Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microsurgical results for small arteriovenous malformations accessible for radiosurgical or embolization treatment.

OBJECTIVE A consecutive series of microsurgically treated small arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), up to 3 cm in diameter, which are theoretically ideal candidates for radiosurgery or embolization, is described. We intended to elucidate the safety and efficacy of the microsurgical removal of AVMs, as compared with the results for radiosurgery and embolization reported in the literature. METHODS Sixty-two patients (32 female and 30 male patients) ranging in age from 7 to 72 years (mean age, 33.3 yr) were included in the series. Of these, 46.8% presented with intracerebral hemorrhage and 24.2% presented with seizures. The 62 patients underwent microsurgical removal of their small (<3 cm) cerebral AVMs by the same surgeon. Twenty-six AVMs (41.9%) were assigned Spetzler-Martin Grade I, 24 (38.7%) were assigned Grade II, and 12 (19.4%) were assigned Grade III. Thirty-three AVMs (53.2%) were located in eloquent brain regions. All patients underwent postoperative control angiography and clinical follow-up after 3 and 6 months. RESULTS The AVMs were extirpated, as confirmed by angiography, in all except one patient, thereby accounting for a 98.4% success rate per angiographic findings. The rate of immediate new postoperative neurological deficits or worsening of preexisting neurological deficits was 27.4%, and the rate of permanent significant neurological deficits was 3.2% at late follow-up. The rate of permanent significant deficits occurring after the microsurgical removal of small AVMs in eloquent regions was 6.1%. The mortality rate in the reported series was 0%. The surgical morbidity rate was 9.7%. CONCLUSION Microsurgery for small AVMs is superior to radiosurgery or interventional neuroradiology because of its high rate of efficacy and low rate of permanent morbidity and because immediate cure of the AVMs can be achieved in the vast majority of patients. The place for radiosurgery in the treatment of small AVMs needs to be more sharply defined after careful assessment of relevant cases by an experienced vascular neurosurgeon.
A microscopic investigation of the lymphoid organs of the beluga, Delphinapterus leucas

Lymphoid organs from belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, ranging in age from less than one to 16 years, were harvested during a sanctioned hunt to investigate morphology. The spleen is divisible into red and white pulp and a stroma consisting of a reticular network, a collagenous capsule, and trabeculae containing smooth muscle bundles. White pulp areas appear to be devoid of follicles and consist mainly of periarteriolar lymphatic sheaths (PALS), that are larger in younger than in older belugas. Definitive marginal zones between red and white pulp are difficult to discern in older belugas. Lymph nodes are similar to those of other mammals; they possess a follicular cortex surrounding a vascular medulla composed of lymphatic cords and sinuses. Smooth muscle is abundant in the medullary region, usually in close proximity to sinuses. The expansive nodular mass at the root of the mesentery, often referred to as the “pseudopancreas,” is similar to lymph nodes in microscopic architecture. Pharyngeal tonsils and gut‐associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) are found along the digestive tract and display an “active” morphology. Tonsils are comprised of lobules of follicles separated by vascular connective tissue. Epithelial‐lined crypts communicate with the pharyngeal lumen. GALT consists of diffuse and follicular lymphocytes within the intestinal mucosa and submucosa. The thymus is well developed in the younger belugas, with lobules divisible into densely packed cortical zones of thymocytes and more loosely arranged medullary lymphocytes. Hassall's corpuscles are occasionally visible within the medulla. Cetaceans diverged evolutionarily from other mammals over 55 million years ago. This study investigates changes in lymphoid organ morphology in a species that now inhabits a unique ecological niche. This study also lays the groundwork for functional investigation of the beluga immune system, particularly as it relates to differences between healthy and stranded animals. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relationships between Endogenous Plasma Biomarkers of Constitutive Cytochrome P450 3A Activity and Single‐Time‐Point Oral Midazolam Microdose Phenotype in Healthy Subjects

