Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rosiglitazone increases small dense low-density lipoprotein concentration and decreases high-density lipoprotein particle size in HIV-infected patients

After 12 weeks of rosiglitazone treatment, significant increases in total and small dense low-density lipoprotein, and the total: high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol ratio were found. The large HDL concentration and HDL particle size decreased significantly with rosiglitazone compared with placebo. These data indicate the production of a more atherogenic lipid profile with rosiglitazone, a consideration when selecting treatment for the growing population of HIV-infected patients with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia.
3D Models' retrieval system design based on Poisson's histogram of 2D selective views

In this paper, we provide an effective new 3D models' retrieval system based on Poisson equation. Usually, 3D models have considered in two major kinds: directly in 3D space and indirectly by a set of 2D views that extracted from that model. Compared with the obtained results of different kind of these kinds of methods, we try to design our 3D models' retrieval system on special 2D views that select by using Kmeans clustering method that uses a set of geometric features of each silhouette to result the most discriminating views. This will be great helpful to improve any 3D model retrieval system performance. After finding the best views of each 3D model, we will use the Poisson equation to define 2D views' shape signature that used in a retrieval system in histogram form. We use the 3D shapes of McGill database to verify the performance of our proposed 3D models' retrieval. The simulation results show that proposed method is better performance rather than some existing 2D view and histogram based shape descriptors in retrieving correctness.
IncI2 plasmids specify sensitivity to filamentous bacteriophage IKe

Bacterial strains carrying the derepressed incompatibility group IncI2 plasmids TP114drp-l or R721pilc were lysed by the filamentous bacteriophages IKe, I2-2, and X. Phage I2-2 was serologically related to IKe, but phage X was not. Phage IKe adsorbed to the tips of thick pili determined by the IncI2 plasmids, but not to the well-known thin I2 pili.
Long-term influences of a biopsychosocial rehabilitation programme for chronic pain patients.

OBJECTIVE Chronic pain leads to high costs in the form of compensation for absence from work due to illness, production loss and health care utilization. Multidisciplinary treatment programmes at pain clinics can result in return to work and a decrease in doctor visits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term influences of a rehabilitation programme in primary health care for chronic pain patients with regard to doctor visits, frequency of sick-leave and level of disability. DESIGN A longitudinal, intervention study design was used over a three-year period. METHODS A biopsychosocial rehabilitation programme based on ego-strengthening psychotherapy was used. An occupational therapist and a physiotherapist led the intervention, which comprised two meetings per week for six weeks. The study was performed in a primary health care area in the southwest of Sweden with 54 chronic pain patients. RESULTS The results showed a significant decrease in the number of doctor visits as well as sick-leave days. The level of absenteeism due to occupational disability changed significantly from being on sick leave to receiving a disability pension. CONCLUSIONS The rehabilitation programme reduced patient attendance at health care facilities but did not increase the numbers of patients returning to work.
Biological Demalication and Deacetification of Musts and Wines: Can Wine Yeasts Make the Wine Taste Better?

Grape musts sometimes reveal excess acidity. An excessive amount of organic acids negatively affect wine yeasts and yeast fermentation, and the obtained wines are characterized by an inappropriate balance between sweetness, acidity or sourness, and flavor/aroma components. An appropriate acidity, pleasant to the palate is more difficult to achieve in wines that have high acidity due to an excess of malic acid, because the Saccharomyces species in general, cannot effectively degrade malic acid during alcoholic fermentation. One approach to solving this problem is biological deacidification by lactic acid bacteria or non-Saccharomyces yeasts, like Schizosaccharomyces pombe that show the ability to degrade L-malic acid. Excessive volatile acidity in wine is also a problem in the wine industry. The use of free or immobilized Saccharomyces cells has been studied to solve both these problems since these yeasts are wine yeasts that show a good balance between taste/flavor and aromatic compounds during alcoholic fermentation. The aim of this review is to give some insights into the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains to perform biological demalication (malic acid degradation) and deacetification (reduction of volatile acidity) of wine in an attempt to better understand their biochemistry and enological features.
Body Mass Index and Army Physical Fitness Test Standards in ROTC Cadets

The United States Army administers fitness tests and collects height and weight data for soldiers and cadets in order to determine a measure of physical readiness. This study examined individual test results from the U.S. Army’s Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and respective Body Mass Index (BMI) to see if any association existed in male ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps.) cadets. If a correlation was found between BMI and PFT scores, then leaders could more accurately predict how an individual would perform on an upcoming fitness evaluation. 145 male (age 17-31) ROTC college students’ PFT scores and BMI measurements were analyzed via a Pearson Correlation Coefficient to determine if a meaningful correlation existed between them. Raw and point adjusted (percentiles) scores were evaluated. There was no meaningful relationship found between BMI and an individual’s respective scores on push-ups, sit-ups, or two mile run times. BMI is not an accurate predictor of Army PFT scores for male cadets in the age range of 17-31. Further studies are required to determine if an association exists between an individual’s PFT scores and other anthropometric measurements as well as applicability to both genders and other age groups. KeywordsBody Mass Index; ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps.); PFT (Physical Fitness Test).
Context-sensitive sharedness criteria for teamwork

