Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Earthquake vulnerability of fibromyalgia patients: six-month follow-up after the catastrophic disasters in central Italy.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the 6-month impact of the catastrophic earthquakes that struck central Italy in August and October 2016 on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS We compared a cohort of 55 consecutive FM patients who had been exposed to an earthquake with a control group of 49 FM patients who had not been exposed to it. At each time-point (baseline, and after one, two, four and six months), the patients completed self-reported electronic versions of the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) and the Fibromyalgia Activity Score (FAS) on a web platform. RESULTS At baseline, there were no significant between-group differences in the total FIQR score or the scores of its three domains of function, overall impact and symptoms, and no significant differences in the total FAS score or the FAS fatigue, quality of sleep, and Self-Assessment Pain Scale (SAPS) scores. However, after six months of observation, the median total FIQR score was higher in the earthquake-exposed patients (241.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] 230.55-255.35) than in the unexposed patients (177.50, 95% CI 157.30-185.48; p<0.0001), and the same was true of the median total FAS score (26.86, 95% CI 25.78-28.18 vs. 22.76, 95% CI 20.92-24.34; p<0.0001). Moreover, there were also significant differences in all of the FIQR and FAS domain scores. CONCLUSIONS A natural catastrophe such as an earthquake can have a significant impact on the major domains of pain, fatigue, sleep, and the overall quality of life of FM patients.
The clinical, operational, and financial worlds of neonatal palliative care: A focused ethnography

Abstract Objective: Due to multiple issues, integrated interdisciplinary palliative care teams in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may be difficult to access, sometimes fail to be implemented, or provide inconsistent or poorly coordinated care. When implementing an effective institution-specific neonatal palliative care program, it is critical to include stakeholders from the clinical, operational, and financial worlds of healthcare. In this study, researchers sought to gain a multidisciplinary perspective into issues that may impact the implementation of a formal neonatal palliative care program at a tertiary regional academic medical center. Method: In this focused ethnography, the primary researcher conducted semistructured interviews that explored the perspectives of healthcare administrators, finance officers, and clinicians about neonatal palliative care. The perspectives of 39 study participants informed the identification of institutional, financial, and clinical issues that impact the implementation of neonatal palliative care services at the medical center and the planning process for a formal palliative care program on behalf of neonates and their families. Results: Healthcare professionals described experiences that influenced their views on neonatal palliative care. Key themes included: (a) uniqueness of neonatal palliative care, (b) communication and conflict among providers, (c) policy and protocol discrepancies, and (d) lack of administrative support. Significance of results: The present study highlighted several areas that are challenging in the provision of neonatal palliative care. Our findings underscored the importance of recognizing and procuring resources needed simultaneously from the clinical, operational, and financial worlds in order to implement and sustain a successful neonatal palliative care program.
Levels of stimulatory G protein are increased in the rat striatum after neonatal lesion of dopamine neurons

AFTER neonatal lesions of dopamine neurones, an enhanced behavioural responsiveness towards D1 agonists has been described, suggesting a D1 receptor hypersensitivity. In the present study, unilateral striatal dopamine denervation in newborn rats induced a pronounced rotational behaviour following apomorphine injection at the adult age, without any change in the density of D1 binding sites in the denervated striatum. The amount of stimulatory Golfα subunit was increased by 35% in the lesioned striatum. The large form and the short forms of Gsα were also increased by 26% and 9%, respectively. Since in striatal neurones, the coupling of D1 receptor to adenylate cyclase is mostly provided by Golfα, our results strongly suggest that D1 hypersensitivity described after neonatal dopamine lesions results from an increase in the levels of Golfα protein.
Endothelin receptor blockade potentiates FasL‐induced apoptosis in rat colon carcinoma cells

