Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High Prevalence of Aortic Valve Alterations in Haemodialysis Patients Is Associated with Signs of Chronic Inflammation

Aims: Cardiovascular morbidity is high in chronic haemodialysis patients. Previous studies showed a relation between uraemia-associated inflammation and cardiovascular mortality. This study intends to relate chronic inflammation to ultrasonographic markers of atherosclerotic cardiac or vascular alterations. Methods: Complete echocardiographic status and sonography of the common carotid arteries with measurement of intima media thickness (IMT) was performed in 55 stable chronic haemodialysis patients and 15 patients with arterial hypertension and normal renal function (controls). C-reactive protein (CRP) was determined monthly. The number of cardiovascular events after initiation of haemodialysis treatment was recorded by analysis of the patient’s files. Results: Aortic valve sclerosis was found in 19 dialysis patients (34%) and 1 control (6%), haemodynamically relevant stenosis in additional 14 patients (25%) and 1 control. Carotid IMT thickening was frequent in both dialysis patients (38%) and controls (20%). Aortic stenosis was associated with chronically elevated CRP levels while aortic sclerosis and thickening of the carotid wall were not. Eleven patients had cardiovascular events in their history, tightly associated with chronically elevated CRP levels. Conclusions: Chronic inflammation in dialysis patients is associated with aortic valve stenosis and high prevalence of cardiovascular events but not with thickening of the carotid wall. This suggests pathogenetic differences between destructive vascular disease and arterial wall thickening.
Credit Default Swaps and Firm Value

Credit default swaps (CDSs) may have real effects on the underlying firms when markets are incomplete. For instance, they may increase firm value by reducing supply-side credit constraints or decrease firm value by introducing inefficiencies in resolving financial distress. I find that the initiation of CDS trading is associated with lower firm valuations. The effect is stronger in active CDS markets, for riskier firms, and during periods of low counterparty risk. Consistent with a risk-based explanation, systematic risk of equity and stock returns increase following CDS initiation. I address endogeneity concerns using standard econometric methods and a quasi-natural experiment.
Towards Understanding the Free and Receptor Bound Conformation of Neuropeptide Y by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Studies

Despite a considerable sequence identity of the three mammalian hormones of the neuropeptide Y family, namely neuropeptide Y, peptide YY and pancreatic polypeptide, their structure in solution is described to be different. A so‐called pancreatic polypeptide‐fold has been identified for pancreatic polypeptide, whereas the structure of the N‐terminal segment of neuropeptide Y is unknown. This element is important for the binding of neuropeptide Y to two of its relevant receptors, Y1 and Y5, but not to the Y2 receptor subtype. In this study now, three doubly fluorescent‐labeled analogs of neuropeptide Y have been synthesized that still bind to the Y5 receptor with high affinity to investigate the conformation in solution and, for the first time, to probe the conformational changes upon binding of the ligand to its receptor in cell membrane preparations. The results obtained from the fluorescence resonance energy transfer investigations clearly show considerable differences in transfer efficiency that depend both on the solvent as well as on the peptide concentration. However, the studies do not support a pancreatic polypeptide‐like folding of neuropeptide Y in the presence of membranes that express the human Y5 receptor subtype.
Sliding Perturbation Observer Based Reaction Force Estimation Method of Surgical Robot Instrument for Haptic Realization

Previous research applied sliding mode control with a sliding perturbation observer (SMCSPO) algorithm as a robust controller to control a surgical robotic instrument and reported that reaction force loaded on the tip can be estimated similarly by the sliding perturbation observer (SPO). However, some factors, such as friction, in which it is difficult to find the model parameters beforehand, can have an effect on the reaction force estimation because the factors are included in the estimated perturbation. This paper addresses the SPO based reaction force estimation method to extract a pure reaction force on a surgical robot instrument in the case of including Coulomb friction due to the operation of cable-pulley structure. Coulomb friction can be estimated experimentally and compensated for from the estimated perturbation. An experimental evaluation was performed to prove the suggested estimation method. The results show that SPO can be substituted for sensors to measure the reaction force. This estimated reaction force will be used to realize the haptic function by sending the reaction force to a master device for a surgeon. The results will help to create surgical benefit such as shortening the practice time of a surgeon and providing haptic information to the surgeon by using it as haptic signal to protect an organ by forming a force boundary.
Reported symptoms, diagnostic delay and stage of colorectal cancer: a population‐based study in Denmark