Teamwork between humans and intelligent systems gains importance with the maturing of agent and robot technology. In the social sciences, sharedness of mental models is used to explain and understand teamwork. To use this concept for developing teams that include agents, we propose context-sensitive sharedness criteria. These criteria specify how much, what, and among whom knowledge in a team should be shared.
Trauma laparotomy in a rural setting before transfer to a regional center: does it save lives?

BACKGROUND In the rural setting, long distances may necessitate that a patient undergo emergency laparotomy before transfer to a regional trauma center for definitive management. The purpose of this study was to review the experience of three regional trauma centers with such treated patients. METHODS This study was a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent emergency laparotomy for trauma before transfer, identified from the respective databases of participating centers over a 6-year period. RESULTS Fifty-six patients met the study criteria. Twenty-six (46%) were transferred primarily for management of the abdominal injury, and 14 of these patients (25% overall) underwent damage control procedures. Overall survival was 82%. Logistic regression demonstrated that transfer for treatment of the extra-abdominal injury was the only significant predictor of survival (odds ratio, 34.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.80-655.24). CONCLUSION Although patients undergoing laparotomy who were subsequently transferred for management of abdominal injury have reasonable outcome, patients transferred primarily for management of extra-abdominal injury seem to have a survival advantage.
Unilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy: Its Effects on Memory and its Therapeutic Efficacy

It is by now widely recognized that patients undergoing a course of electroconvulsive therapy (E.C.T.) may frequently be troubled by some form of memory disturbance. Despite some thirty years of research and speculation on this subject, we are still a long way from understanding the precise nature of these disturbances or their physiological basis. Opinions vary as to their severity and duration and even as to the possible role they may play in the therapeutic process itself. It is, however, generally agreed that a very considerable number of patients complain of memory disturbance during or after a course of E.C. T. , and that this may constitute a source of anxiety and distress, if not of practical inconvenience. Treatment is occasionally refused or discontinued on these grounds, and some psychiatrists are reluctant to prescribe E.C. T. in cases where a patient's work might be handicapped by memory impairment. Some degree of disturbance is, however, usually accepted as a calculated risk when prescribing this treatment.
Severe pneumonia in intensive care: cause, diagnosis, treatment and management: a review of the literature.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Severe pneumonia is a common disease that intensive care physicians have to face. The review highlights recent findings about microbiology, diagnosis and treatment, including the management of critically ill patients with severe respiratory failure. RECENT FINDINGS Epidemiological and clinical risk factors strongly influence microbiological cause in patients with severe pneumonia. In addition to typical respiratory pathogens, less common microrganisms and multidrug-resistant (MDR) germs may cause severe lung infections. New molecular diagnostic techniques appear promising for early detection of microbes involved in severe pneumonia. Antimicrobials remain the mainstay of causative severe pneumonia treatment and the optimization of antibiotic therapy may be obtained by applying their pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic properties. Several new strategies have been implemented for the management of acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to severe pneumonia; however, their extensive clinical application is limited by the need for well trained physicians and adequate hospital centers. SUMMARY Despite advancements in antibiotic and life-supportive treatments, severe pneumonia remains a leading cause of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death. Prompt and appropriate antimicrobial therapy is essential. The use of new nonconventional strategies for ARF management might be effective in more severe patients.
Psychiatric service within primary care

ABSTRACT: The organization of a psychiatric specialist service integrated in primary care is described. One of the aims was to replace admissions to the mental hospital with consultation and treatment within primary care. An 18% reduction of admissions was achieved over a 2‐year period. The staff at the local mental hospital to a large extent controlled the number of admissions. Lack of cooperation from part of the staff made a greater reduction of admissions difficult. It is argued that in order to achieve a true shift from institutional to community psychiatry, the use of the hospital beds should be monitored from the community level.
Kir4.1 and AQP4 associate with Dp71‐ and utrophin‐DAPs complexes in specific and defined microdomains of Müller retinal glial cell membrane

