Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Combined Empirical Therapies and Double IUI Procedures in Treatment of Male Factor Infertility

Objective: Current information on using anti-estrogenic compounds, antioxidant vitamins and minerals in treatment of male factor infertility still remains controversial. Herein, we investigated the pregnancy outcome in male factor infertile patients using a combination of non-specific empiric modalities and Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI) procedures. Subjects and Methods: The study involved a group of 33 infertile couples with mild male factor infertility who previously failed two IUI attempts. The patients received tamoxifen, vitamin E, zinc, and selenium for three months prior to their third IUI treatment cycle. Four important parameters were mainly noted: sperm concentration, motility, forward progression and the percentage normal forms. Results: There was no difference between these parameters in semen samples of our study group in the first and second IUI treatment cycles (p<0.96, p<0.23, p<0.59, p<0.84 respectively). However, after completion of the empiric therapy course and in the third IUI treatment cycle, significant differences in overall values for the four semen parameters were detected in comparison to the earlier two IUI cycles (range p<0.005 to p<0.0005), except for semen volume and sperm normal forms, resulting in a chemical pregnancy rate of 30.3%, a clinical pregnancy rate of 21.2% and a delivery rate of 18.1%. Grouping the female patients according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) showed imperative differences in pregnancy outcome, yet there was no clear effect of age over pregnancy success rates in our study group. Conclusion: Combined empirical therapies can improve semen parameters in infertile men with mild male factor. Double insemination procedures with improved semen samples, can contribute in increasing the chances of pregnancy and life birth more significantly in females with lower BMI.
Prevalence of Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Producing Klebsiella Species in an Intensive Care Unit

Members of the family Enterobacteriaceae are frequently encountered in hospital acquired infection as they are more important in the spread of non enteric infection in hospital. This is due to the antibiotic resistance, transmissibility, and virulence of the organism, which interact among the patients with similar medical problems who undergo similar procedure and receive similar antibiotics. Nosocomial infections carry considerable clinical and economic burden. Klebsiella species are ubiquitous in nature. They probably have two common habitats, one being the environment, where they are found in surface water, sewage and soil and on plants and the other being the mucosal surfaces of mammals such as humans, horses or swine which they colonize (Ullmann et al., 1998). Klebsiella is well known to most clinicians as a cause of community acquired bacterial pneumonia occurring particularly in chronic alcoholics (Aggarwal et al., 2003).
Sex differences in clinical presentation and treatment outcomes in Moyamoya disease.

BACKGROUND Moyamoya (MM) disease is an idiopathic steno-occlusive angiopathy occurring more frequently in females. OBJECTIVE To evaluate sex differences in preoperative symptoms and treatment outcomes after revascularization surgery. METHODS We analyzed 430 MM disease patients undergoing 717 revascularization procedures spanning 19 years (1991-2010) and compared gender differences in preoperative symptoms and long-term outcomes after surgical revascularization. RESULTS A total of 307 female and 123 male patients (ratio, 2.5:1) with a mean age of 31.0 ± 16.7 years and adults-to-children ratio of 2.5:1 underwent 717 revascularization procedures. Female patients were more likely to experience preoperative transient ischemic attacks (odds ratio: 2.1, P = .001) and less likely to receive a diagnosis of unilateral MM disease (odds ratio: 0.6, P = .04). No association was observed between sex and risk of preoperative ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. There was no difference in neurological outcome because both male and female patients experienced significant improvement in the modified Rankin Scale score after surgery (P < .0001). On Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, 5-year cumulative risk of adverse postoperative events despite successful revascularization was 11.4% in female vs 5.3% in male patients (P = .05). In multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, female sex trended toward an association with adverse postoperative events (hazard ratio: 1.9, P = .14). CONCLUSION Female patients are more susceptible to the development of preoperative transient ischemic attack and may be at higher risk of adverse postoperative events despite successful revascularization. There is, however, no sex difference in neurological outcome because patients of both sexes experience significant improvement in neurological status with low risk of the development of future ischemic events after surgical revascularization.
Topographic distribution of direct and hippocampus‐ mediated entorhinal cortex activity evoked by olfactory tract stimulation

