Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early acute hepatitis B infection and hepatitis B vaccination in blood donors

Donation Testing laboratories in the London and Southeast area of the National Blood Service (England) changed the routine HBsAg screening assay to Murex GE34/36 in January 2000. There have since been 12 instances where donations repeatably reactive in the routine HBsAg screening assay have been referred for confirmatory testing and the reference laboratory has reported `consistent with recent vaccination or possible early acute hepatitis B infection'. In all cases HBsAg was confirmed by specific neutralization and anti-HBc was negative. Acute hepatitis B is rare in UK blood donors and possible infections need to be investigated with a degree of urgency. However, all 12 of these donors, when contacted, gave a history of HBV vaccination within the four days prior to donation. A second sample obtained from 10 of these donors was sent for reference testing and gave a negative result for HBsAg and anti-HBc. These results are consistent with an earlier report from Dow & Yates (1998). However we think it appropriate to raise the issue because these serological patterns were not seen with previous screening assays. The increase in analytical sensitivity makes consideration of a change in the donor selection criteria necessary. Current Guidelines for the acceptance of blood donors in the UK allow recipients of recombinant vaccines to be accepted, if well, without any exclusion period. It may therefore be prudent to revise donor selection criteria and exclude potential donors with a recent history of vaccination against hepatitis B; studies currently in progress would indicate an exclusion period of seven days.
New Material of the Hominoid Ouranopithecus macedoniensis from the Late Miocene of the Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece) with Some Remarks on Its Sexual Dimorphism

New hominoid teeth from the late Miocene locality Ravin de la Pluie (RPl) of the Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece) are studied in this article. Their morphology, dimensions and proportions are similar to the hominoid Ouranopithecus macedoniensis, allowing their attribution to this taxon. The studied material provides some new morphological characters for the female P3 (small asymmetry, small mesiobuccal crown projection, paracone higher than protocone) and the lower canine (mesial groove: large in the male and small in the female, distobuccal fovea: large in the female and small in the male). The new material enriches the collection of O. macedoniensis. The estimated degree of sexual dimorphism of the RPl O. macedoniensis, calculated by the multivariate size dimorphism method, is compared with those of extant hominoids (Gorilla, Pan, Pongo) and of the late Miocene Lufengpithecus lufengensis from China, which is considered as more dimorphic than any living hominoid. The results suggest that Ouranopithecus multivariate size dimorphism for the premolar, molar and post-canine row is similar to those of Pongo and Lufengpithecus, slightly higher than that of Gorilla and clearly higher than that of Pan. Therefore, O. macedoniensis is apparently one of the most sexually dimorphic hominoids and the RPl assemblage is monospecific.
Effects of Relaxation and Imagery on the Sleep of Critically Ill Adults

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of relaxation and imagery on the sleep of critically ill adults. The study was an experimental clinical trial with random assignment to two groups. Analysis used repeated measures ANOVA. Thirty-six adults (17 males and 19 females) with a variety of physical diagnoses in three critical-care units in two large metropolitan hospitals were studied. Outcome measures were scores on a visual analog sleep scale, measured on three mornings. The intervention was a combination of relaxation and imagery, delivered on two evenings. All subjects’ sleep improved over time. There were significant interaction effects between the intervention, gender, and time, with males’ scores improving rapidly, and females’ scores first dropping, then improving rapidly. A combination of relaxation and imagery is effective in improving the sleep of the critically ill adult, with men responding immediately to relaxation and imagery with improved sleep, and women taking more time to respond to the intervention.
Parental Antecedents of Psychosis Are Associated With Severity of Positive and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia Patients.