Due to high basal interindividual variation in cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) activity and susceptibility to drug interactions, there has been interest in the application of efficient probe drug phenotyping strategies, as well as endogenous biomarkers for assessment of in vivo CYP3A activity. The biomarkers 4β‐hydroxycholesterol (4βHC) and 6β‐hydroxycortisol (6βHCL) are sensitive to CYP3A induction and inhibition. However, their utility for the assessment of constitutive CYP3A activity remains uncertain. We investigated whether endogenous plasma biomarkers (4βHC and 6βHCL) are associated with basal CYP3A metabolic activity in healthy subjects assessed by a convenient single‐time‐point oral midazolam (MDZ) phenotyping strategy. Plasma 4βHC and 6βHCL metabolic ratios (MRs) were analysed in 51 healthy adult participants. CYP3A activity was determined after administration of an oral MDZ microdose (100 μg). Simple linear and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess relationships between MDZ oral clearance, biomarkers and subject covariates. Among study subjects, basal MDZ oral clearance, 4βHC and 6βHCL MRs ranged 6.5‐, 10‐ and 13‐fold, respectively. Participant age and alcohol consumption were negatively associated with MDZ oral clearance (p = 0.03 and p = 0.045, respectively), while weight and female sex were associated with lower plasma 4βHC MR (p = 0.0003 and p = 0.032, respectively). Neither 4βHC nor 6βHCL MRs were associated with MDZ oral clearance. Plasma 4βHC and 6βHCL MRs do not relate to MDZ single‐time‐point metabolic phenotype in the assessment of constitutive CYP3A activity among healthy individuals.
Subacromial impingement syndrome: a musculoskeletal condition or a clinical illusion?

Abstract Background: Subacromial impingement syndrome is considered by many to be the most common of the musculoskeletal conditions affecting the shoulder. It is based on a hypothesis that acromial irritation leads to external abrasion of the bursa and rotator cuff. Objectives: The aim of this paper is to review the evidence for the acromial irritation theory and in doing so challenge the rationale for subacromial decompression. Major findings: There is a body of evidence that suggests there is a lack of concordance regarding (i) the area of tendon pathology and acromial irritation, (ii) the shape of the acromion and symptoms, (iii) the proposal that irritation leads to the development of tendinitis and bursitis, and (iv) imaging changes and symptoms and the development of the condition. In addition, there is no certainty that the benefit derived from the surgery is due to the removal of the acromion as research suggests that a bursectomy in isolation may confer equivalent benefit. It is also possible that the benefit of surgery is due to placebo or simply enforces a sustained period of relative rest which may allow the involved tissues to achieve relative homeostasis. It is possible that pathology originates in the tendon and as such surgery does not address the primary pathoaetiology. This view is strengthened by the findings of studies that have demonstrated no increased clinical benefit from surgery when compared with exercise. Additionally, exercise therapy is associated with a substantially reduced economic burden and less sick leave. Conclusion: As there is little evidence for an acromial impingement model, a more appropriate name may be ‘subacromial pain syndrome’. Moreover, surgery should only be considered after an appropriate period of appropriately structured rehabilitation.
Discrimination of Orthocladiinae Species ( Diptera : Chironomidae ) by using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I

Chironomidae family (Diptera) is more than 120 million years old and has undergone extensive adaptive radiation to occupy a wider range of microhabitats than any other aquatic insect group at present. Chironomidae are often the most abundant group of insects in freshwater environments worldwide. It includes over 10 000 species, distributed from the tropics to the Arctic in lakes, streams and puddles. Unfortunately, the larval stage of Chironomidae, commonly collected in aquatic sampling surveys, possesses relatively few morphological characteristics useful for their identification. Molecular approaches are now being used for identification and taxonomic resolution in many animal taxa including chironomids. In this study, mitochondrial gene, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, has been used as phylogenetic marker in Orthocladiinae species collected from 12 lakes of Turkey. Neighbour-joining, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analysis have been used to identify the relationship between species. According to phylogenetic analysis Cricotopus bicintus, Cricotopus sylvestris, Cricotopus flavocinctus, Cricotopus patens, Rheocricotopus atripes and genus Psectrocladius have been formed monophyletic groups.
Automated Detection of Three-Dimensional Cars in Mobile Laser Scanning Point Clouds Using DBM-Hough-Forests

