Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ethanol, Thyroid Hormones and Acute Liver Injury: Is There a Relationship?

Alcoholic liver disease continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality, and the hypermetabolic hypothesis continues to be an attractive area for research. However, the current state of knowledge does not allow unequivocal acceptance or rejection of the role of thyroid hormone and antithyroid medication in alcoholic hepatitis. Clinical trials will help to establish or disprove the veracity of this hypothesis. What has been established is that chronic ethanol ingestion enhances EMR (19-22) which probably reflects the degree of hepatocellular necrosis, at least when relatively mild (25). The influence of thyroid hormone or a hyperthyroid-like state on EMR would be established if it could be shown that different antithyroid medications inhibit the enhanced EMR in chronic alcoholics. This effect has been shown in rats (125), but not in man. It is not apparent that events in the rat model can be readily applied to man. Furthermore, proof that antithyroid medications can inhibit enhanced EMR in chronic ethanol-consuming patients may allow this feature to be used to select patients who may best benefit from such treatment. A controlled randomized clinical trial using different anti-thyroid medications in alcoholic hepatitis may shed light on this important question. At the very least, demonstration of inhibition of enhanced EMR by antithyroid medications may provide the rationale for research concerning the role of thyroid hormone (or a similar hypermetabolic factor) in alcohol-mediated hepatocellular injury.
Supportive Coparenting Relationships as a Haven of Psychological Safety at the Transition to Parenthood

Guided by research on psychological safety, the authors used longitudinal survey data from a sample of 182 dual-earner male–female couples to examine the role of supportive coparenting in mediating relations between adult attachment orientations and parenting stress/satisfaction and further considered whether parenting self-efficacy moderated relations between supportive coparenting and parenting stress/satisfaction. Path analyses using IBM SPSS AMOS 22 and bootstrapping techniques indicated that fathers’ (but not mothers’) perceptions of supportive coparenting at 3 months postpartum mediated the associations between their attachment anxiety in the third trimester of pregnancy and their parenting stress and satisfaction at 9 months postpartum. Additional tests of moderation revealed that mothers’ perceptions of greater supportive coparenting were associated with lower parenting stress only when their parenting self-efficacy was low, but fathers’ perceptions of greater supportive coparenting were associated with greater parenting satisfaction only when their parenting self-efficacy was high. Implications and limitations are discussed.
Simulation of real time electricity price based Energy Management System

The aim of the case study was to determine profitability of Energy Management System (EMS) in the intraday market like Elbas (Nord Pool Spot). To optimize the operation of EMS, a Demand Response (DR) algorithm was used for the calculation of a battery bank charge-discharge schedule (BCDS) taking into account the volatility in the Real-Time price (RTP). The profits are gained from importing and storing more energy at low price periods while decreasing the imported power from the grid at high price periods and dispatching the stored energy for load demands. The forecast procedure analyzes the history of the energy price for a predefined back-time period and optimizes the BCDS to bring the highest profit to the end customer. The results are composed from typical parameters of a household's energy demand applied in EMS. The results obtained were compared with those from laboratory obtained by the Day-Ahead price based control algorithm. In the tests, an one-hour price is taken as real-time price.
Thermal Degradation Chemistry of Alkyl Quaternary Ammonium Montmorillonite

The thermal stability of organically modified layered silicate (OLS) plays a key role in the synthesis and processing of polymer-layered silicate (PLS) nanocomposites. The nonoxidative thermal degradation of montmorillonite and alkyl quaternary ammonium-modified montmorillonite were examined using conventional and high-resolution TGA combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (TG−FTIR−MS) and pyrolysis/GC−MS. The onset temperature of decomposition of these OLSs was approximately 155 °C via TGA and 180 °C via TGA−MS, where TGA−MS enables the differentiation of water desorbtion from true organic decomposition. Analysis of products (GC−MS) indicates that the initial degradation of the surfactant in the OLS follows a Hoffmann elimination reaction and that the architecture (trimethyl or dimethyl), chain length, surfactant mixture, exchanged ratio, or preconditioning (washing) does not alter the initial onset temperatures. Catalytic sites on the aluminosilicate layer reduce ther.
Interference of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs with very late activation antigen 4/vascular cells adhesion molecule 1-mediated lymphocyte-endothelial cell adhesion.

