Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement of Exhaled Nitric Oxide in a General Population Sample: A Comparison of the Medisoft HypAir FENO and Aerocrine NIOX Analyzers

Background and objective. Measuring the fraction of nitric oxide in exhaled breath (FENO) is increasingly utilized to assess airway inflammation in asthma. The primary aim of this study was to compare exhaled nitric oxide measurements obtained using two devices from different manufacturers, that is, the recently marketed portable and electrochemical-based Medisoft HypAir FENO and the well-established chemiluminescence-based Aerocrine NIOX analyzer, in an unselected population. Methods. FENO measurements were conducted in 106 subjects (86 healthy; 20 asthmatic; 56.6% atopic). Atopy and health status were assessed by skin prick tests and questionnaire, respectively. Results. The two instruments showed strong correlation over a wide range of FENO measurements (8–261.3 ppb with the HypAir, 5.6–156.8 ppb with the NIOX; r = 0.98; p < .0001). This correlation was observed in the population as a whole, as well as in healthy non-atopics, healthy atopics, and atopic asthmatics when considered separately. The measurements on the HypAir FENO were consistently 1.6 times (95% CI 1.11–2.05) higher than those obtained with the NIOX. Conclusions. FENO measurements obtained with the HypAir FENO correlated well with the NIOX, but were approximately 1.6 times higher. Therefore, a conversion factor is required if results are to be compared with the NIOX instrument.
Applications of Sleeping Beauty transposons for nonviral gene therapy

Virus‐based gene therapy has advanced to clinical trials; however, this approach may result in serious adverse events including oncogenesis and the possibility of triggering fatal immune responses. Nonviral gene delivery approaches have a better safety profile, but their in vivo application has been largely limited in the past due to their inefficient delivery into cells and lack of stable chromosomal integration that is necessary for long‐term therapeutic benefit. However, recent advances suggest that the use of Sleeping Beauty transposons, a novel integrating nonviral vector system, are capable of achieving long‐lasting therapeutic levels of transgene expression in preclinical settings. These observations and other ongoing relevant studies may unlock the therapeutic potential of nonviral gene therapy for human diseases. iubmb Life, 59: 1 ‐ 6, 2007
Delftia tsuruhatensis sp. nov., a terephthalate-assimilating bacterium isolated from activated sludge.

A terephthalate-assimilating bacterium was isolated from activated sludge collected from a domestic wastewater treatment plant in Japan by enrichment with terephthalate as sole carbon source. The isolate, designated strain T7(T), was a Gram-negative, short rod-shaped micro-organism. A phylogenetic study based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain T7(T) should be placed in the genus DELFTIA: A DNA-DNA hybridization value of 69 % was determined between strain T7(T) and Delftia acidovorans ATCC 15668(T). Major cellular fatty acids of strain T7(T) were C(16 : 0), C(16 : 1) and C(18 : 1). Substantial amounts of cyclopropanoic acid (C(17 : 0)), 3-OH C(10 : 0), C(12 : 0), C(15 : 0) and C(14 : 0) were also detected. The total DNA G+C content of strain T7(T) was 66.2 mol%. Strain T7(T) could utilize the following compounds as carbon sources: acetamide, beta-alanine, citrate, D-fructose, glycerol, isobutyrate, isophthalate, D(-)-mannitol, maleate, malonate, phenylacetate, propionate, protocatechuate, terephthalate, D-tryptophan and L-tryptophan. Comparisons of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics with other known species belonging to the genus Delftia suggest that strain T7(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Delftia tsuruhatensis sp. nov. is proposed; strain T7(T) is the type strain (=IFO 16741(T)=ATCC BAA-554(T)).
Efficacy and Safety of S-1 Monotherapy in Patients with Advanced Biliary Tract Adenocarcinoma

