Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fitness as a determinant of the oxygen uptake/work rate slope in healthy children and children with inflammatory myopathy.

UNLABELLED There is evidence that the slope of the change in oxygen uptake accompanying changes in work rate (delta VO2/delta W). during moderate incremental exercise is influenced by fitness (peak VO2). We set out to determine whether delta VO2/delta W was related to fitness in a group of healthy children and in children with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), a condition associated with decreased peak VO2. We also hypothesized that delta VO2/delta would be significantly decreased in children with JDM compared to healthy children. METHODS Twelve children (2 boys) with JDM, mean age 11.6 +/- 3.6 yrs, and 20 healthy children (4 boys), mean age 11.3 +/- 2.9 years, performed an incremental exercise test using a cycle ergometer. delta VO2/delta W below the anaerobic threshold was analyzed using linear regression. Correlations between peak VO2 and delta VO2/delta W were calculated, and differences between the JDM and healthy groups were analyzed using independent t-tests. RESULTS The delta VO2/delta W was significantly correlated with peak VO2 for children with JDM (r = 0.71, p < 0.01), healthy children (r = 0.53, p < 0.01), and all children combined (r = 0.78, p < 0.001). The delta VO2/delta W (7.4 +/- 1.4 vs. 10.8 +/- 1.2 ml O2.min-1.watt-1) and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) (19.2 +/- 5.0 vs. 31.4 +/- 7.2 ml O2.kg-1, min-1) were significantly lower in children with JDM than in healthy children, respectively (all p < or = 0.001). CONCLUSION Fitness is significantly related to delta VO2/delta W in healthy children and those with JDM. Children with JDM have a significantly lower delta VO2/delta W than healthy children. Further study is needed to identify specific factors influencing delta VO2/delta W.
Methylene blue inhibits the asexual development of vivax malaria parasites from a region of increasing chloroquine resistance.

OBJECTIVES Methylene blue, once discarded due to its unsettling yet mild side effects, has now found a renewed place in the pharmacopoeia of modern medicine. The continued spread of drug-resistant Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum has also led to a recent re-examination of methylene blue's potent antimalarial properties. Here we examine the ex vivo susceptibility profile of Plasmodium spp. isolates to methylene blue; the isolates were from a region on the Thai-Myanmar border where there are increasing rates of failure when treating vivax malaria with chloroquine. METHODS To do this we used a newly developed ex vivo susceptibility assay utilizing flow cytometry and a portable flow cytometer with a near-UV laser. RESULTS P. vivax (median methylene blue IC50 3.1 nM, IQR 1.7-4.3 nM) and P. falciparum (median methylene blue IC50 1.8 nM, IQR 1.6-2.3 nM) are susceptible to methylene blue treatment at physiologically relevant levels. Unfortunately, the addition of chloroquine to combination treatments with methylene blue significantly reduces the ex vivo effectiveness of this molecule. CONCLUSIONS Our data support further efforts to employ methylene blue as a safe, low-cost antimalarial to treat drug-resistant malaria.
Public health risks from subclinical variant CJD

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a zoonotic prion disease thought to have been transmitted to humans through the consumption of food products contaminated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the 1980s and/or early 1990s. As with all prion disorders, it is a fatal neurodegenerative disease arising from conversion of the normal cellular form of the prion protein PrP, encoded by the prion gene (PRNP), to an abnormal form associated with disease (PrP). Prion diseases have long asymptomatic incubation periods ranging from years to decades. Extensive studies involving both natural and experimental animal diseases have demonstrated that infectivity is present during the subclinical phase and may be transmitted between individuals. While the cases of clinical vCJD currently appear to be in decline, one of the current challenges is defining the prevalence of subclinical disease and the risk this poses to both individuals and the general population.
Hemodynamic characteristics of primary aldosteronism.

