Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inapparent congenital cytomegalovirus infection. A follow-up study.

Abstract A follow-up study on 15 children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection was undertaken to assess physical and mental development in their first four years of life. Infection was inapparent at birth in all children except one. Assessment included a complete physical examination, psychologic testing and virologic studies. None of the children who appeared normal at birth and at one year manifested any late sequelae at four years of age. The mean IQ of the infected children was 85.2, whereas that of the eight controls was 86.5. Eleven of the 15 children (73 per cent) were excreting virus; nine of these had detectable cytomegalovirus complement-fixing antibody. All seven males tested had viruria, as compared to four out of eight females (p<0.05). Complement-fixation titers in virus-negative children were not significantly different from titers in virus-positive children. (N Engl J Med 288:1370–1372, 1973)
Cosmic evolution of the atomic and molecular gas contents of galaxies

We study the evolution of the cold gas content of galaxies by splitting the interstellar medium into its atomic and molecular hydrogen components, using the galaxy formation model galform in the Λ cold dark matter framework. We calculate the molecular-to-atomic hydrogen mass ratio, H_(2)/H i, in each galaxy using two different approaches, the pressure-based empirical relation of Blitz & Rosolowsky and the theoretical model of Krumholz, McKeee & Tumlinson, and apply them to consistently calculate the star formation rates of galaxies. We find that the model based on the Blitz & Rosolowsky law predicts an H i mass function, ^(12)CO (1–0) luminosity function, correlations between H_(2)/H i and stellar and cold gas mass, and infrared–^(12)CO molecule luminosity relation in good agreement with local and high-redshift observations. The H i mass function evolves weakly with redshift, with the number density of high-mass galaxies decreasing with increasing redshift. In the case of the H_2 mass function, the number density of massive galaxies increases strongly from z= 0 to 2, followed by weak evolution up to z= 4. We also find that H_(2)/H i of galaxies is strongly dependent on stellar and cold gas mass, and also on redshift. The slopes of the correlations between H_(2)/H i and stellar and cold gas mass hardly evolve, but the normalization increases by up to two orders of magnitude from z= 0 to 8. The strong evolution in the H_2 mass function and H_(2)/H i is primarily due to the evolution in the sizes of galaxies and, secondarily, in the gas fractions. The predicted cosmic density evolution of H i agrees with the observed evolution inferred from damped Lyα systems, and is always dominated by the H i content of low- and intermediate-mass haloes. We find that previous theoretical studies have largely overestimated the redshift evolution of the global H_(2)/H i due to limited resolution. We predict a maximum of ρH_2/ρH i ≈ 1.2 at z≈ 3.5.
Glutamine Enhances Selectivity of Chemotherapy Through Changes in Glutathione Metabolism

ObjectiveChemotherapy doses are limited by toxicity to normal tissues. Intravenous glutamine protects liver cells from oxidant injury by increasing intracellular glutathione (GSH) content. The authors hypothesized that supplemental oral glutamine (GLN) would increase the therapeutic index of methotrexate (MTX) by improving host tolerance through changes in glutathione metabolism. The authors examined the effects of oral glutamine on tumor and host glutathione metabolism and response to methotrexate. MethodsThirty-six 300-g Fischer 344 rats were implanted with fibrosarcomas. On day 21 after implantation, rats were randomized to receive isonitrogenous isocaloric diets containing 1 g/kg/day glutamine or glycine (GLY) by gavage. On day 23 after 2 days of prefeeding, rats were randomized to one of the following four groups receiving an intraperitoneal injection of methotrexate (20 mg/kg) or saline (CON): GLN + MTX, GLY + MTX, GLN-CON, or GLY-CON. On day 24, rats were killed and studied for arterial glutamine concentration, tumor volume, tumor, kidney and gut glutaminase activity, and glutathione content (tumor, gut, heart, liver, muscle, kidney, and lung). ResultsProvision of the glutamine-enriched diets to rats receiving MTX decreased tumor glutathione (2.38 ± 0.17 in GLN + MTX vs. 2.92 ± 0.20 in GLY + MTX, p < 0.05), whereas increasing or maintaining host glutathione stores (in gut, 2.60 ± 0.28 in GLN + MTX vs. 1.93 ± 0.18; in GLY + MTX, p < 0.05). Depressed glutathione levels in tumor cells increases susceptibility to chemotherapy. Significantly decreased glutathione content in tumor cells in the GLN + MTX group correlated with enhanced tumor volume loss (–0.8 ± 1.0 mL in GLN + MTX vs. +9.5 ± 2.0 mL in GLY + MTX, p < 0.05). ConclusionThese data suggest that oral glutamine supplementation will enhance the selectivity of antitumor drugs by protecting normal tissues from and possibly sensitizing tumor cells to chemotherapy treatment-related injury.
Comparison of BCG, PCG and ECG signals in application of heart rate monitoring of the human body