Imbalanced proliferation and apoptosis is important in tumor progression. Endothelin (ET)‐1, a 21‐amino‐acid peptide with vasoconstricting and mitogenic activities, has been shown to be involved in the regulation of apoptosis. Progressive and regressive rat colon (PROb and REGb cells) carcinoma cell lines express the components of the ET‐1 system (preproET‐1, ET‐converting enzyme and ET‐receptors) and secrete ET‐1. These cells also express the Fas(APO‐1, CD95)/FasL system, but are resistant to FasL‐induced apoptosis. We thus addressed the role of ET‐1 in FasL‐dependent cell death. Bosentan, a mixed ETA/ETB receptor antagonist, potentiated FasL‐induced apoptosis in these cells. At low concentrations (10−13 to 10−10 M), ET‐1 dose‐dependently reversed bosentan‐induced apoptosis. Bosentan sensitization to FasL‐induced apoptosis was not mediated by increased expression of Fas receptor and was blocked by the caspase inhibitor zVAD‐fmk. The specific inhibition of enzymes involved in ceramide production did not restore survival of cells exposed to FasL and bosentan. Our results suggest that ET‐1 is a survival factor able to protect in vitro colon carcinoma cells against FasL‐induced apoptosis. Int. J. Cancer 86:182–187, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Preliminary investigation of haemoglobin polymorphism and association with morphometric traits in West African Dwarf goats in north central Nigeria

Abstract The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic pool of the West African Dwarf (WAD) goats using haemoglobin (Hb) polymorphism, as well as the association of some morphological traits with the Hb variants. Blood samples were collected from a total of 104 mature goats of both sexes belonging to the WAD breed in north central Nigeria. The red cell lysates were subjected to cellulose acetate electrophoresis and specific staining procedure to reveal the band patterns of haemoglobin. Three co-dominant alleles, causing the presence of three genotypes (AA, AB and AC) were detected among individual goats. The frequencies of the A, B and C alleles were 0.69, 0.30 and 0.01, respec-tively. The corresponding genotype frequencies for AA, AB and AC in the goat population were 0.37, 0.61 and 0.02, respectively. The discrepancy between the observed and the expected genotype number was significant (P 0.05) by Hb variants. There is a need for further study encom-passing more number of goats covering larger areas, use of DNA markers and their relationship with economic traits as well as performance study for detailed understanding of breed characteristics, conservation and genetic improvement of WAD goats in north central Nigeria. Key words: haemoglobin, polymorphism, morphometric traits, goats, Nigeria
Triggered doxorubicin release in solid tumors from thermosensitive liposome‐peptide hybrids: Critical parameters and therapeutic efficacy

Temperature‐sensitive vesicles designed by inclusion of leucine zipper peptides within a lipid bilayer (Lp‐Peptide hybrids) encapsulating Doxorubicin (DOX) have been reported. Intravenous administration of these constructs prolonged blood circulation kinetics and increased tumor accumulation in vivo with local mild hyperthermia. In this study, the biological activity of the DOX‐loaded Lp‐Peptide hybrid vesicles was further investigated at the cellular level and in vivo compared to lysolipid‐containing temperature‐sensitive liposomes (LTSL) and traditional temperature‐sensitive liposomes. Lp‐Peptide vesicles were not toxic to cell cultures at 37°C, while effective cancer cell toxicity was observed after 1 hr of heating at 42°C. The activity of Lp‐Peptide vesicles in vivo was studied using two different heating protocols to obtain tumor intravascular or interstitial drug release. Lp‐Peptide vesicle treatment allowing intravascular DOX release showed equally effective tumor growth retardation and survival to that of LTSL treatment. The Lp‐Peptide vesicles also offered therapeutic responses using the alternative heating protocol to maximise drug release within the tumor interstitium. Matching the drug release kinetics of temperature‐sensitive vesicles with the heating protocol applied is considered the most critical factor to determine therapeutic efficacy in the clinical translation of such modalities.
Association of A1C Levels With Vitamin D Status in U.S. Adults