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the adhesion of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) under conditions that resemble blood flow. METHODS Assays of adhesion of PBL to HUVEC or recombinant vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (rVCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), and E-selectin were performed under continuous rotation at 37 degrees C. The phenotype of PBL subpopulations attached was characterized by flow cytometry. Lymphocytes were pretreated with different doses (5-100 microg/ml) of aceclofenac, diclofenac, indomethacin, or piroxicam or with inhibitory monoclonal antibodies (MAb) prior to the adhesion assays. The effect of NSAIDs on lymphocyte adhesion molecules was assessed by flow cytometry. To determine whether NSAIDs interfere with the affinity state of very late activation antigen 4 (VLA-4) integrin, we studied the effect of these drugs on the appearance of a beta1 activation-dependent epitope recognized by the HUTS21 MAb both on human T lymphoblasts and on synovial fluid lymphocytes (SFL). RESULTS In the flow-resembling model, PBL-HUVEC adhesion was mainly mediated by the VLA-4/ VCAM-1 adhesion pathway. The major PBL subset attached was the CD3+, CD45RO+ memory T cell, with CD49d(high) expression. Aceclofenac, diclofenac, and indomethacin, but not piroxicam, were able to inhibit PBL adhesion to HUVEC or rVCAM-1. However, the quantitative expression of VLA-4 was not affected by treatment of PBL with any of the NSAIDs studied. On T lymphoblasts and SFL, mostly CD45RO+ cells, the expression of the beta1 activation-dependent epitope detected by HUTS21 MAb was significantly decreased by aceclofenac, diclofenac, and indomethacin. CONCLUSION Some NSAIDs are able to inhibit the adhesion of PBL to HUVEC under conditions that resemble blood flow by interfering with the conformational change in VLA-4 that increases its affinity for VCAM-1.
X-linked immunodeficient mice as a model for testing the protective efficacy of monoclonal antibodies against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

(DBA/N[female] X CBA/2[male])F1 males have been reported to be deficient in producing antibodies against a number of antigens, including carbohydrates (I. Scher, Adv. Immunol. 35:1-71, 1982). We show that F1 male mice, in contrast to females, made less lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-specific antibodies after immunization with heat-inactivated Pseudomonas aeruginosa and had significantly less naturally occurring LPS-specific antibodies. Furthermore, neutropenic males were 50 to 1,000 times more sensitive to challenge with representative isolates belonging to the seven Fisher immunotypes. Administration to neutropenic F1 males of a human monoclonal antibody specific for the O carbohydrates of P. aeruginosa immunotype 2 LPS or administration of serum from rabbits immunized with heat-inactivated P. aeruginosa immunotype 1 raised the level of resistance to bacterial challenge close to that of females. The results show that the X-linked immunodeficient mouse is an excellent model with which to test the protective efficacy of P. aeruginosa-specific monoclonal antibodies.
Using Technology to Enhance the Student Assessment Experience

— The use of information tools is a common activity for students of any educational stage when they encounter online learning activities. Finding the relevant information for particular learning tasks is the topic of this paper as it investigates the use of information tools for a group of student participants. The paper describes and discusses the results with particular implications for use in higher education, and the findings suggest that improvement in assessment design and subsequent student learning may be achieved by structuring the purposefulness of information tools usage and online reading behaviors of university students.
The Association of Anxiety with Asthma Among a Sample of Asthmatics in ILE‐IFE Osun State Nigeria

