Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Electroencephalograms (EEG) in 250 patients with epilepsy in a cysticercosis endemic area in Burundi].

OBJECTIVES This work aimed at describing EEG abnormalities in epileptic patients living in areas endemic for cysticercosis, underlining the electroclinical correlations and discussing the interest of EEG examination in this context. METHODS During a case-control study, 250 EEGs from patients with epilepsy were recorded with a portable system. Types of seizures were assessed clinically and from information obtained through a standardised questionnaire, and along with EEG were related to the results of cysticercosis serological tests. RESULTS Among the 249 EEGs, 48% were normal, 5.2% had epileptic abnormalities, 6.8% showed an association between epileptic abnormalities and slow alterations. Slow theta and delta abnormalities were found in 21.8% of cases, and isolated deterioration of basic rhythms was observed in 17.3% of cases. Most seizures were generalized, and 61% of the patients had positive serology. One EEG was uninterpretable and another showed isolated spikes. Electroclinical agreement was considered to be satisfactory in 33 patients, and was better with the epileptic than with slow abnormalities. The existence of epileptiform EEG abnormalities confirmed clinically diagnosed epilepsy, but did not allow etiological diagnosis. Electroserological agreement was good in 24 patients. A significant association (Chi2, p = 0.03) existed between slow focal abnormalities and positive cysticercosis serology. Conversely, no significant association was detected between epileptic patterns and serology results. CONCLUSION While the EEG alone clearly does not allow aetiological diagnosis, its joint use with clinical and biological results was a key element of the etiological and therapeutic discussion. When it shows focal abnormalities in a patient with epilepsy living in a high prevalence cysticercosis area, it confirms the clinical suspicion of neurocysticercosis. Morphological imagery alone can provide etiological information on the seizures by showing the nature and localization of the parenchymal lesions.
Synthetic MUC1 Antitumor Vaccine Candidates with Varied Glycosylation Pattern Bearing R/S‐configured Pam3CysSerLys4

The Toll‐like receptor 2 ligand Pam3CysSer is of particular interest for the construction synthetic vaccines because of its ability to stimulate of the innate immune system. Such vaccines usually comprise Pam3CysSer with the natural R‐configuration at the glycerol 2‐position. Pam3CysSer peptide vaccines with natural configuration have been shown to be more efficient than the corresponding R/S diastereomers. In order to clarify whether the effect of the configuration of Pam3Cys on the immune response also applies to glycopeptide vaccines, MUC1 glycopeptide–lipopeptide vaccines bearing either R‐ or R/S‐configured Pam3CysSerLys4 were compared for their immunological effects. In order to find out whether glycosylated MUC1 tandem repeat domains comprise not only B‐cell epitopes but also T‐cell epitopes, two‐component vaccines containing the Pam3CysSerLys4 lipopeptide and MUC1 glycopeptides with various glycosylation patterns were synthesized, and their immune reactions in mice were studied.
30 GHz high-gradient accelerating structure test results

The CLIC study is high power testing accelerating structures in a number of different materials and accelerating structure designs to understand the physics of breakdown, determine the appropriate scaling of performance and in particular to find ways to increase achievable accelerating gradient. The most recent 30 GHz structures which have been tested include damped structures in copper, molybdenum, titanium and aluminum. The results from these new structures are presented in this paper.
Plasma thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels in inflammatory bowel disease

