Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ciprofloxacin in Patients with Mycobacterial Infections: Experience in 15 Patients

In vitro and animal investigations have demonstrated the antimycobacterial activity of some fluoroquinolones, including ciprofloxacin, but information regarding their clinical usefulness in mycobacterial infections is sparse. This article presents treatment results of 11 patients with tuberculosis and 4 with atypical mycobacterial infections. They were treated with combinations of ciprofloxacin and one or two other antituberculosis agents. Susceptibility of the infecting organisms to ciprofloxacin was determined in 14 of the 15 patients: in 12 of them, minimum inhibitory concentrations ranged between 0.31 and 1.25 μg/mL, suggesting a good level of activity. Serum concentrations of ciprofloxacin, sampled one hour after dosing and measured by a specific HPLC assay, revealed considerable variability (range 0.22–8.41 μ/mL). Serial plasma samples taken under controlled conditions suggested that a decreased rate of absorption was responsible for low one-hour concentrations in one of the subjects. Adverse reactions to ciprofloxacin were few and included nausea in four patients, crystalluria in one, and febrile reaction in another. A satisfactory response in terms of clinical and radiologic improvement, bacteriologic conversion, and absence of relapse was seen in 13 of the 14 patients who completed an adequate course of therapy. A controlled clinical trial of this promising antimycobacterial agent is needed.
A physical activity screening measure for use with adolescents in primary care.

OBJECTIVE To develop a reliable and valid physical activity screening measure for use with adolescents in primary care settings. STUDY DESIGN We conducted 2 studies to evaluate the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of 6 single-item and 3 composite measures of physical activity. Modifications were based on the findings of the 2 studies, and a best measure was evaluated in study 3. Accelerometer data served as the criterion standard for tests of validity. RESULTS In study 1 (N = 250; mean age, 15 years; 56% female; 36% white), reports on the composite measures were most reliable. In study 2 (N = 57; mean age, 14 years; 65% female; 37% white), 6 of the 9 screening measures correlated significantly with accelerometer data. Subjects, however, had great difficulty reporting bouts of activity and distinguishing between intensity levels. Instead, we developed a single measure assessing accumulation of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Evaluated in study 3 (N = 148; mean age, 12 years; 65% female; 27% white), the measure was reliable (intraclass correlation, 0.77) and correlated significantly (r = 0.40, P<.001) with accelerometer data. Correct classification (63%), sensitivity (71%), and false-positive rates (40%) were reasonable. CONCLUSION The "moderate to vigorous physical activity" screening measure is recommended for clinical practice with adolescents.
Comparing Three Devices for Jump Height Measurement in a Heterogeneous Group of Subjects

Abstract Magnúsdóttir, A, Þorgilsson, B, and Karlsson, B. Comparing three devices for jump height measurement in a heterogeneous group of subjects. J Strength Cond Res 28(10): 2837–2844, 2014—The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of 3 devices for measuring jump heights of subjects with a range of abilities. The methods used were an accelerometer-based technique (KineJump), a contact mat (Newtest Powertimer 300 series), and the Vertec measurement device. The reference method used was a video analysis technique. Data were collected simultaneously with all 4 methods. Of particular interest was to evaluate the accuracy of the accelerometer device (KineJump) because it has not been systematically compared with other methods in the previous literature. Participants (N = 101) varied from well-trained athletes to sedentary individuals and their ages ranging from 18 to 70 years old. From the statistical analysis, it can be concluded that KineJump has accuracy that is at least as good as the accuracy of the Vertec and contact mat, although the overall accuracy of all the methods was disappointing at typically ±5 cm. The 2 methods that rely on a time-of-flight calculation of the jump height (contact mat and accelerometer) showed systematically lower values than the other 2 methods. None of the physical parameters showed significant correlation with the measurement error made by the methods, with the exception of a slight positive correlation of height, leg length, and foot length to the error of the Vertec method. Linear regression on the Bland-Altman plots did not reveal a significant correlation between the jump height and the error of a method, except for the Vertec. The 3 jump height measurement devices can be used to evaluate performance in a diverse group of people, but considerable deviation from actual jump height is apparent, depending on the method of calculation.
Kinetics of improved extracellular β‐d‐fructofuranosidase fructohydrolase production by a derepressed Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Aims: β‐d‐fructofuranosidase fructohydrolase (FFH, EC 3·2·1·26) is an enzyme which hydrolyses the α‐1,4 glycosidic bonds of sucrose and releases monosaccharides. The present study deals with the kinetics of improved extracellular FFH production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in batch culture.
Virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Murine Model of Gastrointestinal Colonization and Dissemination in Neutropenia

