Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Absorption of colostral immunoglobulins by newborn dairy calves.

Abstract Twenty-seven calves obtained at birth were fed colostrum at 2.5% of body weight immediately and at 12 hours after birth, and at 3.75% of weight at 24 and 36 hours. Blood samples were taken at 3, 12, 24, 48, 96, and 168 hours after birth. Colostrum samples taken at parturition and at 12 and 24 hours were available from 19 cows. Average blood serum immunoglobulin increased from . 29g per 100ml before initial feeding to 1.54g per 100ml at 24 hours, and declined slowly thereafter. Approximately 68% of the variation in blood serum Ig in calves at 24 hours could be attributed to differences in Ig consumed per unit of weight. It was estimated that 45% of Ig ingested immediately after birth and at 12 hours was absorbed prior to 24 hours.
Infection in kidney transplant recipients in Tunisia.

To determine the patterns of infectious complications in the renal transplant recipients in our center, we evaluated 18 patients (13 males and five females) who were transplanted between 1994-1998. The average age of the patients was 28 years. Sixteen (88%) and 2 (12%) transplants were from living-related and cadaver donors, respectively. Posttransplant immunosuppression consisted of azathioprine, prednisone, antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine.The acute rejection episodes were treated with pulse doses of methylprednisolone; steroid resistant rejection was treated with ATG or muromonab (OKT3). All patients received prophylaxis with sulfadoxin-pyrimethamine; none received prophylaxis against cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Thirteen (72%) recipients developed 44 confirmed episodes of infection; 19 (43%) episodes occurred in the early postoperative period, 16 (36%) in the first month and nine (20%) after six months. According to the type of infection, there were 12 urinary tract, 12 CMV, four herpal, five general septic, three fungal, two pneumonia, one disseminated nocardial and five miscellaneous episodes. All six (100%) patients who had acute rejection episodes developed infection compared with 7/12 (58%) who did not have rejection (p < 0.01). There was a significant correlation between CMV disease and acute rejection. CMV infection occurred after the additional immunosuppressive treatment for acute rejection in 6/6 (100%) patients. We conclude that CMV infection was the most frequent opportunistic pathogen in our renal transplant population and related to the intensive antirejection therapy, followed by urinary tract infection, which occurred within three months after surgery.
Effects of a brief behavioral treatment for late-life insomnia: preliminary findings.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Insomnia is a chronic and prevalent sleep disorder in adults older than 65 years. Hypnotics raise safety concerns in this group, and standard behavioral treatments are time consuming. This preliminary report addresses the effects of a brief behavioral treatment for insomnia in older adults who present with the typical psychiatric and medical comorbidities of aging. METHODS Thirty-five older adults (10 men, 25 women, mean age = 70.2 +/- 6.4 years old) were randomly assigned to a brief behavioral treatment for insomnia (BBTI; n=17) or to an information-only control (IC; n=18) condition. All subjects completed clinician-administered and self-report measures of sleep quality, as well as a sleep diary, at baseline. Interventions were delivered in a single individual session with a booster session administered 2 weeks later. Postintervention assessments were completed after 4 weeks. RESULTS Significant improvements in self-report and sleep diary measures and mild-to-moderate improvement in anxiety and depression were observed after treatment in participants randomly assigned to BBTI, as compared with participants randomly assigned to IC. At post-treatment assessment, 12 BBTI participants (71%) and 7 IC participants (39%) met criteria for response. Nine BBTI participants (53%) met criteria for remission, whereas, in the IC group, 3 participants (17%) met the criteria. CONCLUSION BBTI was associated with significant improvements in sleep measures and in daytime symptoms of anxiety and depression. BBTI appears to be a promising intervention for older adults with insomnia.
“John Henryism” and blood pressure in a Dutch population.

