Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Malformations in Douala General Hospital

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of congenital malformations and the proportion of cases diagnosed before birth; to specify this proportion according to the type of malformation and the sonographer qualification. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study carried out at the Douala General Hospital in the obstetric and neonatal units over a period of 42 months, from January 2008 to June 2012. The procedure consisted of; firstly an explanation of the study purpose with consent of parents obtained, thereafter, the parents were interviewed and data extracted from their files. The new born had a complete clinical exam. Morphological and biological assessment were done to ascertain diagnosis if needed. They were then followed up for 48 hours. Data were analysed using SPSS. Statistical analyses were mainly descriptive: mean, median, mode and frequency were calculated. Results: During this period, 6048 neonates were examined, 99 of whom had a malformation giving a prevalence of 1.64%. Musculoskeletal defects were the most common (36.4%), followed by digestive tract defects (22.2%). Ultrasounds were carried out mainly in the second term. Among the malformed babies, only 16.2% were diagnosed during the prenatal period. The obstetricians did better than radiologist in the prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations. All the urinary tract malformations and 33.3% of the polymalformations were diagnosed by prenatal echography. Among the malformed babies, 33% died within the first 48 hours of life and polymalformed babies were more concerned (66.7%). Conclusion: The prevalence of congenital birth defect was 1.64%. The rate of prenatal diagnosis remained low, meanwhile one third of the affected babies die after births. An early diagnosis would anticipate on medical care at birth and allow therapeutics abortions when indicated.
Nonorganic Physical Signs in Low-Back Pain

Nonorganic physical signs in low-back pain are described and standardized in 350 North American and British patients. These nonorganic signs are distinguishable from the standard clinical signs of physical pathology and correlate with other psychological data. By helping to separate the physical from the nonorganic they clarify the assessment of purely physical pathologic conditions. It is suggested also that the nonorganic signs can be used as a simple clinical screen to help identify patients who require more detailed psychological assessment.
Chronic kidney disease predicts cardiovascular disease.

The prevalence of end-stage renal disease continues to rise in the United States. Even more disturbingly, the current number of patients with early chronic kidney disease — the pool from which future end-stage renal disease patients will emerge — exceeds the present number with end-stage renal disease by a factor of 30 to 60.1,2 However, early chronic kidney disease will not progress to end-stage renal disease in all patients. Indeed, many will probably die of other conditions first. Over the past few years, investigators have shown that many people in this vast pool of patients with chronic kidney disease .
Effect of antifungal activity of some medicinal plants against Pythium debaryanum (Hesse)

The antifungal activity of five different medicinal plants namely Lawsonia inermis L, Mimosa pudica L, Phyllanthus niruri L. , Tephrosia purpurea Pens. , Vinca rosea L. were tested against plant pathogenic fungi Pythium debaryanum (causing damping off of disease) by agar well diffusion method. The plant leaves were extracted with various solvents like n-butanol, methanol, aqueous. Among the different plant tested, all the three solvents, the methanolic extracts of Lawsonia inermis showed maximum antifungal activity against Pythium debaryanum.
Suture-Related Keratitis Caused by Corynebacterium macginleyi

ABSTRACT We report two cases of suture-related keratitis following penetrating keratoplasty. In both cases, Corynebacterium macginleyi was isolated from corneal specimens. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that corynebacteria could aggregate and form a biofilm. The MICs of sulbenicillin and fluoroquinolones were high for both isolates. Our findings show that C. macginleyi can cause keratitis with biofilm formation.
Glycoprotein Ib Can Mediate Endothelial Cell Attachment to a von Willebrand Factor Substratum

