Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Successful Extubation in the Operating Room After Infratentorial Craniotomy: The Cleveland Clinic Experience

Background There is lack of information in the literature about the rate of successful extubation after infratentorial craniotomy and the risk factors associated with failed extubation. This retrospective analysis assessed the rate of successful extubation after infratentorial craniotomy in a tertiary hospital. Methods Only infratentorial craniotomies for tumors, vascular malformations in the brainstem or cerebellum, and fourth ventricle cysts performed in prone position were included. Failed extubation was defined as the need for airway reintubation in the operating room (OR), postanesthesia care unit, or intensive care unit after surgery. Only those patients, in whom the primary reason for reintubation was respiratory failure, deteriorating level of consciousness, or inability to protect the airway were included in the statistical analysis. Prolonged intubation was defined as airway intubation longer than 48 hours from the initial intubation. Results This is a retrospective study that included perioperative information from 145 adult patients. One hundred and twenty patients (82%) were primarily extubated in the OR and the rest remained intubated (18%). From the latter group, 9 (36%) and 16 (64%) were extubated in the postanesthesia care unit or intensive care unit, respectively. The rate of failed extubation within 24 hours after primary extubation in the OR was 0.83%. Patients not extubated in the OR had a statistically significant higher American Society of Anesthesiologists score, a longer length of surgery, a larger blood loss, and a longer stay in the hospital compared with those who were extubated in the OR. Conclusions We conclude that primary extubation in the OR after infratentorial craniotomy is feasible. However, cautions should be taken in patients with poor physical status undergoing vascular surgery and long procedures with potential significant fluid shifts.
In Vitro and In Vivo Activities of Antibiotic PM181104

ABSTRACT Drug resistance has become a global threat that, if not addressed, may return us to the preantibiotic era. A way to overcome the problem of growing incidence of global antibiotic resistance is to introduce compounds belonging to classes that are new to the clinic. During a screening of the marine microbial extract library for new antibiotics, one of the extracts showed promising antibacterial activity against Gram-positive organisms. Bioactivity-guided isolation and characterization of active metabolites led to the discovery of a novel thiazolyl cyclic-peptide antibiotic, PM181104. It was isolated and characterized from a marine sponge-associated actinobacterium strain of the genus Kocuria (MTCC 5269). The compound exhibited a potent in vitro antibacterial activity against a broad range of Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). The MIC values evaluated for the compound were found to be in the single-digit nanomolar range. In in vivo studies of PM181104 in a BALB/c murine septicemia model, the compound displayed 100% effective dose (ED100) values of 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg of body weight against MRSA and 10.0 mg/kg against VRE. In this report, in vitro and in vivo studies of PM181104 are described.
Phagocytized corpora amylacea as a histological hallmark of astrocytic injury in neuromyelitis optica

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory demyelinating and necrotizing disorder of the CNS that mainly affects the optic nerve and spinal cord. The etiology is still uncertain; however, the discovery of serum anti‐aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) autoantibody is becoming the center of attention, and a new hypothesis is emerging that NMO is essentially astrocytopathy provoked by this autoantibody. In this study, we focused on corpora amylacea (CA), glycoproteinaceous inclusions in astrocytic processes. We examined 57 lesions in nine cases of NMO spectrum disorder, and demonstrated that CA were phagocytized by macrophages in 42 lesions (74%) of eight cases, while phagocytized figures were not seen in unaffected areas. Phagocytized CA were frequently encountered in early‐phase lesions still retaining myelin structures, while fewer or none were found in chronic destructive lesions. Moreover, phagocytized CA were significantly smaller in diameter than intact ones, and CA were decreased or absent in most lesions assessed. These findings suggest the following pathophysiological process: the astrocytes are affected at an early phase in NMO, CA are expelled from the astrocytes and phagocytized by macrophages finally leading to clearance. A phagocytized figure and subsequent loss of CA can be a histological hallmark of astrocytic injury of NMO.
Correlation of electrophysiology, neurochemistry and axonal projections of guinea‐pig sphincter of Oddi neurones

Sphincter of Oddi (SO) ganglia are comprised of two main types of neurones based either on their electrical or neurochemical properties. This study investigated whether any correlation exists between the electrical and neurochemical properties of these cells. SO neurones were characterized electrically as either Tonic or Phasic cells, labelled with neurobiotin, fixed, and processed for β‐nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH‐DA) staining and choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity to identify whether electrically characterized neurones were nitrergic or cholinergic. A total of 119 cells were analysed in this manner; 45% of cells were Tonic and 37% were Phasic. An equivalent number of Tonic (58.1%, 18/31) and Phasic cells (60%, 21/35) were choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) positive. Three of 34 Phasic cells were NADPH‐DA positive, whereas 11/33 Tonic cells were NADPH‐DA positive. In none of the preparations was ChAT immunoreactivity and NADPH‐DA reactivity ever observed in the same neurone. Calretinin immunoreactivity was present in a subpopulation of both Tonic and Phasic neurones. No correlation was observed between the direction of axon projections and the electrophysiological or neurochemical properties of the cell. These results suggest that there is a lack of correlation between the electrical properties and the neurochemical content of SO neurones. Various explanations for these findings are discussed.
Correlation of histologic regression in primary melanoma with sentinel node status.

