Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Radiosurgery for large cerebral arteriovenous malformations].

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Treatment of large cerebral arteriovenous malformations is a challenge for embolization, surgery and radiosurgery too. The purposes of this study is to review results of RS for these large cerebral arteriovenous malformations and to study recent methods which can allow to improve results. PATIENTS and method. From our series, 112 patients had cerebral arteriovenous malformations higher than 30 mm or 10 cc at time of the radiosurgery. Revelation mode was hemorrhage in 47%, seizures in 42%, headaches in 16%, and progressive neurological deficits in 7%. Discovery was fortuitous in 2.7% of cases. Before radiosurgery, 57% were embolized, 5% were operated, 4.5% were reirradiated and 1.8% were operated and embolized. Distribution according to Spetzler & Martin's grade was following: 0% in grade I, 12% in grade II, 41% in grade III and 46% in grade IV. No patient was in grade V. RESULTS Global obliteration rate was 39% for large cerebral arteriovenous malformations. In multivariate analysis, only recovering (positive correlation), and previous embolization (negative correlation) were correlated with obliteration rate. CONCLUSION Current procedures of radiosurgery allow obliteration in a limited number of large cerebral arteriovenous malformations treated. Other strategies as fractioned irradiation, multileaf microcollimators with single isocenter, radiosurgery before surgery or radiosurgery with protons should improve obliteration rate.
The Incidence of Acute Gastrointestinal Illness in Canada, Foodbook Survey 2014-2015

Acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) is an important public health issue, with many pathogen sources and modes of transmission. A one-year telephone survey was conducted in Canada (2014-2015) to estimate the incidence of self-reported AGI in the previous 28 days and to describe health care seeking behaviour, using a symptom-based case definition. Excluding cases with respiratory symptoms, it is estimated that there are 0.57 self-reported AGI episodes per person-year, almost 19.5 million episodes in Canada each year. The proportion of cases seeking medical care was nearly 9%, of which 17% reported being requested to submit a sample for laboratory testing, and 49% of those requested complied and provided a sample. Results can be used to inform burden of illness and source attribution studies and indicate that AGI continues to be an important public health issue in Canada.
In Brown Norway Rats, MPP+ Is Accumulated in the Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic Terminals but It Is Not Neurotoxic: A Model of Natural Resistance to MPTP Toxicity

Rats have been described as being insensitive to relatively high doses of systemically administered 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), a neurotoxin that in primates induces a neurological syndrome identical to idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The current explanation for the rat resistance is that most of the MPTP is converted into the toxic metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridium (MPP+) by the MAO-B present in the brain vessel endothelium. Since MPP+ is a polar compound, a very low amount could cross the blood-brain barrier and be present inside the brain. We administered C57 BL mice and Brown Norway rats with either MPTP (30 mg/kg, ip) or the combined treatment MPTP + diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC). In mice, DDC prolonged the striatal exposure to MPP+, potentiated the MPTP-induced acute syndrome, and enhanced the MPTP-induced striatal dopamine depletion. In rats, DDC potentiated the MPTP-induced acute syndrome, but no changes in the striatal dopamine were observed after either MPTP or DDC + MPTP administration. Also in rats, however, high doses of MPP+ were measured in the striatum of MPTP-alone treated rats and DDC delayed the MPP+ elimination from the striatum. When MPTP alone or DDC + MPTP was administered to rats unilaterally lesioned with 6-hydroxy dopamine (6-OH-DA), the levels of MPP+ measured in the intact striatum were significantly higher than those found in the 6-OH-DA-lesioned striatum. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Medication Administration Practices in Pennsylvania Schools