Aim: We investigated the efficacy and safety of S-1 monotherapy for the treatment of advanced biliary tract adenocarcinoma (BTA) in a clinical practice setting. Methods: We reviewed clinical data from 217 patients with advanced BTA who were treated with S-1 monotherapy between August 2004 and September 2007. Results: 162 eligible patients were identified. The primary tumors were intrahepatic (n = 57), in the gall bladder (n = 50), in extrahepatic bile ducts (n = 41) and in the ampulla of Vater (n = 14). Sixteen of 120 assessable patients achieved partial responses, with a response rate of 13.3% (95% CI 7.2–19.4%). Another 51 patients had stable disease, with an overall tumor control rate of 55.8% (95% CI 46.9–64.7%). The median time to progression was 2.7 months and the median overall survival time was 6.9 months. Response rates and survival differed significantly according to the primary site of the tumor (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively), with extrahepatic bile duct adenocarcinoma having the best prognosis. The treatment regimen produced only mild toxicity in most cases (grade 1 or 2), even for patients with hyperbilirubinemia. Conclusion: S-1 has a favorable toxicity profile and can be safely administered to BTA patients with hyperbilirubinemia. The efficacy of S-1 against advanced BTA depends on the tumor site and is most effective in patients with extrahepatic BTA.
High-normal albuminuria and risk of heart failure in the community.

BACKGROUND Albuminuria has been associated with cardiovascular risk, but the relationship of high-normal albuminuria to subsequent heart failure has not been well established. STUDY DESIGN Prospective observational study, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 10,975 individuals free from heart failure were followed up from the fourth ARIC Study visit (1996-1998) through January 2006. PREDICTOR Urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), analyzed continuously and categorically as optimal (<5 mg/g), intermediate-normal (5-9 mg/g), high-normal (10-29 mg/g), microalbuminuria (30-299 mg/g), and macroalbuminuria (≥300 mg/g). OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS Incident heart failure was defined as a heart failure-related hospitalization or death. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate the HR of heart failure after adjustment for age, race, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and other cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS Individuals were followed up for a median of 8.3 years and experienced 344 heart failure events. Compared with normal UACR, albuminuria was associated with a progressively increased risk of heart failure from intermediate-normal (adjusted HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.12-2.11) and high-normal UACR (adjusted HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.38-2.66) to microalbuminuria (adjusted HR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.77-3.50) and macroalbuminuria (adjusted HR, 3.47; 95% CI, 2.10-5.72). Results were similar in secondary analyses of participants censored at the time of coronary heart disease event and along a range of eGFRs. LIMITATIONS UACR was measured as a single random sample. CONCLUSIONS Albuminuria is associated with subsequent heart failure, even in individuals with few cardiovascular risk factors and UACR within the normal range. Our results suggest that the association between albuminuria and heart failure may not be mediated fully by ischemic heart disease or kidney disease, measured using eGFR.
The effects of minimum wages on employment

The minimum wage has gained momentum among policymakers as a way to alleviate rising wage and income inequality. Much of the debate over this policy centers on whether raising the minimum wage causes job loss, as well as the potential magnitude of those losses. Recent research shows conflicting evidence on both sides of the issue. In general, the evidence suggests that it is appropriate to weigh the cost of potential job losses from a higher minimum wage against the benefits of wage increases for other workers.
Combination of the MEK inhibitor pimasertib with BTK or PI3K-delta inhibitors is active in preclinical models of aggressive lymphomas.

