Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of chloroquine, amodiaquine, sulphadoxine–pyrimethamine and combination therapy with artesunate in Mozambican children with non‐complicated malaria

This paper reports a two‐phase study in Manhiça district, Mozambique: first we assessed the clinical efficacy and parasitological response of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine (CQ), sulphadoxine–pyrimethamine (SP) and amodiaquine (AQ), then we tested the safety and efficacy in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria, of three combinations: AQ + SP, artesunate (AR) + SP and AQ + AR. Based on the WHO (1996, WHO/MAL/96.1077) in vivo protocol, we conducted two open, randomized, clinical trials. Children aged 6–59 months with axillary body temperature ≥37.5 °C and non‐complicated malaria were randomly allocated to treatment groups and followed up for 21 days (first and second trial) and 28 days (first trial). The therapeutic efficacy of AQ (91.6%) was better than that of SP (82.7%) and CQ (47.1%). After 14 days, 69% of the strains were parasitologically resistant to CQ, 21.4% to SP and 26% to AQ. Co‐administration of AQ + SP, AR + SP and AQ + AR was safe and had 100% clinical efficacy at 14‐day follow‐up. The combination therapies affected rapid fever clearance time and reduced the incidence of gametocytaemia during follow‐up.
Determinants and Longest Cycles of Graphs

We consider the Hamiltonian cycle problem on a given graph $G$. With such a graph we can associate a family $\mathcal{F}$ of probability transition matrices of Markov chains whose entries represent the probabilities of traversing corresponding arcs of the graph. When the underlying graph is Hamiltonian, we show the transition probability matrix induced by a Hamiltonian cycle maximizes—over $\mathcal{F}$—the determinant of a matrix that is a rank-one correction of the generator matrix of a Markov chain. In the case when the graph does not possess a Hamiltonian cycle, the above maximization yields a transition matrix of a chain with a longest simple cycle (in $G$) comprising that chain's unique ergodic class. These problems also have analogous eigenvalue interpretations.
PEAK FORCE AND RATE OF FORCE DEVELOPMENT DURING ISOMETRIC AND DYNAMIC MID‐THIGH CLEAN PULLS PERFORMED AT VARIOUS INTENSITIES

Eight male collegiate weightlifters (age: 21.2 ± 0.9 years; height: 177.6 ± 2.3 cm; and body mass: 85.1 ± 3.3 kg) participated in this study to compare isometric to dynamic force-time dependent variables. Subjects performed the isometric and dynamic mid-thigh clean pulls at 30–120% of their one repetition maximum (1RM) power clean (118.4 ± 5.5 kg) on a 61 X 121.9–cm AMTI forceplate. Variables such as peak force (PF) and peak rate of force development (PRFD) were calculated and were compared between isometric and dynamic conditions. The relationships between force-time dependent variables and vertical jump performances also were examined. The data indicate that the isometric PF had no significant correlations with the dynamic PF against light loads. On the one hand, there was a general trend toward stronger relationships between the isometric and dynamic PF as the external load increased for dynamic muscle actions. On the other hand, the isometric and dynamic PRFD had no significant correlations regardless of the external load used for dynamic testing. In addition, the isometric PF and dynamic PRFD were shown to be strongly correlated with vertical jump performances, whereas the isometric PRFD and dynamic PF had no significant correlations with vertical jump performances. In conclusion, it appears that the isometric and dynamic measures of force-time curve characteristics represent relatively specific qualities, especially when dynamic testing involves small external loads. Additionally, the results suggest that athletes who possess greater isometric maximum strength and dynamic explosive strength tend to be able to jump higher.
Comparison of Monaural and Binaural Hearing Aid Use on a Trial Period Basis

Thirty hearing-impaired patients compared monaural and binaural hearing aid use for a period of 4 weeks. Most of them preferred binaural hearing aids in quiet situations, but monaural hearing aids in noisy environments. Follow-up at 6 months revealed that 17 had purchased monaural hearing aids, 8 had purchased binaural hearing aids.
Failure of ceftazidime-amikacin therapy for bacteremia and meningitis due to Klebsiella pneumoniae producing an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase

