Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Valacyclovir neurotoxicity: clinical experience and review of the literature

Valacyclovir (VACV) is used increasingly to treat herpes zoster, although neuropsychiatric symptoms [VACV neurotoxicity (VAN) or acyclovir neurotoxicity], may accompany use of this drug. To promote awareness of this rare condition, we describe here two clinical cases of VAN we previously reported and review 20 cases from the literature. In all cases, chronic or acute renal failure preceded VAN. The symptoms of VAN varied, but disturbances of consciousness and hallucination occurred most commonly. When acute renal failure was due to the drug, recovery from both the disturbance of consciousness and renal failure followed within several days after discontinuation of VACV. Early recognition and diagnosis will ensure effective treatment of VAN.
Spatial Competition in a Circular Market With Delivery Direction Choice

EnglishThis paper employs two concepts which are endogenous direction choices on product delivery and the first-entrant-take-all rule to capture the major characteristics on some utility industries, such as the natural gas or electric industries. It is shown that there are two equilibrium outcomes in a circular market. One outcome is that the two firms are located back-to-back at one point and transport their goods in opposite directions. The second outcome is that both firms are located equidistantly from each other and deliver the products in the same direction. These results are striking in that agglomeration location is one of the equilibrium patterns. portuguesEste artigo usa dois conceitos que sao o de escolhas direcionais endogenas na remessa de produtos e a regra do primeiro-a-entrar-ganhatudo para capturar as principais caracteristicas de alguns ramos de servicos de utilidade publica, como as industrias do gas natural ou eletrica. E mostrado que existem dois resultados de equilibrio num mercado circular. Um dos resultados e que as duas empresas estao localizadas lado a lado num ponto do espaco e enviam os seus produtos em direcoes opostas. O segundo resultado e que ambas as empresas estao localizadas de forma equidistante entre si e entregam os produtos na mesma direcao. Esses resultados sao relevantes ja que a localizacao com aglomeracao e um dos padroes de equilibrio
Rapid Changes in Flowering Time in British Plants

The average first flowering date of 385 British plant species has advanced by 4.5 days during the past decade compared with the previous four decades: 16% of species flowered significantly earlier in the 1990s than previously, with an average advancement of 15 days in a decade. Ten species (3%) flowered significantly later in the 1990s than previously. These data reveal the strongest biological signal yet of climatic change. Flowering is especially sensitive to the temperature in the previous month, and spring-flowering species are most responsive. However, large interspecific differences in this response will affect both the structure of plant communities and gene flow between species as climate warms. Annuals are more likely to flower early than congeneric perennials, and insect-pollinated species more than wind-pollinated ones.
Infrared spectroscopy, a tool for probing bacterial peptidoglycan. Potentialities of infrared spectroscopy for cell wall analytical studies and rejection of models based on crystalline chitin.

Infrared spectroscopic measurements are used to obtain insights into the three-dimensional architecture of peptidoglycan (murein), the rigid component of almost all bacterial cell walls. The infrared spectra of various types of peptidoglycans (including all chemotypes and examples of the so called A and B groups) were compared to each other and to those obtained from crystalline chitin. All peptidoglycans investigated exhibited very similar infrared spectra. In particular the conformationally sensitive amide A, I and II absorption bands were found to be constantly centered around 3300 cm-1, 1657 cm-1 and 1534 cm-1 respectively; furthermore, the spectral region between 1200 cm-1 and 800 cm-1, characterized by several strong absorption bands connected to complex sugar ring modes, proved to be remarkably uniform. Additionally the infrared spectra remained significantly constant between -175 degrees C and + 75 degrees C and turned out to be rather independent of sample preparation (solvent replacement, freeze-drying and film producing). An analysis of band half-widths revealed no high crystalline state of order of peptidoglycan. On the basis of band positions and half-widths of amide bands, regular conformations like alpha helices of beta pleated sheets could be excluded. Several distinctive, fingerprint-like spectral features of the various murein samples permitted a facile identification of individual peptidoglycans. Moreover, infrared spectroscopy seems to be very promising as an analytical tool, e.g. for tracing variations of cell wall structure, detecting conformational changes and estimating crosslinking indices in a quick and simple way. The comparative analysis of amide band positions and band half-widths yielded substantial differences between infrared spectra of chitin and murein, thus rejecting previous models based on the assumption of a nearly crystalline chitin-like structure of the glycan chains of murein.
Modern Algeria: The Origins and Development of a Nation