The dystrophin‐associated proteins (DAPs) complex consisting of dystroglycan, syntrophin, dystrobrevin, and sarcoglycans in muscle cells is associated either with dystrophin or its homolog utrophin. In rat retina, a similar complex was found associated with dystrophin‐Dp71 that serves as an anchor for the inwardly rectifying potassium channel Kir4.1 and the aqueous pore, aquaporin‐4 (AQP4). Here, using immunofluorescence imaging of isolated retinal Müller glial cells and co‐immunoprecipitation experiments performed on an enriched Müller glial cells end‐feet fraction, we investigated the effect of Dp71 deletion on the composition, anchoring, and membrane localization of the DAPs–Kir4.1 and/or –AQP4 complex. Two distinct complexes were identified in the end‐feet fraction associated either with Dp71 or with utrophin. Upon Dp71 deletion, the corresponding DAPs complex was disrupted and a compensating utrophin upregulation was observed, accompanied by diffuse overall staining of Kir4.1 along the Müller glial cells and redistribution of the K+ conductance. Dp71 deficiency was also associated with a marked reduction of AQP4 and β‐dystroglycan expression. Furthermore, it was observed that the Dp71–DAPs dependent complex could be, at least partially, associated with a specific membrane fraction. These results demonstrate that Dp71 has a central role in the molecular scaffold responsible for anchoring AQP4 and Kir4.1 in Müller cell end‐feet membranes. They also show that despite its close relationship to the dystrophin proteins and its correlated upregulation, utrophin is only partially compensating for the absence of Dp71 in Müller glial cells. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Do small (6.6 Fr.) active and passive fixation defibrillation leads perform as well as larger sized leads? A multi-centre analysis.

AIMS The 6.6 Fr. Sprint Fidelis lead family may allow multiple lead implantation procedures with reduced risk of venous obstruction. METHODS AND RESULTS Two prospective, historically controlled, multi-centre studies were conducted in Europe (80 patients) and Canada (79 patients). The purpose was to assess the ventricular lead-related adverse events (LRAEs) and performance of the small Models 6948 and 6949 defibrillation leads, respectively, in patients with a standard indication for an ICD implant. Safety was assessed by demonstrating equivalence of the LRAE free rate at 1 month to comparable but larger leads (Models 6942, 6943, 6944, 6947and 4074). Seventy-five of 80 patients with a 6948 lead (93.8%) remained free of LRAEs. Seventy-four out of 79 patients (93.7%) with the 6949 lead remained free of LRAEs. The 95% lower confidence bounds were above the critical difference limits. Thus, safety of the Sprint Fidelis((R)) leads is similar to that of larger leads. Electrical performance through 1-month follow-up proved to be acceptable in comparison with other established leads. CONCLUSION These multi-centre studies confirm that smaller defibrillation leads offer similar safety and efficacy features to widely used larger leads; they have low LRAE rates and defibrillation thresholds, while providing the advantage of a smaller introducer size and reduced venous obstruction.
Externalizing Problem Behavior in Adolescence: Parenting Interacting With DAT1 and DRD4 Genes

&NA; This study extends previous gene‐by‐environment (G × E) research through design and methodological advances and examines alternative hypotheses of diathesis stress, vantage sensitivity, and differential susceptibility. In a sample of 984 adolescents and their parents, we examined whether effects of parental support, proactive, punitive, harsh punitive, and psychological control on externalizing problem behavior are moderated by adolescents' genotype for the dopamine transporter (DAT1) or receptor D4 (DRD4) gene. Results provided evidence for main effects of parenting behavior and DRD4, and multiple interaction effects of which one survived Bonferroni correction. Adolescents carrying a long DRD4 variant were more susceptible to the effects of parental proactive control on aggression, for better and for worse. Critical considerations were made regarding the complexity of G × E research.
Risk factors for pneumonia among children in a Brazilian metropolitan area.

OBJECTIVE To investigate risk factors for pneumonia for infants < 2 years of age. DESIGN Hospital-based, case-control study with neighborhood control subjects. SETTING Urban area in southern Brazil. SUBJECTS Five hundred ten infants with radiologically confirmed pneumonia who were admitted to a pediatric hospital. One age-matched neighborhood control subject was selected for each case. RESULTS Multiple conditional regression modeling was used to control for confounding, taking into account the hierarchical relationships between risk factors. The incidence of radiologically confirmed pneumonia was associated with low paternal education, the number of persons in the household, young maternal age, attendance at day-care centers, low birth weight and weight-for-age, lack of breast-feeding and of non-milk supplements, and a history of previous pneumonia or wheezing. Day-care center attendance showed the highest risk, with an adjusted odds ratio of 11.75. CONCLUSIONS In addition to continued efforts toward appropriate case management, actions directed against the above risk factors may help prevent the major cause of deaths of children younger than 5 years.
Intracellular signaling pathways control mitochondrial events associated with the development of ischemia/ reperfusion‐associated damage

Ischemia (I) and reperfusion (R) trigger a series of events, which culminate in severe injury to the transplanted organ. Cell death resulting from the formation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) coupled with the perturbation of mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis is central to the development of IR‐associated tissue damage. We and others have shown recently that intracellular signaling pathways critically control these mitochondrial changes, making them potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Using a heterotopic murine heart transplant model as well as primary and immortalized cardiomyocyte cells we established the activity patterns of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) ERK, JNK, and p38 during IR, and probed into their role in the perturbation of mitochondrial ROS and Ca2+ homeostasis, which are necessary for cardiomyocyte death. Our results showed a strong activation of all three MAPKs as well as a rise in mitochondrial ROS and Ca2+ during early reoxygenation. Inhibiting p38 kinase most efficiently prevented ROS production, Ca2+ overload and cell death, suggesting that targeting this signaling molecule may provide a possible strategy to limit the effects of IR.
Do Long-Term Interest Rates Overreact to Short-Term Interest Rates?