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia in cancer patients develops from initial gastrointestinal (GI) colonization with translocation into the bloodstream in the setting of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and GI mucosal damage. We established a reproducible mouse model of P. aeruginosa GI colonization and systemic spread during neutropenia. Mice received 2 mg of streptomycin/ml of drinking water and 1,500 U of penicillin G/ml for 4 days and then ingested 107 CFU of P. aeruginosa per ml of drinking water for 5 days. After GI colonization levels were determined, cyclophosphamide (Cy) was then injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) three times every other day or an antineutrophil monoclonal antibody, RB6-8C5, was injected i.p. once. Dissemination was defined by the presence of P. aeruginosa in spleens of moribund or dead mice. In this mouse model, P. aeruginosa colonizes the GI tract and then disseminates systemically once Cy or RB6-8C5 is administered. The duration and intensity of neutropenia, related to Cy dose, was found to be a means to compare the virulence of different P. aeruginosa strains, as exhibited by comparisons of strains lacking or producing the virulence-enhancing ExoU cytotoxin. The lipopolysaccharide outer core polysaccharide and O side chains were critical in establishing GI colonization, and P. aeruginosa mutants lacking the aroA gene (necessary for synthesizing aromatic amino acids) were able to establish GI colonization but unable to disseminate. Both the colonization and dissemination phases of P. aeruginosa pathogenesis can be studied in this model, which should prove useful for evaluating pathogenesis, therapies, and associated means to control P. aeruginosa nosocomial infections.
Calibration of high flow rate thoracic-size selective samplers

ABSTRACT High flow rate respirable size selective samplers, GK4.126 and FSP10 cyclones, were calibrated for thoracic-size selective sampling in two different laboratories. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) utilized monodisperse ammonium fluorescein particles and scanning electron microscopy to determine the aerodynamic particle size of the monodisperse aerosol. Fluorescein intensity was measured to determine sampling efficiencies of the cyclones. The Health Safety and Laboratory (HSL) utilized a real time particle sizing instrument (Aerodynamic Particle Sizer) and polydisperse glass sphere particles and particle size distributions between the cyclone and reference sampler were compared. Sampling efficiency of the cyclones were compared to the thoracic convention defined by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)/Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN)/International Standards Organization (ISO). The GK4.126 cyclone showed minimum bias compared to the thoracic convention at flow rates of 3.5 l min−1 (NIOSH) and 2.7–3.3 l min−1 (HSL) and the difference may be from the use of different test systems. In order to collect the most dust and reduce the limit of detection, HSL suggested using the upper end in range (3.3 l min−1). A flow rate of 3.4 l min−1 would be a reasonable compromise, pending confirmation in other laboratories. The FSP10 cyclone showed minimum bias at the flow rate of 4.0 l min−1 in the NIOSH laboratory test. The high flow rate thoracic-size selective samplers might be used for higher sample mass collection in order to meet analytical limits of quantification.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy and the incidence of non-AIDS-defining cancers in people with HIV infection.

PURPOSE The effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the incidence of non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs) is unclear. METHODS We have investigated the occurrence of NADCs in a prospective cohort of 11,112 HIV-positive individuals, with 71,687 patient-years of follow-up. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated using general population incidence data. We investigated the effect of calendar period, HIV parameters, and immunologic and treatment-related factors on the incidence of these cancers using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS The SIR for all NADCs was 1.96 (95% CI, 1.66 to 2.29). There was no significant excess in incidence in the pre-HAART era (1983 to 1995; SIR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.58 to 1.47). However, the incidence increased in the early HAART period (1996 to 2001) and remains elevated in the most recent established HAART period (2002 to 2007; SIR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.51 to 2.72, and SIR 2.49; 95% CI, 2.00 to 3.07, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that use of HAART (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.64; 95% CI, 1.13 to 2.39) and a nadir CD4 count less than 200/microL (HR = 1.67; 95% CI, 1.10 to 2.54) were associated with an increased risk. Only the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) were associated with a significantly increased risk of NADCs (HR = 1.45; 95% CI, 1.01 to 2.08). Much of this association was attributable to an increased risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma with NNRTIs (HR = 2.20; 95% CI, 1.03 to 4.69). CONCLUSION Since the introduction of HAART, there has been a significantly increased risk of NADCs, which has now stabilized. A number of factors are associated with this increased risk, including HAART use. There may be an association between the use of NNRTIs and the development of Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Experimental Efficacy of Pericardial Instillation of Anti‐inflammatory Agents during Percutaneous Epicardial Catheter Ablation to Prevent Postprocedure Pericarditis