Olfactory information is central for memory‐related functions, such as recognition and spatial orientation. To understand the role of olfaction in learning and memory, the distribution and propagation of olfactory tract‐driven activity in the parahippocampal region needs to be characterized. We recently demonstrated that repetitive stimulation of the olfactory tract in the isolated guinea pig brain preparation induces an early direct activation of the rostrolateral entorhinal region followed by a delayed response in the medial entorhinal cortex (EC), preceded by the interposed activation of the hippocampus. In the present study we performed a detailed topographic analysis of both the early and the delayed entorhinal responses induced by patterned stimulation of the lateral olfactory tract in the isolated guinea pig brain. Bi‐dimensional maps of EC activity recorded at 128 recording sites with 4 × 4 matrix electrodes (410 µm interlead separation) sequentially placed in eight different positions, showed (i) an early (onset at 16.09 ± 1.2 ms) low amplitude potential mediated by the monosynaptic LOT input, followed by (ii) an associative potential in the rostral EC which originates from the piriform cortex (onset at 33.2 ± 2.3 ms), and (iii) a delayed potential dependent on the previous activation of the hippocampus. The sharp component of the delayed response had an onset latency between 52 and 63 ms and was followed by a slow wave. Laminar profile analysis demonstrated that in the caudomedial EC the delayed response was associated with two distinct current sinks located in deep and in superficial layers, whereas in the rostrolateral EC a small‐amplitude sink could be detected in the superficial layers exclusively. The present report demonstrates that the output generated by the hippocampal activation is unevenly distributed across different EC subregions and indicates that exclusively the medial and caudal divisions receive a deep‐layer input from the hippocampus. In the rostrolateral EC, specific network interactions may be generated by the convergence of the direct olfactory input and the olfaction‐driven hippocampal output.
Identification of human erythrocyte blood group antigens on the C3b/C4b receptor.

The Knops/McCoy (Kn/McC) human erythrocyte blood group system belongs to the category of blood group Ag that generate so-called "high titer low avidity" antibodies in immunized transfusion recipients. Screening of red cells lacking certain high titer low avidity Ag demonstrated markedly diminished CR1 expression on McC(d-) and Kn/McC "null" (Kn(a-)McC(a-b-c-d-e-f-] erythrocytes. Additional testing by other methods confirmed these data, and biochemical assays demonstrated no detectable immunoreactive CR1 protein in membranes from Kn/McC null red cells. Human antisera to various Kn/McC Ag were then used to demonstrate that many of these antisera could be used to isolate a protein of identical m.w. to that isolated from the same cells using murine mAb CR1 antisera. Finally, protein isolated by using murine mAb anti-CR1 reacted specifically with anti-Kn/McC antibodies, demonstrating the identity of the Kn/McC and CR1 proteins. Thus, CR1 protein bears the human erythrocyte Kn/McC blood group Ag.
Combinatorial Treatment with mTOR Inhibitors and Streptozotocin Leads to Synergistic In Vitro and In Vivo Antitumor Effects in Insulinoma Cells

Streptozotocin-based chemotherapy is the first-line chemotherapy recommended for advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs), whereas targeted therapies, including mTOR inhibitors, are available in second-line treatment. Unfortunately, objective response rates to both treatments are limited. Because mTOR pathway activation, commonly observed in pNETs, has been reported as one of the major mechanisms accounting for chemoresistance, we investigated the potential benefit of mTOR inhibition combined with streptozotocin treatment in a subset of pNETs, namely insulinomas. To evaluate the potential of mTOR inhibition in combination with streptozotocin, we selected four different inhibitors acting at various levels of the pathway (everolimus: inhibition of mTORC1; MK-2206: inhibition of AKT; BKM120: inhibition of PI3K, mTORC1, and mTORC2; and BEZ235: inhibition of mTORC1 and mTORC2). Effects on cell viability and apoptosis were assessed in insulinoma cell lines INS-1E (rat) and MIN6 (mouse) in vitro and were confirmed in vivo by using a mouse model of hepatic tumor dissemination after intrasplenic xenograft. In vitro, all four combinations display synergistic effects. These combinations lead to heterogeneous mTOR pathway inhibition, in agreement with their respective target, and increased apoptosis. In vivo, tumor growth in the liver was significantly inhibited by combining streptozotocin with everolimus (P = 0.0014), BKM120 (P = 0.0092), or BEZ235 (P = 0.008) as compared to each agent alone. These results suggest that targeting the mTOR pathway in combination with streptozotocin could be of potential benefit for insulinomas and pNET patients and thus support further clinical investigations. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(1); 60–72. ©2017 AACR.
Maximising the number of independent sets in connected graphs

