Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultrastructural Localization of the Terminal and Lytic Ninth Complement Component (C9) at the Motor End‐plate in Myasthenia Gravis

The terminal and lytic complement component (C9) was localized at the motor end-plate in acquired autoimmune myasthenia gravis (MG) by the immunoperoxidase method, with adequate preservation of fine structure and negligible background staining. C9 was localized on short segments of the postsynaptic membrane, on degenerated fragments of the junctional folds shed into the synaptic space, and on disintegrating junctional folds. An inverse relationship was noted between the structural integrity of the junctional folds and the abundance of C9 at a given endplate region. Destruction of junctional folds by complement may induce relocation of the nerve terminal and increased spatial separation of end-plate regions on the muscle fiber. Destruction of junctional folds by the complement membrane attack complex is a cause of the acetylcholine receptor deficiency at the MG end-plate, but antibody-dependent modulation of the receptor may also contribute to deficiency of the receptor. In certain disorders other than autoimmune MG, pathological mechanisms other than complement-mediated lysis may affect the structural integrity of the postsynaptic region.
A Risk Assessment for Consumers of Mourning Doves

Recreational and subsistence hunters and anglers consume a wide range of species, including birds, mammals, fish and shellfish, some of which represent significant exposure pathways for environmental toxic agents. This study focuses on the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Savannah River Site (SRS), a former nuclear weapons production facility in South Carolina. The potential risk of contaminant intake from consuming mourning doves (Zenaida macroura), the most popular United States game bird, was examined under various risk scenarios. For all of these scenarios we used the mean tissue concentration of six metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, selenium, chromium, manganese) and radiocesium, in doves collected on and near SRS. We also estimated risk to a child consuming doves that had the maximum contaminant level. We used the cancer slope factor for radiocesium, the Environmental Protection Agencies Uptake/Biokinetic model for lead, and published reference doses for the other metals. As a result of our risk assessments we recommend management of water levels in contaminated reservoirs so that lake bed sediments are not exposed to use by gamebirds and other terrestrial wildlife. Particularly, measures should be taken to insure that the hunting public does not have access to such a site. Our data also indicate that doves on popular hunting areas are exposed to excess lead, suggesting that banning lead shot for doves, as has been done for waterfowl, is desirable.
Differential Regulation of Chemokine Secretion in Tuberculous and Staphylococcal Osteomyelitis

Bone infection or osteomyelitis is characterized by uncontrolled inflammation and destructive bone loss although little is known about immunopathogenesis of infection. We investigated control of chemokine secretion from osteoblasts infected with either Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which normally elicits a granulomatous host response, or Staphylococcus aureus, which drives a host response dominated by neutrophil influx. We show that M. tuberculosis infection of cultured and primary osteoblasts induces extensive secretion of the chemokines interleukin (IL)‐8, inducible protein (IP) 10, RANTES, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP) 1 within 72 h (1630 ± 280 pg/ml per 4 × 105 cells, 74,130 ± 8480 pg/ml per 4 × 105 cells, 18,330 ± 3040 pg/ml per 4 × 105 cells, and 13,8670 ± 13,340 pg/ml per 4 × 105 cells, respectively, for MG‐63 osteoblasts). S. aureus infection also results in secretion of these chemokines but secretion is delayed and of lesser magnitude (210 ± 10 pg/ml per 4 × 105 cells, 11,570 ± 1240 pg/ml per 4 × 105 cells, 930 ± 34 pg/ml per 4 × 105 cells, and 13,770 ± 720 pg/ml per 4 × 105 cells for IL‐8, IP‐10, RANTES, and MCP‐1, respectively). The minimal up‐regulation of secretion of the neutrophil attractant IL‐8 in staphylococcal infection is both striking and unexpected. In both infections, chemokine secretion was dependent on the presence of live organisms. Differences in kinetics and magnitude of chemokine secretion are associated with distinct patterns of mRNA expression, as assessed by ribonuclease protection assay (RPA) and reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). In addition, nuclear localization of the transcription factor activator protein (AP) 1 in M. tuberculosis‐infected osteoblasts also is distinct as compared with S. aureus‐infected cells. In summary, this study shows that osteoblasts have an important pathogen‐specific role in control of chemokine gene expression and secretion during the human immune response to osteomyelitis.
The effect of a preanaesthetic information booklet on patient understanding and satisfaction.