IMPORTANCE The influence of regression on the status of the sentinel node (SN) is controversial. In many centers, the presence of regression in thin melanomas supports the performance of an SN biopsy. OBJECTIVE To identify whether regression in primary melanoma has any influence on SN involvement. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective study of melanomas with a Breslow thickness greater than 0.75 mm and undergoing SN biopsy from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2010, at Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, which receives melanoma patients from regional hospitals and dermatology practices. Only cases with paraffin blocks or histologic slides representative of the primary tumor and available for review were included in the study. Melanomas from 201 patients met these criteria and constitute the core of this study. EXPOSURES Sentinel node biopsy in melanoma. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Presence or absence of regression in the primary melanoma, type (early vs late), and extension were correlated with the presence or absence of metastasis in the SNs. In addition, the main clinical and histologic characteristics of the primary melanoma were correlated with the status of SN and the regression features. RESULTS Regression was found in 52 melanomas (25.9%). Regression did not show a statistically significant association with SN status. When melanomas were subdivided by Breslow thickness into 4 groups, those with regression had a lower frequency of positive SNs in 3 of the 4 groups (≤1.00, 1.01-2.00, and >4.00 mm), although differences did not reach statistical significance in any group. We found no influence by type of regression or its extension on the SN status. Regression was found more frequently in thin melanomas (≤1.00 mm), melanomas located on an axial site, and superficial spreading or lentigo maligna melanoma types (P = .02, P < .001, and P = .03, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Regression of the primary melanoma is not associated with a higher proportion of positive SNs. These data do not support the practice of performing SN biopsy in thin melanomas with regression in the absence of additional adverse prognostic characteristics.
Enzyme activities and antibiotic susceptibility of colonial variants of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis

A nonmucoid colonial variant of a mucoid Bacillus subtilis strain produced less amylase activity and a transparent colonial variant of a B. licheniformis strain produced less protease activity compared with their parents. Antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the colonial variants differed, and increased resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics was correlated with increased production of extracellular beta-lactamase.
Coagulation and fibrinolytic systems in type I diabetes: effects of venous occlusion and insulin-induced hypoglycaemia.

1. The effects of venous occlusion on the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems were investigated in six patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes and 11 age- and sex-matched non-diabetic control subjects. The coagulation parameters (fibrinogen, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time with kaolin, von Willebrand factor antigen) did not differ between patients and control subjects either before or after 20 min of venous occlusion. No rise was observed in von Willebrand factor antigen after venous occlusion in either group. 2. In the diabetic patients, chronic activation of the fibrinolytic system was found at baseline, which was indicated by a shortened euglobulin lysis time (P < 0.01), increased tissue plasminogen activator activity (P < 0.05) and decreased plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 antigen level (P < 0.05), when compared with control subjects. In both groups venous occlusion resulted in significant increments in all measurements, except plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 antigen level. The post-occlusion values did not differ between the two groups, except the plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 antigen level, which remained significantly lower in the diabetic patients. The mean increments in each parameter did not differ between the two groups. 3. Coagulation and fibrinolysis were assessed in response to acute insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. Von Willebrand factor antigen levels increased significantly in both groups, with no difference in maximal increments. Significant activation of the fibrinolytic system occurred in response to hypoglycaemia, demonstrated by shortened euglobulin lysis time and increased fibrin plate lysis, tissue plasminogen activator antigen level and tissue plasminogen activator activity. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Image Computations on Meshes with Multiple Broadcast

The authors consider a mesh-connected processor array with broadcast, in which the processors in each row and in each column can access a shared bus. This computation model is an abstraction of commercially available parallel machines such as the distributed array processor (DAP). The authors show efficient data movement using the buses, which leads to significantly faster solution times for several image problems compared to those on an ordinary mesh-connected array. For several problems, the time performance is comparable to that on the pyramid of corresponding size. Alternate parallel organizations with broadcast feature are also shown. Utilizing the broadcast feature on the arrays can lead to significant improvement of the time performance of many image computations. >
Increased levels of antiviral MxA protein in peripheral blood of patients with A chronic disease of unknown etiology *

