Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peritoneal Dialysis is Limited by Kidney and Liver Volume in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

We evaluated the influence of kidney volume (KV) and liver volume (LV) on continuation of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Twenty‐two PKD patients on PD were retrospectively investigated after being divided into two groups. Group 1 comprised 15 patients who started PD at our hospital and group 2 was composed of seven patients referred from other hospitals for treatment of renomegaly by transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) at 47.1 ± 21.8 months after commencing PD. In group 1, KV for both kidneys (mean ± SD) was 2787 ± 1945 mL (range: 1043 to 6816 mL), LV was 2198 ± 1139 mL (1005 to 4116 mL), and the total organ volume (TV = KV + LV) was 4985 ± 1815 mL (2320 to 8912 mL). In the patient with the largest TV from group 1 (KV of 6816 mL, TV of 8912 mL, and TV/BMI ratio of 426, PD was stopped due to dialysate leakage. However, dialysate leakage did not occur in the other 14 patients (TV ≦ 7963 mL and TV/BMI ratio of 353 at the start of PD). In group 2, KV was 5822 ± 1597 mL (3832 to 8862 mL), LV was 1776 ± 519 mL (1271 to 2671 mL), and TV was 7597 ± 1431 mL (5505 to 10358) before TAE. Leakage of dialysate did not occur with a mean infusion volume of 1530 ± 370 mL (1000 mL to 2000 mL), even after renomegaly and hepatomegaly progressed to the maximum TV/BMI ratio of 359. Six patients from the two groups developed new abdominal hernias at 36 ± 5 months (6–55 months) after starting PD. These findings suggest that performance of PD may be limited by renomegaly and hepatomegaly in patients with PKD.
Investigating information retrieval support techniques for different information-seeking strategies

We report on a study that investigated the efficacy of four different interactive information retrieval (IIR) systems, each designed to support a specific information-seeking strategy (ISS). These systems were constructed using different combinations of IR techniques (i.e., combinations of different methods of representation, comparison, presentation and navigation), each of which was hypothesized to be well suited to support a specific ISS. We compared the performance of searchers in each such system, designated “experimental,” to an appropriate “baseline” system, which implemented the standard specified query and results list model of current stateof-the-art experimental and operational IR systems. Four within-subjects experiments were conducted for the purpose of this comparison. Results showed that each of the experimental systems was superior to its baseline system in supporting user performance for the specific ISS (that is, the information problem leading to that ISS) for which the system was designed. These results indicate that an IIR system, which intends to support more than one kind of ISS, should be designed within a framework which allows the use and combination of different IR support techniques for different ISSs.
Assessing child-rearing behaviors: a comparison of ratings made by mother, father, child, and sibling on the CRPBI.

This study of the reliability and validity of scales from the Child's Report of Parental Behavior (CRPBI) presents data on the utility of aggregating the ratings of multiple observers. Subjects were 680 individuals from 170 families. The participants in each family were a college freshman student, the mother, the father, and 1 sibling. The results revealed moderate internal consistency (M = .71) for all rater types on the 18 subscales of the CRPBI, but low interrater agreement (M = .30). The same factor structure was observed across the 4 rater types; however, aggregation within raters across salient scales to form estimated factor scores did not improve rater convergence appreciably (M = .36). Aggregation of factor scores across 2 raters yields much higher convergence (M = .51), and the 4-rater aggregates yielded impressive generalizability coefficients (M = .69). These and other analyses suggested that the responses of each family member contained a small proportion of true variance and a substantial proportion of factor-specific systematic error. The latter can be greatly reduced by aggregating scores across multiple raters.
Trajectories of the Hippocampal Subfields Atrophy in the Alzheimer’s Disease: A Structural Imaging Study