&NA; In a stratified, random sample of 100 men and 100 women, aged 20–59 years, residing in Zutphen, the Netherlands, the hypothesis was tested that high scores on “John Henryism,” a strong behavioral predisposition to cope actively with psychosocial environmental stressors, would be associated with higher blood pressure, especially among persons of lower education. In univariate analyses higher scores on John Henryism were strongly associated with higher blood pressures in men. Among women there was only an association of John Henryism and systolic blood pressure, but this association was no longer statistically significant after adjustment for potential confounders such as age, alcohol consumption, physical activity, Quetelet Index, and education. Among men, however, the association between John Henryism and systolic blood pressure remained statistically significant after adjustment for potential confounders. The association between John Henryism and blood pressure was more pronounced for men of low educational background.
A global optimization technique for microwave nondestructive evaluation

A global optimization technique based on a genetic algorithm is proposed for microwave nondestructive evaluation (NDE). Starting from an integral formulation, the NDE problem is recast into a two-steps procedure. Firstly, the presence of a flaw in a dielectric structure is detected by the analysis of a suitable cost function. Then, the geometric characteristics of the flaw are retrieved. A hybrid genetic algorithm is used and a multiview tomographic approach is applied.
Exercise training normalizes skeletal muscle vascular endothelial growth factor levels in patients with essential hypertension

Methods Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein and capillarization were determined in muscle vastus lateralis biopsy samples in individuals with essential hypertension (n = 10) and normotensive controls (n = 10). The hypertensive individuals performed exercise training for 16 weeks. Muscle samples as well as muscle microdialysis fluid samples were obtained at rest, during and after an acute exercise bout, performed prior to and after the training period, for the determination of muscle VEGF levels, VEGF release, endothelial cell proliferative effect and capillarization. Results Prior to training, the hypertensive individuals had 36% lower levels of VEGF protein and 22% lower capillary density in the muscle compared to controls. Training in the hypertensive group reduced (P < 0.01) mean arterial blood pressure by 7.1 ± 0.8 mmHg, enhanced (P < 0.01) the capillary-to-fiber ratio by 17% and elevated (P < 0.05) muscle VEGF protein by 67%. Before training, acute exercise did not induce an increase in muscle interstitial VEGF levels above resting levels, but a five-fold increase (P < 0.05) was observed after the training period. Acute exercise induced an elevated (P < 0.05) endothelial cell proliferative effect of muscle dialysate after, but not before, training. Conclusion In summary, exercise training markedly elevates VEGF protein levels in muscle tissue, increases exercise-induced VEGF release from muscle and the cell proliferative effect of muscle dialysate. These alterations are paralleled by a lowering of blood pressure and an increased capillary-per-fiber ratio, but unaltered capillary density.
Maternal Smoking, Obesity and Male Fetal Sex Predispose to a Large Nuchal Translucency Thickness in Healthy Fetuses

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate the effect of fetal sex, smoking and body mass index (BMI) on nuchal translucency (NT). Methods: We analyzed data from 7,357 women with a normal singleton live birth outcome with information on smoking, BMI and sex of the infant. NT measurements were converted to multiples of the median (MoMNT) using a previously reported linear regression analysis. Results: The odds ratio (OR) for MoMNT >95th centile was 1.5 (95% CI 1.2–1.9) for smokers compared to nonsmokers and 1.4 (95% CI 1.1–1.7) for male fetuses compared to female fetuses. Obese women (BMI ≧30) had an increased OR for a large NT of 1.7 (95% CI 1.2–2.6) compared to normal weight women. Obese smokers carrying a male fetus had an OR of 4.2 (95% CI 1.7–10.1) of a MoMNT >95th centile compared to normal weight nonsmoking women with a female fetus. The effects of smoking, obesity status and fetal sex were independent of each other. Conclusions: Smoking, obesity and male sex are associated to a MoMNT >95th centile. This may affect screening performance and entail unnecessary anxiety in these women. Further investigations, including fetuses with adverse outcome, are needed.
SIRT2 inhibition achieves neuroprotection by decreasing sterol biosynthesis