Sample Characteristic Patients Without Parental Antecedents of Psychosis (n = 172) Patients With Parental Antecedents of Psychosis (n = 39) Statistical Test P Age, mean (SD), y 33.2 (11.7) 39.7 (15.2) t = 2.515 . 015 Gender, n (%) Male 119 (69.2) 25 (64.1) χ2 = 0.379 . 538 Female 53 (30.8) 14 (35.9) Age at first psychiatric contact, mean (SD), y 22.2 (5.5) 22.3 (7.1) t = 0.059 . 953 Age at first psychiatric admission, mean (SD), y 23.8 (6.1) 25.4 (7.6) t = 1.338 . 183 Age at onset, mean (SD), y 22.0 (5.5) 21.3 (4.9) t = 0.741 . 460 Substance consumption, n (%) Amphetamines 17 (9.9) 2 (5.1) χ2 = 1.043 . 307 Cocaine 30 (17.4) 5 (12.8) χ2 = 0.542 . 462 Opiates 4 (2.3) 2 (5.1) χ2 = 0.753 . 386 Hallucinogens 8 (4.7) 2 (5.1) χ2 = 0.012 . 914 Cannabis 68 (39.5) 14 (35.9) χ2 = 0.240 . 632 Alcohol 91 (52.9) 22 (56.4) χ2 = 0.106 . 745 Cigarettes 108 (62.8) 23 (59.0) χ2 = 0.325 . 569 General linear modela PANSS component EMM (SE) 95% CI EMM ± SE 95% CI F P Partial η2 Observed Power Kay et al7 Positive 12.4 ± 0.5 11.5–13.3 14.8 ± 1.0 12.9–16.7 4.797 . 030 0.023 0.587 Negative 16.9 ± 0.5 15.9–18.0 21.3 ± 1.1 19.1–23.5 12.532 < . 001 0.057 0.941 General 28.4 ± 0.7 27.0–29.9 29.7 ± 1.6 26.6–32.7 0.512 . 475 0.002 0.110 Wallwork et al9 Positive 7.4 ± 0.3 6.8–8.0 8.7 ± 0.7 7.4–10.0 3.063 . 082 0.015 0.414 Negative 14.1 ± 0.4 13.2–14.9 17.2 ± 0.9 15.4–19.0 9.301 . 003 0.043 0.859 Disorganized 6.2 ± 0.2 5.8–6.6 7.3 ± 0.5 6.4–8.2 4.481 . 035 0.021 0.558 Excited 6.1 ± 0.2 5.7–6.4 6.2 ± 0.4 5.4–7.1 0.179 . 672 0.001 0.071 Depressed 5.5 ± 0.2 5.1–5.8 5.8 ± 0.4 5.0–6.6 0.431 . 512 0.002 0.100 Total PANSS score 57.8 ± 1.4 55.1–60.5 65.6 ± 2.9 59.9–71.4 5.842 . 017 0.027 0.672 aPatients with a family history of psychosis were significantly older; therefore, the data were analyzed using the general linear model, which included current age as a covariate. Similar results were obtained irrespective of whether we considered years of disease evolution or current age in the general linear model. Boldface indicates statistical significance. Abbreviations: CI = confidence interval, EMM = estimated marginal mean, PANSS = Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, SD = standard deviation, SE = standard error. Parental Antecedents of Psychosis Are Associated With Severity of Positive and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia Patients
Immunocytochemical and ultrastructural studies on Dipetalonema viteae (Filarioidea)

ABSTRACT The antigenic properties of adult male and female of Dipetalonema viteae were studied by immunocytochemistry. Using antisera of the rodents Meriones unguiculatus and Mastomys natalensis infected with D. viteae, the binding of antibodies to sections of filariae embedded in Epon was assayed by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) technique and by electron microscopy. The optimal staining intensity was obtained with an antiserum dilution of 1:5000. Control sera were obtained from sex and age matched uninfected animals. Female D. viteae showed maximal antigen-antibody reactions within the uterus: in the inner uterus wall, in the “nutrient channels” between the maturing eggs and the differentiating microfilariae, on the eggshells, in the cuticula of microfilariae and in the spermatheca on the cell membrane of the mature spermatozoa. Male filariae showed binding of antibodies in the vesicula seminalis: in the nucleus and the nuclear membrane of primary spermatocytes and on maturing spermatids. Less pronounced antigen-antibody reactions in the cuticula, muscle and intestine were observed in both sexes. The PAP-technique offers significant improvements in comparison with other techniques, e.g., immunofluorescence, used to detect antigens on filariae: the PAP-technique has an increased sensitivity with a concomitant reduction in nonspecific background and can be used for both light and electron microscopy; moreover, PAP-treated tissues can be stored indefinitely at room temperature.
Use of metabolic profiles for the assessment of dietary adequacy in UK dairy herds