Interferon alpha (IFN‐α) is synthesized in response to viral infections. MxA protein, induced specifically by IFN‐α and β, expressed in peripheral blood cells, is detected more consistently than circulating IFN‐α in serum of patients with viral infections. Thus, activation of the IFN‐α/MxA system can be used as additional marker of the presence of a virus in patients. Therefore MxA protein and IFN‐α levels were measured in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic neurological disease of unknown etiology, in order to investigate the possible role of viruses in the expression of this disease. The means of MxA values obtained by using an immunochemiluminescent assay were significantly higher in blood of patients with remitting (n = 197) or relapsing (n = 39) multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and in patients with viral infections than in blood from healthy controls (n = 25) and from patients with bacterial infections (n = 12). Intra‐individual variance in MxA levels in seven clinically stable remitting patients with MS was observed in the course of a follow‐up, and high MxA levels were detected in three of them in blood samples collected consecutively over several months. By using an ultra sensitive assay, a higher MxA‐inducer activity was obtained with sera from MS patients (n = 39) than with those from healthy controls (n = 12). Experiments with neutralizing antibodies proved that this activity in serum from patients was due to IFN‐α, whereas IFN‐α could not be detected by other methods. Altogether these results demonstrate that there is an activation of the IFN‐α/MxA system in MS patients, which is consistent with the hypothesis that a viral infection may be associated with MS. J. Med. Virol. 65:301–308, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Revision of author abstracts: how it is carried out by LISA editors

Purpose – The literature on abstracts recommends the revision of author supplied abstracts before their inclusion in database collections. However, little guidance is given on how to carry out such revision, and few studies exist on this topic. The purpose of this research paper is to first survey 187 bibliographic databases to ascertain how many did revise abstracts, and then study the practical amendments made by one of these, i.e. LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts). Design/methodology/approach – Database policies were established by e‐mail or through alternative sources, with 136 databases out of 187 exhaustively documented. Differences between 100 author‐supplied abstracts and the corresponding 100 LISA amended abstracts were classified into sentence‐level and beyond sentence‐level categories, and then as additions, deletions and rephrasing of text.Findings – Revision of author abstracts was carried out by 66 databases, but in just 32 cases did it imply more than spelling, shortening of l.
Expression of apoptosis‐associated genes by human dermal scar fibroblasts

The purpose of this study was to determine if aberrant apoptosis plays a role in pathologic wound healing as manifested by hypertrophic scarring and keloid formation. Apoptosis has recently been found to participate in the transition between granulation tissue and the development of definitive scar. The question that remains to be answered is what stimuli initiate apoptosis during wound healing. Hitherto, regulatory factors and pathways involved have been largely undefined. We investigated heterogeneity among fibroblasts derived from normal skin and keloid scar, by examining apoptotic profiles and pathways for these cells. Quantitative analysis of apoptotic cells using an Annexin‐V‐FITC binding assay showed that normal skin fibroblast cultures were found to have a two‐fold higher percentage of apoptotic cells than did keloid fibroblast cultures. To study apoptotic pathways and related death‐associated genes, a ribonuclease protection assay was performed for fibroblasts exposed to anti‐Fas antibody and tumor necrosis factor‐α to activate the Fas/TNF receptor apoptotic pathway. Compared with normal skin fibroblasts, keloid fibroblasts exhibited decreased expression of apoptosis‐associated genes.
Significant reduction in HIV virologic failure during a 15-year period in a setting with free healthcare access.

BACKGROUND Calendar trends in virologic failure (VF) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients can help to evaluate the performance of healthcare systems and the need for new antiretroviral therapy (ART). We examined the time trend in the rate of VF beyond 6 months of ART between 1997 and 2011 in France. METHODS We included patients from the French Hospital Database on HIV who received at least 6 months of ART. VF was defined as 2 consecutive plasma HIV-RNA values >500 copies/mL or as 1 value >500 copies/mL followed by a treatment switch. We adjusted for patients' characteristics by fitting a multivariable generalized estimating equation logistic regression model with an exchangeable covariance matrix. RESULTS A total of 81 738 patients were enrolled, and median follow-up was 112.4 months. Median CD4 count was 333 cells/µL, and 23% of patients had HIV infection classified as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stage C. Overall, 29.3% of patients received single/dual-drug ART initially, and 45.4% of patients experienced at least 1 episode of VF during follow-up. The percentage of patients with VF fell from 61.5% in 1997-1998 to 9.7% in 2009-2011 (P < .0001). Factors associated with the lower frequency of VF were recent calendar period, a higher contemporary CD4 cell count, and first-line regimens based on nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors or integrase inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS The proportion of HIV-infected patients experiencing VF during routine care fell markedly between 1997 and 2009-2011, to only 9.7%. This was attributed to the advent of fully active and better-tolerated antiretroviral drugs, and to national guidelines recommending rapid management of VF after mid-2000.
A Contribution to the Critique of the Political Economy of Transnational Informational Capitalism

