Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Respiratory and acid–base responses during migration and to exercise by the terrestrial crab Discoplax (Cardisoma) hirtipes, with regard to season, humidity and behaviour

SUMMARY The terrestrial crab Discoplax hirtipes (formerly Cardisoma hirtipes) exhibits a seasonally dichotomous activity pattern governed by the seasonal rainfall on Christmas Island, with a breeding migration in the wet season. Greater activity in the wet season reflects a release of constraints on ion and water balance independent of changes in exercise physiology. The respiratory responses to walking exercise by D. hirtipes were assessed with regard to humidity and season. In the laboratory, crabs walked 38% faster when humidity was high, while the O2 uptake across the lung became diffusion limited despite a Ca2+-induced increase in O2 affinity of the haemocyanin. Crabs walking in 90% relative humidity exhibited a larger metabolic acidosis while re-oxidation of l-lactate was only 0.49 mmol l–1 h–1. The wet-season crabs were more active and exhibited a respiratory acidosis compared with the quiescent dry-season crabs. The migration was close to the limit of the aerobic scope of the crabs, and the pulmonary oxygen partial pressure (PO2) was depressed, the O2 uptake diffusion limited and the arterial–venous PO2 difference diminished. Additional, enforced exercise induced a metabolic acidosis. The optimum strategy for migration would be walking continuously but at a speed within the aerobic scope. D. hirtipes is influenced by seasonal rain and responds to lower ambient humidity by limiting exercise. The behavioural response is paramount since the changes in respiratory status were determined primarily by the differences in commitment to, and investment in, walking and not by direct effects of humidity on respiratory physiology.
A Role for the Human Sperm Glycine Receptor/Cl− Channel in the Acrosome Reaction Initiated by Recombinant ZP31

Abstract Previously, we have demonstrated an essential role for the neuronal glycine receptor (GlyR) in the acrosome reaction (AR) of mouse and porcine sperm initiated by the egg zona pellucida (ZP). In the present study, we have demonstrated presence of the GlyR in human sperm by immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis, investigated the potential of a recombinant human ZP3 (rhZP3) preparation as an alternative research tool to solubilized human ZP, and shown that the human sperm GlyR is essential to the human AR initiated by rhZP3. Additionally, we have been able to demonstrate that rhZP3 possesses biological activity, because it is able to rapidly stimulate the AR in capacitated human sperm and its action is blocked by the addition of pertussis toxin. Moreover, spectrofluorometric studies using fura-2-loaded human sperm have shown that rhZP3 triggers a peak-and-plateau rise in intracellular Ca2+ levels similar to that seen with solubilized mammalian ZP. These results suggest that the actions of rhZP3 and solubilized ZP are elicited via the same signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, incubation of human sperm with an antibody directed against the α1 subunit of the human spinal cord GlyR or with 50 nM strychnine caused significant inhibition in the rhZP3-initated AR. Finally, studies using fura-2-loaded human sperm showed that 50 nM strychnine was also able to inhibit the Ca2+ influx associated with addition of rhZP3. These results further support the view that rhZP3 and the ZP work through the same mechanisms, show that the GlyR is involved in rhZP3-initiated AR, and suggest that the GlyR may also play a role in the early signal transduction cascades associated with ZP-initiated AR in vivo.
Feature extraction with deep belief networks for driver's cognitive states prediction from EEG data

This study considers the prediction of driver's cognitive states from electroencephalographic (EEG) data. Extracting EEG features correlated with driver's cognitive states is key for achieving accurate prediction. However, high dimensionality and temporal-and-spatial correlations of EEG data make extraction of effective features difficult. This study explores the approaches based on deep belief networks (DBN) for feature extraction and dimension reduction. Experimental results of this study showed that DBN applied to channel epochs (DBN-C) produces the most discriminant features and the best classification performance is achieved when DBN-C is applied to the time-frequency and independent-component-analysis transformed EEG data. The results suggested that DBN-C is a promising new method for extracting complex, discriminant features for EEG-based brain computer interfaces.
Mental health problems and healthcare contacts in an urban and a rural area. Comparisons of two Swedish counties

