Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral ciprofloxacin treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa osteomyelitis

Twenty-two adult patients with osteomyelitis due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa were enrolled in an open, prospective cooperative study to determine the efficacy of oral ciprofloxacin therapy in a dosage of 750 mg twice a day. Twenty patients received a complete course of treatment and could be assessed for efficacy. There were 12 men and 8 women, with a mean age of 55 years. Six patients had undergone previous, unsuccessful attempts at therapy. Eight patients had clinically important underlying conditions. The most common sites of infection were the sternum (six patients), hip (four patients), vertebrae (four patients), and tibia (two patients). Initial surgical debridement was performed in 18 of the 20 assessable patients. The mean duration of treatment was 2.85 months (range, 1 to 4 months), and that of the follow-up was 27 months (range, 6 to 52 months). Cure was achieved in 19 of the 20 (95%) patients. The only significant adverse effect (which prompted discontinuation of therapy) was severe nausea in one case. Oral ciprofloxacin coupled with adequate debridement is an effective, convenient, and safe therapy in patients with acute and subacute P. aeruginosa osteomyelitis.
Recurrence of Diseases Following Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Long-term graft survival and mortality after liver transplantation continue to improve. However, disease recurrence remains a major stumbling block, especially among patients with hepatitis C. Chronic hepatitis C recurs to varying degrees in nearly all patients who undergo transplantation. Transplantation for hepatitis C is associated with higher rates of graft failure and death compared with transplantation for other indications, and retransplantation for hepatitis C related liver failure remains controversial. Recurrence of hepatitis B has been markedly reduced with improved prophylactic regimens. Further, rates of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence have also decreased, as improved patient selection criteria have prioritized transplantation for those with a low risk of recurrence. Primary biliary cirrhosis recurs in some patients, but it is often relatively mild. Autoimmune liver disease has also been shown to have a relatively benign post-transplantation course, but some studies have indicated that it slowly progresses in most recipients. It has been recently reported that alcoholic liver disease liver transplant recipients who return to drinking have worsened mortality. In such patients worse outcomes are not due to graft failure, but instead to other comorbidities. Recurrences of other diseases, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, are now being recognized as having potentially detrimental effects on graft survival and mortality. Expert clinical management may help prevent and treat complications associated with disese recurrence.
Direct Long-Term Effects of L-Asparaginase on Rat and Human Pancreatic Islets

ABSTRACT: L-Asparaginase, an effective agent in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, may induce a diabetic state. The pathogenesis of the diabetogenic effect was studied in cultured pancreatic islets. Mean serum concentrations in three children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were 2.4 U/mL (range 1.4-4.5) before and 31.5 U/mL (range 18.6-51.8) immediately after an intravenous injection of 1000 U/kg L-asparaginase. Glucose-induced insulin release from pancreatic islets of rat and man was measured after 3 and 7 days of culture in media with or without clinically relevant concentrations of Escherichia coli L-asparaginase (0.01-100 U/mL). After culture, the remaining insulin, glucagon, and DNA in the islets were determined. After 7 days of culture of adult rat or human islets, both the accumulation of insulin in the medium and the content of insulin and glucagon in the islets were significantly reduced in the presence of 100 U/mL Lasparaginase compared with controls. Addition of 10-6 M hydrocortisone to the culture medium enhanced this effect. In newborn rat islets a significant reduction in insulin release and content was observed already in the presence of 0.1 U/mL asparaginase, whereas the glucagon content was unchanged. Removal of the drug resulted in partial recovery of the insulin secretion. To elucidate the mechanisms of action of the drug, insulin biosynthesis was studied in islets cultured in asparagine-free medium with or without asparaginase. No difference in biosynthesis was seen between media with or without asparagine, whereas 0.1 U/mL asparaginase caused about a 50% reduction under both conditions. These results indicate that the pancreatic β-cells are particularly sensitive to L-asparaginase, suggesting that the diabetogenic effect of the drug is exerted by a direct interaction with the pancreatic β-celI and is not due to lack of exogenous supply of asparagine.
Co‐localization of NG2 proteoglycan and PDGF α‐receptor on O2A progenitor cells in the developing rat brain

A detailed comparison in the developing rat central nervous system between the distribution of the NG2 proteoglycan and the α‐receptor for platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) shows that these two molecules are co‐expressed by glial progenitor cells of the O2A lineage and can serve as reliable markers for identification of O2A cells in vivo. Our mapping experiments indicate that NG2‐positive, PDGF α‐receptor positive O2A cells are abundant throughout the developing central nervous system in both white and gray matter.
SlWRKY45, nematode-responsive tomato WRKY gene, enhances susceptibility to the root knot nematode; M. javanica infection

