Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Azimilide on Heart Rate and ECG Conduction Intervals during Sinus Rhythm in Patients with a History of Atrial Fibrillation

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of azimilide, a Class III antiarrhythmic drug, on ECG conduction intervals recorded during sinus rhythm in patients with a history of symptomatic atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. In Phase I clinical pharmacology studies, azimilide was associated with prolongation of the QT and QTc intervals on electrocardiograms recorded during sinus rhythm in normal subjects, but the effect of azimilide on the target population of patients with atrial fibrillation has not been reported in detail previously. Patients with a history of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, or both were randomly assigned to receive placebo or azimilide twice daily for 3 days and then qd thereafter. Azimilide doses of 50 mg, 100 mg, or 125 mg were tested. The RR, PR, QRS, QT, QTc(Bazett), and QTc(Fridericia) intervals were measured from electrocardiograms recorded at baseline and on Day 4 of test therapy. Increasing azimilide doses were associated with significant increases in the RR, QT, QTc(Bazett), and QTc(Fridericia) compared with changes in the placebo group based on the F‐test for differences among treatment groups and the test for a dose response. In the azimilide 125 mg dose group, the mean change in RR was significantly greater than the mean change in the placebo group (+61.4 ms in the azimilide 125 mg group vs. −14.1 ms in the placebo group). The mean change in QT was significantly greater in the azimilide 125 mg group than the mean change in the placebo group (+44.2 ms in the azimilide 125 mg group vs. −1.0 ms in the placebo group). The mean change in QTc using both correction methods was significantly greater in the azimilide 125 mg group than the mean change in the respective placebo group: QTc(Bazett) +31.6 ms in the azimilide 125 mg group versus +2.1 ms in the placebo group and QTc(Fridericia) +35.8 in the azimilide 125 mg group versus +1.0 ms in the placebo group. It was concluded that in patients with a history of atrial fibrillation or flutter, azimilide was associated with statistically significant increases in RR, QT, QTc(Bazett), and QTc(Fridericia) when patients were in sinus rhythm.
Knowledge and Source of Information among Health Care Students on Nosocomial Infections

Background: No previous studies have reported the knowledge of Albanian medical students about infection control. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess medical and nursing students' knowledge in clinical years at Medical University of Tirana about infection control. Methods: Two hundred twenty undergraduate health care students from four academic programs participated in the study. The infection control standardized questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of students about three main domains, hand hygiene, nosocomial infections, and standard precautions. Results: A total of 251 students were included. Overall mean percentage score of the students was 63.2±1.9. Mean percentage scores in all domains were 69.3±0.6 for medical, 63.1±1.8 for physiotherapy, 59.8±1.6 radiography, and 60.6±2.5 for nursing. The main source of information about the prevention of nosocomial infections as cited by participants was their routine formal training in class. There was no significant association between course of study and knowledge of students about preventive measures for nosocomial infections, p<0.05. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that knowledge of nosocomial infection isolation precautions was moderate among most of the health care students training curriculum.
Long‐term depletion of cd8+ t cells in vivo in the rat: no observed role for cd8+ (cytotoxic/suppressor) cells in the immunoregulation of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

A method is described for the long‐term depletion of CD8+ T cells in the rat. Employing Lewis rats depleted of this cell type it is shown that such animals acquire, and subsequently recover from both passively and actively induced experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in a comparable fashion to normal animals. Furthermore, after spontaneous recovery from the initial bout of disease, CD8+ T cell‐depleted rats do not show any signs of relapse and, like normal rats following recovery from active EAE, are still resistant to further attempts at disease induction. Overall, these data do not support a role for the classic cytotoxic/suppressor (CD8+) T cell in the immunoregulation of EAE in the Lewis rat.
The Reduced Bactericidal Function of Complement C5-Deficient Murine Macrophages Is Associated with Defects in the Synthesis and Delivery of Reactive Oxygen Radicals to Mycobacterial Phagosomes1

