Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alveolar granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and alpha-chemokines in relation to serum levels, pulmonary neutrophilia, and severity of lung injury in ARDS.

OBJECTIVES To determine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide (ENA)-78, and interleukin (IL)-8 in BAL fluid (BALF), epithelial lining fluid (ELF), and serum for establishing the concentration gradient of G-CSF, ENA-78, and IL-8 between the blood and the alveolar space in ARDS and acute lung injury (ALI); and to evaluate the relationship of G-CSF, IL-8, and ENA-78 to pulmonary neutrophilia and severity of lung injury. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING An adult trauma/surgical ICU. PATIENTS Nineteen patients with ARDS and 10 patients with ALI. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS BAL and blood sampling simultaneously within 12 h and 24 h after onset of ARDS/ALI; G-CSF was detected in BALF in 18 of 19 patients with ARDS, in 7 of 10 patients with ALI, and in all serum samples. G-CSF in BALF and serum was significantly higher in ARDS than in ALI. ENA-78 was detected in BALF in 14 of 19 patients with ARDS, in 8 of 10 patients with ALI, and in serum of all patients. Levels in BALF and serum were not different between ARDS and ALI. IL-8 was detected in all patients; concentrations in BALF in ARDS were significantly higher than in ALI. Concentrations of G-CSF, ENA-78, and IL-8 in ELF were significantly higher than in serum. G-CSF in BALF and serum and IL-8 in BALF correlated positively with pulmonary neutrophilia. G-CSF in serum and IL-8 in BALF correlated negatively with PaO(2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO(2)) ratio. However, ENA-78 did not show a correlation with neutrophil count or with PaO(2)/FIO(2) ratio. CONCLUSIONS G-CSF may be pathophysiologically important for accumulation and activation of neutrophils in ARDS. Local G-CSF production is the likely driving force for neutrophils rather than elevation of circulating levels. In comparison to ENA-78, IL-8 seems to be the predominant neutrophil chemoattractant in the early phase of ARDS.
Validation of a Low-Cost EEG Device for Mood Induction Studies

New electroencephalography (EEG) devices, more portable and cheaper, are appearing on the market. Studying the reliability of these EEG devices for emotional studies would be interesting, as these devices could be more economical and compatible with Virtual Reality (VR) settings. Therefore, the aim in this work was to validate a low-cost EEG device (Emotiv Epoc) to monitor brain activity during a positive emotional induction procedure. Emotional pictures (IAPS) were used to induce a positive mood in sixteen participants. Changes in the brain activity of subjects were compared between positive induction and neutral conditions. Obtained results were in accordance with previous scientific literature regarding frontal EEG asymmetry, which supports the possibility of using this low-cost EEG device in future mood induction studies combined with VR.
Central ghrelin production does not substantially contribute to systemic ghrelin concentrations: a study in two subjects with active acromegaly.

INTRODUCTION In an animal model of acromegaly (PEPCK-hGH transgenic mice), low systemic levels of ghrelin have been observed compared with normal mice. We hypothesized that systemic circulating ghrelin levels are also decreased in humans with active acromegaly and that the contribution of central ghrelin production to systemic ghrelin levels is minimal. OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to investigate, in two subjects with active acromegaly, whether there are differences between systemic ghrelin levels and ghrelin concentrations in the petrosal sinus. DESIGN We measured systemic and central ghrelin levels in these two acromegalic patients by bilateral simultaneous inferior petrosal sinus sampling. Central and systemic blood samples were drawn before and 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 min after stimulation with GH-releasing hormone (GHRH). Ghrelin was measured with a commercially available radioimmunoassay. RESULTS In one acromegalic subject, the baseline systemic and central ghrelin levels were within the same range as in two non-acromegalic obese subjects. No gradient could be observed between central and systemic ghrelin concentrations. Stimulation with GHRH did not change the ghrelin concentrations in this patient. In the other acromegalic subject, the systemic ghrelin levels were also in the same range as in two non-acromegalic obese subjects. However, in this subject, baseline ghrelin concentrations in the right inferior petrosal vein were considerably lower than the systemic ghrelin concentrations, indicating a peripheral over central gradient. Administration of GHRH induced a significant rise in central ghrelin concentrations in the right inferior petrosal vein. Ghrelin levels in the left inferior petrosal vein and systemic ghrelin levels were in the normal range and GHRH stimulation did not change these concentrations. CONCLUSIONS The absence of a central over peripheral ghrelin gradient in these two acromegalics indicated that circulating ghrelin is mainly produced peripherally. Circulating systemic ghrelin levels were not decreased in these two subjects with active acromegaly.
A 4-Year Retrospective Study of Mandibular Fractures in a South Indian City

