Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenotypic characterisation of alveolar macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes in COPD

Alveolar macrophages (AM) participate actively in the inflammatory response that characterises chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The present study investigated potential changes in AM phenotypes in patients with COPD. Using flow cytometry, the surface expression of receptors implicated in phagocytosis (CD44, CD36, CD51, CD61, CD14), antigen-presenting capacity (human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR), costimulatory molecules (CD80, CD86, CD40) and complement receptor type 3 were assessed in AM from 18 patients with COPD, 14 smokers with normal lung function and nine nonsmokers. When compared to smokers with normal lung function and nonsmokers, the surface expression of HLA-DR and CD80 was lower in AM of patients with COPD. In addition, these patients had a higher percentage of AM with a low level surface expression of CD44. There did not appear to be any difference in the other receptors studied in AM between the three groups. The expression of all these receptors in peripheral blood monocytes also did not differ between groups. In conclusion, these observations suggest that the cell-mediated immune function of alveolar macrophages can be reduced in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and that this is a local rather than a systemic event.
TRANSPARENCY IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT THROUGH E-PROCUREMENT IN INDIA

Public procurement plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of a country. Transparent Public Procurement is quite essential for judicious utilization of the taxpayers’ money. Lot of efforts has been made by the Government of India to enhance transparency in Public Procurement. Technology is widely used in bringing the transparency in governance. An effort has been made in this paper to through light on the End-to-end e-procurement system, which is considered as one the best initiative taken by the Government of India to enhance transparency in public procurement.
Inhibition of NF-κB Activation Can Attenuate Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Contractility Impairment Via Decreasing Cardiomyocytic Proinflammatory Gene Up-Regulation and Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression

Following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and cardiac global ischemia and reperfusion, proinflammatory genes are up-regulated, and nuclear factor (NF)-κB is involved in this regulation. We studied whether inactivation of NF-κB could decrease myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury with cardioplegia during CPB, attenuate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activation, and prevent cardiac mechanical dysfunction. Rabbits received normal saline (group 1) or curcumin (70 and 7 μmol/kg in groups 2 and 3) injection 2 hours before CPB. Total CPB was initiated, and myocardial protection was delivered every 20 minutes for 60 minutes of cardiac arrest. Rabbits were weaned from CPB and reperfused for 4 hours before the hearts were harvested. Blood was sampled at various time points. Postoperative expression of myocardial mRNA levels of interleukin 6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and tumor necrosis factor-α, postreperfusion plasma level of troponin I, and cardiac mechanical dysfunction were significantly decreased in the curcumin groups. The myocardial levels of activated MMP-2 and -9 were also significantly reduced compared with the control group. In conclusion, by inhibiting NF-κB activation, the up-regulation of cardiac proinflammatory genes can be ameliorated, and the activation of MMPs can be decreased during CPB, thereby lessening severity of cardiac mechanical dysfunction after global cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Sensing Infection by Adenovirus: Toll-Like Receptor-Independent Viral DNA Recognition Signals Activation of the Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 Master Regulator

ABSTRACT Infection with adenovirus vectors (AdV) results in rapid activation of innate immunity, which serves the dual purpose of stimulating inflammatory antiviral host defenses and the adaptive immune system. Viral recognition by macrophages, dendritic cells, and other cell types requires an ability to sense the presence of a foreign molecular pattern by “pattern recognition receptors. ” The nature of the adenoviral sensor, the target ligand of the sensor, and the downstream antiviral signaling response triggered by virus infection have not been defined for this nonenveloped double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) virus. We have identified four critical links involved in AdV recognition by murine antigen-presenting cells (APC) and primary lung fibroblasts: (i) viral recognition occurs chiefly via a Toll-like receptor (TLR)-independent nucleic acid-sensing mechanism recognizing the viral dsDNA genome, (ii) the intact viral particle and capsid proteins are required for efficient intracellular delivery of the viral genome, (iii) delivery of the viral genome triggers interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) phosphorylation, and (iv) IRF3 activation is the required dominant antiviral signaling pathway used by APC, whereas the “primary” involvement of NF-κB, mitogen-activated protein kinase, or Akt pathways is less prominent. In this study we provide the first direct evidence that infection by a dsDNA virus stimulates an IRF3-mediated interferon and proinflammatory response through a TLR-independent DNA-sensing mechanism.
Utilization of AFLP markers for PCR‐based identification of Aspergillus carbonarius and indication of its presence in green coffee samples

Aims: The objective of this work was to test whether ochratoxin A (OTA) production of Aspergillus niger and A. carbonarius is linked to a certain genotype and to identify marker sequences with diagnostic value aiding identification of A. carbonarius, a fungus of major concern regarding OTA production in food and food raw materials.
Sustained complete renal remission is a predictor of reduced mortality, chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease in lupus nephritis

