Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Gastrostomy Placement With Concurrent Fundoplication Increase the Risk of Gastrostomy-related Complications?

Objective: To compare the incidence of complications with a primary gastrostomy versus gastrostomy with concurrent fundoplication and evaluating the impact of the method of gastrostomy tube placement. Neurologically impaired children were compared with neurologically normal children. Two low profile devices were compared for longevity. Methods: Ninety-eight patients (58 boys, mean age 4.66 years) with 107 gastrostomies inserted between April 2004 and May 2008 were included in this retrospective, single institution audit. Minimum follow-up period was 1 year. Specific complications reviewed were tube and site related. Logistic regression analysis examined the relationship between complications, type of procedure, method of placement, and neurological status. Survival analysis with log-rank test was used to compare the duration of the low-profile devices. Results: There were 63 primary gastrostomies and 44 with concurrent fundoplication, 71 children were neurologically impaired. Mean (±SD) follow-up time was 35.6 ± 1.4 months. There was a significant association between concurrent gastrostomy insertion with fundoplication and incidence of infection (odds ratio = 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–5.56, P = 0.02) and excoriation (odds ratio = 2.5, 95% CI 1.09–5.71, P = 0.015). There were no associations between the complications with gastrostomy placement and neurological status. Failure rate of the balloon device was significantly greater than the fixed bolster device with a Hazard Ratio for survival of 3.2 (95% CI 2.2–4.6). Conclusions: Gastrostomy site-related problems were more common than generally reported. There was a higher incidence of site infection and skin excoriation for gastrostomy placement with concurrent fundoplication. There was no significant difference in complications between the method of gastrostomy placement or neurological status. Balloon devices were changed 3 times more often than bolster retention devices.
Dissection of the AtNRT2.1:AtNRT2.2 Inducible High-Affinity Nitrate Transporter Gene Cluster1[OA]

Using a new Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutant (Atnrt2.1-nrt2.2) we confirm that concomitant disruption of NRT2.1 and NRT2.2 reduces inducible high-affinity transport system (IHATS) by up to 80%, whereas the constitutive high-affinity transport system (CHATS) was reduced by 30%. Nitrate influx via the low-affinity transport system (LATS) was unaffected. Shoot-to-root ratios were significantly reduced compared to wild-type plants, the major effect being upon shoot growth. In another mutant uniquely disrupted in NRT2.1 (Atnrt2.1), IHATS was reduced by up to 72%, whereas neither the CHATS nor the LATS fluxes were significantly reduced. Disruption of NRT2.1 in Atnrt2.1 caused a consistent and significant reduction of shoot-to-root ratios. IHATS influx and shoot-to-root ratios were restored to wild-type values when Atnrt2.1-nrt2.2 was transformed with a NRT2.1 cDNA isolated from Arabidopsis. Disruption of NRT2.2 in Atnrt2.2 reduced IHATS by 19% and this reduction was statistically significant only at 6 h after resupply of nitrate to nitrogen-deprived plants. Atnrt2.2 showed no significant reduction of CHATS, LATS, or shoot-to-root ratios. These results define NRT2.1 as the major contributor to IHATS. Nevertheless, when maintained on agar containing 0.25 mm KNO3 as the sole nitrogen source, Atnrt2.1-nrt2.2 consistently exhibited greater stress and growth reduction than Atnrt2.1. Evidence from real-time PCR revealed that NRT2.2 transcript abundance was increased almost 3-fold in Atnrt2.1. These findings suggest that NRT2.2 normally makes only a small contribution to IHATS, but when NRT2.1 is lost, this contribution increases, resulting in a partial compensation.
Heller Myotomy Versus Heller Myotomy With Dor Fundoplication for Achalasia: A Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Objective:We sought to determine the impact of the addition of Dor fundoplication on the incidence of postoperative gastroesophageal reflux (GER) after Heller myotomy. Summary Background Data:Based only on case series, many surgeons believe that an antireflux procedure should be added to the Heller myotomy. However, no prospective randomized data support this approach. Patients and Methods:In this prospective, randomized, double-blind, institutional review board-approved clinical trial, patients with achalasia were assigned to undergo Heller myotomy or Heller myotomy plus Dor fundoplication. Patients were studied via 24-hour pH study and manometry at 6 months postoperatively. Pathologic GER was defined as distal esophageal time acid exposure time greater than 4.2% per 24-hour period. The outcome variables were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. Results:Forty-three patients were enrolled. There were no differences in the baseline characteristics between study groups. Pathologic GER occurred in 10 of 21 patients (47.6%) after Heller and in 2 of 22 patients (9.1%) after Heller plus Dor (P = 0.005). Heller plus Dor was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of GER (relative risk 0.11; 95% confidence interval 0.02–0.59; P = 0.01). Median distal esophageal acid exposure time was lower in the Heller plus Dor (0.4%; range, 0–16.7) compared with the Heller group (4.9%; range, 0.1–43.6; P = 0.001). No significant difference in surgical outcome between the 2 techniques with respect to postoperative lower-esophageal sphincter pressure or postoperative dysphagia score was observed. Conclusions:Heller Myotomy plus Dor Fundoplication was superior to Heller myotomy alone in regard to the incidence of postoperative GER.
The Craniofacial Morphology of the Parents of Children with Orofacial Clefting: A Systematic Review of Cephalometric Studies

