Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Carbon monoxide poisoning and sensorineural hearing loss

Exposure to carbon monoxide is a well-recognized cause of morbidity and mortality. Both acute accidental poisoning and chronic exposure are associated with a range of adverse health effects. We report two cases of carbon monoxide poisoning with the associated phenomenon of sensorineural hearing loss. Although hearing loss as a result of acute carbon monoxide exposure has previously been described, here we emphasize the need to consider chronic exposure to carbon monoxide as a potentially reversible cause of sensorineural hearing loss if diagnosed and treated early.
Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles: An in vitro biosafety study

With the development of nanotechnology and the wide use of iron oxide nanoparticles, it has become necessary to assess the potential adverse biological effects of magnetite. This study investigated the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative damage of different concentrations of magnetite (0 to 1000 mg/L) in human whole blood cultures. After supplementation of magnetite, the blood samples were incubated for 72 h. Cell viability was assessed by the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl) 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidant status (TOS) were determined to evaluate the dose-dependent effects of magnetite on the oxidant/antioxidant balance and to evaluate the potential oxidative injury due to increased oxidative stress. Genotoxicity was estimated by by the sister chromatid exchange (SCE), micronuclei (MN) and chromosome aberration (CA) assays and determination of 8-oxo-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) levels. The results of MTT and LDH assays showed that the higher concentrations of magnetite (100, 150, 300, 500 and 1000 mg/L) decreased cell viability. Concentrations of magnetite higher than 10 mg/L increased TOS levels and decreased TAC levels in human blood cells. Increasing concentrations of magnetite caused significant increases in MN, SCE and CA rates and 8-OH-dG levels. The obtained results showed that magnetite exerted dose-dependent effects on oxidative damage, genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in human blood cells.
Cytochromes P-450 of yeasts

The quantitative importance of oxidation reactions in the elimination of drugs in humans became apparent in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The enzymatic basis of this elimination process was established in 1963, when Creaven and Williams (24) demonstrated that subcellular fractions from human liver catalyzed the oxidation of biphenyl and coumarin. The initial short report was followed 3 years later by a paper by Kuntzman et al. (65) that characterized the drug-oxidizing system in human liver in detail. Activity was shown to reside in the microsomal fraction and to require reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). In the following year Coccia and Westerfeld (23) reported that fractions of human liver were active in catalyzing many different routes of oxidation with chloropromazine as substrate. In 1958, Klingenberg and Garfinkel (33, 63) independently announced the discovery of a carbon monoxide-binding pigment (hemoprotein) in the microsomal fraction of rodent liver. Later on, Omura and Sato (86) suggested that the heme nature of this porphyrin was of the b type. They also proposed the tentative name cytochrome P-450, which means "a pigment with an absorption at 450 nm in the reduced CO difference spectrum. " Although this name is inconsistent with the system of nomenclature adopted for cytochromes, it was generally accepted. Cytochromes have been divided into four groups according to the nature of the heme prosthetic group. Each of the four heme types, a, b. c, and d, has a different side chain in its porphyrins (Fig. 1). Well-established cytochromes are identified by subscript numerals with the letter indicating the groups, e.g., cytochrome b5. The designation of cytochromes which are not well established is presently based on the wavelength of thea band (in nanometers) of the reduced form, e.g., cytochrome c-554 (28). When cytochrome P-450-containing microsomes were treated with detergents with the aim of solubilizing the pigment, a new peak appeared at 420 nm in the reduced CO difference spectrum. Omura and Sato (86) concluded that this new peak was another form of cytochrome P-450 which retained the ability to combine with carbon monoxide in its
Interaction of excitation and inhibition in processing of pure tone and amplitude-modulated stimuli in the medial superior olive of the mustached bat.