This paper presents an automated algorithm for rapidly and effectively detecting cars directly from large-volume 3-D point clouds. Rather than using low-order descriptors, a multilayer feature generation model is created to obtain high-order feature representations for 3-D local patches through deep learning techniques. To handle cars with different levels of incompleteness caused by data acquisition ways and occlusions, a hierarchical visibility estimation model is developed to augment Hough voting. Considering scale and orientation variations in the azimuth direction, a set of multiscale Hough forests is constructed to rotationally cast votes to estimate cars' centroids. Quantitative assessments show that the proposed algorithm achieves average completeness, correctness, quality, and F1-measure of 0.94, 0.96, 0.90, and 0.95, respectively, in detecting 3-D cars. Comparative studies also demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other four existing algorithms in accurately and completely detecting 3-D cars from large-scale 3-D point clouds.
The Efficacy of Oral Melatonin in Improving Sleep in Cancer Patients with Insomnia: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study

Background: The natural hormone melatonin has sleep inducing properties. Insomnia in cancer patients is common. So far, melatonin has been seldom tried for the improvement of sleep in patients with malignancies. Keeping this in mind, we planned and conducted a double-blind study to test the efficacy of melatonin in promoting sleep in patients with malignancies suffering from insomnia. Objective: To assess the hypnotic efficacy of oral melatonin in cancer patients with insomnia. Materials and Methods: After Ethical Committee approval, 50 patients (age range 20-65 years) from our pain clinic "NIVARANE" who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4 th edition criteria for primary insomnia were randomized to receive melatonin 3 mg or placebo at 7 pm orally every day for 14 days from our pharmacist. After 1, 7, 14 days, the patients were reviewed with the Athens insomnia scale oral questionnaire to document the subjective sleep quality. The patients and we, the investigators were blinded to the study drug. Results: There were 2 drop outs (one from each group) as they failed to complete visit on day 14. Significant differences in favor of melatonin treatment were found in clinically relevant improvements in insomnia (46.53%; P = 0.00001 vs. 11.30%; P = 0.1026) There was improvement in sleep from 1 to 7 days (19.91%; P = 0.00001 vs. 0.98%; P = 0.2563). More significant improvements were seen between 7 and 14 days (33.24%; P = 0.00001 vs. 10.42%; P = 0.1469). Conclusion: We conclude that daily intake of oral melatonin 2 h before bedtime improves sleep induction and quality in cancer patients with insomnia.
Nitrous Oxide Reduces Thiopental‐Induced Prolongation of Survival in Hypoxic and Anoxic Mice

Arnfred's mouse model urns used to test the effect of thiopental during hypoxia (5% O2) and anoxia, with and without simultaneous administration of nitrous oxide. As found by Arnfred and others, thiopental without N2O more than doubled survival time during hypoxia (from 5.2 ± 0.6 to 13.9 ± 2.6 min). This effect was completely offset by simultaneous use of N2O (from 13.9 ± 2.6 to 4.8 ± 0.7 min). Thiopental without N2O also increased survival time during complete anoxia (from 26 ± 1 to 59 ± 1 sec). This effect was diminished by 58% when N2O was added (from 59 ± 1 to 40 ± 1 sec). We conclude that nitrous oxide diminishes the effect of barbiturates upon survival time in hypoxic and anoxic mice.
Detailed Analysis of IFNg Response Upon Activation Permits Efficient Isolation of Cytomegalovirus-specific CD8+ T Cells for Adoptive Immunotherapy

