Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solvent Degradation and Reduced Fracture Toughness in Aged Composites

Quartz- and barium-glass-filled composites aged for more than one year in ethanol experienced a significant reduction in fracture toughness (KIc), essentially identical to that experienced after two months of aging. This reduction is mainly attributed to a softening of the resin matrix, but cracking within the resin and at the filler/ matrix interface, as revealed by SEM microscopy, may also have contributed. No significant cracking could be seen in the composites aged in water. Composites post-cured at temperatures approaching their glass-transition temperature also experienced a reduction in KIc after alcohol storage. Storage in water for one year had little effect on the KIc of composites cured at oral temperatures, but a significant increase was observed for those post-cured at elevated temperatures. This increase is difficult to explain, but appears to involve a filler/matrix interfacial phenomenon, because it was not observed in the unfilled resin. The results of this study demonstrate that an alteration in the fracture resistance and some degradation of the filler/matrix interface, as has been observed clinically, occur after long-term exposure of dental composites to certain solvents used as food-simulating liquids.
Comovement in Arbitrage Limits

Estimates of mispricing, such as deviations from no-arbitrage relations, strongly comove across five financial markets. One common component---the arbitrage gap---explains the majority of variability in mispricing estimates for futures, Treasury securities, foreign exchange, and options. Prominent equity anomalies also comove significantly with the arbitrage gap. Variables affecting arbitrage capital availability, such as the TED spread and hedge fund flows and returns, explain two-thirds of the arbitrage gap’s variation. During periods of tighter capital constraints, the comovement in mispricings becomes stronger. The findings support theoretical predictions that common sources of funding shocks can cause comovement in mispricings across markets.
Heterogeneous Expression of Neuroendocrine Marker Proteins in Human Undifferentiated Carcinoma of the Colon and Rectum

Abstract: The expression of neuroendocrine marker proteins in undifferentiated colorectal cancers has not yet been studied in great detail. Therefore, the survival of 20 patients with small cell undifferentiated colorectal cancers treated at our institution between 1982 and 1997 (0.8% of all operated colorectal carcinomas) was correlated with the extent of neuroendocrine differentiation. Chromogranin A, synaptophysin, syntaxin1, VAMP2, SNAP25, and α/β‐SNAP were used as neuroendocrine markers. Based on the degree of immunoreactivity for these marker proteins, tumors were divided into group 0 (<2% cells stained positive for neuroendocrine markers) and group 1 (>2% cells stained positive). Patients were followed up for at least 5 years or until death. Nine of twenty (45%) undifferentiated colorectal tumors expressed neuroendocrine markers (group 1). Only one patient of this group survived 2 years (11%), whereas the 2‐year survival rate was 45.4% in group 0. Nine of eleven patients of group 0 were diagnosed in UICC stage I‐III, whereas eight of nine tumors with expression of neuroendocrine markers were diagnosed in UICC stage IV (P= 0.002). Our results show that neuroendocrine differentiation is often seen in small cell undifferentiated colorectal cancer. It correlates with a more aggressive course of the disease.
Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation reverses acute respiratory failure in select “do-not-intubate” patients

Objective:To determine the outcome from the use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) in “do-not-intubate” (DNI) patients in acute respiratory failure. Design:Prospective observational study. Setting:University-affiliated large medical center. Patients:All patients with DNI status who received NPPV for a 1-yr period. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Demographic, physiologic, and laboratory data were collected before initiation, 2 hrs after initiation, and each morning and evening for as long as NPPV was provided. Data were recorded on 137 episodes of acute respiratory failure in 131 DNI patients. Hospital mortality rate was 37.5% in 24 patients with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 39% in 28 patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, 68% in nine patients with non-COPD hypercapnic ventilatory failure, 77% in 13 postextubation respiratory failure patients, and 86% in 57 patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure. Advanced cancer was present in 40 patients and was associated with increased risk of death (85% mortality rate, p = .002). A score based on the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II and serum albumin level calculated before NPPV was predictive of hospital outcome. Conclusions:NPPV is successful in reversing acute respiratory failure and preventing hospital mortality in DNI patients with COPD and cardiogenic pulmonary edema but not in patients with postextubation failure, hypoxemic respiratory failure, or end-stage cancer. An easy-to-calculate score combining SAPS II and serum albumin level is a good prediction of outcome in DNI patients receiving NPPV.
Made in the U.S.A.? A Study of Firm Responses to Domestic Production Incentives

How do U.S. companies respond to incentives intended to encourage domestic production and manufacturing? I study this question in the context of the Domestic Production Activities Deduction (DPAD), which was enacted in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 and is currently the second largest U.S. corporate tax expenditure. Specifically, I examine 1) whether and to what extent firms shift income to maximize the domestic manufacturing benefit, and 2) the extent that firms actually increase domestic investment and employment, measured using confidential data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. While I find a positive effect of DPAD on domestic investment, I also find that DPAD firms shift income across time and across borders to maximize the tax benefit. These results show that changes in firm reporting are an important and economically significant response that has not been studied previously in this context. Additionally, these findings inform the ongoing policy debate on the possible extension or repeal of this tax incentive.
"Anode heel effect" on patient dose in lumbar spine radiography.