OBJECTIVE Data relating vitamin D status with indices of glucose homeostasis as manifested by A1C in the U.S. adult population are few. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We examined the association between serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and A1C levels in 9,773 adults (age ≥18 years old) participating in the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariate linear regression analyzed the association after accounting for potential confounders. RESULTS Serum 25(OH)D levels were inversely associated with A1C levels in subjects age 35–74 years (P = 0.0045) and those who did not report a history of diabetes (P = 0.0282). CONCLUSIONS These findings support a mechanistic link between serum vitamin D concentrations, glucose homeostasis, and the evolution of diabetes in a large segment of the U.S. adult population. Screening people with elevated A1C levels for vitamin D insufficiency should be considered.
Feelings Toward the Poor and Beliefs About the Causes of Poverty: The Role of Affective-Cognitive Consistency in Help-Giving

ABSTRACT This study examined how affective-cognitive consistency moderates the strength of the relationship between attitudes toward the poor and help-giving intentions. Participant's (N = 198) overall attitudes toward the poor and the consistency of their affect (feelings toward the poor) and cognition (beliefs about the causes of poverty) were measured. Affective-cognitive consistency moderated the degree to which attitudes predicted welfare allocations and volunteering to help the poor, such that attitudes significantly predicted these decisions among participants whose feelings toward the poor were consistent with their beliefs about the causes of poverty.
Decontamination methods for cytotoxic drugs. 1. Use of a bioluminescent technique to monitor the inactivation of methotrexate with chlorine–based agents

A new microbial bioluminescence assay has been used to monitor the loss of mutagenicity on inactivation of methotrexate by active chlorine–based agents. The drug was degraded to products that were non–active in this mutagen detection system, in agreement with previously described work. Presept granules appear to be a suitable alternative to sodium hypochlorite for inactivating solutions and surface spills of methotrexate. The bioluminescence assay appears to have potential for monitoring clean–up and decontamination procedures in areas where cytotoxic agents are used.
Torque speed characteristic of polyphase permanent magnet motors with one phase fault

This paper analyzes the effect of the phase number on the fault tolerance of polyphase motors when an inverter supplies a PM motor with current and voltage limitations. The behavior of the motor depends on machine impedances and it is not possible to neglect their effect for the estimation of the torque-speed characteristic. We present an optimization-based modeling method to analyze the torque-speed characteristic of several drive configurations and fault conditions. It is shown that higher number of phases increases the performance of the drive with one phase fault and decreases the overrating necessary for fault tolerance. The results show that the inverter voltage limitation reduces the system performance with one phase fault at high speed compared to previous simulation methods that neglect the voltage limitation.
Intrapulmonary pharmacokinetics of azithromycin in healthy volunteers given five oral doses

The intrapulmonary pharmacokinetics of oral azithromycin were studied in 25 healthy volunteers, each of whom received an initial dose of 500 mg and then 250 mg once daily for four additional doses. Bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage, and venipuncture were performed 4, 28, 76, 124, 172, 244, 340, and 508 h after the first dose was administered. Azithromycin concentrations in epithelial lining fluid (ELF), alveolar macrophages, peripheral blood monocytes, and serum were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Azithromycin was extensively concentrated in cells and ELF. Drug concentrations in AMs (peak mean +/- standard deviation, 464 +/- 65 micrograms/ml) exceeded 80 micrograms/ml up to 508 h (21 days) following the first dose, while concentrations in PBMs (peak, 124 +/- 28 micrograms/ml) exceeded 20 micrograms/ml up to 340 h (14 days). Azithromycin concentrations in ELF peaked at 124 h (3.12 +/- 0.93 micrograms/ml) and were detectable up to 172 h (7 days), when they were 20 times the concurrent serum concentrations. Although the clinical significance of antibiotic concentrations in these compartments is nuclear, the sustained lung tissue penetration and extensive phagocytic accumulation demonstrated in this study support the proven efficacy of azithromycin administered on a 5-day dosage schedule in the treatment of extracellular or intracellular pulmonary infections.
Star Formation Quenching in Quasar Host Galaxies