Background The hippocampus and hippocampal subfields have been found to be diversely affected in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and early stages of Alzheimer’s disease by neuroimaging studies. However, our knowledge is still lacking about the trajectories of the hippocampus and hippocampal subfields atrophy with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Objective To identify which subfields of the hippocampus differ in the trajectories of Alzheimer’s disease by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine whether individual differences on memory could be explained by structural volumes of hippocampal subfields. Methods Four groups of participants including 41 AD patients, 43 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients, 35 subjective cognitive decline (SCD) patients and 42 normal controls (NC) received their structural MRI brain scans. Structural MR images were processed by the FreeSurfer 6.0 image analysis suite to extract the hippocampus and its subfields. Furthermore, we investigated relationships between hippocampal subfield volumes and memory test variables (AVLT-immediate recall, AVLT-delayed recall, AVLT-recognition) and the regression model analyses were controlled for age, gender, education and eTIV. Results CA1, subiculum, presubiculum, molecular layer and fimbria showed the trend toward significant volume reduction among four groups with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Volume of left subiculum was most strongly and actively correlated with performance across AVLT measures. Conclusion The trend changes in the hippocampus subfields and further illustrates that SCD is the preclinical stage of AD earlier than aMCI. Future studies should aim to associate the atrophy of the hippocampal subfields in SCD with possible conversion to aMCI or AD with longitudinal design.
Nutritional rickets around the world: causes and future directions

Abstract Introduction: Nutritional rickets has been described from at least 59 countries in the last 20 years. Its spectrum of causes differs in different regions of the world. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of articles on nutritional rickets from various geographical regions published in the last 20 years. We extracted information about the prevalence and causes of rickets. Results: Calcium deficiency is the major cause of rickets in Africa and some parts of tropical Asia, but is being recognised increasingly in other parts of the world. A resurgence of vitamin D deficiency has been observed in North America and Europe. Vitamin D-deficiency rickets usually presents in the 1st 18 months of life, whereas calcium deficiency typically presents after weaning and often after the 2nd year. Few studies of rickets in developing countries report values of 25(OH)D to permit distinguishing vitamin D from calcium deficiency. Conclusions: Rickets exists along a spectrum ranging from isolated vitamin D deficiency to isolated calcium deficiency. Along the spectrum, it is likely that relative deficiencies of calcium and vitamin D interact with genetic and/or environmental factors to stimulate the development of rickets. Vitamin D supplementation alone might not prevent or treat rickets in populations with limited calcium intake.
Electromobility Studies Based on Convex Optimization: Design and Control Issues Regarding Vehicle Electrification

The electrification of road transport is accelerating globally, propelled by a mix of environmental concerns, legislative mandates, and business opportunities. Relying to a larger extent on electricity in the transportation sector provides new opportunities to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, fossil fuel consumption, and local air pollution by improving energy efficiency and employing renewable energy. As part of this development, leading vehicle manufacturers are currently making a substantial effort to provide hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs), and pure EVs to the market.
Calcium Carbonate Hexahydrate from Organic-Rich Sediments of the Antarctic Shelf: Precursors of Glendonites

Large euhedral crystals of calcium carbonate hexahydrate were recovered from a shelf basin of the Bransfield Strait, Antarctic Peninsula, at a water depth of 1950 meters and sub-zero bottom water temperatures. The chemistry, mineralogy, and stable isotope composition of this hydrated calcium carbonate phase, its environment of formation, and its mode of precipitation confirm the properties variously attributed to hypothetical precursors of the glendonites and thereby greatly expand their use in paleoceanographic interpretation.
Metabotropic glutamate receptors mediate a post‐tetanic excitation of guinea‐pig hippocampal inhibitory neurones.