Objective To systematically review the cephalometric studies investigating the craniofacial morphology of the parents of children with orofacial clefting (OFC). Search strategy The search strategy was based on the keywords ‘parent’, cephalometry', and ‘cleft’, identifying 17 studies, of which 15 ‘case/control’ studies met the inclusion criteria Statistically significant clinically relevant cephalometric variables from univariate statistical tests and multivariate results were collated and presented unweighted. Results/Conclusions The parental craniofacial complex in OFC is distinctive in comparison to the non-cleft population. However, there is insufficient consistency in study designs and results to accurately characterize the parents of children with OFC. Although the craniofacial morphology of the parents of children with CL(P) differs to the parents of children with CP, there is insufficient information to accurately localize these differences.
Antioxidant activity and composition of propolis obtained by different methods of extraction

Ethanolic extracts of propolis obtained with different concentrations of propolis and made using hydrous ethanol with various water/ethanol contents were analyzed. The antioxidant action of the extracts was determined by free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH·) scavenging and by ferric reducing ability power (FRAP), using the ferric-tripyridyl triazine (Fe3+-TPTZ) complex. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were also determined, and the electrospray ionization mass spectrometry spectra (ESI(-)-MS) of the extracts were acquired. The chemical composition of propolis extracts and their antioxidant activity were observed to vary with the concentration of propolis, and especially with the water/ethanol contents of the hydrous ethanol used for extraction. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was also found to be significantly dependent on these extraction parameters, as well as on the composition of the phenolic compounds and flavonoids. FRAP values showed, however, poor correlation with the flavonoid content
Suppression of androgen receptor expression by dibenzoylmethane as a therapeutic objective in advanced prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND The androgen receptor (AR) plays an important role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. Functional AR expression persists in most cases of hormone-refractory prostate cancer and may play a role clinically in the progression from hormone-responsive to hormone-refractory or advanced prostate cancer. In order to combat the progression of this disease, one needs to identify new chemotherapeutic agents with novel mechanisms of action. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, we attempt to clarify the molecular mechanism by which dibenzoylmethane (DBM), a beta3-diketone, inhibits the growth of androgen-responsive human LNCaP prostate cancer cells and down-regulates expression of the AR. To this end, we treated LNCaP cells with different concentrations of DBM to monitor function and expression of AR and an AR-associated protein. RESULTS Previous studies showed that DBM could inhibit cell proliferation in LNCaP cells by arresting the cells at the G1 phase without causing cell death. Western blot and RT-PCR/Northern blot analyses showed a reduction in AR protein and mRNA expression by DBM in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, stable transfections of an androgen-independent human prostate cancer cell line, transfected with a full-length human AR cDNA sequence, showed that DBM down-regulated AR protein levels. DBM also inhibited the secretion of the AR-regulated tumor marker, prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Moreover, the relative binding affinity of DBM to AR was lower than that of the synthetic androgen R1881 (methyltrienolone) suggesting that DBM must suppress AR expression independent of an AR-DBM bound interaction. CONCLUSION These data provide new insights into how DBM regulates AR function and cell growth, as well as providing promising evidence to support DBM as a chemotherapeutic agent for prostate cancer through suppression of the function of the androgen receptor.
Regulation of Insulin Release by Factors That Also Modify Glutamate Dehydrogenase