ABSTRACT The fluctuation of tomato's WRKY defense regulators during infection by the root knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica was analyzed: and the spatial and temporal expression of SlWRKY45 was studied in depth with regard to its response to nematode infection, phytohormones, and wounding. Expression of WRKY45 increased substantially within 5 d upon infection and continued through feeding-site development and gall maturation. Histological analysis of nematode feeding sites indicated that WRKY45 was highly expressed within the feeding cells and associated vascular parenchyma cells. Responses of SlWRKY45 promoters to several phytohormones showed that WRKY45 was highly induced by specific phytohormones, including cytokinin, auxin, and the defense-signaling molecule salicylic acid (SA), but not by the jasmonates. Overexpressing tomato lines were generated, and infection tests showed that, significantly, roots over-expressing SlWRKY45 contained substantially increased number of females, indicating that WRKY45 overexpression supported faster nematode development. qRT-PCR tests have shown roots overexpressing WRKY45 suppressed the jasmonic acid and salicylic acid marker genes, proteinase inhibitor (PI), and pathogenesis related protein (PR1), respectively, and also the cytokinin response factors CRF1 and CRF6. Overall, this study indicated SlWRKY45 to be a potential transcription factor whose manipulation by the invading nematode might be critical for coordination of hormone signals supporting favorable condition for nematode development in root tissue.
Fluoride levels in saliva and dental plaque after consumption of snacks prepared with fluoridated salt.

AIM To determine the concentration of fluoride in saliva and supragingival dental plaque at designated time intervals after consumption of snacks prepared with a standardised amount of fluoridated salt. STUDY DESIGN The investigation had a single blind prospective crossover design. METHODS A group of 11 healthy young adults volunteered to participate after verbal and written information and consent. After a 1-week fluoride depletion period, the subjects consumed popcorn prepared with either fluoridated (250 mg/kg) or non-fluoridated salt during 30 minutes. Unstimulated whole saliva and samples of supragingival plaque were collected before consumption (baseline) and at 30, 60 and 120 minutes after the intake. Fluoride concentration was determined with a fluoride-specific electrode and the post-ingestion levels were compared with baseline by ANOVA. RESULTS In saliva, the mean fluoride concentrations at baseline ranged from 0.021 to 0.027 mg/L and after the 30 minutes consumption of fluoride prepared snacks a 15-fold increase (p<0.001) was found. The same pattern was disclosed in the plaque samples. In both saliva and plaque, the fluoride levels remained significantly elevated after 2 hours (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION Consumption of snacks prepared with fluoridated table salt resulted in significantly increased fluoride levels in saliva and supragingival plaque for a period of at least two hours.
Longitudinal changes in the antecedent and early manifest course of bipolar disorder—A narrative review of prospective studies

Objective: Prospective study designs ideally allow patients to be followed from the first manifestations of the illness or even from an at-risk stage. It can thus provide data on the predictive value of changes in clinical symptomatology, cognition or further biological markers to broaden our understanding of the etiopathology and symptomatic trajectory of bipolar disorders. The scope of this narrative review is to summarize evidence from prospectively collected data on psychopathological and other clinical and biological changes in the early developmental course of bipolar disorders. Methods: The narrative review was based on a literature search conducted in February 2016 within the PubMed library for prospective study data of persons in antecedent and early manifest stages of manifest bipolar disorder published within the last 15 years. Results: A total of 19 prospective studies were included. Regarding psychopathological features; personality, temperament and character traits as well as changes in sleep and circadian rhythm, the evidence suggests that risk factors for the development of bipolar disorder can already be described and should be studied further to understand their interaction, mediation with other factors and timing in the developmental process of bipolar disorder. Apart from the positive family history, childhood anxiety, sleep problems, subthreshold (hypo)manic symptoms and certain character traits/emotionality should be identified and monitored already in clinical practice as their presence likely increases risk of bipolar disorder. Up to date no substantiated evidence was found from prospective studies addressing cognitive features, life events, immunological parameters and morphological central nervous system changes as potential risk factors for bipolar disorder. Conclusion: For an improved understanding of episodic disorders, longitudinal data collection is essential. Since the etiology of bipolar disorders is complex, a number of potential risk factors have been proposed. Prospective studies addressing this spectrum and resilience factors are critical and will be best conducted within multi-site research networks or initiatives.
The 1p13.3 LDL (C)-Associated Locus Shows Large Effect Sizes in Young Populations

