Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acetazolamide therapy and intracranial pressure.

The role of " colonization pressure " in the spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococci: an important infection control variable. Sir—We read with interest the article entitled " A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial of Acetazolamide for the Treatment of Elevated Intracranial Pressure in Cryptococcal Meningitis " by Newton et al. [1], which evaluated the addition of acetazolamide to standard regi-mens for cryptococcal meningitis. This important study question is frequently raised not only of patients with crypto-coccal meningitis, but also of those with CNS coccidioidomycosis. Though their study was ended because of unacceptable electrolyte abnormalities and adverse events, Newton et al. [1] postulated that there may be subsets of patients who would benefit from the use of acetazola-mide. We concur that this is likely and report our experience using acetazolamide to treat 2 patients with persistent, symptomatic elevation of intracranial pressure (ICP) following completion of antifungal therapy for fungal meningitis. One of our patients had meningitis secondary to Cryptococcus neoformans and the other had meningitis due to Coccid-ioides immitis. Both patients were im-munocompetent and without significant medical conditions. One patient received amphotericin B/flucytosine and the other patient received fluconazole, and both patients underwent serial lumbar punctures. Both continued to have elevated ICP after their initial antifungal treatment course and, despite chronic fluconazole therapy and sterilization of their CSF, both had significant papilledema with visual impairment. For the patient with cryptococ-cal meningitis, a 2-month course of ace-tazolamide therapy at a total dose of 500 mg/day was associated with resolution of the papilledema and restoration of visual acuity. The patient with C. immitis meningitis required 4 years of acetazolamide therapy; intermittent discontinuation of acetazolamide resulted in recurrence of headaches and visual disturbances. No significant electrolyte abnormalities or adverse events were observed. The papille-dema did not recur after the cessation of therapy. Chronically elevated ICP may lead to serious sequelae, including visual and hearing loss, systemic hypertension, severe cephalgia, and depressed mentation [2, 3]. Techniques used to decrease intracranial pressure in patients with fungal meningitis include serial lumbar puncture and placement of a lumbar drain or intraperitoneal shunt [2, 4]. Serial lumbar punctures are most often employed, because they pose the least risk and are time-efficient outpatient procedures. A large-volume lum-bar puncture not only removes fluid directly but also restores the autoregulatory resorptive function of the arachnoid villi. Unfortunately, this therapeutic modality is impractical for long-term therapy, as scarring eventually occurs. Shunt and drain placement …
Einkommensentwicklung bei Betriebswechsel und Betriebsverbleib im Vergleich: empirische Ergebnisse aus der Beschäftigtenstichprobe des IAB für die Gruppe der Arbeiter

"In der Arbeit wird untersucht, wie sich das Einkommen von stabil in einem Betrieb beschaftigten mannlichen Arbeitern im Vergleich zum Einkommen von jenen entwickelt, die wechseln. Datenbasis der Untersuchung ist die Beschaftigtenstichprobe des IAB. Die Analyse erfolgt anhand einer Darstellung und mit multivariaten statistischen Methoden. Aufgrund theoretischer Uberlegungen wird in der Gruppe der Wechsler zwischen Fallen mit Arbeitslosigkeit und solchen mit direkten Ubergang unterschieden, Betriebswechsel ohne Arbeitslosigkeit erfolgen vermutlich uberwiegend auf Initiative des betreffenden Arbeiters. Der Zusammenhang von Einkommensentwicklung und Betriebsverbleib oder Betriebswechsel mit und ohne Arbeitslosigkeit wird vor dem Hintergrund von Arbeitsmarkttheorien diskutiert. Effizienzlohn-, Segmentations-, Humankapital-, Allokations- und Suchansatze werden benutzt. Die empirischen Ergebnissse zeigen, das (vermutlich freiwillige) Wechsel ohne Unterbrechungszeiten im Durchschnitt mit einem Lohnanstieg verbunden sind, der hoher als bei jenen Arbeitern ausfallt, die im selben Betrieb verbleiben. Die Einkommenszuwachse von Arbeitern, deren Betriebswechsel Folge einer Kundigung von seiten des Arbeitgebers ist, fallen hingegen durchschnittlich aus. Es finden sich nur schwach ausgepragte Hinweise, das Entlohnung gemas Betriebssenioritat auf dem untersuchten Teilarbeitsmarkt der Bundesrepublik eine Rolle spielt. " (Autorenreferat)
Sensory Qualities of Oysters Unaltered by a Short Exposure to Combined Elevated pCO2 and Temperature