1. Inhibitory cell activity and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials impinging spontaneously on pyramidal cells were recorded in the CA3 region of hippocampal slices from guinea‐pig. We compared the effects on synaptic inhibition, of tetanic stimuli in the presence of antagonists of ionotropic excitatory amino acid receptors, and of application of agonists of metabotropic glutamate receptors. 2. Tetanic stimulation of afferent fibres caused an increase, of duration 0.5‐2.5 min, in the frequency of spontaneous Cl(‐)‐mediated IPSPs. Inhibitory cell firing increased due to a depolarization and a reduction of after‐hyperpolarizing potentials. 3. Tetanic stimulation induced, in some experiments, rhythmic bursts of IPSPs and transformed the firing pattern of some inhibitory cells from a discharge of single action potentials to rhythmic bursts of three to five action potentials. 4. Application of the metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist, trans‐1‐amino‐cyclopentane‐1,3‐dicarboxylic acid (tACPD), at concentrations from 3‐10 microM increased the frequency of spontaneous IPSPs. In some slices tACPD caused IPSPs to occur rhythmically. IPSP frequency did not continue to increase with concentrations of tACPD above 20 microM. 5. tACPD depolarized inhibitory cells and reduced after‐hyperpolarizing potentials. High concentrations (50‐100 microM) of tACPD excited inhibitory cells to potentials at which they no longer discharged fast action potentials. 6. Both tetanic stimulation and tACPD led to the appearance in pyramidal cell pairs of simultaneous IPSPs which were not previously observed, suggesting that the same group of inhibitory cells was excited in both cases. 7. Low concentrations of tACPD (3‐10 microM) enhanced IPSP responses to tetanic stimuli, while the effects of tetanic stimuli were occluded in the presence of high concentrations (20‐30 microM) of tACPD. 8. We suggest that activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors during tetanic stimulation leads to a post‐tetanic excitation of inhibitory cells that mediate Cl(‐)‐dependent IPSPs.
Electrical Anisotropy Below Slow- and Fast-Moving Plates: Paleoflow in the Upper Mantle?

Upper mantle electrical conductivities can be explained by hydrogen diffusivity in hydrous olivine. Diffusivity enhances the conductivity of olivine anisotropically, making the a axis the most conductive of the three axes. Therefore, the hypothesis that plate motion induces lattice-preferred orientation of olivine can be tested with the use of long-period electromagnetic array measurements. Here, we compared electrical anisotropies below the slow-moving Fennoscandian and fast-moving Australian plates. The degree of olivine alignment is greater in the mantle below the Fennoscandian plate than below the Australian plate. This finding may indicate that convection rather than plate motion is the dominant deformation mechanism.
Widely used commercial ELISA for human Zonulin reacts with Complement C 3 1 rather than preHaptoglobin 2

6 Leipzig University Medical Center, IFB AdiposityDiseases, Leipzig, Germany; 7 Divisions of Endocrinology and Nephrology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; 8 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Institute of Pharmacy, 9 Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry, 10 Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, 11 Germany 12 13
Rat Brain Protein Synthesis Declines During Postdevelopmental Aging

: Using improved methods to measure brain protein synthesis in vivo (Dunlop et al., 1975) we have established that brain protein synthesis significantly declines in forebrain, cerebellum and brain stem when mature rats (3 months old) are compared to old rats (22.5 months old). The incorporation of (3H) L‐lysine into forebrain protein is reduced 11% in 10.5 month old rats compared to 3 month old rats. A further reduction of 9% occurred between 16.5 months and 22.5 months. Our data suggest that reduced levels of protein synthesis initiation may be responsible, at least in part, for this age‐related decline.
Taste and Odor: Reactivity in Depressive Disorders, a Multidisciplinary Approach

Depressive patients often complain about dullness of taste of previously liked food items as well as of persistent bad taste. Taste and smell experience can be reflected by cognitive (psychophysical) indicators and also by reflectory (facial expressive) responses. In the present study 21 depressed, hospitalized patients and 16 control subjects were exposed to food-related gustatory and olfactory stimuli. Psychophysical and videotaped facial reactions were recorded from both groups. Analysis indicated that cognitive estimates of taste hedonics were similar for depressed and control groups; the former responded to sweet taste with a shorter-lasting facial reaction, involving markedly fewer facial features expressing enjoyment, than did controls. Aversive tastes, in contrast, triggered comparable facial expressive features of disgust in both groups. Facial reactions of depressed patients to acceptable and aversive olfactory stimuli were all significantly shorter and more muted than those of controls. Facial reflexes triggered by chemical cues are known to be controlled primarily by brainstem structures. Present findings suggest a possible influence of the profound anhedonia of severe depression on subcortical processes.
Pharmacokinetics and Antibody Responses to the CD3 Antibody Otelixizumab Used in the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes

Otelixizumab is a chimeric CD3 antibody that has been genetically engineered to remove the glycosylation site in the Fc domain. This limits its ability to bind to complement or Fc receptors and reduces the risk of adverse clinical reactions due to cytokine release. In a trial for treatment of type 1 diabetes, a short treatment with otelixizumab resulted in a reduced requirement for insulin lasting at least 18 months. In the course of this trial, the blood concentrations of the antibody were measured by flow cytometry to determine its pharmacokinetic profile. Dose‐dependent accumulation of otelixizumab was demonstrated and modeling of the data indicated that the terminal half‐life was approximately 1.5 days. Antibody responses to otelixizumab were measured by 2 methods: a bridging enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and surface plasmon resonance. The surface plasmon resonance method had a greater sensitivity and was able to detect responses in all patients, starting at 8 days after the commencement of therapy. Neutralizing antibodies were detected in a significant proportion of patients by days 22 to 29. Although no adverse clinical effects were associated with these antibody responses and they did not appear to affect the clearance of the drug, they might have important implications for possible retreatment of the patients.
Medical Expenditures and Insurance Coverage for People With Diabetes: Estimates From the National Medical Care Expenditure Survey

Access to health insurance and protection against expenditures for medical care are of special concern to diabetic patients in the United States. This study examines some information on the extent and breadth of public and private health insurance for individuals with diabetes, as well as some estimates of their use of health-care services and their mean expenses for this care. About 12% of all diabetic patients < 65 yr old (∼311,000 individuals) were uninsured throughout 1977, a rate not much different from that for the rest of the United States population. Those with diabetes who are uninsured tend to be younger, Black or Hispanic, in excellent or good health, and live outside of metropolitan areas and in the South or West. As expected, diabetic patients use more medical care than others of their age and sex, and their medical expenses are also much higher, particularly in younger age groups. In 1977, average total medical-care expenses for people with diabetes were $1514 compared with $548 for the rest of the population. They and their families paid ∼ 20% out of pocket (∼ $355). Their health insurance premiums were not much different from those without diabetes, averaging ∼ $1000 in 1977 for those under age 65. The private insurance coverage for diabetic patients was similar to that for others, although slightly fewer had major medical coverage than the general population.
Anatomy of the deep venous system of the popliteal fossa and lower leg.

THE DEEP venous system of the popliteal fossa and lower leg is a neglected field of anatomy that is acquiring increasing importance. Chronic venous insufficiency may be caused by disturbances in these veins, and our attention has been focused on them in order that we might diagnose and treat this condition. One of the chief means of evaluating these vessels is by roentgenography, by the so-called phlebogram. However, interpretation of results in this test has been difficult, in a great share due to lack of understanding of the vein branches visualized. Somewhat similarly a lack of accurate anatomic orientation may account for differences in results noted when the popliteal vein has been ligated as a therapeutic measure in instances of "phlebitis. " In perusing standard texts of anatomy,* it is remarkable how little attention has been devoted to the deep veins of the lower leg. Generally, though, there is agreement that
Re-evaluating the field tourniquet for the Canadian Forces.

OBJECTIVE To determine the best field tourniquet for Medical Technician (Med Tech) use in the Canadian Forces (CF). METHODS We conducted a prospective controlled trial, comparing the efficacy and ease of applicability of 3 types of commercially available windlass tourniquets in 4 tactical situations on simulated patients. The primary outcome was time to tourniquet application with secondary outcomes including effectiveness and Med Tech satisfaction. RESULTS The overall finding of this study indicates that the Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T) was applied the fastest in each scenario and was also significantly the most effective in occluding distal blood flow. The survey results show that the 3 tourniquet types are similar in many of the measures of ease of learning and application, with the C-A-T scoring highest in self-application and the Special Operations Forces Tactical Tourniquet Wide having the lowest scores for both durability and effectiveness. CONCLUSION When tested on a group of CF Med Techs, the C-A-T remained the CF field tourniquet of choice, based on the assessed criteria. Although there is inherent bias in the approach of this study, it reflects the process required to determine if a new piece of kit is superior to what is already considered the standard to a trained and equipped military.
Microwave Corona Breakdown Around Metal Corners and Wedges