A multiple trauma patient failed treatment with ceftazidime and amikacin for bacteremia and meningitis due to a Klebsiella pneumoniae strain that produced a novel, plasmid-mediated beta-lactamase. Both pre- and posttreatment isolates were resistant to ceftazidime (MIC, greater than or equal to 64 micrograms/ml) and various penicillins but not to other expanded-spectrum cephalosporins. The beta-lactamase had a pI of 5.25 and was encoded on a conjugal plasmid of approximately 150 kilobases. DNA hybridization studies indicated that the enzyme was a TEM derivative.
Parametric mixture models to evaluate and summarize hazard ratios in the presence of competing risks with time‐dependent hazards and delayed entry

In the analysis of survival data, there are often competing events that preclude an event of interest from occurring. Regression analysis with competing risks is typically undertaken using a cause‐specific proportional hazards model. However, modern alternative methods exist for the analysis of the subdistribution hazard with a corresponding subdistribution proportional hazards model. In this paper, we introduce a flexible parametric mixture model as a unifying method to obtain estimates of the cause‐specific and subdistribution hazards and hazard‐ratio functions. We describe how these estimates can be summarized over time to give a single number comparable to the hazard ratio that is obtained from a corresponding cause‐specific or subdistribution proportional hazards model. An application to the Women's Interagency HIV Study is provided to investigate injection drug use and the time to either the initiation of effective antiretroviral therapy, or clinical disease progression as a competing event. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of tau haplotypes in Pick’s disease

Abstract—Pick’s disease (PiD) is characterized by the deposition of tau protein as three-repeat tau Pick bodies, whereas progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) involves the deposition of four-repeat tau neurofibrillary tangles. PSP is associated with the tau H1 haplotype. The authors investigated a possible association between PiD and the tau H1 or H2 haplotype. There was no difference between the tau H2 haplotype or H2H2 genotype frequency in PiD cases and control subjects. No tau mutations were identified in pathologically typical cases of PiD, with antibody 12-E8-negative Pick bodies.
Long-term glucocorticoid effect on bone mineral density in patients with congenital adrenal 1 hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency 2 3 Authors :

Long-term glucocorticoid effect on bone mineral density in patients with congenital adrenal 1 hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency 2 3 Authors: Filippo Ceccato 1 , Mattia Barbot 1 , Nora Albiger 1 , Marialuisa Zilio 1 , Pietro De Toni 2 , Giovanni 4 Luisetto, Martina Zaninotto, Nella Augusta Greggio, Marco Boscaro, Carla Scaroni, Valentina Camozzi 5 6 CS and VC should be considered as senior coauthors. 7 8 Endocrinology Unit, Geriatric Clinic and Laboratory Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine DIMED, 9 University-Hospital of Padova, Italy 10 Pediatrics Endocrinology and Adolescence Unit, Department of Woman and Child Health, University11 Hospital of Padova, Italy 12 13 Short title: BMD in adult with 21OHD 14 15
Zule , Dolenc : Distribution of Mineral Substances in Different Wood Tissues

Typical wood tissues, such as stemwood, bark, branches, twigs and needles, of two very old European larch trees (Larix decidua Mill.) were examined for the content of macro and micro mineral substances. Elemental analysis, atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) and ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) techniques were applied for quantitative determination of individual elements. The results indicated that both trees had almost identical mineral content. The highest contents of macro elements N, P, S, K and Mg as well as micro elements Ni, Fe, Al and Co were measured in needles, while Ca, Mn and Zn prevailed in bark. Concentrations of substances were the lowest in stemwood. Comparison with similar studies of foliar mineral distribution proved that both trees had good nutrient status, which corresponded to their condition.
The Effects of Forced Exhalation and Inhalation, Grunting, and Valsalva Maneuver on Forehand Force in Collegiate Tennis Players