AIM To determine if a brief user friendly anaesthetic booklet compliments the anaesthetic service currently provided, in terms of greater patient understanding and satisfaction. METHOD Two questionnaires were completed by participants in each group, one questionnaire preoperatively and the other postoperatively. The booklet group received the anaesthetic booklet in the mail with their booking card while the control group only received their booking card. RESULTS Of the 209 eligible, 140 patients consented to and completed the preoperative questionnaire, of whom 53 were in the anaesthetic booklet group and 87 were in the control group. The postoperative questionnaire was completed by 38 and 65 respectively. The anaesthetic booklet group had better understanding of what a premed will do (p < 0.05) and how long after an anaesthetic to wait before driving (p < 0.025). The percentage of correct answers for the more general anaesthetic questions was high and very similar in both groups. There was no significant difference in the satisfaction scores between groups. Satisfaction scores for both groups rose significantly in the postoperative questionnaire when compared with the preoperative questionnaire (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The value of the anaesthetic booklet is in providing detailed anaesthetic information to the patient. This will aid the preanaesthetic consultation with the anaesthetist and provide a focus for further discussion about the intended anaesthetic. Patient satisfaction with the anaesthetic service was high in both groups pre- and postoperatively and was not altered by the anaesthetic booklet.
Autogenic Training – a self-help technique for children with emotional and behavioural problems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss Autogenic Training as an effective therapy for children with behavioural and emotional problems. The technique offers children in therapeutic communities strategies in dealing better with stress- and anxiety-related problems. The resulting increased body awareness and ability for self-reflection can also lead to a better engagement in other forms of therapy, decrease anxieties, reduce levels of frustration, increase self-esteem, decrease the fight/flight feeling and supports the work in therapeutic communities. Design/methodology/approach – International literature and the author’s experience are reviewed to provide a better understanding of the technique and its potential in therapeutic communities. The paper explores creative ways of modifying the technique aiming to help children engage in the autogenic process. Findings – The paper concludes that Autogenic Training is an effective therapy and self-help technique for children with emotional and behavioural problems in therapeutic communities. Originality/value – Autogenic Training is well known in other European countries and often used as a first intervention in therapeutic settings for children and adults. There seems to be a clear lack of literature, papers and understanding of the technique in the UK. The paper addresses this deficit.
Penile prosthesis in the surgical treatment of Peyronie's disease

Peyronie's disease appears to be a condition of middle-aged men. In many of them, the disease is accompanied by erectile dysfunction, which, until recently, was attributed to penile deformity. Later, it turned out that the erectile dysfunction has the same causes as in men without Peyronie's disease with vascular and psychological components. In all cases, the pathology of the disease is characterized by the formation of a fibrous plaque, which will lead to penile curvature at different degrees and directions during erection and pain. These symptoms will have a major impact on the sexual life of the patients. The most common, the plaque, is located on the dorsal side of the penis, leading to dorsal deviation. The use of penile prostheses can ensure the development of a normal sex life by correcting the penile deviation and by providing the necessary rigidity for penetration.
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Adult Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES To identify the normal baseline preoperative range of cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2) derived using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and the efficacy of perioperative interventions designed to modulate SctO2 in cardiac surgical patients. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) extracted from the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. SETTING Hospitals performing cardiac surgery. PARTICIPANTS The study comprised 953 participants from 11 RCTs. INTERVENTIONS Interventions included the following: (1) SctO2 monitoring protocol compared with no monitoring; (2) use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) compared with no CPB; (3) normothermic CPB compared with hypothermic CPB; (4) glyceryl trinitrate during surgery compared with placebo; (5) midazolam during induction of anesthesia compared with propofol; (6) sevoflurane anesthesia compared with total intravenous anesthesia; (7) sevoflurane anesthesia compared with propofol-based anesthesia; and (8) norepinephrine during CPB compared with phenylephrine. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Eleven RCTs with 953 participants measured baseline preoperative SctO2 using NIRS. The pooled mean baseline SctO2 was 66.4% (95% CI 65.0-67.7), generating a reference range of 51.0% to 81.8%. Four interventions (1, 3, 4, and 6 described in the Interventions section above) increased intraoperative SctO2 across the majority of reported time points. Postoperative follow-up of SctO2 occurred in only 1 study, and postoperative cognitive assessment correlating SctO2 with cognitive function was applied in only 4 studies using variable methodology. CONCLUSIONS The authors have established that reference values for baseline NIRS-derived SctO2 in cardiac surgery patients are varied and have identified interventions that modulate SctO2. This information opens the door to standardized research and interventional studies in this field.
Diagnosis of Crohn's disease in India where tuberculosis is widely prevalent.