Huntington’s disease (HD), an incurable neurodegenerative disorder, has a complex pathogenesis including protein aggregation and the dysregulation of neuronal transcription and metabolism. Here, we demonstrate that inhibition of sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) achieves neuroprotection in cellular and invertebrate models of HD. Genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of SIRT2 in a striatal neuron model of HD resulted in gene expression changes including significant down-regulation of RNAs responsible for sterol biosynthesis. Whereas mutant huntingtin fragments increased sterols in neuronal cells, SIRT2 inhibition reduced sterol levels via decreased nuclear trafficking of SREBP-2. Importantly, manipulation of sterol biosynthesis at the transcriptional level mimicked SIRT2 inhibition, demonstrating that the metabolic effects of SIRT2 inhibition are sufficient to diminish mutant huntingtin toxicity. These data identify SIRT2 inhibition as a promising avenue for HD therapy and elucidate a unique mechanism of SIRT2-inhibitor-mediated neuroprotection. Furthermore, the ascertainment of SIRT2’s role in regulating cellular metabolism demonstrates a central function shared with other sirtuin proteins.
Modification of blood flow in the HSN tumour and normal tissues of the rat by the endothelin ETB receptor agonist, IRL 1620

Activation of endothelin receptors on the vasculature can produce a variety of responses from potent vasoconstriction to mild vasodilation, depending on the receptor complement within the tissue. To elucidate the potential role of endothelin analogues as tumour blood flow modifiers, we have evaluated the effect of the ETB receptor agonist, IRL 1620 ([Suc‐(Glu9, Ala11,15)‐ET‐1(8‐21)]) in CBH/CBi rats bearing an HSN fibrosarcoma. Tissue blood flow and vascular resistance were determined, 20 min following administration of IRL 1620 (bolus intravenous), using the uptake of radiolabelled iodoantipyrine (125I‐IAP). Blood flow was unchanged in most tissues. However, at doses ≥1.0 nmol kg−1 IRL 1620, blood flow in the brain and heart was increased, whereas in the small intestine it was reduced. Blood flow in the skeletal muscle was reduced at 1.0 nmol kg−1 only. Tumour blood flow was significantly reduced at 3.0 and 5.0 nmol kg−1. Vascular resistance was unchanged in most tissues although it was increased in the skeletal muscle at 1.0 nmol kg−1, in the kidney at 1.0 and 3.0 nmol kg−1 and in the brain and heart, it was reduced at 5.0 nmol kg−1 IRL 1620. Vascular resistance was significantly increased in the tumour and the small intestine at doses ≥1 nmol kg−1 IRL 1620. Pretreatment of rats with BQ‐788, an ETB receptor antagonist, selectively attenuated the tumour vascular response to 3 nmol kg−1 IRL 1620 with no changes observed in the normal tissue responses. Our results demonstrate that the HSN tumour vasculature is selectively responsive to IRL 1620 at doses >1 nmol kg−1 compared with the majority of normal tissues with the exception of the small intestine, and that only the tumour response is highly sensitive to BQ‐788 antagonism, under the experimental dosing regime investigated. These differences may be exploitable for therapeutic benefit. Int. J. Cancer 80:295–302, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Align and Copy: UZH at SIGMORPHON 2017 Shared Task for Morphological Reinflection

This paper presents the submissions by the University of Zurich to the SIGMORPHON 2017 shared task on morphological reinflection. The task is to predict the inflected form given a lemma and a set of morpho-syntactic features. We focus on neural network approaches that can tackle the task in a limited-resource setting. As the transduction of the lemma into the inflected form is dominated by copying over lemma characters, we propose two recurrent neural network architectures with hard monotonic attention that are strong at copying and, yet, substantially different in how they achieve this. The first approach is an encoder-decoder model with a copy mechanism. The second approach is a neural state-transition system over a set of explicit edit actions, including a designated COPY action. We experiment with character alignment and find that naive, greedy alignment consistently produces strong results for some languages. Our best system combination is the overall winner of the SIGMORPHON 2017 Shared Task 1 without external resources. At a setting with 100 training samples, both our approaches, as ensembles of models, outperform the next best competitor.
Parameter identification of an E. coli cultivation process model using hybrid metaheuristics