Summary Introduction of single amino acid substitutions into the C-terminal Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) site of von Willebrand Factor, referred to as RGD mutant vWF, selectively abrogated vWF binding to platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GpIIb/IIIa, αIIbβ3 and abolished human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) spreading, but not attachment, to RGD mutant vWF (Beacham, D. A., Wise, R. J., Turci, S. M. and Handin, R. I. 1992. J. Biol. Chem. 167, 3409-3415). These results suggested that in addition to the vitronectin receptor (VNR, αvβ3), a second endothelial membrane glycoprotein can mediate HUVEC adhesion to vWF. HUVEC attachment to wild-type (WT) and RGD-mutant vWF was reduced by two proteins known to block the vWF-platelet glycoprotein Ib/IX (GpIb/IX) interaction, the monoclonal antibody AS-7 and the recombinant polypeptide, vWF-A1. The addition of cytochalasin B or DNase I to disrupt potential GPIbα-cytoskeletal interactions enhanced the immunoprecipitation of endothelial GPIbα, caused HUVEC to round up, and increased HUVEC adhesion to RGD mutant vWF. These results indicate that while the VNR is the primary adhesion receptor for vWF, endothelial GPIbα can mediate HUVEC attachment to vWF. GpIb-dependent attachment could contribute to HUVEC adhesion under conditions when cell surface expression of the VNR is downregulated, and VNR-dependent adhesion is reduced.
Rather than resonance, flapping wing flyers may play on aerodynamics to improve performance

Saving energy and enhancing performance are secular preoccupations shared by both nature and human beings. In animal locomotion, flapping flyers or swimmers rely on the flexibility of their wings or body to passively increase their efficiency using an appropriate cycle of storing and releasing elastic energy. Despite the convergence of many observations pointing out this feature, the underlying mechanisms explaining how the elastic nature of the wings is related to propulsive efficiency remain unclear. Here we use an experiment with a self-propelled simplified insect model allowing to show how wing compliance governs the performance of flapping flyers. Reducing the description of the flapping wing to a forced oscillator model, we pinpoint different nonlinear effects that can account for the observed behavior—in particular a set of cubic nonlinearities coming from the clamped-free beam equation used to model the wing and a quadratic damping term representing the fluid drag associated to the fast flapping motion. In contrast to what has been repeatedly suggested in the literature, we show that flapping flyers optimize their performance not by especially looking for resonance to achieve larger flapping amplitudes with less effort, but by tuning the temporal evolution of the wing shape (i.e., the phase dynamics in the oscillator model) to optimize the aerodynamics.
The genetic basis of the aggregation system in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis is located on the large conjugative plasmid pXO16

The aggregation phenotypes Agr+ and Agr- of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis are correlated with a conjugation-like plasmid transfer and characterized by the formation of aggregates when the bacteria are socialized during exponential growth. We present evidence for the association of the Agr+ phenotype with the presence of the large (135-MDa) self-transmissible plasmid pXO16.
Reconstructing a Graph from its Neighborhood Lists

Associate to a finite labeled graph G(V, E) its multiset of neighborhoods (G) = {N(υ): υ ∈ V}. We discuss the question of when a list is realizable by a graph, and to what extent G is determined by (G). The main results are: the decision problem is NP-complete; for bipartite graphs the decision problem is polynomially equivalent to Graph Isomorphism; forests G are determined up to isomorphism by (G); and if G is connected bipartite and (H) = (G), then H is completely described.
A morphological and chromosomal study of blastocysts developing from morphologically suboptimal human pre-embryos compared with control blastocysts.

BACKGROUND IVF laboratories performing embryo transfer at day 2 or 3 after fertilization are currently discarding pre-embryos considered suboptimal using morphological criteria. The objective of this study was to investigate whether blastocysts, cultured from such pre-embryos (surplus), were chromosomally and morphologically normal. As a control group we used morphologically good quality embryos (GQE), cultured to the blastocyst stage. METHODS Human pre-embryos considered suboptimal were cultured to the blastocyst stage. As a control group, frozen-thawed pre-embryos of good quality were cultured under identical conditions. The chromosomal status of the blastocysts obtained was studied by multi-colour fluorescence in-situ hybridization for chromosomes 13, 16, 18, 21, 22, X and Y. RESULTS There is, on average, a significantly higher degree of chromosomal aberrations in blastocysts derived from surplus pre-embryos compared to blastocysts derived from GQE, and the chromosomal aberrations are generally found in a higher number of blastomeres per blastocyst. In addition, blastocysts from surplus pre-embryos had significantly poorer morphology compared to GQE. Improvement in morphology and/or developmental rate in surplus pre-embryos between day 2 and day 3 did not predict a morphologically/chromosomally normal blastocyst. However, this study shows that close to half of the surplus pre-embryos that reach the blastocyst stage can be considered chromosomally normal when assessed for these seven chromosomes. Furthermore, we found that chromosomal aberrations were more concentrated in a particular cell population within blastocysts derived from GQE, compared with surplus blastocysts. CONCLUSIONS The study suggests that even if the IVF laboratory is on average making the correct decision about the potential of a pre-embryo, surplus pre-embryos that might become chromosomally normal blastocysts are still being discarded.
Use of suicide genes for cancer gene therapy: study of the different approaches