This paper presents an analytical, numerical, and experimental analysis of the breakdown strength of microwave gas-filled RF devices containing sharp corners and wedges. For the idealized case of a wedge-shaped geometry, it is shown that only under certain physical circumstances does the singularity and the concomitant strongly enhanced microwave field determine the breakdown strength. In particular, when diffusion is the dominating loss mechanism for the electron density, breakdown is a volumetric process, and the field singularity does not determine the breakdown threshold. In such situations, excessive accuracy in numerical calculations is not required. Conditions for volumetric and localized breakdown, respectively, are established analytically, and the validity is demonstrated by numerical simulations. Finally, the analysis is extrapolated and compared with experimentally observed breakdown thresholds in commercially available resonators of nonidealized geometry. Good agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental results is demonstrated.
Insulin-like growth factor-I and angiographically documented coronary artery disease.

In conclusion, we have reported an association between low IGF-I concentrations and CAD in relatively young men. This observation raises the possibility that IGF-I deficiency could be part of the polymetabolic syndrome. Whether a subnormal IGF-I production is due to growth hormone secretory abnormalities or to other metabolic reasons (e.g., insulin resistance or fat distribution, or both) is still unknown.
Differential Expression of the Murine Mannose-Binding Lectins A and C in Lymphoid and Nonlymphoid Organs and Tissues 1

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a member of the collectin family, binds to carbohydrate structures on the surfaces of micro-organisms and may serve as a recognition molecule of the lectin pathway of complement activation. In rodents two forms, MBL-A and MBL-C, were described and shown to be products of two related, but uncoupled, genes. The liver is the main source of MBL biosynthesis. For rat MBL-A, expression has also been described in the kidney. Here we report that the two forms of murine MBL are differentially expressed in a number of nonhepatic tissues. Real-time RT-PCR revealed that the liver is the major site of expression for both MBL genes. Lower copy numbers were found in kidney, brain, spleen, and muscle. In testis, only the MBL-A gene is expressed, whereas MBL-C is exclusively expressed in small intestine. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we demonstrate that both MBLs are synthesized by hepatocytes and show MBL expression in cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. In the kidney MBL-A, but not MBL-C, was found to be synthesized. Vice versa, only MBL-C biosynthesis was detected in endothelial cells of the small intestine. The latter finding may support the view that MBL-C, as part of the innate immune system, may be a counterpart of secretory IgA of the acquired immune system in preventing, for example, microbial invasion and colonization. Our findings demonstrate that MBL-A and MBL-C are differentially expressed, implying distinct biological roles for both recognition molecules of the murine lectin pathway of complement.
Learning PDA skills online is feasible and acceptable to clerkship students.

BACKGROUND The feasibility and acceptability of teaching medical students to use PDA clinical decision support tools via a Web-based course have not been previously evaluated. METHODS A total of 119 third-year family medicine clerkship students completed a baseline survey on PDA use, attended an introductory PDA lecture, and were invited to voluntarily access a Web-based course through Blackboard. All students had been previously issued with PDAs in their second year. RESULTS At baseline, 95% of students reported having removed their PDA from its box, 59% reported using it weekly, and 71% had loaded medical applications. From August 2006--March 2007, 36 students accessed the course 610 times (range 8-54). The PDA cases comprised 63% of hits, course resources 30% of hits, and course information 6% of hits. Students evaluated the course equally to other clerkship didactics. CONCLUSIONS It is feasible and acceptable to students to teach PDA decision support tools in an online course. In our setting, for the minority of students who chose to learn online, the format was successful and met their needs.