Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The extradural pressure profile in goats following extradural injection.

OBJECTIVE To measure the extradural pressures in goats before and after extradural injection, and to investigate the occurrence of extradural pressure waves. STUDY DESIGN Prospective experimental trial. ANIMALS Nine healthy adult goats weighing 59.4 ± 6.4 kg, scheduled for stifle arthroscopy. METHODS The goats were pre-medicated with midazolam and anaesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with sevoflurane. The goats were placed in lateral recumbency and extradural puncture was performed via the lumbosacral space. Correct placement of the needle was assessed by lack of resistance to the injection of saline. The needle was connected to an electronic pressure transducer to record extradural pressure. Measurements were taken before and after extradural injection of methadone (0.1 mg kg-1, diluted to a total volume of 0.2 mL kg-1) and 10 minutes later. Contrast medium was injected and correct extradural needle placement confirmed by radiography. RESULTS Lack of resistance to injection of saline occurred in all goats, but there were no pressure waves observed before injection in any animal. Radiography indicated incorrect needle placement in four animals and one had pressure waves synchronous with the arterial pulse after methadone injection. Correct needle placement was confirmed in the remaining five animals which exhibited pressure waves after extradural methadone injection. In the five goats with successful needle placement the baseline extradural pressure ranged from 0.4 to 2.5 kPa (3-19 mmHg), increasing to 4.4-39.9 kPa (33-300 mmHg) after injection. Ten minutes after injection, extradural pressure remained elevated and ranged from 2.5 to 17.3 kPa (19-130 mmHg). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Extradural pressure waves were not useful to confirm correct extradural needle placement in laterally recumbent goats. The presence of such waves after injection of 0.2 mL kg-1 may be indicative of correct placement but even here we saw one of nine animals with extradural pressure waves where we failed to confirm correct needle placement. Extradural pressure increases after extradural injection.
A Data-Generation Process for Data with Specified Risk Differences or Numbers Needed to Treat

Monte Carlo simulation methods are increasingly being used to evaluate the performance of statistical methods and estimators. However, the utility of these methods depends upon the existence of appropriate data-generating processes. Clinical commentators have suggested that the risk difference and the associated number needed to treat (NNT) are important measures of treatment effect when outcomes are binary. While these quantities are easily estimated in randomized controlled trials, there is an increasing interest in methods to estimate these quantities using observational or non-randomized data. However, the lack of a data-generating process for simulating data in which treatment induces a specified risk difference hinders the systematic examination of the performance of these methods. In the current study, we describe and evaluate the performance of a data-generating process for simulating data in which treatment induces a specified risk difference. The process is based upon an iterative process of evaluating marginal risk differences using Monte Carlo integration. The proposed data-generating process is flexible and can easily incorporate different distributions for baseline covariates and different levels of the baseline risk of the event. The data-generating process can also be easily modified to simulate data in which treatment induces a specified relative risk.
Multiple-Steps Step-Stress Accelerated Degradation Modeling Based on Wiener and Gamma Processes

