Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thalamic hemorrhage. A prospective study of 100 patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The clinical features of thalamic hemorrhage in terms of localization are of great interest in many studies. To better understand the relationship between the localization of thalamic hemorrhage and clinical features. we evaluated the characteristics of patients with four different topographic types of thalamic hemorrhage. METHODS We prospectively studied 100 patients with thalamic hemorrhage who were admitted consecutively to our primary care unit. We divided them into two groups according to large (> 2 cm in diameter and/or > 4 mL in volume) and small thalamic hemorrhage. Four topographic subgroups (large and small) were compared to identify clinical syndromes associated with distinct lesion locations. RESULTS All patients with posterolateral thalamic hemorrhage had severe sensorimotor deficit. Neuropsychological disturbances in patients with posterolateral thalamic hemorrhage were prominent, with primarily transcortical aphasia in those with left-sided lesions and hemineglect and anosognosia in those with right-sided lesions. Several variants of vertical gaze dysfunction, skew ocular deviation, gaze preference toward the site of the lesion, and miotic pupils were frequent in posterolateral thalamic hemorrhage, particularly in the large type. Patients with small and large anterolateral thalamic hemorrhage were characterized by severe motor and sensory deficits; language and oculomotor disturbances were also observed, although less frequently than in posterolateral hemorrhage. Sensorimotor deficits were observed in patients with medial thalamic hemorrhage (moderate in small hemorrhages and severe in large hemorrhages because of involvement of the adjacent internal capsule). Language disturbances in patients with left-sided lesions and neglect in patients with right-sided lesions were seen only in large medial thalamic hemorrhage. Dorsal thalamic hemorrhage was rare and characterized by mild and transient sensorimotor disturbances. Among patients with dorsal thalamic hemorrhages, only those with large lesions had oculomotor and neuropsychological disturbances. CONCLUSIONS We concluded that despite clinical similarity among the four types of thalamic hemorrhage, there was some discrepancy in the clinical features of small and large thalamic hemorrhages. The most important predictors of death were initial consciousness, nuchal rigidity, maximum size, volume and ventricular extension of hemorrhage, and occurrence of hydrocephalus.
Alcohol septal ablation in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy: low incidence of sudden cardiac death and reduced risk profile

Background The infarction induced by alcohol septal ablation (ASA) may predispose to arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Objective To assess survival, incidence of SCD after ASA and effects of ASA on the traditional risk factors (RFs) for SCD. Design An observational cohort-study (follow-up 8.4±4 years). Setting A dual-centre cohort. Patients 470 consecutive patients (age 56±14 years) with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) (1996–2010). Interventions Clinically applied echo-contrast-guided ASA treatments. Main outcome measures All-cause mortality, SCD and RFs for SCD before and after ASA. Results The 10-year survival was 88% (annual all-cause death rate 1.2%) after ASA compared with 84% (p=0.06) in a matched background population. The 10-year survival free of SCD was 95% (annual SCD rate 0.5%). ASA reduced the prevalence of abnormal blood pressure response (from 23% to 9%, p<0.001), syncope (26% to 2%, p<0.001), non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) (23% to 17%, p<0.05) and maximal wall thickness ≥30 mm (7% to 2%, p<0.001). There was a family history of SCD in 19% of the patients. The proportion of patients at high risk—that is, two or more RFs (n=89), was reduced from 25% to 8% (p<0.001). A RF score ≥2 before ASA was not associated with SCD (n=361, p=0.31). Conclusions Survival in ASA-treated patients was similar to that in the background population. The number of RFs, including the prevalence of NSVT, was markedly reduced by ASA and the incidence of SCD was correspondingly low. Thus, clinically applied ASA was safe.
Resolution and some properties of enzymes involved in enantioselective transformation of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol to (R)-3-chloro-1,2-propanediol by Corynebacterium sp. strain N-1074

