Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The treatment of lateral epicondylitis by iontophoresis of sodium salicylate and sodium diclofenac

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of sodium diclofenac and sodium salicylate applied by topical iontophoresis and to compare them in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. Subjects: Forty patients with lateral epicondylitis were randomized into two groups of 20 patients who were matched for age and sex. Interventions: The patients in one group were treated by iontophoresis of sodium diclofenac and the other group were treated by iontophoresis of sodium salicylate. Then infrared treatment was applied to patients in both groups. Main outcome measures: Pain scores obtained before and after treatment were compared. Results: Pain produced by pressure on the lateral epicondyle, on resisting wrist extension, during function and spontaneous pain at rest significantly decreased in both groups after treatment (p <0.001). When pain scores obtained after treatment were compared, greater decrease was observed in the pain produced on resisting wrist extension (p <0.01) and by pressure on the lateral epicondyle (p <0.05) in the group treated with sodium diclofenac than in the group treated with sodium salicylate. Conclusions: The results suggest some benefits from the process of iontophoresis and the use of infrared in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis and indicate that iontophoresis of sodium diclofenac is more effective than that of sodium salicylate.
Specificity of childhood psychotic symptoms for predicting schizophrenia by 38 years of age: a birth cohort study

Background Childhood psychotic symptoms have been used as a subclinical phenotype of schizophrenia in etiological research and as a target for preventative interventions. However, recent studies have cast doubt on the specificity of these symptoms for schizophrenia, suggesting alternative outcomes such as anxiety and depression. Using a prospective longitudinal birth cohort we investigated whether childhood psychotic symptoms predicted a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychiatric disorders by 38 years of age. Method Participants were drawn from a birth cohort of 1037 children from Dunedin, New Zealand, who were followed prospectively to 38 years of age (96% retention rate). Structured clinical interviews were administered at age 11 to assess psychotic symptoms and study members underwent psychiatric assessments at ages 18, 21, 26, 32 and 38 to obtain past-year DSM-III-R/IV diagnoses and self-reports of attempted suicides since adolescence. Results Psychotic symptoms at age 11 predicted elevated rates of research diagnoses of schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and also suicide attempts by age 38, even when controlling for gender, social class and childhood psychopathology. No significant associations were found for persistent anxiety, persistent depression, mania or persistent substance dependence. Very few of the children presenting with age-11 psychotic symptoms were free from disorder by age 38. Conclusions Childhood psychotic symptoms were not specific to a diagnosis of schizophrenia in adulthood and thus future studies of early symptoms should be cautious in extrapolating findings only to this clinical disorder. However, these symptoms may be useful as a marker of adult mental health problems more broadly.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus in China: a preventable economic burden.

OBJECTIVES To estimate the direct and indirect costs of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China in 2007 and project these costs for the year 2030, and to examine and compare the benefits of selected interventions. STUDY DESIGN Annual direct costs of medical and nonmedical care and indirect costs of income losses were estimated through case calculation of data from a cross-sectional survey carried out in 4 major Chinese cities from March 2007 to September 2007. METHODS The subjects were consecutively recruited T2DM outpatients and inpatients from 20 secondary and tertiary hospitals using selection probability proportional to size sampling. We combined the existing data from cost-effectiveness studies into the case estimation to examine the benefits of the observed regime of interventions for preventing and treating diabetes. RESULTS Annual direct medical and direct nonmedical costs per case averaged 1320.90 USD and 180.80 USD, respectively. The mean annual indirect costs of T2DM and its complications were estimated to be 206.10 USD. Based on case numbers in 2007 and projected case numbers in 2030, the direct medical costs of T2DM and its complications were estimated to be 26.0 billion USD in 2007 and were projected to be 47.2 billion USD in 2030. CONCLUSIONS The results indicated that T2DM consumes a large portion of healthcare expenditures and will continue to place a heavy burden on health budgets in the future. Preventive intervention, screening, and treatment strategies may effectively decrease the incidence and complications of diabetes and therefore save costs.
Combination of endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration with standard bronchoscopic techniques for the diagnosis of stage I and stage II pulmonary sarcoidosis