Background. The association between asthma and anxiety has been a subject of various studies in developed countries, but there has been little work done in this area in developing countries. The goal of this study is to determine whether asthmatics are more anxious than orthopaedic patients and healthy individuals. Method. Fifty consecutive asthmatics were assessed. All completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ—30) and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI—1 and 2). Healthy individuals (30) and orthopaedic patients (30) were also recruited as controls; they also completed the GHQ and the STAI—1 and 2. Results. No significant difference was found in the sociodemographic variables such as age, sex, occupation, and marital status. The asthmatics had a mean GHQ score of 4.2 (SD ± 4.6) while orthopaedic and healthy control groups scored 1.6 (SD ± 1.8) and 2 (SD ± 1.8), respectively. There was a significant difference in the mean score of the index population (Asthmatics) and the comparison groups (F = 7.09, DF = 2/107, P = 0.004). With GHQ, cutoff point of ≥ 5.34% of asthmatics scored above 5 while 10% and 13.3% of the orthopaedic patients and healthy controls each scored ≥ 5. A significant difference was obtained in the mean scores on the STAI—1 questionnaire (F = 4.6, DF = 2/107, P =.012) indicating state anxiety whereas there was no significant difference on the STAI—2 questionnaire (F = 1.2, DF = 2/107, P = 0.31). Conclusion. Although asthmatics have higher anxiety compared to controls, this is not an inherent problem or trait among them.
Developing the next generation of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the commonest autoimmune diseases affecting 0.8% of the population. Over the last decade the treatment of this chronic disease has been revolutionized by the use of monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins, targeting molecules like tumour necrosis factor alpha. Nevertheless, approximately one‐third of subjects fail to respond to these therapies and therefore significant unmet medical need remains. Following a decade of use, clinical, government and regulatory agency expectations have changed for new antibodies therapies entering this highly competitive area. In this review, we discuss the current advances being made in antibody engineering and how they are being considered and used in the development of the next generation of antibodies to meet future expectations of healthcare providers, physicians and patients. Moreover, we discuss how pattern recognition receptors may provide new antibody tractable targets that may break the cycle of autoimmunity in rheumatoid arthritis.
Controlling of cyanobacteria bloom during bottleneck stages of algal cycling in shallow Lake Taihu (China)

To suppress the occurrence of phytoplankton blooms dominated by cyanobacteria, control measures were implemented during the bottleneck stages of algal succession, overwintering and pre-recruitment, using a combination of chemical and biological algicides. First, water and sediment samples were incubated in the laboratory to determine the threshold temperature for cyanobacteria recruitment. Second, the functional characteristics of candidate algicides were screened. Third, an in situ pilot experiment was conducted to test the feasibility of this method. Our results indicated that (1) the recruitment of cyanophytes was initiated at 15°C, (2) H2O2 and rice straw were the optimum algicides and their optimal concentrations were 10 mg/L and 1 g/L, respectively, and (3) following the combined application of H2O2 and rice straw during overwintering and pre-recruitment, the biomass of cyanobacteria decreased by 27.1% during recruitment and by 53.2% during the first algal bloom. These results suggested that the combined application of H2O2 and rice straw, during the bottleneck stages of algal cycling, suppressed the recruitment of cyanobacteria and decreased the magnitude of algal blooms, thus offering a promising choice for prevention of cyanobacterial blooms.
Friction on adsorbed monolayers.

Molecular-dynamics simulations and analytical calculations are used to investigate the mechanism of energy dissipation in monolayer films sliding across a substrate. An explanation is given for the viscous friction found experimentally in both fluid and incommensurate solid adsorbates, and for the observation that solids slide more easily than fluids. We show that anharmonic coupling of phonons in the adsorbed monolayer can account for the rate of energy dissipation seen in these experiments. @S0163-1829~96! 04935-1#
Weighing Projections of Physical Decline in Lung Cancer Surgery Decisions

