Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Congenital and neonatal varicella: impact of the national varicella vaccination programme in Australia

Objective Routine varicella zoster vaccination for children aged 18 months began in Australia from November 2005. The aim of this study was to compare the current incidence and outcomes of congenital and neonatal varicella in Australia with similarly collected data from 1995 to 1997. Methods Active national prospective surveillance was carried out for congenital and neonatal varicella using the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) for 3.5 years from June 2006. Around 1300 clinicians reported monthly according to predefined case criteria. Results During the study period the mean monthly return rate of APSU report cards was 93.7%. Two cases of congenital varicella (0.19 per 100 000 live births per annum) and 16 cases of neonatal varicella (2.0 per 100 000 live births per annum) were identified. During 2008 and 2009 no cases of congenital varicella were reported; neonatal varicella rates declined to 0.7 per 100 000 live births per annum, a significant trend (p=0.005) and a reduction of over 85% compared with rates during 1995–1997 (the prevaccination era) and the first year of the current surveillance study. Eleven of 16 neonatal cases followed prenatal maternal infection; seven of the 11 infections were acquired from children, four of whom were living in the same household. Ten (62.5%) infants with neonatal varicella were admitted to hospital, one of whom developed varicella pneumonitis requiring ventilatory support, but none died. Only one infecting contact had been vaccinated. Conclusions There has been an apparent reduction of congenital varicella and a significant reduction of neonatal varicella in Australia following the introduction of universal varicella vaccination in 2005.
Delayed kinetics of oxygen uptake during recovery after exercise in cardiac patients.

PURPOSE Little is known about cardiovascular responses during recovery from exercise in patients with cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the time constants of the kinetics of oxygen uptake and heart rate during recovery from exercise and to evaluate the influence of resting cardiac function on these kinetics in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. METHODS A moderate exercise test was performed by 40 patients (57+/-10 yr old) with prior myocardial infarction at a constant work rate (40+/-8 W) for 6 min on a cycle ergometer. The time constants of oxygen uptake and heart rate during 6 min of recovery were compared in patients whose left ventricular ejection fractions were > or =35% (group 1, N = 20) and those with ejection fractions <35% (group 2, N = 20). RESULTS The time constant of the decrease in oxygen uptake during exercise recovery was significantly prolonged (oxygen requirement was increased) in group 2 compared with group 1. Heart rate during recovery was consistently higher, and its time constant was prolonged in group 2 compared with group 1. The time constant of oxygen uptake was positively correlated with the time constant of heart rate. CONCLUSION The recovery of oxygen uptake after exercise was significantly delayed, associated with delayed recovery of heart rate, in patients with severely impaired left ventricular function.
Added value of the gray‐scale whirlpool sign in the diagnosis of adnexal torsion

Adnexal torsion is a common gynecologic emergency affecting females of all ages. Expedient diagnosis and treatment are important, particularly in young fertile patients to preserve ovarian viability. Classical parameters for the clinical and sonographic diagnosis of adnexal torsion have very high false‐positive rates, approaching 50%. The sonographic ‘whirlpool’ sign has been shown to be effective for visualizing the torsed part in the prenatal diagnosis of malrotation of the midgut with volvulus, as well as scrotal and ovarian torsion. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the whirlpool sign in the diagnosis of torsion, as compared to a protocol based on ‘classic’ sonographic signs of torsion alone.
Two mechanisms of inhibition of human lymphocyte proliferation by soluble yeast mannan polysaccharide

