Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Retrospective Analysis of AIDS-Associated Kaposi’s Sarcoma in Patients With Undetectable HIV Viral Loads and CD4 Counts Greater Than 300 cells/mm3

Objective: To compare the clinical course of patients with AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) with CD4 counts >300 cells/mm3 and undetectable HIV viral loads (VLs) to patients with AIDS-KS with lesser CD4 counts and detectable HIV VLs. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 91 patients with AIDS-KS in a multispeciality clinic. We used χ2 and Student t tests to analyze intragroup differences; survival was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: Twenty (22%) of the 91 patients had newly diagnosed, persistent or progressive KS despite CD4 counts >300 cells/mm3 and undetectable HIV VLs. Age, gender, ethnicity, mode and duration of HIV acquisition, type of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and KS therapy did not differ significantly (P ≤ .005) between this group and the remaining 71 patients. Although tumor stage and response to KS therapy were similar, there was a significantly greater risk of death among the patients with CD4 counts <300 cells/mm3 and detectable HIV VLs (P = .048). Conclusions: In the highly active antiretroviral (HAART) era, a substantial proportion of patients with KS had undetectable HIV VLs and CD4 counts greater than the level typically associated with opportunistic diseases. They required systemic therapy to control their KS but were significantly less likely to die and demonstrated a trend toward better 15-year survival than patients having KS with lesser CD4 counts and detectable HIV VLs.
Prevalence of artificially created maxillary midline diastema and its complications in a selected nigerian population.

BACKGROUND Maxillary midline diastema (MMD) is generally regarded as a symbol of beauty in Nigeria. The desperation to look beautiful has caused many individuals to seek the creation of artificial midline diastema and that comes often with undesirable side effects. AIM To determine the prevalence of artificially created maxillary midline diastema (MMD) and its complications in a selected Nigerian population. METHOD A cross-sectional study using a semi-structured questionnaire as the instrument for data collection was done among patients attending a private clinic in Owerri the capital of Imo state in Nigeria over a period of 18 months. The data were retrieved from the questionnaires and analyzed using the SPSS version 20. RESULTS There were 141 respondents comprising 58(41.1%) males and 83(58.9%) females, giving a male to female ratio of 1:1.4. The prevalence of artificially created MMD was 34.0% with increased frequency in: the 21-30 years age group; among the females and in respondents with tertiary level of education. Majority of the respondents (69.5%) desire MMD and 20.8% of those without it wanted it created through cosmetic dentistry. Twenty of the 48 respondents with artificial MMD had it done to enhance personal beauty and aesthetics. The commonest complication was tooth sensitivity (44.8%), followed by toothache (41.4%). CONCLUSION The prevalence of artificially created MMD was 34.0% in this study; and it is commoner in females and younger age group . The commonest complication was tooth sensitivity. Enhancement of personal beauty and aesthetic was the major reason for having it done.
The Equity Premium in 150 Textbooks

I review 150 textbooks on corporate finance and valuation published between 1979 and 2009 by authors such as Brealey, Myers, Copeland, Damodaran, Merton, Ross, Bruner, Bodie, Penman, Arzac? and find that their recommendations regarding the equity premium range from 3% to 10%, and that 51 books use different equity premia in various pages. The 5-year moving average has declined from 8.4% in 1990 to 5.7% in 2008 and 2009. Some confusion arises from not distinguishing among the four concepts that the phrase equity premium designates: the Historical, the Expected, the Required and the Implied equity premium. 129 of the books identify Expected and Required equity premium and 82 identify Expected and Historical equity premium. Finance textbooks should clarify the equity premium by incorporating distinguishing definitions of the four different concepts and conveying a clearer message about their sensible magnitudes.
A conjugated synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal region of Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin elicits an enterotoxin-neutralizing antibody response in mice

A synthetic peptide homolog corresponding to the C-terminal 30 amino acids of Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin (CPE) was conjugated to a thyroglobulin carrier and used to immunize mice. Conjugate-immunized mice produced antibodies which neutralized native CPE cytotoxicity, at least in part, by blocking enterotoxin binding. This peptide may be useful for the development of a vaccine to protect against CPE-mediated disease.
Insulin Binding and Responsiveness in Fat Cells from Patients with Reduced Glucose Tolerance and Type II Diabetes

