Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surgical face masks worn by patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: impact on infectivity of air on a hospital ward.

RATIONALE Drug-resistant tuberculosis transmission in hospitals threatens staff and patient health. Surgical face masks used by patients with tuberculosis (TB) are believed to reduce transmission but have not been rigorously tested. OBJECTIVES We sought to quantify the efficacy of surgical face masks when worn by patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). METHODS Over 3 months, 17 patients with pulmonary MDR-TB occupied an MDR-TB ward in South Africa and wore face masks on alternate days. Ward air was exhausted to two identical chambers, each housing 90 pathogen-free guinea pigs that breathed ward air either when patients wore surgical face masks (intervention group) or when patients did not wear masks (control group). Efficacy was based on differences in guinea pig infections in each chamber. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Sixty-nine of 90 control guinea pigs (76.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 68-85%) became infected, compared with 36 of 90 intervention guinea pigs (40%; 95% CI, 31-51%), representing a 56% (95% CI, 33-70.5%) decreased risk of TB transmission when patients used masks. CONCLUSIONS Surgical face masks on patients with MDR-TB significantly reduced transmission and offer an adjunct measure for reducing TB transmission from infectious patients.
Sexual deception in a cannibalistic mating system? Testing the Femme Fatale hypothesis

Animal communication theory holds that in order to be evolutionarily stable, signals must be honest on average, but significant dishonesty (i.e. deception) by a subset of the population may also evolve. A typical praying mantid mating system involves active mate searching by males, which is guided by airborne sex pheromones in most species for which mate-searching cues have been studied. The Femme Fatale hypothesis suggests that female mantids may be selected to exploit conspecific males as prey if they benefit nutritionally from cannibalism. Such a benefit exists in the false garden mantid Pseudomantis albofimbriata—females use the resources gained from male consumption to significantly increase their body condition and reproductive output. This study aimed to examine the potential for chemical deception among the subset of females most likely to benefit from cannibalism (poorly fed females). Females were placed into one of four feeding treatments (‘Very Poor’, ‘Poor’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Good’), and males were given the opportunity to choose between visually obscured females in each of the treatments. Female body condition and fecundity varied linearly with food quantity; however, female attractiveness did not. That is, Very Poor females attracted significantly more males than any of the other female treatments, even though these females were in significantly poorer condition, less fecund (in this study) and more likely to cannibalise (in a previous study). In addition, there was a positive correlation between fecundity and attractiveness if Very Poor females were removed from the analysis, suggesting an inherently honest signalling system with a subset of dishonest individuals. This is the first empirical study to provide evidence of sexual deception via chemical cues, and the first to provide support for the Femme Fatale hypothesis.
Symmetry of post‐movement beta‐ERS and motor recovery from stroke: a low‐resolution EEG pilot study

The inter‐hemispheric symmetry of electroencephalographic (EEG) post‐movement beta‐event‐related synchronization (PMBS) after movements on a drawing board was studied in eight acute stroke subjects with mild hemiparesis and eight normal subjects. A follow‐up testing was conducted 3 months after the initial recordings with a twofold purpose: (1) to validate the reproducibility of the experimental protocol in normal subjects; and (2) to study changes of inter‐hemispheric PMBS‐symmetry as a response to recovery of motor function. PMBS values were calculated and their topographic distributions illustrated at various time instances following movement offset. Significant PMBS patterns were present in all normal subjects, with only minor differences within consecutive recordings. The side of hemiparesis in acute stroke subjects could be distinguished (P = 0.04) on the basis of the signed symmetry index, a quantitative measure of lateralization. The follow‐up testing on three recovered stroke subjects revealed a trend of changes in the lateralization towards the contralateral side of movement, an indication that the cortical organization of movement following recovery turned out as reported for normal subjects. Further clinical investigations need to be carried out to evaluate the relationship between recovery and PMBS symmetry on a large number of subjects, using the method presented here.
An automated tool for detecting medication overuse based on the electronic health records