Background and objective: Standard bronchoscopic techniques (transbronchial lung biopsy and endobronchial biopsy) provide a diagnosis in 70% of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. Previous data suggest that endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA) has a high sensitivity in patients with sarcoidosis. The feasibility and utility of combining EBUS‐TBNA with standard bronchoscopic techniques is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of combined EBUS‐TBNA and standard bronchoscopic techniques in patients with suspected sarcoidosis and enlarged mediastinal or hilar lymphadenopathy.
A comparison of cognitive functioning in acute schizophrenia and depression

Objective Even though cognitive deficits are well recognised in schizophrenia and depression, direct comparisons between the disorders are scarce in literature. This study aims to assess specificity and degree of cognitive deficits in inpatients with acute schizophrenia and unipolar major depression. Methods A neuropsychological test battery was administered to 76 schizophrenic patients, 102 patients with unipolar major depression and 85 healthy controls (HCs), assessing verbal learning [Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)], processing speed (Trail Making Test), verbal fluency and visual memory (Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised test). Results Both patient groups were significantly impaired compared with HCs with regard to all test outcomes. The schizophrenia group (SG) performed significantly worse in the Wechsler Memory Scale and verbal fluency than the depression group (DG). The DG reached significantly lower scores than the SG in the RAVLT delayed recall subtest. No significant group difference between SG and DG was found for the Trail Making Test and the RAVLT direct recall trails. Conclusion Our results indicate that cognitive impairment is present in both disorders. Schizophrenic patients performed worse than patients with unipolar depression in only two of the administered tests. Differences in cognitive performance between the groups are not as general as often assumed. Therefore, during the acute phase of illness, a diagnostic classification on the grounds of the patients’ neurocognitive performance has to be done with caution.
Glycopeptide-preferring Polypeptide GalNAc Transferase 10 (ppGalNAc T10), Involved in Mucin-type O-Glycosylation, Has a Unique GalNAc-O-Ser/Thr-binding Site in Its Catalytic Domain Not Found in ppGalNAc T1 or T2*

Mucin-type O-gly co sy la tion is initiated by a large family of UDP-GalNAc:polypeptide α-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (ppGalNAc Ts) that transfer GalNAc from UDP-GalNAc to the Ser and Thr residues of polypeptide acceptors. Some members of the family prefer previously gly co sylated peptides (ppGalNAc T7 and T10), whereas others are inhibited by neighboring gly co sy la tion (ppGalNAc T1 and T2). Characterizing their peptide and glycopeptide substrate specificity is critical for understanding the biological role and significance of each isoform. Utilizing a series of random peptide and glycopeptide substrates, we have obtained the peptide and glycopeptide specificities of ppGalNAc T10 for comparison with ppGalNAc T1 and T2. For the glycopeptide substrates, ppGalNAc T10 exhibited a single large preference for Ser/Thr-O-GalNAc at the +1 (C-terminal) position relative to the Ser or Thr acceptor site. ppGalNAc T1 and T2 revealed no significant enhancements suggesting Ser/Thr-O-GalNAc was inhibitory at most positions for these isoforms. Against random peptide substrates, ppGalNAc T10 revealed no significant hydrophobic or hydrophilic residue enhancements, in contrast to what has been reported previously for ppGalNAc T1 and T2. Our results reveal that these transferases have unique peptide and glycopeptide preferences demonstrating their substrate diversity and their likely roles ranging from initiating transferases to filling-in transferases.
Prolonged Maximal Stimulation of Insulin Secretion in Healthy Subjects Does Not Provoke Preferential Release of Proinsulin