Adoptive transfer of donor-derived cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T cells may provide long-lived protection from CMV disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Isolation of IFNg-secreting cells after CMV peptide stimulation can be performed by IFNg capture assay to generate highly specific T-cell lines without the need for extensive culture, which may hamper their in vivo efficacy. To exploit the full potential of this approach, we analyzed the IFNg response of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells in detail. Kinetic studies showed that T-cell receptor down-regulation coincided with the induction of IFNg production upon activation, which rapidly declined thereafter despite the continued presence of specific peptide. By varying the strength of stimulation we observed that overstimulation can result in profound T-cell receptor down-regulation, more rapid decline of IFNg production and reduced expansion. On the basis of these findings, we defined optimal conditions for IFNg-based isolation of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells with maximal potential for clinical application. These data stress the importance of analyses of the kinetics of cytokine production for isolation of T cells specific for other infectious or malignant antigens to exploit the full potential of cytokine capture isolation of antigen-specific T cells.
Evaluation of Pet‐Related Management Factors and the Risk of Salmonella spp. Carriage in Pet Dogs from Volunteer Households in Ontario (2005–2006)

The purpose of this study was to determine pet‐related management factors that may be associated with the presence of Salmonella spp. in feces of pet dogs from volunteer households. From October 2005 until May 2006, 138 dogs from 84 households in Ontario were recruited to participate in a cross‐sectional study. Five consecutive daily fecal samples were collected from each dog and enrichment culture for Salmonella spp. was performed. A higher than expected number of the dogs (23.2%; 32/138) had at least one fecal sample positive for Salmonella, and 25% (21/84) of the households had at least one dog shedding Salmonella. Twelve serotypes of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica were identified, with the predominant serotypes being Typhimurium (33.3%; 13/39), Kentucky (15.4%; 6/39), Brandenburg (15.4%; 6/39) and Heidelberg (12.8%; 5/39). Univariable logistic regression models were created with a random effect for household to account for clustering. Statistically significant risk factors for a dog testing positive included having contact with livestock, receiving a probiotic in the previous 30 days, feeding a commercial or homemade raw food diet, feeding raw meat and eggs, feeding a homemade cooked diet, and having more than one dog in the household. In two‐variable models that controlled for feeding raw food, the non‐dietary variables were no longer statistically significant. These results highlight the potential public health risk of including raw animal products in canine diets.
THE EFFECT OF TETRAETHYLAMMONIUM (T.E.A.) ON NEUROMUSCULAR BLOCK CAUSED BY SUCCINYLDICHOLINE AND SUCCINYLMONOCHOLINE

C. J. KENSL~R (195O)lS reported that T. E. A. , besides its anticurare activity, opposes to a certain extent the neuromuscular block produced by decamethonium in the cat. This ability of T.E.A. to antagonize both d-tubocurarine and decamethonium, the modes of action of which on the myoneural junction are so different, seems anomalous as pointed out by L. S. GOODMAN and A. GILMAN ( 1955)12. To the author's knowledge no explanation has so far been offered for this action of T. E. A. Decamethonium has to a great extent been replaced by succinyldicholine as a synthetic depolarizing muscle relaxant, and this drug is today widely used clinically. I t has been classified with decamethonium in its mode of action on the motor end-plate (D. BOVET et al. (1951)2, G. F. SOMERS (1953)25, P. A. JEWELL and E. J. ZAIMIS ( 1954)14). No reports on the effect of T. E.A. on neuromuscular block produced by succinyldicholine in various species have appeared. In previous investigations, indications were found that the action of T. E. A. on the neuromuscular junction was to increase the output of acetylcholine from the presynaptic nerve terminals in response to nerve stimuli (J. STOVNER (1957)~326*2s, (1958)2'). In the present investigation the effect of T.E.A. on the block produced by succinyldicholine has been investigated in various nervemuscle preparations. The object has been to see whether the results thus obtained are consistent with a presynaptic action of T. E. A. During cdntinuous infusion of succinyldicholine, its first split product, succinylmonocholine, may accumulate in the body (F. F. FOLDES (1953)'). As the monoester retains some neuromuscular blocking action, the effect of T. E. A. on this block has been tested as well.
Risk Management Guide for Information Technology Systems: Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology

A triggering transformer having windings surrounding a photographic flash tube fires the latter when the transformer primary winding is energized by the closure of a switch. This switch closure also turns off a transistor which then unblocks a light sensitive integrator including an LASCR which receives the flash tube light by reflection. When the integrator has received a predetermined quantity of light, the LASCR turns on and energizes the primary winding of a second triggering transformer having windings surrounding a quench tube connected in parallel with the flash tube. This fires the quench tube which in turn extinguishes the flash tube.
Inhibition of CDK-mediated Smad3 phosphorylation reduces the Pin1-Smad3 interaction and aggressiveness of triple negative breast cancer cells

ABSTRACT Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive breast cancer subtype that lacks effective targeted therapies. Although TNBC is not defined by specific therapeutic targets, a subset of patients have tumors that overexpress cyclins. High cyclin D/E expression catalyzes CDK4/2 activity. In turn, CDK4/2 can non-canonically phosphorylate Smad3, a key TGFβ signaling intermediate, and this phosphorylation has been associated with the shift from tumor-suppressive to oncogenic TGFβ pathway action in breast oncogenesis. Additionally, CDK-mediated Smad3 phosphorylation facilitates an interaction between Smad3 and Pin1, a cis-trans isomerase that is also overexpressed in aggressive breast cancers. Treatment with CYC065, a CDK2/9 inhibitor, decreased non-canonical Smad3 phosphorylation and inhibited the Pin1-Smad3 interaction. We hypothesized that the interaction of Pin1 and Smad3, facilitated by CDK-mediated Smad3 phosphorylation, promotes TNBC cell aggressiveness. Inhibition of the Pin1-Smad3 interaction in TNBC cell lines, through depletion of Pin1 or CYC065 treatment, resulted in decreased cell migration/invasion and impeded the EMT program. Inhibition of CDK-mediated phosphorylation of Smad3 by mutagenesis also decreased cell migration, underscoring the importance of non-canonical CDK2 phosphorylation of Smad3 to enable cell motility. Pin1 depletion restored Smad3 protein levels and tumor-suppressive activity, suggesting that the Pin1-Smad3 interaction has a negative impact on canonical Smad3 action. Collectively, the data show that the Pin1-Smad3 interaction, facilitated by CDK-mediated Smad3 phosphorylation, is associated with oncogenic TGFβ signaling and breast cancer progression. Inhibition of this interaction with CYC065 treatment may provide an important therapeutic option for TNBC patients.
Homotypic and heterotypic antibodies for prevention of experimental rotavirus gastroenteritis

We investigated the abilities of homologous and heterologous antibody preparations to neutralize murine rotavirus in a mouse model of rotavirus infection. We found that incubation of virus with murine sera obtained from animals experimentally infected with the homologous epizootic diarrhea of infant mice strain of rotavirus resulted in inability of the virus to cause symptomatic disease in infant mice. Sera from nonimmune mice and mice infected or immunized with a heterotypic strain of rotavirus did not effectively neutralize virus in this system. On the other hand, neutralization was noted after incubation of virus with a number of immunoglobulins from other animal and human sources. The neutralizing activity of the preparations in the murine model correlated partially, but not completely, with the level of in vitro neutralizing antibody to the murine strain of rotavirus measured in a tissue culture system. In most cases, asymptomatic infection after feeding of the virus and the antibody preparation resulted in subsequent generation of an active immune response in infected animals.
Assessment of the Diversity of Dairy Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis Isolates by an Integrated Approach Combining Phenotypic, Genomic, and Transcriptomic Analyses

ABSTRACT The intrasubspecies diversity of six strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis was investigated at the genomic level and in terms of phenotypic and transcriptomic profiles in an ultrafiltration cheese model. The six strains were isolated from various sources, but all exhibited a dairy phenotype (growth in ultrafiltration cheese model and high acidification rate). The six strains exhibited similar behaviors in terms of growth during cheese ripening, while different acidification capabilities were detected. Even if all strains displayed large genomic similarities, sharing a large core genome of almost 2,000 genes, the expression of this core genome directly in the cheese matrix revealed major strain-specific differences that potentially could account for the observed different acidification capabilities. This work demonstrated that significant transcriptomic polymorphisms exist even among Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains with the same dairy origin.