1. In mammals with good low-frequency hearing, the medial superior olive (MSO) processes interaural time or phase differences that are important cues for sound localization. Its cells receive excitatory projections from both cochlear nuclei and are thought to function as coincidence detectors. The response patterns of MSO neurons in most mammals are predominantly sustained. In contrast, the MSO in the mustached bat is a monaural nucleus containing neurons with phasic discharge patterns. These neurons receive projections from the contralateral anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) and the ipsilateral medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB). 2. To further investigate the role of the MSO in the bat, the responses of 252 single units in the MSO to pure tones and sinusoidal amplitude-modulated (SAM) stimuli were recorded. The results confirmed that the MSO in the mustached bat is tonotopically organized, with low frequencies in the dorsal part and high frequencies in the ventral part. The 61-kHz region is overrepresented. Most neurons tested (88%) were monaural and discharged only in response to contralateral stimuli. Their response could not be influenced by stimulation of the ipsilateral ear. 3. Only 11% of all MSO neurons were spontaneously active. In these neurons the spontaneous discharge rate was suppressed during the stimulus presentation. 4. The majority of cells (85%) responded with a phasic discharge pattern. About one-half (51%) responded with a level-independent phasic ON response. Other phasic response patterns included phasic OFF or phasic ON-OFF, depending on the stimulus frequency. Neurons with ON-OFF discharge patterns were most common in the 61-kHz region and absent in the high-frequency region. 5. Double tone experiments showed that at short intertone intervals the ON response to the second stimulus or the OFF response to the first stimulus was inhibited. 6. In neuropharmacological experiments, glycine applied to MSO neurons (n = 71) inhibited any tone-evoked response. In the presence of the glycine antagonist strychnine the response patterns changed from phasic to sustained (n = 35) and the neurons responded to both tones presented in double tone experiments independent of the intertone interval (n = 5). The effects of strychnine were reversible. 7. Twenty of 21 neurons tested with sinusoidally amplitude-modulated (SAM) signals exhibited low-pass or band-pass filter characteristics. Tests with SAM signals also revealed a weak temporal summation of inhibition in 13 of the 21 cells tested. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Ultrathin switchable microwave filter based on graphene and slot array

The concept of ultrathin switchable microwave filter consisting of graphene sheet and slot array is presented. The proposed microwave filter shows a passband ranging from 14.4 GHz to 15.6 GHz, in which the transmission can be electrically controlled and decreased to lower than −17.5 dB at resonance achieving an off state, via electrostatic gating on the graphene stack. The analysis of transmission indicates that the current resonance of the filter is degraded due to surface resistance change of graphene layer, thus the reflectivity rises drastically. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that compared with the single-layer graphene sheet, the capability of tuning microwave transmission can be greatly improved using hybrid structures. The considerable switchable filter promises an active device in electromagnetic interference suppression and has an ultrathin thickness which can be easily integrated.
A technique for antenna configuration selection for reconfigurable circular patch arrays

This paper demonstrates a method that allows reconfigurable multi element antennas to select the antenna configuration at the receiver of a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) communication system. This antenna configuration selection scheme consists of using spatial correlation and average Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) information to select the antenna radiation pattern at the receiver. We show that using this approach it is possible to achieve capacity gains in a multi element reconfigurable antenna system without modifying the data frame of a conventional MIMO system. We demonstrate our configuration selection algorithm through an analysis of reconfigurable circular patch antennas in realistic MIMO clustered channel models. Using this approach we also show that the functionality of the proposed selection scheme is connected to antenna parameters such as radiation efficiency, input impedance, the level of diversity between the radiation patterns of different antenna configurations, and the average system SNR. The capacity gain achievable with this configuration selection approach is calculated through numerical simulations using reconfigurable circular patch antennas at the receiver of a MIMO system that employs minimum mean square error receivers for channel estimation. The performance of the proposed method is compared to that of a MIMO system that estimates the channel transfer matrix for each antenna configuration in order to select the optimal receiver antenna radiation pattern. Channel capacity and Bit Error Rate (BER) results show the improvement offered by the proposed selection scheme relative to a conventional antenna selection technique for reconfigurable MIMO systems; in particular we show that the improvement increases with the number of configurations in the multi element reconfigurable antenna.
Nurse-led models of chemotherapy care: mixed economy or nurse-doctor substitution?

AIM This paper reports a study exploring the perspectives of people affected by cancer (service users) and health care professionals' about current medical consultant-led services and the acceptability of a proposed nurse-led ambulatory chemotherapy service. BACKGROUND A number of studies have evaluated a nurse-led model of cancer care delivery but little work has been undertaken in chemotherapy settings. Furthermore, many of these studies give little information on how the perspective of users was incorporated in the design and evaluation of these services. METHODS Service users (n = 26) and health care professionals (n = 22) were recruited across the South East of England. A qualitative study was undertaken. Using a semi-structured interview schedule, participants were asked to give their perceptions of current chemotherapy services and the potential of a nurse-led service. A thematic analysis of data was undertaken. FINDINGS This paper focuses on the theme of the current and future context of a chemotherapy service. Three sub-themes were identified: contextualizing roles, defining therapeutic outcomes, and demonstrating effectiveness. All interviewees saw this role as different but complementary to the role of medical staff. There were mixed opinions from service users and professionals on the acceptability of nurse-led chemotherapy provision. In defining potential outcomes of nurse-led care, service users described benefits in terms of service and economic outcomes. Professionals saw additional benefits in terms of patient-based outcomes. Professionals and service users expressed the need for appropriate education of nurses for this role and rigorous evaluation of any new service before widespread implementation. CONCLUSIONS Understanding the perspective of users is imperative when re-designing cancer nursing services. Implementation of nurse-led models in chemotherapy services should be preceded by staff education and followed by systematic evaluation.
Contemporary management of prosthetic valve endocarditis: principals and future outlook