Reliance on the marine environment for the provision of food is ever-increasing, but future climate change threatens production. Despite this concern, the impact on seafood quality and success of the seafood industry is unknown. Using a short-term study, we test these concerns using a major aquaculture species – Crassostrea gigas – exposing them to three acidification and warming scenarios: 1) ambient pCO2 (~400 ppm) & control temperature (15°C) 2) ambient pCO2 (~400 ppm) & elevated temperature (20°C), 3) elevated pCO2 (~1000 ppm) & elevated temperature (20°C). Oyster quality was assessed by scoring appearance, aroma, taste, and overall acceptability. A panel of five experts was asked to score nine oysters – three from each treatment – according to agreed criteria. Results indicate that these levels of acidification and warming did not significantly alter the sensory properties of C. gigas, and notably the overall acceptability remained unchanged. Non-statistically supported trends suggest that several sensory attributes – opacity, mouthfeel, aspect of meat, shininess, meat resistance, meat texture, and creaminess – may improve under acidification and warming scenarios. These findings can be considered positive for the future of the aquaculture and food sectors. Crassostrea gigas therefore is expected to remain a key species for food security that is resilient to climate change, whilst retaining its valuable attributes.
A Study on Informal Organizational Work-Family Support, Work-Family Enrichment and Work-Family Conflict of Chinese Employees

A questionnaire research was conducted to explore informal organizational work-family support (IOWFS) on work-to-family conflict (WFC), work-to-family enrichment (WFE) and some work-related outcomes (job satisfaction and turnover intention). 268 respondents were randomly selected in several organizations. Results showed that IOWFS has indirect impact on job satisfaction and turnover intention through the mediations of WFC and WFE. The four elements of IOWFS have their own influential paths. First, time demands and career consequences impact turnover intention indirectly through the mediation of WFC (completely mediator); Second, supportive supervisors and supportive colleagues impact job satisfaction indirectly through the mediation of WFE, and they can finally impact turnover intention, too. Besides, supportive supervisors can also impact turnover intention directly.
The Glow in a Three-Body Recombination Dominated Afterglow

At low pressures and sufficiently high initial plasma densities (>1017 m-3), the afterglow is governed by three-body recombination. A characteristic for this process is the formation of highly excited states followed by emission of photons and the appearance of spectral lines not present in the power-on phase. Here, this process has been illustrated using a fast streak camera to record the afterglow spectrum.
Effects of green tea on lipid metabolism in overweight or obese people: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

SCOPE The effects of green tea on lipid metabolism were inconsistent. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of green tea on lipid metabolism in overweight or obese people. METHODS AND RESULTS We searched randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing green tea with a control on lipid metabolism on PUBMED and WEB OF SCIENCE (January 1990 to September 2016), COCHRANE and EMBASE (updated to October 2016), and the Chinese databases CNKI, WanFang and CBMD. Twenty-one articles studying 1704 overweight or obese subjects were selected for this meta-analysis. The pooled results demonstrated that green tea significantly decreased plasma total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels in overweight or obese people. The weighted mean difference was -3.38 mg/dl for TC (95% CI: -6.42, -0.33 mg/dL) and -5.29 mg/dL for LDL (95% CI: -7.92, -2.6 6 mg/dL), respectively. Green tea intake, however, showed no effect on plasma triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL) levels in overweight or obese people with a relatively high heterogeneity. CONCLUSION The meta-analysis shows that drinking green tea can lower plasma TC and LDL levels significantly. Nevertheless, green tea's effect on plasma TG and HDL must be further evaluated by additional high-quality and large-scale RCTs.
Protection against Recurrent Ocular Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Disease after Therapeutic Vaccination of Latently Infected Mice