Introduction: Pericarditis is a potential complication of catheter‐based percutaneous epicardial mapping and ablation. This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of intrapericardial instillation of anti‐inflammatory agents after pericardial mapping and ablation in a porcine model of postprocedural pericarditis.
Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Depression

Abstract: Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in patients with endogenous depression by the single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using N‐isopropyl‐p‐[123I] iodoamphetamine (IMP). The subjects were 32 patients with endogenous depression and 20 normal controls. These 32 patients, who were divided into 10 unmedicated group and 22 medicated group, were reexamined when the depressed patients reverted to a euthymic state (remission). The value of rCBF was assessed by the corticocerebellar ratio (CCR), which was expressed as a ratio of activity per pixel in the cerebral regions of interests (ROls) to the activity per pixel in the cerebellum. The depressive patients showed a decrease in rCBF all over the cerebral regions and, especially, the lower rCBF in the left than in the right hemisphere. These changes turned toward normal in a remitted state following treatments, though there was no significant difference in rCBF between the medicated and unmedicated patients. There was a significantly negative correlation between the severity of depressive symptoms and the mean rCBF in a total of patients with depression. These results suggest that psychiatric symptoms in the depressive patients might be related to the left hemispheric dysfunction.
Readability of information leaflets given to attenders at hospital with a head injury

Background It is common practice for information leaflets to be given to people attending hospital after a head injury. Their role is potentially important in alerting the patient or their family to possible undetected or late-emerging cerebral complications in addition to providing guidance aimed to reduce the risk of further injury, or negative social or employment outcomes during recovery. This study examines the readability of information sheets provided by emergency departments in all Scottish hospitals. Methods Discharge advice leaflets pertaining to head injury from every ED in Scotland were obtained (45 leaflets from 30 hospital sites). Readability was assessed using two recognised formulae (SMOG and FRE). Legibility was assessed using the Royal National Institute for the Blind Clear Print Guidelines. Content was compared to the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN46) recommendations on the early management of head injury. Results and discussion It is estimated that less than 30% of the population would understand more than 90% of the head injury leaflets. Fewer than half of the leaflets provide even half of the patient information recommended by SIGN46. Analyses of other indicators from clear print guidelines are presented, together with a recommended format for a head injury leaflet and a metric is proposed for evaluating the usefulness of patient information leaflets in general.
Coupling of conformational folding and disulfide-bond reactions in oxidative folding of proteins.

The oxidative folding of proteins consists of conformational folding and disulfide-bond reactions. These two processes are coupled significantly in folding-coupled regeneration steps, in which a single chemical reaction (the "forward" reaction) converts a conformationally unstable precursor species into a conformationally stable, disulfide-protected successor species. Two limiting-case mechanisms for folding-coupled regeneration steps are described. In the folded-precursor mechanism, the precursor species is preferentially folded at the moment of the forward reaction. The (transient) native structure increases the effective concentrations of the reactive thiol and disulfide groups, thus favoring the forward reaction. By contrast, in the quasi-stochastic mechanism, the forward reaction occurs quasi-stochastically in an unfolded precursor; i.e., reactive groups encounter each other with a probability determined primarily by loop entropy, albeit modified by conformational biases in the unfolded state. The resulting successor species is initially unfolded, and its folding competes with backward chemical reactions to the unfolded precursors. The folded-precursor and quasi-stochastic mechanisms may be distinguished experimentally by the dependence of their kinetics on factors affecting the rates of thiol--disulfide exchange and conformational (un)folding. Experimental data and structural and biochemical arguments suggest that the quasi-stochastic mechanism is more plausible than the folded-precursor mechanism for most proteins.
A comparison of the voluntary intake and digestion of a range of forages at different times of the year by the sheep and the red deer (Cervus elaphus)

1. Comparisons were made between castrated male Scottish Blackface sheep and red deer (Cervus elaphus) of voluntary forage intake (VFI), digestibility and the mean retention time (MRT) of a particulate-phase marker (103Ru-phenanthroline) in the alimentary tract, when a range of forages: dried-grass pellets, chopped dried grass, fresh-frozen Agrostis-Festuca spp. and heather (Calluna vulgaris, L. Hull) were given at different times of the year. 2. On both the dried-grass-pellet and chopped dried-grass diets the red deer and sheep ate similar quantities. Both species had a higher VFI of dried-grass pellets in July than in November. The sheep digested the dried-grass-pellet diet better than the red deer and this was associated with a longer MRT of the particulate-phase marker in the alimentary tract. 3. The VFI of Agrostis-Festuca spp. and heather by the red deer was twice that of the sheep. The VFI of heather by the sheep increased by 32 % between January and April, and the VFI of both the Agrostis-–Festuca spp. and heather diets by the red deer increased by 65–70 %. The sheep digested the Agrostis–Festuca spp. better than the red deer but the red deer digested the heather slightly better than the sheep. MRT of the particulate-phase marker was greater for the sheep than for the red deer on both diets. The digestibility and MRT of both diets in the red deer did not decrease with the seasonal increase in VFI, suggesting a possible hypertrophy of the alimentary tract.
Involvement of GABA systems in feedback regulation of glutamate‐and GABA‐mediated synaptic potentials in rat neostriatum.