Objective The objective of this paper is to identify the relationship between patients with lupus nephritis (LN) who achieve sustained complete renal remission (CR) and renal outcome and survival. Methods From a longitudinal cohort study we identified patients with LN with CR. We compared the outcomes of patients who achieved sustained CR for at least five years (Group A) with those less than five years (Group B). The outcomes were death, SLICC/ACR damage index (SDI), renal flare, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 50 ml/min, and doubling of serum creatinine. Regression analyses were used to identify predictors of the outcomes. Results A total of 345 patients were identified, 132 patients in Group A and 213 patients in Group B. The duration of CR in Group A was 11.76 ± 7.34 years but only 1.24 ± 1.24 years in Group B (p < 0.001). Death, increasing renal SDI, renal flare, renal transplantation, ESRD or eGFR < 50 ml/min, and doubling of serum creatinine in Group A were significantly lower than Group B. Multivariable analysis revealed that Group A patients were at a lower risk of death (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.20; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.07–0.61; p = 0.004), increasing renal SDI (HR = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.21–0.76; p = 0.01), developing ESRD or eGFR < 50 ml/min (HR = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.12–0.61; p = 0.001), and doubling of serum creatinine (HR = 0.29; 95% CI, 0.14–0.61; p = 0.001) compared with Group B. Conclusion Sustained CR for at least five years is a predictor of better prognosis in patients with LN.
Effect of Penicillin Resistance on Presentation and Outcome of Nonenterococcal Streptococcal Infective Endocarditis

Background and Aims: Most cases of infective endocarditis are caused by nonenterococcal streptococci. The emergence of strains resistant to penicillin is increasingly recognized worldwide. This study sought to assess the effect of penicillin resistance on presentation and outcome of streptococcal endocarditis. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a single tertiary care hospital. Results: Between August 1996 and December 2004, patients infected with nonenterococcal streptococcal endocarditis and known minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to penicillin were included in this study. A total of 62 cases were identified: 48 (77%) cases of the streptococcal endocarditis were caused by viridans streptococci. The most common species groups identified were Streptococcus mitis in 12 (19%) cases, Streptococcus oralis in 9 (15%) cases, Streptococcus sanguis in 7 (11%) cases and Streptococcus mutans in 7 (11%) cases. There were 36 male and 26 female patients with a median age of 46 years (range: 1–85). Twenty-two patients (35%) had peripheral embolization and 10 patients (16%) died in hospital. Twenty-eight (45%) of the 62 patients were infected with streptococcal strains of MICs ≧0.125 µg/ml to penicillin. Infection with streptococcal strains of MICs ≧0.125 µg/ml to penicillin was associated with a lower incidence of all-site embolization, but was not associated with higher mortality or increased frequency of surgery. Conclusions: High-level penicillin resistance of the streptococci responsible for endocarditis was increasingly common and medical therapy with vancomycin had a good response. Penicillin resistance was associated with a decreased risk of embolization, but was not associated with higher mortality.
Comparison of Local Features from Two Spanish Hospitals Reveals Common and Specific Traits at Multiple Levels of the Molecular Epidemiology of Metallo-β-Lactamase-Producing Pseudomonas spp

ABSTRACT Twenty-seven well-characterized metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-producing Pseudomonas strains from two distantly located hospitals were analyzed. The results revealed specific features defining the multilevel epidemiology of strains from each hospital in terms of species, clonality, predominance of high-risk clones, composition/diversity of integrons, and linkages of Tn402-related structures. Therefore, despite the global trends driving the epidemiology of MBL-producing Pseudomonas spp. , the presence of local features has to be considered in order to understand this threat and implement proper control strategies.
Patient preferences for laboratory test results notification.

BACKGROUND Patients whose test results are abnormal cannot make health behavior changes until the final phase of the laboratory testing process, patient notification, has been completed. Patients whose results are normal are often not notified at all. Few studies have examined the problematic aspects of patient notification, a crucial step in a complex and expensive process. OBJECTIVE To determine patient preferences for receiving laboratory test results. STUDY DESIGN Patient survey by telephone. METHODS Forty-nine patients with hypercholesterolemia who had had a lipoprotein profile performed within the previous 6 months were asked whether or not they had been informed of the test result, how they were informed, how satisfied they were with the process, and how they would prefer to be notified of results. All patients attended a clinic in suburban Detroit. Questions were read from a prepared script. RESULTS The majority of patients (94%) preferred to receive notification of all test results: both abnormal results accompanied by recommendations for health management changes, and normal results. Preferences for type of notification included mail (59%), phone (16%), office visit (12%), other or multiple response (6%). CONCLUSION Notification of both normal and abnormal results is of great importance to patients. Further studies are needed to determine what form of notification is most effective and which method is most satisfactory to patients.
Work engagement as a key driver of quality of care: a study with midwives.

