Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
No effect of pre-exercise meal on substrate metabolism and time trial performance during intense endurance exercise.

To determine the effect of macronutrient composition of pre-exercise meals on exercise metabolism and performance, 8 trained men exercised for 30 min above lactate threshold (30LT), followed by a 20-km time trial (TT). Approximately 3.5 h before exercise, subjects consumed a carbohydrate meal (C; 3 g carbohydrate/kg), an isoenergetic fat meal (F; 1.3 g fat/kg) or a placebo meal (P; no energy content) on 3 separate occasions in randomized order. Treatments had no effect on carbohydrate oxidation during exercise, but C decreased whole-body fat oxidation during the last 5 min of 30LT and TT, respectively (3.2 +/- 1.6 and 4.8 +/- 2.1 micromol/kg(-1) x min(-1), p < . 05) when compared to F (13.3 +/- 1.6 and 16.5 +/- 2.7 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) and P (15.9 +/- 2.7 and 17.0 +/- 3.2 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)). Glucose rate of appearance (Ra) and disappearance (Rd), and muscle glycogen utilization were not significantly different among treatments during exercise. TT performances were similar for C, F, and P (32.7 +/- 0.5 vs. 33.1 +/- 1.1 and 33.0 +/- 0.8 min, p > 0.5). We conclude that the consumption of a pre-exercise meal has minor effects on fat oxidation during high-intensity exercise, and no effect on carbohydrate oxidation or TT performance.
Expression of surface markers on peripheral CD4+CD25high T cells in patients with atopic asthma: role of inhaled corticosteroid.

BACKGROUND CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) mediate immune suppression through cell-cell contact with surface molecules, particularly cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor family-related protein (GITR), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), but little is known about the exact role of Tregs in the pathogenesis of asthma. This study sought to characterize the expression of surface markers on peripheral blood mononuclear cells-derived Tregs in patients with atopic asthma and healthy subjects, and to investigate the effect of inhaled corticosteroid on them. METHODS The expression of surface molecules on CD4(+)CD25(high) Tregs was detected by flow cytometry. The effect of inhaled corticosteroid on expression of the surface molecules on Tregs was determined in vivo and in vitro. Total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and latex enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay, respectively. RESULTS Equivalent numbers of peripheral Tregs were found in patients with atopic asthma (stable and acute) and healthy subjects. Tregs preferentially expressed CTLA-4, GITR, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), latency-associated peptide (LAP/TGF-beta1), and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3). Patients with acute asthma had decreased numbers of CD4(+)CD25(high)LAP(+) T cells compared to healthy subjects and stable asthmatics. Inhaled corticosteroid enhanced the percentage of Tregs expressing LAP in vivo and in vitro dose-dependently. Furthermore, the percentages of Tregs expressing LAP were negatively correlated with total serum IgE levels and severity of asthma, but positively correlated with forced expiratory volume in one second percentage of the predicted value in patients with asthma. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that membrane-bound TGF-beta1 is a potential candidate for predicting the severity of asthma, and may contribute to the sustained remission of asthma. Strategies targeting Tregs on their surface markers, especially TGF-beta1, are promising for future therapy of asthma.
Spasm provocative test in troponin-positive patients with acute chest pain and no significant coronary artery disease.

We read with great interest the article by Baccouche et al. 1 In line with previous studies,2,3 the authors confirm that in the absence of significant coronary artery disease, myocarditis is the most frequent diagnosis of troponin-positive patients with acute chest pain. However, coronary artery spasm is also …
Interleukin-5 Is Essential for Vaccine-Mediated Immunity but Not Innate Resistance to a Filarial Parasite