As a result of various health concerns, children are receiving an increased number of medications while at school. In Pennsylvania, the School Code mandates a ratio of 1 certified school nurse to 1,500 students, which may mean that 1 school nurse is covering 3–5 buildings. This implies that unlicensed personnel are administering medications, a violation of licensing laws in Pennsylvania. The purpose of this study was to determine the policies and practices that Pennsylvania public schools have in place regarding medication administration. The sample consisted of 314 state-certified school nurses who returned a 71-question survey. Findings indicated that school nurses are very concerned about issues related to medication administration. Additional findings identified the lack of standing orders to administer over-the-counter medications, the increase in medication errors when the school nurse had responsibility for multiple buildings, and the lack of understanding of the ramifications of the Nurse Practice Act on school nursing practice in regard to delegation. Recommendations for practice include development of detailed policies and procedures and collaboration among all stakeholders in the development of policies that address legal issues.
Effect of green tea mouth rinse on Streptococcus mutans in plaque and saliva in children: An in vivo study

Aims: This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of green tea catechin as a mouth wash on colony count of Streptococcus mutans in children. Materials and Methods: A sample size of thirty children was selected out of screened 290 children by simple random sampling between the age group of 7 and 12 years. The study was conducted over a period of 2 weeks. After 24 h of oral prophylaxis, the baseline samples were collected and each group was subjected to mouth rinsing with green tea mouth wash for 2 weeks and further plaque and saliva samples were collected at 1- and 2-week intervals from baseline. Microbiological analysis of plaque and saliva samples was done by Dentocult SM strip kit (Orion Diagnostica, Finland), and the results were statistically analyzed and tabulated. Results: Statistically, there was highly significant reduction in S. mutans count in plaque as well as in saliva for after 1- and 2-week intervals from baseline. Conclusion: Hence, finally, our study showed that green tea catechin is effective as a mouth wash against S. mutans and having better action in plaque as compared to saliva. It can be used as an adjunct to commercially available mouthwashes.
Nutritional evaluation of children with phenylketonuria.

CONTEXT Dietary phenylalanine (PA) restriction is the most effective form for reducing its excess in the blood and is the only efficient method for treating phenylketonuria. The diet is complex and should be adapted to combine the patients' eating habits, growth and development. It depends basically on the use of industrialized products as substitutes free of PA for proteins that are not fully supplied. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the nutritional status of children with phenylketonuria (PKU) by anthropometric measurements and food intake. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Children with PKU attending the Association of Parents and Friends of Handicapped Children (Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais - APAE) and normal children attending at municipal day care centers in São Paulo. PARTICIPANTS 42 children with PKU and 31 normal children aged 1 to 12 of both sexes were assessed in two groups, under and over 7 years of age. MAIN MEASUREMENTS Weight and height measurements. RESULTS Children with PKU ingested calories, calcium, iron, zinc, and copper below the recommended values, whereas the protein intake was within the normal range. Food intake in the group of normal children was within normality rates. The height/weight Z-score means for children with PKU were 0.47 for those under 7 years and 1.86 for 7 year-olds and over; in normal children the means were 0.97 <7 years and 1.54 >/=7 years, with no statistically significant difference. The height/age Z-score means were significantly lower in the PKU children <7 years (-1.23) than in the normal controls (0.91). CONCLUSIONS The data presented demonstrate the importance of nutritional surveillance in patients with PKU so as to support adequacy of nutrient intake and to guarantee growth within the relevant standards.
Mycophenolate mofetil reduces late renal allograft loss independent of acute rejection.

BACKGROUND Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) has been shown to significantly decrease the number of acute rejection episodes in renal transplant recipients during the 1st year. A beneficial effect of MMF on long-term graft survival has been more difficult to demonstrate. This beneficial effect has not been detected, despite the impact of acute rejection on the development of chronic allograft nephropathy and experimental evidence that MMF may have a salutary effect on chronic allograft nephropathy independent of that of rejection. METHODS Data on 66,774 renal transplant recipients from the U.S. renal transplant scientific registry were analyzed. Patients who received a solitary renal transplant between October 1, 1988 and June 30, 1997 were studied. The Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate relevant risk factors. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed for censored graft survival. RESULTS MMF decreased the relative risk for development of chronic allograft failure (CAF) by 27% (risk ratio [RR] 0.73, P<0.001). This effect was independent of its outcome on acute rejection. Censored graft survival using MMF versus azathioprine was significantly improved by Kaplan-Meier analysis at 4 years (85.61% v. 81.9%). The effect of an acute rejection episode on the risk of developing CAF seems to be increasing over time (RR=1.9, 1988-91; RR=2.9, 1992-94; RR=3.7, 1995-97). CONCLUSION MMF therapy decreases the risk of developing CAF. This improvement is only partly caused by the decrease in the incidence of acute rejection observed with MMF; but, is also caused by an effect independent of acute rejection.
Effective Heat Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2