Abstract As compared with 30 matched patients with essential hypertension, 16 with primary aldosteronism had a higher heart rate (p<0.02), cardiac index (p<0.01) and mean rate of left ventricular ejection (p<0.025). A clinically evident hyperkinetic circulatory state was more frequent in primary aldosteronism (six of 16) than in essential hypertension (four of 30). Cardiac index correlated inversely with diastolic pressure in primary aldosteronism (r = -0.661, p<0.01). Better surgical results were obtained in patients who had the higher cardiac output before operation. Plasma volume was 103 per cent of normal ± 2.7 (S.E.) in primary aldosteronism, 111 per cent ± 2.6 in 10 patients with hypervolemic hypertension, and 86 per cent ± 2.1 in 20 with hypovolemic hypertension. In both the hypovolemic group and primary aldosteronism, plasma volume correlated inversely with peripheral resistance (r = -0.531, p<0.05 and r = -0.610, p<0.02, respectively), so that for any level of resistance, plasma volume was higher.
The Effects of Task Conflict and Relationship Conflict on Workforce Agility: Moderating Role of Social Media Usage

Workforce agility has been considered as an important factor responding to the uncertain environment. However, current research on how to develop workforce agility remains unclear, so identifying the influencing factors for achieving workforce agility is needed. Based on the information processing view, we propose a model to examine how task conflict and relationship conflict affect workforce agility and the moderating effects of social media usage on these relationships. The results show that relationship conflict has a negative effect on workforce agility and task conflict has a positive effect on workforce agility. Additionally, we find the relationship between task conflict and workforce agility is moderated by social media usage, such that the effect of task conflict on workforce agility is weaker when employees use social media frequently. We conclude with implications and suggestions for future research.
Quercetin: A Promising Flavonoid with a Dynamic Ability to Treat Various Diseases, Infections, and Cancers

Quercetin is a multifaceted dietary flavonoid with a multitude of biologic activities that can be used to treat various ailments. These include cancer, bacterial and viral infections, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. A greater emphasis on cancer is discussed within this paper by highlighting some of the beneficial qualities of quercetin without including other related dietary flavonoids and quercetin analogs. In vitro and in vivo analysis are evaluated without making recommendations on dosage, dosing regiments, or administration since quercetin has not been subjected to rigorous clinical trials despite the significant amount of research that has been conducted with quercetin.
Lithium and porcine aggression.

One hundred and forty-eight growing pigs were used in four experiments conducted to determine the effect of lithium (Li) on the level of aggression among newly mixed, previously unacquainted pigs. Pits maintained on low levels of dietary Li (17 to 84 ppm) attained serum Li concentrations of . 1 to . 7 mEq/liter. At these low serum levels, biting activity was consistently lower than it was among control pigs, although the difference was usually not statistically significant. Low levels of dietary Li did not significantly affect rate of gain or feed efficiency. When high concentrations of serum Li were achieved by an intraperitoneal injection, pig aggression was reduced (P < .05) to almost zero for 10 hr postmixing. This effect was probably due to drug-induced malaise associated with potentially toxic serum Li concentrations (above 3.0 mEq/liter). These data suggest that Li can substantially reduce aggression among pigs that are unfamiliar with each other. However, the resulting emesis and reduced feed intake associated with high levels of serum Li are sufficient to contraindicate its use for reducing fighting among unfamiliar growing pigs.
S(+)-Ketamine for Rectal Premedication in Children