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified polymorphic loci associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors (i.e. serum lipids) in adult populations (42–69 y). We hypothesized that younger populations would show a greater relative genetic component due to fewer confounding variables. We examined the influence of 20 GWAS loci associated with serum lipids and insulin metabolism, in a university student cohort (n = 548; mean age = 24 y), and replicated statistically associated results in a second study cohort of primary school students (n = 810, mean age = 11.5 y). Nineteen loci showed no relationship with studied risk factors in young adults. However, the ancestral allele of the rs646776 (SORT1) locus was strongly associated with increased LDL (C) in young adults [TT: 97.6 ± 1.0 mg/dL (n = 345) versus CT/CC: 87.3 ± 1.0 mg/dL (n = 203); p = 3 × 10×6] and children [TT: 94.0 ± 1.3 mg/dL (n = 551) versus CT/CC: 84.7 ± 1.4 mg/dL (n = 259); p = 4 × 10×6]. This locus is responsible for 3.6% of population variance in young adults and 2.5% of population variance in children. The effect size of the SORT1 locus is considerably higher in young populations (2.5–4.1%) compared with older subjects (1%).
Transforming Growth Factor β‐Mediated Sox10 Suppression Controls Mesenchymal Progenitor Generation in Neural Crest Stem Cells

During vertebrate development, neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) give rise to neural cells of the peripheral nervous system and to a variety of mesenchymal cell types, including smooth muscle, craniofacial chondrocytes, and osteocytes. Consistently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently been shown to derive in part from the neural crest (NC), although the mechanisms underlying MSC generation remains to be identified. Here, we show that transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)‐mediated suppression of the NCSC transcription factor Sox10 induces a switch in neural to mesenchymal potential in NCSCs. In vitro and in vivo, TGFβ signal inactivation results in persistent Sox10 expression, decreased cell cycle exit, and perturbed generation of mesenchymal derivatives, which eventually leads to defective morphogenesis. In contrast, TGFβ‐mediated downregulation of Sox10 or its genetic inactivation suppresses neural potential, confers mesenchymal potential to NC cells in vitro, and promotes cell cycle exit and precocious mesenchymal differentiation in vivo. Thus, negative regulation of Sox10 by TGFβ signaling promotes the generation of mesenchymal progenitors from NCSCs. Our study might lay the grounds for future applications demanding defined populations of MSCs for regenerative medicine. STEM CELLS 2011;29:689–699
A 1.2A auto-configurable dual-output switched-capacitor DC-DC regulator with continuous gate-drive modulation achieving <0.01mV/mA cross regulation

An auto-configurable dual-output switched-capacitor DC-DC regulator for portable applications is presented in this paper. With 100s-of-mA load per output, a continuous gate-drive modulation scheme is proposed not only to minimize output cross regulation under load-step transient, but also to reduce output voltage ripple with small output capacitance. An all-nMOS reconfigurable power stage, together with sharing of flying capacitors and power transistors between outputs, is developed to improve both board and chip area efficiency of the regulator. Implemented in a 0. 13μm CMOS process, the proposed regulator generates two outputs of 0.8V and 1.6V, supports 600mA/output load with only a 2. 2μF output capacitor, and offers 87.6% peak power efficiency. Compared to state-of-the-art single-inductor multiple-output DC-DC converters, the proposed SC regulator improves the output cross regulation by >4× with larger load steps and smaller load capacitance/output.
Changes in blood glucose, lipid profile and antioxidant activities in trained and untrained adult male subjects during programmed exercise on the treadmill.

BACKGROUND Exercise is a physical activity that maintains physical fitness and optimum health of an individual. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine changes in redox-oxidative status, lipid profile, cortisol, testosterone and fasting blood glucose (FBG) in trained and untrained male subjects during a programmed exercise session. METHODS Twenty (20) trained and twenty (20) untrained young healthy male subjects (age 21.75 +/- 1.15 years, height 1.74 +/- 0.02 m and weight 65.25 +/- 1.46 kg) participated in the study. Their weights, heights, waist and hip circumferences were measured. Subjects who have fasted for 12 hours exercised on the treadmill for 20 minutes at 1.5 km/hr after a warm-up period of exercising at 0.5 km/hr. for 3 minutes. Blood samples (1.5 ml) were withdrawn from the cubital vein before and immediately after the exercise session. Blood samples were analyzed for FBG, lipid profile, testosterone, cortisol and oxidative enzymes activities. Blood pressure and pulse rate were also measured before and after the exercise. RESULTS There was a significant decrease in rate of glucose disappearance in the trained subjects compared with the untrained subjects. The low density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol), TC, TC:HDL and LDL:HDL ratios were significantly higher in the untrained subjects both before and after the exercise while the trained subjects recorded significantly low cholesterol level. Testosterone and cortisol were significantly higher in untrained subjects before the exercise while its level balanced up with that of the trained subjects after the exercise. There was a significant increase in pulse pressure and diastolic pressure in untrained subjects after the exercise compared with trained subjects. Results of antioxidant assay showed that basal GPx and catalase were significantly higher in the trained subjects while GSH and SOD significantly increased in untrained subjects after the programmed exercise. Trained subjects expressed efficient energy utilization with better preparedness to handle oxidative stress better than untrained subjects. CONCLUSION Exercise improves body lipid profile, cardiovascular system and antioxidant status, thus providing better accommodative adjustment to changes without any significant change to blood pressure parameters during exposure to exercise training.
Is there tonic activity in the endogenous opioid systems? A c‐Fos study in the rat central nervous system after intravenous injection of naloxone or naloxone‐methiodide