The present work offers a novel approach to parameter identification of an E. coli cultivation process model, using hybrids of three metaheuristics - ant colony optimisation ACO, firefly algorithm FA and genetic algorithm GA. The motivation behind this hybridisation is to combine the benefits of these approaches, aimed at achieving commensurate calculations precision with less computation resources, in terms of time and memory. The proposed hybrids are approbated with the estimation of the parameters of a real E. coli cultivation process model. In the considered non-linear mathematical model three parameters are estimated, namely, maximum specific growth rate, saturation constant and yield coefficient. Based on the numerical and simulation results, it is shown that the models obtained by the proposed hybrid algorithms are competitive with standard ACO, FA and GA. The hybrids show two advantages - have much less running time and require much less memory compared to standard ACO, FA and GA.
CrmA, a Poxvirus-encoded Serpin, Inhibits Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-mediated Apoptosis (*)

Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs), by virtue of their ability to recognize and induce apoptotic death of virus-infected cells, comprise a major antiviral defense mechanism. The induction of apoptosis by CTLs can be completely accounted for by two mechanisms: (i) a Ca-dependent component that involves the exocytotic release of serine proteases known as granzymes from CTL granules and their subsequent insertion into the target cell to induce apoptosis and (ii) a Ca-independent component that involves the activation of Fas, a receptor on the target cell membrane that triggers apoptosis. Although viruses have evolved several indirect mechanisms for evading the CTL response, direct inhibition of the apoptotic cascade has never been described. We now show for the first time that the cowpox virus protein CrmA, a protease inhibitor of the serpin family, is capable of inhibiting CTL-mediated cytolysis. The inhibitory effect is largely the result of blockade of the Ca-independent (i.e. Fas-mediated) component of CTL killing. CrmA thus represents the first example of a viral gene product capable of directly blocking CTL-mediated cell death.
Sex-Specific Effects of Increased Incubation Demand on Innate Immunity in Black Guillemots

Life-history theory predicts that there should be negative fitness consequences, in terms of future reproduction and survival, for parents with increased reproductive effort. We examined whether increased incubation demand affected innate immunity and body condition by performing a clutch-size manipulation experiment in black guillemots (Cepphus grylle). We found that plasma from males incubating experimentally enlarged clutches exhibited significantly reduced lysis titers compared with plasma from males incubating control clutches, while this was not observed in females. The increased incubation demand also impacted agglutination titers differently in males and females, although the effect of treatment was not significant in either sex. Among all birds, lysis titers increased and haptoglobin concentrations decreased from mid- to late incubation. Natural antibody-mediated agglutination titers and body condition were highly repeatable within the incubation bout and between years. This suggests that agglutination titers may serve as a reliable and resilient index of the immunological character of individuals in future studies. Overall, this study demonstrates that increased incubation demand impacts indices of innate immunity differently in males and females. The potential for different components of the immune system to be impacted sex-specifically should be considered in future studies linking immune function and life-history trade-offs.
70/30 Insulin Algorithm Versus Sliding Scale Insulin

BACKGROUND: The medical literature supports the fact that sliding scale dosing of insulin is an ineffective means to control blood glucose concentrations. Despite this, many clinicians still use sliding scale insulin (SSI) regimens. A better tool for controlling hyperglycemia is clearly needed. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of an algorithm using 70/30 insulin with traditional SSI dosing for glycemic control in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A prospective, cohort, comparative trial was conducted at a 644-bed, 2-hospital, regional referral health system. Patients were screened for enrollment based on orders received in the pharmacy for sliding scale dosing of insulin. Patients were treated either following an algorithm using 70/30 insulin twice daily or traditional SSI dosing as written by the prescribing physician. RESULTS: Twenty patients with type 2 diabetes were involved in this pilot trial: 10 were treated with the 70/30 insulin algorithm and 10 received a physician-determined traditional SSI regimen. Patients treated based on the 70/30 insulin algorithm achieved better glycemic control (p = 0.042). No difference between the groups was detected in the average number of insulin units administered, insulin injections, or days patients spent on their respective insulin regimens. CONCLUSIONS: Glycemic control with the 70/30 insulin algorithm was superior to traditional SSI dosing.
Adaptation and evaluation of polymerase chain reaction for Brucella ovis detection in semen , urine and organs of rams experimentally infected