Modern Algeria: The Origins and Development of a Nation. Second edition. By John Ruedy. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005. Pp. xii, 325; 7 maps. $21.95 paper. The pioneering "first generation" of American historians studying Algeria's modern period prominently included, among others, Alf Andrew Heggoy, David C. Gordon, and Richard and Joan Brace. John Ruedy, professor emeritus of Georgetown University, bridged that generation with an emerging generation of historians through his teaching and books, notably Land Policy in Algeria (1967) and especially Modern Algeria (1991). His comprehension, contribution, and, above all, his clarity are most appreciated in a relatively understudied field. Indiana University Press wisely asked Professor Ruedy to produce a second edition of Modern Algeria, which remains the best historical survey of the country in English. The book studies Algeria's political, social, and economic history from the Ottoman era to the contemporary period. In his preface to the first edition of Modern Algeria (included in the second edition), Ruedy identified himself within the "liberal school of Algerian historiography" (p. xi) headlined by Charles-Andre Julien and Charles-Robert Ageron. The College de France's Jacques Berque was also an influence and taught Ruedy at the University of California-Los Angeles. (Berque fondly recalls his "senior student" in Memoires des deux rives [Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1989, 218].) In his second preface, Ruedy reflects on Algeria's unfulfilled endeavors in its modern history to create a "consensus regarding national identity. " As disclosed by such self-defining documents as the Algiers Charter (1964), the National Charter (1976), and four constitutions, Algeria has sought to answer "the question of who Algerians are and where they wish to proceed" (p. ix). That question is still being addressed. In the new edition, Ruedy left the first seven chapters unchanged, revised the eighth, and seamlessly added a ninth entitled "Insurgency and the Pursuit of Democracy. " This chapter studies the tragic conflict in Algeria that commenced after the cancellation of the second round of parliamentary elections in January 1992 and the dismantling of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS). Approximately 150,000 Algerians have lost their lives since 1992 in what many have called, especially in the popular press, a "civil war. " Ruedy characterizes the conflict as "an insurgency, since, in spite of its toll, only a small minority of Algerians supported the Islamists' resort to war and the number of their combatants peaked at no more than 25,000" (p. 257). He explains that the violence "was far more than the result of confrontation between Islamists and security forces. " It included intra-Islamist assaults, clan conflicts, and indiscriminate killings. …
A human antibody that promotes remyelination enters the CNS and decreases lesion load as detected by T2‐weighted spinal cord MRI in a virus‐induced murine model of MS

The human monoclonal antibody rHIgM22 enhances remyelination following spinal cord demyelination in a virus‐induced murine model of multiple sclerosis. Using three‐dimensional T2‐weighted in vivo spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we have therefore assessed the extent of spinal cord demyelination, before and after 5 weeks of treatment with rHIgM22, to determine whether antibody enhanced remyelination can be detected by MRI. A significant decrease was seen in T2 high signal lesion volume following antibody treatment. Histologic examination of the spinal cord tissue reveals that this decrease in lesion volume correlates with antibody promoted remyelination. To show that rHIgM22 enters the spinal cord and colocalizes with demyelinating lesions, we used ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particle (USPIO)‐labeled antibodies. This may be considered as additional evidence to the hypothesis that rHIgM22 promotes remyelination by local effects in the lesions, likely by binding to CNS cells. The reduction in high signal T2‐weighted lesion volume may be an important outcome measure in future clinical trials in humans.
Crowdfunding tax incentives in Europe: a comparative analysis