Mental health problems are common in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in frequencies of self-reported psychiatric symptoms, harmful alcohol use and healthcare contacts, in an urban and a rural area in Sweden. Two samples of 10,441 (urban site) and 3538 (rural site) subjects, aged 20–64, responded to a questionnaire, covering demographic characteristics and self-report psychiatric instruments as well as contact with healthcare during the past 12 months. Psychiatric symptoms and symptoms of substance abuse were reported by 17% of the urban women compared with 13% of the rural women, and by 20% of the urban men compared with 15% of the rural men. This difference is mainly due to an uneven age distribution in the two populations and remains statistically significant only in the oldest age group (50–64 years). Symptoms of anxiety and depression occurred with similar frequencies in both samples. Harmful alcohol use was reported by 3.6% of the urban women, 1.5% of rural women, 11.8% of urban men and 8.6% of rural men. The urban sample had more often been in contact with medical services, 77% vs. 52%. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were equally common in the two samples. Harmful use of alcohol was more common in the urban sample, especially among women. Most obvious was the stronger inclination to seek help in the urban sample.
Reproducibility of assessing rib cage mobility from computed tomography images

Rib cage mobility decreases in various health conditions, for example neuromuscular diseases. A decrease in rib cage mobility reduces respiratory function and therefore increases the risk of respiratory complications. To evaluate the effects of interventions aiming at increasing rib cage mobility, changes should be calculated from measurements before and after such interventions. Therefore, an accurate and easy to perform method is needed.
Diverticulitis and Polycystic Kidney Disease

Patients with adult polycystic kidney disease (PKD) have previously been shown to have an increased incidence of complicated diverticulitis after renal transplantation. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of diverticulitis in the PKD population. We retrospectively reviewed patients with advanced PKD, defined as end-stage renal failure requiring dialysis. Patients were obtained from a single nephrology group practice between January 1985 and January 1997, or from all patients being evaluated or actively considered for renal transplantation at our institution as of May 1997. The incidence and severity of diverticulitis in these patients was compared with that observed in a similar cohort of patients with end-stage renal disease due to other etiologies. The study population consisted of 184 renal failure patients, 59 with PKD and 125 with other causes of end-stage renal disease. Twelve (20%) patients with PKD had a history of active diverticulitis, whereas only 4 (3%) of the non-PKD controls had diverticulitis (P = 0.0003, Fisher's exact test). Six of the 12 PKD patients required surgical intervention. Patients with renal failure due to PKD experience a significantly higher rate of diverticulitis than do other patients with end-stage renal disease. Furthermore, diverticulitis is frequently severe in PKD patients, with 50 per cent requiring surgical intervention. These data suggest that diverticular disease may be an extrarenal manifestation of polycystic kidney disease.
Promoting the Exclusive Feeding of Own Mother's Milk through the Use of Hindmilk and Increased Maternal Milk Volume for Hospitalized, Low Birth Weight Infants (< 1800 grams) in Nigeria: A Feasibility Study