Background Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk of thromboembolic events. Imbalance of fibrinolysis has been suggested as one of the possible pathogenetic mechanisms. As plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) are inhibitors of fibrinolysis, we studied TAFI as well as PAI-1 plasma levels in IBD patients compared with healthy controls. Methods A total of 132 IBD patients [68 ulcerative colitis (UC) and 64 Crohn's disease (CD)] and 50 healthy controls were enrolled. PAI-1 and TAFI plasma levels were assessed by commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Their relationship with clinical parameters of UC and CD was assessed. Results Mean plasma PAI-1 levels were significantly higher in both UC patients (3.9±1.3 IU/ml) and CD patients (4.0±1.5 IU/ml) compared with healthy controls (3.1±1.1 IU/ml) (P=0.01). On the other hand, mean plasma TAFI levels were significantly lower in both UC patients (14.7±3.1 μg/ml) and CD patients (13.3±3.4 μg/ml) compared with healthy controls (17.4±3.0 μg/ml) (P<0.0001). Patients with active disease had significantly higher PAI-1 levels compared with patients with inactive disease for both diseases (P=0.03 and P=0.01, respectively). No significant association between plasma TAFI levels and disease activity was also found. Plasma TAFI levels were significantly lower in patients with ileal CD compared with patients with colonic CD. Conclusion PAI-1 plasma levels are increased whereas TAFI levels are decreased in IBD patients. These results suggest an imbalance of fibrinolysis in IBD.
Effects on Erythrocyte Aggregation and Blood Coagulation from Iohexol Solutions with and without Sodium Chloride

Solutions of the nonionic monomeric contrast medium iohexol (300 mg I/ml) with and without added NaCl were investigated for effects on red blood cell aggregation and blood coagulation. Three volumes of a test solution were mixed in test tubes with one volume of human blood. During 30 min samples of the mixture were taken for investigation. Six test solutions were used: 1) iohexol, 2) iohexol+glucose 280 mM, 3) iohexol+NaCl 150 mM, 4) glucose 280 mM, 5) glucose 140 mM+NaCl 75 mM, 6) NaCl 150 mM. Test solutions with NaCl caused no aggregation. Test solutions without NaCl always caused macroscopic red cell aggregates. These aggregates always disappeared when saline was added to the sample. The macroscopic red cell aggregates could be dispersed to microscopic aggregates by shaking the test tubes. During the next 30 min macroscopic aggregates returned in the glucose solution but not in the iohexol solutions. In 30 min, blood mixed with iohexol solutions never coagulated while blood layered on top of the same iohexol solutions always coagulated. Blood mixed with solutions 5 and 6, both without iohexol, always coagulated. It is concluded that adding 150 mM NaCl to iohexol did not eliminate its ability to antico-agulate whole blood, but inhibited its ability to aggregate red cells. This inhibition was not caused by the osmotic effects of the added NaCl.
Responses of riparian tetragnathid spiders to wildfire in forested ecosystems of the California Mediterranean climate region, USA

Mediterranean ecosystems of California are characterized by high interannual variability in precipitation and susceptibility to frequent high-severity wildfires. Variability in precipitation and fire severity are likely to become more pronounced because of climate change, but their relative effects on linked aquatic–terrestrial components of Mediterranean ecosystems have received limited attention. We investigated the effects of wildfire on riparian spiders of the family Tetragnathidae, which are common shoreline consumers that can be highly reliant on aquatic food resources in stream ecosystems. From 2011–2012, we assessed stream geomorphology; density and community composition of aquatic benthic macroinvertebrates; and density, Hg body loads, trophic position (TP), and reliance on aquatically derived energy (based on naturally abundant C and N isotopes) of tetragnathid spiders in study sections of 12 paired stream reaches in Yosemite National Park. The riparian zone of one member of each pair had experienced a high-severity wildfire, whereas the riparian zone of its counterpart had experienced a low-severity fire. After the 2013 Rim Fire, we resurveyed a subset of these variables in study sections of 4 reaches by means of a paired before-after–control-impact design. We also explored how reach- and catchment-scale variability might affect spider density and trophic dynamics. Differences in spider responses between paired sections were not statistically significant, but model-selection results suggested that variability in benthic invertebrate density, catchment-scale fire frequency, and precipitation were important drivers of spider density and TP. The consistent signal of precipitation across multiple spider responses suggests that climate variability could have greater effects on aquatic–terrestrial ecological linkages than the influence of fire alone.
Control of stomatal aperture

