Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Operant behavioral treatment of fibromyalgia: a controlled study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of operant pain treatment for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in an inpatient setting. METHODS Sixty-one patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for FMS were randomly assigned to the operant pain treatment group (OTG; n = 40) or a standardized medical program with an emphasis on physical therapy (PTG; n = 21). Pain assessments were performed before, immediately after, 6 months after, and 15 months after treatment. RESULTS The OTG patients reported a significant and stable reduction in pain intensity, interference, solicitous behavior of the spouse, medication, pain behaviors, number of doctor visits, and days at a hospital as well as an increase in sleeping time. Sixty-five percent of the OTG compared with none of the patients in the PTG showed clinically significant improvement. CONCLUSION These results suggest that operant pain treatment provided in an inpatient setting is an effective treatment for FMS, whereas a purely somatically oriented program may lead to a deterioration of the pain problem.
The Relationship Between Medial Temporal Lobe Atrophy and Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Dementia With Lewy Bodies

Background: The relationship between medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) and cognitive impairment in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) remains unclear. We examined this relationship using voxel-based specific regional analysis system for Alzheimer disease (VSRAD) advance software, which allowed us to quantify the degree of MTA on images obtained from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Methods: Thirty-seven patients diagnosed with DLB were recruited and scanned with a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner. All MRI data were analyzed using VSRAD advance. The target volume of interest (VOI) included the entire region of the entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. The degree of MTA was obtained from the averaged positive z-score (Z score) on the target VOI, with higher scores indicating more severe MTA. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS-R), which strengthened the measures of memory and language more than MMSE, were used to assess the presence of cognitive impairment. Results: A negative correlation was found between the Z score and MMSE total scores or the HDS-R total scores. A stepwise multiple regression analysis performed to adjust the covariate effects of sex, age, the onset age of the disease, duration of DLB, years of education, and donepezil treatment showed that the HDS-R total scores were independently associated with the Z score, whereas MMSE total scores were not. Conclusions: These results suggest that MTA is related to cognitive impairment in patients with DLB, particularly the regions of orientation, immediate and delayed recall, and word fluency.
The Ability of Emergency Medical Dispatch Codes of Medical Complaints to Predict ALS Prehospital Interventions

Objective. The Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) is an emergency medical dispatch (EMD) system that is commonly used to triage 9-1-1 calls andoptimize paramedic andEMT dispatch. The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, andpositive andnegative predictive values of selected MPDS dispatch codes to predict the need for ALS medication or procedures. Methods. Patients with selected MPDS codes between November 1, 2003, andOctober 31, 2005, from a suburban California county were matched with their electronic patient care record. The records of all transported patients were queried for prehospital interventions andmatched to their MPDS classification [Basic Life Support (BLS) versus Advanced Life Support (ALS)]. Patients who received prehospital interventions or medications were considered ALS Intervention. With true positive = ALS by MPDS + ALS Intervention, true negative = BLS by MPDS + BLS Interventions, false positive = ALS by MPDS + BLS Interventions, andfalse negative = BLS by MPDS + ALS Interventions, the screening performance of the San Mateo County EMD system was determined for selected complaint categories (abdominal pain, breathing problems chest pain, sick person, seizures, andunconscious/fainting). Results. There were a total of 64,647 medical calls, and42,651 went through the EMD process; 31,187 went through the EMD process andwere transported; 22,243of these were matched to a patient care record. The sensitivity andspecificity with 95% confidence intervals in () were as follows: all EMD calls 84 (83–85), 36 (35–36); abdominal pain, 53 (41–65), 47 (43–51); chest pain 99 (99–100), 2 (1–3); seizure 83 (77–88), 20 (17–23), sick 59 (53–64), 51 (49–54), andunconscious/fainting 99 (98–100), 2 (2–3). Conclusion. In our EMS system, MPDS coding for all medical calls had high sensitivity andlow specificity for the prediction of calls that required ALS intervention. Chest pain andunconscious/fainting calls were screened with very high sensitivity but very low specificity.
Immunohistochemistry of small intensely fluorescent (SIF) cells and of sif cell‐associated nerve fibers in the rat superior cervical ganglion