The literature on chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis contains multiple reports which suggest that loss of cell-mediated immunity in this disease may be related in part to the presence of an inhibitory factor(s) present in patient plasma. One such inhibitory factor has been suggested to be mannan polysaccharide released from the cell wall of the pathogen. The present report describes results of experiments to consider mechanisms by which yeast mannan influences proliferative responses of human lymphocytes. Mannan for these experiments was isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We observed that mannan-mediated inhibition of proliferative responses to a battery of stimuli (phytohemagglutinin, pokeweed mitogen, and Candida, mumps, streptococcus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus antigens) was related in part to an effect of copper associated with the mannan and possibly to the superoxide dismutase activity of the mannan-copper complex. Mannan made deficient in copper by use of a copper-chelating resin appeared to inhibit only lymphoproliferation stimulated by the Candida antigen. These results suggest that inhibitory effects of yeast mannans on lymphoproliferative responses may involve at least two mechanisms, one related to hydrogen peroxide production augmented by mannan-copper complexes and another related to still unknown effects independent of the metal ligand. We propose that our results represent a significant novel observation which may be useful in understanding mechanisms of immunoinhibitory effects of C. albicans mannan.
“Keeping on Track”: Firing of Hippocampal Neurons during Delayed-Nonmatch-to- Sample Performance

Hippocampal neurons that encode critical events during a delayed-nonmatch-to-sample (DNMS) task were proposed to have functional topography as demonstrated by Hampson et al. (1999b). Functional cell types (FCTs) that encode similar task features were located within alternating transverse segments along the hippocampal longitudinal axis. On this basis, Redish et al. (2001) suggested that firing of populations of CA1 neurons recorded from the same hippocampal locations in animals running on linear or curvilinear tracks should be spatially and temporally correlated; however, they failed to find such correlations. The current study addresses the issues raised by Redish et al. (2001). Initially we found that modeling of simulated place fields revealed absences in temporal correlations in the study by Redish et al. (2001) that should have been present given the reported spatial correlations. In addition, the correlation methods used by those investigators failed to detect robust but transient event-related cross-correlations between FCTs in the DNMS task. Furthermore, demonstration of such transient, short-latency correlated firing between similar CA3 and CA1 FCTs corroborated the anatomic scheme proposed by Hampson et al. (1999b) and reaffirmed the potential existence of a functional topography within hippocampus.
Oral health-related quality of life in non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate patients: a systematic review.

THE OBJECTIVE To evaluate oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in non-syndromic patients with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP), in comparison to a general non-cleft population. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN Systematic review. A literature search was conducted to identify papers reporting on OHRQoL in cleft samples. Only studies with suitable control groups were included. From each included paper were extracted the study and sample characteristics and results. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES OHRQoL score. RESULTS Three papers were chosen according to the preset inclusion and exclusion criteria. All used an OHRQoL generic patient-reported questionnaire with evidence of a development and validation process, with responses recorded on a five-point scale. The results could not be combined for the purposes of meta-analysis due to lack of standardisation. In 2 of the 3 studies, the OHRQoL was found to be significantly lower in the cleft than in the non-cleft samples (in patients 8-18 or 18-65 years of age). The third study, based on a relatively small sample size, could not detect significant differences between cleft and non-cleft individuals. CONCLUSIONS Based on the results of the few studies included in the present systematic review, non-syndromic patients with CLP tend to have a lower OHRQoL than a general non-cleft population. This seems to hold true both for children and adults.
How are we ‘doing’ cultural diversity? A look across English Canadian undergraduate medical school programmes

Background: Cultural diversity education is a required curriculum component at all accredited North American medical schools. Each medical school determines its own content and pedagogical approaches. Aim: This preliminary study maps the approaches to cultural diversity education in English Canadian medical schools. Methods: A review of 14 English Canadian medical school websites was undertaken to identify the theoretical approaches to cultural diversity education. A PubMed search was also completed to identify the recent literature on cultural diversity medical education in Canada. Data were analysed using 10 criteria that distinguish pedagogical approaches, curricular structure, course content and theoretical understandings of cultural diversity. Results: Based on the information posted on English Canadian medical school websites, all schools offer cultural diversity education although how each ‘does’ cultural diversity differs widely. Two medical schools have adopted the cultural competency model; five have adopted a critical cultural approach to diversity; and the remaining seven have incorporated some aspects of both approaches. Conclusions: More comprehensive research is needed to map the theoretical approaches to cultural diversity at Canadian medical schools and to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of these approaches on improving physician–patient relationships, reducing health disparities, improving health outcomes and producing positive learning outcomes in physicians.
Large clonal outbreak of multidrug-resistant CC17 ST17 Enterococcus faecium containing Tn5382 in a Spanish hospital.