Complement C5-deficient (C5−/−) macrophages derived from B.10 congenic mice were found to be defective in killing intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). They were bacteriostatic after activation with IFN-γ alone but bactericidal in the combined presence of IFN-γ and C5-derived C5a anaphylatoxin that was deficient among these macrophages. Reduced killing correlated with a decreased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the C5−/− macrophages measured using fluorescent probes. Furthermore, a lack of colocalization of p47phox protein of the NADPH oxidase (phox) complex with GFP-expressing MTB (gfpMTB) indicated a defective assembly of the phox complex on phagosomes. Reconstitution with C5a, a known ROS activator, enhanced the assembly of phox complex on the phagosomes as well as the production of ROS that inhibited the growth of MTB. Protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms are involved in the phosphorylation and translocation of p47phox onto bacterial phagosomes. Western blot analysis demonstrated a defective phosphorylation of PKC (α, β, δ) and PKC-ζ in the cytosol of C5−/− macrophages compared with C5 intact (C5+/+) macrophages. Furthermore, in situ fluorescent labeling of phagosomes indicated that PKC-β and PKC-ζ were the isoforms that are not phosphorylated in C5−/− macrophages. Because Fc receptor-mediated phox assembly was normal in both C5−/− and C5+/+ macrophages, the defect in phox assembly around MTB phagosomes was specific to C5 deficiency. Reduced bactericidal function of C5−/− macrophages thus appears to be due to a defective assembly and production of ROS that prevents effective killing of intracellular MTB.
Fuzzy support vector machines for device-free localization

In this paper, we develop a novel fuzzy support vector machine for device-free localization. The fuzzy support vector machine is an integration of support vector machines (SVMs) and fuzzy systems; therefore a fuzzy system can be extracted from an SVM. We not only show how to integrate SVMs and fuzzy systems, but also show how to reduce the complexity of the obtained fuzzy systems. One major benefit of reducing the complexity of fuzzy systems is that the obtained fuzzy systems are easy to be optimized. The proposed method is proved to be effective through experimental studies, which is carried in a badminton court in which four WiFi access points and 17 test points are deployed. The simulation results show the reduced fuzzy system is easy to perform optimization and generates better results than pure SVM. An simulation result shows the correctness of pure SVM is 66.8% and the correctness of optimized fuzzy systems is 74.6%.
The total thermal insulation of the new‐born baby

1. One hundred and seventeen healthy new‐born babies weighing between 0·9 and 4·8 kg at delivery have been studied during the first ten days of life, and sixteen of these babies have been studied serially for 6 weeks after birth. The babies lay supine in a draught‐free environment (air speed 4‐5 cm/sec) of moderate humidity. The operative temperature was between 26 and 38° C for the babies who were studied naked.
Epidemiology and clinical presentation of respiratory syncytial virus infection in a Tunisian neonatal unit from 2000 to 2002

Abstract Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important viral pathogen causing lower respiratory tract infection (LRI) in infants. This study describes the clinical and genetic epidemiology of RSV infection among Tunisian neonates. Nasopharyngeal aspirates collected from 268 newborns with LRI were screened for RSV by immunofluorescence assay. Positive samples were analysed by RT-PCR-hybridisation assay for subgroup classification of RSV genomes. RSV infection was present in 23.1% of neonates, with a predominance in males. Peak incidence occurred in winter. Subgroup classification showed a higher prevalence of group B than group A strains. Nosocomially acquired RSV infection was present in 37% of neonates, 54.3% had an underlying condition predisposing to severe disease and 13% died. The average duration of hospital stay was 10 days and 87% of newborns required supplemental oxygen. As no currently effective treatment is available, preventive measures are a priority in high-risk infants.
A novel carrier based PWM for current source converter

In this paper, a novel carrier based PWM for the three-phase current source converters(CSCs) is proposed, which employs two triangular carriers and three reference signals for three-phase system. By using the proposed PWM for CSC, the gating signals can be directly generated without any translation from the gating signals of VSC. This paper confirms the validity and effectiveness of the proposed carrier based PWM method by simulation results.
Serum and Mucosal Cytokine Profiles in Patients with Active Helicobacter Pylori and Ischemic Heart Disease: Is There a Relationship?