Stomata, functionally specialized small pores on the surfaces of leaves, regulate the flow of gases in and out of plants. The pore is opened by an increase in osmotic pressure in the guard cells, resulting in the uptake of water. The subsequent increase in cell volume inflates the guard cell and culminates with the opening of the pore. Although guard cells can be regarded as one of the most thoroughly investigated cell types, our knowledge of the signalling pathways which regulate guard cell function remains fragmented. Recent research in guard cells has led to several new hypotheses, however, it is still a matter of debate as to whether guard cells function autonomously or are subject to regulation by their neighbouring mesophyll cells. This review synthesizes what is known about the mechanisms and genes critical for modulating stomatal movement. Recent progress on the regulation of guard cell function is reviewed here including the involvement of environmental signals such as light, the concentration of atmospheric CO2 and endogenous plant hormones. In addition we re-evaluate the important role of organic acids such as malate and fumarate play in guard cell metabolism in this process.
Experimental investigation of a nonlinear damper system

An experimental investigation of the performance of a nonlinear damper system is presented. The nonlinear system is composed of a multi unit particle damper and a multi-degree-of-freedom structure. A series of shaking table tests are carried out to characterize this nonlinear system and to evaluate the vibration control effects of particle dampers. The experimental results indicate that the primary structure with particle dampers has smaller response compared with that of the structure without particle dampers; that the excitation characterization influences the performance of such a nonlinear system; and that the particle movements of plug flow pattern can yield good vibration attenuation effects. It is shown that by using a properly designed multi-unit particle dampers, a lightly damped primary system can achieve a reasonable reduction in its response, with a small weight penalty.
Optimal Cusum schemes for monitoring variability

Cumulative Sum (Cusum) Control Schemes are widely used in industry for process and measurement control. Most Cusum applications have been in monitoring shifts in the mean level of a process rather than process variability. In this paper, we study the use of Markov chain approach in calculating the average run length (ARL) of a Cusum scheme when controlling variability. Control statistics S and S 2 ,w hereS is the standard deviation of a normal process, are used. The optimal Cusum schemes to detect small and large increases in the variability of a normal process are designed. The control statistic S 2 is then used to show that the Cusum scheme is superior to the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) in terms of its ability to quickly detect any large or small increases in the variability of a normal process. It is also shown that Cusum with control statistics sample variance (S 2 ) and sample standard deviation (S) perform uniformly better than those with control statistic log S 2 . Fast initial response (FIR) Cusum properties are also presented.
Pulmonary stromal cells induce the generation of regulatory DC attenuating T‐cell‐mediated lung inflammation

The tissue microenvironment may affect the development and function of immune cells such as DC. Whether and how the pulmonary stromal microenvironment can affect the development and function of lung DC need to be investigated. Regulatory DC (DCreg) can regulate T‐cell response. We wondered whether such regulatory DC exist in the lung and what is the effect of the pulmonary stromal microenvironment on the generation of DCreg. Here we demonstrate that murine pulmonary stromal cells can drive immature DC, which are regarded as being widely distributed in the lung, to proliferate and differentiate into a distinct subset of DCreg, which express high levels of CD11b but low levels of MHC class II (I‐A), CD11c, secrete high amounts of IL‐10, NO and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and suppress T‐cell proliferation. The natural counterpart of DCreg in the lung with similar phenotype and regulatory function has been identified. Pulmonary stroma‐derived TGF‐β is responsible for the differentiation of immature DC to DCreg, and DCreg‐derived PGE2 contributes to their suppression of T‐cell proliferation. Moreover, DCreg can induce the generation of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg. Importantly, infusion with DCreg attenuates T‐cell‐mediated eosinophilic airway inflammation in vivo. Therefore, the pulmonary microenvironment may drive the generation of DCreg, thus contributing to the maintenance of immune homoeostasis and the control of inflammation in the lung.
Smoking duration, intensity, and risk of Parkinson disease