Infective endocarditis involving prosthetic valves accounts for 20% of all endocarditis cases. Rising in prevalence due to increasing placement of valvular prostheses, prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is more difficult to diagnose by conventional methods, associated with more invasive infection and increased mortality. This report explores the existing literature in identifying a direct approach to the management of PVE; such as adjuncts to establishing a diagnosis (for instance positron emission tomography/computed tomography and radiolabeled leukocyte scintigraphy), the trends in specific pathogens associated with PVE and the recommended antimicrobials for each. The patterns of disease requiring surgical intervention are also highlighted and explored. In addition, a 5-year outlook offers consolidated knowledge on epidemiological trends of both culprit organisms and population subgroups suffering (and projected to suffer) from PVE.
In vitro and in vivo spiral CT to determine bone mineral density: initial experience in patients at risk for osteoporosis.

PURPOSE To evaluate, both experimentally and in vivo, if nondedicated standard spiral computed tomography (CT) may be used to obtain reliable bone mineral density (BMD) data. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty lumbar spine specimens from human cadavers were examined with standard quantitative CT and spiral CT. In addition, 50 patients with a history of lymphoma and chemotherapy were examined. These patients underwent long-term follow-up CT to rule out tumor recurrence. Quantitative CT was performed before contrast medium administration to assess potential posttherapeutic osteoporosis. In addition, fracture status of the spine was determined. Mean BMD values and SDs were calculated, and relationships between measurements obtained with quantitative CT and spiral CT were assessed with linear regression analysis and two-tailed tests of significance (t test). A linear fit was used to calculate quantitative CT data from spiral CT values. RESULTS For the specimens, a coefficient of determination (r(2) = 0.99, P <. 001) was found between BMD measurements obtained with quantitative CT and those obtained with spiral CT. Mean BMD in specimens was 63.6 mg/mL +/- 36.6 with quantitative CT and 74.4 mg/mL +/- 38.2 with spiral CT. Mean BMD in patients was 105.0 mg/mL +/- 34.6 with quantitative CT and 139.5 mg/mL +/- 42.7 with contrast medium-enhanced spiral CT. A coefficient of determination (r(2) = 0.91, P <. 001) was obtained between these measurements. Mean BMD from L1 through L3 vertebrae was calculated, and spiral CT data were multiplied by 0.77 to yield quantitative CT data. Differences in BMD were significant (P <.05) for patients with (n = 9) and those without fractures (n = 41), as determined with spiral CT and quantitative CT. CONCLUSION Correlations between BMD data obtained with spiral CT and standard quantitative CT were highly significant. By using a conversion factor, BMD measurements can be determined with routine abdominal spiral CT scans.
Object class recognition using combination of color SIFT descriptors

Classifying the unknown image into the correct related class is the aim of the object class recognition systems. Two main points should be kept in mind to implement a class recognition system. Which descriptors that have a higher discriminative power that needs to be extracted from the images? Which classifier can classify these descriptors successfully? The most famous image descriptor is the Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT). Although, SIFT has a high performance, it is partially an illumination invariant. Adding local color information to SIFT descriptors are then suggested to increase the illumination invariant, these descriptors can be called color SIFT descriptors. In this paper, different color SIFT descriptors were implemented to evaluate their performance in the object class recognition systems. This is due to the fact that some descriptors may have a good performance in one class and bad performance in another class at the same time. All possible combinations of these descriptors were used. Some combinations of color SIFT descriptors achieved remarkable classification accuracy. Non linear χ2-kernel support vector machine is used as a learning classifier and bag-of-features representation is used to represent the image features in this paper.
Spt6 Is Essential for rRNA Synthesis by RNA Polymerase I