Cancer is a disease of high incidence for which conventional treatments are not necessarily effective. There is a need for the development of new alternative strategies. Among them, suicide gene therapy has been developed. In this approach, a gene encoding for a protein toxic under particular conditions is delivered to the target cells, resulting in their death. Although this approach has been in development for a long time, new combinations with other gene therapy areas, such as selective replicative viruses, tumour targeting, or conventional treatments such as chemo- or radiotherapy, are currently being tested. This review will summarise some of these approaches.
Prevention of endotoxin-induced monokine release by human low- and high-density lipoproteins and by apolipoprotein A-I

Interaction of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) with human lipoproteins is known to prevent the LPS-induced activation of human monocytes and release of cytokines (monokines). LPS was exposed to lipoprotein classes separated by ultracentrifugation and to apolipoprotein A-I. Then monocytes were added, and the LPS activation of monocytes was determined by measuring the induced monokines. Failure of LPS to induce monokine release was called LPS inactivation caused by lipoproteins or apolipoproteins. The LPS inactivation is shown to be a function of low-density lipoproteins. High-density lipoproteins inactivate LPS to a much lesser extent. The very-low-density lipoproteins cannot inactivate LPS. Lipid components seemed not absolutely required for LPS inactivation, because purified human apolipoprotein A-I without its physiological lipid complement also inhibits LPS-induced monokine release.
The mitochondrial genome of Hampala macrolepidota (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae)

Abstract The complete mitogenome sequence of Hampala macrolepidota was determined using PCR reactions. The genome is 16,766 bp in length, including 13 typical vertebrate protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and a control region. Except for eight tRNA and ND6 genes, all other mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand. The codon usage followed the typical vertebrate mitochondrial pattern (ATG or GTG for start codon and TAA or TAG for stop codon). There are seven regions of gene overlap totaling 25 bp and 13 intergenic spacer regions totaling 70 bp. The control region harbor 88 bp tandem repeats.
Attachment for infants in foster care: the role of caregiver state of mind.