The aim of this article is evaluation and comparison of three different signals from three different sensors in application of monitoring the Heart Rate (HR) of the human body. Authors assembled two different types of fiber optic sensors. The first type of sensor uses Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) and monitoring of heart rate is based on Ballistocardiography (BCG) principle. The second type of sensor utilizes fiber interferometer and monitoring of heart rate is based on Phonocardiography (PCG). Evaluation of signal from the first two types of sensors was acquired by proposed Optical Interrogators. In case of third type (reference signal), heart rate signal was acquired with the use of standard gel electrodes and modules fixed to the monitored person's chest using a real-time monitoring system for an Electrocardiography (ECG) with virtual instrumentation (National Instruments ELVIS II). The experimental tests were carried out on six subjects of both sexes in a laboratory conditions with their written consent. The obtained data were compared objectively by the Bland-Altman method.
Quantitative analyses of cellularity and proliferative activity reveals the dynamics of the central canal lining during postnatal development of the rat

According to previous opinion, the derivation of neurons and glia from the central canal (CC) lining of the spinal cord in rodents should occur in the embryonic period. Reports of the mitotic activity observed in the lining during postnatal development have often been contradictory, and proliferation was ascribed to the generation of ependymocytes, which are necessary for the elongation of CC walls. Our study quantifies the intensity of proliferation and determines the cellularity of the CC lining in reference to lumbar spinal segment L4 during the postnatal development of rats. The presence of dividing cells peaks in the CC lining on postnatal day 8 (P8), with division occurring in 19.2% ± 3.2% of cells. In adult rats, 3.6% ± 0.9% of cells still proliferate, whereas, in mice, 10.3% ± 2.3% of cells at P8 and only 0.6% ± 0.2% of cells in the CC lining in adulthood are proliferating. In the rat, the length of the cell cycle increases from 100.3 ± 35.7 hours at P1 to 401.4 ± 80.6 hours at P43, with a sudden extension between P15 and P22. Despite the intensive proliferation, the total cellularity of the CC lining at the L4 spinal segment significantly descended in from P8 to P15. According to our calculations, the estimated cellularity was significantly higher compared with the measured cellularity of the CC lining at P15. Our results indicate that CC lining serves as a source of cells beyond ependymal cells during the first postnatal weeks of the rat. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:693–707, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cervical length measurement and cervical phosphorylated insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐1 testing in prediction of preterm birth in patients reporting uterine contractions

Objectives. To evaluate the performance of cervical phosphorylated insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐1 (phIGFBP‐1) testing and cervical length measurement separately and in combination with physician's clinical judgment in prediction of preterm birth among patients with self‐reported uterine contractions and intact membranes. Design. We enrolled a total of 246 women between 22 and 34 weeks of gestation. Methods. The initial evaluation included cervical length measurement using transvaginal ultrasonography. Short cervix was defined as <25 mm. A swab sample was obtained from the cervix for phIGFBP‐1. Admission was used as a clinical marker of an increased risk of preterm delivery ≤34 weeks. The diagnostic performances of the tests and clinician's judgment, as well as likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated. Main outcome measures. Delivery ≤34 weeks and within 14 days. Results. The overall rate of spontaneous preterm delivery ≤34 weeks was 4.1% (10/246). Short cervix, positive phIGFBP‐1 test, combination of both, and clinician's judgment were all associated with preterm delivery ≤34 weeks or within 14 days (p<0.01). The negative predictive values for delivery ≤34 weeks were 97.4, 97.6, 97.1, and 98.7%, respectively, and within 14 days 98.7, 99.0, 98.3, and 99.6%, respectively. The corresponding positive LRs for delivery ≤34 weeks were 6.8, 3.8, 75.0, 14.9, and within 14 days 9.7, 5.5, 107.3, 17.1. The negative LRs were 0.6, 0.6, 0.7, 0.3 and 0.5, 0.3, 0.6, 0.2. Conclusion. The rapid phIGFBP‐1‐test has a high negative predictive value for preterm delivery, comparable to that of ultrasonographic cervical length measurement.
The combination of pH monitoring in the most distal esophagus and symptom association analysis markedly improves the clinical value of esophageal pH tests