This study examined the possibility that a tonic activity in the endogenous opioid systems (EO systems) exists in animals under normal conditions. In a first set of experiments, concurrent changes in behavioral responses and in the numbers of c‐Fos‐like immunoreactive (Fos‐LI) neurons in 58 structures of the brain and lumbosacral spinal cord were analyzed in rats after systemic administration of the opioid antagonist naloxone (NAL; 2 mg/kg). Possible roles of the EO systems were inferred from changes in the numbers of Fos‐LI neurons between normal rats that received either NAL or the same volume of saline. Free‐floating sections were processed immunohistochemically for c‐Fos protein using standard avidin‐biotin complex methods. After NAL, the numbers of Fos‐LI neurons were significantly increased in the area postrema; in the caudal, intermediate, and rostral parts of the nucleus tractus solitarii; in the rostral ventrolateral medulla; in the Kölliker‐Fuse nucleus; in the supramammillary nucleus; and in the central nucleus of the amygdala. In a second set of experiments examining changes in c‐Fos expression in the latter structures, similar increases were found after NAL but not after an equimolar dose of NAL‐methiodide, a preferential, peripherally acting opioid receptor antagonist. Therefore, Fos‐LI was likely triggered after blockade of central opioid receptors, but not peripheral opioid receptors, releasing neurons from EO system‐mediated inhibition. The results of this study suggest the existence of a tonic activity of the EO systems exerted on a restricted number of brain regions in normal rats. This tonic activity of the EO systems may control part of the neural networks involved in cardiorespiratory functions and in emotional and learning processes. J. Comp. Neurol. 427:285–301, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Formation of the Knee Joint after Prenatal Propyphenazone (Isopropylantipyrine) Administration

Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors could produce cartilage toxicity as well as delayed skeleton formation when administrated during pregnancy. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of a nonselective COX inhibitor, propyphenazone (isopropylantipyrine), on the development of the knee joint in rats. The drug was administered orally in Tween 80 water suspension once a day on days 8–14 of gestation in three doses: R1: 2.1 mg/kg, R2: 21.0 mg/kg and R3: 210.0 mg/kg. Two control groups were formed: untreated control (K) and Tween 80-treated (T) animals. Fetuses were delivered by cesarean section on day 21 of gestation and examined macroscopically for external malformations. The knee joints of two fetuses of each litter were sectioned in situ or paraffin-embedded. The slides were examined microscopically. The remaining fetuses were stained using the Alcian blue and red S alizarin skeleton double-staining method. Reduced alizarin staining in bones from the knee joint, and wider epiphysial cartilage was seen in 2 of 53 examined fetuses (3.77%) exposed prenatally to the highest dose of propyphenazone. The extra sesamoid cartilage, located close to the lateral epicondyle of the femur, was absent in 10 cases in group T (15.87%), 9 cases in group K (15.00%), 8 cases in group R1 (12.50%), 9 cases in group R2 (14.75%) and 9 cases in group R3 (14.28%). Similarly sesamoid cartilage close to the middle epicondyle was seen in one fetus from group K (1.66%) and in one fetus from group R2 (1.63%). No histological changes were observed. Based on obtained results, it could be concluded that propyphenazone did not delay the formation of the knee joint.
A study of primary dental enamel from preterm and full-term children using light and scanning electron microscopy.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to examine the enamel thickness of the maxillary primary incisors of preterm children with very low birth weight (< 1,500 g) compared to full-term children with normal birth weight. METHODS A total of 90 exfoliated maxillary primary central incisors were investigated using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Three serial buccolingual ground sections of each tooth were examined under light microscopy, and maximum dimensions of the prenatally and postnatally formed enamel were measured. RESULTS The enamel of preterm teeth was approximately 20% thinner than that for full-term teeth. Most of the reduction was observed in the prenatally formed enamel. This was 5 to 13 times thinner than that for full-term children (P<.001). The "catch-up" thickness of postnatally formed enamel did not compensate fully for the decrease in prenatal enamel (P<.001). Although none of the teeth used in this study had enamel defects visible to the naked eye, 52% of preterm teeth showed enamel hypoplasia under SEM, compared with only 16% found on full-term teeth (P<.001). These defects were present as pits or irregular, shallow areas of missing enamel. CONCLUSIONS Preterm primary dental enamel is abnormal in surface quality, and is significantly thinner compared to full-term enamel. The thinner enamel is due mainly to reduced prenatal growth and results in smaller dimensions of the primary dentition.