A feasibility study was used to determine (1) if hindmilk feedings of own mother's milk, as reported in the United States, could be instituted in a Nigerian neonatal intensive care unit and result in adequate infant weight gain without exogenous additives; and (2) if the use of a hospital-grade electric breast pump to separate foremilk from hindmilk was feasible in this setting. Mean weight gain for 16 preterm infants during the hindmilk intervention (18.8 g/d) exceeded intrauterine standards without the use of exogenous substances. At the time of hospital discharge, mean maternal daily milk volume was 342 mL/kg/d, indicating that the infants, on average, had 90% more milk available to them than they required. Mean infant weight gains were 14.2 and 16.6 g/d from 1 to 7 and 8 to 23 (x̄ = 14.8) days postdischarge, respectively. Therefore, hindmilk feedings are effective and feasible for hospitalized, low birth weight infants in developing countries, and lactation specialists may use our protocol for further research. J Hum Lact. 19(2): 191-198.
CT- guided transthoracic fine needle aspiration of pulmonary lesions: accuracy and complications in 294 patients.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the effectiveness of CT-guided transthoracic fine needle aspiration in the diagnosis of pulmonary lesions and to determine the complication rate of this procedure. MATERIAL/METHODS A prospective review was undertaken of 316 patients who underwent CT-guided transthoracic fine needle aspiration performed at our center between October 2000 and April 2001. Twenty-two patients were excluded because no final diagnosis was achieved. The present study included 294 patients. All fine needle aspirations were performed with a 22-gauge aspirating needle under CT guidance. RESULTS An accurate diagnosis was made in 228 of 259 malignant lung lesions (88%). A specific diagnosis was obtained in 34.3% of the benign lesions. The sensitivity for malignancy and specificity for benign lesions were 88% and 100%, respectively. Positive and negative predictive values were 100% and 53%, respectively. There was no false-positive diagnosis for malignancy. Sensitivity was 87% for centrally located lesions and 89.3% for peripherally located lesions (p>0.05). Complications included pneumothorax, 24 of 294 cases (8.2%); chest tube, 3 cases (12.5%); minor hemoptysis, 5 cases (1.7%); and pulmonary hemorrhage, 4 cases (1.4%). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that this procedure has high diagnostic accuracy and an acceptable rate of complications.
Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma in the Liver Explant After Liver Transplantation: Histological Differentiation and Prognosis.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICCA) incidentally found in the explanted liver after liver transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 1188 recipients undergoing liver transplantation from August 2003 to August 2014; 13 patients were found to have ICCA (1.1%). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate was compared between ICCA patients and the matched cohort of 39 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We also investigate the relevance of clinical and pathological parameters in recurrence of ICCA. RESULTS ICCA patients showed significantly higher recurrence rate with lower 1-year and 3-year RFS rates than HCC patients (recurrence rate, 12.8% vs. 54.8%; 1-year and 3-year RFS rates, 94% and 84% vs. 67% and 42%). Of the 13 ICCA patients, 4 were diagnosed with a well-differentiated ICCA and 9 with a moderately-differentiated ICCA. There was no recurrence among those with a well-differentiated ICCA, whereas 78% recurred in the moderately-differentiated group. The median RFS time for the moderately-differentiated group was 13.0 months, yielding RFS rates of 56% at 1 year and 22% at 3 years. CONCLUSIONS Liver transplantation in patients with a well-differentiated ICCA yielded excellent outcomes as compared to patients with a moderately-differentiated ICCA. This may allow consideration of transplantation in the setting of a well-differentiated ICCA, and obviate the need for adjuvant systemic treatment. Conversely, a moderately-differentiated ICCA carries a poor prognosis with a prohibitively high recurrence rate and poor survival. Liver transplantation should remain a contraindication in this group.
The composition of the Trypanosoma brucei subgroup in nonhuman reservoirs in the Lambwe Valley, Kenya, with particular reference to the distribution of T. rhodesiense.

Identification by means of the blood incubation infectivity test (BIIT) of 159 Trypanosoma brucei subgroup strains recently isolated from non-human hosts in the Lambwe Valley, Kenya, has defined the distribution in these hosts of both T. brucei and T. rhodesiense in an endemic sleeping sickness area. The presence of a small third group strongly suggestive of a population intermediate between these two species has also been revealed for the first time.Repeated testing of a number of these strains has shown marked consistency in the results. Strains identified by the BIIT as T. rhodesiense have been isolated for the first time from a reedbuck and a sheep. There appears to be direct relationship between the local prevalence rates of T. rhodesiense in non-human reservoirs and the incidence of sleeping sickness in man.
The Short Life of an Aortic Cusp Aneurysm: A Case Report

This report describes a 42‐year‐old man with a history of lymphoma who is admitted with symptoms of chest pain, ST elevation changes, and elevated troponins. Immediate bedside echocardiographic evaluation led to an aborted urgent coronary angiography and a diagnosis of presumed endocarditis. Transesophageal echocardiography (TTE) subsequently revealed an aortic noncoronary cusp aneurysm masking as vegetation. The rapid assessment by TTE and transesophageal echocardiogram prevented an alternate course for this patient's management. We reviewed the necessity of heart catheterization in patients with significantly elevated troponins, pericarditis symptoms, and the rare sighting of aortic valve cusp aneurysms.
Oral Contraceptive-induced Expression of Prostate-specific Antigen in the Female Breast (*)