The medical records of 238 patients treated for mandibular fractures at Sri Ramachandra Dental College and Hospital, India, over a period of 4 years were reviewed. Of the total 238 patients with mandibular fractures, 81% were males, and 19% were females. The majority of the patients were 21 to 30 years of age. Road traffic accidents, especially people traveling on motorcycles, accounted for 73% of all patients, with a high prevalence during the month of September and on Saturdays. The most common area of fracture was in the parasymphysis region (35.2%) followed by the condyle region (22.6%).
Cohort study of cancer risk among male and female shift workers.

OBJECTIVES Melatonin, a hormone that inhibits experimentally induced cancers, is suppressed by nighttime exposure to light so that nighttime shift workers may be at an increased risk of cancer. Previous studies of shift workers found an increased risk of breast cancer among women and suggested a possible increased risk of colon cancer among women and prostate cancer. The present study was conducted to see whether these previous findings could be confirmed and whether shift workers are at elevated risk for cancer at additional sites. METHODS Altogether 2 102 126 male and 1 148 661 female workers were identified who worked in both 1960 and 1970. Their jobs were classified according to the percentage of shift workers, and they were followed from 1971 through 1989 or until they were diagnosed with cancer or died. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were used to compare the adjusted cancer incidence rates for shift workers with those for nonshift workers. RESULTS Cancer rates were not elevated for the male shift workers [all sites combined: N=6524 cases among shift workers, SIR 1.02, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.00-1.05; prostate: N=1319, SIR 1.04, 95% CI 0.99-1.10] or for the female shift workers (all sites combined: N=268, SIR 1.00, 95% CI 0.89-1.13; breast: N=70 cases, SIR 0.94, 95% CI 0.74-1.18). CONCLUSIONS No evidence was found for an association between shift work and breast or prostate cancer, or all cancer sites combined among shift workers.
Differential response of murine CD4+CD25+ and CD4+CD25– T cells to dexamethasone‐induced cell death

To evaluate the in vivo effect of immunosuppressive glucocorticoids on CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells, we injected dexamethasone (Dex) into BALB/c mice. Administrationof Dex enhanced the proportion of CD4+CD25+ cells and the ratio of CD4+CD25+ cells to CD4+CD25– cells in the lymphoid organs, especially in thethymus. This correlates with our in vitro observation that CD4+CD25+ T cells express higher levels of glucocorticoid receptor and Bcl‐2, and are therefore more resistant to Dex‐mediated cell death than CD4+CD25– T cells. Furthermore, IL‐2 selectively protected CD4+CD25+ T cells from Dex‐induced cell death, while IL‐7 and IL‐15 didnot exert preferential protective effects. Dex‐treated CD4+CD25+ T cells expressed higher levels of intracellular CTLA‐4 and surface glucocorticoid‐induced TNF receptor than fresh CD4+CD25+ T cells, but still failed to respond to TCR stimulation and inhibited proliferation of CD4+CD25– T cells. These results suggest that, in addition to suppressing cytokine transcription, Dex treatment is permissive for the survival of functional CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells, and this property may contribute to the anti‐inflammatory and immunosuppressive efficacy of glucocorticoids. Our data also suggest that selective protection of CD4+CD25+ T cell from apoptosis may constitute a role in immune tolerance for IL‐2.
A Wideband Balanced-to-Unbalanced Coupled-Line Power Divider