Leucine and monomethyl succinate initiate insulin release, and glutamine potentiates leucine-induced insulin release. Alanine enhances and malate inhibits leucine plus glutamine-induced insulin release. The insulinotropic effect of leucine is at least in part secondary to its ability to activate glutamate oxidation by glutamate dehydrogenase (Sener, A., Malaisse-Lagae, F., and Malaisse, W. J. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sei. U. S. A. 78, 5460-5464). The effect of these other amino acids or Krebs cycle intermediates on insulin release also correlates with their effects on glutamate dehydrogenase and their ability to regulate inhibition of this enzyme by a-ketoglutarate. For example, glutamine enhances insulin release and islet glutamate dehydrogenase activity only in the presence of leucine. This could be because leucine, especially in the presence of a-ketoglutarate, increases the K,,, of glutamate and converts a-ketoglutarate from a noncompetitive to a competitive inhibitor of glutamate. Thus, in the presence of leucine, this enzyme is more responsive to high levels of glutamate and less responsive to inhibition by a-ketoglutarate. Malate could decrease and alanine could increase insulin release because malate increases the generation of a-ketoglutarate in islet mitochondria via the combined malate dehydrogenase-aspartate aminotransferase reaction, and alanine could decrease the level of a-ketoglutarate via the alanine transaminase reaction. Monomethyl succinate alone is as stimulatory of insulin release as leucine alone, and glutamine enhances the action of both. Succinyl coenzyme A, leucine, and GTP are all bound in the same region on glutamate dehydrogenase, where GTP is a potent inhibitor and succinyl coenzyme A and leucine are comparable activators. Thus, the insulinotropic properties of monomethyl succinate could result from it increasing the level of succinyl coenzyme A and decreasing the level of GTP via the succinate thiokinase reaction.
PAPER Special Section on Emerging Technologies for Practical Ubiquitous and Sensor Networks Research of Practical Indoor Guidance Platform Using Fluorescent Light Communication

SUMMARY This article presents an indoor positioning and communication platform, using fluorescent lights. We set up a practical implementation of a VLC (Visible Light Communication) system in a University building. To finalize this work, it is important that we analyze the properties of the reception signal, especially the length of the data string that can be received at different walking speed. In this paper, we present a model and a series of formulae for analyzing the relationship between positioning signal availability and other important parameters, such as sensor angle, walking speed, data transmission rate, etc. We report a series of real-life experiments using VLC system and compare the results with those generated by the formula. The outcome is an improved design for determination of the reception area with more than 97% accurate signals, and an optimal transmission data length, and transmission rate.
SUPPLEMENT TO : “ TRADE AND LABOR MARKET DYNAMICS : GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM ANALYSIS OF THE CHINA TRADE SHOCK ”