ABSTRACT The potential of therapeutic vaccination of animals latently infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) to enhance protective immunity to the virus and thereby reduce the incidence and severity of recurrent ocular disease was assessed in a mouse model. Mice latently infected with HSV-1 were vaccinated intranasally with a mixture of HSV-1 glycoproteins and recombinant Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (rEtxB) as an adjuvant. The systemic immune response induced was characterized by high levels of virus-specific immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) in serum and very low levels of IgG2a. Mucosal immunity was demonstrated by high levels of IgA in eye and vaginal secretions. Proliferating T cells from lymph nodes of vaccinated animals produced higher levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) than were produced by such cells from mock-vaccinated animals. This profile suggests that vaccination of latently infected mice modulates the Th1-dominated proinflammatory response usually induced upon infection. After reactivation of latent virus by UV irradiation, vaccinated mice showed reduced viral shedding in tears as well as a reduction in the incidence of recurrent herpetic corneal epithelial disease and stromal disease compared with mock-vaccinated mice. Moreover, vaccinated mice developing recurrent ocular disease showed less severe signs and a quicker recovery rate. Spread of virus to other areas close to the eye, such as the eyelid, was also significantly reduced. Encephalitis occurred in a small percentage (11%) of mock-vaccinated mice, but vaccinated animals were completely protected from such disease. The possible immune mechanisms involved in protection against recurrent ocular herpetic disease in therapeutically vaccinated animals are discussed.
Testing in serum for human glandular kallikrein 2, and free and total prostate specific antigen in biannual screening for prostate cancer.

PURPOSE We investigated the value of serum measurements for glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2), and free (f) and total (t) prostate specific antigen (PSA) in a second round of biannual screening for prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 1995 to 1996, 5,853 of 9,811 randomly selected men in Göteborg, Sweden 50 to 66 years old had PSA measurements. Of 660 men 611 with tPSA 3 ng/ml or greater underwent biopsy and 145 had cancer. All were re-invited 2 years later for PSA testing, and 506 of 596 men with tPSA 3 ng/ml or greater underwent biopsy and 113 cancers were detected. We analyzed hK2, tPSA and fPSA in 423 of 453 (93%) men who underwent biopsy in 1997 to 1998 who were also screened in 1995 to 1996. RESULTS The 99 of 423 (23%) men who underwent biopsy diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 to 1998 had significantly different tPSA, percent fPSA and hK2 x tPSA/fPSA compared to the men with negative biopsies from 2 years earlier. The largest area under curve was obtained for hK2 x tPSA/fPSA in serum from 1995 to 1996 and from 1997 to 1998, but the difference was not significant compared to tPSA and percent fPSA. In serum from 1997 to 1998 measurements of hK2 x tPSA/fPSA gave significantly higher specificity than tPSA at 85% sensitivity, and significantly higher specificity than tPSA and percent fPSA at 70% to 75% sensitivity. In addition, levels of hK2 and hK2 x tPSA/fPSA manifested a significantly greater 2-year increase in men with cancer compared to those with benign biopsies. CONCLUSIONS In men with tPSA levels 3.0 ng/ml or greater who were not diagnosed with cancer during a first round of screening, hK2 measurements enhanced specificity compared to tPSA testing at moderately high sensitivity, and manifested a greater 2-year increase in men with cancer.
Feasibility of global measles eradication after interruption of transmission in the Americas

Measles is one of the most infectious diseases. Before the introduction of the measles vaccine, nearly all children contracted measles. By the end of the 1980s, most countries of the world had incorporated the measles vaccine into their routine vaccination programs. Globally, some 345,000 deaths due to measles still occur every year. Eradication of measles would play an important role in improving child survival. The goal to eradicate measles from the Americas was set by the Pan-American Sanitary Conference in 1994. Progress to date has been remarkable. Measles is no longer an endemic disease in the Americas and interruption of transmission has been documented in most countries. As of December 2007, 5 years have elapsed since the detection of the last endemic case in Venezuela in November 2002. This experience demonstrates that interruption of measles transmission can be achieved and sustained over a long period of time. Global eradication should be feasible if the appropriate strategies are implemented. Even in a new paradigm in which eradication is not followed by the discontinuation of vaccination, eradication of measles should be a good investment to avoid expensive epidemics and save those children that would potentially die due to infection with the measles virus. It is not only a dream to think that we will see a world free of measles by the year 2015.
Siamangs (Hylobates syndactylus) and White-Cheeked Gibbons (Hylobates leucogenys) Show Few Behavioral Differences Related to Zoo Attendance