A Turán connected graph TCn,α is obtained from α cliques of size b αc or d αe by joining all cliques by an edge to one central vertex in one of the larger cliques. The graph TCn,α was shown recently by Bruyère and Mélot to maximise the number of independent sets among connected graphs of order n and independence number α. We prove a generalisation of this result by showing that TCn,α in fact maximises the number of independent sets of any fixed cardinality β ≤ α. Several results (both old and new) on the number of independent sets or maximum independent sets follow as corollaries.
Effects of CO2 and photosynthetic photon flux on yield, gas exchange and growth rate of Lactuca sativa L. 'Waldmann's Green.'

Enrichment of CO2 to 46 mmol m-3 (1000 mm3 dm-3) at a moderate photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) of 450 micromoles m-2 s-1 stimulated fresh and dry weight gain of lettuce leaves 39% to 75% relative to plants at 16 mmol m-3 CO2 (350 mm3 dm-3). Relative growth rate (RGR) was stimulated only during the first several days of exponential growth. Elevating CO2 above 46 mmol m-3 at moderate PPF had no further benefit. However, high PPF of 880-900 micromoles m-2 s-1 gave further, substantial increases in growth, RGR, net assimilation rate (NAR) and photosynthetic rate (Pn), but a decrease in leaf area ratio (LAR), at 46 or 69 mmol m-3 (1000 or 1500 mm3 dm-3) CO2, the differences being greater at the higher CO2 level. Enrichment of CO2 to a supraoptimal level of 92 mmol m-3 (2000 mm3 dm-3) at high PPF increased leaf area and LAR, decreased specific leaf weight, NAR and Pn and had no effect on leaf, stem and root dry weight or RGR relative to plants grown at 69 mmol m-3 CO2 after 8 d of treatment. The results of the study indicate that leaf lettuce growth is most responsive to a combination of high PPF and CO2 enrichment to 69 mmol m-3 for several days at the onset of exponential growth, after which optimizing resources might be conserved.
Impact des fluctuations de l'humidité relative de l'air sur la survie de Listeria monocytogenes : application à l'amélioration de l'hygiène dans les ateliers de production alimentaire

Les fluctuations hydriques influencent l'activite et la viabilite des microorganismes. L’humidite relative de l’air est ainsi un parametre potentiellement efficace pour maitriser le developpement et la persistance de microorganismes pathogenes. Cependant, l’efficacite de ce parametre reste peu connue par rapport a d’autres facteurs environnementaux comme le pH ou la temperature. Le sechage est l'etape finale des procedures de nettoyage et de desinfection en industrie agroalimentaire. Cependant, il est aujourd'hui utilise de facon empirique alors qu'il pourrait permettre d'ameliorer la decontamination des surfaces dans les ateliers et diminuer la persistance des microorganismes. Malgre les procedures de nettoyage et de desinfection, la bacterie Listeria monocytogenes est frequemment retrouvee dans l'industrie agroalimentaire et y persiste pendant de longues periodes. Evaluer et comprendre l'impact des fluctuations hydriques sur la survie de L. monocytogenes afin d'en optimiser la destruction sur une surface, constituent ainsi les principaux objectifs de cette these.Dans un premier temps, 30 souches de L. monocytogenes isolees de differents environnements de transformation des aliments et presentant differents serotypes et niveaux de virulence ont ete exposees a un stress hyperosmotique et a un sechage. Cette approche a permis d'analyser les differences de resistance entre les souches et de selectionner quatre souches presentant differents profils de resistance pour poursuivre les travaux.Afin de definir les conditions de fluctuations hydriques les plus letales pour les souches de L. monocytogenes, differents parametres ont ete etudies tels que la vitesse de deshydratation, le niveau d’humidite relative, la vitesse de rehydratation, l’application de cycles successifs de deshydratation-rehydratation et le milieu de sechage.Enfin, les mecanismes cellulaires induisant la mort de L. monocytogenes lors des fluctuations hydriques ont ete explores par spectroscopie infrarouge a transformee de Fourier, microscopie a force atomique, cytometrie en flux et par sechage en anaerobiose. Ces differentes methodes ont permis de reveler qu'un stress mecanique et structural sont majoritairement responsables de la mort de L. monocytogenes.L’ensemble de ce travail demontre que la maitrise du niveau et des variations de l’humidite relative de l’air est un moyen efficace pour detruire L. monocytogenes et offre de reelles perspectives d’application pour ameliorer l’hygiene des ateliers de production alimentaire.
Endothermal Heat Induced Thrombosis ( EHIT )