Between April 1999 and March 2004, metabolic profile analyses were performed on individual blood samples from 35,506 dairy cattle in the uk. Assessment of the cows' energy status by the analysis of plasma samples for (β-hydroxybutyrate, glucose and non-esterified fatty acids showed that 70·4 per cent of the cows in early lactation (10 to 20 days calved), 57·1 per cent of the cows in mid-lactation (51 to 120 days calved) and 57·7 per cent of the dry cows within 10 days of their predicted calving date had one or more energy metabolites outside the optimum range; in addition, 16 per cent of the cows in early lactation, 5·6 per cent of those in mid-lactation and 20·5 per cent of the dry cows within 10 days of their predicted calving date had a low plasma urea nitrogen concentration, indicating poor intakes of effective rumen-degradable protein. Abnormalities in the concentrations of magnesium, inorganic phosphate, copper, selenium and iodine were relatively uncommon. The transitional period, particularly in late pregnancy, was commonly identified as a constraint on productivity. Nutritional problems were most commonly associated with poor feed intakes and poor feed management, rather than with the formulation of the rations.
Caries prevention and reversal based on the caries balance.

The science behind caries prevention and reversal is well understood. A recent clinical trial has confirmed that reducing caries risk results in a reduction in dental decay. Dental caries progression or reversal depends upon the balance between demineralization and remineralization and can be visualized for clinical purposes as the "caries balance. " This balance is determined by the relative weights of the sums of pathological factors and protective factors. A structured caries risk assessment should be carried out based upon the concept of the caries balance. Following the risk assessment, a treatment plan is devised which leads to the control of dental caries for the patient. The balance between pathological and preventive factors can be swung in the direction of caries intervention and prevention by the active role of the dentist and his/her auxiliary staff.
Surgical Site Infections after Free Flap Breast Reconstruction: An Analysis of 2,899 Patients from the ACS-NSQIP Datasets

Abstract Background Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a costly complication, resulting in lower patient satisfaction and higher health care expenditures. Incidence varies widely in the literature by surgery type, yet few studies focus exclusively on autologous breast reconstruction, an increasingly common surgery. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors for SSIs in free flap breast reconstruction using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database (NSQIP). Methods Patients undergoing breast reconstruction with any flap type were identified by Current Procedural Terminology codes in the NSQIP database. Patients with superficial or deep SSIs within 30 days of surgery were compared with controls by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression across various characteristics. Results Overall, 2,899 patients undergoing autologous reconstruction were identified. Of these, 143 (4.9%) patients developed SSIs. Those who developed wound complications were more likely smokers (18.2 vs. 8.4%, p < 0.001) and diabetics (9.8 vs. 3.4%, p < 0.001) with hypertension (38.2 vs. 25.4%, p < 0.001) and pulmonary (4.5 vs. 1.3%, p = 0.01) history. SSIs occurred in patients with higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (p = 0.003) and the World Health Organization obesity (p < 0.001) classes. On multivariate regression, SSIs were significantly associated with smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 3.59, p < 0.001) and hypertension (OR = 1.86, p = 0.03). Conclusions This study demonstrates that patients who are active smokers or have hypertension are at the highest risk for SSIs. Preoperative identification and tailored postoperative management of these patients may decrease the incidence of this complication.
Mechanisms in Eukaryotic Mismatch Repair*

Inactivation of the human mismatch repair system confers a large increase in spontaneous mutability and a strong predisposition to tumor development. Mismatch repair provides several genetic stabilization functions: it corrects DNA biosynthetic errors, ensures the fidelity of genetic recombination, and participates in the earliest steps of checkpoint and apoptotic responses to several classes of DNA damage (see refs. 1-3 for recent reviews). Defects in this pathway are the cause of typical and atypical hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (4), but may also play a role in the development of 15 to 25% of sporadic tumors that occur in a number of tissues (5). The system is also of biomedical interest because mismatch repair-deficient tumor cells are resistant to certain cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs (2,3), a manifestation of its involvement in the DNA damage response. Of the several mutation avoidance functions of mismatch repair, the reaction responsible for replication error correction has been the most thoroughly studied, and the discussion that follows is restricted to this pathway.
General and Specific Combining Ability for Quantitative Characters in Sunflower