Abstract O'Connell, DG, Brewer, JF, Man, TH, Weldon, JS, and Hinman, MR. The effects of forced exhalation and inhalation, grunting, and valsalva maneuver on forehand force in collegiate tennis players. J Strength Cond Res 30(2): 430–437, 2016—To examine the effects of forced expiration (FE), forced inspiration (FI), grunting (GR), and valsalva maneuver (VM), on air volume, maximum force production, and muscle recruitment during a simulated forehand stroke in collegiate tennis players. Superficial electrodes were placed over the anterior deltoid, pectoralis major, rectus abdominis, lumbar and thoracic erector spinae, and external and internal obliques. Subjects stood in a simulated forehand stroke stance with their dominant hand positioned on a force plate. Subjects performed 3 repetitions of maximal 2- to 3-second isometric forehands with randomly assigned breathing conditions (FE, FI, VM, and GR) and 30-seconds rest between contractions. Air volumes were also collected during each trial. A repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance compared normalized peak electromyographic activity across the 7 muscle groups. Separate repeated measures ANOVAs compared the effect of breathing conditions on peak force production and air volume. Statistical significance was set at p ⩽ 0.05 for all analyses. Overall muscle activity differed significantly by breathing condition (p = 0.031) with greater anterior deltoid activity was seen in FE and GR vs. VM. Internal oblique activity was significantly greater in GR than FI or VM, and thoracic erector spinae activity was significantly greater during FE and VM than FI. Force production did not differ significantly among breathing conditions (p = 0.74); however, GR forces were greater than FI and VM forces (p ⩽ 0.05). Forced expiration air volume was significantly greater (p < 0.001) than FI, GR, or VM. These findings suggest that either GR or a more quiescent FE can be used to enhance force production. Forced expiration is a potentially safer alternative to VM and more aurally pleasing than GR.
5-azacytidine treatment reorganizes genomic histone modification patterns

Methylation of DNA in combination with histone modifications establishes an epigenetic code that ensures the proper control of gene expression. Although DNA methyltransferases have been shown to interact with histone methyltransferases such as EZH2 (which methylates histone H3 on lysine 27) and G9a (which methylates histone H3 on lysine 9), the relationship between DNA methylation and repressive histone marks has not been fully studied. In cancer cells, promoters of genes are often aberrantly methylated. Accordingly, 5-azacytidine (a DNA demethylating drug) is used for treating patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. However, no genome-scale studies of the effects of this drug have been reported. In this work, we report the effects of 5-azacytidine on global gene expression and analyze ~24,000 human promoters using ChIP-chip to determine how 5-azacytidine treatment effects H3K27me3 and H3K9me3 levels. We found that (1) 5-azacytidine treatment results in large changes in gene regulation with distinct functional categories of genes showing increased (e.g. C2H2 zinc finger transcription factors) and decreased (e.g. genes involved in regulation of mitochondria and oxidoreductase activity) levels; (2) most genes that show altered expression are not regulated by promoters that display DNA methylation prior to the treatment; (3) certain gene classes switch their repression mark upon treatment with 5-azacytidine (from H3K27me3 to H3K9me3 and vice versa); and (4) most changes in gene expression are not due to relief of repression mediated by DNA or histone methylation. Updated supplementary link: http://www.landesbioscience. com/journals/epigenetics/article/11409/KomashkoEPI5-3-Sup.pdf
Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant mechanisms in human tissues and their relation to malignancies

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed in mammalian cells as a consequence of aerobic respiration. Despite multiple conserved redox modulating systems, a given proportion of ROS continuously escape from the mitochondrial respiratory chain, being sufficiently potent to damage cells in various ways, including numerous carcinogenic DNA mutations. Oxidative stress resulting from an imbalanced ratio between ROS production and detoxification may also disturb physiological signal transduction, lead to chain reactions in lipid layers, and damage DNA repair enzymes. The significance of ROS and antioxidant systems in carcinogenesis is still complicated and in many ways contradictory. Enhanced antioxidant mechanisms in tumor cells in vivo have been implicated in chemoresistance and lead to poor prognosis, whereas most in vitro studies have reported tumor‐suppressing properties of antioxidant enzymes. The present review aims to clarify the significance of oxidative stress and the role of cell redox state modulating systems in human malignancies in light of the current literature.
CD36 in the periphery and brain synergizes in stroke injury in hyperlipidemia

