Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endolymphatic hydrops in Meniere's disease detected by MRI after intratympanic administration of gadolinium: Comparison with sudden deafness

Abstract Conclusion: The detection rate of endolymphatic hydrops was significantly higher in patients with Meniere's disease compared with those with sudden deafness, indicating that 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with intratympanic gadolinium injection was effective in diagnosing endolymphatic hydrops. Objectives: To compare the detection rate of endolymphatic hydrops between patients with Meniere's disease and sudden deafness as controls by 3 T MRI after intratympanic gadolinium injection with conventional pulse sequence such as two-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery. Methods: Ten patients with unilateral Meniere's disease and eight with sudden deafness underwent inner ear MRI 24 h after intratympanic gadolinium injection. Results: The endolymphatic space was detected as a low signal intensity area, while the perilymphatic space showed high intensity by gadolinium enhancement. Due to faint enhancement, images could not be evaluated in 1 of 10 patients with Meniere's disease. However, the other nine patients together with two of the eight with sudden deafness were diagnosed as having hydrops. The difference in detection rates between the two diseases was statistically significant. Two hydrops-positive cases with sudden deafness were considered to be of the secondary type of hydrops, because images were taken after partial recovery from hearing loss several months after the onset of the disease.
Arabin cervical pessary to prevent preterm birth in twin pregnancies with short cervix

A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Arabin cervical pessary in twin pregnancies with cervical length (CL) <25 mm between 21 and 31 weeks. Forty patients receiving pessary were matched with 40 controls without pessary. They were matched for gestational age (GA) at admission and CL. GA at delivery, delivery before 36, 34 and 32 weeks, latency between detection of short cervix and delivery, and duration of hospital admission were compared between groups. Women with the pessary delivered at higher GA compared to controls (35 vs. 33 weeks, p = 0.02). Cervical pessary significantly reduced the incidence of delivery <36 and < 34 weeks (p < 0.05), but not before 32 weeks. Interval between detection of short cervix and delivery was longer in the pessary group and duration of hospital admission was shorter (p = 0.03) compared to women without pessary.
Synthesis and physiological activity of S-furfuryl thiocarboxylates.

筆者らはすでに,多くのモノテルペノイドを母核とした生物活性物質の合成を行い,その生物活性の発現に関与していると思われるチオエステル基およびフラン環に注目している. そこで,本研究ではコーヒーの香気成分であるフルフリルメルカプタンを用い,数種のモノテルペニルカルボン酸との縮合反応を行い,チオエステル化合物の合成を行った. また,活性発現の相違について,類似骨格をもっアミド化合物の合成も行い,それぞれ得られた化合物について,殺ダニ活性試験および殺虫活性試験を実施し,生物活性の比較を行い,以下の結果を得ることができた. (1) チオエステル化合物のみに活性発現が確認され,ケナガコナダニに対しては化合物2D～6Dおよび12D～15Dは薬剤濃度0. 053～0.097g/m2の値(LC50)が得られ,コナヒョウヒダニに対しては化合物4D, 6D,および13D～15Dは薬剤濃度0. 221～0.146g/m2の値(LC50)が得られ非常に優れた殺ダニ活性を発現することを見いだすことができた. (2) チオエステル化合物ID～16Dは衛生害虫および不快害虫,特に屋内塵性ダニ類に対して幅広い殺ダニ効力および殺虫効力を有し,しかも低薬量で極めて優れた駆除効果を示すことが認められた.
ACUTE NECROTIZING ULCERATIVE GINGIVITIS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS.