Seven sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) inbred lines were crossed in 7´7 half diallel to obtain 21 F1 hybrids which further used to estimate general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects for yield, head diameter, 1,000-seed weight, plant height and oil content of sunflower. The 7 inbred lines and 21 hybrids were planted in a randomized complete block design with three replications at Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand during 2008-2009. General combining ability and specific combining ability were estimated for seed yield, head diameter, 1,000-seed weight, plant height and oil content. The results revealed that mean squares for GCA were highly significant for head diameter and significant for yield and oil content. Mean squares for SCA were highly significant for 1,000-seed weight and plant height, while those of yield, head diameter and oil content were non-significant. Components of variance showed that the GCA variance was higher than the SCA variance for yield, head diameter and oil content. These results indicated that additive gene action was more important than non-additive gene action for these traits. Inbred line 5A exhibited the highest GCA effects for yield and oil content, followed by the line 2A. Among all the crosses, 2A´5A showed the greatest positive SCA effects for 1,000-seed weight and oil content. Thus, the two inbred lines (2A and 5A) revealed good potential to be used as parents for hybrid.
Induction of cell cycle entry and cell death in postmitotic lens fiber cells by overexpression of E2F1 or E2F2.

PURPOSE Previous studies have shown that inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRb) can cause lens fiber cell proliferation and apoptosis. Because pRb is thought to block cell cycle progression by inhibition of E2F transcription factors, experiments were conducted to test whether overexpression of different E2F family members would be sufficient to induce fiber cell proliferation and subsequent apoptosis. The in vivo functions of the transcription factor E2F2 have not previously been analyzed or described in transgenic mice. METHODS Human E2F1 and E2F2 cDNAs were linked to the alphaA-crystallin promoter. Transgenic mice were generated by microinjection. Changes in cell cycle regulation were assayed by immunohistochemistry for 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and by in situ hybridization. Cell death was assayed using the TdT-dUTP terminal nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. RESULTS At embryonic day (E)15.5, strong expression of the E2F1 and E2F2 transgenes was detected in lens fiber cells with little or no expression in epithelial cells. BrdU incorporation and TUNEL assays showed that overexpression of either E2F1 or E2F2 in lens fiber cells was sufficient to cause cell cycle entry and subsequent apoptosis. Expression of either E2F1 or E2F2 was sufficient to induce the transcription of cyclins (A2, B1, and E), as well as p53 and Bax in the lens fibercells. CONCLUSIONS Expression of either E2F1 or E2F2 can induce postmitotic lens fiber cells to re-enter the cell cycle. Inappropriate cell cycle entry is recognized by p53 in each case, and programmed cell death ensues.
A FETI--DP Formulation for the Three-Dimensional Stokes Problem without Primal Pressure Unknowns

A FETI-DP (dual-primal finite element tearing and interconnecting) algorithm for the three-dimensional Stokes problem is developed and analyzed. This is an extension of the previous work for the two-dimensional problem in [H. H. Kim, C. -O. Lee, and E. -H. Park, SIAM J. Numer. Anal. , 47 (2010), pp. 4142-4162]. Advantages of this approach are the coarse problem without primal pressure unknowns and the use of a computationally cheap lumped preconditioner. Especially in three dimensions, these advantages provide a more practical FETI-DP algorithm. In three dimensions, the velocity unknowns at subdomain corners and the averages of velocity unknowns over common faces are selected as the primal unknowns in the FETI-DP formulation. Its condition number bound is analyzed to be $CH/h$, where $C$ is a positive constant which is independent of any mesh parameters and $H/h$ is the number of elements across each subdomain. Numerical results are included.
Beyond waist circumference in an adult male population of Southern Italy: Is there any role for subscapular skinfold thickness in the relationship between insulin-like growth factor-I system and metabolic parameters?