This study is designed to investigate, for the first time, circulating and gastric mucosal levels of IL1-α, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and matched controls, according to the presence or absence of active Helicobacter pylori infection. Furthermore, in order to evaluate whether modified lipid profile was associated to an increased cardiovascular risk, this was determined in the same groups. Cytokine levels were measured using ELISA in 58 patients with IHD and 52 controls. Active H. pylori infection was assessed if either culture of H. pylori or rapid urease test gave a positive result. Our findings indicate increasing cytokine mucosal levels in H. pylori-positive patients compared to H. pylori-negative subjects. However, the increase was statistically significant only for IL-6 and TNF-α in the gastric mucosa of IHD patients. In H. pylori-positive controls, IL-8 mucosal levels positively correlated with both IL-1α (r = 0.98; P = 0.0003) and IL-6 (r = 0.83; P = 0.03) levels. Circulating cytokine levels were comparable in IHD and healthy subjects, regardless of H. pylori status. There were no correlations between mucosal and circulating cytokine levels. Active H. pylori infection was not associated with a modified lipid profile in either controls or IHD patients, although ApoAI levels were significantly higher in H. fly/ort'-positive controls compared to those H. pylori-negative. Taken together, the results of the present study provide evidence that active H. pylori infection may play a role as a trigger factor in the pathophysiology of IHD by inducing an inflammatory cascade concentrated on gastric mucosa.
Turbostratic carbon supported palladium as an efficient catalyst for reductive purification of water from trichloroethylene

This work investigates the catalytic properties of turbostratic carbon supported Pd catalyst in hydrodechlorination of trichloroethylene (TCE HDC) in aqueous phase. 1.57 wt% Pd/C was thoroughly characterized by BET, TPHD, CO chemisorption, PXRD, STEM, XPS and used as the catalyst in removal of trichloroethylene from drinking water in batch and continuous-flow reactors. The studies showed that catalytic performance of Pd/C depended on the hydrophobicity and textural properties of carbon support, which influenced noble metal dispersion and increased catalyst tolerance against deactivation by chlorination. Palladium in the form of uniformly dispersed small (~3.5 nm) nanoparticles was found to be very active and stable in purification of water from TCE both in batch and continuous-flow operation.
Urban malaria transmission in Mutare City; an unlikely phenomenon.

OBJECTIVE With an average altitude of 1,113 m above sea level and a mean maximum temperature of 28.6 degrees C, malaria transmission is possible in Mutare. Against transmission is the regular occurrence of ground frost. We reviewed epidemiological data and undertook a survey for the Anopheles vector. DESIGN The Anopheles survey used standard techniques for sampling larvae and adult mosquitoes. Species identification was done by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. A random sample of blood slides was examined at the Blair Laboratory. Patient residence was determined from the outpatient register. Daily maximum and minimum temperatures monitored from the Mutare Fire Station, were obtained from the Meteorology Office in Harare. SETTING Mutare city and suburbs. RESULTS There was no evidence of rising temperatures in Mutare. Only non-vector Anopheles mosquitoes were identified (An. quadriannulatus and An. pretoriensis). One slide positive case had gametocytes present. Mapping generally showed no clustering, but there were two possible transmission foci. CONCLUSION Temperatures are high enough, but winter lows (< 18 degrees C) do not support malaria transmission in Mutare. The Anopheles survey did not find the vector. Two suggestive clusters were mapped. While present data do not support ongoing malaria transmission within Mutare, in the past, An. gambiae, An. fenestus and An. pretoriensis were recorded. Careful monitoring will be needed.
Valid cycles: A source of infeasibility in open shortest path first routing