Since college students are highly sus­ ceptible to acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (A N U G ), the 326 members of a college freshman class were examined for ANUG at their entering physical ex­ aminations; eight months later, a followup questionnaire was sent to each. Twenty-two students were found who had ANUG at the time of matriculation, had a history of ANUG or contracted ANUG during their freshman year. This group smoked more than the unaffected group. The data also suggested that poor oral hygiene might be a factor in the disease. That there is a psychological fac­ tor in the disease is suggested by the greater number of withdrawals from col­ lege and the higher proportion of psy­ chology majors in the ANUG group than in the unaffected group.
A Four-Port Microwave Phase Detector at $X$ -Band Based on MEMS Power Sensors

A four-port microwave phase detector based on MEMS power sensors at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$X$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band (8–12 GHz) is proposed in this paper. It consists of two power dividers, two power combiners, two phase shifters, and two MEMS power sensors. Four power dividers/combiners and two phase shifters compose a four-port junction to expand the phase detection range. A thermoelectric power sensor and a capacitive power sensor compose the MEMS power sensor for low and high power measurement. Two types of power sensors can improve the measurement range and enhance the overload capacity. This microwave phase detector is fabricated by GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuit technology. Experiments show that its return loss is better than −10 dB, and the isolation is better than −13.2 dB over <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$X$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band. Measured results of the phase shift fit well with the calculated results in an entire cycle of −180°~+180°. The phase detection sensitivities are <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$16.62~\mu \text{V}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/° and 23.94 aF/°, and the response times are 0.408 ms and less than 20 ms for the two types of sensors, respectively. The dynamic range of phase detector can be expanded up to 4 W, which is almost quintuple our previous works.
miR-149 suppresses human non-small cell lung cancer growth and metastasis by inhibiting the FOXM1/cyclin D1/MMP2 axis.

Valid evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs have critical functions in cancer genesis and tumor progression. In the present study, aberrant expression of microRNA-149 (miR-149) was confirmed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues. Low expression of miR-149 was associated with malignant clinical features and poor survival. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments demonstrated that miR-149 inhibited NSCLC tumor growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, oncogenic transcription factor FOXM1 was confirmed as a direct target of miR-149 in NSCLC. Cyclin D1 and MMP2 served as downstream targets of FOXM1 and were also inhibited by miR-149. In summary, the present study indicated that downregulation of miR-149 in NSCLC predicted poor clinical outcomes. miR-149 suppresses tumor growth and metastasis in NSCLC by inhibiting the FOXM1/cyclin D1/MMP2 signaling pathway.
Long‐range correlations in motor unit discharge times at low forces are modulated by visual gain and age

• What is the central question of this study? Changes in visual gain do not influence the time‐dependent structure of motor unit discharge variability in young adults; however, the influence of visual gain on the regularity of motor unit discharge times in old adults is unknown. • What is the main finding and its importance? We examined the association between visual information and the size and temporal structure of the variability in index finger force and motor unit discharge times when young and old adults performed isometric contractions with a hand muscle. We showed that the regularity with which motor units discharged action potentials decreased with increased gain of visual feedback, regardless of age.
RFID-Enabled Analysis of Care Coordination and Patient Flow in Ambulatory Care

Healthcare is primarily delivered in the ambulatory care setting. The high variability in service delivery encountered in this environment negatively impacts efficiency, quality of care, costs, patient satisfaction and safety. Care coordination, a process to manage dependencies between clinicians who provide care to a patient, has been proposed as a critical and challenging step in improving care delivery and health outcomes. In this study, we develop optimal care coordination models and policies for the ambulatory care delivery environment that optimize important service delivery metrics using a novel data collection strategy that employs RFID technology. Time and location stamped data is collected using RTLS-based Gen2IR/RFID-enabled badges worn by patients, clinicians, and staff as they complete each clinic visit. This data is mapped to facility and personnel resources and specific tasks associated with each visit to track patient flow. We analyze process variability using discrete event simulation and sequential pattern analysis, and formulate a Markov decision process model to identify best practice plans that improve care coordination. 389 office visit records associated with 327 unique patients and 12 clinicians and staff, collected over a 2-month period, are used to instantiate our models and identify optimal policies. The results also highlight the value of RTLS solutions and the challenges in deploying them to understand variability in patient care and opportunities to re-engineer services to improve service delivery in the ambulatory care environment. These methods and approaches are generalizeable to other care delivery settings and have the potential to improve healthcare services significantly.
Fucus Arabidopsis Funaria Physcomitrella Polytrichum Chlamydomonas Caulerpa Fritschiella Spirogyra Ralfsia