Medication overuse is a serious concern in healthcare as it leads to increased expenditures, side effects, and morbidities. Identifying overuse is only possible through excluding appropriate indications that are primarily mentioned in unstructured notes. We developed a framework for automatic identification of medication overuse and applied it to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).
High Circulating Sclerostin is Present in Patients with Thalassemia-associated Osteoporosis and Correlates with Bone Mineral Density

Abstract Osteoporosis is a severe complication of thalassemia. Sclerostin is a Wnt signaling inhibitor, which is produced by osteocytes and inhibits osteoblast function. Sclerostin is implicated in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis of different etiology. The aim of the study was to evaluate circulating sclerostin in 66 patients (median age 42 years) with thalassemia and osteoporosis who participated in a phase 2, randomized study (zoledronic acid vs. placebo) and the results were compared with those of 30 healthy controls (median age 44 years) without osteopenia/osteoporosis and 62 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (median age 63 years). At baseline, thalassemic patients with osteoporosis had elevated circulating levels of sclerostin (median: 605 pg/ml, range: 22–1 227 pg/ml) compared to healthy controls without osteopenia/osteoporosis (250 pg/ml, 0–720 pg/ml, p<0.001) and reduced levels of sclerostin compared with postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (840 pg/ml, 181–1 704 pg/ml, p<0.001). Thalassemia patients had also increased serum dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) and high bone turnover. Circulating sclerostin levels correlated with bone mineral density in lumbar spine (r=0.619, p<0.001), distal radius (r=0.401, p=0.001) and femoral neck (r=0.301, p=0.021). Zoledronic acid did not alter sclerostin levels after 12 months of therapy, although it reduced circulating Dkk-1. We conclude that circulating sclerostin is elevated in thalassemia patients with osteoporosis and correlated with their BMD, but it was not reduced post zoledronic acid administration. These findings suggest that high sclerostin may serve as a marker of increased osteocyte activity in thalassemia patients. Drugs targeting sclerostin may also be used in this difficult to treat disorder associated with bone loss.
Predictors of Mortality and Hospitalization in Women with Heart Failure in the Digitalis Investigation Group Trial

We performed a retrospective follow-up study of 1926 women with heart failure who participated in the Digitalis Investigation Group trial. Adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for covariates that were significant independent predictors of all-cause mortality were age in years (1.02; 1.01–1.03; P<0.001), NYHA class IH-IV (1.56; 1.31–1.87), diabetes (1.63; 1.36–1.95), glomerular filtration rate in mL/min/1.73 m2 (0.99; 0.98–4). 996; P=0.001), pulmonary congestion by chest x-ray (1.57; 1.22–2.02), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (0.99; 0.98–0.993; P<0.001), and use of digoxin (1.20; 1.02–1.42). Covariates that were significant independent predictors of hospitalization due to worsening heart failure were: nonwhite race (1.28; 1.03–1.58), NYHA class III-IV (1.55; 1.30–1.84), diabetes (1.75; 1.47–2.09), glomerular filtration rate as mL/min/1.73 m2 (0.99; 0.986–0.996; P<0.001), pulmonary congestion by chest x-ray (1.42; 1.12–1.81), and use of ACE inhibitors (0.67; 0.49–0.91). Longer duration of heart failure, higher NYHA classes, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, pulmonary congestion, and lower LVEF were significant independent predictors of all-cause mortality, all-cause hospitalization, and hospitalization for heart failure in women with heart failure.
Autoradiographic and histological studies of postnatal neurogenesis. I. A longitudinal investigation of the kinetics, migration and transformation of cells incoorporating tritiated thymidine in neonate rats, with special reference to postnatal neurogenesis in some brain regions

Neonate rats were injected systemically with thymidine‐H3 and killed after different periods of survival. Cell proliferation, migration and transformation in the brain were studied autoradiographically. It was established that cells multiplying in the ependymal and subependymal walls of the olfactory ventricle migrate outward into the olfactory bulb, where they become differentiated into granule cells. These postnatally formed granule cells contribute to the formation of the granular and several other layers of the olfactory bulb. Cells multiplying at a high rate in the wall of the lateral ventricle migrate to the hippocampus and contribute to the formation of the granule cells in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus. Cells multiplying at a high rate in the external and internal granular layers of the cerebellum become differentiated into granule cells, and, to a lesser extent, other types of nerve cells of the cerebellar cortex. Evidence was also obtained of the postnatal origin of many of the granule cells of the cochlear nucleus. Postnatal neurogenesis is restricted to these short‐axoned granule cells or microneurons; the long‐axoned nerve cells or macroneurons of the brain are formed prenatally.
Determinants of use of hearing protection devices in Canadian lumber mill workers.