OBJECTIVES A large clonal outbreak of multidrug-resistant CC17 ST17 Enterococcus faecium containing Tn5382 in a hospital in the north of Spain is described. METHODS We characterized vancomycin-resistant E. faecium isolates from 10 infected and 40 colonized inpatients from a single hospital by PFGE, multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Genes encoding antibiotic resistance (ampicillin, aminoglycosides, macrolides, quinupristin/dalfopristin, quinolones, tetracycline) and putative virulence traits were analysed. RESULTS All isolates showed highly similar PFGE profiles and were assigned to the type MT1 by MLVA and to ST17 (CC17) by MLST. The Tn5382 type identified in all isolates was linked to pbp5 and contained a 5 bp deletion and 10 point mutations within the intergenic vanS(B)-vanY(B) region. Other resistance genes identified were erm(B), mef(E), tet(M), ant(6')-Ia, aph(3')-IIIa and aac(6')-Ie-aph(2'')-Ia. All isolates carried the unexpressed tet(M) gene. The high level of ciprofloxacin resistance was attributable to the first described Gly-61 and Ile-80 mutations in ParC and the Tyr-83 or Arg-83 mutations in GyrA. All isolates contained esp. The presence of hyl was variable. CONCLUSIONS A large clonal outbreak caused by multidrug-resistant CC17 E. faecium containing pbp5-Tn5382 is described. The persistence of this clone, which has been recovered from both hospital and community settings since 2005, and the possibility of transferring this Tn5382 to other epidemic ampicillin-resistant clonal types currently circulating in Spain might contribute to increasing the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in our area. This study constitutes the first description of mef(E) in E. faecium.
Diversity in virus populations from genital secretions and peripheral blood from women recently infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1

In order to develop a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 vaccine with global efficacy, it is important to evaluate the virus populations that are transmitted to individuals living in high-incidence areas. To determine the nature of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 population transmitted to women during heterosexual contact, we examined the diversity of the proviral envelope gene in infected cells in both genital secretions and peripheral blood from six recently seroconverted Kenyan women. Heterogeneous virus populations were present in cervical secretions and/or peripheral blood shortly after seroconversion for five of six infected individuals, and tissue-specific variants were identified in several cases. The HIV-1 population in an infected individual often includes a diverse mix of variants distinguished mainly by differences in the extracellular envelope glycoprotein. Some variants may be favored for cell- and tissue-specific replication. In order to develop a HIV-1 vaccine which will be effective worldwide, researchers need to evaluate the virus populations which are transmitted to individuals living in high-incidence areas. The authors examined the diversity of the proviral envelope gene in infected cells in the genital secretions and peripheral blood of six recently seroconverted Kenyan female prostitutes in the attempt to determine the nature of the HIV-1 population transmitted to women during heterosexual contact. Heterogeneous virus populations were present in cervical secretions and/or peripheral blood shortly after seroconversion for five of the six women, and tissue-specific variants were identified in several cases. Study findings suggest that virus heterogeneity in the cohort was due to the transmission of multiple HIV-1 genotypes.
Expression of metalloproteinases 1, 2, 7, 9, and 12 in human cytotrophoblastic cells from normal and preeclamptic placentas.