In this appendix, we discuss what type of questions can be answered using the dynamic hat algebra methodology and what measurements are required to do so. Overall, the results from Propositions 2 and 3 can be applied to study different types of counterfactuals: They can be used to i) simulate an economy that is not in steady state in a given year and where agents expect no further changes in fundamentals going forward; ii) simulate an economy that is not in steady state in a given year and where agents anticipate the actual changes in fundamentals going forward; iii) compute the changes in allocations in an economy where agents anticipate the actual changes in fundamentals but instead a subset of fundamentals change in a different way from the true changes; iv) compute the changes in allocations in an economy where agents do not expect changes in fundamentals but a subset of fundamentals surprisingly increase (or fall) in a given period; v) compute the changes in allocations in an economy where agents do not anticipate the actual changes in a subset of fundamentals in a given period; and vi) compute the changes in allocations in an economy where agents anticipated the actual changes in fundamentals but the changes in a subset of fundamentals did not happen. The last example is the type of counterfactual we study in the empirical part of the paper to evaluate the effects of the China shock. In what follows, we describe how to compute the equilibrium changes in allocations in each of the first five types of counterfactuals and their measurement requirements. To do so, we study different examples of the types of counterfactuals described above. In Example 1, we study dynamics with constant fundamentals. Concretely we answer the question: how would the U.S. economy have evolved over time, and what would its longrun features have been, given the fundamentals in the initial period? We also answer the question: how would the U.S. economy have evolved over time, and what would its longrun features have been, if agents had anticipated the actual changes in fundamentals over the period 2000-2007? In Example 2, we show how to study the effects of unexpected changes in fundamentals relative to constant fundamentals. In particular, we answer the following question: what would have happened across U.S. labor markets if Chinese fundamental productivity, instead of growing as it did, had grown 20% less in each manufacturing sector per year from 2000 to 2007? In Example 3, we show how to study the effects of unexpected changes in fundamentals relative to actual changes in fundamentals.
Global stability for cellular neural networks with time delay

In this paper, a sufficient condition related to the existence of a unique equilibrium point and its global asymptotic stability for cellular network networks with delay (DCNNs) is derived. It is shown that the condition relies on the feedback matrices and is independent of the delay parameter. Furthermore, this condition is less restrictive than that given in the literature.
Blue–Red–NIR Model for Chlorophyll- a Retrieval in Hypersaline–Alkaline Water Using Landsat ETM+ Sensor

A conceptual three-band model has been proposed previously and efficiently used to retrieve the chlorophyll-a (C<sub>chla</sub>) concentration (C<sub>chla</sub>) in deeper water bodies. In this study, we have proposed an empirical C<sub>chla</sub> estimation model using Landsat ETM+ image reflectance and laboratory-based C<sub>chla</sub> measurements from hypersaline-alkaline shallow lake (HSASlake) water. This study aims to use remote sensing technique to determine the quantity and distribution of chlorophyll (as an indicator of cyanobacterial biomass) rendering an indirect estimate of food availability for flamingos and other aquatic animals, thus providing valuable information for their future conservation. Using proposed empirical method named blue-red- NIR model, it has been found that the C<sub>chla</sub> ranges from 3.43 to 43.75 μg L<sup>-1</sup> with the mean Chl-a value of 5.45 μg L<sup>-1</sup>, in the lake investigated. A variety of regression functions have been implemented for the single and multiband ratios. The best-fitted regression model was developed for the band combination of [R<sub>rs</sub><sup>-1</sup> (660) - R<sub>rs</sub><sup>-1</sup> (482)] × R<sub>rs</sub><sup>-1</sup> (825) having an R<sup>2</sup> of 0.88 and model errors of 0.93, 0.8, and 4.74 for standard error of estimate (SEE), Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (E), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), respectively. Our finding evinces that the proposed blue-red-NIR model may be appraised as a robust solution for the estimation of C<sub>chla</sub> in optically shallow waters, provided that the local inherent optical properties (IOPs) should be scrutinized and reinitialized.
The Test Bus Imperative: Architectures That Support Automated Acceptance Testing

Agile methods more specifically, test-driven development practices have begun to raise the software industry's awareness of automated acceptance testing. Many tools can be purchased to help testers write automatic scripts for testing the system through its user interface. Unfortunately, testing through the UI is slow, opaque, and dangerous. The software industry's increased awareness of automated testing benefits and potentials is good new for an industry that for decades has been beset by quality and productivity issues.
Long-term study on workers occupationally exposed to ethylbenzene.