Our purpose for this prospective, randomized, and double-blinded study was to evaluate the anesthetic efficacy of S(+)-ketamine, an enantiomer of racemic ketamine, compared with a combination of S(+)-ketamine and midazolam, and plain midazolam for rectal premedication in pediatric anesthesia. Sixty-two children, ASA physical status I and II, scheduled for minor surgery, were randomly assigned to be given rectally one of the following: 1.5 mg/kg preservative-free S(+)-ketamine, a combination of 0.75 mg/kg preservative-free S(+)-ketamine and 0.75 mg/kg midazolam, or 0.75 mg/kg midazolam. Preoperative anesthetic efficacy was graded during a period of 20 min by using a five-point scale from 1 = awake to 5 = asleep. Tolerance during anesthesia induction via face mask was graded by using a four-point scale from 1 = very good to 4 = bad. A sufficient anesthetic level (≥3) after rectal premedication was reached in 86% in midazolam/S(+)-ketamine premedicated children, in 75% in midazolam premedicated children, but only in 30% in S(+)-ketamine premedicated children (P < 0.05 S(+)-ketamine versus midazolam/S(+)-ketamine and midazolam groups). The incidence of side effects after rectal premedication was rare. Whereas the mask acceptance score was comparable in the three study groups, a 25% rate of complications during anesthesia induction via face was observed in the S(+)-ketamine study group (P < 0.05 versus other study groups). Our conclusions are that S(+)-ketamine for rectal premedication in the dose we chose shows a poor anesthetic effect and a frequent incidence of side effects during induction of anesthesia via face mask compared with the combination of midazolam/S(+)-ketamine and plain midazolam. Dose-response studies of S(+)-ketamine for rectal premedication in pediatric anesthesia may be warranted. IMPLICATIONS In contrast to racemic ketamine, neither plain S(+)-ketamine (1.5 mg/kg) nor the addition of S(+)-ketamine (0.75 mg/kg) with midazolam shows advantages compared with plain midazolam for rectal premedication in children for anesthetic potencies or facilitation of induction of anesthesia via face mask.
Urbanization, Agglomeration, and Economic Development

CHAPTER 4 Urbanization, Agglomeration, and Economic Development John M. Quigley In 2007 the United Nations Population Fund released a report forecasting rapidly rising levels of urbanization over the next two decades, especially in the developing world. It noted that for the ﬁrst time in history, more than half the world’s population resides in urban areas. The same year UN- HABITAT issued a report highlighting the slums and deplorable living con- ditions in cities in developing countries. That report (UN-HABITAT 2007) estimated that by the end of 2007 there would be more than 1 billion slum dwellers, most of them living in developing countries. It claims that in many cases the economic circumstances of urban migrants are worse than those of rural peasants. In 2003 the United Nations surveyed member govern- ments eliciting their attitudes toward urbanization. It found that the “vast majority” of these governments would have liked to shift populations back to rural areas and to stem the tide of urbanization. Is urbanization actually bad for development? If life in urban areas were worse for urban dwellers than the life they left behind, presumably they would leave the city. So why all the fuss about urbanization and development? The author is grateful to Patricia Annez and Robert Buckley for their comments, as well as to Vernon Henderson and Stephen Malpezzi. John M. Quigley GCU_04pp115-132.indd 115 9/18/08 4:18:56 PM
The ecto‐nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase NTPDase2/CD39L1 is expressed in a novel functional compartment within the liver

Extracellular nucleotides regulate diverse biological functions and are important in the regulation of liver metabolism, hepatic blood flow, and bile secretion. Ecto‐nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (NTPDases) hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides and are therefore potential regulators of nucleotide‐mediated signaling. To examine this, we have contrasted the structural and functional distributions of the 2 characterized membrane‐bound NTPDases NTPDase1 and NTPDase2 within the rat liver. Hepatic expression of NTPDase2 was determined and contrasted to NTPDase1 using confocal immunofluorescence, immunoelectron microscopy, reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction, Northern blot analysis, Western blot analysis, and functional assays. NTPDase2 was expressed in the periportal region surrounding intrahepatic bile ducts, whereas NTPDase1 was found in hepatic arteries, portal veins, and hepatic central veins, consistent with its known vascular distribution. Functional and molecular expression of NTPDase2 was shown in portal fibroblasts near basolateral membranes of bile duct epithelia. In conclusion, NTPDase2 is expressed in a novel cellular compartment surrounding intrahepatic bile ducts, namely portal fibroblasts. This distribution may represent a previously unrecognized mechanism for regulation of nucleotide signaling in bile ducts and other epithelia.
Design of a set logic network based on frequency multiplexing and its applications to image processing