BACKGROUND Lymphomas are among the most common human cancers and represent the cause of death for still too many patients. The B-cell receptor with its downstream signaling pathways represents an important therapeutic target for B-cell lymphomas. Here, we evaluated the activity of the MEK1/2 inhibitor pimasertib as single agent and in combination with other targeted drugs in lymphoma preclinical models. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cell lines derived mature B-cell lymphomas were exposed to increasing doses of pimasertib alone. Immunoblotting and gene expression profiling were performed. Combination of pimasertib with idelalisib or ibrutinib was assessed. RESULTS Pimasertib as single agent exerted a dose-dependent antitumor activity across a panel of 23 lymphoma cell lines, although at concentrations higher than reported for solid tumors. Strong synergism was observed with pimasertib combined with the PI3K inhibitor idelalisib and the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib in cell lines derived from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and mantle cell lymphoma. The data were confirmed in an in vivo experiment treating DLBCL xenografts with pimasertib and ibrutinib. CONCLUSION The data presented here provide the basis for further investigation of regimens including pimasertib in relapsed and refractory lymphomas.
Comparison of the conjunctival toxicity of topical ocular antiallergic agents.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effect of topical ocular allergic agents with H1-receptor antagonism and inhibition of histamine release from mast cells on the cultured conjunctival cells of rabbit in vitro. METHODS Cell damage by the topical ocular antiallergic agents (azelastine hydrochloride, ketotifen fumarate, and olopatadine hydrochloride) was determined by using the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage assay with the rate of dilution of 10, 20, and 30%, respectively, for a period of 0 and 30 min and 4, 12, and 24 h, and compared with the balanced salt solution-treated group. The osmolarity, pH, composition of electrolytes, preservatives, and morphologic findings of all the antiallergic agents were also evaluated. RESULTS The LDH titers increased after all the antiallergic agents were exposed up to 4 h, maintained its level for 12 h, and then decreased until 24 h. There was no statistical significance among the three agents. The greater titer of LDH, the more conjunctival cells became swollen or round. Azelastine and ketotifen showed greater LDH titer, edema, and cytoplasmic and nuclear degenerations of the conjunctival cells than that of olopatadine. The levels of Na(+), Cl(-), and pH were significantly lower with azelastine and ketotifen, compared with olopatadine, and all antiallergic agents contained the same concentration of benzalconium chloride. CONCLUSIONS When antiallergic agents are used to treat allergic conjunctivitis other than olopatadine, a particularly toxic effect on conjunctival cells associated with azelastine and ketotifen, rather than olopatadine, should be considered clinically.
Gender effect on beta-endorphin response to exercise.

PURPOSE Twelve healthy men (26.4 yr) and women (26.8 yr) were compared at rest and after cycling for 25 min at 60 and 80% VO2max to determine whether gender and menstrual cycle influenced circulating beta-endorphin concentration (BE). METHODS VO2max was determined on a cycle ergometer, and subjects completed the exercise in a randomized order. Women were tested in both the luteal (L) and follicular (F) phases of their menstrual cycle, which was confirmed by their blood estrogen levels. All tests were conducted in the morning after a 30-min rest (12-h postabsorptive). An indwelling venous catheter placed in a forearm vein enabled blood sampling at rest, 25 min of cycling, and 25 min of recovery. RESULTS Resting BE was similar for men before both 60 and 80% intensities of exercise, 5.27 +/- 0.43 and 5.30 +/- 0.33 pmol.mL-1, respectively. BE was not significantly changed at 60% VO2max (6.54 +/- 0.33 pmol.mL-1) but significantly increased at 80% VO2max (11.90 +/- 1.98 pmol.mL-1). Women tended to have slightly lower BE during the L compared with F, but this did not reach significance (L = 4.40 +/- 0.22, F = 4.73 +/- 0.30 pmol.mL-1). Cycling at 60% VO2max did not significantly increase BE in the L (5.41 +/- 0.42 pmol.mL-1) nor the F (5.35 +/- 0.40 pmol.mL-1). Cycling at 80% VO2max increased BE to a similar extent in both the L and F phase, respectively (10.44 and 10.96). Although the BE concentrations tended to be slightly lower in women compared with men at 80% VO2max, this did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that women cycling at 80% VO2max will have a similar BE response to men independent of their menstrual cycle. BE in women at rest and who exercise at lower exercise intensities may have slightly lower BE levels then men independent of the time of the women's menstrual cycle.
3.2 A 1.95GHz fully integrated envelope elimination and restoration CMOS power amplifier with envelope/phase generator and timing aligner for WCDMA and LTE

In recent years, the demand for low cost and system-on-a-chip for mobile terminals has led to the development of a highly-integrated, low-distortion, and high-power-efficiency CMOS power amplifier (PA). To improve the power efficiency of the conventional linear PA [1-4], an envelope tracking (ET) technique, which modulates supply voltage of a linear PA, has attracted attention. However, the published power efficiency, gain and output power are not sufficient for LTE applications [5], and its typical implementation requires an external supply modulator that is a high-speed power supply circuit [6]. Envelope elimination and restoration (EER) is an alternative supply modulation technique that can further improve the power efficiency over ET by replacing the linear PA with a switching PA driven by a phase signal [7]. However, to meet the specified low distortion, especially for LTE with a wide bandwidth baseband signal, an EER PA generally has difficulty achieving a wide bandwidth for the phase signal path, and requires a high-speed supply modulator, and highly accurate timing between envelope and phase signals. To overcome these problems, this paper introduces an envelope / phase generator based on a mixer and a timing aligner based on a delay-locked loop. Additionally, they were integrated with a switching PA and a supply modulator on the same die.
Relative toxicity of 45Ca β-particles and 242Cm α-particles following their intravenous injection into mice as radiolabelled FAP