This paper examines the hypothesis that financial markets are myopic by studying the term structure of interest rates. White rejecting decisively the traditional expectations hypothesis regarding the term structure, our statistical results also lead us to conclude that long term interest rates do not overreact to either the level or the change in short termrates. This finding suggests that participants in bond markets are not myopic or overly sensitive to recent events. Our statistical results also suggest that most variations in the yield curve reflect changes in liquidity premia rather than expected changes in interest rates.
Cardiac biomarkers in a model of acute catecholamine cardiotoxicity

Coronary heart disease and in particular its most serious form — acute myocardial infarction (AMI) — represents the most common cause of mortality in developed countries. Better prognosis may be achieved by understanding the etiopathogenetic mechanisms of AMI. Therefore, a catecholamine model of myocardial injury, which has appeared to be very similar to AMI in human in some aspect, was used. Male Wistar:Han rats were randomly divided into two groups: control group (saline) and isoprenaline group (ISO; synthetic catecholamine, 100 mg.kg— 1 subcutaneously [s.c.]). After 24 hours, functional parameters were measured, biochemical markers in the blood and metals content in the heart tissue were analysed and histological examination was performed. ISO caused marked myocardial injury that was associated with myocardial calcium overload. Close correlation between myocardial impairment (i.e. serum TnT, stroke volume index and wet ventricles weight) and the levels of myocardial calcium was observed. Direct reactive oxygen species (ROS) involvement was documented only by non-significant increase in malonyldialdehyde 24 hours after ISO injury. Moreover, myocardial element analysis revealed no significant changes as for the content of zinc and iron while selenium and copper increased in the ISO group although it reached statistical significance only for the latter.
Adolescents' pain coping profiles: expectations for treatment, functional outcomes and adherence to psychological treatment recommendations.

OBJECTIVES To explore how adolescents' pain coping profiles relate to their expectations regarding psychological treatment recommendations, and to examine patients' functioning and engagement in psychological treatment three months following a multidisciplinary pain clinic evaluation. METHODS Adolescents and their parents completed measures of pain coping strategies, treatment expectations, pain ratings, somatic symptoms, school absences and functional disability. Parents also reported whether patients followed through with psychological treatment recommendations. RESULTS Adaptive copers and their parents were more likely to expect psychological treatments to be helpful; however, at follow-up, there were no significant group differences in patients' participation in psychological treatment. Patients in both groups experienced significantly lower levels of somatic symptoms and functional disability, and had fewer school absences from the initial evaluation to the follow-up. DISCUSSION The results of the present study identify preliminary clinical implications for the way in which practitioners in multidisciplinary pain clinics present recommendations for psychological treatment to patients and their families.
Dual- and Multiband Chiral Metamaterial Structures With Strong Optical Activity and Negative Refraction Index

A novel dual-band chiral metamaterial based on the conjugated gammadions structure is proposed. Simulation and experimental results, which are in a very good agreement, indicate that the proposed structure exhibits giant optical activity and a negative refractive index for right and left circularly polarized waves due to its strong chirality in two near frequency bands. The results show that the effective frequency bands of this structure are independent and can be simply adjusted using the presented design curves. Furthermore, our studies prove that generalization for the multiband chiral metamaterials is possible.
Prevention of Bacterial Diarrhea by Pasteurization of Drinking Water in Kenya

Diarrheal disease is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Drinking water is a primary transmission route of infectious diarrheagenic bacteria in a rural area of Kenya (Microbiol. Immunol. 41: 773–778, 1997). We tried to prevent diarrhea at villages with approximately 1,500 households in Kenya by pasteurizing drinking water. A durable simple thermoindicator which changes color at 70 C was used as an indicator of pasteurization. The number of households in which drinking water was coliform bacteria‐free increased from 10.7% to 43.1% after adoption of a pasteurization practice. Consequently, the incidence of severe diarrhea among people drinking pasteurized water was significantly lower than in people taking raw water (odds ratio = 0.55, P = 0.0016). The reduction ratio of the incidence after pasteurization was nearly equivalent with that after the adoption of a boiling method. Employment of women leaders as fieldworkers and demonstration of bacterial colony disappearance on agar plates by pasteurization also affected reduction of the diarrheal incidence.