Release of immature secretory granules rich in incompletely processed proinsulin has been proposed to explain the relative hyperproinsulinemia in type 2 diabetic and insulinoma patients because of a constant secretory drive resulting from hyperglycemia and autonomous secretion, respectively. To test this hypothesis, insulin secretion was stimulated by a combination of hyperglycemia (11 mmol/L clamp), intravenous (i.v.) tolbutamide (1 g), and i. v. glucagon (initial bolus 10 fig/kg body weight, maintenance infusion 2 μg/kg body weight per hour) for 3 h. Circulating IR-insulin and IR-C-peptide concentrations increased 89-fold and 14-fold over basal values, respectively, but IR-proinsulin concentrations increased only ninefold over basal values. Estimation of the amount of insulin secreted (based on deconvolution analysis of plasma C-peptide values) showed that ∼76 ± 21 U were secreted during the stimulation period. This amount is a significant proportion of pancreatic insulin content in normal humans. In molar terms, IR-proinsulin (integrated incremental response multiplied by metabolic clearance rate of proinsulin) relative to IR-C-peptide (= insulin) secretion (deconvolution analysis) was estimated to be equal or even lower than the known proportion in islets (0.22 ± 0.05%). Thus, using a near-maximal stimulation of insulin secretion maintained long enough to cause release of amounts of insulin approaching the estimated pancreatic content, no preferential release of proinsulin was observed in normal humans. Therefore, the hyperproinsulinemia of type 2 diabetes and in insulinoma patients may be caused by additional defects in the proinsulin to insulin conversion process.
Electrocochleographic effects of ear canal pressure change in subjects with Menière's disease.

This study examined the relationship between objective changes in electrocochleographic (ECochG) parameters and subjective changes in symptoms in a group of patients with Menière's disease/endolymphatic hydrops (MD/ELH) after application of positive and negative atmospheric pressure changes to the sealed ear canal. Our goals were to further examine the therapeutic effects of atmospheric pressure change on the treatment of MD/ELH, as reported by a series of Swedish studies, and to examine the utility of ECochG for monitoring these effects. By combining a clinical immittance unit and an evoked potential unit, ECochG responses were obtained from the tympanic membrane while different atmospheric pressures were applied indirectly to the middle ear via the external ear canal. For comparison, ECochG responses at various atmospheric pressures also were obtained for otologically normal subjects. For the MD/ELH group, there was a significant (p < 0.01) reduction in the abnormal summating potential/action potential (SP/AP) amplitude ratio, although the amplitude ratios did not become "normal. " There was no significant effect of ear canal pressure change on ECochG components for the normative subjects. Although these findings were encouraging regarding the therapeutic effects of overpressure, they were not accompanied with changes in MD/ELH symptoms.
Renal differentiation of amniotic fluid stem cells

Abstract. Objectives: The role of stem cells in regenerative medicine is evolving rapidly. Here, we describe the application, for kidney regeneration, of a novel non‐genetically modified stem cell, derived from human amniotic fluid. We show that these pluripotent cells can develop and differentiate into de novo kidney structures during organogenesis in vitro. Materials and methods: Human amniotic fluid‐derived stem cells (hAFSCs) were isolated from human male amniotic fluid obtained between 12 and 18 weeks gestation. Green fluorescent protein and Lac‐Z‐transfected hAFSCs were microinjected into murine embryonic kidneys (12.5–18 days gestation) and were maintained in a special co‐culture system in vitro for 10 days. Techniques of live microscopy, histology, chromogenic in situ hybridization and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction were used to characterize the hAFSCs during their integration and differentiation in concert with the growing organ. Results: Green fluorescent protein and Lac‐Z‐transfected hAFSCs demonstrated long‐term viability in organ culture. Histological analysis of injected kidneys revealed that hAFSCs were capable of contributing to the development of primordial kidney structures including renal vesicle, C‐ and S‐shaped bodies. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction confirmed expression of early kidney markers for: zona occludens‐1, glial‐derived neurotrophic factor and claudin. Conclusions: Human amniotic fluid‐derived stem cells may represent a potentially limitless source of ethically neutral, unmodified pluripotential cells for kidney regeneration.
[Prostatic volume: suprapubic versus transrectal ultrasonography in the control of benign prostatic hyperplasia].