Double‐labelling immunofluorescence was applied on single sections of the rat superior cervical ganglion to evaluate neurochemistry and connectivity of intraganglionic SIF cells. The synaptic vesicle membrane protein synaptophysin and secretoneurin, a newly discovered neuropeptide derived from secretogranin II, proved reliable molecular markers of this cell type, whereas serotonin and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivities were observed in slightly incongruent SIF cell subpopulations. Immunolabelling for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and neuropeptide Y occurred in few SIF cells. None of the above immunoreactivities were visibly altered by preganglionic or postganglionic denervation, while some SIF cells were immunolabelled for galanin or for the neuronal microtubule‐associated protein MAP2 after postganglionic denervation. SIF cells were nonreactive for the pan‐neuronal marker protein gene product (PGP) 9.5 or neurofilament 160 kD. Intense staining of NADPH‐diaphorase in some SIF cells, suggesting catalytic activity of nitric oxide synthase, could not be substantiated by immunoreactivity for this enzyme. SIF cells were approached by nonidentical fiber populations immunoreactive for PGP 9.5, neurofilament, or neuropeptide Y, whereas immunoreactivities for galanin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide were colocalized in fiber meshes around SIF cells. The findings indicate (1) neurochemical SIF cell heterogeneity, (2) SIF cell plasticity in response to ganglionic perturbation, and (3) a differentiated innervation of SIF cells in the rat superior cervical ganglion. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High-Dose Oral Erythromycin Decreased the Incidence of Parenteral Nutrition-Associated Cholestasis in Preterm Infants

Background & Aims: Feeding intolerance because of functional gastrointestinal dysmotility and parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis (PNAC) are common problems in preterm, very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study aimed to assess the effectiveness of “high-dose” oral erythromycin as a prokinetic agent in decreasing the incidence of PNAC. Two secondary end points, including the time to achieve full enteral feeding and the duration of parenteral nutrition, were also evaluated. Methods: Infants consecutively admitted to the neonatal unit were randomized to receive erythromycin (12.5 mg/kg/dose every 6 hours for 14 days) or an equivalent volume of normal saline (placebo) if they attained less than half the total daily fluid intake (<75 mL/kg/day) as milk feeds on day 14 of life. Results: Of 182 VLBW infants enrolled, 91 received erythromycin. The incidence of PNAC was significantly lower in erythromycin-treated infants (18/91) compared with placebo infants (37/91; P = .003). Treated infants achieved full enteral nutrition significantly earlier (mean, 10.1; SE, 1.7 days; P < .001), and the duration of parenteral nutrition was also significantly decreased by 10 days (P < .001). Importantly, fewer infants receiving erythromycin had 2 or more episodes of septicemia (n = 4) compared with placebo patients (n = 13, P = .03). No serious adverse effect was associated with erythromycin treatment. Conclusions: High-dose oral erythromycin can be considered as a rescue measure for VLBW infants who fail to establish adequate enteral nutrition and in whom anatomically obstructive pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract have been excluded.
Decreased activity of UMP pyrophosphorylase associated with resistance to 5-fluorocytosine in Candida albicans

UMP pyrophosphorylase activity was assayed in crude lysates prepared from Candida albicans. Specific activity of UMP pyrophosphorylase was high in clinical isolates which were susceptible to 5-fluorocytosine. Resistant clinical isolates displayed low activity, and partially resistant (heterozygous) isolates displayed intermediate activity. Segregation from the heterozygous state resulted in a homozygous susceptible segregant with high UMP pyrophosphorylase activity and a homozygous resistant segregant with low activity. The observed specific activities were consistent with the hypothesis that specific activity was determined by the sum of the activities due to the dominant (FCY) and recessive (fcy) alleles of the resistance gene. Strains which possessed little UMP pyrophosphorylase activity released uracil into the medium when grown in the absence of 5-fluorocytosine; this result suggested that recycling of intracellular uracil is a normal function of this enzyme.
Loss of prion protein induces a primed state of type I interferon-responsive genes