ABSTRACT The study of protective immune mechanisms effective against filarial nematodes has been hampered by the inability of these important human pathogens to infect laboratory mice. Recently,Litomosoides sigmodontis, a natural parasite of rats, has been developed as a valuable model for the study of filarial infection. BALB/c mice are fully susceptible to infection with L. sigmodontis third-stage larvae and develop patent infection. In contrast, mice on the C57BL background are resistant, and parasites undergo only a single molt and do not mature to adulthood. We used interleukin-5 (IL-5)-deficient mice on the C57BL/6 background to address the role of IL-5 and eosinophils in the innate resistance of C57BL/6 mice. We found no differences in parasite survival between IL-5-deficient and C57BL/6 mice. However, when these mice were used for the analysis of vaccine-mediated immunity, a critical role for IL-5 was elucidated. Mice genetically deficient in IL-5 were unable to generate a protective immune response when vaccinated with irradiated larvae, whereas C57BL/6 mice were fully protected from challenge infection. These studies help to clarify the highly controversial role of eosinophils in filarial infection.
Older Lesbians and Bereavement: Experiencing the Loss of a Partner

There is very little research focused on older bereaved lesbians. This study is a response to the lack of knowledge about the issues for older lesbians who lose a partner. We examined bereavement issues for 55 older lesbians. The study asked participants to describe their concerns and experiences after losing a partner. Qualitative analysis identified several themes that ran throughout, including disenfranchised grief, the loneliness of isolation, and the frustration of relentless battles. These findings indicate the need for social workers to educate themselves and others about the particular needs facing this vulnerable group of older women.
Parameter Estimation and Performance of the$p$-Chart for Attributes Data

Effects of parameter estimation are examined for the well-known p-chart for the fraction nonconforming based on attributes (binary) data. The exact run-length distribution of the chart is obtained for Phase II applications, when the fraction of nonconforming items, p, is unknown, by conditioning on the observed number of nonconformities in a set of reference data (from Phase I) used to estimate p. Numerical illustrations show that the actual performance of the chart can be substantially different from what one would nominally expect, in terms of the false alarm rate and/or the in-control average run-length. Moreover, the performance of the p-chart can be highly degraded in that an exceedingly large number of false alarms are observed, particularly when p is estimated, unless the number of reference observations is substantially large, much larger than what might be commonly used in practice. These results are useful in the study of the reliability of products or systems that involve binary data
Substrate specificity of avian influenza H5N1 neuraminidase.

AIM To characterise neuraminidase (NA) substrate specificity of avian influenza H5N1 strains from humans and birds comparing to seasonal influenza virus. METHODS Avian influenza H5N1 strains from humans and birds were recruited for characterising their NA substrate specificity by using a modified commercial fluorescence Amplex Red assay. This method can identify the preference of α2,6-linked sialic acid or α2,3-linked sialic acid. Moreover, to avoid the bias of input virus, reverse genetic virus using NA gene from human isolated H5N1 were generated and used to compare with the seasonal influenza virus. Lastly, the substrate specificity profile was further confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the enzymatic product. RESULTS The H5N1 NA showed higher activity on α2,3-linked sialic acid than α2,6-linked (P < 0.0001). To compare the NA activity between the H5N1 and seasonal influenza viruses, reverse genetic viruses carrying the NA of H5N1 viruses and NA from a seasonal H3N2 virus was generated. In these reverse genetic viruses, the NA activity of the H5N1 showed markedly higher activity against α2,3-linked sialic acid than that of the H3N2 virus, whereas the activities on α2,6-linkage were comparable. Interestingly, NA from an H5N1 human isolate that was previously shown to have heamagglutinin (HA) with dual specificity showed reduced activity on α2,3-linkage. To confirm the substrate specificity profile, HPLC analytic of enzymatic product was performed. Similar to Amplex red assay, H5N1 virus showed abundant preference on α2,3-linked sialic acid. CONCLUSION H5N1 virus maintains the avian specific NA and NA changes may be needed to accompany changes in HA receptor preference for the viral adaptation to humans.
Craniofacial Morphologic Parameters in a Persian Population: An Anthropometric Study