Many telecommunication networks use the open shortest path first (OSPF) protocol for the routing of traffic. In such networks, each router sends the traffic on the shortest paths to the destination, with respect to the link weights assigned. An interesting question is whether or not a set of desired routing patterns can be obtained in an OSPF network by assigning appropriate weights. If not, we wish to find the source of the infeasibility. We study these issues by formulating a mathematical model and investigating its feasibility. A certain structure, called valid cycle, is found to be present in most infeasible instances. This yields new necessary conditions, stronger than those previously known, for the existence of weights yielding a set of given desired shortest path graphs. A valid cycle indicates which parts of the routing patterns are in conflict and can be used for changing the routing patterns to make the problem feasible. A polynomial algorithm for finding valid cycles is presented, the method is illustrated by a numerical example, and computational tests are reported. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2008
Clinical usefulness of serum telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mRNA as a novel tumor marker for lung cancer

Using a newly developed assay of telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA in serum by real‐time RT‐PCR, we previously reported this assay to be superior to other tumor markers for hepatoma. In this study, we aimed to clarify its clinical significance as a biomarker for lung cancer. In 112 patients with lung tumor and 80 individuals without cancer, we measured serum hTERT mRNA and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mRNA levels, using a quantitative one‐step real‐time RT‐PCR assay. We examined its sensitivity and specificity in lung cancer diagnosis, its clinical significance in comparison with other tumor markers, and its correlation with the clinical parameters using multivariate analyses and correlation relative tests. The copy number of serum hTERT mRNA was independently correlated with tumor size, tumor number, presence of metastasis and recurrence, and smoking (all P < 0.05). EGFR mRNA correlated with tumor number and clinical stage (both P < 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity in lung cancer diagnosis were 89.0% and 72.7% for hTERT mRNA, and 71.3% and 80.0% for EGFR mRNA, respectively. hTERT mRNA was superior to other tumor markers in lung cancer diagnosis. For both mRNAs, serum levels were significantly correlated with levels in lung cancer tissues (both P < 0.05). The copy number of hTERT mRNA significantly decreased after the surgical treatment. The data suggest that hTERT mRNA, especially when combined with EGFR mRNA, is a novel and excellent biomarker for pulmonary malignancies to diagnose and assess the clinical stage. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 1366–1373)
Hyperbaric‐induced enhancement of noradrenaline‐evoked contraction in rat thoracic aorta

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a high ambient pressure of He on vascular contraction induced by noradrenaline and to distinguish the effects of ambient pressure per se from those of increased pressure of inert gas. Rings of thoracic aorta were isolated from male Wistar rats. Isometric tension was measured in preparations exposed to 7.1 MPa (absolute pressure) of He. Dose‐response curves for noradrenaline and contractions elicited by 120 mM KCl were compared with time‐matched experiments performed at atmospheric pressure. The same protocol was also carried out under 7.1 MPa of N2. At the high pressure of He, the contraction elicited by noradrenaline was increased with no change in the response to K(+)ࢤevoked depolarization. The tension developed in response to noradrenaline also increased under 7.1 MPa of N2 but the effects were less marked than during the He experiments. Moreover, the response to KCl was reduced in this circumstance. Hyperbaric conditions enhance the noradrenaline‐induced contraction of rat aorta in vitro. This effect probably results from an action of pressure per se on activation of adrenoceptors. However, the hyperbaric‐induced increase in vascular smooth muscle contraction is partially counteracted by high pressures of inert gases (N2, but also probably He), which impair the efficiency of the contractile machinery.
Oxygen-insensitive synthesis of the photosynthetic membranes of Rhodobacter sphaeroides: a mutant histidine kinase