A compact wideband balanced-to-unbalanced (BTU) out-of-phase power divider (PD) is proposed in this letter. This novel circuit essentially consists of three pairs of cascaded coupled lines and a grounded resistor for output isolation. By using the even- (odd-) mode method analysis and the traditional transmission-line theory, closed-form design equations for equal power division with out of phase from one differential input to two unbalanced outputs, high output isolation and good common-mode suppression are obtained, simultaneously. In addition, an experimental PD is designed and fabricated. The good performance and the consistency between the simulated and measured results verify our design theory.
Temporal profiles of neuronal degeneration, glial proliferation, and cell death in hNFL(+/+) and NFL(−/−)mice

Neurofilament (NF) aggregate formation within motor neurons is a pathological hallmark of both the sporadic and familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The relationship between aggregate formation and both microglial and astrocytic proliferation, as well as additional neuropathological features of ALS, is unknown. To examine this, we have used transgenic mice that develop NF aggregates, through either a lack of the low‐molecular‐weight NF subunit [NFL (−/−)] or the overexpression of human NFL [hNFL (+/+)]. Transgenic and wild‐type C57bl/6 mice were examined from 1 month to 18 months of age, and the temporal pattern of motor neuron degeneration, microglial and astrocytic proliferation, and heat shock protein‐70 (HSP‐70) expression characterized. We observed three overlapping phases in both transgenic mice, including transient aggregate formation, reactive microgliosis, and progressive motor neuron loss. However, only NFL (−/−) mice demonstrated significant astrogliosis and HSP‐70 upregulation in both motor neurons and astrocytes. These in vivo models suggest that the development of NF aggregates in motor neurons leads to motor neuron death, but that the interaction between the degenerating motor neurons and the adjacent non‐neuronal cells may differ significantly depending on the etiology of the NF aggregate itself. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The anatomic matrix as a factor in susceptibility to lethal arrhythmias in a canine model of sudden cardiac death.

In a previously reported canine model of sudden cardiac death, its authors heavily weighted the role of the autonomic nervous system in determining whether or not a combined stress of submaximal exercise and ischemia would produce a fatal arrhythmia the setting of a healed anterior wall myocardial infarction. This morphologic study of that model reveals that anatomic factors are also relevant to vulnerability to sudden death: dogs who developed ventricular fibrillation in response to such a stress (susceptible) had significantly more of the left ventricle (LV) infarcted than dogs who survived the stress (resistant): 13.14% (+/- 2.67 S.E.M.) as compared with 4.01% (+/- 2.11 S.E.M.). Moreover, areas of fibrosis were spread more widely throughout the ventricle and septum in susceptible as compared with resistant animals, which consistently showed more homogeneous areas of infarct largely confined to the apical portion of the LV. While the autonomic nervous system may well be relevant to survival to stress in an animal which has survived a myocardial infarction, we conclude that there are important anatomic factors which determine vulnerability.
Factors associated with overweight among urban American Indian adolescents: findings from Project EAT.

OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of overweight in a sample of urban American Indian adolescents and identify associated behavioral, personal, and socioenvironmental factors. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS Participants were 246 American Indian boys and girls from the Saint Paul-Minneapolis metropolitan area of Minnesota who completed classroom surveys and anthropometric measurements as part of Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), a population-based study of adolescent nutrition and weight. MEASURES Survey items assessed behavioral factors (physical activity, television/video viewing, snacking and meal patterns, weight control behaviors), personal factors (body satisfaction, nutrition knowledge, nutrition/fitness attitudes, self-efficacy to make healthy food choices, perceived benefits/barriers to healthy eating), and socioenvironmental factors (family meal routines, family connectedness, parental attitudes regarding nutrition/fitness, availability of household foods, peer attitudes about weight and fitness). RESULTS Overweight prevalence (body mass index > or =85th percentile) was 43% and 39% for American Indian boys and girls. Compared to nonoverweight American Indian youth, overweight American Indian youth reported watching more hours of television/videos, greater use of weight control behaviors, less frequent snacking, caring less about fitness, lower body satisfaction, and greater parental concern about weight. CONCLUSION Obesity prevention programs targeting American Indian adolescents should focus on reducing time spent watching television/videos, screening for unhealthy weight-control behaviors, improving body satisfaction, and providing support for families to integrate healthy eating into their busy lifestyles.
Epidemiology of Basketball, Soccer, and Volleyball Injuries in Middle-School Female Athletes