The cellular prion protein (PrPC) has been extensively studied because of its pivotal role in prion diseases; however, its functions remain incompletely understood. A unique line of goats has been identified that carries a nonsense mutation that abolishes synthesis of PrPC. In these animals, the PrP-encoding mRNA is rapidly degraded. Goats without PrPC are valuable in re-addressing loss-of-function phenotypes observed in Prnp knockout mice. As PrPC has been ascribed various roles in immune cells, we analyzed transcriptomic responses to loss of PrPC in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from normal goat kids (n = 8, PRNP+/+) and goat kids without PrPC (n = 8, PRNPTer/Ter) by mRNA sequencing. PBMCs normally express moderate levels of PrPC. The vast majority of genes were similarly expressed in the two groups. However, a curated list of 86 differentially expressed genes delineated the two genotypes. About 70% of these were classified as interferon-responsive genes. In goats without PrPC, the majority of type I interferon-responsive genes were in a primed, modestly upregulated state, with fold changes ranging from 1.4 to 3.7. Among these were ISG15, DDX58 (RIG-1), MX1, MX2, OAS1, OAS2 and DRAM1, all of which have important roles in pathogen defense, cell proliferation, apoptosis, immunomodulation and DNA damage response. Our data suggest that PrPC contributes to the fine-tuning of resting state PBMCs expression level of type I interferon-responsive genes. The molecular mechanism by which this is achieved will be an important topic for further research into PrPC physiology.
The Role of Genetic Factors in the Development of Hyperhomocysteinemia

Abstract Moderate hyperhomocysteinemia has been identified as a new independent risk factor for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. This fact has produced interest in the study of genetic variants involved in homocysteine metabolism and its relationship to pathogenesis. Recently, more than 15 different genes were studied for their relationship to plasma homocysteine levels. We determined the influence of genetic variants in five genes (5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C→T, serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) 1420C→T, thymidylate synthase (TS) 2R→3R, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) 1947G→A and transcobalamin (TC) 776C→G) on plasma homocysteine, folic acid and parameters of vitamin B12 metabolism in 111 vegetarians (mean age: 46±15 years) and 118 healthy seniors (mean age: 82±6.5 years). Median homocysteine concentration in plasma was significantly influenced by the MTHFR genotypes in both populations. In the vegetarians the median homocysteine level was increased by 8 μmol/l in individuals homozygous for the mutation as compared to wild-type or heterozygous genotypes (20.4 μmol/l vs. 12.9 and 12.7 μmol/l, respectively). This unexpected increase was observed although the folate levels were in medium to elevated ranges. Our results suggest that vegetarians have a higher demand for folate to neutralize the genotype effect. Preclinical vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarians may be the cause for disturbed remethylation and folate trap. Plasma homocysteine was not significantly influenced by the SHMT, TS, COMT and TC mutations. In addition, for the TC mutation a trend toward cellular vitamin B12 deficiency was observed. The methylmalonic acid (MMA) levels were slightly elevated and the holotranscobalamin-II (holoTC-II) levels decreased. In the vegetarian group a significant relationship between the COMT genotype and holoTC-II concentration in plasma was determined, whereas the high activity COMT genotype (G/G) resulted in increased levels (35 μmol/l vs. 21 μmol/l for heterozygous and low activity genotypes). The MMA levels were inversely correlated to holoTC-II concentrations. In conclusion, the study on vegetarians and seniors documents interesting lifestyle-genotype interactions. Although the TC and COMT mutations influence cellular vitamin B12 metabolism, this effect did not result in overt homocysteine elevation.
Marx’s transformation problem and Pasinetti’s vertically integrated subsystems