The concordance between foster mothers' attachment state of mind and foster infants' attachment quality was examined for 50 foster mother-infant dyads. Babies had been placed into the care of their foster mothers between birth and 20 months of age. Attachment quality was assessed between 12 and 24 months of age, at least 3 months after the infants' placement into foster care. The two-way correspondence between maternal state of mind and infant attachment quality was 72%, kappa = . 43, similar to the level seen among biologically intact mother-infant dyads. Contrary to expectations, age at placement was not related to attachment quality. Rather, concordance between maternal state of mind and infant attachment was seen for relatively late-placed babies, as well as early placed babies. These findings have two major implications. First, following a disruption in care during the first year and a half of life, babies appear capable of organizing their behavior around the availability of new caregivers. Second, these data argue for a nongenetic mechanism for the intergenerational transmission of attachment.
The effect of the interleukin-6 c/g-174 polymorphism and circulating interleukin-6 on fibrinogen plasma levels.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES C-reactive protein (C-RP) levels correlate with fibrinogen values and are predictive of coronary artery disease. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) strongly regulates the production of C-RP. A polymorphism (C/G-174) within the IL-6 gene has been shown to affect IL-6 gene expression and plasma concentrations. DESIGN AND METHODS In 598 asymptomatic employees of a hospital in Southern Italy, we investigated the association between IL-6 C/G-174 gene variants and plasma fibrinogen levels. RESULTS Subjects with IL-6 plasma levels >2.0 pg/mL had a higher body mass index (BMI) (24.5+/-1.2) than subjects with IL-6 levels below this cut-off value (23.7+/-1.2; p =0.005). No association was found with sex, cigarette smoking, or alcohol consumption (p always>0.05). When the whole sample was analyzed according to the IL-6 C/G-174 polymorphism, there was no difference with respect to age, sex, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and body mass index. Median plasma fibrinogen levels, as well as carriers of plasma levels of IL-6 >2.0 pg/mL and C-RP >0.33 mg/L, were similar among subjects with different IL-6 genotypes. Similarly, no difference was observed when only carriers of plasma levels of IL-6 >2.0 pg/mL were analyzed, whereas in those with C-RP >0.33 mg/L IL-6 GG carriers had significantly lower plasma fibrinogen levels. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS The investigation of the IL-6 C/G-174 polymorphism does not seem to be a useful tool for predicting raised plasma fibrinogen levels.
Effects of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on emotional working memory capacity and mood in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Background In Parkinson’s disease (PD), cognitive symptoms and mood changes may be even more distressing for the patient than motor symptoms. Objective Our aim was to determine the effects of bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on working memory (WM) and mood. Methods Sixteen patients with PD were assessed with STN-DBS switched on (DBS-ON) and with dopaminergic treatment (Med-ON) compared to switched off (DBS-OFF) and without dopaminergic treatment (Med-OFF). The primary outcome measures were a Visual Analog Mood Scale (VAMS) and an emotional 2-back WM task at 12 months after DBS in the optimal DBS-ON/Med-ON setting compared to DBS-OFF/Med-OFF. Results Comparison of DBS-OFF/Med-OFF to DBS-ON/Med-ON revealed a significant increase in alertness (meanoff/off =51.59±24.54; meanon/on =72.75; P=0.016) and contentedness (meanoff/off =38.73±24.41; meanon/on =79.01±17.66; P=0.001, n=16), and a trend for reduction in sedation (P=0.060), which was related to stimulation as shown in a subgroup of seven patients. The N-back task revealed a significant increase in accuracy with DBS-ON/Med-ON compared to DBS-OFF/Med-OFF (82.0% vs 76.0%, respectively) (P=0.044), regardless of stimulus valence. Conclusion In line with previous studies, we found that patients rated themselves subjectively as more alert, content, and less sedated during short-term DBS-ON. Accuracy in the WM task increased with the combination of DBS and medication, possibly related to higher alertness of the patients. Our results add to the currently mixed results described for DBS on WM and suggest that there are no deleterious DBS effects on this specific cognitive domain.
Approaches to Learning for the ANZCA Final Examination and Validation of the Revised Study Process Questionnaire in Specialist Medical Training