The effect of visitors on behavior and welfare of nonhuman animals in the zoo has been an active research topic during the last few decades. Although research has variously shown negative or positive impacts of zoo visitors on animals in captivity, previous primate research at Disney's Animal Kingdom® suggests the importance of visual barriers in allowing animals to cope with large crowds. Examining this further, this study monitored the behavior of white-cheeked gibbons (Hylobates leucogenys) and siamangs (Hylobates syndactylus) in large, open exhibits. Behavioral data showed rates of social behavior and percentage of time engaged in solitary behavior did not differ between low and high visitor-attendance days. Both gibbons and siamangs spent more time in areas away from the public on high attendance days. Supporting previous findings, results imply visual barriers and ability to retreat from crowds may have provided these animals with choice and minimized potential negative visitor impact. Future research should focus on the relationship between attendance and actual crowds at exhibits; it should utilize multi-institutional methodologies to control for variance and look for individual and demographic differences between individuals.
Symptoms and medical conditions in Australian veterans of the 1991 Gulf War: relation to immunisations and other Gulf War exposures

Aims: To investigate whether Australian Gulf War veterans have a higher than expected prevalence of recent symptoms and medical conditions that were first diagnosed in the period following the 1991 Gulf War; and if so, whether these effects were associated with exposures and experiences that occurred in the Gulf War. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 1456 Australian Gulf War veterans and a comparison group who were in operational units at the time of the Gulf War, but were not deployed to that conflict (n = 1588). A postal questionnaire was administered and the likelihood of the diagnosis of self-reported medical conditions was assessed and rated by a medical practitioner. Results: Gulf War veterans had a higher prevalence of all self-reported health symptoms than the comparison group, and more of the Gulf War veterans had severe symptoms. Increased symptom reporting was associated with several exposures, including having more than 10 immunisations, pyridostigmine bromide tablets, anti-biological warfare tablets, pesticides, insect repellents, reportedly being in a chemical weapons area, and stressful military service experiences in a strong dose-response relation. Gulf War veterans reported psychological (particularly post-traumatic stress disorder), skin, eye, and sinus conditions first diagnosed in 1991 or later more commonly than the comparison group. Over 90% of medical conditions reported by both study groups were rated by a medical practitioner as having a high likelihood of diagnosis. Conclusion: More than 10 years after the 1991 Gulf War, Australian veterans self-report all symptoms and some medical conditions more commonly than the comparison group. Further analysis of the severity of symptoms and likelihood of the diagnosis of medical conditions suggested that these findings are not due to over-reporting or to participation bias.
Assessing correlations between spirometry and Shwachman‐Kulczycki score in children and adolescents

A retrospective observational study was carried out to analyze the correlations between formal pulmonary function tests and the Shwachman‐Kulczycki (SK) score. Forty‐six Brazilian cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, clinically stable, aged 7–19 years, were included. Clinical and radiological findings of the SK score system and spirometry variables were assessed by independent observers in a blinded manner. The strongest correlation (r = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.59–0.85; P < 0.001) was found for forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1). Despite some peculiarities of our patients, the results are in agreement with studies undertaken in industrialized countries, showing good correlation between FEV1 and SK score and its usefulness in managing CF. Accordingly, in countries where pulmonary function testing is not available, the SK score remains a valuable parameter on which to base treatment results. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2003; 36:305–309. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The role of nonlinear coupling in Human-Horse Interaction: A preliminary study

