive than negative chlorophyll anomalies. Our results suggest that ENSO and IOD cause significant and predictable regional re-organisation of chlorophyll via their influence on near-surface oceanogra-phy. Resolving the details of these effects should improve our understanding, and eventually gain predictability, of interan-nual changes in Indian Ocean productivity, fisheries, ecosystems and carbon budgets.