When evaluating assessments, the impact on learning is often overlooked. Approaches to learning can be deep, surface and strategic. To provide insights into exam quality, we investigated the learning approaches taken by trainees preparing for the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) Final Exam. The revised two-factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) was modified and validated for this context and was administered to ANZCA advanced trainees. Additional questions were asked about perceived value for anaesthetic practice, study time and approaches to learning for each exam component. Overall, 236 of 690 trainees responded (34%). Responses indicated both deep and surface approaches to learning with a clear preponderance of deep approaches. The anaesthetic viva was valued most highly and the multiple choice question component the least. Despite this, respondents spent the most time studying for the multiple choice questions. The traditionally low short answer questions pass rate could not be explained by limited study time, perceived lack of value or study approaches. Written responses suggested that preparation for multiple choice questions was characterised by a surface approach, with rote memorisation of past questions. Minimal reference was made to the ANZCA syllabus as a guide for learning. These findings indicate that, although trainees found the exam generally relevant to practice and adopted predominantly deep learning approaches, there was considerable variation between the four components. These results provide data with which to review the existing ANZCA Final Exam and comparative data for future studies of the revisions to the ANZCA curriculum and exam process.
Microglial Activity in People at Ultra High Risk of Psychosis and in Schizophrenia: An [(11)C]PBR28 PET Brain Imaging Study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether microglial activity, measured using translocator-protein positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, is increased in unmedicated persons presenting with subclinical symptoms indicating that they are at ultra high risk of psychosis and to determine whether microglial activity is elevated in schizophrenia after controlling for a translocator-specific genetic polymorphism. METHOD The authors used the second-generation radioligand [(11)C]PBR28 and PET to image microglial activity in the brains of participants at ultra high risk for psychosis. Participants were recruited from early intervention centers. The authors also imaged a cohort of patients with schizophrenia and matched healthy subjects for comparison. In total, 50 individuals completed the study. At screening, participants were genotyped to account for the rs6971 polymorphism in the gene encoding the 18Kd translocator protein. The main outcome measure was total gray matter [(11)C]PBR28 binding ratio, representing microglial activity. RESULTS [(11)C]PBR28 binding ratio in gray matter was elevated in ultra-high-risk participants compared with matched comparison subjects (Cohen's d >1.2) and was positively correlated with symptom severity (r=0.730). Patients with schizophrenia also demonstrated elevated microglial activity relative to matched comparison subjects (Cohen's d >1.7). CONCLUSIONS Microglial activity is elevated in patients with schizophrenia and in persons with subclinical symptoms who are at ultra high risk of psychosis and is related to at-risk symptom severity. These findings suggest that neuroinflammation is linked to the risk of psychosis and related disorders, as well as the expression of subclinical symptoms.
Lithium: evidence reconsidered

This review examines the evidence for the main current recommendations for lithium use in psychiatry and briefly summarises the literature on its adverse consequences, in an attempt to develop an overall evaluation of its potential role based on available evidence. An introduction to the history of lithium is given because it is suggested that in both the 19th and 20th centuries the social context in which lithium emerged, rather than the quality of the scientific evidence, was decisive in determining its adoption as a treatment.
S‐nitroso‐glutathione inhibits platelet activation in vitro and in vivo

1 The effect of S‐nitroso‐glutathione (GSNO), a stable nitrosothiol, on platelet activation was examined in vitro and in vivo. 2 The adhesion of human platelets to fibrillar collagen and human endothelial cell monolayers was inhibited by GSNO. 3 GSNO caused a concentration‐dependent inhibition of collagen‐induced platelet aggregation in vitro and decreased ADP‐induced aggregation in the conscious rat. 4 Inhibition of platelet aggregation in vitro correlated with the increase in intraplatelet cyclic GMP levels. 5 The release of NO from GSNO was enhanced by platelet lysate, native glutathione and ascorbate. 6 The results show that GSNO is a carrier of NO and therefore has pharmacological activity as an inhibitor of platelet activation.
The rcsA gene of Klebsiella pneumoniae O1:K20 is involved in expression of the serotype-specific K (capsular) antigen

In Klebsiella pneumoniae, the ability to synthesize large amounts of capsular polysaccharide is an important correlate of virulence. We report the cloning of rcsA from K. pneumoniae serotype O1:K20 and demonstrate that rcsA is involved in the expression of the K antigen capsule. We have determined the nucleotide sequence for the rcsA gene from K. pneumoniae K20 and shown it to be identical to the sequence reported previously for rcsA from strain K21 (Allen et al., J. Gen. Microbiol. 133:331-340, 1987). Southern hybridization results indicate that this gene is widely distributed among different Klebsiella K serotypes. When cloned into Escherichia coli K-12, the K. pneumoniae rcsA gene caused a mucoid phenotype, resulting from the activation of colanic acid synthesis. Activation of colanic acid synthesis was not dependent on growth at low temperatures (less than or equal to 30 degrees C). The K. pneumoniae rcsA gene complemented E. coli K-12 rcsA mutations but could not complement defects in rcsB, suggesting that RcsA may be functionally homologous in these bacteria. The cloned rcsA gene also complemented a defect in nonmucoid strain K20 derivatives that normally produced only trace amounts of K20 antigen and were unable to assemble a wild-type capsular structure. Mutants that were K20-deficient were not complemented. The K antigen capsule of K. pneumoniae therefore joins a growing list of polysaccharide-synthetic systems in which "RcsA-like" proteins are involved.