Abstract Limited data are available regarding the reference ranges of facial proportions of the Persian population in Iran. This study aimed to establish the reference range of craniofacial anthropometric measurements in an adult Iranian population. On 100 individuals (men = women), aged 18 to 30 years with normal faces and occlusions, 34 linear and 7 angular measurements as well as 24 indices were calculated. The difference of measurements between men and women were evaluated by paired t-test. The data were compared with the norms of North American whites using 1-sample t-test. The subjects belonged to 5 ethnic groups (57% from Fars, 14% from Kord, 11% from Azari, 10% from Gilaki-Mazani, and 2% from Lor). All head measurements were greater in men except for the head index and the head height. The subjects had leptoprosopic faces. The intercanthal width was almost one third of the biocular width and greater than the eye fissure length. Although the nose width of women was significantly smaller, both sexes had leptorrhine noses. The chin height and lower chin height were greater in men. In comparison with North American whites, considerable differences were found regarding head height and width, biocular width, nose height, face height, mouth width, and upper chin height. In conclusion, the reference range of craniofacial anthropometric measurements established for the Iranian population might be efficiently used for esthetic treatments.
In vivo characterization of locally applied dopamine uptake inhibitors by striatal microdialysis

In vivo brain microdialysis was used to characterize the effects of some dopamine uptake inhibitors on the extracellular concentrations of dopamine (DA) and its metabolitesdihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the striata of awake, freely moving rats. d‐Amphetamine, GBR 12909, cocaine, nomifensine, methylphenidate, bupropion, and benztropine were administered directly to the striatum via the perfusion fluid in increasing concentrations (1–1,000 μM). All drugs increased extracellular DA in a dose‐dependent manner; however, only d‐amphetamine produced dose‐dependent decreases in DOPAC and HVAconcentrations. The shapes of the dose‐reponse functions differed considerably between the drugs. At 100 and 1000 μM d‐amphetamine had biphasic effects (an increase followed by a decrease) on dialysate DA concentration. GBR 12909, methylphenidate, and benztropine also had biphasic effects when applied at the 1,000 μM concentration. In contrast, cocaine, nomifensine, and bupropion produced relatively monophasic increases in extracellular DA. Tetrodotoxin (TTX), which prevents action potentials by blocking voltage‐dependent Na+ channels, did not prevent d‐amphetamine induced increases in extracellular DA, but blocked completely the effects of cocaine, nomifensine, bupropion, and methylphenidate. While low doses (10 μM) of GBR 12909 and benztropine were highly sensitive to TTX, the toxin was only partially effective against higher doses of the compounds. The rank order of potency of the drugs as determined by the increases in extracellular DA produced by 10 or 100 μM (following correction for dialysis efficiency of the test compounds in vitro) was GBR 12909< benztropine< amphetamine= nomifensine= methylphenidate< cocaine< bupropion. The in vivo characterization of changes in extracellular DA following direct, local application of DA uptake inhibitors can be used to provide useful information aboout the mechanisms of action and potency of these compounds.
Pore‐Throat Combination Types and Gas‐Water Relative Permeability Responses of Tight Gas Sandstone Reservoirs in the Zizhou Area of East Ordos Basin, China

With the aim of better understanding the tight gas reservoirs in the Zizhou area of east Ordos Basin, a total of 222 samples were collected from 50 wells for a series of experiments. In this study, three pore‐throat combination types in sandstones were revealed and confirmed to play a controlling role in the distribution of throat size and the characteristics of gas‐water relative permeability. The type‐I sandstones are dominated by intercrystalline micropores connected by cluster throats, of which the distribution curves of throat size are narrow and have a strong single peak (peak ratio >30%). The pores in the type‐II sandstones dominantly consist of secondary dissolution pores and intercrystalline micropores, and throats mainly occur as slice‐shaped throats along cleavages between rigid grain margins and cluster throats in clay cement. The distribution curves of throat size for the type‐II sandstones show a bimodal distribution with a substantial low‐value region between the peaks (peak ratio <15%). Primary intergranular pores and secondary intergranular pores are mainly found in type‐III samples, which are connected by various throats. The throat size distribution curves of type‐III sandstones show a nearly normal distribution with low kurtosis (peak ratio <10%), and the micro‐scale throat radii (>0.5 (μm) constitute a large proportion. From type‐I to type‐III sandstones, the irreducible water saturation (Swo) decreased; furthermore, the slope of the curves of Krw/Krg in two‐phase saturation zone decreased and the two‐phase saturation zone increased, indicating that the gas relative flow ability increased. Variations of the permeability exist in sandstones with different pore‐throat combination types, which indicate the type‐III sandstones are better reservoirs, followed by type‐II sandstones and type‐I sandstones. As an important factor affecting the reservoir quality, the pore‐throat combination type in sandstones is the cumulative expression of lithology and diagenetic modifications with strong heterogeneity.
References to personal experiences and scientific evidence during medical multi-disciplinary team meetings