Broad comparative studies at the level of developmental processes are necessary to fully understand the evolution of development and phenotypes. The concept of dynamical patterning modules (DPMs) provides a framework for studying developmental processes in the context of wide comparative analyses. DPMs are defined as sets of ancient, conserved gene products and molecular networks, in conjunction with the physical morphogenetic and patterning processes they mobilize in the context of multicellularity. The theoretical framework based on DPMs originally postulated that each module generates a key morphological motif of the basic animal body plans and organ forms. Here, we use a previous definition of the plant multicellular body plan and describe the basic DPMs underlying the main features of plant development. For each DPM, we identify characteristic molecules and molecular networks, and when possible, the physical processes they mobilize. We then briefly review the phyletic distribution of these molecules across the various plant lineages. Although many of the basic plant DPMs are significantly different from those of animals, the framework established by a DPM perspective on plant development is essential for comparative analyses aiming to provide a truly mechanistic explanation for organic development across all plant and animal lineages.
Glass formation and short-range order in chalcogenide materials: The (Ag2S)x(As2S3)1-x (0 <= x <= 1) pseudobinary tie line.

The isotopic substitution method in neutron diffraction is applied to two chalcogenide glasses on the (Ag 2 S) x (As 2 S 3 ) 1→x (0≤x≤1) tie line of the Ag-As-S system. It is shown that there is a reduction from ≃4 to ≃3 in the average number of S atoms covalently bonded to Ag as x is increased from 0.096 to 0.500, but that As remains threefold coordinated by S. The onset of ionic conductivity as x is increased and the occurrence of two homogeneous glass-forming regions is therefore associated with a change in the coordination environment of the metal atom
Vanishing bile duct syndrome: amoxicillin-clavulanic acid associated intra-hepatic cholestasis responsive to ursodeoxycholic acid.

Vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS) is a rare cause of cholestatic liver disease characterized by destruction of segments in the intrahepatic biliary tree (1,2). Ductopenia, on liver biopsy, a 50% reduction of the interlobular bile ducts, confirms the diagnosis of VBDS (2,3). The causes of VBDS include developmental, immune-mediated, infectious, drug-induced, neoplastic and ischemic disorders (3). The pathogenesis of bile duct destruction is not well understood (3). VBDS presents clinically with symptoms of jaundice, scleral icterus and pruritus. Prognosis varies from hepatic failure and death or liver transplantation to resolution of cholestasis and normal liver function. Although multiple cases of drug-induced VBDS have been reported in adults, cases of VBDS are uncommon in children (4). The current literature documents five pediatric cases of acute drug-related VBDS: two cases related to amoxicillin-clavulanate, two cases related to ibuprofen, and one case related to carbamazepine (4–8). We present a child who developed pancreatitis, hepatitis and cholestasis after amoxicillin-clavulanate administration whose symptoms resolved after treatment with high-dose ursodeoxycholic acid.
Open universes from finite radius bubbles.

The interior of a vacuum bubble in de Sitter space may give an open universe with sufficient homogeneity to agree with observations. Here, previous work by Bucher, Goldhaber, and Turok is extended to describe a thin bubble wall with a nonzero radius and energy difference across the wall. The vacuum modes present before the formation of the bubble propagate into the interior of the open universe and the power spectrum of the resulting gauge-invariant gravitational potential is calculated. It appears to become scale invariant on small scales, with the onset at about the same scale as that found in the zero radius case. There is sensitivity to the radius and energy difference at large scales, but it is expected that they cannot be strongly constrained because of cosmic variance. The prediction of a scale invariant spectrum seems to be robust with respect to variation of these parameters at small scales, and apparently is a generic feature of the contribution of these modes for these thin wall models.
Synergistic Antitumor Cytotoxic Actions of Ascorbate and Menadione on Human Prostate (DU145) Cancer Cells In Vitro: Nucleus and Other Injuries Preceding Cell Death by Autoschizis