Adipose tissue was obtained from 66 individuals including 21 patients with type II diabetes of different severity (16 SU-treated and 5 diet-treated only) as well as 9 obese subjects with reduced glucose tolerance. Adi-pocyte insulin binding, antilipolytic effect of insulin, and glucose incorporation into triglycerides were measured in the diabetic and the obese subjects and the data compared with that of normal controls of similar age and relative weight. Insulin binding per cell was normal in the diabetic patients and was significantly increased at low insulin concentrations in the obese patients with reduced glucose tolerance, suggesting increased affinity. Furthermore, insulin binding correlated negatively with age but, when age was corrected for, did not correlate significantly with fasting insulin or glucose levels, relative body weight, or fat cell size. Insulin sensitivity, measured as the antilipolytic effect of insulin, was similar in all patient groups. Patients with the most severe type II diabetes (SU-treated group) demonstrated, in contrast to the less severely diabetic patients, a marked reduction in both basal and insulin-stimulated glucose incorporation into triglycerides showing the presence of a pronounced postreceptor defect. The insulin effect on glucose incorporation correlated negatively with the fasting glucose levels, suggesting that the postreceptor defect seen in the adipocyte reflectsperturbations in other organs, like muscle or liver, of greater importance for glUCOSe homeostasis.
Influences of different buffer layers on Al-doped ZnO flims deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

In order to get high transparent and conductive Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films at room temperature, an off-axis RF magnetron system and i-ZnO buffer layer were introduced to deposit AZO thin films. By varying the deposition time of i-ZnO, we studied the crystal, structural, optical and electrical properties of the the AZO films as a function of the buffer layer's thickness. The samples showed good crystallinity with sharp (002) peak and smooth surface morphologies. The appearance of micropits and the films' thickness versus time revealed the buffer layer not only helped to release the stress but also offered a template for the AZO films to grow. As shown in SEM cross-sectional images, the films can be separated into bottom layer, main body and upper layers, indicating a structure revolution. With the thickness of about 500nm, the AZO films had transmittance above 85% in the visible region and resistivity as low as 1.0·10-3 Ω·cm.
Structure of the Unphosphorylated STAT5a Dimer*

STAT proteins have the function of signaling from the cell membrane into the nucleus, where they regulate gene transcription. Latent mammalian STAT proteins can form dimers in the cytoplasm even before receptor-mediated activation by specific tyrosine phosphorylation. Here we describe the 3.21-Å crystal structure of an unphosphorylated STAT5a homodimer lacking the N-terminal domain as well as the C-terminal transactivation domain. The overall structure of this fragment is very similar to phosphorylated STATs. However, important differences exist in the dimerization mode. Although the interface between phosphorylated STATs is mediated by their Src-homology 2 domains, the unphosphorylated STAT5a fragment dimerizes in a completely different manner via interactions between their β-barrel and four-helix bundle domains. The STAT4 N-terminal domain dimer can be docked onto this STAT5a core fragment dimer based on shape and charge complementarities. The separation of the dimeric arrangement, taking place upon activation and nuclear translocation of STAT5a, is demonstrated by fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments in living cells.
Effects of intravenous anesthetics on interleukin (IL)‐6 and IL‐10 production by lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated mononuclear cells from healthy volunteers

Background: Surgical trauma has been shown to augment the plasma concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines, which are important mediators of host defense mechanisms and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Recently, it has been shown that certain kinds of surgery provoke not only a proinflammatory response (SIRS) but also a concurrent anti‐inflammatory response. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the effects of intravenous anesthetics on the synthesis of interleukin (IL)‐6 (a proinflammatory cytokine) and IL‐10 (an anti‐inflammatory cytokine) by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated mononuclear cells from healthy volunteers.
Microchimerism after liver transplantation: Absence of rejection without abrogation of anti‐donor cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte–mediated alloreactivity