Background:Patients with early-stage lung cancer often have comorbid illnesses and fear debility and death when contemplating surgery. However, data that compare physical function of patients who receive surgery with similar patients who do not are sparse. The authors report 1-year outcome results for surgical and nonsurgical patients in a prospective lung cancer cohort to address this gap. Methods:The authors enrolled 386 patients with early-stage lung cancer. A 106-item survey was completed at the time of enrollment including the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) Health Survey to assess functional status. Patients were followed for a year. Chart abstractions were obtained to determine comorbid illnesses and surgical status. Death was ascertained through vital records. The SF-12 was repeated 1 year after the enrollment. Regression models were constructed to identify predictors of 1-year mortality and decline in physical function. Results:Fifty-nine patients (15.3%) died before 1-year follow-up. Mortality in the surgical group was 10.8% compared with 22.8% in the nonsurgical group (P < 0.001). In regression analysis controlling for age and comorbidities, surgical treatment was associated with a reduction in 1-year mortality (odds ratio: 0.5 and 95% confidence interval: 0.3–1.0) but did not worsen physical function relative to the untreated group (average decrease in physical component score of SF-12 = 1.9 for surgery group and 2.5 for no surgery group, P = 0.66). Conclusions:Functional decline between surgically treated and untreated patients did not differ. This result casts doubt on its value as a treatment determinant. Cancer mortality seems to be a more essential issue in treatment decisions.
Target of Rapamycin Inhibitors (Sirolimus and Everolimus) for Primary Immunosuppression of Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Background. Target of rapamycin inhibitors (TOR-I) have a novel mode of action but uncertain clinical role. We performed a systematic review of randomized trials where immunosuppressive regimens containing TOR-I were compared with other regimens as initial therapy for kidney transplant recipients. Methods. Databases (inception, June 2005) and conference proceedings (1996–2005) were searched. Two independent reviewers assessed trials for eligibility and quality. Results at 1 year, are expressed as relative risk (RR), where values <1 favor TOR-I, or lower dose of TOR-I, and for continuous outcomes are expressed as weighted mean difference (WMD), both expressed with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. Thirty-three trials (142 reports) were included (27 trials of sirolimus, 5 of everolimus, and 1 of head-to-head comparison). When TOR-I replaced calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) (8 trials with 750 participants), there was no difference in acute rejection (RR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.74–1.44), but serum creatinine was lower (WMD, −18.31 &mgr;mol/L; 95% CI, −30.96 to −5.67) and bone marrow more suppressed (leukopenia: RR 2.02; 95% CI, 1.12–3.66; thrombocytopenia: RR, 6.97; 95% CI, 2.97–16.36; and anaemia: RR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.27–2.20). When TOR-I replaced antimetabolites (11 trials with 3966 participants), acute rejection and cytomegalovirus infection (CMV) were reduced (RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.71–0.99; RR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.37–0.65, respectively), but hypercholesterolemia was increased (RR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.32–2.06). When low- was compared with high-dose TOR-I, with equal CNI dose (10 trials with 3,175 participants), rejection was increased (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.06–1.43) but calculated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) higher (WMD, 4.27 mL/min; 95% CI, 1.12–7.41), and when lower-dose TOR-I and standard-dose CNI were compared with higher-dose TOR-I and reduced CNI, acute rejection was reduced (RR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.52–0.88), but calculated GFR was also reduced (WMD, −9.46 mL/min; 95% CI, −12.16 to −6.76). There was no significant difference in mortality, graft loss, or malignancy risk for TOR-I in any comparison. Conclusions. TOR-I have been evaluated in four different primary immunosuppressive algorithms: as replacement for CNI and antimetabolites, in combination with CNI at low and high doses, and with a variable dose of CNI. Generally, surrogate endpoints for graft survival favor TOR-I (lower risk of acute rejection and higher GFR), and surrogate endpoints for patient outcomes are worsened by TOR-I (bone marrow suppression and lipid disturbance). Long-term hard-endpoint data from methodologically robust randomized trials are still required.
Multiplication of different Legionella species in Mono Mac 6 cells and in Acanthamoeba castellanii