During the step-stress accelerated degradation test (SSADT) experiment, the operator usually elevates the stress level at a predetermined time-point for all tested products that had not failed. This time-point is determined by the experience of the operator and the test is carried on until the performance degradation value of the product crosses the threshold value. In fact, this mode only works when a lot of products have been used in the experiment. But in the SSADT experiment, the number of products is relatively few, and so the test control to the products should be done more carefully. Considering the differences in products, we think the time-point of elevating stress level varies randomly from product-to-product. We consider a situation in which when the degradation value crosses a pre-specified value, the stress level is elevated. Under the circumstances, the time at which the degradation path crosses the pre-specified value is uncertain, and so we may regard it as a random variable. We discuss multiple-steps step-stress accelerated degradation models based on Wiener and gamma processes, respectively, and we apply the Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method for such analytically intractable models to obtain the maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) efficiently and present some computational results obtained from our implementation.
Effect of lidocaine on the minimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of a low-dose constant rate infusion (LCRI; 50 microg kg(-1) minute(-1)) and high-dose CRI (HCRI; 200 microg kg(-1) minute(-1)) lidocaine on arterial blood pressure and on the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane (Sevo), in dogs. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, randomized experimental design. ANIMALS Eight healthy adult spayed female dogs, weighing 16.0 +/- 2.1 kg. METHODS Each dog was anesthetized with sevoflurane in oxygen and mechanically ventilated, on three separate occasions 7 days apart. Following a 40-minute equilibration period, a 0.1-mL kg(-1) saline loading dose or lidocaine (2 mg kg(-1) intravenously) was administered over 3 minutes, followed by saline CRI or lidocaine LCRI or HCRI. The sevoflurane MAC was determined using a tail clamp. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure and plasma concentration of lidocaine were measured. All values are expressed as mean +/- SD. RESULTS The MAC of Sevo was 2.30 +/- 0.19%. The LCRI reduced MAC by 15% to 1.95 +/- 0.23% and HCRI by 37% to 1.45 +/- 0.21%. Diastolic and mean pressure increased with HCRI. Lidocaine plasma concentration was 0.84 +/- 0.18 for LCRI and 1.89 +/- 0.37 microg mL(-1) for HCRI. Seventy-five percent of HCRI dogs vomited during recovery. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Lidocaine infusions dose dependently decreased the MAC of Sevo, did not induce clinically significant changes in HR or arterial blood pressure, but vomiting was common during recovery in HCRI.
Clinical evaluation of the anaesthetic sparing effect of brachial plexus block in cats.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the isoflurane sparing effect and the post-surgical analgesia provided by a brachial plexus block (BPB) in cats undergoing distal thoracic limb surgery. STUDY DESIGN Prospective randomized blinded clinical study. ANIMALS Twenty client-owned cats. METHODS Cats were assigned to receive either no BPB (group NB) or a nerve stimulator guided BPB (group BPB) using lidocaine (3.6 mg kg(-1)) and bupivacaine (1.2 mg kg(-1)). Pre-medication consisted of midazolam and ketamine intravenously (IV). Anaesthesia was induced with propofol IV to effect and maintained with isoflurane delivered in oxygen and a continuous rate infusion of fentanyl (2 microg kg(-1) hour(-1)). End-tidal isoflurane concentration (Fe'ISO) was adjusted every 3 minutes guided by changes in cardiorespiratory parameters and reflexes present, to maintain a stable depth of anaesthesia. Five time points were chosen to record all parameters and compare values between groups. Recovery and post-operative pain assessment were performed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at 15 and 45 minutes after extubation and thereafter at hourly intervals until 5 hours after placement of the BPB. RESULTS No clinically significant differences were seen for heart rate, respiratory rate and non-invasive blood pressure between groups. Mean Fe'ISO was significantly lower in group BPB compared with group NB at all time points. In group NB, all intraoperative measurements of Fe'ISO were significantly higher compared with baseline (3 minutes before start of surgery) measurements. During recovery, VAS scores for group BPB were significantly lower than for group NB. Additional analgesics were needed in all cats within the study period. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In cats undergoing orthopaedic surgery of the thoracic limb, BPB reduced intra-operative isoflurane requirement and pain during the early post-operative period when compared with procedures without a BPB. BPB is a useful adjunct to anaesthesia in such cases.
Brief description of the effects on health of the earthquake of 3rd March 1985 – Chile

Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. Earthquakes are periodic phenomena that test the quality of construction, as well as the capacity of the population to adapt to sharp changes in socio-environ-mental conditions. Experience in this regard has demonstrated the desirability of being prepared, at the institutional level and at the level of the general population, to carry out investigations and to begin measures to cope with these catastrophes, in order to reduce damage and the interruption of normal life to a minimum. In this paper some general aspects of the social and health impacts of the earthquake of 3rd March 1985 are examined. The shock affected the central area of Chile which contains 61% of the total population. The earthquake occurred at 19:50 hours on Sunday, 3rd March, and was of magnitude 7.8. Recorded personal losses included 180 dead and 2,575 injured, and around 200,000 damaged or destroyed dwellings. The destruction also affected the infrastructure of the public services, such as energy, road, telecommunications and water supply, giving rise to an emergency in the provision of assistance. Special reference is made to the effects, on the health care infrastructure, drinking water supply and, less important, on the behavior of some communicable intestinal diseases that are highly endemic in the area under study.
Comparison of ketamine and alfaxalone for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia in ponies undergoing castration.