Two new loci, prrB and prrC, involved in the positive regulation of photosynthesis gene expression in response to anaerobiosis, have been identified in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. prrB encodes a sensor histidine kinase that is responsive to the removal of oxygen and functions through the response regulator PrrA. Inactivation of prrB results in a substantial reduction of photosynthetic spectral complexes as well as in the inability of cells to grow photosynthetically at low to medium light intensities. Together, prrB and prrA provide the major signal involved in synthesis of the specialized intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM), harboring components essential to the light reactions of photosynthesis. Previously, J. K. Lee and S. Kaplan (J. Bacteriol. 174:1158-1171, 1992) identified a mutant which resulted in high-level expression of the puc operon, encoding the apoproteins giving rise to the B800-850 spectral complex, in the presence of oxygen as well as in the synthesis of the ICM under conditions of high oxygenation. This mutation is shown to reside in prrB, resulting in a leucine-to-proline change at position 78 in mutant PrrB (PRRB78). Measurements of mRNA levels in cells containing the prrB78 mutation support the idea that prrB is a global regulator of photosynthesis gene expression. Two additional mutants, PRRB1 and PRRB2, which make two truncated forms of the PrrB protein, possess substantially reduced amounts of spectral complexes. Although the precise role of prrC remains to be determined, evidence suggests that it too is involved in the regulatory cascade involving prrB and prrA. The genetic organization of the photosynthesis response regulatory (PRR) region is discussed.
Readiness for organizational change: A longitudinal study of workplace, psychological and behavioural correlates

To examine factors influencing readiness for healthcare organizational change, 654 randomly selected hospital staff completed questionnaires measuring the logistical and occupational risks of change, ability to cope with change and to solve jobrelated problems, social support, measures of Karasek's (1979) active vs. passive job construct (job demand× decision latitude) and readiness for organizational change. Workers in active jobs (Karasek, 1979) which afforded higher decision latitude and control over challenging tasks reported a higher readiness for organizational change scores. Workers with an active approach to job problem-solving with higher job change self-efficacy scores reported a higher readiness for change. In hierarchical regression analyses, active jobs, an active job problem-solving style and job-change self-efficacy contributed independently to the prediction of readiness for organizational change. Time 1 readiness for organizational change scores and an active approach to job problem-solving were the best predictors of participation in redesign activities during a year-long re-engineering programme.
MULTIGENIC RESPONSE TO ETHANOL IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

The use of enzyme polymorphisms for evolutionary and population genetic investigations has greatly facilitated the study of genetic structure both within and between species. Despite their utility as genetic markers, fundamental problems concerning the adaptive nature of enzyme variation have remained refractory to investigation. Numerous indirect statistical studies give support to the notion that enzyme polymorphisms are subject to selection, but direct evidence for selection is rare. Notable exceptions are the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and the amylase polymorphisms in Drosophila melanogaster which have been intensively investigated under controlled environments and with randomized genetic backgrounds (for ADH see Gibson, 1970; Van Delden et al., 1975; Oakeshott, 1976; Cavener and Clegg, 1978; and Cavener, 1979; for amylase see Dejong et al., 1972; Hickey, 1977). In the case of both ADH and amylase the specific substrates of the enzymes were used in high concentrations in experimental populations to induce selection. Complimentary to these population experiments, in vitro kinetic differences have been demonstrated between the alternative allozymes and these differences appear to be consistent with the direction of gene frequency change observed in cage populations. It can be argued that the ADH and amylase polymorphisms are exceptional because they are involved in the processing of external substrates. In an effort to determine the validity of this view and to investigate adaptation at the biochemical level, we have chosen a somewhat different approach based upon the elementary proposition that metabolism is a closely integrated process. Because of the coordinated nature of biochemical pathways, a perturbation introduced at one point is likely to have manifold effects. Thus we have focused upon the manipulation of simple environmental factors (e.g., alcohol) and we have attempted to trace the genetic consequences arising from processing high levels of the stress factor. We have chosen to investigate adaptation to high concentrations of ethanol in Drosophila melanogaster. This is not an artificial choice because the major food resource of D. melanogaster is fermenting fruit which contains moderate to high concentrations of ethanol. Indeed, D. melanogaster has actually been found to undergo a part of its life cycle on floating