The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or 2019-nCoV) has quickly turned into a global pandemic. Infectious viruses had been isolated from oro- or naso-pharyngeal swabs, sputum and possibly stool samples of infected individuals. Handling these clinical specimens therefore poses a biosafety risk to both healthcare professionals and laboratory workers. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the stability of SARS-CoV-2 under different heat conditions and report that the virus is stable at 37 C for at least 24 hours. Heating at 56 C for 30 minutes, however, effectively inactivated the virus while preserved the stability of viral RNA in both human sera and sputum samples. These findings provide critical information regarding the biology of the virus as well as a practical way to inactivate infectious virus that is potentially found in clinical specimens.
Sulfhydryl-dependent attachment of Treponema denticola to laminin and other proteins

Attachment of Treponema denticola ATCC 35405 to laminin, a major basement membrane protein, and to other proteins was studied. Microdilution plates were coated with the proteins, and the attachment of T. denticola was measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Compared with bovine serum albumin (BSA), T. denticola had a high affinity to laminin, fibronectin, fibrinogen, and gelatin, as well as to type I and type IV collagens. Attachment to RGD peptide (Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser, the integrin recognition sequence) was only about 30% of that to laminin and was comparable to attachment to BSA. Tests with laminin fragments obtained through elastase digestion showed that the spirochetes attached well to an A-chain 140-kDa fragment involved in eukaryote cell attachment but did not attach to a 50-kDa fragment that includes the heparin binding site. Pretreatment of T. denticola with soluble laminin, fibronectin, gelatin, BSA, or fibrinogen had no effect on the attachment of the bacteria to laminin or fibronectin. A wide variety of compounds were tested for their possible inhibitory actions on the attachment. While most treatments of T. denticola ATCC 35405 had little or no effect on the attachment to proteins, sulfhydryl reagents p-chloromercuribenzoic acid (pCMBA) and oxidized glutathione inhibited the attachment by 70 to 99%, depending on the protein. When T. denticola was first allowed to attach to proteins, addition of pCMBA or oxidized glutathione could no longer reverse the attachment. Heat treatment of the spirochetes also markedly reduced the attachment to laminin, gelatin, and fibrinogen but not to BSA. Mixed glycosidase treatment of the spirochetes inhibited the attachment by 20 to 80%. None of the above treatments of the substrate proteins had any marked effect on the spirochete attachment. The results indicate that T. denticola has the capacity to bind to many different kinds of proteins by utilizing specific attachment mechanisms. The binding appears to involve protein SH groups and/or carbohydrate residues on the surface of T. denticola.
A trivalent subunit antigen glycoprotein vaccine as immunotherapy for genital herpes in the guinea pig genital infection model

ABSTRACT An estimated 417 million people worldwide ages 15 to 49 are infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), the most common cause of genital ulcer disease. Some individuals experience frequent recurrences of genital lesions, while others only have subclinical infection, yet all risk transmitting infection to their intimate partners. A vaccine was developed that prevents shingles, which is a recurrent infection caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a closely related member of the Herpesviridae family. The success of the VZV vaccine has stimulated renewed interest in a therapeutic vaccine for genital herpes. We have been evaluating a trivalent subunit antigen vaccine for prevention of genital herpes. Here, we assess the trivalent vaccine as immunotherapy in guinea pigs that were previously infected intravaginally with HSV-2. The trivalent vaccine contains HSV-2 glycoproteins C, D, and E (gC2, gD2, gE2) subunit antigens administered with CpG and alum as adjuvants. We previously demonstrated that antibodies to gD2 neutralize the virus while antibodies to gC2 and gE2 block their immune evasion activities, including evading complement attack and inhibiting activities mediated by the IgG Fc domain, respectively. Here, we demonstrate that the trivalent vaccine significantly boosts ELISA titers and neutralizing antibody titers. The trivalent vaccine reduces the frequency of recurrent genital lesions and vaginal shedding of HSV-2 DNA by approximately 50% and almost totally eliminates vaginal shedding of replication-competent virus, suggesting that the trivalent vaccine is a worthy candidate for immunotherapy of genital herpes.
The Relation Between Working Memory Components and ADHD Symptoms From a Developmental Perspective