INTRODUCTION During the follow-up of benign prostatic hypertrophy, the urologist needs the repeated evaluation of the gland size to monitor the effectiveness of drug treatment. We investigated the comparative adequacy of transabdominal and transrectal US for prostatic measurements, to possibly replace the gold standard transrectal examination with cheaper, easier and less invasive transabdominal studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS February, 1994, to May, 1996, we submitted 196 patients to prostate US, with a transabdominal convex probe and a transrectal biplanar probe. The three prostatic diameters were measured and prostatic volume and height calculated. RESULTS The transverse diameter was the same (+/- 5%) in 31.6% of cases, but transabdominal US overestimated it in 41.8% and underestimated it in 26.5% of cases. The AP diameter was the same in 33.1% of cases, but trans-abdominal US overestimated it in 15.3% and underestimated it in 51.5% of cases. The cranio-caudal diameter was the same in 25.5% of cases, but transabdominal US overestimated it in 59.1% and underestimated it in 15.3% of cases. Consequently, the volume calculated with transabdominal US was the same (+/- 15%) in 27.5% of cases, overestimated in 45.9% and under-estimated in 26.5% of cases; prostatic weight rates were about the same. CONCLUSIONS Prostatic volume and weight measured with transabdominal US are overestimated in about 50% of cases and are the same (+/- 15%) in about 27% of cases only. Therefore, transabdominal US appears less reliable than transrectal US for prostatic measurements and the latter technique remains the gold standard to monitor drug treatment effectiveness in benign prostatic hypertrophy follow-up.
Impact of Low-Level Viraemia on Virological Failure in HIV-1-Infected Patients with Stable Antiretroviral Treatment

Background Low-level viraemia (LLV) occurs in 20–40% of patients achieving viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy (ART). The risk of virological failure (VF: confirmed HIV RNA >200 copies/ml) in these patients is still a matter of debate. Methods This is a prospective cohort study in HIV-infected adults attending the HIV clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Spain. Patients with HIV RNA <25 copies/ml and stable ART for at least 6 months presenting LLV (defined as HIV RNA between 25–1,000 copies/ml) from January 2011 to January 2013 were included and followed until VF or end of follow-up in June 2014. Results A total of 300 out of 1,733 (17.3%) patients with undetectable viraemia for 4.2 years showed LLV: 25–50 copies/ml in 167 (55.7%) patients, 51–200 copies/ml in 111 (37%) and 201–1,000 copies/ml in 22 (7.3%) cases. After a median follow-up of 2.6 years, 23 (7.7%) patients presented VF. No patient with a single or multiple unconfirmed LLV went on to develop VF. HIV RNA >200 copies/ml (HR 59.6; 95% CI 15.7, 227), ritonavir-boosted protease inhibtor (PI/r)-based dual therapy (HR 10.2; 95% CI 2.1, 49.8) and PI/r monotherapy (HR 7.9; 95% CI 1.4, 43.3) were associated with VF. Persistent LLV, defined as HIV RNA <200 copies/ml in at least three consecutive samples, for at least 12 weeks, was detected in 27 (1.6%) patients and 14 (51.9%) of those evolved to VF. Conclusions Nearly one-fifth of patients on suppressive ART showed LLV and 8% of them developed VF. HIV RNA >200 copies/ml was the strongest predictor of VF. Over half of patients with persistent viraemia <200 copies/ml showed VF.
Reduction of immunoreactivity of bovine β-lactoglobulin upon combined physical and proteolytic treatment

Bovine β-lactoglobulin was hydrolyzed with trypsin or chymotrypsin before, during and after treatment at 600 MPa and pH 6·8 for 10 min at 30, 37 and 44 °C. The extent of β-lactoglobulin hydrolysis under pressure was noticeably higher than at atmospheric pressure, particularly when chymotrypsin was used. Addition of proteases at ambient pressure to previously pressure-treated β-lactoglobulin gave only a modest increase in proteolysis with respect to the untreated protein. Products of enzyme hydrolysis under pressure were separated by reverse-phase HPLC, and were found to be different from those obtained at atmospheric pressure when chymotrypsin was used. The residual immunochemical reactivity of the products of combined pressure-enzyme treatment was assessed on the unresolved hydrolysates by ELISA tests using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, and on individual hydrolytic fractions by Western Blotting using sera of paediatric patients allergic to whey proteins in cow milk. The immunoreactivity of the whole hydrolysates was related to their content of residual intact β-lactoglobulin, and no immunochemical reactivity was found for all the products of chymotrypsin hydrolysis under pressure. The results indicate that chymotrypsin effectively hydrolysed hydrophobic regions of β-lactoglobulin that were transiently exposed during the pressure treatments and that were not accessible in the native protein or in the protein that had been previously pressure treated.
A psychoeducational bereavement-support group for families provided in an outpatient cancer center.