Abstract Scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the cytotoxic effects of ascorbate (VC), menadione (VK3), or a VC:VK3 combination on a human prostate carcinoma cell line (DU145) following a 1-h vitamin treatment and a subsequent 24-h incubation in culture medium. Cell alterations examined by light and electron microscopy were treatment-dependent with VC + VK3 >VK3 > VC > Sham. Oxidative stress-induced damage was found in most organelles. This report describes injuries in the tumor cell nucleus (chromatin and nucleolus), mitochondria, endomembranes, lysosomal bodies (autophagocytoses) and inclusions. Morphologic alterations suggest that cytoskeleton damage is likely responsible for the superficial cytoplasmic changes, including major changes in cell shape and size and the self-excising phenomena. Unlike apoptotic bodies, the excised pieces contain ribonucleoproteins, but not organelles. These deleterious events cause a progressive, significant reduction in the tumor cell size. During nuclear alterations, the nuclei maintain their envelope during chromatolysis and karyolysis until cell death, while nucleoli undergo a characteristic segregation of their components. In addition, changes in fat and glycogen storage are consistent the cytotoxic and metabolic alterations caused by the respective treatments. All cellular ultrastructural changes are consistent with cell death by autoschizis and not apoptosis or other kinds of cell death.
Hospital admissions among Pacific children in Auckland, 1992-97

AIMS To describe the reasons for, and rates of, hospital admissions for Pacific children, compared with Maori and 'Other' (non Maori, non Pacific) children in Auckland over the six year period 1992 to 1997. METHOD Analysis was carried out of the New Zealand National Health Information Service database for Auckland domiciled children to show diagnostic codes and hospital admission rates for 0-14 year old children, using the 1996 Census population as the denominator population. Age standardised rates were calculated using the 'Other' group of children as the standard population. RESULTS All-cause admission rates were higher among Pacific Children, compared with Maori and 'Other' children. Pacific Children were over-represented in admissions for acute respiratory infections, pneumonia and asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, compared with both Maori and 'Other' children. CONCLUSION Pacific children had the highest hospital admission rates, the main reason being preventable respiratory tract conditions. These findings suggest that Pacific children should be a priority group for intervention at various levels. Improvements in socio-economic circumstances, access to early primary health care and community education supported by comprehensive ambulatory paediatric services (particularly with respect to respiratory conditions) need to be implemented urgently. Qualitative research is needed to determine why ethnic differences exist and to identify effective interventions for Pacific children.
Free Radical Theory of Aging: Effect of Dietary Fat on Central Nervous System Function *

ABSTRACT: Free radical reactions have been implicated in aging. A rise in the level of random free radical reactions in a biologic system might have a greater effect on the central nervous system (CNS) than elsewhere, partly because of the presence of glial cells and the unique connections between neurons. To evaluate this possibility, some animal experiments were conducted. The initial experiment involved old male Sprague‐Dawley rats fed (since shortly after weaning) with semisynthetic diets characterized by fat differing in amount or degree of unsaturation. The number of errors made in a Hebb‐Williams maze was determined and found to be higher as the amount or degree of unsaturation of the fat was increased. Likewise rats aged 6 and 9 months, fed semisynthetic diets containing 20 percent by weight of lard, oleinate, or safflower oil+α‐tocopherol performed significantly better in a discrimination learning situation (Skinner box) than did rats fed a diet containing 20 percent by weight of safflower oil. The diets employed in these studies did not have a significant effect on the mortality rates. These results are compatible with the possibility that enhancing the level of lipid peroxidation has an adverse effect on the CNS, out of proportion to the effect on the body as a whole, as measured by the mortality rate.
Defensins from Insects and Plants Interact with Fungal Glucosylceramides*