ABSTRACT Spt6 (suppressor of Ty6) has many roles in transcription initiation and elongation by RNA polymerase (Pol) II. These effects are mediated through interactions with histones, transcription factors, and the RNA polymerase. Two lines of evidence suggest that Spt6 also plays a role in rRNA synthesis. First, Spt6 physically associates with a Pol I subunit (Rpa43). Second, Spt6 interacts physically and genetically with Spt4/5, which directly affects Pol I transcription. Utilizing a temperature-sensitive allele, spt6-1004, we show that Spt6 is essential for Pol I occupancy of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and rRNA synthesis. Our data demonstrate that protein levels of an essential Pol I initiation factor, Rrn3, are reduced when Spt6 is inactivated, leading to low levels of Pol I-Rrn3 complex. Overexpression of RRN3 rescues Pol I-Rrn3 complex formation; however, rRNA synthesis is not restored. These data suggest that Spt6 is involved in either recruiting the Pol I-Rrn3 complex to the rDNA or stabilizing the preinitiation complex. The findings presented here identify an unexpected, essential role for Spt6 in synthesis of rRNA.
All changed, changed utterly

Life is uncertain, and never more so than when a serious illness like prostate cancer strikes and a decision must be made about how to proceed. Ideally, the clinician would find (or remember) the relevant research, interpret the findings as they apply to the patient at hand, estimate prognosis, and discuss treatment options objectively and with compassion and support. Even then, life remains uncertain; for any particular patient, no matter how good the evidence and precise the probability estimates, there can be no guarantee. This irreducible uncertainty is confronted routinely by doctors and patients and is rarely a source of clinical controversy. Trouble begins when experts reach different conclusions from the same piece of evidence. The poorer the evidence, the more discretionary the interpretation, and the more controversial the conclusion. When available evidence is totally inadequate to inform decisions that must be made, then clinical controversy may border on chaos. Savage and others have shown that in Britain and elsewhere controversy and chaos reign in the management of prostate cancer.1-3 For early prostate cancer, there have been no controlled trials good enough to show whether survival is increased by active intervention with radical prostatectomy, radiation, or hormonal therapy. For men …
Cerebellar transcranial magnetic stimulation impairs verbal working memory

Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging and patient studies indicate cerebellar participation in verbal working memory. In particular, event‐related functional magnetic resonance imaging showed superior cerebellar activation during the initial encoding phase of the Sternberg task. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging–guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to test whether disruption of the right superior cerebellum (hemispheric lobule VI/Crus I) impairs verbal working memory performance. Single‐pulse TMS was administered immediately after letter presentation during the encoding phase on half the trials. Sham TMS and a Motor Control task were included to test for general distraction and nonmemory‐related motor effects. Results showed no effects of TMS on accuracy, but reaction times (RTs) on correct trials were significantly increased on TMS relative to non‐TMS trials for the Verbal Working Memory and Motor Control tasks. Additional analyses showed that the increased RT was significantly greater for Verbal Working Memory than for the motor task, suggesting that the effect on working memory was not caused by interference with finger responses. Sham TMS did not affect RTs, indicating that the potentially distracting effects of the postencoding click did not contribute to the increase in RT. The observed effects from cerebellar disruption are consistent with proposed cerebrocerebellar involvement in verbal working memory. Ann Neurol 2005;58:553–560
Asking About Pets Enhances Patient Communication and Care: A Pilot Study

This research explored whether asking patients about their pets would enable better environmental/social history taking, and improve patient communication/care. Primary health care providers (PHPs) were surveyed about prevalence of patients living with pets, the health impact of pets, and influences on patient communication. Following an educational intervention, they committed to asking patients about their pets. A follow-up survey was conducted electronically. PHPs were recruited at a continuing medical education (CME) conference and at CME workshops. All 225 participants were PHPs. At the conference, participants were educated one-on-one about the clinical relevance of pets in the family. CME sessions were large or small group teaching. Baseline and final surveys measured awareness of pets in patients’ families, assessment of determinants of health, impact on rapport with patients, and patient care. A sign test assessed difference in scores using repeated-measures analysis. Binomial outcomes were assessed using Fisher’s exact test. Comments were themed. Ninety-four PHPs (42%) completed the study. Pet-related discussions opened communication with patients. Two-thirds of participants identified positive effects on practice and on relationships with patients. PHPs were able to leverage the health benefits of pets (zooeyia) and mitigate zoonotic risk. Asking patients about pets in the family reveals clinically relevant information, improves communication, and strengthens the therapeutic alliance.