Survival and distribution of legionellae in the environment are assumed to be associated with their multiplication in amoebae, whereas the ability to multiply in macrophages is usually regarded to correspond to pathogenicity. Since most investigations focused on Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, we examined the intracellular multiplication of different Legionella species in Mono Mac 6 cells, which express phenotypic and functional features of mature monocytes, and in Acanthamoeba castellanii, an environmental host of Legionella spp. According to the bacterial doubling time in Mono Mac 6 cells and in A. castellanii, seven clusters of legionellae could be defined which could be split further with regard to finer differences. L. longbeachae serogroup 1, L. jordanis, and L. anisa were not able to multiply in either A. castellanii or Mono Mac 6 cells and are members of the first cluster. L. dumoffi did not multiply in Mono Mac 6 cells but showed a delayed multiplication in A. castellanii 72 h after infection and is the only member of the second cluster. L. steigerwaltii, L. gormanii, L. pneumophila serogroup 6 ATCC 33215, L. bozemanii, and L. micdadei showed a stable bacterial count in Mono Mac 6 cells after infection but a decreasing count in amoebae. They can be regarded as members of the third cluster. As the only member of the fourth cluster, L. oakridgensis was able to multiply slight in Mono Mac 6 cells but was killed within amoebae. A strain of L. pneumophila serogroup 1 Philadelphia obtained after 30 passages on SMH agar and a strain of L. pneumophila serogroup 1 Philadelphia obtained after intraperitoneal growth in guinea pigs are members of the fifth cluster, which showed multiplication in Mono Mac 6 cells but a decrease of bacterial counts in A. castellanii. The sixth cluster is characterized by intracellular multiplication in both host cell systems and consists of several strains of L. pneumophila serogroup 1 Philadelphia, a strain of L. pneumophila serogroup 2, and a fresh clinical isolate of L. pneumophila serogroup 6. Members of the seventh cluster are a strain of agar-adapted L. pneumophila serogroup 1 Bellingham and a strain of L. pneumophila serogroup 1 Bellingham which was passaged fewer than three times on BCYE alpha agar after inoculation and intraperitoneal growth in guinea pigs. In comparison to members of the sixth cluster, both strains showed a slightly enhanced multiplication in Mono Mac 6 cells but a reduced multiplication in amoebae. From our investigations, we could demonstrate a correlation between prevalence of a given Legionella species and their intracellular multiplication in Mono Mac 6 cells. Multiplication of members of the genus Legionella in A. castellanii seems to be dependent on mechanisms different from those in monocytes.
Emergence and evolution of an international cluster of MDR Bacteroides fragilis isolates.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine the antibiotic resistance profiles, antibiotic resistance mechanisms and possible 'clonal' nature of some MDR Bacteroides fragilis strains that simultaneously harboured cfiA, nimB, IS1186 and IS4351. METHODS Antibiotic susceptibilities were determined by Etests and antibiotic resistance genes and different genetic elements were detected by applying PCR methods. The environments of the cfiA and nimB genes were also determined by sequencing. The transferability of the cfiA, nimB and tet(Q) genes was tested by conjugation. The genetic relatedness of the test strains was tested by ERIC-PCR or PFGE. The complete genome sequences of two strains (B. fragilis BF8 and O:21) were determined by next-generation sequencing. RESULTS Most of the seven B. fragilis strains tested displayed multidrug resistance phenotypes; five strains were resistant to at least five types of antibiotics. Besides the common genetic constitution, ERIC-PCR implied high genetic relatedness. Similarities in some of the antibiotic resistance mechanisms [carbapenems (cfiA) and metronidazole (nimB)] also confirmed their common origin, but some other resistance mechanisms {MLSB [erm(F)] and tetracycline [tet(Q)]} and PFGE typing revealed differences. In B. fragilis BF8 and O:21, erm(F) and tet(X) genes were found with IS4351 borders, thus constituting Tn4351. All the strains were tet(Q) positive and transferred this gene in conjugation experiments, but not the cfiA and nimB genes. CONCLUSIONS An international cluster of MDR B. fragilis strains has been identified and characterized. This 'clone' may have emerged early in the evolution of division II B. fragilis strains, which was suggested by the low-complexity ERIC profiles and differences in the PFGE patterns.
ANTIBIOTIC‐ASSOCIATED COLITIS

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