Growth of the yeast species Candida albicans and Pichia pastoris is inhibited by RsAFP2, a plant defensin isolated from radish seed (Raphanus sativus), at micromolar concentrations. In contrast, gcs-deletion mutants of both yeast species are resistant toward RsAFP2. GCS genes encode UDP-glucose:ceramide glucosyltransferases, which catalyze the final step in the biosynthesis of the membrane lipid glucosylceramide. In an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based binding assay, RsAFP2 was found to interact with glucosylceramides isolated from P. pastoris but not with soybean nor human glucosylceramides. Furthermore, the P. pastoris parental strain is sensitive toward RsAFP2-induced membrane permeabilization, whereas the corresponding gcs-deletion mutant is highly resistant to RsAFP2-mediated membrane permeabilization. A model for the mode of action of RsAFP2 is presented in which all of these findings are linked. Similarly to RsAFP2, heliomicin, a defensin-like peptide from the insect Heliothis virescens, is active on C. albicans and P. pastoris parental strains but displays no activity on the gcs-deletion mutants of both yeast species. Furthermore, heliomicin interacts with glucosylceramides isolated from P. pastoris and soybean but not with human glucosylceramides. These data indicate that structurally homologous anti-fungal peptides present in species from different eukaryotic kingdoms interact with the same target in the fungal plasma membrane, namely glucosylceramides, and as such support the hypothesis that defensins from plants and insects have evolved from a single precursor.
Comment on Lô et al.: Prevalence of hepatitis B markers in Senegalese HIV‐1 infected patients

Bo Langhoff Hønge,* Sanne Jespersen, Candida Medina, Christian Wejse, and Christian Erikstrup Bandim Health Project, Indepth Network, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark National HIV program, Ministry of Health, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau GloHAU, Center of Global Health, School of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
1H-MRS evaluation of metabolism in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia

Abstract Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) allows major metabolites to be measured noninvasively in defined regions of the living brain, and can detect biochemical abnormalities where conventional structural imaging appears normal. MRS can be performed in 10 min as part of a clinical MRI examination. Biochemical abnormalities in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD) and other primary degenerative dementias have been investigated using MRS. Characteristic and consistent abnormalities in AD are decreased N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and elevated myo-inositol (mI) in the mesial temporal and parieto-occipital cortex. These are thought to represent neuronal loss/dysfunction and gliosis, in anatomic distributions which reflect early pathological involvement and atrophy patterns in AD. Less consistent disturbances of glutamine and glutamate (Glx) and choline-containing compounds (Cho) have also been reported. Similar changes are seen in VaD; mostly in white matter, whereas in AD they predominate in cortical grey matter. The regional distribution of grey matter involvement may differ between AD and other degenerative dementias. Hence, both the nature and anatomic distribution of metabolite abnormalities contribute to diagnostic discrimination with MRS. NAA/mI ratios from short echo time spectra of the posterior cingulate region cortex discriminate reliably between AD subjects, normal individuals and those with VaD, and provides a useful clinical test, as an adjunct to structural imaging. Elevated mI is detected in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and quantitative metabolite measures correlate with degrees of cognitive impairment in AD; these suggest a possible role for MRS in early diagnosis and for surrogate biochemical markers for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic response.
Autonomous protein sample processing on‐chip using solid‐phase microextraction, capillary force pumping, and microdispensing

A capillary force filling microsystem consisting of a chip‐integrated solid‐phase microextraction (SMEC) array and a microdispenser for sample purification and trace enrichment of peptides is described. The microextraction array was loaded with solid‐phase media (50 μm Poros R2 beads) for purification and enrichment of proteomic samples. Samples bound to the SMEC were eluted in a volume of 200 nL. A piezo‐electric microdispenser was docked to the array and the samples bound to the SMEC were eluted in a volume of 200 nL using capillary forces. The purified and enriched samples were dispensed onto the matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) target, providing quality data from samples in the picomolar range. The nanoproteomic platform was compared to corresponding commercial preparation protocols, showing higher mass spectrometry (MS) signal intensities for peptides generated from an α‐casein digest. The platform was also elvaluated with regards to two‐dimensional (2‐D) gel‐derived protein digests from both fibroblast and epithelial target cells.