This study focuses on the analysis of human-horse dynamic interaction using cardiovascular information exclusively. Specifically, the Information Theoretic Learning (ITL) approach has been applied to a Human-Horse Interaction paradigm, therefore accounting for the nonlinear information of the heart-heart interplay between humans and horses. Heartbeat dynamics was gathered from humans and horses during three experimental conditions: absence of interaction, visual-olfactory interaction, and brooming. Cross Information Potential, Cross Correntropy, and Correntropy Coefficient were computed to quantitatively estimate nonlinear coupling in a group of eleven subjects and one horse. Results showed a statistical significant difference on all of the three interaction phases. Furthermore, a Support Vector Machine classifier recognized the three conditions with an accuracy of 90:9%. These preliminary and encouraging results suggest that ITL analysis provides viable metrics for the quantitative evaluation of human-horse interaction.
The N Terminus of the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Triplex Protein, VP19C, Cannot Be Detected on the Surface of the Capsid Shell by Using an Antibody (Hemagglutinin) Epitope Tag

ABSTRACT The herpes simplex virus (HSV) triplex is a complex of three protein subunits, VP19C and a dimer of VP23 that is essential for capsid assembly. We have derived HSV-1 recombinant viruses that contain monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP1), a Flu hemagglutinin (HA) epitope, and a six-histidine tag fused to the amino terminus of VP19C. These viruses were capable of growth on Vero cells, indicating that the amino terminus of VP19C could tolerate these fusions. By use of immunoelectron microscopy methods, capsids that express VP19C-mRFP but not VP19C-HA were labeled with gold particles when incubated with the corresponding antibody. Our conclusion from the data is that a large tag at the N terminus of VP19C was sufficiently exposed on the capsid surface for polyclonal antibody reactivity, while the small HA epitope was inaccessible to the antibody. These data indicate that an epitope tag at the amino terminus of VP19C is not exposed at the capsid surface for reactivity to its antibody.
Molecular Characterization and Transcriptional Analysis of adhE2, the Gene Encoding the NADH-Dependent Aldehyde/Alcohol Dehydrogenase Responsible for Butanol Production in Alcohologenic Cultures of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824

ABSTRACT The adhE2 gene of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824, coding for an aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase (AADH), was characterized from molecular and biochemical points of view. The 2,577-bp adhE2 codes for a 94.4-kDa protein. adhE2 is expressed, as a monocistronic operon, in alcohologenic cultures and not in solventogenic cultures. Primer extension analysis identified two transcriptional start sites 160 and 215 bp upstream of the adhE2 start codon. The expression of adhE2 from a plasmid in the DG1 mutant of C. acetobutylicum, a mutant cured of the pSOL1 megaplasmid, restored butanol production and provided elevated activities of NADH-dependent butyraldehyde and butanol dehydrogenases. The recombinant AdhE2 protein expressed in E. coli as a Strep-tag fusion protein and purified to homogeneity also demonstrated NADH-dependent butyraldehyde and butanol dehydrogenase activities. This is the second AADH identified in C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824, and to our knowledge this is the first example of a bacterium with two AADHs. It is noteworthy that the two corresponding genes, adhE and adhE2, are carried by the pSOL1 megaplasmid of C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824.
Within- and between-Lake Variability in the Composition of Bacterioplankton Communities: Investigations Using Multiple Spatial Scales

ABSTRACT This study examined the similarity of epilimnetic bacterial community composition (BCC) across several within- and among-lake spatial scales, and the environmental factors giving rise to similar bacterial communities in different lakes were also explored. Samples were collected from 13 northern and southern Wisconsin lakes representing gradients in lake size, productivity, dissolved organic carbon and humic acid contents, and pH. Hypotheses regarding patchy distribution of bacterial communities in lakes were tested by comparing samples collected from nearby (tens of meters) and distant (hundreds of meters) sampling sites in the same lake. BCC was characterized by using a molecular fingerprinting technique, automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA). Overall, samples collected at the 10-m, 100-m, and between-lake scales differed by 13, 17, and 75%, respectively. Variation at these last two scales was significant. The development of within-lake variation in BCC appeared to depend on the isolation of water by lake shoreline features such as bays or narrow constrictions. ARISA profiles from northern lakes had fewer peaks and were less similar to each other than were those of the southern lakes, suggesting that regional features do not necessarily lead to the development of similar bacterial communities. Lakes at similar positions on productivity and dissolved organic carbon concentration gradients had similar bacterial communities, and bacterial diversity was positively correlated with lake productivity and water temperature. Factorial studies taking into account these gradients, as well as regional spatial scales, should provide much insight into the nature of aquatic bacterial biogeography.