Abstract Background: An estimated 30 to 40 million school children participate in sports in the United States; 34% of middle-school participants become injured and seek medical treatment at an annual cost close to $2 billion. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the injury incidence and rates in female athletes in the middle-school setting during the course of 3 seasons. Methods: Female basketball, soccer, and volleyball players were recruited from a single county public school district in Kentucky consisting of 5 middle schools. A total of 268 female athletes (162 basketball, 26 soccer, and 80 volleyball) participated. Athletes were monitored for sports-related injury and number of athlete exposures (AEs) by an athletic trainer. Injury rates were calculated for specific types of injuries within each sport. Injury rates for games and practices were also calculated and compared for each sport. Results: A total of 134 injuries were recorded during the 3 sport seasons. The knee was the most commonly injured body part (99 injuries [73.9%]), of which patellofemoral dysfunction (31.3%), Osgood-Schlatter disease (10.4%), and Sinding-Larsen-Johansson/patella tendinosis (9%) had the greatest incidence. The ankle was the second most commonly injured body part, accounting for 16.4% of all injuries. The overall rates of injury by sport were as follows: soccer, 6.66 per 1000 AEs; volleyball, 3.68 per 1000 AEs; and basketball, 2.86 per 1000 AEs. Conclusions: Female middle-school athletes displayed comparable injury patterns to those seen in their high-school counterparts. Future work is warranted to determine the potential for improved outcomes in female middle-school athletes with access to athletic training services. Clinical Relevance: As the participation levels and number of injuries continue to rise, middle-school athletes demonstrate an increasing need for medical services provided by a certified athletic trainer.
A single mutation in the first transmembrane domain of yeast COX2 enables its allotopic expression

During the course of evolution, a massive reduction of the mitochondrial genome content occurred that was associated with transfer of a large number of genes to the nucleus. To further characterize factors that control the mitochondrial gene transfer/retention process, we have investigated the barriers to transfer of yeast COX2, a mitochondrial gene coding for a subunit of cytochrome c oxidase complex. Nuclear-recoded Saccharomyces cerevisiae COX2 fused at the amino terminus to various alternative mitochondrial targeting sequences (MTS) fails to complement the growth defect of a yeast strain with an inactivated mitochondrial COX2 gene, even though it is expressed in cells. Through random mutagenesis of one such hybrid MTS-COX2, we identified a single mutation in the first Cox2 transmembrane domain (W56 → R) that (i) results in the cellular expression of a Cox2 variant with a molecular mass indicative of MTS cleavage, which (ii) supports growth of a cox2 mutant on a nonfermentable carbon source, and that (iii) partially restores cytochrome c oxidase-specific respiration by the mutant mitochondria. COX2W56R can be allotopically expressed with an MTS derived from S. cerevisiae OXA1 or Neurospora crassa SU9, both coding for hydrophobic mitochondrial proteins, but not with an MTS derived from the hydrophilic protein Cox4. In contrast to some other previously transferred genes, allotopic COX2 expression is not enabled or enhanced by a 3′-UTR that localizes mRNA translation to the mitochondria, such as yeast ATP23′-UTR. Application of in vitro evolution strategies to other mitochondrial genes might ultimately lead to yeast entirely lacking the mitochondrial genome, but still possessing functional respiratory capacity.
Evaluating the Quality of Web Based Sustainability Reports: A Multi-method Framework

