Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Streptococcus bovis Peritonitis Complicating Peritoneal Dialysis—A Review of 10 Years’ Experience

♦ Objective: An association of Streptococcus bovis bacteremia with carcinoma of colon has been reported, but data regarding peritoneal dialysis (PD) peritonitis caused by S. bovis is scarce. In this study, we examined the clinical characteristics, associations, and outcomes of this disease entity. ♦ Methods: The case records of patients with S. bovis PD peritonitis presenting to 2 renal centers between January 2000 and September 2010 were reviewed. Clinical features and outcomes were identified and analyzed. ♦ Results: Of cultures from 23 episodes of S. bovis peritonitis in 20 patients (1.28% of all peritonitis episodes at our center), 19 (82.6%) showed S. bovis alone, and 4 (17.4%) showed mixed growth. In 7 episodes, the S. bovis was moderately resistant to penicillin G. Rates of resistance to clindamycin and erythromycin were 43.5% and 47.8% respectively. In 18 episodes (78.3%), a primary response was achieved with a first-generation cephalosporin and an aminoglycoside. In 4 episodes, a secondary response was achieved after a switch from cephalosporin to vancomycin, and in 1 episode with mixed growth, the Tenckhoff catheter had to be removed. Repeat peritonitis occurred in 3 patients at a mean of 50.0 months (range: 24.2 – 83.1 months). Of the 20 patients of S. bovis peritonitis, 10 (50%) underwent either a barium enema or a colonoscopy. One patient had history of colonic carcinoma 2 years before the peritonitis, and a subsequent work-up revealed no recurrence. Three patients had diverticulosis, and one had a concomitant sigmoid polyp. Findings in the other 6 patients were normal. No colorectal malignancy had developed in the remaining 10 patients after a mean follow-up of 76.6 months (range: 0.8 – 125.1 months). ♦ Conclusions: Outcomes in S. bovis PD peritonitis were favorable, and an association with colorectal cancer was not found in our patients. Routine colonoscopy in these patients remains controversial and should be individualized.
A novel model of early development in the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana, and its use in assessing the effects of environmental variables on development, emergence, and hatching

The brine shrimp, Artemia (Crustacea, Anostraca), is a zooplankton that is commonly used in both basic and applied research. Unfortunately, Artemia embryos are often cultured under conditions that alter early development, and reports based on these cultures oversimplify or fail to describe morphological phenotypes. This is due in part to the lack of a comprehensive developmental model that is applicable to observations of live specimens. The objective of this study was to build and test a descriptive model of post‐diapause development in Artemia franciscana using observations made with a standard dissecting microscope. The working model presented is the first to comprehensively place all known “abnormal” embryonic and naupliar phenotypes within the context of a classic hatching profile. Contrary to previous reports, embryos and nauplii with aberrant phenotypes often recover and develop normally. Oval prenauplii may emerge as normal prenauplii (E2 stage). A delay of this transition leads to incomplete hatching or direct hatching of first instar larvae with a curved thoracoabdomen. When hatching is incomplete, retained cuticular remnants are shed during the next molt, and a “normal” second instar larva is produced. By differentiating between molting events and gross embryonic patterning in live embryos, this new model facilitates fine time‐scale analyses of chemical and environmental impacts on early development. A small increase in salinity within what is commonly believed to be a permissive range (20‰–35‰) produced aberrant morphology by delaying emergence without slowing development. A similar effect was observed by decreasing culture density within a range commonly applied in toxicological studies. These findings clearly demonstrate that morphological data from end‐point studies are highly dependent on the time points chosen. An alternate assessment method is proposed, and the potential impact of heavy metals, hexachlorobenzene, Mirex, and cis‐nonachlor detected in commercial embryos is discussed. J. Morphol. 276:342–360, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pad – a new self-collection device for human papillomavirus

This study was designed to determine the accuracy and agreement of a self-collection method using pad for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. One hundred and thirty-four patients at university hospitals voluntarily participated in the accuracy study, and 314 volunteers participated in the agreement study at local clinics. DNA was extracted and amplified using HPV L1 consensus primers designed for the direct sequencing. In the accuracy study, all samples were probed via histological examinations. With regard to the detection of squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), self-collection pad sampling displays sensitivity, of 76.9%, and specificity, of 93.3%. Three hundred and fourteen self-collection pad samples and the concurrent physicians’ samples showed a 97.8% agreement, with a Kappa value of 0.9200. A new self-collection pad for the detection of HPV DNA appears to constitute an easy, rapid, and convenient alternative method for the cervical cancer screening of many women with the virtue of being incredibly readily accessible.
Frontal Hypometabolism Does Not Explain Inhibitory Dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease

A series of tasks assessing inhibitory processes was administered to patients with Alzheimer disease and control subjects. Two groups of patients with Alzheimer disease were examined: patients with hypometabolism restricted to the posterior (temporal and parietal) cerebral areas and patients with hypometabolism in both posterior and anterior (frontal) cerebral areas. The performances of the patients with Alzheimer disease were inferior to those of control subjects on all inhibitory tasks, but the two groups of patients obtained similar scores. These data indicate that frontal lobe hypometabolism is not necessary to produce inhibitory impairment in Alzheimer disease. Consequently, inhibitory dysfunction could be the consequence of a (partial) disconnection process between posterior and anterior cerebral areas.
Brain-Derived Heat Shock Protein 70-Peptide Complexes Induce NK Cell-Dependent Tolerance to Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis1

Heat shock proteins (Hsp) are markedly up-regulated at sites of inflammation during autoimmune diseases like experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In this study, we show that Hsp70-peptide complexes (pc) isolated from brains of mice with EAE prevented the development of EAE clinically and pathologically when administered before proteolipid protein 139–151 (PLP139–151) immunization. In contrast, pure Hsp70 or Hsp70-pc derived from brains of healthy mice or other inflamed tissue did not modulate the expression of EAE. In animals in which EAE had been suppressed by Hsp70-pc, lymphocytes showed increased cell death in response to PLP139–151 that correlated with elevated IFN-γ and NO production. Coculture of spleen cells from Hsp70-pc immunized mice with spleen cells from untreated EAE mice, in addition to depletion experiments, showed that NK cells reduced reactivity to PLP139–151. Transfer of NK cells from Hsp70-pc-immunized mice to recipients sensitized for EAE abolished disease development. Thus, we propose that Hsp70 demonstrate the ability to bind to peptides generated during brain inflammation and to induce a regulatory NK cell population that is capable of preventing subsequent autoimmunization for EAE.
The Onset and Duration of Neuromuscular Blockade Using Combinations of Atracurium and Vecuronium

The effect of atracurium-vecuronium combinations on the onset and duration of neuromuscular blockade was investigated in 30 adult patients undergoing general anaesthesia for elective surgery. The patients were randomized to receive either atracurium 0.6 mg.kg−1, vecuronium 0.1 mg.kg−1, or quarter-dose, half-dose, or full-dose combinations of the two drugs. Neuromuscular blockade was assessed by measuring the evoked electromyographic response of the abductor digiti minimi to transcutaneous stimulation of the ulnar nerve. It was found that half-dose combinations of atracurium and vecuronium did not produce a shorter onset time, but did result in a longer duration of neuromuscular blockade than full-doses of either drug alone (P < 0.01). The quarter-dose combinations did not reduce onset time or increase duration. The full-dose combinations produced both a shorter onset time (P < 0.01) and a longer duration (P < 0.001). The results indicate that atracurium-vecuronium combinations are supra-additive in terms of the duration of the neuromuscular blockade produced. However, the inability of atracurium-vecuronium combinations to reduce onset time without increasing duration suggests that there is little advantage in combining the two drugs in clinical practice.
Assessment and evaluation of predisposing factors to anterior cruciate ligament injury.

OBJECTIVE Injury to the knee, specifically the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), constitutes one of the most serious disabling injuries in sports. Women are reportedly at an increased risk. Prevention depends on identifying possible risk factors that may contribute to an athlete's susceptibility to injury. The major objective of this article is to lay the groundwork for standardization of a screening protocol (1) by providing rationale for the use of selected variables that might be good predictors of noncontact ACL injury and (2) by describing appropriate measurement indices to further investigate their predictive power. Standardization of a screening protocol is the first step in developing both a reliable and valid assessment tool with predictive value for injury and outcome strategies to meet the special needs of patients. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE was searched from 1980 to 1998 using the terms "anterior cruciate ligament injury," "knee joint stability," "postural malalignments" "structural abnormalities," "static structural measures," "musculoskeletal strength imbalances," "isokinetic testing," and "functional performance tests. " DATA SYNTHESIS Many different factors, both extrinsic and intrinsic, have been investigated in the search for predictors of noncontact ACL injuries. Based on a literature review, 3 factors in particular have garnered considerable attention from clinicians and researchers: static postural malalignments with special reference to excessive foot pronation, knee recurvatum, and external tibial torsion; lower extremity musculoskeletal strength; and neuromuscular control considerations. However, much of the information known about the predictive value of these variables is inconclusive and conflicting at best, prompting the need for additional investigation. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS Screening evaluations are routinely employed as part of clinical work-ups when athletes are healthy and in top form. The data collected have the potential to provide clinicians with important baseline information for maximizing structural and functional outcome strategies when deficiencies in test results are observed in subgroups of athletes matched for age, sex, and training or performance expectations.
High Prevalence of Elevated Factor VIII Levels in Patients Referred for Thrombophilia Screening: Role of Increased Synthesis and Relationship to the Acute Phase Reaction