Hyperlipidemia exacerbates ischemic stroke outcome and increases CD36 expression in the postischemic brain as well as in peripheral monocytes/macrophages. By exchanging bone marrow‐derived cells between CD36‐expressing and CD36‐deficient mice, this study investigates the contribution of peripheral CD36 in comparison with that of brain CD36 to stroke pathology in hyperlipidemia.
PENEPMA: a Monte Carlo programme for the simulation of X-ray emission in EPMA

The Monte Carlo programme PENEPMA performs simulations of X-ray emission from samples bombarded with electron beams. It is both based on the general-purpose Monte Carlo simulation package PENELOPE, an elaborate system for the simulation of coupled electron-photon transport in arbitrary materials, and on the geometry subroutine package PENGEOM, which tracks particles through complex material structures defined by quadric surfaces. In this work, we give a brief overview of the capabilities of the latest version of PENEPMA along with several examples of its application to the modelling of electron probe microanalysis measurements.
The Toxicity Effect of Detergent on Enzymatic and Protein Activities of African Mud Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

The toxicities of commercial detergent (Ariel; Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate), a household cleaning agent was investigated on some enzymatic and protein activities of juvenile African mud catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Fishes were exposed to lethal and sub-lethal concentrations of detergent for 21 days in a renewal bioassay procedure. The median lethal concentrations (LC50) were derived using Finney probit method while protein and enzymatic activities were determined using Biuret and Randox methods respectively. The LC50 values for 96 hours acute bioassay test was 0.11 g/l. Detergent exposed fish showed significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in serum AST (109.00 ± 3.79 to 111.00 ± 3.80); liver globulin at 0.008 g/l (2.47 ± 0.03) and 0.013 g/l (2.57 ± 0.03). Significant decrease was recorded in liver AST, (ALP and creatinine 137 ± 4.67 to 151 ± 2.52; 80.67 ± 0.88 to 86.67 ± 3.67 and 0.27 ± 0.07 to 0.60 ± 0.00 respectively across all sub- lethal concentrations. The enzymes and proteins from serum, liver and heart tissues of fish have shown vividly that detergent is capable of inducing adverse effects and impacting on the health of fish. Therefore, the presence of detergent in aquatic ecosystem could be dangerous to fish and subsequently human health.
Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Starvations on Chlorella vulgaris Lipids Productivity and Quality under Different Trophic Regimens for Biodiesel Production

In this work the effects of nutrients starvations on Chlorella vulgaris were investigated in different trophic regimens. For all the tested conditions, the cellular response to nutrient starvation and trophic regimen was evaluated on specific growth rate, biomass and lipids productivity, lipids content and quality. These parameters are all crucial for microalgae biodiesel production, but in literature the lipids quality, in terms of polar and nonpolar lipids, is often neglected. Thus the typical high content of polar lipids, a class of molecules that negatively affects the biodiesel production process, of microalgae crude oil is generally not analyzed. In the tested conditions the triggering effect of nitrogen starvation on total lipids productivity is confirmed only in autotrophic regimen, while in mixotrophic and heterotrophic conditions the total lipids productivity is reduced, as a consequence of the lowered biomass productivity, but with an evident compositional shift towards nonpolar lipids production (from 0.5 mg/Ld to 41.6 mg/Ld in mixotrophic regimen). Nitrogen and phosphorus co-starvation induced the highest nonpolar lipids productivity in all trophic regimens. Maximum nonpolar lipids productivity was obtained in nitrogen limited and phosphorus deprived condition during mixotrophic growth, equal to 118.2 mg/Ld, representing the 80% of produced lipids. On the basis of the obtained results, the possibility of a short pre-harvesting cultural step to maximize the nonpolar lipids yield of the crop could be envisaged.
Magnetic resonance spectroscopic study of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia/Pick complex