Objective The primary prognostic factor for colorectal cancer (CRC) is stage. Any association between symptoms, diagnostic delay and stage may have implications for the clinical course of the disease. We examined the association between symptoms and diagnostic delay and between symptoms and stage, and assessed whether the associations differed for colon cancer (CC) and rectal cancer (RC).
Oncogenic Viral Prevalence in Invasive Vulvar Cancer Specimens From Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Positive and -Negative Women in Botswana

Objective The primary aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of select oncogenic viruses within vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) and their association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status in women in Botswana, where the national HIV prevalence is the third highest in the world. Methods A cross-sectional study of biopsy-confirmed VSCC specimens and corresponding clinical data was conducted in Gaborone, Botswana. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) viral testing were done for Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus (HPV) strains, and Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus, and PCR viral testing alone was done for John Cunningham virus. Results Human papillomavirus prevalence by PCR was 100% (35/35) among tested samples. Human papillomavirus type 16 was the most prevalent HPV strain (82.9% by PCR, 94.7% by either PCR or IHC). Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus prevalence by PCR had a significant association with HIV status (P = 0.013), but not by IHC (P = 0.650). Conclusions The high burden of HPV, specifically HPV16, in vulvar squamous cell cancer in Botswana suggests a distinct HPV profile that differs from other studied populations, which provides increased motivation for HPV vaccination efforts. Oncogenic viruses Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus and Epstein-Barr virus were also more prevalent in our study population, although their potential role in vulvar squamous cell cancer pathology is unclear.
Sustained-Release Alfuzosin, Finasteride and the Combination of Both in the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Objectives: To assess the additive benefit of combining an α1-blocker and a 5α-reductase inhibitor. Methods: This European, randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial involved 1.051 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Patients received sustained release (SR) alfuzosin (n = 358), a selective α1-blocker given at a dose of 5 mg twice daily without dose titration; finasteride (n = 344), 5 mg once daily, or both drugs (n = 349), for 6 months. Primary efficacy criteria were symptomatic improvement (International Prostate Symptom Score: I-PSS) and maximum flow rate (Qmax). Safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events. Results: Symptomatic improvement was significantly higher from the 1st month of treatment with SR alfuzosin, alone or in combination; mean changes in I-PSS versus baseline at end-point were –6.3 and –6.1, respectively, compared with –5.2 with finasteride alone (SR alfuzosin vs. finasteride, p = 0.01; combination vs. finasteride, p = 0.03). The percentages of patients with a decrease in I-PSS of at least 50% were 43, 42 and 33% for SR alfuzosin, the combination and finasteride, respectively (SR alfuzosin vs. finasteride, p = 0.008; combination vs. finasteride, p = 0.009). In the overall population, increases in Qmax were greater with SR alfuzosin and the combination, compared with finasteride alone after 1 month of therapy, but changes at end-point were similar in the three treatment groups. In those 47% of patients likely to be obstructed (baseline Qmax <10 ml/s), however, mean increases in Qmax were significantly higher with SR alfuzosin, alone or in combination, whatever the visit. Finasteride, alone or in combination, significantly impaired sexual function. The incidence of postural symptoms was low and similar in the three treatment groups. Conclusion: In this 6-month trial, SR alfuzosin was more effective than finasteride, with no additional benefit in combining both drugs.
Applying the principles of inclusive pedagogy in initial teacher education: from university based course to classroom action