Background: Apart from waist circumference, other adiposity measures, such as subscapular skin fold (SST), arouse growing interest due to their relationship to metabolic complications and cardiovascular risk. The IGF-I system is deregulated in obese subjects in proportion to their degree of visceral adiposity. Aim: To examine the association among IGF-I, IGF-binding protein (BP)-1 and -3 levels and different measures of adiposity in a sample of adult male population in Southern Italy. Materials and methods: A complete database for this analysis was available for 229 (age range 50–82 yr) participating at 2002–2004 Olivetti Heart Study follow-up. Results: After adjustment for age, IGF-I was inversely associated with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (p<0.05). IGFBP-1 was inversely associated with BMI, waist circumference, SST, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index, fat mass. HOMA index, age, and SST significantly predicted the IGFBP-1 plasma levels, with 24% of IGFBP-1 variability explained at a linear regression analysis. Conclusions: IGFBP-1 inversely correlated to adiposity and HOMA index. Among adiposity indexes, SST was the best predictor of IGFBP-1 levels. The evaluation of some components of the IGF system, and simple measures of body adiposity, such as SST, may represent a further tool to better evidence phenotype profiles associated to the pathogenetic mechanism of cardiovascular risk factor clustering in male adults.
Mechanism of Spring Relapse in Avian Malaria: Effect of Gonadotropin and Corticosterone

Previous work demonstrated that corticosterone induces relapse of avian malaria, and that this effect varies markedly from winter to spring. In the present study, English sparrows with latent Plasmodium relictum infections were treated in winter with corticosterone, gonadotropin, corticosterone + gonadotropin, or a control regimen consisting of the oil vehicle. Gonadotropin neither induced relapse nor potentiated the induction of relapse by corticosterone. These data cast doubt on the hypothesis that spring relapse in malarial infections is mediated by seasonal changes in reproductive hormone levels.
Lehmann Discontinuity as the Base of an Anisotropic Layer Beneath Continents

Long-period surface-wave (R1, G1), body-wave (S, SS, SSS), and ScS-reverberation data have been inverted to obtain anisotropic structures along seismic corridors that sample Australia and the western Pacific. These models support the proposal that the Lehmann discontinuity beneath stable continents represents a transition from an anisotropic lithosphere to a more isotropic material in the lower part of the continental tectosphere.
Site‐specific monitoring of N‐Glycosylation profiles of a CTLA4‐Fc‐fusion protein from the secretory pathway to the extracellular environment

Glycosylation often plays a key role in the safety and efficacy of therapeutic proteins to patients, thus underlying the need for consistent control of this important post‐translational modification during biologics production. In this study, we profiled the site‐specific evolution of N‐glycans on a CTLA4‐Fc‐fusion protein, from the intracellular secretory pathway to the conditioned medium (CM) in fed‐batch cell culture. For this, we developed an approach that combined sub‐cellular fractionation with liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) analyses. The study revealed that there was a significant amount of heterogeneity in the glycans displayed amongst the three distinct N‐glycosylation sites. Furthermore, 54–60% of the intracellular protein was characterized by Man8 and Man9 glycans on day 10, when the cell density peaks, indicative of a significant bottleneck between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the cis‐Golgi. At longer culture duration, the accumulation of intracellular protein with bi‐antennary‐fucosylated GlcNAc‐terminated residues identified the formation of another bottleneck in the medial and trans‐Golgi compartments, which subsequently led to a decrease in sialylated species in the secreted protein. Glucose deprivation caused a reduction in the Man8 and Man9 glycans in favor of Man5 glycans and bi‐antennary‐fucosylated GlcNAc‐terminated residues in the organellar pool of the Fc‐fusion protein. However, transient deprivation of glucose did not lead to major differences in the glycan profile of proteins secreted into the CM. The approach developed here allows us to probe the secretory pathway and sheds light on the site‐specific intracellular processing of glycans during fed‐batch cell culture, thus serving as an initial step towards their rational control. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1550–1560. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
OPTIMAL PRODUCTION POLICIES WITH MULTISTAGE STOCHASTIC DEMAND LEAD TIMES

We study the value of multistage advance demand information (MADI) in a production system in which customers place an order in advance of their actual need, and each order goes through multiple stages before it becomes due. Any order that is not immediately filled at its due date will be backordered. The producer must decide whether or not to produce based on real-time information regarding current and future orders. We formulate the problem as a Markov decision process and analyze the impact of the demand information on the production policy and the cost. We show that the optimal production policy is a state-dependent base-stock policy, and we show that it has certain monotonicity properties. We also introduce a simple heuristic policy that is significantly easier to compute and that inherits the structural properties of the optimal policy. In addition, we show that its base-stock levels bound those of the socially optimal policy. Numerical study identifies the conditions under which MADI is most beneficial and shows that the heuristic performs almost as well as the optimal policy when MADI is most beneficial.