During the course of the transformation of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (DCP) into (R)-3-chloro-1,2-propanediol [(R)-MCP] with the cell extract of Corynebacterium sp. strain N-1074, epichlorohydrin (ECH) was transiently formed. The cell extract was fractionated into two DCP-dechlorinating activities (fractions Ia and Ib) and two ECH-hydrolyzing activities (fractions IIa and IIb) by TSKgel DEAE-5PW column chromatography. Fractions Ia and Ib catalyzed the interconversion of DCP to ECH, and fractions IIa and IIb catalyzed the transformation of ECH into MCP. Fractions Ia and IIa showed only low enantioselectivity for each reaction, whereas fractions Ib and IIb exhibited considerable enantioselectivity, yielding R-rich ECH and MCP, respectively. Enzymes Ia and Ib were isolated from fractions Ia and Ib, respectively. Enzyme Ia had a molecular mass of about 108 kDa and consisted of four subunits identical in molecular mass (about 28 kDa). Enzyme Ib was a protein of 115 kDa, composed of two different polypeptides (about 35 and 32 kDa). The specific activity of enzyme Ib for DCP was about 30-fold higher than that of enzyme Ia. Both enzymes catalyzed the transformation of several halohydrins into the corresponding epoxides with liberation of halides and its reverse reaction. Their substrate specificities and immunological properties differed from each other. Enzyme Ia seemed to be halohydrin hydrogen-halide-lyase which was already purified from Escherichia coli carrying a gene from Corynebacterium sp. strain N-1074.
Pure Titanium Membrane (Ultra - Ti®) in the Treatment of Periodontal Osseous Defects: A Split-Mouth Comparative Study.

INTRODUCTION Although many different types of Guided Tissue Regeneration (GTR) membranes (resorbable/non-resorbable, including titanium mesh) have been used in the field of Periodontics till now, but this is the first and only clinical study testing the effectiveness of an ultra thin pure Titanium Membrane (Ultra Ti) as a GTR membrane in infra-bony periodontal defects. AIM To compare the efficacy of GTR in intra-bony defects with newly introduced non-resorbable barrier membrane, made of titanium called "Ultra-Ti ® GTR Membrane" versus open flap debridement. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective, randomized, controlled, clinical split mouth study was designed wherein each patient received both the control and test treatment. Two similar defects were selected in each of the 12 patients and were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. Both the surgeries consisted of identical procedures except for the omission of the barrier membrane in the control sites. Full mouth Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), Pocket Probing Depth (PPD) and Relative Attachment Level (RAL) were recorded before surgery and after 6 months and 9 months along with hard tissue measurements at the time of surgery and then at re-entry after 9 months. Radiographs were also taken before surgery and 9 months post operatively. Student's paired t-test and unpaired t-test (SPSS software version 9) were used to analyze the results. RESULTS Nine months after treatment, the test defects gained 4.375 ± 1.189mm of RAL, while the control defects yielded a significantly lower RAL gain of 3.417 ± 0.996mm. Pocket reduction was also significantly higher in the test group (4.917 ± 0.996mm) when compared with the controls (3.83 ± 0.718mm). There was a significant bone fill (54.69% of defect fill) obtained in the test site, unlike the control site (8.91%). CONCLUSION The present study demonstrated that GTR with "Ultra-Ti® GTR Membrane" resulted in a significant added benefit in comparison with open flap debridement.
Evidence for a Major Gene Influence on Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Expression in Tuberculosis: Path and Segregation Analysis

Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) is a growing global public health problem. Several studies suggest a role for host genetics in disease susceptibility, but studies to date have been inconsistent and a comprehensive genetic model has not emerged. A limitation of previous genetic studies is that they only analyzed the binary trait TB, which does not reflect disease heterogeneity. Furthermore, these studies have not accounted for the influence of shared environment within households on TB risk, which may spuriously inflate estimates of heritability. Methods: We conducted a household contact study in a TB-endemic community in Uganda. Antigen-induced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) expression, a key component of the underlying immune response to TB, was used as an endophenotype for TB. Results: Path analysis, conducted to assess the effect of shared environment, suggested that TNFα is heritable (narrow sense heritability = 34–66%); the effect of shared environment is minimal (1–14%), but gene-environment interaction may be involved. Segregation analysis of TNFα suggested a major gene model that explained one-third of the phenotypic variance, and provided putative evidence of natural selection acting on this phenotype. Conclusion: Our data further support TNFα as an endophenotype for TB, as it may increase power to detect disease-predisposing loci.
Mobility of ions, sugar, and water in the cytoplasm of Xenopus oocytes expressing Na+‐coupled sugar transporters (SGLT1)

A model was set up to study water transport in membrane proteins expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The model was tested experimentally using human and rabbit Na+‐glucose cotransporters (SGLT1), and was used to explain controversies regarding unstirred layer effects. Cotransport of Na+, sugar and water was monitored by two‐electrode voltage clamp and online measurements of oocyte volume. The specific resistance of the oocyte cytoplasm was found by means of microelectrodes to be 263 ± 91 Ω cm (s.d., n= 52), or 2.5 times that of Kulori medium, in agreement with reported values of intracellular ion concentrations and diffusion constants. Osmotically induced volume and resistance changes were compatible with a model of the oocyte in which 37 ± 17 % (s.d., n= 66) of the intracellular volume acts as a free solution while the remainder is inert, being occupied by organelles, etc. The model explains the results of several types of experiments: rapid changes in rates of water cotransport induced by changes in clamp voltage followed by osmotic equilibration in sugar‐free conditions; volume changes induced by Na+ transport via the ionophore gramicidin; and uphill water transport. Ethanol (0.5 %) induced a marked swelling of the oocytes of about 16 pl s−1. If the specific inhibitor of SGLT1 phlorizin is added from stock solutions in ethanol, the effect of ethanol obfuscates the effects of the inhibitor. We conclude that the transport parameters derived for water cotransport by the SGLT1 can be attributed to the protein residing in the plasma membrane with no significant influences from unstirred layer effects.
Efficient derivation of bovine embryonic stem cells needs more than active core pluripotency factors

Pluripotency can be captured in vitro, providing that the culture environment meets the requirements that avoid differentiation while stimulating self‐renewal. From studies in the mouse embryo, two kinds of pluripotent stem cells have been obtained from the early and late epiblast, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs), representing the naive and primed states, respectively. All attempts to derive convincing ESCs in ungulates have been unsuccessful, although all attempts were based on the assumption that the conditions used to derive mouse ESCs or human ESC could be applied in other species. Pluripotent cells derived in primates, rabbit, and pig strongly indicate that the state of pluripotency of these cells is, in fact, closer to EpiSCs than to ESCs, and thus depend on fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and Activin signaling pathways. Based on this observation, we have tried to derive EpiSC from the epiblast of bovine elongated embryos as well as ESCs from Day‐8 blastocysts. We here show that the core transcription factors Oct4/Sox2/Nanog can be used as markers of pluripotency in the bovine since their expression was restricted to the developing epiblast after Day 8, and disappeared following differentiation of both the ESC‐like and EpiSC‐like cultures. Although FGF and Activin pathways are indeed present and active in the bovine, it is not sufficient/enough to maintain a long‐term pluripotency ex vivo, as was reported for mouse and pig EpiSCs. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79:461–477, 2012. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Effect Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Disclosure And Environmental Performance On Firm Value: Indonesia Evidence

This study aimed to investigates the effect of greenhouse gas emissions disclosure and environmental performance on firm value. The samples were companies participating in the Performance Rating Assessment Programme on Environment Management (PROPER/Program Penilaian Peringkat Kinerja Perusahaan) of the Ministry of Environment Republic of Indonesia that are listed in the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) 2014-2017 period. The data used were secondary data from annual reports and/or sustainability reports. This study uses moderated regression analysis with panel data processed by using EViews. The results of this research found that greenhouse gas emissions disclosure and environmental performance have a positive effect on firm value. Environmental performance can moderate the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions disclosure and firm value. Debt to equity ratio and net operating income as control variables have a positive effect on firm value, but firm size has a negative effect on firm value. Keywords: Carbon Disclosure; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Environmental Performance; Firm Value
Why Low-Income Households Become Unstably Housed: Evidence From the Panel Study of Income Dynamics