Abstract Objective: The poor sensitivity of esophageal pH monitoring substantially limits the clinical value of the test. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of esophageal pH monitoring and symptom association analysis performed at the conventional level with that obtained in the most distal esophagus. Material and methods: Eighty-two patients with typical reflux symptoms and 49 asymptomatic subjects underwent dual 48-h pH monitoring with the electrodes positioned immediately above, and 6 cm above the squamo-columnar junction (SCJ). The degree of esophageal acid exposure and the temporal relationship between reflux events and symptoms were evaluated. Results: The sensitivity of pH recording and the diagnostic yield of Symptom Association Probability (SAP) were significantly higher for pH monitoring performed at the distal compared with the conventional level (82% versus 65%, p<0.001 and 74% versus 62%, p<0.001, respectively). The greatest improvement was observed in patients with non-erosive disease. In this group, the sensitivity increased from 46% at the standard level to 66% immediately above the SCJ, and with the combination of a positive SAP as a marker for a positive pH test, the diagnostic yield further increased to 94%. Conclusion: The diagnostic accuracy of esophageal pH monitoring in the most distal esophagus is superior to that performed at the conventional level and it is further improved with the combination of symptom association analysis. PH monitoring with the pH electrode positioned immediately above the SCJ should be introduced in clinical practice and always combined with symptom association analysis.
The epidemiology of systolic blood pressure and death risk in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND This study compares the associations of predialysis systolic blood pressure (SBP) with mortality risk in both incident and prevalent hemodialysis (HD) cohorts by using both conventional and time-varying Cox analyses, thus addressing limitations of prior studies. METHODS A total of 56,338 incident patients starting HD therapy during 1997 to 2001 and 69,590 prevalent HD patients on January 1, 2002, were grouped into the following categories: (1) SBP less than 120 mm Hg, (2) 120 < or = SBP < 140 mm Hg, (3) 140 < or = SBP < 160 mm Hg, (4) 160 < or = SBP < 180 mm Hg, (5) 180 < or = SBP < 200 mm Hg, and (6) SBP of 200 mm Hg or greater. Conventional and time-varying models evaluated 1-year and 3-year (incident patients only) survival. RESULTS Nine percent and 26.0% of incident patients and 5.7% and 20.1% of prevalent patients were in categories 1 and 2, respectively. Their associated 1-year hazard ratios (HRs) were 2.63 to 3.68 and 1.57 to 1.68 compared with category 4, the reference group. HRs for categories 3, 5, and 6 were not different from category 4. Time-varying models magnified category 1 and 2 HRs to 5.54 to 7.42 and 1.92 to 2.21, such that 25% to 35% of patients in the target SBP range (< 140 mm Hg) had the greatest risk. A "reversed J-shaped" risk profile emerged in the time-varying models, with very high SBP (category 6) associated with HRs of 1.52 to 1.55, but only 1% of patients were in category 6. Three-year outcomes were similar. CONCLUSION Epidemiological characteristics of predialysis SBP consistently differ from those in the general population despite different analytic perspectives. The data suggest a need for greater investigative, diagnostic, and therapeutic focus on HD patients with normal and prehypertensive blood pressure ranges.
Development of an instrument to measure Beck's cognitive triad: the Cognitive Triad Inventory.