Sustainability reports bear the potential to improve a company's image and to create competitive advantages, for they influence consumers' buying decisions and the investment decisions of potential shareholders. There are multiple standards and guidelines on sustainability reporting, which, however, mainly relate to the contents of the reports. We argue that due to the stakeholder-focused nature of sustainability reports, additional quality criteria exceeding the mere content need to be considered to improve the stakeholders' acceptance. Since these criteria are stakeholder-specific, they need to be defined and evaluated with direct involvement of the stakeholders. Thus, we propose a multi-method framework for the quality evaluation of web based sustainability reports. In order to evaluate our framework and to gain first insights into stakeholder-focused quality and acceptance criteria, we applied our framework within a preliminary study. First experiences and results are presented and implications for theory and practice are derived.
Capturing value from business models: the role of formal and informal protection strategies

As an overarching concept a business model describes how a firm creates and captures value for itself, its customers, and its partners. Although research has highlighted the importance of value creation and capture of business models, it primarily focused on the value creation mechanisms and neglected aspects of value capturing: until to date, little is known about how firms attempt to protect their business models from competition, which is a critical component of value capture. Drawing on a sample of 24 cases, we explore how business models relate to IP protection mechanisms for value capture and derive a business model protection framework. Our empirical study reveals that the choice of IP protection is contingent on the applied business model. Whereas some razor and blade business models are characterised by a high degree of both formal and informal protection, firms operating franchising business models put higher emphasis on informal protection strategies. Firms running the pay-per-use business mode.
Patterns of Disease Recurrence after SABR for Early Stage Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Optimizing Follow-Up Schedules for Salvage Therapy

Introduction: Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy is a guideline-recommended treatment for early stage non–small-cell lung cancer. We report on incidence and salvage of local recurrences (LR) and second primary lung cancers (SPLC) in a large series of patients with long-term follow-up, to generate data for evidence-based follow-up regimens. Methods: We excluded all patients with double tumors, TNM-stages other than T1-T2N0M0, biologically effective dose less than 100 Gy10 and previous treatment for the index tumor from our institutional database. LR was defined as recurrence in/adjacent to the planning target volume. A diagnosis of SPLC was determined using criteria described by Martini et al. Results: The 855 patients included had a median follow-up of 52 months. Forty-six patients developed LR after a median of 22 months (range 7–87 months). Actuarial local control rates at 3 and 5 years were 92.4% and 90.9%, respectively. Fifty-four percent had isolated LR and 13% had LR in combination with regional recurrences. Ten patients underwent radical salvage treatment; surgery (N = 6), high-dose radiotherapy (N = 3), or chemoradiation (N = 1). Median overall survival following LR was 13 months, but it was 36 months in patients who underwent radical salvage. A SPLC was diagnosed in 79 patients, after a median interval of 34 months. Actuarial cumulative incidences of SPLC at 3 and 5 years were 11.7% and 16.7%, respectively. Radical salvage for SPLC was performed in 63 patients (80%). Conclusions: Both the timing of LR and persistent risk of SPLC serve as rationale for long-term follow-up using computed tomography scans in patients fit enough to undergo any radical treatment.
Attention Functioning Among Adolescents With Multiple Learning, Attentional, Behavioral, and Emotional Difficulties

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by high levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity; however, these symptoms can result from a variety of reasons. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the various difficulties of individuals with ADHD, especially when co-occurrence difficulties are present, it is essential to combine neuropsychological and subjective assessment tools. In the present field study the authors investigated a group of adolescents with multiple deficits (MD) using neuropsychological and subjective measures. Teachers’ ratings verified extremely high levels of symptoms of oppositional behavior, inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, social problems, and emotional problems in this group. As expected, MD group participants showed decreased abilities to maintain attention on task for a long period of time, focus attention and effectively inhibit adjacent distractors, and resist conflicting irrelevant information. Importantly, although significant differences in the attention measures were observed at the group level, not all MD participants displayed deviant performance. Thus, we conclude that the heterogeneous group of adolescents with MD comprises individuals with primary attention deficits as well as those with other nonattentional deficits that show equivalent behavioral symptoms. Using neuropsychological tools can be useful in differentiating between different core deficits and in guiding appropriate interventions.