Ethylbenzene is synthesized from benzene; subject to catalytic dehydrogenation it yields styrene, a raw material for the production of synthetic rubber and plastics. Long-term biomonitoring of occupational ethylbenzene exposures, carried out in the past 20 years in some 200 ethylbenzene-production workers, revealed this substance to pose little hazard to human health. As it turned out, mandelic acid concentrations in these workers' urine never exceeded 3.25 mmol.l-1 and none of the exposed showed damage to hematopoiesis and/or liver tissue. Over the last 10 years no case of malignancy has been recorded in this industrial facility belonging to a larger chemical complex where the overall incidence of cancer is about 3 times the national average. Today's low-level ethylbenzene exposures would make it fully justifiable if the present-day MAC limits, both whole-shift (200 mg.m-3) and peak (1,000 mg.m-3), were to be halved, i.e. to be lowered to 100 mg.m3 and 500 mg.m3 respectively. These newly recommended limit values are no more exceeded nowadays.
Caloric Restriction Stimulates Revascularization in Response to Ischemia via Adiponectin-mediated Activation of Endothelial Nitric-oxide Synthase*

Caloric restriction (CR) can extend longevity and modulate the features of obesity-related metabolic and vascular diseases. However, the functional roles of CR in regulation of revascularization in response to ischemia have not been examined. Here we investigated whether CR modulates vascular response by employing a murine hindlimb ischemia model. Wild-type (WT) mice were randomly divided into two groups that were fed either ad libitum (AL) or CR (65% of the diet consumption of AL). Four weeks later, mice were subjected to unilateral hindlimb ischemic surgery. Body weight of WT mice fed CR (CR-WT) was decreased by 26% compared with WT mice fed AL (AL-WT). Revascularization of ischemic hindlimb relative to the contralateral limb was accelerated in CR-WT compared with AL-WT as evaluated by laser Doppler blood flow and capillary density analyses. CR-WT mice had significantly higher plasma levels of the fat-derived hormone adiponectin compared with AL-WT mice. In contrast to WT mice, CR did not affect the revascularization of ischemic limbs of adiponectin-deficient (APN-KO) mice. CR stimulated the phosphorylation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) in the ischemic limbs of WT mice. CR increased plasma adiponectin levels in eNOS-KO mice but did not stimulate limb perfusion in this strain. CR-WT mice showed enhanced phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in ischemic muscle, and administration of AMPK inhibitor compound C abolished CR-induced increase in limb perfusion and eNOS phosphorylation in WT mice. Our observations indicate that CR can promote revascularization in response to tissue ischemia via an AMPK-eNOS-dependent mechanism that is mediated by adiponectin.
Inhibitory effect of protease inhibitor on endothelial cell activation.

BACKGROUND Endothelial cells (EC) are important for regulating the hemostatic balance of prothrombotic and antithrombotic activities. Proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) play an important role in the regulation of EC and also regulate the production of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), which is an EC-producing factor with the inhibitory activity of fibrinolysis, and the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), which is an adhesion molecule that plays an important role in inflammation. Protease inhibitors such as gabexate mesilate (GM) and ulinastatin (UTI) have been shown to improve the microcirculatory environment and reduce tissue damage, but the mechanism for this has yet to be fully elucidated. We investigated the effect of GM or UTI on EC regarding PAI-1 synthesis and ICAM-1 expression. METHODS Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were obtained and stimulated with TNFalpha. GM or UTI was added to HUVECs just before TNFalpha stimulation. The PAI-1 activity in the culture medium of HUVECs was measured by using an enzymatic assay kit. The PAI-1 mRNA expression was assayed by a semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay. The ICAM-1 expression on HUVECs was assayed by a flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS GM inhibited the PAI-1 synthesis of HUVECs stimulated with TNFalpha in a dose-dependent manner as shown by the mRNA expression. However, UTI was not able to inhibit PAI-1 synthesis. In contrast, both GM and UTI significantly inhibited the ICAM-1 expression on HUVECs stimulated with TNFalpha. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that GM may thus provide a beneficial effect which improves the microcirculatory environment and prevents tissue damage by inhibiting the activation of the vascular EC themselves.