Microchimerism (MC) is defined by the persistence of <1% circulating donor cells resulting from cell migration from the graft; MC may play a role in the induction of unresponsiveness to allogeneic tissues, or may be merely the consequence of the graft's acceptance following immunosuppression. To analyze early MC (7 patients) and late MC (12 patients) following a liver transplantation, we designed a sensitive and semiquantitative nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol based on the detection of incompatible human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐DRB1 donor alleles. MC was measured in multiple PCR samples and expressed as percent positive PCRs / time point. The detection level was 1 donor cell / 105 patient cells. All patients had detectable early MC, ranging from 5 to 100% positive PCRs in the 1st 3 months after transplantation. The kinetic analysis demonstrated that MC decreased during the 1st year in 6 of 7 patients. All of the 4 patients with the lowest MC had rejection episodes, vs. none among the 3 patients with MC >50%. However, cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte reactivity (CTL) against HLA class I donor antigens could be demonstrated 1 year posttransplant in 2 patients with a high level of early MC. MC is a dynamic process, which is easily detectable <3 months after liver transplantation. In conclusion, a correlation between the level of early MC and the absence of rejection episodes was observed. However, high levels of early MC did not abrogate the persistence of an alloreactive response measured in vitro 1 year after transplantation, which suggests that MC did not lead to clonal deletion of donor‐specific CTL. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:290–297.)
Experimental and Computational Study of the Interaction of Novel Colchicinoids with a Recombinant Human αI/βI‐Tubulin Heterodimer

The binding free energies on human tubulin of selected colchicine and thiocolchicine compounds were determined. Two methods were used for the determination of binding free energies: one is based on theoretical prediction simulating the dissociation of the compound from tubulin using a series of molecular dynamics simulations, and the other method involves a series of experiments that measured the affinity of the compound on a synthetically expressed and purified tubulin protein using a spectrofluorometric technique.
Association of G/T(rs222859) polymorphism in Exon 1 of YBX2 gene with azoospermia, among Iranian infertile males

Animal model studies have shown that MSY2 gene has a potential role in spermatogenesis. Some mutations on this gene have been proposed to be associated with human male infertility. In this study, polymorphisms of exon 1 of YBX2 gene have been investigated. A total of 276 men were evaluated. They included 96 men with normal spermatogenesis, 60 men with nonobstructive azoospermia, 60 men with oligospermia and 60 men with asthenospermia. We extracted DNA from blood and testis tissues of samples, and analysed polymorphisms of exon 1 by sequencing method. Moreover, YBX2 gene expression was studied by real‐time PCR on blood and testis tissue of samples. Sequencing results showed that among the studied polymorphisms, frequency of TT genotype in rs222859 polymorphism was significantly higher in azoospermic patients compared to control group (P < 0.001). Azoospermic men exhibited significant underexpression of YBX2 gene in blood and testis samples in comparison with controls, oligosperm and asthenosperm samples (P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference in gene expression of YBX2 gene in blood and testis tissues of azoospermic men, with and without mutation (P > 0.05). According to our results, the alterations of this gene might be involved in azoospermia among Iranian population.
Clinical characterization of pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine morphology

Large cell carcinoma has been classified as four potential types based on its neuroendocrine morphology and evidence of neuroendocrine differentiation discernible by immunohistochemistry or electron microscopy. However, the clinical relation among these four categories has not been clearly defined. In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) categorized large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma as a variant of large cell carcinoma.
Calmodulin is a critical regulator of osteoclastic differentiation, function, and survival