Summary A recent report from the Leiden Thrombophilia Survey identified high factor VIII activity levels as an independent risk factor for venous thromboembolism in a population survey. As the study measure for factor VIII was a one-stage coagulation assay, and since markers for the acute phase reaction were not assessed, it remained uncertain whether the increase was due to a constitutional increased rate of synthesis, to circulating activated factor VIII, or to an acute phase response. We added factor VIII activity assay (FVIII:C), factor VIII antigen (FVIILAg), vWF antigen (vWF:Ag), ABO blood group, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein to our routine thrombophilia screen of patients referred because of unexplained thromboembolism. Elevated FVIILC (>1.5 iu/ml) emerged as the single commonest abnormality detected in 25.4% of a group of 260 such patients. FVIILC and FVIILAg were highly correlated (p = 0.003), showing that this represented a true increase in FVIII. In 4 of 46 patients this was clearly attributable to an acute phase reaction. Eleven others showed minor elevation of ESR and one of CRP. Neither FVIILC or FVIII:Ag showed significant correlation with fibrinogen, ESR or C-reactive protein by non parametric analysis. Although there was an excess of patients with B blood group (known to be associated with FVIILC levels which are -15% higher than those in blood group 0), this could not account for the marked elevation of factor VIII observed in these patients. We conclude that factor VIII activity assay should be a routine part of thrombophilia screening. We are investigating the cause of the increased synthesis, initially by means of family studies and linkage analysis with polymorphic markers of the FVIII locus. We postulate that it may be constitutive in some cases and in others an abnormal or exaggerated response to inflammatory stimuli.
Biochemical and Molecular Action of Nutrients Dietary Fat during Pregnancy and Lactation Increases Milk Fat and Insulin-Like Growth Factor I Concentrations and Improves Neonatal Growth Rates in Swine 1 , 2

Primiparous (n 5 24) and multiparous (n 5 24) sows were used to examine the effects of supplemental dietary fat and induction of parturition (d 112) on colostrum and milk composition and suckling piglet growth. Sows were assigned to one of eight treatments on d 90 of gestation that included variables such as parity (1 vs. $3), dietary fat (0 vs. 10%), and farrowing (natural vs. induction via lutalyse on d 112). Piglets suckling fat-supplemented dams grew up to 25% faster than control pigs nursing unsupplemented sows (250 vs. 200 g/d; P , 0.01). Improved growth was correlated with elevated milk fat and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) concentrations associated with fat supplementation. Dietary fat elevated milk fat concentration at 48 and 72 h postfarrowing by 21.6 and 22.6%, respectively (P , 0.05). Compared with nonfat-fed controls, multiparous sows fed 10% fat showed a more consistent rise in milk fat concentration, with 26% and 41% elevations for induced or naturally farrowing sows, respectively, vs. a 19% reduction or a 1% elevation in induced or naturally farrowing gilts (P , 0.01). The concentration of milk IGF-I tended to be lower in gilts than in multiparous sows (P , 0.2, 95.7 vs. 117.4 mg/L), and levels were particularly low in milk from induced gilts receiving no additional dietary fat (44.7 mg/L). However, fat supplementation elevated IGF-I to levels (110.6 mg/L) exceeding those measured in unsupplemented, naturally farrowing control sows and gilts (95.8 mg/L). In conclusion, supplemental dietary fat elevates milk fat in multiparous sows more than primiparous gilts regardless of farrowing treatment (induced vs. natural farrowing) and improves piglet growth throughout lactation irrespective of parity or farrowing treatment. The potential of supplemental dietary fat to reverse the reductions in milk IGF-I observed in first-parity females and in dams induced to farrow merits further investigation. J. Nutr. 129: 2123–2129, 1999.
Overall prescription medication use among adults: findings from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin.

PURPOSE To analyze overall prescription medication use patterns among study participants in a representative statewide sample of Wisconsin adults. METHODS We analyzed data on 1572 participants from the 2008-2010 cycles of the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW). SHOW is a statewide population-based survey that collects health information, including prescription medications, from 21 to 74 year olds. Prescription medication use was examined according to demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. RESULT Almost 55% of participants reported using at least 1 medication in the past month and 14% reported using at least 5 medications. The top 5 medications reported were lisinopril, hydrochlorothiazide, simvastatin, levothyroxine, and metoprolol. Overall prescription medication use increased significantly with age. Medication use was greater among females, former smokers, adults with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30, or with low family income, and non-hispanic blacks. Adults having health insurance, drug coverage, or a regular source of care were more likely to report medication use. CONCLUSION The prevalence of prescription medication use in a general population sample in Wisconsin was high. Age, gender, race, BMI, family income, smoking history, health insurance, prescription drug coverage, and having a regular source of health care were associated with prescription medication use.
Intramolecular zero‐quantum‐coherence 2D NMR spectroscopy of lipids in the human breast at 7 T