ABSTRACT Because of a severe shortage of affordable housing in the United States, an increasing number of low-income households suffer from housing instability. However, little evidence exists as to why they experienced housing instability, although they were stably housed at other times. By applying hybrid models to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics data, this study estimates the effects of potential household-level predictors on the likelihood of experiencing housing instability. The results show that changes in family employment structure, job insecurity, automobile ownership, and the number of adult family members within a household correlate with housing instability after controlling for changes in household income and housing costs. Moreover, I find that households with children are particularly vulnerable to housing instability. These results contribute to identifying valid household-level predictors of housing instability and developing preventive policy interventions that help unsubsidized low-income households achieve housing stability.
Are locals ready to cross a new frontier in tourism? Factors of experiential P2P orientation in tourism

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the profile of locals willing to meet tourists in a context of experience interchange peer-to-peer (P2P) and identifies factors that drive such contact in an authentic setting of shared passions. This is a first step in creating the experiential P2P subindustry that academia, innovators and experts/trend-watchers have been waiting for over a decade. The data was collected using the ‘snowball’ sampling technique among locals from Mallorca (Spain). The results indicate that passion (within idle capacity) for the activity is a central factor to take into consideration in experiential P2P activity, together with other personal (self-perception of managerial and other emotional and communication skills) factors. In addition, the expressed disinterest in becoming experiential P2P providers suggests that there are factors of self-image (especially regarding managerial skills and entrepreneurial attitude) that play a decisive role in the democratization of tourism – an unexplored area in tourism literature.
Lacritin-induced secretion of tear proteins from cultured monkey lacrimal acinar cells.

PURPOSE During inflammation of the ocular surface, increased proinflammatory cytokines depress tear protein secretion, suggesting that a decline in lacrimal cell function contributes to dry eye. Lacritin, a glycoprotein secreted from lacrimal acinar cells, may function as an autocrine factor to stimulate tear protein secretion. The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate lacritin-induced protein secretion in normal and cytokine-pretreated (inflammation model) monkey acinar cells. METHODS Acinar cells from monkey lacrimal glands were cultured with or without tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) plus interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Protein secretion was induced by lacritin or carbachol (Cch, positive control). Proteins were detected and identified by immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry. Intracellular Ca(2+) was measured with the fluorophore Calcium-4, and cell damage was determined by LDH leakage into the culture medium. RESULTS In cultured monkey acinar cells, lacritin stimulated tear protein secretion in normal cells without elevating intracellular Ca(2+). In contrast, Cch elevated intracellular Ca(2+) and release of tear proteins. This contrast suggested an alternate, calcium-independent mechanism for lacritin-induced protein secretion. TNF-α plus IFN-γ caused LDH leakage from sensitive human corneal epithelial cells, but even higher doses of TNF-α plus IFN-γ did not cause LDH leakage from monkey acinar cells, suggesting a higher tolerance against these cytokines. In cytokine-treated acinar cells, lacritin stimulated protein secretion as much as that in normal cells. In contrast, Cch-induced elevation of Ca(2+) and release of proteins were depressed by cytokines. CONCLUSIONS Lacritin might be a useful biotechnology-based treatment agent against ocular surface diseases where endogenous lacritin is inadequate.
Improving Visually Grounded Sentence Representations with Self-Attention

Sentence representation models trained only on language could potentially suffer from the grounding problem. Recent work has shown promising results in improving the qualities of sentence representations by jointly training them with associated image features. However, the grounding capability is limited due to distant connection between input sentences and image features by the design of the architecture. In order to further close the gap, we propose applying self-attention mechanism to the sentence encoder to deepen the grounding effect. Our results on transfer tasks show that self-attentive encoders are better for visual grounding, as they exploit specific words with strong visual associations.
Once‐daily nevirapine dosing: a pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety review