This paper describes how the key concepts of inclusive pedagogy have been embedded in a one-year initial teacher education course, the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. It discusses how beginning teachers who have completed the PGDE but now work in different contexts are using the concept of inclusive pedagogy in their classrooms.
Characterization of Neutralizing Antibodies and Identification of Neutralizing Epitope Mimics on the Clostridium botulinum Neurotoxin Type A

ABSTRACT Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin type A (BTx-A) is known to inhibit the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junctions and synapses and to cause neuroparalysis and death. In this study, we have identified two monoclonal antibodies, BT57-1 and BT150-3, which protect ICR mice against lethal doses of BTx-A challenge. The neutralizing activities for BT57-1 and BT150-3 were 103 and 104 times the 50% lethal dose, respectively. Using immunoblotting analysis, BT57-1 was recognized as a light chain and BT150-3 was recognized as a heavy chain of BTx-A. Also, applying the phage display method, we investigated the antibodies' neutralizing B-cell epitopes. These immunopositive phage clones displayed consensus motifs, Asp-Pro-Leu for BT57-1 and Cys-X-Asp-Cys for BT150. The synthetic peptide P4M (KGTFDPLQEPRT) corresponded to the phage-displayed peptide selected by BT57-1 and was able to bind the antibodies specifically. This peptide was also shown by competitive inhibition assay to be able to inhibit phage clone binding to BT57-1. Aspartic acid (D5) in P4M was crucial to the binding of P4M to BT57-1, since its binding activity dramatically decreased when it was changed to lysine (K5). Finally, immunizing mice with the selected phage clones elicited a specific humoral response against BTx-A. These results suggest that phage-displayed random-peptide libraries are useful in identifying the neutralizing epitopes of monoclonal antibodies. In the future, the identification of the neutralizing epitopes of BTx-A may provide important information for the identification of the BTx-A receptor and the design of a BTx-A vaccine.
Deepening the Theoretical Foundations of Patient Simulation as Social Practice

Simulation is a complex social endeavor, in which human beings interact with each other, a simulator, and other technical devices. The goal-oriented use for education, training, and research depends on an improved conceptual clarity about simulation realism and related terms. The article introduces concepts into medical simulation that help to clarify potential problems during simulation and foster its goal-oriented use. The three modes of thinking about reality by Uwe Laucken help in differentiating different aspects of simulation realism (physical, semantical, phenomenal). Erving Goffman's concepts of primary frames and modulations allow for analyzing relationships between clinical cases and simulation scenarios. The as-if concept by Hans Vaihinger further qualifies the differences between both clinical and simulators settings and what is important when helping participants engage in simulation. These concepts help to take the social character of simulation into account when designing and conducting scenarios. The concepts allow for improved matching of simulation realism with desired outcomes. It is not uniformly the case that more (physical) realism means better attainment of educational goals. Although the article concentrates on mannequin-based simulations that try to recreate clinical cases to address issues of crisis resource management, the concepts also apply or can be adapted to other forms of immersive or simulation techniques.
Methodological Research for a European Survey of Long-Distance Travel

Long-distance travel has in comparison with its share of trip making (1% of all trips) a disproportionate impact in terms of miles traveled, costs and subjective importance. The lack of a reliable and compatible public data base for this type of travel at the European level has held back policy making in a number of areas: development of the Transeuropean Networks, airport investment and regulation/deregulation of railroads and airlines. The paper concentrates on two areas: examples from current long-distance travel surveys in the member states of the European Union (EU) and a discussion of the results of some recent methodological research on surveys of long-distance travel funded by the European Commission. A variety of recent national travel surveys (e.g., Austria, France, Sweden, Denmark and United Kingdom) have included long-distance travel, either in their regular questioning or in specialized extensions to the main survey. The paper describes the methodologies used and presents some key results in terms of amount of travel, modes used and distances covered. The large differences in the survey methodologies applied and the resulting difficulties in collating the results into a coherent European whole have convinced the European Commission to support research into the development of a uniform survey methodology for long-distance travel, in the first instance. Two major activities were undertaken: a series of surveys undertaken by national statistical agencies and a pair of substantial research projects within the 4th Framework Research Programme. The paper describes the research undertaken in both streams of work and discusses important substantive and methodological results. The final section of the paper presents the current state of discussion about a possible EU-wide survey of long-distance travel behavior.
Adolescent women can perform a point-of-care test for trichomoniasis as accurately as clinicians