Appropriate use of the "anode heel effect" of the output beam from an X-ray tube can reduce the effective dose to patients in some common radiological examinations. We investigated the variation in radiation intensity across the X-ray beam caused by the anode heel effect, and quantified the difference in absorbed dose to critical organs resulting from lumbar spine X-ray projections carried out with the two possible orientations of the patient along the tube axis (cathode to anode). A Rando phantom and some high sensitivity thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLDs) (LiF:Mg,Cu,P) were used. With the tube axis horizontal, radiation intensity profiles, parallel and perpendicular to the axis, were measured. Lumbar spine radiographs were recorded using the Rando phantom in the standard anteroposterior (AP) and lateral projections. TLD pellets were used to measure the absorbed radiation dose at various sites corresponding to critical organ tissues (ovaries, testes, breasts, thyroid and lens). Each set of projections was recorded in two phantom orientations, first with the phantom head placed towards the cathode end of the X-ray tube, and then in the reverse direction. From the radiation intensity profile of the incident X-ray beam, the "cathode end" to "anode end" air dose ratio was found to be 1.8. In lumbar spine radiography, with the phantom head placed towards the anode end of the X-ray tube, the ovaries and testes received an average dose 17% and 12% higher, respectively, in the lateral projection, and 16% and 27% higher, respectively, in the AP projection, than those obtained in the reverse "patient" orientation. These results indicate that patients (particularly females) should always be positioned with the head placed towards the cathode end of the X-ray tube for lumbar spine radiography to achieve significant dose reductions.
The Role of Vitamin B12 in the Critically Ill—a Review

Vitamin B12 is an essential micronutrient, as humans have no capacity to produce the vitamin and it needs to be ingested from animal proteins. The ingested Vitamin B12 undergoes a complex process of absorption and assimilation. Vitamin B12 is essential for cellular function. Deficiency affects 15% of patients older than 65 and results in haematological and neurological disorders. Low levels of Vitamin B12 may also be an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease. High levels of Vitamin B12 are associated with inflammation and represent a poor outlook for critically ill patients. Treatment of Vitamin B12 deficiency is simple, but may be lifelong.
Comparative analysis of post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder after kidney transplantation versus hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a major complication caused by immune‐suppression after transplantation. Survival outcome is known to be poor and the characteristics are not fully understood because of its rare incidence. This single center retrospective study enrolled 41 adult PTLD patients after kidney‐transplantation (KT, n = 28) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT, n = 13) from 1992 to 2012. We compared the characteristics and estimated the survival outcomes according to several factors [age‐adjusted‐IPI (aaIPI), pathologic subtype, viral status, extranodal manifestation] and added some significant parameters to aaIPI scoring system. Post‐HSCT‐PTLD patients were younger and showed earlier onset, and viral status was more frequently identified. Ten‐year OS of the entire group was 44% but the 10‐year OS was not significantly different between post‐KT‐PTLD and post‐HSCT‐PTLD (39% vs. 56%, P = 0.860). The time onset of PTLD and viral statuses were not meaningful, however, aaIPI, age > 50, extranodal manifestation and monomorphic subtype were predictive for OS. We used those factors for PTLD‐specific scoring which showed intermediate‐risk (HR = 7.1, P = 0.019) and high‐risk (HR = 16.5, P = 0.001) presented worse OS compared to low‐risk subgroup. Although the treatment strategies were heterogenous, this study showed comprehensive PTLD data between KT versus HSCT, and our PTLD‐specific scoring might be validated by another larger studies.
siRNAs from an X-linked satellite repeat promote X-chromosome recognition in Drosophila melanogaster