ABSTRACT Some European countries offer tax incentive schemes to investors and companies in crowdfunding. On one hand, they could be seen as a tool to reduce the system’s dependence on banks and increase the availability of credit for start-ups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). On the other hand, there is the counterweight of disadvantages that investors may face by investing in crowdfunding (i.e. complex and incomplete laws, and weak protection). This paper is primarily intended as a primer on the use of tax incentives for crowdfunding in Europe. In this study, we first examine the implementation of tax incentive schemes in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and Belgium. Then, we analyse and compare the characteristics of such schemes along three dimensions: the incentives structure; the business characteristics; and the type of investor. We find that tax incentive schemes for crowdfunding vary widely in their form and other features of their design. Moreover, the most used forms of tax incentives are those that provide for an up-front tax credit on the amount invested in early-stage ventures. These incentives have an immediate effect on the annual income tax of the investor. A central implication is that the more tax incentive schemes are properly designed and tailored for crowdfunders, the more investors, start-ups and other firms with low liquidity could use crowdfunding as a source of funding.
Survey of Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae infection in swine by different methods.

Lung and serum samples from pigs that died or were emergency-slaughtered in a pooled, conventional fattening herd were examined to survey Actinobacillus pleuro-pneumoniae infection and to compare the sensitivity of different testing methods. A total of 110 lungs were used for cultural isolation of the agent and direct immunofluorescence (IF) of impression smears. Boiled lung suspensions were tested by coagglutination (Co-A) and agar gel precipitation (AGP). Eighty-seven sera were tested along with lung samples from the same pigs. The lungs yielded a varied bacterial flora most often containing Pasteurella multocida and less frequently Actinomyces (Corynebacterium) pyogenes, E. coli and Salmonella. A. pleuropneumoniae was isolated from 30 lungs: from 22 lungs it grew out in pure culture, from 7 as mixed culture with P. multocida and from 1 as mixed culture with A. pyogenes. The number of positive samples obtained by the different methods was as follows: coagglutination test (with boiled lung suspensions): 63 (57.3%); immunofluorescence: 43 (39.2%); AGP test (with serum): 31 (35.6%); AFP test (with boiled lung suspension): 25 (22.7%). A total of 23 samples (20.7%) were negative by all serological tests and by cultural isolation. Most samples gave positive results by two or more tests while 26 samples only by one test (most often, on 13 occasions, by the Co-A test). The Co-A test detected antigenic components of serotypes that have not been isolated in Hungary so far. This indicates that it is not enough to test one strain from a given lung sample: several colonies must be cultured and serotyped. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
An examination of the antibiotic effects of cylindrospermopsin on common gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria and the protozoan Naegleria lovaniensis

The importance of the toxin cylindrospermopsin to the function and fitness of the cyanobacteria that produce it remains a matter of conjecture. Given that the structure of cylindrospermopsin has commonalities with other antibacterial protein synthesis inhibitors, such as streptomycin, authors tested the possibility that the toxin might act as an antibacterial compound that can kill competing microbes. Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were tested by the minimal inhibitory concentration method and significant antibacterial activity was only observed at a cylindrospermopsin concentration of 300 μg mL−1 after exposure for 5 days. No effect on log phase growth of E. coli was observed for this same toxin concentration. Protein synthesis was inhibited by cylindrospermopsin in E. coli 70S extracts, reduced by 25% compared with controls when treated with 41.5 μg mL−1 of the toxin; however, a much greater reduction of 97% was observed for chloramphenicol in the same experiment. Naegleria lovaniensis, a phagotrophic protozoan, was more susceptible to cylindrospermopsin, with a decrease in the number of N. lovaniensis plaques after 24‐h treatment with 5–50 μg mL−1 of toxin and an LC50 of ∼60 μg mL−1. Given these results, cylindrospermopsin is clearly not antibacterial at concentrations found in environmental waters, nor will it adversely affect N. lovaniensis at these concentrations. For organisms that are able to ingest cylindrospermopsin‐producing cells, the response of N. lovaniensis to the toxin suggests that only a few ingested cells would be enough to kill predatory organisms with similar susceptibility. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2008.
Blocking of malaria parasite development in mosquito and fecundity reduction by midgut antibodies in Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae).