Pasinetti (1988) constructs a ‘complete generalization of Marx’s “transformation problem”’, in the context of a non-uniform growth model, by proving that production prices are not proportional to the physical quantities of labour supplied to ‘vertically hyper-integrated subsystems’. Pasinetti therefore restricts the labour theory of value to a pre-institutional stage of analysis. In this paper I demonstrate that the transformation problem dissolves once we consider the vertically integrated subsystems induced by the specific institutional setup of a capitalist economy. I prove that production prices, both in steady-state and non-uniform-growth models, are proportional to the physical quantities of labour supplied to ‘vertically super-integrated subsystems’. In consequence the labour theory of value, suitably generalized, also applies at the institutional stage of analysis.
Role of Ficolin-A and Lectin Complement Pathway in the Innate Defense against Pathogenic Aspergillus Species

ABSTRACT Aspergillus species are saprophytic molds causing life-threatening invasive fungal infections in the immunocompromised host. Innate immune recognition, in particular, the mechanisms of opsonization and complement activation, has been reported to be an integral part of the defense against fungi. We have shown that the complement component ficolin-A significantly binds to Aspergillus conidia and hyphae in a concentration-dependent manner and was inhibited by N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine. Calcium-independent binding to Aspergillus fumigatus and A. terreus was observed, but binding to A. flavus and A. niger was calcium dependent. Ficolin-A binding to conidia was increased under low-pH conditions, and opsonization led to enhanced binding of conidia to A549 airway epithelial cells. In investigations of the lectin pathway of complement activation, ficolin-A-opsonized conidia did not lead to lectin pathway-specific C4 deposition. In contrast, the collectin mannose binding lectin C (MBL-C) but not MBL-A led to efficient lectin pathway activation on A. fumigatus in the absence of ficolin-A. In addition, ficolin-A opsonization led to a modulation of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-8. We conclude that ficolin-A may play an important role in the innate defense against Aspergillus by opsonizing conidia, immobilizing this fungus through enhanced adherence to epithelial cells and modulation of inflammation. However, it appears that other immune pattern recognition molecules, i.e., those of the collectin MBL-C, are involved in the Aspergillus-lectin complement pathway activation rather than ficolin-A.
Risk of ischemic stroke after atrial fibrillation diagnosis: A national sample cohort

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke and associated with a 5-fold higher risk of stroke. In this retrospective cohort study, the incidence of and risk factors for ischemic stroke in patients with AF were identified. All patients (≥30 years old) without previous stroke who were diagnosed with AF in 2007–2013 were selected from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. To identify factors that influenced ischemic stroke risk, Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was conducted. During a mean follow-up duration of 3.2 years, 1022 (9.6%) patients were diagnosed with ischemic stroke. The overall incidence rate of ischemic stroke was 30.8/1000 person-years. Of all the ischemic stroke that occurred during the follow-up period, 61.0% occurred within 1-year after AF diagnosis. Of the patients with CHA2DS2-VASc score of ≥2, only 13.6% were receiving warfarin therapy within 30 days after AF diagnosis. Relative to no antithrombotic therapy, warfarin treatment for >90 days before the index event (ischemic stroke in stroke patients and death/study end in non-stroke patients) associated with decreased ischemic stroke risk (Hazard Ratio = 0.41, 95%confidence intervals = 0.32–0.53). Heart failure, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus associated with greater ischemic stroke risk. AF patients in Korea had a higher ischemic stroke incidence rate than patients in other countries and ischemic stroke commonly occurred at early phase after AF diagnosis. Long-term (>90 days) continuous warfarin treatment may be beneficial for AF patients. However, warfarin treatment rates were very low. To prevent stroke, programs that actively detect AF and provide anticoagulation therapy are needed.
Dual cognitive task affects reaching and grasping behavior in subjects with macular disorders.