1. Neostriatal neurones were recorded intracellularly from a rat corticostriatal slice preparation. Depolarizing postsynaptic potentials (DPSPs) were evoked by either cortical or intrastriatal stimulation. 2. Kynurenic acid (600 microM), an antagonist of excitatory amino acids, reduced the cortically‐evoked DPSPs by 88% while the intrastriatally evoked potentials were reduced by 48%. Bicuculline (100 microM) produced only a slight inhibition of the cortically evoked DPSPs (12%), but clearly depressed intrastriatal potentials (52%). 3. The effects of (‐)‐baclofen, a gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)B receptor agonist, were studied on the cortically evoked DPSPs. In all the tested neurones (‐)‐baclofen, added to the superfusion medium, caused a concentration‐dependent decrease of these potentials (half‐maximal effect (EC50) = 800 nM). This effect was not affected by bicuculline. (‐)‐Baclofen did not change the membrane potential, the input resistance, current‐evoked firing frequency, or postsynaptic responses to exogenously applied glutamate. 4. The effects of (‐)‐baclofen on the DPSPs were compared to those produced by application of GABA and muscimol. GABA and muscimol decreased the DPSPs and caused a membrane depolarization coupled with a decrease of the membrane resistance. Bicuculline (100 microM) blocked the GABA‐induced changes of the membrane potential and of the resistance, but not the decrease of the synaptic potentials. All the effects produced by muscimol were blocked by bicuculline. 5. Following intrastriatal stimulation a residual kynurenate‐insensitive potential persisted; this potential was blocked by bicuculline (100 microM). (‐)‐Baclofen produced a dose‐dependent decrease of this potential (EC50 = 800 nM). The postsynaptic responses to exogenously applied GABA were unchanged by (‐)‐baclofen. 6. The amplitude of kynurenate and bicuculline‐sensitive DPSPs were stable at a frequency of 0.1 Hz. At frequencies between 0.3 and 3 Hz both these potentials were attenuated with the second stimulus and after about five stimuli a steady state was reached. Membrane potential and input resistance were not affected by these frequencies of stimulation. 7. Application of the GABA uptake inhibitor nipecotic acid (100‐300 microM) clearly reduced the amplitude of both kynurenate‐and bicuculline‐sensitive DPSPs evoked at low frequencies of stimulation (0.01‐0.3 Hz), but had lower effects at higher stimulation rates (1‐3 Hz). Application of nipecotic acid increased the duration of membrane responses to exogenously applied GABA. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Molecular Basis for Hyperactivity in Tryptophan 409 Mutants of Neuronal NO Synthase*

A ferrous heme-NO complex builds up in rat neuronal NO synthase during catalysis and lowers its activity. Mutation of a tryptophan located directly below the heme (Trp409) to Phe or Tyr causes hyperactive NO synthesis and less heme-NO complex buildup in the steady state (Adak, S., Crooks, C., Wang, Q., Crane, B. R., Tainer, J. A., Getzoff, E. D., and Stuehr, D. J. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 26907–26911). To understand the mechanism, we used conventional and stopped flow spectroscopy to compare kinetics of heme-NO complex formation, enzyme activity prior to and after complex formation, NO binding affinity, NO complex stability, and its reaction with O2 in mutants and wild type nNOS. During the initial phase of NO synthesis, heme-NO complex formation was 3 and 5 times slower in W409F and W409Y, and their rates of NADPH oxidation were 50 and 30% that of wild type, probably due to slower heme reduction. NO complex formation slowed NADPH oxidation in the wild type by 7-fold but reduced mutant activities less than 2-fold, giving mutants higher final activities. NO binding kinetics were similar among mutants and wild type, although in ferrous W409Y (and to a lesser extent W409F) the 436-nm NO complex converted to a 417-nm NO complex with time. Oxidation of the ferrous heme-NO complex to ferric enzyme was 7 times faster in Trp409 mutants than in wild type. Thus, mutant hyperactivity derives from slower formation and faster decay of the heme-NO complex. Together, these minimize partitioning into the NO-bound form.