Endovenous ablation of the great saphenous vein (GSV) is the treatment modality of choice in the setting of symptomatic varicose veins. Endothermal Heat Induced Thrombosis (EHIT) of the GSV is an expected outcome, but what remains unclear is the clinical outcome of patients who present with this entity in close proximity or with extension into the common femoral vein. With an incidence in the literature ranging from 0% to 16% (1-3), this has gained the attention of physicians treating this disease process. Herein we describe a classification system and algorithm for treatment.
Two processes of bone remodeling in plated intact femora: An experimental study in dogs

Bone loss is known to occur under plates used for internal fixation. Its exact location and extent and its relationship to the plate‐bone contact area was investigated in 36 adult beagles. Plates with two different contact areas were fixed unilaterally to intact femora for periods of 8 and 24 weeks. After removal, the bones were assessed radiographically, histologically, histomorphometrically, and biomechanically. Two processes that affect the bone after plating became apparent. One is a short‐term process, possibly caused by the interference of the plate with the blood supply to the cortex. This is followed by necrosis, which induces porosis. The second independent process is caused by the tendency of the bone to adapt to the new state of mechanical loads that results from the load sharing by the plate. The first stage of this process is expressed through swift changes in the bone cross‐sectional area under the plate by remodeling in all three envelopes: haversian, periosteal, and endosteal. This stage is followed by a gradual remodeling towards a steady state, in which the final cross‐section of the bone is attained. Both processes affected the bone simultaneously during plate fixation. The process caused by the vascular interference ceases after some time, and only the process due to stress‐shielding prevails for a long period.
Dermatoglyphic and Other Findings in Alopecia Areata and Psoriasis

Although dermatoglyphic changes accompany most chromosomal aberrations, they may also occur in conditions unassociated with such aberrations, including rubella and congenital heart disease. Many genes are concerned in detennining the details of the finger and palm prints. The dermal configurations are laid down permanently during the third month of foetal life. Best known are those on the finger tips (Penrose 1963). Digital patterns can be classified into four types, viz., whorl, ulnar loop, radial loop, arch. In a random series of normal persons it can be clearly demonstrated that each digit of each hand has a different distribution of patterns, the second digit (index or forefinger) being the most variable and the fifth digit the least variable (Walker 1958). The following is a study of patients with alopecia areata and of others with psoriasis. Although dermatoglyphics of psoriasis have been reported before (Krieger 1934; Gibbs 1967) those of alopecia areata do not appear to have been studied. There is an important genetic component in the causation of psoriasis (Steinberg et al. 1951), and alopecia areata appears to be transmitted as a dominant trait in familial cases.
A Study of the Anatomical Variations in the Position of the Greater Palatine Foramen in Adult Human Skulls and its Clinical Significance

El dolor es un sintoma comun y preocupante en la practica dental. Dependiendo de los casos, diferentes tecnicas se utilizan para aliviar el dolor. Una de ellas es el bloqueo periferico del nervio trigemino. Esta, ha demostrado ser una forma eficaz y conveniente para anestesiar grandes regiones del complejo oral y maxilofacial. Este bloqueo puede ser intraoral o extraoral. La via intraoral es a traves del foramen palatino mayor en la cual se ingresa en la fosa pterigopalatina, donde se encuentra el nervio maxilar. Las variaciones morfologicas en la posicion del foramen palatino mayor puede ser de importancia clinica en la administracion de anestesia local y en la cirugia del paladar. En el presente estudio, se examino la distancia del foramen palatino mayor desde la sutura palatina mediana y el margen posterior del paladar duro, y su posicion relativa a los molares superiores, asi como la direccion del foramen palatino mayor.
Antenna spacing effect on indoor MIMO channel capacity