PURPOSE Against a backdrop of increased work intensification within maternity hospitals, the purpose of this paper is to examine the role of work engagement in the quality of care delivered to patients and in general health of the midwives delivering care, as reported by midwives and nurses. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH Quantitative questionnaires consisting of standardised measures were distributed to midwives in two large maternity hospitals. These questionnaires assessed levels of work engagement, supervisor and colleague support, general health and quality of care. FINDINGS Structural equation modelling analysis revealed a best-fit model that demonstrated work engagement to be a significant partial mediator between organisational and supervisor support and quality of care, and as a significant predictor of self-reported general health. Together, supervisor support, social support and organisational resources, mediated by work engagement, explained 38 per cent of the variance in quality of care at the unit level and 23 per cent of variance in general health among midwives (chi2(67) = 113; p < 0.01, CFI = 0.961, RMSEA = 0.06). RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS The study is limited in that it uses self-report measures of quality of care and lacks objective indicators of patient outcomes. The cross-sectional design also does not allow for causal inferences to be drawn from the data. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS This study provides evidence for the links between individual levels of work engagement and both health and self-reports of unit level quality of care. The results support the importance of health services organisations and managers deploying organisational resources to foster employee work engagement. The results also highlight the significant role of the immediate nurse manager and suggest training and development for such roles is a valuable investment. ORIGINALITY/VALUE These results are the first to link work engagement and performance in health care contexts and point to the value of work engagement for both unit performance and for individual employee well-being in health organisations.
Menstrual and reproductive factors and fracture risk: the Leisure World Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND Because menopausal estrogen is related to the development of osteoporosis, we investigated the potential associations of the estrogen-related events of menarche, pregnancy, and menopause with fracture risk in a population-based, prospective study of older women. METHODS The Leisure World Cohort was established in the early 1980s when residents of a California retirement community, including 8877 women, completed a health survey. Incident fractures of the hip (n = 1220), wrist (n = 463), and spine (n = 613) incurred over two decades were identified from four follow-up questionnaires, hospital discharge records, and (for hip fracture) death certificates. Hazard ratios (HR) adjusted for age and other potential confounders were calculated using proportional hazards regression. RESULTS Late age at menarche was associated with decreased hip fracture risk (HR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.72-0.98, for age > or = 14 vs. < or = 12 years) but was unrelated to fractures at other sites. Hip fracture risk was also reduced in women who had been pregnant (HR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.72- 0.95). Women who reported menopause at age 45+ had a lower risk of wrist fracture compared with those with menopause at age < or = 44 (HR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.95 for ages 45-54; HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.49-1.04 for ages 55+). Although fracture risks did not differ between ever and never users of menopausal estrogen, recency since last use was related to wrist fractures (HR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.03-1.16 for each 5 years since last years). CONCLUSIONS The estrogen-related events of menarche, pregnancy, and menopause were not associated with osteoporotic fracture risk in a consistent manner. Other factors related to these events may be influencing development of osteoporosis and the likelihood of sustaining a fracture in older women.
Synaptic NMDA receptors in developing mouse hippocampal neurones: functional properties and sensitivity to ifenprodil.

1. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp techniques were used to record pharmacologically isolated NMDA receptor‐mediated EPSCs (NMDA EPSCs) from CA1 pyramidal cells (PCs) in hippocampal slices from 4‐day‐old to 36‐week‐old mice, in order to characterize developmental changes in functional properties and subunit composition of synaptic NMDA receptors. 2. During the first postnatal weeks the dendritic tree of CA1 PCs stained with biocytin increased both in size and in complexity. This was associated with an increase in amplitude of the focally evoked NMDA EPSCs recorded either in nominally Mg(2+)‐free or Mg(2+)‐containing saline. In adult PCs (> 5 weeks old) EPSC amplitude was 4‐fold larger than in very young (up to 2 weeks old) neurones. 3. The sensitivity of NMDA EPSCs to blockade by Mg2+ did not change with age. In very young, intermediate and adult PCs the EPSC‐voltage relation displayed an area of negative slope conductance at membrane potentials more negative than ‐30 mV. The apparent Kd values of the NMDA receptors for Mg2+ at 0 mV were 7.8 +/‐ 6.4, 10.4 +/‐ 14.1 and 6.5 +/‐ 4.7 mM in very young, intermediate and adult neurones, respectively. 4. The decay of the NMDA EPSC in both young and adult neurones could be described by the sum of a fast and a slow exponential function. Both EPSC rise time and fast and slow decay time constants measured at ‐60 mV, decreased with age. 5. The decay of NMDA EPSCs in young versus adult PCs was differentially modulated by membrane voltage. In young PCs depolarization slowed both the fast and the slow EPSC components. In adult PCs depolarization slightly accelerated the initial EPSC decay, though the overall duration of the EPSC did not change. The rise time of the EPSCs was not affected by voltage at any age. 6. The subunit‐selective NMDA receptor antagonist ifenprodil similarly blocked iontophoretic NMDA‐induced currents and NMDA EPSCs. In both young and adult PCs, the concentration‐response curves for this effect disclosed distinct low and high affinity binding sites for ifenprodil. 7. In young PCs, low and high affinity binding sites for ifenprodil were about equally expressed (57 versus 43%, respectively), whereas in adult PCs, synaptic NMDA receptors expressed a majority (78%) of low affinity binding sites for ifenprodil. 8. The long duration of NMDA EPSCs (and by implication, of Ca2+ transfer through NMDA receptor channels) and its further prolongation by depolarization in young PCs are consistent with heightened NMDA‐dependent neuronal plasticity early in development. The age‐related changes in these properties may result from a developmental change in NMDA receptor subunit composition.
EEG-based Approach-Withdrawal index for the pleasantness evaluation during taste experience in realistic settings

The taste is a vital sense in humans, because of its active role in regulating nutrition or avoiding harmful substances. Several studies showed the important role of the brain Pre-Frontal Cortex in decoding information coming from the gustatory system. It is also widely known, in neuroscientific literature, that the asymmetry of Pre-Frontal Cortex Activity is closely linked to the feeling of pleasantness experienced by the subject during sensorial stimulation. In this regard, from the electroencephalographic (EEG) signal it is possible to estimate the Approach/Withdrawal (AW) index, which has been largely investigated and validated in scientific literature, regarding visual, acoustic and olfactory stimuli.
Styloid Process Elongation on Cervical Spine Computed Tomography is Associated with the Enthesopathy-Related Diseases of Ankylosing Spondylitis and Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis.

BACKGROUND Enthesopathy may lead to calcification of the stylohyoid ligament and can cause elongation of the styloid process (SP). OBJECTIVES To evaluate whether SP elongation is associated with two common enthesitis-related diseases: ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). METHODS Cervical spine computed tomography (CT) examinations of patients with DISH (n=64, Resnick criteria), AS (n=24, New York criteria) and a controls (no radiological signs of DISH or AS, n=54) were retrospectively evaluated. The DISH group was further divided into patients with and without cervical DISH. The length of right and left SP was measured independently by two readers on coronal and sagittal curved reformats. The average right and left styloid length and average length per person were compared among the groups. RESULTS Demographic characteristics were similar between the DISH and control groups (average age 68.2 ± 15.7, 69.2 ± 12.7 years, male:female ratio 48:16 and 35:19, respectively, P > 0.05), whereas age was significantly lower (average age: 53 ± 15 years, P < 0.0001) in the AS group, which was also composed mainly of men. The AS and DISH groups had significantly longer SP compared to controls (AS 37.9 ± 9.6 mm, DISH 34.4 ± 9 mm, control 30.3 ± 10.1 mm, P < 0.05). There was no correlation between age and SP length. Inter-reader reliability of SP measurements was excellent in all groups (ICC = 0.998, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS SP elongation is associated with both AS and DISH substantiating the enthesopathy-related pathophysiology of this finding.
Review of shell models for contrast agent microbubbles

Micrometer-scale encapsulated gas bubbles, known as ultrasound contrast agents, are used in ultrasound medical diagnostics for enhancing blood-tissue contrast during an ultrasonic examination. They are also employed in therapy as an activator of drug incorporation or extravasation. Adequate modeling of the effect of encapsulation is of primary importance because it is the encapsulating shell that determines many of the functional properties of contrast agents. In this review, existing approaches to the modeling of the radial motion of an encapsulated bubble are discussed and comparative analysis of available shell models is conducted. The capabilities of the shell models are evaluated in the context of recent experimental observations, such as compression-only behavior and the dependence of shell material properties on initial bubble radius. It is shown that for early shell models, the main problem is that the behavior of encapsulation is described by linear elastic and viscous laws, whereas recent experimental data attest to complicated rheological properties inherent in shell materials. Currently, a trend toward models involving nonlinear laws for shell elasticity and viscosity is observed. In particular, nonlinear models have been proposed that allow one to reproduce compression-only behavior. However, the problem of the radius dependence of shell material parameters remains unsolved.