PURPOSE Subjects with macular disorders need longer time to plan and execute a reaching and grasping task compared with normally sighted controls. In everyday life it is normal to perform reaching and grasping movements while simultaneously carrying out a cognitively demanding task. We investigated whether a simultaneous "counting task" further affects the ability to reach and grasp an object in subjects with visual impairment (VI). As the visually guided action is considered to be solely under the control of the automatic parieto-premotor pathway, we hypothesize that there will be minimal effect of the counting task, needing working memory and attention, which is mediated by other pathways, on the performance of the reaching and grasping tasks. METHODS Fourteen subjects with VI and 14 age-matched controls reached out and grasped a target while carrying out a counting task ("easy," "difficult," "no count"). A motion analysis system recorded and reconstructed the 3D hand and finger movements. RESULTS Significant differences (P < 0.05) occurred for various indices between the two visual groups. Significant interaction effects occurred between the two groups for "onset time," "time after maximum grip," and "time after maximum velocity," indicating that the dual task affects both the planning of the movement and the ability to carry out "online corrections. " CONCLUSIONS In both groups, the onset time was affected by the counting task, which requires attention and working memory. In VI subjects, the dual task affected "online corrections," suggesting that visually guided movements are not solely under the control of automatic processes.
Aneuploidy of chromosome Y in prostate tumors and seminal vesicles: A possible sign of aging rather than an indicator of carcinogenesis?

Chromosome Y aneuploidies have been reported as one of the recurrent cytogenetic findings in prostate cancer (PCa) and many other solid and hematological tumors. We have studied this aneuploidy in 28 patients with PCa undergoing radical prostatectomy, one patient with benign hyperplasia (BPH) and four organ donors. A total of 72 samples have been studied: 17 tumors, 25 nontumor prostate tissues, 1 BPH, 21 seminal vesicles samples obtained along with the prostate when patients underwent radical prostatectomy and prostate tissues and seminal vesicles from four organ donors. We have also studied the aneuploidy of chromosome Y in peripheral blood from four of the patients and in seminal vesicles of 11 individuals with bladder cancer (BC). The study has been performed by Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in uncultured cells. Our results indicate that complete loss of chromosome Y is found in almost all the seminal vesicles both from patients with PCa and patients with BC (samples obtained from the tissue bank), and is more frequent in prostate tumors than in nontumor samples. The percentages of chromosome Y loss in the tissues analyzed are significatively higher than expected in lymphocytes considering the patient's age as reported in the literature. The high percentage of chromosome Y loss found in the nonmalignant seminal vesicles of these patients may be an indicator of an ageing process rather than a primary cytogenetic alteration in the carcinogenesis of the prostate. However, a contribution of this loss to chromosomal instability and therefore, to the multistep tumorigenic process, cannot be discarded. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A prospective, randomized study of open vs laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. An assessment of postoperative pain.

OBJECTIVE To compare postoperative pain after laparoscopic hernia repair and conventional open hernia repair. DESIGN Prospective, randomized study. SETTING Veterans Affairs Medical Center. PATIENTS Sixty-two patients scheduled for elective inguinal hernia repair. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized in the operating room to have a laparoscopic hernia repair (30 patients) or a conventional open hernia repair (32 patients). All operations were performed while the patient was under general anesthesia to avoid anesthesia as a confounding variable. MEASURES Postoperative pain following laparoscopic hernia repair and open hernia repair were compared using the McGill Pain Score, the McGill Visual Analogue Pain Scale score, and the number of acetaminophen with 30-mg codeine sulfate (Tylenol 3) tablets needed for pain during the first and second 24-hour periods postoperatively. All of the patients were interviewed and the postoperative pain was evaluated by a special study nurse (P.M.L.) who was blinded to the repair technique. RESULTS At 24 hours, the patients with laparoscopic hernia repair had 26% less pain by the McGill Pain Score (P = .02) and 31% less pain by the McGill Visual Analogue Scale (P = .006) than those who underwent an open hernia repair. At 48 hours the patients who underwent laparoscopic hernia repair had 28% less pain by the McGill Pain Score (P = .03), 42% less pain by the McGill Visual Analogue Scale (P = .002), and used 42% fewer analgesic tablets (P = .004). CONCLUSION Patients with a laparoscopic hernia repair had significantly less pain postoperatively than those with standard open hernia repairs.