The objective was to examine the relations between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and four working memory (WM) components (short-term memory and central executive in verbal and visuospatial domains) in 284 6–16-year-old children from the general population. The results showed that verbal and visuospatial short-term memory and verbal central executive uniquely contributed to inattention symptoms. Age interacted with verbal short-term memory in predicting inattention, with the relation being stronger in older children. These findings support the notion of ADHD as a developmental disorder, with changes in associated neuropsychological deficits across time. The results further indicate ADHD-related deficits in several specific WM components.
Association between first‐trimester maternal serum pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A and obstetric complications

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal serum pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A (PAPP‐A) in the first trimester of pregnancy and the development of preeclampsia (PE), early PE, small‐for‐gestational age (SGA) fetus and preterm delivery (PD).
Familial Aggregation and Heritability of Electrocardiographic Intervals and Heart Rate in a Rural Chinese Population

Background: Estimates of the genetic influences on electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters are inconsistent in previous reports, and no such studies have been performed in China. So we estimated genetic contributions to PR and QRS intervals and the rate‐adjusted QT interval (Bazett's QTc) in a Chinese rural population.
Heterogeneous expression of KChIP2 isoforms in the ferret heart

Kv4 channels are believed to underlie the rapidly recovering cardiac transient outward current (Ito) phenotype. However, heterologously expressed Kv4 channels fail to fully reconstitute the native current. Kv channel interacting proteins (KChIPs) have been shown to modulate Kv4 channel function. To determine the potential involvement of KChIPs in the rapidly recovering Ito, we cloned three KChIP2 isoforms (designated fKChIP2, 2a and 2b) from the ferret heart. Based upon immunoblot data suggesting the presence of a potential endogenous KChIP‐like protein in HEK 293, CHO and COS cells but absence in Xenopus oocytes, we coexpressed Kv4.3 and the fKChIP2 isoforms in Xenopus oocytes. Functional analysis showed that while all fKChIP2 isoforms produced a fourfold acceleration of recovery kinetics compared to Kv4.3 expressed alone, only fKChIP2a produced large depolarizing shifts in the V1/2 of steady‐state activation and inactivation as seen for the native rapidly recovering Ito. Analysis of RNA and protein expression of the three fKChIP2 isoforms in ferret ventricles showed that fKChIP2b was most abundant and was expressed in a gradient paralleling the rapidly recovering Ito distribution. Ferret KChIP2 and 2a were expressed at very low levels. The ventricular expression distribution suggests that fKChIP2 isoforms are involved in modulation of the rapidly recovering Ito; however, additional regulatory factors are also likely to be involved in generating the native current.
Limited Sampling Strategies for Estimating Cyclosporin Area Under the Concentration–Time Curve: Review of Current Algorithms

Cyclosporin, the drug of first choice in transplantation surgery, is characterized by a low therapeutic index and variable absorption, so close monitoring of the drug is required to optimize the dosing. Predose blood cyclosporin levels are measured routinely for therapeutic monitoring, but this approach is not optimal because the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) correlates better with clinical events. However, conventional methods of measuring AUC require many blood samples, which is not viable in a routine clinical setting. AUC monitoring can be simplified for use in a clinical setting by using a limited sampling strategy (LSS) that allows AUC to be estimated using a small number of blood samples collected at specific times. This article reviews the current literature on estimating cyclosporin AUC using LSS. Thirty-eight papers suggesting the use of specific time points were found. LSS has been developed for different transplant types, with different dosing regimens, and with different assays. Most authors suggested either two-or three-sample equations. Results from authors who validated their models suggest that equations defined on one transplant type may be applicable to other transplant types, to both adults and children, and to early or late after transplantation. Moreover, it seems that there is flexibility in the choice of equations available to clinicians. The number of samples to collect for accurate estimations is a matter of debate, but a wise choice can minimize the number. The choice of the optimal LSS and validation are discussed.
Reharvested Cranial Particulate Bone Graft Ossifies Inlay Calvarial Defects