Significance Modulation of X-linked gene expression is essential in organisms with XX females and XY males. Various strategies for global regulation of X chromosomes have been proposed, but all require highly selective recognition of X chromatin. How this is achieved is not understood. The siRNA pathway contributes to X recognition in a well-studied Drosophila model. We now show that ectopic production of siRNA from a repetitive sequence that is limited to the X chromosome also promotes X recognition. Differential activities of X-linked repeats suggest a control region model, in which siRNA produced by a few repeats acts on widely distributed X-linked target sequences to promote selective recognition, and modification, of a single chromosome. Highly differentiated sex chromosomes create a lethal imbalance in gene expression in one sex. To accommodate hemizygosity of the X chromosome in male fruit flies, expression of X-linked genes increases twofold. This is achieved by the male- specific lethal (MSL) complex, which modifies chromatin to increase expression. Mutations that disrupt the X localization of this complex decrease the expression of X-linked genes and reduce male survival. The mechanism that restricts the MSL complex to X chromatin is not understood. We recently reported that the siRNA pathway contributes to localization of the MSL complex, raising questions about the source of the siRNAs involved. The X-linked 1.688 g/cm3 satellite related repeats (1.688X repeats) are restricted to the X chromosome and produce small RNA, making them an attractive candidate. We tested RNA from these repeats for a role in dosage compensation and found that ectopic expression of single-stranded RNAs from 1.688X repeats enhanced the male lethality of mutants with defective X recognition. In contrast, expression of double-stranded hairpin RNA from a 1.688X repeat generated abundant siRNA and dramatically increased male survival. Consistent with improved survival, X localization of the MSL complex was largely restored in these males. The striking distribution of 1.688X repeats, which are nearly exclusive to the X chromosome, suggests that these are cis-acting elements contributing to identification of X chromatin.
Health-related quality-of-life outcomes of sirolimus-treated kidney transplant patients after elimination of cyclosporine A: results of a 2-year randomized clinical trial1

Background. This study compared 2-year health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) outcomes of sirolimus (SRL)-treated kidney transplant patients after elimination of cyclosporine A (CsA) to patients continuing on a combined CsA and SRL regimen. Methods. A randomized, open-label, clinical trial was performed in Europe, Australia, and Canada. Four hundred thirty kidney transplant patients were randomly assigned to sirolimus plus steroids (ST) (n=215) or SRL and CsA+ST (n=215) therapy after 3 months of combined SRL+CsA+ST treatment. HRQL was measured using the Kidney Transplant Questionnaire (KTQ) and the SF-36 Health Survey at month 3 (time of randomization) and months 12 and 24 after transplantation. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance was used to evaluate treatment differences in HRQL scores over the 2-year period. Results. HRQL scores were available for 361 (86%) eligible study patients. Statistically significant treatment-by-assessment time interactions, favoring SRL+ST, were found on KTQ Fatigue (P =0.0158) and Appearance scores (P =0.0007). No treatment differences were observed in KTQ Physical Symptom, Uncertainty-Fear, and Emotion scores. Statistically significant treatment-by-assessment time interactions were observed for SF-36 Vitality scores (P =0.0203) but not other SF-36 scores (P >0.05). For Vitality scores, the SRL+ST group remained stable (mean, 0.4-point change) from month 3 to month 24 compared with decreases in the SRL+CsA+ST group (mean, −6.5-point change). Conclusions. SRL-based therapy with early elimination of CsA results in fewer appearance-related problems, less fatigue, and better vitality compared with continuous treatment with SRL, CsA, and ST.
Cytokine gene polymorphisms in renal transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE Acute rejection remains an important cause of graft loss after renal transplantation, and cytokines are key mediators in the induction and effector phases of all immune and inflammatory responses. However, the influence of gene polymorphisms on the functional immune response of transplant recipient outcomes remains controversial. MATERIALS AND METHODS The amplification refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the interleukin-10 (IL-10) (-1082 G/A), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) (-308 G/A), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) (+874 T/A) single nucleotide polymorphisms in 100 of the first adult kidney recipients at our institution who were receiving cyclosporine-based immunosuppressive therapy. The diagnosis of acute rejection was based on clinical and histologic findings according to the Banff criteria. RESULTS The results of multivariate analyses showed no significant association between episodes of acute rejection and single nucleotide polymorphisms in IL- 10, TNF-alpha genes, or dinucleotide repeat polymorphisms in the IFN-gamma gene. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that cytokine gene polymorphisms did not influence the early outcome of kidney transplantation.
Trends and patterns in prostate cancer mortality in Belgrade, Serbia: a join-point analysis

The objective of this analysis was to examine recent changes in prostate cancer mortality among the male population of Belgrade, Serbia, during the period 1975–2002. Mortality data (official death certificates) for prostate cancer were gathered from published and unpublished material of the Municipal Institute of Statistics in Belgrade. Mortality rates were standardized according to the European standard population. Trends in mortality rates were assessed using join-point analysis. During the period from 1975 to 2002 in the population of Belgrade the average age-adjusted mortality rate from prostate cancer during this period was 17.5/100 000 (95% confidence interval, 15.4–19.6), ranging from 8.2/100 000 in 1984 to 31.2/100 000 in 2002. Since 1986 mortality rates among men aged 50 years and over have risen by nearly 6% per year, with the increases being slightly higher among older men (70 years and over 8% per year) compared to younger men (50–69 years, 4% per year). Mortality due to prostate cancer is rising quickly among men in Belgrade. This level of increase is the highest of any reported increase internationally and contrasts sharply with the widespread decrease in prostate cancer mortality in many developed countries.
Lupus Nephritis: Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3β Promotion of Renal Damage Through Activation of the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Lupus‐Prone Mice

Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK‐3β) has been demonstrated to be involved in immune and inflammatory responses via multiple signaling pathways, leading to the production of proinflammatory cytokines. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of GSK‐3β in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis in 2 mouse models.
Incidence and Distribution of Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis in Rehabilitation Patients: Implications for Screening

Patients admitted to in-patient rehabilitation programs have an increased risk for developing deep venous thrombosis (DVT). However, the utility of screening for lower extremity DVT using duplex ultrasound in this high-risk population is not well characterized. The purpose of this study is to identify whether or not screening lower-extremity duplex exams are indicated in this high-risk population. Screening lower extremity duplex exams were performed on all patients admitted to the rehabilitation center at Mt. Sinai Hospital over a 3-year period. Charts were reviewed for patient age, gender, diagnosis, date of screening and follow-up duplex exams, presence and location of venous thrombosis at each duplex exam, history of anticoagulation, and medical DVT prophylaxis. The presence of DVT at screening, the location of DVT along the lower extremity, and the outcome of calf DVT were analyzed in terms of gender, underlying diagnosis, and history of DVT prophylaxis. Lower extremity DVT was detected in 34% of patients. Twenty-three percent of patients had isolated calf vein thrombosis. Men were more likely than women to have DVT. Calf DVTs progressed in 3% of patients over an average follow-up of 2 weeks. The presence of DVT, its location along the lower extremity, and the outcome of calf vein DVT had no significant relationship to underlying diagnosis or history of prophylaxis. Screening duplex exams to detect lower extremity DVT in rehabilitation patients is useful. Screening altered management in 26% of patients, prompting either anticoagulation or repeat duplex exam.
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics in undergraduate medical education in the UK: the future.

1. Changes in undergraduate medical education will involve the development of a core curriculum of material of essential knowledge and of the skills for self directed learning both as a student and a postgraduate. A survey of departments or individuals teaching clinical pharmacology and therapeutics was conducted to consider what a core curriculum in these subjects might contain and how changes in the school curriculum would affect teaching in the future. 2. A questionnaire was developed based on an American consensus statement on the core curriculum in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. Freetext answers were encouraged. Twenty-seven medical schools were surveyed; 21 (78%) replied. 3. Items of core knowledge (as defined by the American statement) were generally rated important or very important. The most important were considered to be (in order): prescribing for the elderly, management of overdose and adverse drug reactions. All of these were widely taught (85-100%). The least important items were the efficacy and toxicity of nonprescription drugs (taught by 35%) and the process of drug development and approval (taught nevertheless by 95%). 4. Core skills were generally rated less important, and less often taught. It was felt by many respondents that these skills, as defined, were excessively detailed for British undergraduates and more appropriate for postgraduate education. 5. Core attitudes were rated as being of intermediate importance, but not widely taught as it was felt that these could best be inculcated by example rather than formal teaching. Again, many felt that these attitudes were inappropriate for a UK core curriculum. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Immunohistochemical localization of the neural cannabinoid receptor in rat brain

The cannabinoid receptor family consists of two inhibitory G‐protein‐coupled receptors, CB1 and CB2. CB1 is distributed primarily in neural tissue, whereas CB2 is distributed predominately in immune cells. The distribution of cannabinoid receptors in neural tissue has been demonstrated by using ligand binding autoradiography with CP55,940, a high‐affinity cannabinoid receptor ligand, and in situ hybridization. However, the localization of CB1 within individual cells in the brain remains to be defined. In the present study, domain‐specific polyclonal antibody to amino acids 83–98 of CB1 was used to define the expression of the neural cannabinoid receptor at the histochemical level. The use of CB1‐specific antiserum is advantageous in view of recent reports that CB2 also is expressed in the brain and binds CP55,940. Thus, utilization of anti‐CB1 antiserum would allow for the specific detection of CB1 protein expression. The regional staining pattern for CB1 in rat brain was consistent with that reported for CB1 using ligand binding autoradiography and in situ hybridization. Intense immunoreactivity was present in the hippocampal formation, the basal ganglia, and the molecular layer of the cerebellum. Moderate immunohistochemical staining was observed in the olfactory bulb, piriform cortex, cerebral cortex, and the granular layer of the cerebellum. In addition, immunoreactive staining was concentrated on afferent projections and dendritic processes of neuronal cells and was present within cell bodies and on cell surfaces. These data indicate that the anti‐CB1 antibody is a sensitive probe for the unequivocal histological discrimination of CB1 protein expression. J. Neurosci. Res. 51:391–402, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.