An ultra-higher-valued logic network, called a set logic network, is proposed to provide a potential solution to the interconnection problems in VLSI systems. The basic concept is frequency multiplexing of logic values for the increase of information density in logic networks. It is shown that the set logic network can be constructed with only two basic building blocks realized by frequency-selective analog circuits. Its application to a parallel image processor is discussed based on functional multiplexing of binary modules into a single set logic module. A great reduction of interconnections can be achieved by using an optimal multiplexing scheme. <<ETX>>
Human bronchial epithelial cells express an active and inducible biosynthetic pathway for leukotrienes B4 and C4

Background Human bronchial epithelial cells synthesize cyclooxygenase and 15‐lipoxygenase products, but the 5‐lipoxygenase (5‐LO) pathway that generates the leukotriene (LT) family of bronchoconstrictor and pro‐inflammatory mediators is thought to be restricted to leucocytes.
Endodontic retreatment of a maxillary first molar

History Presenting complaint – persistent dull pain arising from the upper right area of the mouth. History of complaint – Mr DS complained of a well localised, moderate, but constant dull ache arising from the right maxillary first molar (UR6). This started nine months ago following an acute episode that was managed by his GDP with antibiotics and is exacerbated only by masticatory forces with no sensitivity to thermal stimuli. The pain, which fortunately does not disturb his sleep, was being managed by overthe-counter analgesics. He recalls that the tooth in question had previously undergone root canal therapy approximately nine years ago as a result of extensive caries. This was allegedly completed over a single visit, with no recollection of rubber dam use and, upon completion, was coronally restored with a direct restoration. Relevant dental and social history – Mr DS regularly attends his GDP and has adopted an excellent oral hygiene regime, a low cariogenic diet, has never smoked and presents little to no anxiety or parafunction. Relevant medical history – no relevant medical history or known drug allergies. Examination – an extraoral assessment concluded a right submandibular lymphadenopathy.
Three Mating Type-Like Loci in Candida glabrata

ABSTRACT Candida glabrata, the second most prevalent Candida species colonizing humans, possesses three mating type-like (MTL) loci (MTL1, MTL2, and MTL3). These loci contain pairs of MTL genes with their respective coding regions on complementary Crick and Watson DNA strands. Each pair of genes is separated by a shared intergenic promoter region, the same configuration found at the mating type loci of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two of the MTL loci, MTL1 and MTL2, contain either the MTLa1/MTLa2 configuration or the MTLα1/MTLα2 configuration in different strains. All but one of the 38 tested C. glabrata strains were either aaα or aαα. One test strain was ααα. Based on the mating type genotype, the MTL genes at the MTL1 or MTL2 loci, and the size of the XbaI fragment harboring MTL1 or MTL2, four classes of C. glabrata strains (I, II, III, and IV) were distinguished. Northern analysis revealed that strains were either a-expressors or α-expressors and that expression always reflected the genotype of either the MTL1 or MTL2 locus, depending on the class. The expression pattern in each class, therefore, is similar to that observed in S. cerevisiae, which harbors two silent cassette loci, HMR and HML, and the expression locus MAT. High-frequency phenotypic switching between core phenotypes in an α-expressing, but not in an a-expressing, strain modulated the level of MTL expression, suggesting a possible relationship between core phenotypic switching and mating.
The effect of sulfur mustard and nitrogen mustard on corneal collagen degradation induced by the enzyme collagenase