AIM To define the parameters that positively predict diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD) and differentiate it from gastrointestinal tuberculosis (GITB). METHODS This prospective study over 3 years was carried out in the consecutive Indian patients with definite diagnosis of CD and equal numbers of patients with definite diagnosis of GITB. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, morphological and histological features were noted in all the patients. Serological tests such as p-ANCA, c-ANCA, IgA ASCA and IgG ASCA, were performed. Endoscopic biopsy and/or surgical tissue specimens were subjected to smear and culture for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and tissue polymerase chain reaction for tuberculosis (TB PCR). Diagnosis of CD and GITB was based on the standard criteria. Data were analyzed using univariate Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression (MLR). RESULTS The study is comprised of 26 patients with CD (age 36.6 +/- 8.6 year, male:female, 16:10) and 26 patients with GITB (age 37.2 +/- 9.6 year, male:female, 15:11). The following clinical variables between the two groups (CD vs TB) were significant in univariate analysis: duration of symptoms (58.1 +/- 9.8 vs 7.2 +/- 3.4 mo), diarrhoea (69.2% vs 34.6%), bleeding per rectum (30.7% vs 3.8%), fever (23.1% vs 69.2%), ascites (7.7% vs 34.6%) and extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (61.5% vs 23.1%). Of these, all except ascites and extra-colonic manifestations were found statistically significant by MLR. Accuracy of predicting CD was 84.62% based on the fever, bleeding P/R, diarrhoea and duration of symptoms while it was 63.4% when histology was reported as inflammatory bowel disease and 42.3% when there was recurrence of disease after surgery. Accuracy of predicting GITB was 73.1% when there was co-existing pulmonary lesions and/or abdominal lymphadenopathy; 75% when tuberculosis was reported in histology; 63.4% when granuloma was found in histology; 82.6% when TB PCR was positive; and 61.5% when smear and/ or culture was positive for AFB. Serological test was not useful in differentiation of CD from GITB. Positivity rates for CD and GITB were: p-ANCA- 3.8% and 3.8%, c-ANCA- 3.8% and 0%, IgA ASCA- 38.4% and 23.1%, and IgG ASCA- 38.4% and 42.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION Simple clinical parameters like fever, bleeding P/R, diarrhoea and duration of symptoms have the highest accuracy in differentiating CD from GITB.
Patterns of Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Frailty in Community-dwelling Older Adults.

BACKGROUND Consumption of moderate-to-heavy amounts of alcohol has been associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Although both diseases are main causes of the frailty syndrome, no previous study has assessed the association between alcohol-drinking patterns and risk of frailty in older adults. METHODS A prospective cohort study of 2,086 community-dwelling individuals aged 60 and older, recruited in 2008-2010, and followed through 2012, was carried out. Drinking patterns were self-reported at baseline. Moderate drinking was defined as alcohol intake less than 40 g/day for men and less than 24 g/day for women. A Mediterranean drinking pattern was defined as moderate alcohol intake, with wine preference (≥80% of alcohol proceeds from wine) and drinking only with meals. Study participants were followed through 2012 to ascertain incident frailty, defined as ≥2 of the following 4 Fried criteria: exhaustion, muscle weakness, low physical activity, and slow walking speed. Analyses were performed with logistic regression and adjusted for the main confounders. RESULTS After a mean follow-up of 3.3 (SD = 0.6) years, 292 participants with incident frailty were identified. Compared with nondrinkers, the odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval of frailty was 0.90 (0.65-1.25) for moderate drinkers. The corresponding results were 0.74 (0.48-1.16) for wine versus other beverage preference and 0.53 (0.31-0.92) for drinking only with meals versus only outside meals. Finally, compared with nondrinkers, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of frailty was 0.68 (0.47-0.99) for those adhering to the Mediterranean drinking pattern. CONCLUSIONS Certain drinking patterns, in particular drinking only with meals and the Mediterranean drinking pattern, are associated with a lower risk of frailty in older adults.
Phase I clinical trial of the immunocytokine EMD 273063 in melanoma patients.

PURPOSE To evaluate the safety, toxicity, in vivo immunologic activation, and maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of EMD 273063 (hu14.18-IL-2) in patients with metastatic melanoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-three patients were treated with EMD 273063, a humanized anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody (mAb) linked to interleukin-2 (IL-2). EMD 273063 was given as a 4-hour intravenous infusion on days 1, 2, and 3 of week 1. Patients with stabilization or regression of disease could receive a second course of treatment at week 5. Dose levels evaluated were 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, 4.8, 6.0, and 7.5 mg/m2/d. RESULTS Nineteen of 33 patients completed course 1 with stable disease and went on to receive course 2. Eight patients had stable disease on completion of course 2. Grade 3 adverse events included hypophosphatemia (11 patients), hyperglycemia (three patients), hypotension (two patients), thrombocytopenia (one patient), hypoxia (three patients), elevated hepatic transaminases (two patients), and hyperbilirubinemia (one patient). Opioids were required for treatment-associated arthralgias and/or myalgias during 17 of 52 treatment courses. No grade 4 adverse events were observed. Dose-limiting toxicities at the MTD included hypoxia, hypotension, and elevations in AST/ALT. Grade 3 toxicities were anticipated based on prior studies of IL-2 or anti-GD2 mAbs, and all resolved. Immune activation was induced, as measured by lymphocytosis, increased peripheral-blood natural killer activity, and cell numbers, and increased serum levels of the soluble alpha chain of the IL-2 receptor complex. CONCLUSION Treatment with the immunocytokine EMD 273063 induced immune activation and was associated with reversible clinical toxicities at the MTD of 7.5 mg/m2/d in melanoma patients.
Cytology of the corpus luteum.