We present a field study of medical multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDTMs) where decisions are made concerning the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from diseases in the upper abdomen. The study shows how evidence is referred to during weekly team meetings; this evidence is related both to scientific studies and to personal experiences of similar cases. We focus on the conversations during the meetings, on the complicated nature of the cases and on the details in the discussions that led the meeting participants to refer to scientific evidence or previous cases. We identify possibilities for improving the use of already documented information from medical records, in order to identify clinically relevant similarities and to bring additional information into the treatment discussion.
The efficacy of milnacipran in panic disorder: an open trial

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of milnacipran in the acute treatment of patients with panic disorder. Thirty-one patients who met Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-IV criteria for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia were included in the study. Patients were initially treated with milnacipran 25 mg twice daily and then 50 mg twice daily until the 10th week. The treatment outcome and panic disorder severity were determined by the Panic Disorder Severity Scale, Panic Inventory, Clinical Global Impression and Hamilton Anxiety Scale, all of which were applied during every evaluation interview. Quality of life (WHOQOL-bref) was evaluated at baseline and at the end of the study. Missing data were handled by using the last observation carried forward for all participants who had taken at least one dose of study medication. Intention-to-treat was used in the analyses. Pharmacological treatment resulted in a clinically and statistically significant mean reduction in all severity measures. Remission (Clinical Global Impression≤2) was obtained in 58.1% of the sample. Regarding WHOQOL, we found a significant improvement (P<0.05) across treatment in all the domains studied. Although results may be influenced by the open design of this pilot study and by the small sample size, our findings suggest that milnacipran may be effective for the treatment of panic disorder and justify further research.
Flying capacitor multicell converter based DVR with energy minimized compensation strategy

One of the major power quality problems in distribution systems are voltage sags. This paper deals with a dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) as one of the different solutions to compensate these sags and protect sensitive loads. However, the quality of DVR output voltage, such as THD, is important. This paper present a new configuration of DVR based on flying capacitor multicell (FCM) converter. The main properties of FCM converter, which causes increase in the number of output voltage levels, are transformer-less operation and natural self-balancing of flying capacitors voltages. To avoid any exchange of active power in compensation process, the proposed DVR is controlled by energy minimized compensation strategy which is explained in details for general unbalanced voltage sags. Also, the proposed voltage sag detection method as well as proposed DVR reference voltage determination method based on synchronous reference frame (SRF) is adopted as the control system. The proposed DVR is simulated using PSCAD/EMTDC software and simulation results are presented to validate its effectiveness.
Effects of Recruiting Maneuvers in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Ventilated with Protective Ventilatory Strategy