Objective: Sulfur mustard (SM) is an alkylating agent that can affect cornea and induce various complications. With regard to the role of the enzyme collagenase in dermatologic complications induced by SM and its role in other ocular disorders, we studied the effect of SM and nitrogen mustard (NM) on collagen degradation by collagenase. Materials and methods: This study included 7 groups of samples: The negative control group contained collagen without collagenase and toxins, the control group contained collagen and collagenase without any toxin, the positive control groups of NM and SM contained collagen and NM or SM without collagenase, the experimental groups of NM and SM contained collagen that was affected by NM or SM and collagenase, and the control group of collagenase contained only collagenase without containing collagen or receiving toxins. After incubation for 3.5 hours, the amount of hydroxyproline and the protein content of the samples were measured. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The protein concentrations of the negative control group and the positive control groups of SM and NM were significantly lower than those for all other groups of the study. There was a significant difference in hydroxyproline concentration of control group and negative control group; however, there was no significant difference between experimental group of SM and the positive conrol group of SM. There was no significant difference between the negative control group and the positive control group of SM in the hydroxyproline concentration of sediment samples. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, SM can affect the corneal collagen in a way in which collagenase cannot degrade it. In addition, it can be hypothesized that ineffective activity of this enzyme can result in increasing concentration of collagenase, which can lead to the destruction of the normal collagen of the cornea. The main result of this study confirms the hypothesis that SM inhibits the effect of collagenase on corneal collagen.
Lattice Weyl-Wigner formulation of exact many-body quantum-transport theory and applications to novel solid-state quantum-based devices.

Grâce a ce formalisme plus realiste, les calculs a la fois numeriques et analytiques, qui incluent entierement les effets quantiques et les effets a plusieurs corps, peuvent etre realises d'une maniere directe et avec un sens physique. Ceci est demontre par de nouveaux resultats fondes en une stimulation numerique plus precise
Dual Effect of the Serotonin Agonist, Sumatriptan, on Peripheral Neurogenic Inflammation

Background and Objectives. Sumatriptan is a novel drug for migraine headache pain, which, on the basis of its mechanism of action, may have therapeutic potential in other pain states. Sumatriptan inhibits neurogenic inflammation in dural vessels by activating the 5‐HTIB and 5‐HTID inhibitory serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine [5‐HT]) receptor subtypes on terminals of trigeminal neurons. This study was designed to determine the role of sumatriptan in peripheral pain mechanisms by detecting whether 5‐HT1B and 5‐HT1D receptors and the recently cloned excitatory 5‐HT7 receptor, for which sumatriptan displays moderate binding affinity, are present in peripheral sensory neurons, and by determining the effect of sumatriptan on peripheral neurogenic inflammation. Methods. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used to detect mRNA for 5‐HT receptors in rat lumbar dorsal root ganglia. Rat knee joint plasma extravasation was used to determine the effect of sumatriptan on peripheral neurogenic inflammation. Results. The mRNA for the sumatriptan‐activated receptors 5‐HT1B, 5‐HT1D, and 5‐HT7, was detected in lumbar dorsal root ganglia. In rat knee joint, capsaicin‐activated C‐fibers stimulated plasma extravasation to 273 ± 62% of baseline. Low‐concentration sumatriptan (50 nM) significantly inhibited capsaicin‐induced plasma extravasation to 106 ± 6% of baseline. High‐concentration sumatriptan (1 μM) significantly enhanced capsaicin‐induced plasma extravasation to 572 ± 55% of baseline. Conclusions. Sumatriptan inhibits peripheral neurogenic inflammation, probably via 5‐HT1B/1D receptors, and may be a novel therapy for inflammatory pain states. However, high concentrations (> 200 nM) may enhance neurogenic inflammation, possibly by activation of 5‐HT7 receptors, which may explain lack of migraine relief and excessive injection site pain in 20‐30% of patients treated with sumatriptan.
Packaging system for rapid production of murine leukemia virus vectors with variable tropism

A method for rapidly producing helper-free murine leukemia virus (MLV) without using packaging cell lines is described. Viruses bearing ecotropic or amphotropic MLV or Rous sarcoma virus envelope glycoprotein and containing various retroviral vector genomes have been prepared with titers 30 to 40-fold higher than those produced by transient transfection of standard packaging cells. This system can be used to alter the cellular tropism of MLV by incorporating other envelope glycoproteins and to prepare retroviral vector stocks without establishing stable producer cell lines. This method will be particularly useful for preparing viruses that encode toxic proteins and for the rapid analysis of panels of mutant envelope glycoproteins.