Rabbits were immunized three times with extracts of Anopheles stephensi midgut. Immunized rabbits showed a high titer of antibodies when characterized by ELISA. We investigated the effect of anti-mosquito midgut antibodies on mosquito fecundity, longevity, mortality, engorgement, and the development of the malaria parasite in mosquitoes. Fecundity was reduced significantly (38%) and similarly hatchability by about 43.5%. There was no statistically significant effect on mortality, longevity, and engorgement. When the mosquito blood meal contained anti-midgut antibodies, fewer oocysts of Plasmodium vivax developed in the mosquito midgut and the proportion of mosquitoes becoming infected was significantly reduced. We also found that the midgut antibodies inhibit the development and/or translocation of the sporozoites. Antisera raised against midgut of A. stephensi recognized eight polypeptides (110, 92, 70, 45, 38, 29, 15, 13 kDa) by Western blotting. Cross-reactive antigens/epitopes present in other tissues of A. stephensi were also examined both by Western blotting and in vivo ELISA. Together, these observations open an avenue for research toward the development of a vector-based malaria parasite transmission blocking vaccine and/or anti-mosquito vaccine.
Multiple Procedures and Staging in the Massive Weight Loss Population

Background: Unlike traditional plastic surgery patients who present with a specific anatomical complaint, massive weight loss patients often have multiple regions of concern. No single procedure can address the whole-body deformities associated with massive weight loss. The authors sought to quantify their clinical experience to provide evidence-based analysis of procedural combination in body contouring. Methods: Patients were enrolled in an institutional review board–approved prospective clinical database over a 5-year period. Procedure categories included breast, medial thigh lift, buttock and lateral thigh lift, upper back lift, brachioplasty, and abdomen. Analysis of variance was used to analyze differences between procedure combinations. Results: Six hundred nine massive weight loss patients underwent 661 cases involving 1070 procedures. Length of hospital stay increased with the number of procedures performed (p < 0.001). Second-stage cases (n = 60) had similar complication rates and length of hospital stay. Seroma and dehiscence were strongly correlated with the number of procedures (p < 0.001), as were tissue necrosis and infection (p = 0.02), whereas hematoma was unrelated (p = 0.25). Major complications did not increase in multiple-procedure cases. Conclusions: In a large experience at a high-volume center, concomitant procedures were performed safely in carefully selected patients with low major complication rates. Although aggregate minor complication rates were predictably higher than in single-procedure cases, there was no significant increase on a per-procedure basis. Multiple procedures can be combined safely in the body contouring patient, with surgical staging offering a viable alternative for patients who are unable to undergo combined procedures.
A new design and evaluation approach for managed lanes from a sustainability perspective

Abstract This article presents a comprehensive framework that optimizes traffic management measures to reduce emissions and fuel consumption and evaluates their operating and secondary environmental impacts. A new managed lane strategy is presented that minimizes the total passenger travel time on the freeway. This managed lane focuses on simultaneously optimizing toll schemes on the high occupancy toll (HOT) lane and the operation of the general purpose (GP) lanes. With reduced congestion and thus reduced number of acceleration and deceleration events associated with stop-and-go traffic, fuel efficiency increases and emissions are reduced. PARAMICS microscopic traffic simulator, which considers the behavior of individual vehicles (e.g., acceleration, deceleration, and lane changing behavior) is used to collect traffic performance and emission data for estimating mobility and emissions measures (i.e., operating phase). While previous studies only focused on operating phase impact, this study uses a Leontief input-output (I-O) model to establish the financial flow between industries to capture the large-scale environmental impacts of HOT lane deployment (i.e., secondary impact). The core of the new evaluation approach lies in its capability to provide a more thorough assessment of the environmental impacts of traffic management schemes by quantifying the impacts associated with the interplay between the activities of various sectors and the transportation industry. The I-O model is utilized to assess the indirect impacts of induced demand generated from network improvements and evaluate the environmental impacts of HOT lane deployment in regional economies. The developed approach is applied to The City of Calgary. The results of the study show that the traditional approaches that only evaluate the operating phase impacts of transportation strategies considerably overestimate the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
What is the white-coat effect and how should it be measured?