Abstract Particulate bone graft (PBG) heals calvarial critical-size defects and is procured from the cranium with a hand-driven bit and brace. The donor sites ossify, and thus PBG potentially could be reharvested from the original areas. The purpose of this study was to determine if PBG obtained from a healed donor site is effective for inlay cranioplasty. A 17 × 17-mm critical-size defect was created in the parietal bones of 8 rabbits and treated with either no implant (group 1) or PBG harvested from the frontal bone (group 2). In 4 animals (group 3), a parietal defect was not created initially; PBG was harvested from the frontal bone and then discarded. Sixteen weeks later after the PBG donor sites had healed, a 17 × 17-mm parietal defect was made and filled with PBG reharvested from the previous donor area. Animals underwent micro–computed tomography 16 weeks after inlay cranioplasty. Critical-size defects in controls (group 1) exhibited partial ossification (35.1% ± 10.5%) compared with those treated with PBG (group 2) (99.1% ± 1.5%) or reharvested PBG (group 3) (99.3% ± 1.5%) (P = 0.02). No difference was found between groups 2 and 3 (P = 0.69). Bony thickness was similar in defects implanted with PBG (1.8 mm ± 1.1 mm) or reharvested PBG (2.1 mm ± 0.5 mm) (P = 0.68). Particulate bone graft reharvested from healed donor sites ossifies inlay cranial defects. Because the donor area for PBG is of partial thickness and less than critical size, reparative osteogenesis theoretically allows an unlimited supply of autologous bone for inlay cranioplasty using PBG.
Prediction of survival using absolute lymphocyte count for newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma: a retrospective study

Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) recovery after autologous stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma (MM) has been reported to be an independent prognostic factor for clinical outcome. The role of ALC on survival in newly diagnosed untreated MM patients is unknown. Between 1994 and 2002, we analysed retrospectively 537 MM patients of 1835 consecutive MM patients that were neither uniformly treated nor part of a clinical trail, but originally diagnosed and followed at the Mayo Clinic. The primary endpoint was to assess the role of ALC at the time of MM diagnosis on overall survival (OS). The median follow‐up was 35·1 months (range: 1–152·5 months). ALC, as a continuous variable, was identified as prognostic factor for OS (Hazard ratio = 0·473, 95% confidence interval = 0·359–0·618, P < 0·0001). MM patients with an ALC ≥1·4 × 109/l experienced superior OS compared with MM patients with an ALC <1·4 × 109/l (65 vs. 26 months, P < 0·0001). Multivariate analysis identified ALC as an independent prognostic factor for OS. This study showed that, in newly diagnosed MM, ALC is an independent prognostic factor for OS, suggesting a significant role of host immune status in the survival of MM.
A +25-dBm IIP3 1.7–2.1-GHz FDD Receiver Front End With Integrated Hybrid Transformer in 28-nm CMOS

A highly linear receiver (RX) front end with integrated hybrid transformer (HT) for frequency-division duplexing mobile communications is reported. The HT, implemented with a three-winding coplanar transformer, is used to interface the RX front end with the antenna and the power amplifier. The primary is driven at its center tap with the transmitted signal and at one input with the antenna signal, while the other input is connected to an on-chip programmable balancing impedance. The two secondary drives a differential push–pull common-gate low-noise amplifier (LNA). Assuming a perfectly linear hybrid only 45 dB of transmitter (TX)–RX isolation and 35 dB of common-mode rejection are required to meet the intermodulation specs thanks to the +25-dBm receiver IIP3. This would drastically simplify hybrid balancing and adaptation loop. Cascaded noise figure of duplexer, LNA, and baseband is below 6.7 dB and TX insertion loss below 4.3 dB from 1.7 to 2.1 GHz. The implemented prototype in 28-nm CMOS has an active area of 0.7 mm2 and requires only 26 mW.