Objective: To evaluate the relative importance of smoking duration vs intensity in reducing the risk of Parkinson disease (PD). Methods: The study included 305,468 participants of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health cohort, of whom 1,662 had a PD diagnosis after 1995. We estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals from multivariate logistic regression models. Results: Compared with never smokers, the multivariate ORs were 0.78 for past smokers and 0.56 for current smokers. Among past smokers, a monotonic trend toward lower PD risk was observed for all indicators of more smoking. Stratified analyses indicated that smoking duration was associated with lower PD risk within fixed intensities of smoking. For example, compared with never smokers, the ORs among past smokers who smoked >20 cigarettes/day were 0.96 for 1–9 years of smoking, 0.78 for 10–19 years, 0.64 for 20–29 years, and 0.59 for 30 years or more (p for trend = 0.001). In contrast, at fixed duration, the typical number of cigarettes smoked per day in general was not related to PD risk. Close examination of smoking behaviors in early life showed that patients with PD were less likely to be smokers at each age period, but if they smoked, they smoked similar numbers of cigarettes per day as individuals without PD. Conclusions: This large study suggests that long-term smoking is more important than smoking intensity in the smoking–Parkinson disease relationship.
Energy Expenditure Relative to Perceived Exertion: Stationary Cycling versus Treadmill Walking

Various exercise modes have been compared with regard to their potential to maximize energy expenditure (EE) and elicit a sufficient cardiovascular stimulus. Evidence indicates that the rate of EE is greater in some exercise modes than others (Kravitz, Robergs, Heyward, Wagner, & Powers, 1997; Thomas, Ziogas, Smith, Zhang, & Londeree, 1995; Zeni, Hofman, & Clifford, 1996). Recent evidence suggests that when exercise is performed at a given percentage of maximal oxygen uptake (V0 2 max; Thomas et aI., 1995), rating of perceived exertion (RPE; Thomas et aI., 1995; Zeni et aI., 1996), or self-selected intensity(Kravitzet al., 1997), treadmill running appears to elicit a higher V0 2 and EE than cycling. Treadmill walking has received less attention despite its growing popularity. Walking is convenient, does not require any specific skill, and can provide a sufficient stimulus to achieve fitness and health goals (Spelman, Pate, Macera, & Ward, 1993). Although there is a considerable number of studies in the literature related to EE ofcycling and walking, relativelyfew studies have compared these two modes ofexercise. When such studies were conducted, they were based on equivalent percentages of V0 2 max (Miles, Critz, & Knowlton, 1980) or comparable relative heart rates (Thomas, Feiock, & Araujo, 1989). Many exercising individuals, however, establish and monitor their exercise intensity based on a subjective parameter such as perceived effort. It would be reasonable, therefore, to try to compare the
ICU Cutilization by Cardio-Thoracic Patients in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: Any Role for HDU?