Brucella ovis is the main cause of a clinical or subclinical disorder characterized by epididymitis and subsequent decrease in fertility in rams (Manterola et al., 2003). Diagnosis of B. ovis infection is reached by a combination of clinical examination, isolation of the bacterium and detection of anti-B. ovis antibodies in blood serum (Webb et al., 1980; Xavier et al., 2011). Nowadays, more specific techniques such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) are used in Brucella spp. detection (Cortez et al., 2001; Manterola et al., 2003; Keid, 2004). The objective of the present study was the adaptation and evaluation of PCR for B. ovis in semen, urine and organs samples collected from experimentally inoculated animals. Results were compared with those of microbiological culture, and the applicability of the technique in routine diagnosis was analyzed. 
Hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of Thespesia lampas (Cav.) Dalz & Gibs

Thespesia lampas (Cav.) Dalz & Gibs an important folk medicinal plant was evaluated for hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatic damage in rats. In the present study, the T. lampas stems extracts at dose of 200 mg/kg body wt. were administered orally once daily for nine days and on seventh day after one hour of drug administration CCl4 (1ml/kg s.c.) given orally. After 24 h of ninth day, they were sacrifice and their livers were dissected for biochemical and histopathological studies. The extracts showed significant hepatoprotective and antioxidant effect by lowering the serum levels of transaminases (SGOT and SGPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin, protein, cholesterol and triglyceride as compared to silymarin as a standard hepatoprotective agent. The extracts showing increased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and decreased level of lipid peroxidation (LPO). The biochemical observations were supplemented with histopathological examination of rat liver sections. The results of T. lampas stems extract showed significant protection to the liver against carbon tetrachloride induced damages. Our finding suggested that among comparative significance of various extracts, the methanolic extract of T. lampas stems having better efficacy and significant activity. The present study support the traditional believes of this plant and highlighted profound potential of T. lampas to be investigated for bioactve compounds responsible for hepatoprotective and antioxidant effect.
A protective monoclonal anti-idiotypic vaccine to lethal Semliki Forest virus infection in BALB/c mice

Two monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies (ab2 MAbs), designated 1.13A112 (immunoglobulin G type 2a [IgG2a]) and 1.13A321 (IgG1), were prepared against Semliki Forest virus (SFV)-neutralizing ab1 MAb UM 1.13. They were identified in hybridoma supernatant fluid by their capacity to block UM 1.13-mediated neutralization of SFV. Although the neutralization-blocking capacities of the ab2 MAbs did not differ, only 1.13A321 evoked SFV-neutralizing ab3 antibodies upon intracutaneous and subcutaneous immunization of BALB/c mice with 1.13A321 chemically cross-linked to keyhole limpet hemocyanin and combined with the adjuvant Quil A. SFV-neutralizing ab3 antibodies appeared in serum within 10 days after primary immunization, and neutralizing antibody titers could be as high as 1/1,000 at day 35. All mice who had developed SFV-neutralizing antibodies upon anti-idiotypic immunization survived an otherwise lethal challenge with virulent SFV. However, induction of SFV-neutralizing ab3 antibodies by ab2 MAb 1.13A321 proved to be genetically restricted to BALB/c mice; even haplotype-identical (H-2d) DBA/2 mice did not respond, and consequently those animals died after infection with virulent SFV.
A Qualitative Study of Patient and Family Perceptions of Chaplain Presence During Post-Trauma Care

Improving the provision of spiritual care to hospitalized patients requires understanding what patients look for from a hospital chaplain, and why. This qualitative study uses grounded theory methodology to analyze data from 25 interviews with adult patients and/or adult family members who received spiritual care in a large tertiary care hospital. Analysis reveals three key themes in chaplaincy care: the attributes valued in the chaplain’s presence, the elements necessary to form relationship with the chaplain, and the role of the chaplain in helping patients to discover and express meaning in their experiences. The authors weave these three themes together into a grounded theory and propose an assessment model that incorporates psychological theory about human motivation, faith development, and the development of autonomy. An understanding of the proposed assessment model can guide chaplain interventions and benefit all members of the clinical care team.