Objectives To compare the accuracy (ie, correlation, sensitivity, specificity) of self-performed point-of-care (POC) tests with clinician-performed tests for trichomoniasis in adolescent women. Methods Sexually experienced women aged 14–22 years (n=209) collected a vaginal swab and performed a POC test for trichomoniasis. Using a speculum, the clinician obtained vaginal swabs that were tested for trichomoniasis using the POC test, wet mount, culture and transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) using standard and alternative primers. Self and clinician results were compared with true positives, defined as either culture-positive or TMA-positive with both sets of primers. Results Participants' mean age was 17.8 years; 87% were African-American; 74% reported vaginal itching or discharge and 51 (24%) had trichomoniasis. Over 99% correctly performed and interpreted her self-test. Self and clinician POC tests were highly correlated (95.7% agreement, κ 0.87). Compared with true positives, the sensitivity of the self-POC test was 78% (CI 65% to 89%), similar to that of the clinician-POC test (84%, CI 71% to 93%) and culture (82%, CI 69% to 92%), and significantly better than wet mount (39%, CI 26% to 54%). The specificity of the self-POC test was 99% (CI 96% to 100%), similar to that of the clinician-POC test (100%, CI 98% to 100%). The sensitivity of the self-POC test was not affected by vaginal symptoms or other variables. Conclusions Young women performing a self-POC test detected as many trichomoniasis infections as clinician-POC tests or culture, twice as many as wet mount and slightly fewer than an amplified test. Incorporating self-obtained or self-performed POC tests into routine practice could effectively increase the identification and treatment of trichomoniasis in this vulnerable population.
Synergistic antitumor activity of combination chemotherapy with mitomycin C and cisplatin against human gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice

A new combined cancer chemotherapy regimen of mitomycin C (MMC) and cisplatin (DDP) showed synergistic antitumor activity against human gastric cancer xenografts St‐40 and SC‐1‐NU in BALB/c nu/nu mice. The drugs were administered intraperitoneally at doses of 2 or 4 mg/kg for MMC and 3 or 6 mg/kg for DDP, respectively. To clarify the schedule‐dependent antitumor activity of MMC and DDP against St‐40 and SC‐1‐NU, different sequential therapies were conducted. Simultaneous administration of these agents showed the highest antitumor activity against SC1‐NU among the three regimens used, whereas the sequence of MMC followed by DDP showed higher antitumor activity than the reverse sequence against St‐40. The intratumoral concentration of platinum was significantly increased in St‐40 treated with the sequence MMC to DDP, in comparison with the sequence DDP to MMC. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of this combination was 4 mg MMC plus 6 mg DDP per kg in all the combinations, and these MTDs were 2/3 of the corresponding values for their single use. Since this combination increased the antitumor activity of each single agent without any increase in their toxicity, it would appear to be useful clinically. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Trait-based diversification shifts reflect differential extinction among fossil taxa