BACKGROUND Grief is a normal and highly personal reaction to loss. Bereavement care (individual and/or group) can assist family members and friends in coping with their feelings of grief, thereby reducing the possibility of complicated grief reactions. The families and significant others of patients who have died in settings other than a hospice do not automatically have the opportunity for bereavement follow-up. METHODS An eight-session psychoeducational group that provided psychosocial support and information aimed at assisting in the bereavement process was initiated at an outpatient cancer center. It was led by a family therapist who was a member of a psychosocial services team. Family members and friends of recently deceased patients were invited to participate by letter and phone call. RESULTS Seven people participated in at least one group session. Participants were asked to complete a face-valid follow-up questionnaire three months after completion of the group. CONCLUSIONS Group members found the group experience beneficial, especially regarding the opportunity to talk with others who had experienced similar losses, learning about the reactions one would expect in the grieving process, and developing new strategies to deal with the grief associated with the loss.
High diversity of HHV‐8 molecular subtypes in the Amazon region of Brazil: Evidence of an ancient human infection

The present study describes the molecular epidemiology of Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV‐8) among four Indian tribes (Kararao, Arara Laranjal, Tiriyo, and Zo'e) of the Amazon region of Brazil and a group of HIV‐1‐infected subjects from the urban population of Belem, Para. Infection was characterized by the presence of antibodies using ELISA (measuring antibodies to ORF59, ORF65, K8.1A, K8.1B, and ORF73), and molecular assays (gene amplification of the regions ORF26 and the variable region VR1). Antibodies to HHV‐8 were detected in 66 samples of the 221 Brazilian Amerindians, namely, 6 (25%) in the Kararao, 18 (19.6%) in the Arara Laranjal, 24 (42.9%) in the Tiriyo, and 18 (36.7%) in the Zo'e. Among the 477 HIV‐1‐infected subjects, antibodies to HHV‐8 were present in 74 (15.5%) persons. The ORF26 region was amplified in seven samples, one of the Arara Laranjal, one of the Tiriyo, two of the Zo'e, and three of the HIV‐1‐infected group. Subtyping of HHV‐8 described a high multiplicity of molecular subtypes, including C (Zo'e), E (Tiriyo), and B (HIV‐1 infected). Serological results confirm the high prevalence of HHV‐8 among Amerindians and the presence of three subtypes in the Amazon region of Brazil, including a unique subtype, which favors the idea of HHV‐8 as an ancient human infection within this particular geographical region. J. Med. Virol. 79:1537–1544, 2007. © Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hormone-induced Translocation of Thyroid Hormone Receptors in Living Cells Visualized Using a Receptor Green Fluorescent Protein Chimera*

Thyroid hormone nuclear receptors (TRs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors that regulate growth, differentiation, and development. To understand the role of the hormone, 3,3′,5-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3), in the nuclear translocation and targeting of TRs to the regulatory sites in chromatin, we appended green fluorescent protein (GFP) to the human TR subtype β1 (TRβ1). The fusion of GFP to the amino terminus of TRβ1 protein did not alter T3 binding or transcriptional activities of the receptor. The subcellular localization of GFP-TRβ1 in living cells was visualized by laser-scanning confocal microscopy. In the presence of T3, the expressed GFP-TRβ1 was predominately localized in the nucleus, exhibiting a nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio of ∼5.5. No GFP-TRβ1 was detected in the nucleolus. In the absence of T3, more GFP-TRβ1 was present in the cytoplasm, exhibiting a nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio of ∼1.5. In these cells, cytoplasmic GFP-TRβ1 could be induced to enter the nucleus by T3. The T3-induced translocation was blocked when Lys184-Arg185 in domain D of TRβ1 was mutated to Ala184-Ala185. Furthermore, the inability of the mutant TR to translocate to the nucleus correlated with the loss of most of its transcriptional activity. These results suggest that TR functions may, in part, be regulated by T3-induced nuclear entry.