Un instrument (le Cognitive Triad Inventory) a ete elabore pour mesurer la triade cognitive conceptualisee par Beck pour etre une importante variable des etats depressifs. La fiabilite et la validite ont ete testees sur un echantillon de 26 patients deprimes, et retestes sur 28 patients. On a compare les mesures avec les scores aux tests suivants: Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale et Hopelessness Scale
Role of Community in Swachh Bharat Mission. Their Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Sanitary Latrine Usage in Rural Areas, Tamil Nadu

Background: In most developing countries, open defecation is the 'way of life'. This practice is considered as the most serious health and environmental hazard. Prime Minister of India launched the “Swachh Bharat Mission” to accelerate the efforts for achieving universal sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation. Objective: To find the knowledge, attitude and practices of sanitary latrines usage in rural area, Tamil Nadu. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted among rural population in Kuthambakkam village, Tamil Nadu. There were a total of 1175 households in Kuthambakkam village. These households were serially numbered and of these a sample of 275 households were selected for the study using simple random sampling technique by lottery method. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information regarding the background characteristics, their knowledge, attitude and practices towards sanitary latrines usage. Descriptive statistics were calculated for background variables, the prevalence of sanitary latrines usage and open air defecation. Association between factors responsible for open air defecation was found by using chi square test. Results: The prevalence of usage of household sanitary latrine and community latrines was 62.5% and 4.3% respectively. The prevalence of open air defecation among the study participants was 33.1%. Significant association was found between low standard of living and open air defecation practice. Conclusions: To solve the problem of underutilization of sanitary latrines, planning and conducting Information Education Communication activities is very essential. Effective political and administrative support is needed to scale up the sanitation program.
Functional Status Improvement in the Elderly Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

This study assessed functional status changes among elderly persons (aged 65+) during the first 2 years following an elective coronary artery bypass graft. Physical functional status increased 39.1% from baseline to 1 year and 2.1% from 1 to 2 years. Role functioning increased 42.7% at 1 year and slightly decreased by 2.1% from 1 to 2 years postsurgery. From baseline to 1 year, female patients nearly doubled the percent gain of men for both Physical Function (+59.3% vs +33.9%, respectively) and Role Function (+62.0% vs +37.8%, respectively). Physical Function scores continued to increase from 1 to 2 years for women (+9.5%) compared to men (+0.7%). These findings suggest that elderly persons can expect postsurgical functional status to increase steadily during the first 2 years after surgery.
Variety In, Variety Out: Imported Input and Product Scope Expansion in India

This chapter discusses and extends the findings of recent research which examines the role of imported inputs in fostering domestic product growth in India. India’s trade liberalization during the 1990s resulted in substantial increases in the volume and variety of imported inputs. This period also witnessed an expansion of product lines by Indian firms. We explore the causal relationship between increased access to imported inputs through lower input tariffs and the subsequent increase in firms’ product mix. Our analysis suggests that lower input tariffs accounted for at least 8 percent of overall manufacturing growth. We examine firm‐level imported input use in detail, and explore heterogeneity of the impact across industries and states, as well as examine the robustness to other policy reforms implemented during this period.
Cilnidipine is a novel slow-acting blocker of vascular L-type calcium channels that does not target protein kinase C