The white coat effect is conceived as a measure of the blood pressure response to a clinic visit, but there is no agreement as to exactly how it should be defined. The most widely used definition is the difference between the average clinic and daytime ambulatory blood pressures, but other methods that have been used include the difference between clinic and home pressures, measurements using ambulatory blood pressures only, clinic measurements only, and laboratory (reactivity) testing. Few studies have compared the different methods, but the reactivity method has reported bigger changes of blood pressure and heart rate than the others. The effect tends to be greater in older than younger patients, in women than in men, but is present to a greater or lesser degree in almost all hypertensive patients. It is diminished but not obliterated by drug treatment. It is not closely related to overall blood pressure variability, and does not predict cardiovascular risk. The white coat effect appears to be idiosyncratic to the clinic setting.
Cutting Edge: C3d Functions as a Molecular Adjuvant in the Absence of CD21/35 Expression 1

Complement component C3 covalently attaches to Ags following activation, where the C3d cleavage fragment can function as a molecular adjuvant to augment humoral immune responses. C3d is proposed to exert its adjuvant-like activities by targeting Ags to the C3d receptor (CD21/35) expressed by B cells and follicular dendritic cells. To directly assess the importance of CD21/35 in mediating the immunostimulatory effects of C3d, CD21/35-deficient (CD21/35−/−) mice were immunized with streptavidin (SA), SA-C3dg tetramers, recombinant HIV gp120 (gp120), or gp120 fused with linear multimers of C3d. Remarkably, SA- and gp120-specific Ab responses were significantly augmented in CD21/35−/− mice when these Ags were complexed with C3d in comparison to Ag alone. In fact, primary and secondary Ab responses and Ab-forming cell responses of CD21/35−/− mice approached those of wild-type mice immunized with SA-C3dg and gp120-C3d. Thus, C3d can function as a molecular adjuvant in the absence of CD21/35 expression.
Interleukin‐34 promotes tumor progression and metastatic process in osteosarcoma through induction of angiogenesis and macrophage recruitment

Interleukin‐34 (IL‐34) was recently characterized as the M‐CSF “twin” cytokine, regulating the proliferation/differentiation/survival of myeloid cells. The implication of M‐CSF in oncology was initially suspected by the reduced metastatic dissemination in knock‐out mice, due to angiogenesis impairment. Based on this observation, our work studied the involvement of IL‐34 in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma. The in vivo effects of IL‐34 were assessed on tissue vasculature and macrophage infiltration in a murine preclinical model based on a paratibial inoculation of human osteosarcoma cells overexpressing or not IL‐34 or M‐CSF. In vitro investigations using endothelial cell precursors and mature HUVEC cells were performed to analyse the involvement of IL‐34 in angiogenesis and myeloid cell adhesion. The data revealed that IL‐34 overexpression was associated with the progression of osteosarcoma (tumor growth, lung metastases) and an increase of neo‐angiogenesis. In vitro analyses demonstrated that IL‐34 stimulated endothelial cell proliferation and vascular cord formation. Pre‐treatment of endothelial cells by chondroitinases/heparinases reduced the formation of vascular tubes and abolished the associated cell signalling. In addition, IL‐34 increased the in vivo recruitment of M2 tumor‐associated macrophages into the tumor tissue. IL‐34 increased in vitro monocyte/CD34+ cell adhesion to activated HUVEC monolayers under physiological shear stress conditions. This work also demonstrates that IL‐34 is expressed by osteosarcoma cells, is regulated by TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and contributes to osteosarcoma growth by increasing the neo‐angiogenesis and the recruitment of M2 macrophages. By promoting new vessel formation and extravasation of immune cells, IL‐34 may play a key role in tumor development and inflammatory diseases.