Increased osteoclastic resorption and subsequent bone loss are common features of many debilitating diseases including osteoporosis, bone metastases, Paget's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. While rapid progress has been made in elucidating the signaling pathways directing osteoclast differentiation and function, a comprehensive picture is far from complete. Here, we explore the role of the Ca2+‐activated regulator calmodulin in osteoclastic differentiation, functional bone resorption, and apoptosis. During active bone resorption, calmodulin expression is increased, and calmodulin concentrates at the ruffled border, the organelle utilized for acid transport and bone dissolution. Pharmacologic inhibitors of calmodulin, several of which are already used clinically as anti‐cancer and anti‐psychotic agents, inhibit osteoclastic acid transport, suggesting their potential as bone‐sparing drugs. Recent studies also implicate calmodulin in osteoclast apoptosis through a mechanism involving its direct interaction with the death receptor Fas. During osteoclastogenesis, RANKL‐induction stimulates a rise in intracellular Ca2+, which in turn activates calmodulin and its downstream effectors. In particular, the Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent phosphatase calcineurin and its targets, the NFAT family of transcription factors, have been posited as the master regulators of osteoclastogenesis. However, recent in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrate that another Ca2+/calmodulin‐regulated effector protein, CaMKII, is also involved. CaMKII+/− mutant mice have reduced osteoclast numbers, and CaMKII antagonists inhibit osteoclastogenesis in vitro. Furthermore, CaMKII is known to activate AP‐1 transcription factors, which are also required for RANKL‐induced osteoclast gene transcription, and recent findings suggest that CaMKII can down‐regulate gp130, a cytokine receptor involved in bone remodeling and implicated in numerous osteo‐articular diseases. J. Cell. Biochem. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Role of isoniazid prophylaxis for prevention of tuberculosis in haemopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of isoniazid prophylaxis in prevention of tuberculosis among allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients. METHODS This study was conducted at Armed Forces Bone Marrow Transplant Center Rawalpindi, Pakistan from July 2001 to October 2003. Patients suffering from various haematological disorders undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation were included in the study. The demographic information, primary diagnoses and relevant investigations were recorded. Patients had negative tuberculin skin tests and chest X-Ray at pre-transplant assessment. First 25 patients (group I) did not receive isoniazid prophylaxis while the next 25 (group II) were given isoniazid in a dose of 5-10 mg/kg (maximum 300 mg/day). Isoniazid prophylaxis was started on day-1 and continued for 6 months post transplant. The patients developing tuberculosis were treated with rifampicin, ethambutol, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide during first 3 months followed by 2 drugs for a total duration of 12 months. Minimum follow up in group I and II was 783 and 403 days respectively. RESULTS There was significant difference (p < 0.001) in frequency of tuberculosis between two groups. In group I, four patients developed Tuberculosis (frequency 16%) whereas none of the patients in group II had the disease. Out of these four cases 3 had extrapulmonary disease. One patient died two weeks after the start of anti tuberculosis treatment while others successfully completed the treatment. CONCLUSION Tuberculosis in stem cell transplant recipients is an important opportunistic infection especially in areas of high disease prevalence like Pakistan. Isoniazid prophylaxis for 6 months is effective in preventing tuberculosis among this class of patients.
Comparison of corneal shape changes and aberrations induced By FS-LASIK and SMILE for myopia.

PURPOSE To compare corneal curvatures, corneal power calculations, and higher-order aberrations (HOAs) of femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK (FS-LASIK) with small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) following surgery for moderate to high myopia. METHODS A retrospective study of 736 eyes of 368 patients treated with SMILE and 148 eyes of 74 patients treated with FS-LASIK. Preoperative mean spherical equivalent was -7.3 ± 1.5 diopters in the SMILE group and -7.6 ± 1.3 diopters in the FS-LASIK group. Corneal curvatures, corneal power calculations performed by ray tracing, and HOAs measured with Scheimpflug technology before and 3 months after surgery were analyzed. RESULTS Corneal curvatures changed significantly in the anterior corneal surface, but not in the posterior corneal surface, in both groups; after SMILE, the sagittal curvature was constant for the central 4-mm diameter, in contrast to FS-LASIK where the curvature showed a gradual steepening with increasing diameter. Corneal power calculations were different across the cornea depending on the measurement diameter between the two groups postoperatively. Measured over a 5-mm zone on the total cornea, FS-LASIK induced 0.11 µm more coma (P < .001) and 0.13 µm higher spherical aberration (P < .001) as compared to SMILE; similar results in other HOAs were seen for the anterior corneal surface. Negligible differences in HOAs were induced on the posterior corneal surface. CONCLUSIONS SMILE and FS-LASIK produced distinct changes in anterior corneal shape evident in different postoperative corneal curvatures and power measurements between the two groups. Postoperative HOAs were much lower after SMILE as compared to FS-LASIK.
Amelioration of acute mercury toxicity by a novel, non-toxic lipid soluble chelator N,N′bis-(2-mercaptoethyl)isophthalamide: effect on animal survival, health, mercury excretion, and organ accumulation