Galaxy evolution is likely to be shaped by negative feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN). In the whole range of redshifts and luminosities studied so far, galaxies hosting an AGN frequently show fast and extended outflows consisting in both ionised and molecular gas. Such outflows could potentially quench the start formation within the host galaxy, but a clear evidence of negative feedback in action is still missing. Hereby I will analyse integral-field spectroscopic data for six quasars at z ∼2.4 obtained with SINFONI in the H- and K-band. All the quasars show [OIII]λ5007 line detection of fast, extended outflows. Also, the high signal-to-noise SINFONI observations allow the identification of faint narrow Hα emission (FWHM < 500 km/s), which is spatially extended and associated with star formation in the host galaxy. On paper fast outflows are spatially anti-correlated with star-formation powered emission, i.e. star formation is suppressed in the area affected by the outflow. Nonetheless as narrow, spatially-extended Hα emission, indicating star formation rates of at least 50 - 100 M⊙/yr, has been detected, either AGN feedback is not affecting the whole host galaxy, or star formation is completely quenched only by several feedback episodes. On the other hand, a positive feedback scenario, supported by narrow emission in Hα extending along the edges of the outflow cone, suggests that galaxy-wide outflows could also have a twofold role in the evolution of the host galaxy. Finally, I will present CO(3-2) ALMA data for three out of the six QSOs observed with SINFONI. Flux maps obtained for the CO(3-2) transition suggest that molecular gas within the host galaxy is swept away by fast winds. A negative-feedback scenario is supported by the inferred molecular gas mass in all three objects, which is significantly below what observed in non-active main-sequence galaxies at high-z.
Perineal repair of pelvic fracture urethral distraction defects: experience in 120 patients during the last 10 years.

PURPOSE We report the long-term success of a 1-stage perineal anastomotic repair in patients with pelvic fracture urethral distraction defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis of 120 patients undergoing perineal bulboprostatic anastomotic repair of pelvic fracture urethral distraction defect in a single stage using our progressive approach between May 1991 and May 2001 was performed. Patients with posterior urethral stricture due to other etiologies, or those who underwent substitution urethroplasty or abdominoperineal repair were excluded from this review. Preoperative evaluation of the urethral defect included simultaneous retrograde urethrogram and voiding cystourethrogram. Postoperative retrograde urethrogram was performed at 3 weeks, 3 months, 12 to 18 months and as indicated thereafter. RESULTS Mean patient age was 32 (range 6 to 82) years. The estimated preoperative radiographic length of the distraction defect was 3.1 cm (range 0.5 to 10). Mean followup was 64 (range 9 to 128) months, mean hospital stay was 1.8 days and duration of urethral stenting was 3.4 weeks. Perineal anastomotic repair was successful in 103 of 109 (95%) adults, in 8 of 11 (73%) prepubescent boys and in 25 of 29 (86%) undergoing secondary repairs. All treatment failures were at the anastomosis and occurred within the first postoperative year. Successful management of failed repairs was accomplished endoscopically in 3 of 7 and by repeat perineal anastomotic repair in 2 of 2, resulting in a final success rate of 97% in adults, 91% in prepubescent boys and 97% in secondary repairs. CONCLUSIONS The overall success of our progressive 1-stage perineal anastomotic repair of pelvic fracture urethral distraction defect continues to be excellent with the majority of failures occurring in prepubescent boys and secondary repairs.
Short-term creatine supplementation does not alter the hormonal response to resistance training.

PURPOSE In this study, the effect of short-term creatine supplementation on the growth hormone, testosterone, and cortisol response to heavy resistance training was investigated. METHODS According to a double-blind crossover study design, 11 healthy young male volunteers underwent a 1-h standardized heavy resistance training session (3 series of 10RM; 12 exercises), both before (pretest) and after (posttest) 5 d of either placebo (P, maltodextrine) or creatine (CR; 20 g.d-1, 5 d) supplementation. A 5-wk washout period separated the treatments. Thirty minutes before each training session, CR subjects ingested 10 g of creatine monohydrate (CR) while P subjects received placebo. Venous blood was sampled before, immediately after, and 30 and 60 min after the training session. RESULTS The exercise-induced increase (P < 0.05) of serum growth hormone was not altered by acute creatine intake and was similar in P and CR. The weight training session, either or not in conjunction with acute or chronic creatine intake, did not significantly impact on serum testosterone. However, serum cortisol during recovery tended to be higher in CR than in P. CONCLUSION It is concluded that short-term creatine supplementation does not alter the responses of growth hormone, testosterone, and cortisol to a single bout of heavy resistance training.
Expression of intermediate filaments and other special markers by testicular germ cell tumors. With reference to embryogenesis.