BACKGROUND In a cohort study of lumber mill workers' exposure to noise and incidence of heart disease, initial noise estimates were likely overestimated because they did not account for reductions afforded by the use of hearing protection. As such information was seldom available for individual workers, modeling was necessary to predict hearing protection use and derive adjusted noise measures. OBJECTIVE To develop a multilevel model of the likelihood of use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) for British Columbia (Canada) lumber mill workers. METHOD The study population included 13,147 workers in 14 sawmills for whom we had information on HPD use. Subjects self-reported their use of hearing protectors during routine hearing tests over their work history period. Separate multilevel logistic regression models with increasing complexity were developed for a subcohort of workers with complete information (n = 1493) and for a subcohort comprised subjects with hearing tests coinciding with their jobs (n = 10 203). The models included random intercepts for worker and for sawmill. RESULTS HPD use was associated in both subcohorts with factors such as noise exposure and age. We also showed that specific jobs (such as sawfiling) and departments (planer, in particular) were strongly associated with the use of HPDs. The model illustrates the quantitative importance of including a hierarchical structure which allows for explaining potential sources of outcome variability. CONCLUSIONS We developed a hierarchical model to predict hearing protection use to enable correction of exposure assessments for use in retrospective epidemiological studies. We showed that this was feasible even in the absence of complete determinant information.
Aristolactams from roots of Ottonia Anisum (Piperaceae)

The Piperaceae species are known worldwide for its medicinal properties and its chemical compounds. In Brazil, many species of this family are distributed mainly in Amazon Region and in the Atlantic Forest. The genus Ottonia is known as source of amides, flavonoids, arylpropanoids and terpenes with record biological activities. Six aristolactams, including, aristolactam BII, piperolactam C, goniothalactam, stigmalactam, aristolactam AII and aristolactam BIII were isolated from roots of this species. GC-MS, 1H NMR and NOESY techniques were used to characterize these compounds. This is the first report about the occurrence of aristolactams in the Ottonia anisum Sprengel.
Effects of Antioxidant Supplements Intervention on the Level of Plasma Inflammatory Molecules and Disease Severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Objective: Excess generation of reactive oxygen species in damaged joints accelerates inflammatory responses in RA (rheumatoid arthritis) patients. The complementary effects of dietary antioxidant supplementation on the blood level of inflammatory mediators and the severity of the disease in RA patients were evaluated. Study Design and Settings: The study was conducted as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, three-treatment cross-over design trial. The participants visited the hospital as outpatients. Subjects: Twenty patients meeting the 1987 criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis completed the study. Interventions: The subjects were randomized in three groups to receive one of following supplementation; quercetin+vitamin C (166mg+133mg/capsule), α-lipoic acid (300mg/capsule) or placebo for 4 weeks (3 capsules/day). Each treatment period consisted of 4 weeks with 2 weeks of wash-out period before the subject starts next supplementation. Outcome Parameters: Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin -6(IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. The severity of disease was evaluated using Korean Health Assessment Questionnaire(KHAQ) and Visual Analogue Scale(VAS). Nutrient intake was measured at baseline and at the end of each intervention period. Results: The mean energy and nutrient intakes remained constant during study period. No significant differences were found in the serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines and CRP between treatments. The scores of disease severity measurements were not significantly different between treatments, although quercetin supplementation had a tendency to reduce VAS. Conclusions: Dietary supplementation of antioxidants at 900 mg/day for 4 weeks did not change the blood biomarkers of inflammation and disease severity of RA patients under conventional medical treatments. Further considerations for dose-response relationships, duration of supplementation, and susceptible biomarkers are required.
Catheter-Based Microrotary Motor Enabled by Ferrofluid for Microendoscope Applications