The toxic effects of mercury are known to be complex with specific enzyme inhibitions and subsequent oxidative stress adding to the damaging effects. There are likely other factors involved, such as the development of impaired metal ion homeostasis and depletion of thiol- and selenium-based metabolites such as cysteine and selenium. Much of the toxicity of mercury occurs at the intracellular level via binding of Hg2+ to thiol groups in specific proteins. Therefore, amelioration of mercury toxicity by the use of chelation would likely be enhanced by the use of a chelator that could cross the cell membrane and the blood brain barrier. It would be most favorable if this compound was of low toxicity, had appropriate pharmacokinetics, bound and rendered mercury cation non-toxic and had antioxidant properties. Herein we report on such a chelator, N,N′-bis(2-mercaptoethyl)isophthalamide (NBMI), and, using an animal model, show that it prevented the toxic effects associated with acute exposure induced by injected mercury chloride.
The Observer Follower Filter for stochastic differential systems with sampled measurements

This note deals with stochastic continuous-discrete state-space models, that is stochastic differential systems with sampled discrete measurements. The filtering problem is investigated, with the purpose to provide the state estimate at the samples times. The general setting of a nonlinear drift and of a nonlinear multiplicative noise is considered, as well as of a nonlinear state-to-output function. According to the spirit of the Extended Kalman Filter, the original nonlinear differential system is linearized and discretized; then a bilinear system in the discrete-time framework is obtained, and the minimum variance filter equations are written. The novelty of the paper consists in the use of a state observer for nonlinear differential systems that provides the prediction to the filter equations and also the point around which the linear approximation is achieved. The observer equations make use of a modified version of a class of observers for nonlinear differential systems, coping with the problem of the discrete feature of the measurements, by modeling them as continuous measurements affected by a time-varying delay. Such an Observer Follower Filter approach has been recently applied to stochastic (purely) continuous-time framework. Numerical results show the good performances of the proposed approach with respect to the standard methodologies.
Noninvasive imaging of angiogenesis with a 99mTc-labeled peptide targeted at alphavbeta3 integrin after murine hindlimb ischemia.

BACKGROUND Noninvasive imaging strategies play a critical role in assessment of the efficacy of angiogenesis therapies. The alpha(v)beta3 integrin is activated in angiogenic vessels and represents a potential target for noninvasive imaging of angiogenesis. METHODS AND RESULTS We evaluated a 99mTc-labeled peptide (NC100692) targeted at alpha(v)beta3 integrin for imaging in an established murine model of angiogenesis induced by hindlimb ischemia. Control mice (n=9) or mice with surgical right femoral artery occlusion (n=29) were injected with NC100692 (1.5+/-0.2 mCi IV) at different times after femoral occlusion (1, 3, 7, and 14 days) for in vivo pinhole planar gamma camera imaging. Tissue from hindlimb proximal and distal to occlusion was excised for gamma well counting and for immunostaining. On in vivo pinhole images, increased focal NC100692 activity was seen distal to the occlusion at days 3 and 7. This increase in relative NC100692 activity was confirmed by gamma well counting. Lectin staining confirmed increased angiogenesis in the ischemic hindlimb at these time points. A fluorescent analogue of NC100692 was used to confirm specificity and localization of the targeted tracer in cultured endothelial cells. In addition, endothelial cell specificity was confirmed on tissue sections with the use of dual immunofluorescent staining of endothelium and the fluorescent analogue targeted at the alpha(v)beta3 integrin. CONCLUSIONS A 99mTc-labeled peptide (NC100692) targeted at alpha(v)beta3 integrin selectively localized to endothelial cells in regions of increased angiogenesis and could be used for noninvasive serial "hot spot" imaging of angiogenesis. This targeted radiotracer imaging approach is a major advance in tracking therapeutic myocardial angiogenesis and has an important clinical potential.