OBJECTIVES Preeclampsia is a specific pregnancy disorder which could be due, at least in part, to impaired invasion of trophoblastic cells. Since matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are the predominant proteases involved in trophoblastic invasion, we investigated and compared expression of MMP-1, 2, 7, 9 and 12 of cytotrophoblastic cells (CTB) purified from preeclamptic (PE) placentas to control CTB. MATERIAL AND METHODS In order to evaluate invasive properties of cells, purified CTB were seeded on collagen-coated insert following boyden chamber principle and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression was evaluated by qPCR. RESULTS Our results showed that PE CTB are less invasive than control CTB in vitro. In parallel, expression of MMPs, except for MMP-2, tends to be decreased in PE CTB compared to control CTB. CONCLUSION At the exception of MMP-2, this study confirms the importance of MMPs in development of PE.
Insulin Resistance and Blood Pressure in Young Black Men

Insulin resistance, independent of obesity or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, has been demonstrated to be associated with high blood pressure. To determine if insulin resistance could be an antecedent to hypertension in a high-risk population, we studied normotensive (112±12/70±10 mm Hg) and borderline hypertensive (135±8/85±5 mm Hg) lean young black men (22–26 years old) with the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp technique. All subjects had clinically normal oral glucose tolerance. Body mass index and percent adipose mass were the same in both groups. Fasting plasma insulin concentration was significantly higher in the borderline hypertensive group (p < 0.01). Insulin-directed exogenous glucose metabolism at the same degree of steady-state hyperinsulinemia was significantly lower in the borderline hypertensive group (5.98±2.22 versus 8.22±1.96 mg/kg/min;p < 0.01). For the total population, a significant inverse correlation existed between the glucose infusion rate and systolic blood pressure (p < 0.01). These data indicate that there is a relation between insulin-mediated glucose uptake and blood pressure. Furthermore, in this high-risk population insulin resistance may precede the onset of established essential hypertension.
Developmental characteristics in adult forebrain following neonatal unilateral olfactory bulbectomy

In this study we performed neonatal unilateral olfactory bulbectomy to determine the influence of the olfactory bulb on the development of forebrain anatomical characteristics. Histological examination was used to examine the long-term effect of the neonatal olfactory bulb removal on the rostral migratory stream general morphology in rats. BrdU-immunohistochemistry presented here provides evidence of the proliferating cells topography throughout this migratory pathway. To analyse spatial distribution of the rostral migratory stream on bulbectomized versus intact side camera lucida drawing was used. The results show that although the migratory stream anatomical pattern of bulbectomized rats was similar to the control adult ones, an open olfactory ventricle was regularly present within it. These findings indicate that neonatal bulbectomy maintains the prosencephalic region developmental pattern till adulthood.
In vivo differentiation and genomic evolution in adult male germ cell tumors

Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are the most common solid malignancy in young adult men, but the genes and genomic regions involved in their etiology are not fully defined. We report here an investigation of DNA copy number changes in GCTs using 1 Mb BAC arrays. As expected, 12p gain was the defining genomic alteration, occurring in 72/74 GCTs. Parallel expression profiling of these tumors identified potential oncogenes from gained regions (LYN and RAB25) and potential tumor suppressor genes in regions of loss (SYNPO2, TTC12, IGSF4, and EPB41L3). Notably, we observed specific genomic alterations associated with histology, including gain of 17p11.2‐q21.32 and loss of 2p25.3 in embryonal carcinoma, gain of 8p23.3‐12 and loss of 5p15.33‐35.3, 11q23.1‐25, and 13q12.11‐34 in seminoma, and gain of 1q31.3‐42.3, 3p, 14q11.2‐32.33, and 20q and loss of 8q11.1‐23.1 in yolk sac tumors (YST). Many significant genes that mapped to these regions had previously been associated with specific histologies, such as EOMES (chr3) and BMP2 (chr20) in YST and SPRY2 (chr13) and SOX17 (chr8) in seminomas. Additionally, our results suggest a model in which histologic differentiation of GCTs may drive genomic evolution. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bilateral multiple recession coverage with platelet-rich fibrin in comparison with amniotic membrane