Concepts like knowledge society, information society, postmodern society, postindustrial society, Internet society, and network society fail to grasp the dialectic of the continuity and discontinuity of society. These concepts take the changes associated with new media as radical novelties and ignore the continuing dominance of capitalist structures. Contemporary capitalism is highly antagonistic and requires a dialectical analysis. Transnational network capitalism and transnational informational capitalism are used as key concepts for grasping the importance of information technologies and knowledge and their role in a transnational and flexible regime of accumulation. One important principle for gaining profit from information commodities is that goods are sold at prices that are much higher than their value.
Activated human dendritic cells express inducible cyclo‐oxygenase and synthesize prostaglandin E2 but not prostaglandin D2

Prostaglandins (PG) are well known lipid mediators with important immunoregulatory properties. While exogenous PGE2 has the ability to modulate the function and maturation of antigen presenting cells, such as dendritic cells (DC), it is not clear whether human DC have the capacity to synthesize PGE2 and other prostaglandins themselves. We therefore examined the expression of inducible cyclo‐oxygenase (COX‐2) by monocyte derived DC and the production of PGE2 and PGD2. Both monocyte derived DC and freshly isolated blood myeloid DC expressed little COX‐2 constitutively, though COX‐2 expression was rapidly but transiently upregulated in response to lipopolysaccharide stimulation. COX‐2 mRNA was detectable within 1 h of LPS exposure, peaked at 4−6 h, and rapidly declined thereafter. COX‐2 expression was accompanied by DC synthesis of PGE2, with peak levels present at 6−18 h post‐stimulation. In contrast, PGD2 synthesis was not detected at any time point. When DC were activated with LPS in the presence of nimesulide, a COX‐2 selective inhibitor, IL‐10 synthesis was inhibited, indicating that endogenous prostaglandins regulate DC cytokine production. PGE2 production by DC may therefore modulate DC and T‐cell function, thereby shaping the character of the immune response.
In situ Study of Mass Transfer in Aqueous Solutions under High Pressures via Raman Spectroscopy: A New Method for the Determination of Diffusion Coefficients of Methane in Water near Hydrate Formation Conditions

A new method was developed for in situ study of the diffusive transfer of methane in aqueous solution under high pressures near hydrate formation conditions within an optical capillary cell. Time-dependent Raman spectra of the solution at several different spots along the one-dimensional diffusion path were collected and thus the varying composition profile of the solution was monitored. Diffusion coefficients were estimated by the least squares method based on the variations in methane concentration data in space and time in the cell. The measured diffusion coefficients of methane in water at the liquid (L)–vapor (V) stable region and L–V metastable region are close to previously reported values determined at lower pressure and similar temperature. This in situ monitoring method was demonstrated to be suitable for the study of mass transfer in aqueous solution under high pressure and at various temperature conditions and will be applied to the study of nucleation and dissolution kinetics of methane hydrate in a hydrate–water system where the interaction of methane and water would be more complicated than that presented here for the L–V metastable condition.
Motives , numerical equivalence , and semi-simplicity

In this note we show that the category of motives, as defined via algebraic correspondences modulo an adequate equivalence relation, is a semi-simple abelian category i f and in fact, only i f the relation is numerical equivalence. Contrary to general belief Grothendieck's standard conjectures are not needed for this. Let k be a field, and consider smooth projective varieties over k, called varieties for short in the following. Fix a field F of characteristic zero, and an adequate equivalence relation -~ on F-linear algebraic cycles (cf [K2] w in short, pull-back, push-forward and intersection of cycles is always (well-)defined modulo ~). For a variety X and an integerj > 0, denote by AJ(X) = A~(X, F) the group ofF-linear algebraic cycles of codimension j on X modulo ~. If X has connected components X1 . X, of dimensions dl . d,, and if Y is a second variety, we put
Modeling AEC—New approaches to study rare genetic disorders

Ankyloblepharon‐ectodermal defects‐cleft lip/palate (AEC) syndrome is a rare monogenetic disorder that is characterized by severe abnormalities in ectoderm‐derived tissues, such as skin and its appendages. A major cause of morbidity among affected infants is severe and chronic skin erosions. Currently, supportive care is the only available treatment option for AEC patients. Mutations in TP63, a gene that encodes key regulators of epidermal development, are the genetic cause of AEC. However, it is currently not clear how mutations in TP63 lead to the various defects seen in the patients' skin. In this review, we will discuss current knowledge of the AEC disease mechanism obtained by studying patient tissue and genetically engineered mouse models designed to mimic aspects of the disorder. We will then focus on new approaches to model AEC, including the use of patient cells and stem cell technology to replicate the disease in a human tissue culture model. The latter approach will advance our understanding of the disease and will allow for the development of new in vitro systems to identify drugs for the treatment of skin erosions in AEC patients. Further, the use of stem cell technology, in particular induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), will enable researchers to develop new therapeutic approaches to treat the disease using the patient's own cells (autologous keratinocyte transplantation) after correction of the disease‐causing mutations. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.