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is widely used as a tumor marker of prostatic adenocarcinoma. We recently found that 30% of breast tumors produce PSA and that PSA is a favorable prognostic marker in female breast cancer. We measured immunoreactive PSA in cytosolic extracts of normal breast tissue from eight women receiving no medication and one woman who was receiving the progestin-containing oral contraceptive Brevicon. None of the eight cytosolic extracts of normal breast tissue contained appreciable amounts of immunoreactive PSA. However, left and right breast tissues from the woman receiving Brevicon contained high levels of PSA. This immunoreactive species was shown to have a molecular weight identical to that of seminal PSA. Furthermore, reverse transcription of RNA and polymerase chain reaction amplification produced a 571-base pair cDNA that hybridized to a labeled cDNA PSA probe. Upon sequencing, the cDNA polymerase chain reaction product was found to have 100% homology with cDNA from prostatic tissue. PSA production by breast carcinoma cell lines was achieved after in vitro stimulation with norethindrone and ethinylestradiol. Our data suggest that PSA can no longer be regarded as a specific prostatic protein because it is produced by breast tumors with good prognosis and by normal breast tissue after steroid hormone stimulation.
Effect of race on outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for severe aplastic anemia

We compared outcomes after hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients of African American (n = 84) and Caucasian (n = 215) descent with severe aplastic anemia. African Americans and Caucasians were matched for age, donor–recipient human leukocyte antigen match, graft type, and transplantation year. The median follow‐up of surviving patients was 5 years. In multivariate analysis, overall mortality risks were higher for African Americans compared to Caucasians (relative risk 1.73, P = 0.01). The 5‐year probabilities of overall survival adjusted for interval from diagnosis to transplantation, and performance score was 58% for African Americans and 73% for Caucasians. The day‐100 cumulative incidence of grade III–IV, but not grade II–IV acute graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD), was higher in African Americans compared to Caucasians (29% vs. 13%, P = 0.006). Although the 5‐year cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was not significantly different between the racial groups, African Americans were more likely to have extensive chronic GVHD compared to Caucasians (72% vs. 49%, P = 0.06). Survival differences between Caucasians and African Americans can be attributed to multiple factors. Our data suggest that some of the observed survival differences between Caucasians and African Americans may be explained by higher rates of acute GVHD and severity of chronic GVHD. Am. J. Hematol. 89:125–129, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Characteristics of intramucosal gastric carcinoma with lymph node metastatic disease

Aim: Recent trends in treatment strategy for early gastric cancer (EGC) are towards minimal surgical procedures, such as endoscopic mucosal resection and laparoscopic partial resection. There is a possibility of incomplete removal of regional lymph nodes in minimal procedures, which may subsequently decrease the chance of a cure. Therefore, it is essential to be able to predict lymph node status and to make careful selection of candidates for mucosal resection.
Hepatitis C virus/HIV coinfection and responses to initial antiretroviral treatment

Objective:To explore the relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV coinfection and responses to initial antiretroviral treatment (ART). Methods:Four AIDS Clinical Trials Group HIV treatment studies’ data were combined to compare initial ART responses between HCV/HIV-coinfected and HIV-monoinfected patients as evaluated by virologic failure, CD4+ cell measures, occurrence of AIDS/death and grade 3/4 safety events, using Kaplan–Meier estimates and proportional hazard, regression and mixed effects models, adjusting for baseline covariates. Results:Of the 3041 included participants, 81% were men, 19% had prior history of AIDS, the median (25th, 75th percentile) baseline HIV RNA was 4.72 (4.38–5.18) log10 copies/ml, and the median (25th, 75th percentile) baseline CD4+ cell count was 216.0 (76.5–327.0) cells/&mgr;l. The 279 HCV/HIV-coinfected individuals were older (44 vs. 37 years), more likely to be black non-Hispanic (47 vs. 36%), and previous/current intravenous drug user (52 vs. 5%) than the 2762 HIV-monoinfected patients (all P values <0.001). HCV/HIV coinfection was associated with earlier virologic failure, hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.43 (1.07–1.91); smaller mean CD4+ cell increase and CD4+% increase [−33.8 (−52.2 to −15.4) cells/&mgr;l and −1.16% (−1.43 to −0.89%), respectively] over a median of 132 weeks of follow-up; earlier occurrence of grade 3/4 safety event, hazard ratio 1.51 (1.26–1.81); and increased AIDS/mortality, hazard ratio 2.10 (1.31–3.37). Treatment effects comparing antiretroviral regimens were not significantly different by HCV/HIV coinfection status. Conclusion:HCV/HIV coinfection is associated with attenuated response to ART. Results support earlier initiation of HIV therapy and increased monitoring of those initiating ART with HCV/HIV coinfection.
Persistent long-term changes in lymphocyte subsets induced by polyclonal antibodies.