Distribution of intermediate filament proteins (IFs) and several special markers was studied in 39 testicular germ cell tumors and 8 embryos and foetuses. The similarity and difference between development of germ cell tumor and embryogenesis were immunohistochemically investigated. Seminoma and embryonal carcinoma, as tumoral counterparts of undifferentiated germ cells, were characterized by little IF expression. This study revealed that the maturing and differentiating process in germ cell tumor is different from normal embryonal development and the tumor cells showed leaping maturing steps in tumorigenesis. Immunostaining for IFs helped to discover the further differentiation occurring in embryonal carcinoma and to demonstrate heterogeneous elements in non-seminoma germ cell tumors, which sometimes might not be apparent by light microscopical observation of H&E staining section. According to the findings, two patterns in mixed germ cell tumors are suggested; i.e., combined and diffuse types. The mechanism of tumorigenesis of the two types is supposed to be different. Clinically, the prognosis of most patients with testicular germ cell tumor is fairly good because of the improved chemotherapies that are dependent on histological diagnosis.
Nicotine concentrations in electronic cigarette refill and do-it-yourself fluids.

INTRODUCTION We evaluated the accuracy of nicotine concentration labeling on electronic cigarette refill products. METHODS The nicotine concentration of 71 electronic cigarette refill fluid products and 1 related do-it-yourself (DIY) product was quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography. Quantified data were compared with manufacturers labeled concentrations. Duplicate refill fluid products purchased at different times were evaluated by visual comparison of fluid coloration and quantified nicotine concentration. RESULTS Thirty-five of the 54 nicotine-containing fluids had quantified nicotine concentrations that deviated by more than ± 10% from the manufacturer labels, with 46 of 50 being in excess of labeled values. Refill fluids labeled as 0 nicotine had no detectable nicotine. Of the 5 products that were unlabeled for nicotine concentration, 3 contained no detectable nicotine, whereas the remaining 2 contained nicotine in excess of 100mg/ml and may have been intended for DIY use. Sixteen of the 18 duplicate bottles of refill fluid varied greatly in their nicotine concentrations. One of the 5 companies showed significant improvement in labeling accuracy among the most recently purchased products. Of the 23 total duplicate pairs, 15 of 23 varied in coloration from their mates. CONCLUSIONS Nicotine concentration labeling on electronic cigarette refill products was often inaccurate but showed improvement recently in products from 1 company. To ensure the safety of refill fluids and DIY products, it is necessary to establish quality control guidelines for the manufacturing and labeling and to monitor products longitudinally.
Risk factors for venous thromboembolic events in cancer patients.

BACKGROUND Cancer patients of the Department of Internal Medicine (Cancer Research) of the Essen University Medical School (Tumor Clinics), Germany, were examined and questioned with the aim of identifying those who run a high risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). PATIENTS AND METHODS Between September 2002 and April 2003, cancer therapy and DVT risk factors of 507 cancer patients (53% males, 47% females, mean age 56+/-12 years) were documented. During a mean follow-up of 8+/-5 months, 60 patients (12%) suffered from new venous thromboembolic events (VTE): 28 at the lower limb, 25 at the upper limb and 13 pulmonary embolisms. RESULTS The following factors were considered as predictive for an increased VTE risk: inpatient treatment (P<0.0001), prior DVT in medical history (P=0.0275), DVT in family (P=0.0598), chemotherapy (P=0.0080), fever (P=0.0093) and CRP (P<0.001). After combining factors in one variable (number of factors) the predicted VTE risk increased with the number of factors in both outpatients (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.18-2.88, P=0.0071) and inpatients (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.63-3.36, P<or=0.0001). In the absence of all these factors the predicted VTE risk was 2.3%, increasing to 72% if all were present. CONCLUSIONS In cancer patients the risk of VTE steadily increases with the number of risk factors, and identification of patients at high risk is possible.