This paper reports the first microrotary motor enabled with a novel ferrofluid-based levitation mechanism used as an extremely simple miniaturized bearing material for microendoscopy applications. The ferrofluid bearing is magnetically sustained on the permanent magnet rotor that is levitated by the bearing layer inside a tubular substrate, an endoscope catheter. The levitated rotor is electromagnetically driven by two photo-defined meander-type coils formed around the outer walls of the catheter that enables 90°-step angular actuation of the rotor. Two types of micromotors with 1.6-mm and 500-μm-sized rotors are designed, fabricated, and tested. The fabricated prototypes of the motors are successfully operated to rotate the prism mirrors integrated with the motors, with revolution rates as high as 1875 and 1500 r/min for the 1.6-mm and 500-μm rotor types, respectively. Thermal behaviors of the devices are also characterized and reported. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the motor design and indicate high potential for side-viewing microendoscopic applications.
The relationship between platelet reactivity and infarct-related artery patency in patients presenting with a ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Summary Both heightened platelet reactivity and an occluded infarct related artery (IRA) on initial angiography and at the time of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are associated with a worsened clinical outcome in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the relationship between platelet reactivity and IRA patency has not yet been established. Consecutive STEMI-patients were enrolled in this study. Patients who had TIMI-flow (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction) 0 or 1 on initial angiography constituted the occluded IRA group and patients having TIMI-flow 2 or 3 comprised the IRA patent group. Platelet function measurements were performed using the PFA-100 COL/ADP cartridge and light transmittance aggregometry without agonist (spontaneous) and after stimulation with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and arachidonic acid (AA). Ninety-nine patients were enrolled, of whom 49 presented with an occluded IRA. Multivariate analysis identified the following independent factors to be associated with an occluded IRA; short COL/ADP closure time (ORper quartile increase= 0.60; 95% CI, 0.39-.93; p=0.02), the 20 μM ADP-induced light transmittance aggregometry (ORper quartile increase =1.77; 95% CI, 1.15–l2.73; p=0.01) and leukocyte counts (odds ratio [OR]=1.21; 95% CI, 1.05–1.39; p = 0.008). In conclusion, heightened platelet reactivity and elevated leukocyte counts are associated with an occluded IRA upon presentation in STEMI-patients. These results emphasise the importance of potent antithrombotic therapy early after the onset of symptoms, to obtain early recanalisation of the IRA.
Lacrimal Gland Inflammation Deregulates Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Alters Molecular Signature of Epithelial Stem/Progenitor Cells.

PURPOSE The adult lacrimal gland (LG) is highly regenerative and is able to repair itself even after substantial damage; however, this ability to regenerate is lost with the development of dry eye conditions in chronically inflamed LGs.This study compares changes in the cell adhesion and cell matrix molecules and stem cell transcription factors in the LGs of healthy mice and of two mouse models of Sjögren's syndrome: nonobese diabetic (NOD) and MRL-lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) mice during the early stage of inflammation. METHODS The LGs from 12- to 13-week-old female MRL/lpr and male NOD mice along with their respective control strains were harvested and divided into three pieces and processed for quantitative (q) RT-PCR and qRT-PCR Arrays, histology, immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting. RESULTS The extracellular matrix (ECM) and adhesion molecules RT2-PCR array combined with protein expression data revealed changes in the expression of integrins, matrix metalloproteinases, and other molecules, which are associated largely with invasion, attachment, and expansion of the lymphocytic cells, whereas changes in the stem cell transcription factors revealed substantial decrease in expression of transcription factors associated with epithelial stem/progenitor cell lineage. CONCLUSIONS We concluded that the expression of several important ECM components is significantly deregulated in the LG of two murine models of Sjögren's syndrome, suggesting an alteration of the epithelial stem/progenitor cell niche. This may result in profound effects on localization, activation, proliferation, and differentiation of the LG stem/progenitor cells and, therefore, LG regeneration.
Expression of the B7‐related molecule ICOSL by human glioma cells in vitro and in vivo