A 2-D shooting-and-bouncing (SBR) ray-tracing method considering ray reflect, transmission and diffraction is used to analyze antenna spacing effect on capacity complementary cumulative distribution functions(CCDFS) of indoor non-line-of-sight (NLOS) MIMO channel and indoor multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel with line-of-sight (LOS) path. The results show that the capacities of MIMO channel with LOS path are less than NLOS MIMO channel capacities in general. But whether in indoor MIMO channel with LOS path or in NLOS indoor MIMO channel, capacities CCDFS of indoor MIMO systems with antenna spacing of 5/spl times/ can reach the theoretical independent and identically distribution (i.i.d) Rayleigh capacities nearly fully. With the decrease of antenna spacing, the capacities dropped also. And the less antenna spacing, the more difference between indoor NLOS MIMO channel capacities and capacities of MIMO channel with LOS path.
Band alignment of rutile and anatase TiO 2

The most widely used oxide for photocatalytic applications owing to its low cost and high activity is TiO2. The discovery of the photolysis of water on the surface of TiO2 in 19721 launched four decades of intensive research into the underlying chemical and physical processes involved2–5. Despite much collected evidence, a thoroughly convincing explanation of why mixed-phase samples of anatase and rutile outperform the individual polymorphs has remained elusive6. One longstanding controversy is the energetic alignment of the band edges of the rutile and anatase polymorphs of TiO2 (ref. 7). We demonstrate, through a combination of state-of-the-art materials simulation techniques and X-ray photoemission experiments, that a type-II, staggered, band alignment of ∼0.4 eV exists between anatase and rutile with anatase possessing the higher electron affinity, or work function. Our results help to explain the robust separation of photoexcited charge carriers between the two phases and highlight a route to improved photocatalysts. A general consensus places the bandgaps of rutile and anatase TiO2 at 3.03 and 3.20 eV, respectively. In 1996, electrochemical impedance analysis established that the flatband potential of anatase is ∼0.2 eV more negative than that of rutile, indicating that the conduction band of anatase lies 0.2 eV above that of rutile8. This band alignment, illustrated in Fig. 1a, would favour the transfer of photogenerated electrons from anatase to rutile, and the transfer of holes from rutile to anatase at a clean interface (although the valence band positions in this alignment are very similar) and was supported by several experiments9–11. Alternatively, recent photoemissionmeasurements have reported that the work function of rutile is 0.2 eV lower than that of anatase, placing the conduction band of anatase 0.2 eV below that of rutile12 (Fig. 1b). Electron paramagnetic resonance experiments focusing on mixed rutile/anatase samples have demonstrated that electrons flow from rutile into anatase, with holes moving in the opposite direction13–16. These studies have provided information on the interface (for example, a newly discovered interfacial trapping site, lattice and surface electron trapping sites, and surface hole trapping sites) and on recombination in these mixed samples14,15. The fundamental band alignment between anatase and rutile, which is necessarily the driving force for the kinetics of both ionic and electronic charge carriers, however, is still not understood. The intrinsic band alignment will always act as the boundary conditions imposed on a particular interface, and will be a dominant factor in any photocatalytic activity.
Attachment Style, Excessive Reassurance Seeking, Relationship Processes, and Depression

The authors examined the association between excessive reassurance seeking (ERS) in couple relationships and depression, hypothesizing that this association can be explained by attachment anxiety. In Study 1, 72 couples completed questionnaires about ERS, depression, attachment style, and relationship quality. In Study 2, 61 couples completed the same measures in addition to completing daily diary assessments for 14 days. In both studies, ERS was related to depression, but only because of its association with attachment anxiety. The association between attachment anxiety and depression was not mediated by either partner’s relationship quality, even though partners noticed each other’s ERS. Instead, relationship quality was related primarily to avoidant attachment. These findings were replicated at a daily level of analysis, where interesting details of the underlying processes were revealed. At least in young unmarried couples, depression is associated with attachment anxiety—and one of its facets, ERS—mostly for intrapsychic reasons.