Background A lung-protective ventilatory strategy with low tidal volume (VT) has been proposed for use in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Alveolar derecruitment may occur during the use of a lung-protective ventilatory strategy and may be prevented by recruiting maneuvers. This study examined the hypothesis that the effectiveness of a recruiting maneuver to improve oxygenation in patients with ARDS would be influenced by the elastic properties of the lung and chest wall. Methods Twenty-two patients with ARDS were studied during use of the ARDSNet lung-protective ventilatory strategy: VT was set at 6 ml/kg predicted body weight and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and inspiratory oxygen fraction (Fio2) were set to obtain an arterial oxygen saturation of 90–95% and/or an arterial oxygen partial pressure (Pao2) of 60– 80 mmHg (baseline). Measurements of Pao2/Fio2, static volume–pressure curve, recruited volume (vertical shift of the volume-pressure curve), and chest wall and lung elastance (EstW and EstL: esophageal pressure) were obtained on zero end-expiratory pressure, at baseline, and at 2 and 20 min after application of a recruiting maneuver (40 cm H2O of continuous positive airway pressure for 40 s). Cardiac output (transesophageal Doppler) and mean arterial pressure were measured immediately before, during, and immediately after the recruiting maneuver. Patients were classified a priori as responders and nonresponders on the basis of the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a 50% increase in Pao2/Fio2 after the recruiting maneuver. Results Recruiting maneuvers increased Pao2/Fio2 by 20 ± 3% in nonresponders (n = 11) and by 175 ± 23% (n = 11; mean ± standard deviation) in responders. On zero end-expiratory pressure, EstL (28.4 ± 2.2 vs. 24.2 ± 2.9 cm H2O/l) and EstW (10.4 ± 1.8 vs. 5.6 ± 0.8 cm H2O/l) were higher in nonresponders than in responders (P < 0.01). Nonresponders had been ventilated for a longer period of time than responders (7 ± 1 vs. 1 ± 0.3 days;P < 0.001). Cardiac output and mean arterial pressure decreased by 31 ± 2 and 19 ± 3% in nonresponders and by 2 ± 1 and 2 ± 1% in responders (P < 0.01). Conclusions Application of recruiting maneuvers improves oxygenation only in patients with early ARDS who do not have impairment of chest wall mechanics and with a large potential for recruitment, as indicated by low values of EstL.
State Nursing Shortages and Patient Satisfaction: More RNs—Better Patient Experiences

This study of 827,430 patients, 733 hospitals, and 25 states compares state performance in patient satisfaction with the supply of registered nurses. A significant, positive relationship exists between a state's supply of registered nurses and patients' evaluations of their care experiences. Hospitals in states with nursing shortages may be challenged by national comparisons of patient satisfaction and should take these results into account when devising their quality improvement strategy.
Species Identification and Strain Differentiation of Dermatophyte Fungi by Analysis of Ribosomal-DNA Intergenic Spacer Regions

ABSTRACT Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) identified in the ribosomal-DNA (rDNA) repeat were used for molecular strain differentiation of the dermatophyte fungus Trichophyton rubrum. The polymorphisms were detected by hybridization ofEcoRI-digested T. rubrum genomic DNAs with a probe amplified from the small-subunit (18S) rDNA and adjacent internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. The rDNA RFLPs mapped to the nontranscribed spacer (NTS) region of the rDNA repeat and appeared similar to those caused by short repetitive sequences in the intergenic spacers of other fungi. Fourteen individual RFLP patterns (DNA types A to N) were recognized among 50 random clinical isolates ofT. rubrum. A majority of strains (19 of 50 [38%]) were characterized by one RFLP pattern (DNA type A), and four types (DNA types A to D) accounted for 78% (39 of 50) of all strains. The remaining types (DNA types E to N) were represented by one or two isolates only. A rapid and simple method was also developed for molecular species identification of dermatophyte fungi. The contiguous ITS and 5.8S rDNA regions were amplified from 17 common dermatophyte species by using the universal primers ITS 1 and ITS 4. Digestion of the amplified ITS products with the restriction endonucleaseMvaI produced unique and easily identifiable fragment patterns for a majority of species. However, some closely related taxon pairs, such as T. rubrum-T. soudanense andT. quinkeanum-T. schoenlenii could not be distinguished. We conclude that RFLP analysis of the NTS and ITS intergenic regions of the rDNA repeat is a valuable technique both for molecular strain differentiation of T. rubrum and for species identification of common dermatophyte fungi.