Cilnidipine is a novel dihydropyridine (DHP) antagonist. However, its pharmacological effects on vascular DHP-sensitive L-type channels and protein kinase C (PKC)-mediated arterial contraction is incompletely understood. To address this issue, we studied the effects of cilnidipine on multi-subunit, C-class L-type Ca2+ channels in rat aortic A7r5 cells, as well as on Ca2+ channel (L-type) α1C−b and (T-type) α1G subunits in the Xenopus oocyte expression system. Cilnidipine dose- and time-dependently inhibited Ba2+ currents in A7r5 cells, with half-maximal inhibitions (IC50) at 10 nmol/l after 10 min. Unlike classical pharmacological Ca2+ channel blockers, cilnidipine's block of Ca2+ currents did not reach steady-state levels within 10 min, indicating steady-state half-maximal inhibition of native, multi-subunit L-type channels at < 10 nmol/l. In contrast, smooth muscle α1Cb currents were blocked by cilnidipine at much higher doses (steady-state IC50, 20 μmol/l) whereas α1G currents were not inhibited by cilnidipine (30 μmol/l). Cilnidipine dose-dependently inhibited depolarization- and Ca2+-induced contractions of rat aortic rings, with an IC50 of 10 nmol/l at 10 min. However, the onset of the effects was very slow, with approximately 71% inhibition by 3 nmol/l cilnidipine after 90 min exposure to cilnidipine. In contrast, cilnidipine did not inhibit phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate (100 nmol/l)-mediated contractions. We conclude that cilnidipine represents an extremely slow-acting DHP that targets multi-subunit L-type channels, but not PKC in arterial smooth muscle. Because cilnidipine is less potent in cells expressing the pore-forming α1C−b subunit, the data further suggest that this unique slow-acting mechanism of cilnidipine is mediated by a complex interaction of cilnidipine with α1C−b and accessory channel subunits.
Mucosal folds at the cardia as a component of the gastro‐œsophageal closing mechanism

THE closing mechanism between stomach and folds existed, and if so, of their exact form and oesophagus has been a subject of considerable dispute function. As the current theories on gastrofor more than two hundred years. Whereas most oesophageal competence are unacceptable, I people at the present time agree that competence is wondered whether these folds might not be an produced by the synergistic action of multiple essential feature in the mechanism. With this in factors, opinion is divided on the exact role of each view, a series of investigations was carried out in
Affective significance enhances covert attention: Roles of anxiety and word familiarity

To investigate the processing of emotional words by covert attention, threat-related, positive, and neutral word primes were presented parafoveally (2.2° away from fixation) for 150 ms, under gaze-contingent foveal masking, to prevent eye fixations. The primes were followed by a probe word in a lexical-decision task. In Experiment 1, results showed a parafoveal threat–anxiety superiority: Parafoveal prime threat words facilitated responses to probe threat words for high-anxiety individuals, in comparison with neutral and positive words, and relative to low-anxiety individuals. This reveals an advantage in threat processing by covert attention, without differences in overt attention. However, anxiety was also associated with greater familiarity with threat words, and the parafoveal priming effects were significantly reduced when familiarity was covaried out. To further examine the role of word knowledge, in Experiment 2, vocabulary and word familiarity were equated for low- and high-anxiety groups. In these conditions, the parafoveal threat–anxiety advantage disappeared. This suggests that the enhanced covert-attention effect depends on familiarity with words.
The Scent of the Other

While there are many exchanges that take place during our early development, some have a more profound impact on our developmental trajectory than others. In the milieu of a disturbed mother-child dyad, what becomes of self and other object representations? How do the derivatives of trauma, neglect, and overstimulation become expressed and used during important life transitions? In this paper, convergent themes in the analysis of an eleven-year-old boy and a forty-year-old man illustrate how the evocative nature of smell was used as a means of holding on to early object ties and fantasies of a blissful union. I am proposing that by conceptualizing encopresis and the use of body odors as an expression of the individual's early trauma and object representations, we can advance our understanding of the tenacity of these symptoms and further develop appropriate and effective technical approaches. A select review of the literature is used to establish the relationship between earlier developmental phases and an internalization of early object relations relevant to this paper.
Gamification through leaderboards: An empirical study in engineering education

Universities are looking for solutions to engage more students in STEM domains and enhance their learning performance (LP). In this context, gamification is put forward as a solution to achieve this aim. The present study examined the effect of gamification – building on leaderboards ‐ on LP. Furthermore, mediating variables, such as intrinsic motivation, self‐efficacy, engagement, and background variables, such as sex, previous gaming experience, and undergraduate major, were considered. A pretest‐posttest quasi‐experimental design with an experimental and a control condition was set up (n = 89) in an Introductory Computer Programming course. We observed a significant improvement in the LP of students in the gamified condition. However, no interaction effect was detected, due to mediating and background variables. The high learning gain is a favorable indicator that gamification might be a promising approach to promote STEM programs.