Purpose: To determine the relative toxicity of α- and β-radiations under conditions of controlled temporal and spatial dose distribution. Methods: Fused aluminosilicate particles were radiolabelled with either 45Ca (a β-emitter) or 242Cm (an α-emitter). These were injected into CBA/Ca mice to give lifespan, whole-body doses of ∼0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 Gy. Most animals were entered into a lifespan toxicity study, but some were killed for radiochemical analysis and autoradiography. Results: Twenty-seven tumour types were identified. The most common malignant tumours were: Mammary carcinoma; liver carcinoma; malignant lymphoma; uterine histiocytic sarcoma. Excess relative risk (strictly hazard ratio) was higher for radiation-induced carcinomas than for sarcomas. The carcinomas, but not sarcomas showed a reduction in relative risk at the highest radiation dose employed. This reduction was most easily attributed to a systemic effect. The highest relative toxicity measured was for liver carcinoma (5.9, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 2.4, 14) and the lowest for uterine carcinoma (0.6, CI 0.03, 9.7). Overall, the excess relative risk ratio for survival was 1.9 (CI 1.1, 3.2), for all carcinoma was 2.3 (CI 1.7, 3.0) and for all sarcoma was 2.7 (CI 0.72, 10). Conclusions: The 10-fold variability in the observed toxicity ratio for different tumour endpoints shows that tissue sensitivity is a more important determinant of relative toxicity than radiation quality. The use of single radiation-weighting (wR) factors for radiation risk prediction and for radiological protection dosimetry is inconsistent with scientific observation.
Comparison of different techniques for detection of anti-HLA antibodies in sera from patients awaiting kidney transplantation.

The aim of the present study was to compare different techniques of HLA antibody detection in patients waiting for a transplant. Two methods of HLA antibody screening were compared: the complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) test and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent solubility assay (ELISA). Three different commercial kits for the latter assay were tested: the kits were produced by One Lambda (O.L.) and SANG STAT for prescreening and specificity determination, and GTI only for prescreening. Of the two techniques, only CDC can detect IgM. The study included 207 serum samples selected from 192 patients waiting for a first kidney transplant. The conclusions are that O.L. is more sensitive than CDC and the other ELISA kits and is much faster for analysing a serum (taking only a few hours), but costs about 16 times more than CDC and does not detect IgM antibodies, so can be used only in support of CDC.
Does the STAF score help detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in acute stroke patients?

Detecting paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) soon after acute cerebral ischaemia has a major impact on secondary stroke prevention. Recently, the STAF score, a composite of clinical and instrumental findings, was introduced to identify stroke patients at risk of pAF. We aimed to validate this score in an independent study population.
Survey on public awareness, attitudes, and barriers for herpes zoster vaccination in South Korea

A cross-sectional study was performed to assess current public awareness of herpes zoster (HZ) and its vaccine, determine the factors that influence people's intention regarding HZ vaccination, and investigate the barriers for vaccination by changing decisions with sequential questions regarding knowledge, cost, and physician's recommendation in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Korea University Guro Hospital, in South Korea, between August 23 and September 15 of 2013. Among 603 subjects who completed the survey, 85.7% and 43.6% subjects were aware of HZ and HZ vaccination, respectively. Women, younger age group, those with higher income or higher education levels were more likely to be aware of HZ. Overall, 85.8% of subjects aware of HZ were willing to be vaccinated or vaccinate their parents. The main obstacles for the increased acceptance toward vaccination were the high cost and low perceived risk, which decreased acceptance to 60.2%. However, physician's recommendation reversed 69.5% of the refusal to accept HZ vaccine. These results indicate that expanding public education and physician's recommendations are important factors aimed at increasing HZ vaccine coverage rate.
A novel homologous model for noninvasive monitoring of endometriosis progression†