Disease-specific metabolic changes in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia/Pick complex were examined by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 3.0 T. Spectra were acquired from posterior and anterior cingulate cortices and the parieto-occipital and frontal white matter. This study included eight Alzheimer's disease patients, 10 frontotemporal dementia/Pick complex patients and 14 healthy volunteers. N-acetylaspartate/creatine+phosphocreatine ratio was reduced in the posterior cingulate cortex in the Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia/Pick complex patients. The Alzheimer's disease patients, however, showed a posterior dominant decrease, whereas the frontotemporal dementia/Pick complex patients showed a frontal predominant decrease. These different distributions of metabolic changes may represent the underlying pathological processes in each disease. Our standardized protocol of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurement may be helpful in differentiating these dementia subtypes.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ISOFIX IN REDUCING MISUSE - ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL ON THE BASIS OF FIELD OBSERVATIONS AND SLED TESTS

An observation study carried out in 2000 (n = 430 children in vehicles) by the Institute for Vehicle Safety (IFM) revealed that two thirds of children are not properly secured in vehicles, even when child restraint systems (CRS) are employed, i.e. "misuse " can be observed. "Misuse" refers in this context to instances where children are secured incorrectly in the CRS and where child seats are not installed properly in the vehicle. At 96%, the proportion of children secured in vehicles in Germany is high, but parents still experience problems when fitting and using child seats. In particular, this concerns protection systems which require that the child seat is fitted separately using the adult seat belt in addition to the child actually being secured in the seat. Incorrect installation was observed in 60% of cases where the seat had to be secured separately in the vehicle. The fact that the three-point seat belt is intended to provide an optimum fit for adults as well as the design of the child seats appear to cause problems when it comes to securing a CRS. ISOFIX, a protection system that is independent of the adult seat belt, allows the child seat to be fitted securely, simply and always correctly in the vehicle. The most recent results of fitting tests at the Institute for Vehicle Safety have shown that, in comparison with the conventional method using the adult seat belt, fitting errors can be significantly reduced with ISOFIX. In practice, this means that a much higher level of protection can be expected due to the avoidance of errors in installation, since tests carried out in this context have demonstrated that misuse of child protections systems, such as the seat not being secured tightly enough, can increase load values for the child by up to 40%. In addition to two rigid ISOFIX low anchorages, an anti-rotation device, i.e. top tether or support leg, is planned for future ISOFIX seats in Europe. For the covering abstract see ITRD E825082.
Comparison of Electrical "Engineering" of Heaviside's Times and Software "Engineering" of Our Times

In previous centuries, several technical fields that are now engineering disciplines exhibited problems analogous to those frequently observed in software development today. This paper presents selected examples of experiences from some of those fields, especially electrical telegraphy and telephony during the second half of the 19th and the early 20th centuries, and compares them with difficulties, major mistakes, and so on, arising in software development today. It is the thesis of this paper that software development today is in a pre-engineering phase, analogous in many respects to the pre-engineering phases of the now traditional engineering disciplines. From observations regarding similarities between experiences in those fields in the past and software development today, questions are raised regarding lessons that software developers might learn from those earlier experiences of others-in particular, from the solutions they found to their problems. Some answers are suggested.
Neurovascular decompression of the eighth cranial nerve in patients with hemifacial spasm and incidental tinnitus: an alternative way to study tinnitus.

OBJECT The authors sought to clarify the clinical characteristics of tinnitus resulting from neurovascular compression (NVC) of the eighth cranial nerve. METHODS The authors explored the eighth cranial nerve in the cerebellopontine cistern during neurovascular decompression (NVD) of the facial nerve in 10 patients with hemifacial spasm who suffered from incidental tinnitus on the same side. The diagnosis of NVC of the eighth cranial nerve was confirmed in all patients. This condition was found in only seven of 114 patients with hemifacial spasm alone, indicating that NVC of the eighth cranial nerve is one of the causes of tinnitus (p < 0.001, chi-square test). The tinnitus resolved or was markedly improved after NVD of the eighth cranial nerve in eight patients (80%). Both pulsatile and continuous tinnitus responded well to NVD. All patients experienced various degrees of sensorineural hearing disturbance, but other neurotological examinations provided poor diagnostic value. CONCLUSIONS It is the authors' opinion that sensorineural hearing loss and positive findings on magnetic resonance imaging are the most reliable evidence for the presence of tinnitus caused by NVC of the eighth cranial nerve.