BACKGROUND Clinicians are well aware of the short-term effects of immunosuppression by mono- or polyclonal antibodies. Little is known about long-term changes induced by these therapies. METHODS Forty-three renal allograft recipients were selected according to their initial postoperative immunosuppression: (1) BI group=basic immunosuppression with steroids and cyclosporine, n=16; (2) ATG group=basic immunosuppression plus polyclonal antibody antithymocyte globulin (ATG), n=11; and (3) OKT3 group=basic immunosuppression plus monoclonal antibody OKT3, n=16 patients. At intervals of 6 months, the following parameters were measured prospectively: lymphocyte surface antigens (HLA-DR, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19, CD56, and CD57); serum and urine neopterin; serum amyloid A; and indirect and direct tests for herpes viruses. RESULTS The mean period of observation was 58.4 months. The most significant differences between the groups occurred for CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The ratios of CD4+ to CD8+ cells (n=278 measurements) were significantly and persistently lower in the ATG group (P<0.001, Brown-Mood test). Five years after transplantation, the ATG group had a CD4+ to CD8+ cell ratio of x=0.6 versus x=1.7 in the OKT3 group and x=2.0 in the BI group. This inversion was due to a persistent depletion of the CD4+ cells and an increased regeneration of the CD8+ cells, in particular of the CD8+brightCD57+ subpopulation. Extent and duration of CD4+ depletion correlated with the cumulative ATG dose (r=0.7, P<0.05, Spearman rank correlation test). CONCLUSION Therapy with polyclonal antibody ATG induces dose-dependent long-term changes in T-cell lymphocyte subsets, which persist over a period of years.
DOUBLE ORIGIN OF THE POSTEROINFERIOR CEREBELLAR ARTERY: ANGIOGRAPHIC ANATOMY AND ENDOVASCULAR TREATMENT OF CONCURRENT VERTEBROBASILAR DISSECTION

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the anatomic details and therapeutic implications of the double origin of the posteroinferior cerebellar artery (DOPICA). METHODS A total of 131 patients with intracranial posterior circulation aneurysms were consecutively treated using endovascular techniques during an 8-year period. We retrospectively searched the angiographies of these patients for evidence of DOPICA and evaluated its anatomic and treatment details and outcomes in cases of concurrent vertebral artery dissection. RESULTS DOPICA was found in eight patients. Five patients had a ruptured dissecting lesion at one posteroinferior cerebellar artery (PICA) channel and/or the vertebral artery of cranial PICA origin. In the remaining three patients, DOPICA was incidentally found in cases of P2 or basilar aneurysm. The cranial channel arose from the V4 segment in all eight patients, whereas the caudal channel arose at the atlantooccipital level in seven patients and at the C1 to C2 level in one patient. Internal trapping was chosen to treat the dissecting lesions, because the remaining channel was expected to serve as a route for the PICA-territorial supply. Four of the five patients fully recovered, and one comatose patient eventually died. CONCLUSION The cranial and caudal channels of DOPICA mainly arise at the levels of the intracranial and atlantooccipital spaces, respectively. Treatment for a ruptured dissection involving the PICA or a vertebral artery of PICA origin is challenging because of the fear of PICA territorial infarction. In such a case, the presence of DOPICA allows internal trapping of a dissecting lesion with reduced risk, because the other channel functions as an alternative flow-maintaining route.