Abstract To date, several groups have generated homologous models of endometriosis through the implantation of endometrial tissue fluorescently labeled by green fluorescent protein (GFP) or tissue from luciferase-expressing transgenic mice into recipient animals, enabling noninvasive monitoring of lesion signal. These models present an advantage over endpoint models, but some limitations persist; use of transgenic mice is laborious and expensive, and GFP presents poor tissue penetration due to the relatively short emission wavelength. For this reason, a homologous mouse model of endometriosis that allows in vivo monitoring of generated lesions over time and mimics human lesions in recipient mice would be most desirable. In this regard, using C57BL/6 and B6N-Tyrc-Brd/BrdCrCrl mice, we optimized a decidualization protocol to obtain large volumes of decidual endometrium and mimic human lesions. Subsequently, to obtain a more robust and reliable noninvasive monitoring of lesions, we used the fluorescent reporter mCherry, which presents deeper tissue penetration and higher photostability, showing that endometrial tissue was properly labeled with 1 × 108 PFU/mL mCherry adenoviral vectors. mCherry-labeled endometriotic tissue was implanted in recipient mice, generating lesions that displayed characteristics typical of human endometriotic lesions, such as epithelial cells forming glands, local inflammation, collagen deposits, and new vessel formation. In vivo monitoring demonstrated that subcutaneous implantation on ventral abdomen of recipient mice provided the most intense and reliable signal for noninvasive lesion monitoring over a period of at least 20 days. This homologous model improves upon previously reported models of endometriosis and provides opportunities to study mechanism underlying endometriotic lesion growth and progression. Summary Sentence We created a cost-effective but accurate homologous mouse model of endometriosis that allows the study of growth and progression of endometriotic lesions over early time points in lesion development through noninvasive monitoring.
Relações entre Liquidez e Retorno nas Dimensões Contábil e de Mercado no Brasil

Este artigo discute relacoes rentabilidade-liquidez nas dimensoes contabil e de mercado em 872 acoes de empresas brasileiras de capital aberto, observadas no periodo entre 1994 e 2013. Na dimensao mercado, a hipotese e de que a liquidez das acoes seja capaz de reduzir parte do risco incorrido pelo investidor, tornando-o mais disposto a pagar um preco maior por elas, o que implicaria menores retornos esperados de mercado. Contabilmente, a hipotese basica defende que a manutencao de ativos mais liquidos por parte da firma esteja relacionada a uma politica conservadora de investimento, capaz de reduzir os retornos contabeis aos acionistas. Sob a hipotese de restricao financeira, entretanto, maior liquidez contabil viabilizaria investimentos com valor presente liquido positivo e retornos contabeis futuros, o que afetaria positivamente a liquidez de mercado e os precos das acoes num mercado eficiente, gerando um menor premio de risco/retorno esperado de mercado. Ja sob a hipotese de irrestricao, maior liquidez contabil representaria apenas um custo de carregamento, comprometendo retornos contabeis futuros, o que afetaria negativamente a liquidez de mercado e os precos das acoes e geraria um maior premio de risco/retorno esperado. Entre as hipoteses levantadas, verificou-se a presenca de um premio de liquidez de mercado negativo no Brasil, com acoes que negociaram mais apresentando um maior retorno esperado de mercado. Operando a margem das principais teorias sobre o assunto, apenas as relacoes negativas entre liquidez contabil e liquidez de mercado e retorno contabil - num contexto de irrestricao financeira - foram corretamente verificadas para o Brasil, corroborando a hipotese de custos de carregamento de ativos liquidos por empresas irrestritas. Como contribuicoes deste trabalho, destaca-se a analise - inedita para o Brasil ate onde se tem conhecimento - do relacionamento entre liquidez e retorno nas dimensoes mercado e contabil, considerando-se a hipotese de restricao financeira sofrida pelas firmas.
Influenza B‐associated rhabdomyolysis in Taiwanese children

Aim: Influenza B‐associated rhabdomyolysis (IBAR) is an infrequent and little‐known complication of influenza B virus infection in children. Diagnosis is usually made based on clinical history, the presence of influenza in the community and detection of virus in nasopharyngeal specimens. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and laboratory manifestations, complications and outcomes of IBAR in Taiwanese children.