OBJECTIVE To compare alfaxalone with ketamine for total intravenous anaesthesia in ponies undergoing castration. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, randomised, blinded clinical study. ANIMALS Forty-two, 12-month-old Welsh Mountain ponies. METHODS Ponies were assigned randomly to receive ketamine or alfaxalone. After administration of romifidine 100 μg kg(-1) and butorphanol 50 μg kg(-1) intravenously (IV), sedation and response to tactile stimulation were scored. If sedation was insufficient, romifidine 30 μg kg(-1) was administered IV. Anaesthesia was induced with ketamine 2.2 mg kg(-1) or alfaxalone 1 mg kg(-1) , both in combination with diazepam 20 μg kg(-1) IV. Time from end of injection to lateral recumbency was recorded. Simple descriptive scores were used to score quality of induction, surgical conditions and recovery. Ketamine 0.5 mg kg(-1) or alfaxalone 0.2 mg kg(-1) were administered if movement was observed. Times to first head lift, sternal recumbency and standing, and number of attempts needed were recorded. All scores were performed by the same observer, unaware of treatment. Normally distributed data were compared using t-test and non-normally distributed data with Mann-Whitney test. Level of significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS Three ponies needed additional sedation. Mean induction times were 30 ± 6 and 18 ± 4 seconds following ketamine and alfaxalone respectively (p<0.0001). Additional doses were required by four ponies given ketamine and seven given alfaxalone. Sedation, induction and surgical scores were similar for both groups. Recovery scores (scale of 1-4 with 1 best) differed statistically between groups [ketamine group, median 1 (1-2); alfaxalone group 1.5 (1-4) (p=0.04)]. No differences in anaesthesia time or times taken from end of surgery to head lift, sternal recumbency and standing were detected. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Induction times following alfaxalone were shorter than following ketamine. Both anaesthetic agents provided acceptable quality of anaesthesia for castration.
Expansion of Access Tunnels and Active‐Site Cavities Influence Activity of Haloalkane Dehalogenases in Organic Cosolvents

The use of enzymes for biocatalysis can be significantly enhanced by using organic cosolvents in the reaction mixtures. Selection of the cosolvent type and concentration range for an enzymatic reaction is challenging and requires extensive empirical testing. An understanding of protein–solvent interaction could provide a theoretical framework for rationalising the selection process. Here, the behaviour of three model enzymes (haloalkane dehalogenases) was investigated in the presence of three representative organic cosolvents (acetone, formamide, and isopropanol). Steady‐state kinetics assays, molecular dynamics simulations, and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy were used to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of enzyme–solvent interactions. Cosolvent molecules entered the enzymes' access tunnels and active sites, enlarged their volumes with no change in overall protein structure, but surprisingly did not act as competitive inhibitors. At low concentrations, the cosolvents either enhanced catalysis by lowering K0.5 and increasing kcat, or caused enzyme inactivation by promoting substrate inhibition and decreasing kcat. The induced activation and inhibition of the enzymes correlated with expansion of the active‐site pockets and their occupancy by cosolvent molecules. The study demonstrates that quantitative analysis of the proportions of the access tunnels and active‐sites occupied by organic solvent molecules provides the valuable information for rational selection of appropriate protein–solvent pair and effective cosolvent concentration.
Time Use of People Living with Schizophrenia in a North London Catchment Area

Time use provides one means to study the lifestyles and community participation of people with disabilities. Previous clinical studies suggest that people with a mental illness experience difficulty in using their time meaningfully. This study examines the time use of 229 adults diagnosed with schizophrenia from an epidemiological survey in London, England. Twenty-four hour time budgets were collected and time use was calculated for 10 major categories of occupations. Few of the participants were engaged in work, active leisure, education or volunteer occupations, their predominant occupations being sleeping, personal care and passive leisure. The women spent significantly more time in domestic occupations and less time in passive leisure occupations than the men. The younger participants spent significantly more time in social occupations than the other age-groups. The older participants, and those attending day centres, spent most time in passive leisure. These findings indicate that many people diagnosed with schizophrenia are not engaged in occupations that support active lifestyles or social inclusion, highlighting the need to improve their opportunities to participate in mainstream social, active and productive occupations. Occupational therapists must work with service users and agencies beyond the mental health system to enable service users' participation in such occupations. Barriers to participation also require further exploration to address these occupational needs better.
The pan-Aurora kinase inhibitor, PHA-739358, induces apoptosis and inhibits migration in melanoma cell lines

Treatment of metastatic melanoma has long been a challenge because of its resistance to traditional chemotherapeutics, leading to the search for alternative strategies. Aurora kinases are key mitotic regulators that are frequently overexpressed in various cancers including melanoma, making them ideal targets for drug development. Several Aurora kinase inhibitors have been developed and tested preclinically and clinically. PHA-739358 is currently one of the most advanced clinical compounds being tested in phase II clinical trials; however, its antitumor effect has not been tested in melanoma. In this study, the antiproliferative and anti-invasive effects of PHA-739358 were investigated in melanoma cell lines. The results demonstrated that PHA-739358 produces a time-dependent and dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and inhibition of cell migration. Downregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 by the inhibition of NF&kgr;B-signaling pathway may contribute to PHA-739358-induced inhibition of migration. Furthermore, PHA-739358 enhanced temozolomide and Plx4032-induced apoptosis. This study suggests that Aurora kinase inhibitors may provide a new strategy for the treatment of advanced melanoma.
Youden Index and Associated Cut-Points for Three Ordinal Diagnostic Groups