Various plastic procedures are done to enhance esthetics, relieve hypersensitivity or even prevent root caries. The most predictable plastic procedure is the coronally advanced flap procedure, with subepithelial connective tissue. Owing to the second surgical donor site and difficulty in procuring a sufficient graft in multiple recessions, various alternative additive membranes are used. This is a case report, the first of its kind, wherein a bilaterally occurring multiple Millers class I recession was managed by using Platelet-rich Fibrin (PrF) and amniotic membrane, in a 40-year-old male, who presented to the Department of Periodontics. He complained of hypersensitivity in relation to the upper right and left back region, a bilateral Millers class I recession in relation to 15, 16, and 25, 26 of 3 mm each. Both the recessions were planned for root coverage with coronally advanced flap and additive membrane. The sites were randomly assigned for the use of platelet-rich fibrin and an aminotic membrane. The clinical outcome of the surgical procedure accounted for 100% root coverage, an enhanced gingival biotype, with both the membranes. Furthermore, the results were stable even after seven months in the amniotic membrane-treated site. Hence, the use of amniotic membrane as a novel approach to root coverage is more advantageous than PrF owing to the laboratory preparation of the autologous biomaterial.
Description of the international consortium for prostate cancer genetics, and failure to replicate linkage of hereditary prostate cancer to 20q13

The International Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics (ICPCG) is an international collaborative effort to pool pedigrees with hereditary prostate cancer (PC) in order to replicate linkage findings for PC. A strength of the ICPCG is the large number of well‐characterized pedigrees, allowing linkage analyses within large subsets. Given the heterogeneity and complexity of PC, the historical difficulties of synthesizing different studies reporting positive and negative linkage replication, and the use of different statistical analysis methods and different stratification criteria, the ICPCG provides a valuable resource to evaluate linkage for hereditary PC. To date, linkage of chromosome 20 (HPC20) to hereditary PC has been one of the strongest linkage signals, yet the efforts to replicate this linkage have been limited. This paper reports a linkage analysis of chromosome 20 markers for 1,234 pedigrees with multiple cases of PC ascertained through the ICPCG, and represents the most thorough attempt to confirm or refute linkage to chromosome 20. From the original 158 Mayo pedigrees in which linkage was detected, the maximum heterogeneity LOD (HLOD) score, under a recessive model, was 2.78. In contrast, for the 1,076 pedigrees not included in the original study, the maximum HLOD score (recessive model) was 0.06. Although, a few small linkage signals for chromosome 20 were found in various strata of this pooled analysis, this large study failed to replicate linkage to HPC20. This study illustrates the value of the ICPCG family collection to evaluate reported linkage signals and suggests that the HPC20 region does not make a major contribution to PC susceptibility. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Diabetes and previous stroke: hazards for intravenous thrombolysis?

Background and purpose: Alteplase licensing approval in Europe does not advocate intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for diabetic ischaemic stroke (IS) patients with previous cerebral infarction (PCI). Our aim was to assess whether concomitant diabetes mellitus (DM) and PCI are associated with symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (SICH) and poor outcome after IVT.
Regulation of Parathyroid Hormone‐Related Peptide Gene Expression by Estrogen in GH4C1 Rat Pituitary Cells Has the Pattern of a Primary Response Gene

The parathyroid hormone‐related peptide (PTHrP) gene has been reported to be subject to a wide variety of physiological and pharmacological controls. Two distinct patterns of PTHrP mRNA response have been recognized, one characterized by a prolonged or plateau response lasting many hours to days and the second characterized by rapid induction‐deinduction kinetics and lasting 1 to several hours. The kinetics of the second pattern are similar to those displayed by primary response genes like nuclear protooncogenes, cytokines, and growth factors. In GH4C1, rat pituitary cells, 17β‐estradiol induced a rapid and transient increase in PTHrP mRNA expression, with a peak response at 1–2 h. This response appeared to be due to a rapid and transient burst in gene transcription, which by runoff analysis was maximal at 20–40 min and declined thereafter. PTHrP mRNA half‐life was 30 min in these cells and was unaltered by estradiol. Cy‐cloheximide did not block the 17β‐estradiol‐induced response but rather prolonged it, and runoff analysis revealed that this effect was due to a prolongation or persistence of PTHrP gene transcription. These findings suggest that the transient nature of the native response reflects the effects of an estrogen‐inducible represser. All of these features are characteristic of a prototypical primary response gene.