Human glioblastoma is a highly lethal tumor known for its capability of interfering with effective antitumor immune responses. Costimulatory signals are of critical relevance in both the inductive and effector phases of immune responses. Inducible costimulator‐ligand (ICOSL), a member of the B7 family of costimulatory molecules related to CD80/CD86, regulates CD4 as well as CD8 T‐cell responses via interaction with its receptor, ICOS, on activated T cells. We report the expression of ICOSL by glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to CD80 (B7.1) and CD86 (B7.2), ICOSL protein and mRNA was expressed in 7 of 12 glioma cell lines. ICOSL expression is upregulated by the inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), whereas interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) has no such effect. Further, immunohistochemical analysis of human brain tumors demonstrates the expression of ICOSL in three of four tissue samples. ICOSL expression is functional in that a neutralizing ICOSL antibody (HIL‐131) reduces Th1 and Th2 cytokine levels in cocultures of peripheral blood lymphocytes or T‐cell subsets (CD4 and CD8) with glioma cells. However, ICOSL gene transfer into glioma cells does not alter their immunogenicity under primary or secondary alloreactive coculture assays. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A study on the aac-(61)-lb-cr gene prevalence among ciprofloxacin-resistant strains of uropathogenic Enterobacteriaceae

Introduction: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are very common. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has led to the development of resistance to most of the commonly used antibiotics including quinolones. Aim: This study aimed to find out the prevalence of ciprofloxacin resistance among the uropathogenic Enterobacteriaceae, to determine the virulence factors of these isolates, and to detect the aac-(61)-lb-cr gene among those isolates with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ciprofloxacin >256 mcg/ml. Materials and Methods: Urine samples reaching the microbiology laboratory were processed, pathogens belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family were isolated from those with significant bacteriuria, and antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed according to the CLSI guidelines. MIC of ciprofloxacin for the isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin was determined by using the E–test, and virulence factors such as hemagglutination, hemolysis, and mucoid colonies were analyzed. aac-(61)-lb-cr gene was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction for those isolates with MIC > 256 mcg/ml. Results: Escherichia coli was the most common isolate (62%) with the highest ciprofloxacin resistance (68%). Fourteen percent of them had MIC > 256 mcg/ml and all of these isolates harbored the aac-(61)-lb-cr gene. Conclusion: Plasmid-mediated drug resistance can rapidly spread and lead to selection of drug-resistant mutants if not controlled.
Mechanisms Involved in Two‐Kidney Renal Hypertension Induced by Constriction of One Renal Artery

Changes in plasma renin activity (PRA) and sodium balance were studied in hypertensive rabbits and dogs with one renal artery constricted and the other kidney intact (two-kidney hypertension); aldosterone secretion was measured also in the chronic hypertensive rabbits. Both PRA and aldosterone secretion were normal in some chronic hypertensive rabbits but elevated in others. Sodium balance studies revealed that some severely hypertensive rabbits with elevated PRA were in spontaneous negative sodium balance. Unlike the rabbit, PRA was never increased in the chronic hypertensive dog and sodium balance was normal. Infusion of [Sar',Ala8]angiotensin II (P-113) decreased arterial pressure and aldosterone secretion in those hypertensive rabbits with elevated PRA but not in those rabbits with normal PRA; P-113 also did not decrease arterial pressure in the chronic hypertensive dog unless sodium depletion was superimposed. In the conscious two-kidney dog, acute renal artery stenosis increased both arterial pressure and PRA within minutes, and P-113 blocked the rise in pressure associated with the increase in PRA. Therefore, although apparent species differences between the rabbit and the dog occur, the present data indicate that neither increased PRA nor excess salt retention is essential to the chronic maintenance of two-kidney hypertension in these two species; however, in the dog a role for angiotensin II in the acute phase is indicated.