Directly relating to sensitivity and specificity and providing an optimal cut-point, which maximizes overall classification effectiveness for diagnosis purpose, the Youden index has been frequently utilized in biomedical diagnosis practice. Current application of the Youden index is limited to two diagnostic groups. However, there usually exists a transitional intermediate stage in many disease processes. Early recognition of this intermediate stage is vital to open an optimal window for therapeutic intervention. In this article, we extend the Youden index to assess diagnostic accuracy when there are three ordinal diagnostic groups. Parametric and nonparametric methods are presented to estimate the optimal Youden index, the underlying optimal cut-points, and the associated confidence intervals. Extensive simulation studies covering representative distributional assumptions are reported to compare performance of the proposed methods. A real example illustrates the usefulness of the Youden index in evaluating discriminating ability of diagnostic tests.
The Cleavage Domain of the Amyloid Precursor Protein Transmembrane Helix Does Not Exhibit Above‐Average Backbone Dynamics

Wobbly backbone: The backbone dynamics of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) transmembrane helix was compared to those of other transmembrane domains. In contrast to expectation, no above-average backbone dynamics was found for the APP transmembrane helix; the dynamics thus appears not to be optimized for cleavage.
Ultrasound-guided retrobulbar nerve block in horses: a cadaveric study.

OBJECTIVE To develop an ultrasound-guided technique for retrobulbar nerve block in horses, and to compare the distribution of three different volumes of injected contrast medium (CM) (4, 8 and 12 mL), with the hypothesis that successful placement of the needle within the retractor bulbi muscle cone would lead to the most effective dispersal of CM towards the nerves leaving the orbital fissure. STUDY DESIGN Prospective experimental cadaver study. ANIMALS Twenty equine cadavers. METHODS Ultrasound-guided retrobulbar injections were performed in 40 cadaver orbits. Ultrasound visualization of needle placement within the retractor bulbi muscle cone and spread of injected CM towards the orbital fissure were scored. Needle position and destination of CM were then assessed using computerized tomography (CT), and comparisons performed between ultrasonographic visualization of orbital structures and success rate of injections (intraconal needle placement, CM reaching the orbital fissure). RESULTS Higher scores for ultrasound visualization resulted in a higher success rate for intraconal CM injection, as documented on the CT images. Successful intraconal placement of the needle (22/34 orbits) resulted in CM always reaching the orbital fissure. CM also reached the orbital fissure in six orbits where needle placement was extraconal. With 4, 8 and 12 mL CM, the orbital fissure was reached in 16/34, 23/34 and 28/34 injections, respectively. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The present study demonstrates the use of ultrasound for visualization of anatomical structures and needle placement during retrobulbar injections in equine orbits. However, this approach needs to be repeated in controlled clinical trials to assess practicability and effectiveness in clinical practice.
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy Associated With Multiple Sclerosis

Objective: To describe temporal profile of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) in patients with definite, relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Background: Peripheral demyelinating neuropathy has been rarely reported in association with central nervous system demyelinating disorder indistinguishable from MS. Methods: In addition to usual diagnostic studies for CIDP and MS in all 5 patients, we studied proximal segments of nerves using deep tendon reflex latency measurements of biceps reflex, patellar reflex, and ankle reflex. Results: All patients with MS subsequently (4-22 years) developed definite CIDP. Two of these patients developed multiple cranial nerve and spinal root enhancement on subsequent imaging without new intraparenchymal enhancement after a diagnosis of CIDP. The deep tendon reflex latencies were prolonged at more than 2 sites in all patients. Cerebral spinal fluid protein increased (70 ± 19 to 144.8 ± 17.4 mg/dL, P = 0.0001) at time of diagnosis of CIDP. Clinical improvement was observed in all patients after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Conclusions: When patients with MS develop CIDP, manifestations of central and peripheral disease involvement seem to respond to intravenous immunoglobulin. These cases suggest that there may be common antigenic targets in central and peripheral nervous system in this subset of patients.
P-spline Estimation of Functional Classification Methods for Improving the Quality in the Food Industry

The aim of this article is to improve the quality of cookies production by classifying them as good or bad from the curves of resistance of dough observed during the kneading process. As the predictor variable is functional, functional classification methodologies such as functional logit regression and functional discriminant analysis are considered. A P-spline approximation of the sample curves is proposed to improve the classification ability of these models and to suitably estimate the relationship between the quality of cookies and the resistance of dough. Inference results on the functional parameters and related odds ratios are obtained using the asymptotic normality of the maximum likelihood estimators under the classical regularity conditions. Finally, the classification results are compared with alternative functional data analysis approaches such as componentwise classification on the logit regression model.