Background: The underlying pathological conditions in cardio-thoracic patients, anesthetic and operative interventions often lead to complex physiological interactions that necessitate ICU care. Our objectives were to determine the intensive care unit (ICU) utilization by cardio-thoracic patients in our centre, highlight the common indications for admission; and evaluate the interventions provided in the ICU and the factors that determined outcome. Materials and Methods: The intensive care unit (ICU) records of University College Hospital, Ibadan for a period of 2 years (October 2007 to September 2009) were reviewed. Data of cardio-thoracic patients were extracted and used for analysis. Information obtained included the patient demographics, indications for admission, interventions offered in the ICU and the outcome. Results: A total of 1, 207 patients were managed in the ICU and 206 cardio-thoracic procedures were carried out during the study period. However, only 96 patients were admitted into the ICU following cardio-thoracic procedures, accounting for 7.9% of ICU admissions and 46.6% of cardio-thoracic procedures done within the review period. The mean length of stay and ventilation were 5.71 ± 5.26 and 1.30 ± 2.62 days. The most significant predictor of outcome was endotracheal intubation (P = 0.001) and overall mortality was 15%. Conclusion: There is a high utilization of the ICU by cardio-thoracic patients in our review and post-operative care was the main indication for admission. Some selected cases may be managed in the HDU to reduce the burden on ICU resources. We opine that when endotracheal intubation is to continue in the ICU, a 1:1 patient ratio should be instituted.
Comparison of the efficacy between lidocaine spray plus lidocaine jelly lubrication and lidocaine jelly lubrication alone prior to nasogastric intubation: a prospective double-blind randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE Although a common procedure, nasogastric (NG) intubation is also painful and unsatisfactory. Previous studies showed the benefits of local anesthesia in various forms over lubricant jelly alone, but they are rarely used due to their inconvenience and unavailability. The authors conducted a double-blind randomized controlled study to compare a commercial-available 10% lidocaine spray plus 2% lidocaine jelly lubrication and 2% lidocaine jelly lubrication alone prior to NG intubation. MATERIAL AND METHOD Patients who fulfilled the indications for NG intubation were randomized to receive either 10% lidocaine spray or placebo (normal saline) spray to the nostril and throat prior to NG intubation. NG tubes lubricated with 2% lidocaine jelly were then inserted by experienced physicians. Physician, who sprayed, inserted the NG tubes and collected the patient's data, did not know the content of the spray, while patients were also blinded against the information of the spray. RESULTS Sixty patients were included in the present study. Thirty one randomly received lidocaine spray and 29 received placebo spray. There were more female patients in the lidocaine group (65% vs. 28%, p=0.04), but ages, indications for NG intubation, size of NG tube, and physicians' experience in the procedure were similar in both groups. Patients' discomfort after being sprayed was also similar in both groups. However during the NG intubation, the patients in the lidocaine group experienced less pain as measured by visual analog scale (23.6 +/- 16.6 vs. 43.1 +/- 31.4 mm, p=0.005) and less discomfort (30.0 +/- 24.4 vs. 51.4 +/- 30.0 mm, p=0.004) than the placebo group. Ninety-three percent of the patients in the lidocaine group favored the same spray for their next intubations, while 65% of the placebo group did (p = 0.009). In addition, there was more physicians' satisfaction in the lidocaine group as measured by 5-point Likert scale (p=0.041). Likewise, 61% of the physicians favored lidocaine spray compared to 34.5% of the placebo spray (p=0.038). Degree of difficulty, duration of intubation, number of attempts and success rates of NG intubations were as well similar in both groups. No complications were found in the present study. CONCLUSION 10% lidocaine spray plus 2% lidocaine jelly lubrication was more effective in relieving patients' pain, discomfort, and resulted in higher physicians' satisfaction. There were also no additional side effects as compared to 2% lidocaine jelly lubrication alone. Therefore, it should be recommended for routine application.
Downregulation of Endogenous Intermedin Augmented Myocardial Injury in Rats with Ischemia/Reperfusion

Abstract Intermedin (IMD) plays an important regulatory role in cardiovascular function. We aimed to explore the protein expression of IMD and its receptors, calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CRLR) and receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs), and the role of endogenous IMD in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. The rat model of I/R was created by ligating cardiac left anterior descending artery. Western blot was used to determine protein expression of CRLR and RAMPs, and radioimmunoassay was used to detect IMD content. Compared with control, protein levels of CRLR and RAMPs in both ischemic and nonischemic region were upregulated at different stages of reperfusion. IMD protein content in nonischemic area myocardium also increased. However, IMD protein content in ischemic area downregulated at 3-, 6-, and 12-h reperfusion. In hypoxia/reoxygenation model of neonatal cardiomyocytes, IMD attenuated myocyte injury, and IMD receptor antagonist IMD17–47 aggravated myocyte impairment by blocking endogenous IMD. In conclusion, the downregulation of IMD at early stage of reperfusion might augment myocardium injury.
Pattern reversal visual evoked potential among men at risk for alcoholism

The biological sons of male alcoholics, deemed to be at high risk (HR) for the development of alcoholism, were compared to control males, aged 18 to 21, using measures of the visual evoked potential elicited by checkerboard pattern reversal. Overall, the HR and control groups were not distinguished on the basis of visual evoked potential measures acquired from the occipital scalp region; however, when comparisons were restricted to right‐handed subjects, the HR subjects showed more symmetry in a positive component with approximate latency of 242 ms compared with control subjects. The results are discussed in relation to hemispheric differences and alcoholism.