In the context of attempts to simplify treatment regimens and enhance adherence, there is great interest in once‐daily dosing regimens for the treatment of HIV‐1 infection. Nevirapine has a long half‐life and achieves high steady‐state plasma concentrations relative to the concentration required to inhibit 50% viral replication in vitro (IC50) in patients. For this reason, it has been considered as a once‐daily antiretroviral. Pharmacokinetic and efficacy data support the use of this dosing approach, but excess rash and lingering concerns over liver toxicity preclude use of once‐daily dosed nevirapine at this time. Tolerance to high nevirapine concentrations may develop when dose escalation is used during initiation of therapy. It is theoretically possible that the benefits of once‐daily dosing may be achieved without excess toxicity by switching to once‐daily nevirapine following several months of twice‐daily administration. This dosing strategy is currently under evaluation.
Higher fasting insulin but lower fasting C‐peptide levels in African Americans in the US population

Fasting serum insulin and fasting serum C‐peptide are risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. Because of the higher incidence of type 2 diabetes in African Americans and Hispanic Americans, it is likely that these groups may differ from non‐Hispanic whites in their levels of insulin and C‐peptide.
Identification of New Verocytotoxin Type 2 Variant B-Subunit Genes in Human and Animal Escherichia coliIsolates

ABSTRACT The sequence of a verocytotoxin 2 (VT2) variant gene that was untypeable by the B subunit PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP) method described by Tyler et al. (S. D. Tyler, W. M. Johnson, H. Lior, G. Wang, and K. R. Rozee, J. Clin. Microbiol. 29:1339–1343, 1991) was determined and compared with published sequences. It was highly homologous to two recently reported VT2 variant sequences. The PCR-RFLP method described by Tyler et al. was extended to include these new sequences. New VT2 variants were identified in 65 of 359 VT-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) with newly designed primers (VT2-cm and VT2-f) and were characterized as well by restriction analysis of the amplification products obtained with another VT2-specific primer pair (VT2-e and VT2-f). The VT genes harbored by 64 of these isolates proved to be untypeable by Tyler’s PCR-RFLP method because no amplification was obtained with the primers used with this method (VT2-c and VT2-d). The last isolate harbored the new variant gene in addition to VT2vh-a. None of the isolates harboring these new toxin genes belonged to serogroups O157, O26, O103, O111, and O145. All 65 isolates were negative for theeaeA gene and were significantly less frequently enterohemolytic or positive for the enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) virulence plasmid than non-O157 VTEC isolates harboring other VT2 genes. They were also less frequently isolated from patients with EHEC-associated symptoms. The extended PCR-RFLP typing method is a useful tool to identify less-virulent VTEC isolates and for VT genotyping in epidemiological studies with non-O157 strains.
Implicit and Explicit Commitment in Credit and Saving Contracts: A Field Experiment

We conduct a field experiment to test the demand for flexibility and for soft and hard commitment among clients of a microfinance institution. We offer a commitment contract inspired by the rotating structure of a ROSCA. Additional treatments test ex ante demand for soft commitment (in the form of reminders), hard commitment (in the form of a penalty for missing an installment), and flexibility (an option to postpone an installment). Our design is unique in the literature for allowing us to test — using the same respondent population — how demand for explicit commitment features differs between loan and savings contracts. We find substantial demand for both credit and savings contracts but no demand for additional commitment features — either in isolation or in combination — in spite of their effectiveness in improving repayment. In particular, demand for savings is insensitive to explicit commitment features. Individuals offered loans actively dislike commitment and flexibility, unless the latter is combined with reminders. These findings complement a literature showing that commitment devices induce financial discipline. They show that demand for commitment depends on whether commitment features are implicit or explicit.