Past current and future research into the cytological and morphological aspects of the corpus luteum are reviewed describing the current state of knowledge on lutein cells and new methods of research. Current knowledge on many aspects of the corpus luteum function is rudimentary and understanding of steroid synthesis and secretion is particularly limited. A study of corpus luteum cytology is described concentrating on the granulosa lutein cells of early pregnancy. Characteristics of the mitochondria endoplasmic reticulum Golgi complex granules lipid nucleus filaments and surface specializations are discussed and compared with other research. New techniques for further research provide hope for improvement in the scanty cytological knowledge of the corpus luteum. Differentiating cells in vitro sectioning frozen tissue use of antisteroid antibodies and combined biochemical-morphological studies are some of the new directions in this research.
Effect of tidal stream power generation on the region-wide circulation in a shallow sea

Abstract. This paper quantifies the backward effect on the ocean currents caused by a tidal stream farm located in the open shallow sea. Recent studies in channels with 1-D models have indicated that the power potential is not given purely by the flux of kinetic energy, as has been commonly assumed. In this study, a 3-D ocean circulation model is used to estimate (i) practically extractable energy resource at different levels of rated generation capacity of the farm, (ii) changes in the strength of currents due to energy extraction, and (iii) alterations in the pattern of residual currents and the pathways of passive tracers. As well as tidal streams, the model also takes into account the wind-driven and density-driven ocean currents. Numerical modelling has been carried out for a hypothetical tidal farm located in the Celtic Sea north of Cornwall, an area known for its high level of tidal energy. Modelling results clearly indicate that the extracted power does not grow linearly with the increase in the rated capacity of the farm. For the case study covered in this paper, a 100-fold increase in the rated generation capacity of the farm results in only 7-fold increase in extracted power. In the case of a high power farm, kinetic energy of currents is altered significantly as far as 10–20 km away from the farm. At high levels of extracted energy the currents tend to avoid flowing through the farm, an effect which is not captured with 1-D models. Residual currents are altered as far as a hundred kilometres away. The magnitude of changes in the dispersion of tracers is highly sensitive to the location. Some of the passive drifters analysed in this study experience significant variations in the end-to-start distance due to energy extraction ranging from 13% to 238% while others are practically unaffected. This study shows that both energy extraction estimates and effects on region wide circulation depend on a complex combination of factors, and the specific figures given in the paper should be generally considered as first estimates.
Dyadic Consensus and Satisfaction of Married and Dating Couples in Malaysia

In recent years, central research on relationships has focused mostly on the quality of relationships. It has been postulated that married and dating couples tend to rate the quality of their relationship differently. The present study aims to explore this statement in addition to examining the role of gender in couple satisfaction and consensus. A total of 160 participants that were made up of 80 married individuals and 80 individuals who were dating were surveyed for this purpose. The Dyadic Consensus and Dyadic Satisfaction subscale from the Dyadic Adjustment Scale were administered to the couples. Independent-samples T-test was used to analyse the gender differences in regards to dyadic consensus and dyadic satisfaction. It was found that there was a significant difference between married and dating couples in regards to dyadic satisfaction in a relationship. However, it was found that there was no significant difference between married and dating couples in relate to dyadic consensus in a relationship. In addition, findings of this study revealed that there was no significant difference in satisfaction and consensus among males and females. Further investigation is recommended on couple’s problem-solving styles which may lead to noticeable differences between genders, married and dating couples as relate to their level of satisfaction and consensus.
Functional analysis of human foamy virus accessory reading frames

Foamy viruses belong to the retroviruses which possess a complex genome structure. The human foamy virus (HFV) isolate bears three open reading frames (the so-called bel genes) in the 3' region of the genome which have been reported to give rise to possibly six different proteins via alternative splicing (W. Muranyi and R. M. Flügel, J. Virol. 65:727-735, 1991). In order to analyze the requirements of these proteins for HFV replication in vitro, we constructed a set of single and combinatory bel gene mutants of an infectious molecular clone of HFV. The mutant which lacked the transacting activator, bel-1, was found to be replication incompetent. All other mutants replicated equally well and gave rise to comparable titers of infectious cell-free virus. When HFV proviruses were put under the control of a heterologous promoter (simian virus 40), none of the accessory gene products was found to be required for expression of structural (gag) proteins. There was no evidence for a posttranscriptional regulatory protein that is present in other complex retroviruses.