Significance Shifts in biological diversity often are associated with particular anatomical traits. Anatomical data from over 300 clades of brachiopods, molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms, and chordates show that trait-based diversification shifts are common at even fairly low (genus and species) taxonomic levels. Cambrian taxa present the lone major exception. Among post-Cambrian taxa, diversification shifts correlate strongly with elevated net extinction of primitive taxa rather than elevated net speciation of derived taxa or increased morphological disparity among derived taxa. This finding emphasizes the importance of extinction in shaping morphological and phylogenetic diversity among closely related species and genera as well as suggests another way in which Cambrian evolution was unique. Evolution provides many cases of apparent shifts in diversification associated with particular anatomical traits. Three general models connect these patterns to anatomical evolution: (i) elevated net extinction of taxa bearing particular traits, (ii) elevated net speciation of taxa bearing particular traits, and (iii) elevated evolvability expanding the range of anatomies available to some species. Trait-based diversification shifts predict elevated hierarchical stratigraphic compatibility (i.e., primitive→derived→highly derived sequences) among pairs of anatomical characters. The three specific models further predict (i) early loss of diversity for taxa retaining primitive conditions (elevated net extinction), (ii) increased diversification among later members of a clade (elevated net speciation), and (iii) increased disparity among later members in a clade (elevated evolvability). Analyses of 319 anatomical and stratigraphic datasets for fossil species and genera show that hierarchical stratigraphic compatibility exceeds the expectations of trait-independent diversification in the vast majority of cases, which was expected if trait-dependent diversification shifts are common. Excess hierarchical stratigraphic compatibility correlates with early loss of diversity for groups retaining primitive conditions rather than delayed bursts of diversity or disparity across entire clades. Cambrian clades (predominantly trilobites) alone fit null expectations well. However, it is not clear whether evolution was unusual among Cambrian taxa or only early trilobites. At least among post-Cambrian taxa, these results implicate models, such as competition and extinction selectivity/resistance, as major drivers of trait-based diversification shifts at the species and genus levels while contradicting the predictions of elevated net speciation and elevated evolvability models.
THE INTERNET AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION: BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES

Over the past few years, the Internet has emerged as a prominent new technology. The influence of such a powerful technological tool has pervaded all aspects of the educational, business, and economic sectors of our world. Regardless of one's familiarity with the Internet, it is repeatedly made reference to. News broadcasters and commercials, for example, will now provide web addresses, and even the recent movie, "The Net" was sparked by the impact of this new technology (Mike, 1996). Regardless of whether one uses the Internet or not, one must be clear about the fact that the we have entered a new information age and the Internet is here to stay.
Electrophysiological and morphological characteristics of GABAergic respiratory neurons in the mouse pre‐Bötzinger complex

The characteristics of GABAergic neurons involved in respiratory control have not been fully understood because identification of GABAergic neurons has so far been difficult in living tissues. In the present in vitro study, we succeeded in analysing the electrophysiological as well as morphological characteristics of GABAergic neurons in the pre‐Bötzinger complex. We used 67‐kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase‐green fluorescence protein (GAD67‐GFP) (Δneo) knock‐in (GAD67GFP/+) mice, which enabled us to identify GABAergic neurons in living tissues. We prepared medullary transverse slices that contained the pre‐Bötzinger complex from these neonatal mice. The fluorescence intensity of the pre‐Bötzinger complex region was relatively high among areas of the ventral medulla. Activities of GFP‐positive neurons in the pre‐Bötzinger complex were recorded in a perforated whole‐cell patch‐clamp mode. Six of 32 GFP‐positive neurons were respiratory and the remaining 26 neurons were non‐respiratory; the respiratory neurons were exclusively inspiratory, receiving excitatory post‐synaptic potentials during the inspiratory phase. In addition, six inspiratory and one expiratory neuron of 30 GFP‐negative neurons were recorded in the pre‐Bötzinger complex. GFP‐positive inspiratory neurons showed high membrane resistance and mild adaptation of spike frequency in response to depolarizing current pulses. GFP‐positive inspiratory neurons had bipolar, triangular or crescent‐shaped somata and GFP‐negative inspiratory neurons had multipolar‐shaped somata. The somata of GFP‐positive inspiratory neurons were smaller than those of GFP‐negative inspiratory neurons. We suggest that GABAergic inhibition not by expiratory neurons but by inspiratory neurons that have particular electrophysiological and morphological properties is involved in the respiratory neuronal network of the pre‐Bötzinger complex.