Intramolecular zero‐quantum‐coherences (ZQCs) are intrinsically insensitive toward magnetic field inhomogeneity. This fact is used to quantify and characterize lipid signals in the human breast at 7 T despite the presence of severe magnetic field inhomogeneity caused by water–lipid susceptibility boundaries.
Quantifying Crystalline Form Composition in Binary Powder Mixtures Using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy

The objectives of this study were to assess the utility of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) in differentiating crystalline forms of pharmaceutical materials and determine the accuracy of this technique in quantifying crystalline forms of solids in binary mixtures. Various crystalline forms of sulfamethoxazole, sulfathiazole, lactose, and ampicillin, independently characterized with other methods, were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The observed differences in near-infrared (NIR) spectra of crystalline form pairs were interpretable on the basis of the features of their crystalline and molecular structures and mid-infrared spectra. NIR spectra of binary physical mixtures of crystalline form pairs were obtained directly through glass vials over the wavelength range of 1100–2500 nm. The calibration lines were constructed using an inverted least-squares regression method. The ratio of the response of the second derivative of the reflectance spectra at two wavelengths was plotted versus crystal form composition. The correlation coefficients for plots of predicted versus theoretical composition were generally greater than 0.99 and standard errors were all low. Parallel studies comparing the NIRS method to a quantitative x-ray powder diffraction method using sulfamethoxazole and sulfathiazole confirmed the accuracy of the results. Additional NIRS studies were conducted in the 0–10% composition range with ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole. These results indicated that prediction down to the 1% level was possible. This study demonstrates that NIRS can be used as a quantitative physical characterization method, is comparable in accuracy to other techniques, and is capable of detecting low levels of one crystal form in the presence of another.
Cutaneous adverse drug reactions in a tertiary care teaching hospital: A North Indian perspective

Background: Cutaneous manifestations of adverse drug reactions are a common occurrence and need to be differentiated from other causes of similar manifestations. Active search is essential for identification of these as patients may tend to downplay the causal association between drug use and the subsequent cutaneous manifestation. Purpose: To study the incidence of Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reactions (CADRs) in a tertiary care teaching hospital in North India. Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted over a period of 6 months; using self-reporting method for selection of cases. The CADRs were graded as definite, possible and probable. Results: During the study period, 91 cases of CADRs were observed. Maximum incidence of CADRs was seen with antimicrobials (48.30%), followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (21.90%). Maculopapular rash was the most common cutaneous manifestation of ADRs (42.85%). Conclusion: CADRs are a common occurrence and awareness about the same is essential for diagnosis and prevention.
Lustre Lockahead: Early experience and performance using optimized locking

Recent Cray‐authored Lustre modifications known as Lustre Lockahead show significantly improved write performance for collective, shared‐file I/O workloads. Initial tests show write performance improvements of more than 200% for small transfer sizes and over 100% for larger transfer sizes compared to traditional Lustre locking. Standard Lustre shared‐file locking mechanisms limit scaling of shared‐file I/O performance on modern high‐performance Lustre servers. The new Lockahead feature provides a mechanism for applications (or libraries) with knowledge of their I/O patterns to overcome this limitation by explicitly requesting locks. MPI‐IO is able to use this feature to dramatically improve shared‐file collective I/O performance, achieving more than 80% of file per process performance. This paper discusses our early experience using Lockahead with applications. We also present application and synthetic performance results and discuss performance considerations for applications that benefit from Lockahead.
Environmental Exposure to Allergens of Different Dog Breeds and Relevance in Allergological Diagnostics

In our environment, dogs are a relevant source of allergens, but diagnosing dog-related allergies may present difficulties, as in diagnostic tests with commercial dog allergens, some patients show only slight positive or negative results, even though they suffer from dog-related symptoms. Occasionally, allergy tests with extracts of dog hair belonging to patients' dogs or from dogs of the same breed were found to yield more reliable results, possibly due to breed-specific allergen components. The purpose of this study was to determine breed-specific differences or possibly hypo- or hyperallergenic dog breeds. The dog allergen content and protein patterns of different commercial and self-prepared dog allergen extracts were compared. Protein extracts were separated using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and stained with silver. The major allergen Can f 1 was quantified using the commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The majority of the bands in the self-prepared extracts of different breeds had a molecular mass lower than 30 kD. Notably, the self-prepared extracts of hair of common breeds showed distinct protein bands with a molecular mass lower than 14 kD, which the commercial extracts did not. With regard to Can f 1 content, a marked variability occurred. Factors related to individual dogs seem to influence the allergenicity more than breed or gender. This is the first report to describe allergens with low molecular mass that are absent in extracts of commercial test kits. Consequently, skin tests with self-prepared dog allergen extracts need to be performed in case of inconsistent test results with commercial extracts.