Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation on membrane potential, [Ca2+]i and force in the arrested sinus venosus of the toad, Bufo marinus

1 The effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation on membrane potential and on the intracellular concentration of calcium ions, [Ca2+]i, were recorded concurrently from the sinus venosus of the toad, Bufo marinus, in preparations where beating had been abolished by adding an organic calcium antagonist to the physiological saline. In a separate set of experiments the effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation on force production were examined. 2 Stimulation of the sympathetic nerves caused a membrane depolarization and a simultaneous increase in [Ca2+]i. Both responses were reduced by dihydroergotamine (20 μm). 3 The membrane depolarization and increase in [Ca2+]i evoked by sympathetic nerve stimulation were abolished by ryanodine (10 μm), or caffeine (3 mm). The effects of caffeine, but not those of ryanodine, were fully reversible. 4 Although the Ca2+‐ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin (30 μm) itself had little effect on the responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation, in its presence caffeine (3 him) irreversibly abolished the responses. 5 In the presence of nifedipine (10 μm), sympathetic nerve stimulation caused contractions of the sinus venosus. These responses were abolished by either ryanodine (10 μm) or caffeine (3 mm). 6 The results suggest that neuronally released transmitter activates a complex biochemical pathway which triggers the release of Ca2+ from internal stores.
Use of hospitalization and pharmaceutical prescribing data to compare the prevaccination burden of varicella and herpes zoster in Australia

The aims of the study were to compare the burden of varicella and herpes zoster in Australia. No national surveillance exists for varicella or herpes zoster. We used hospital morbidity data from 1993–9 and pharmaceutical prescribing data from 1995–9. In the financial year 1998/99, there were 4718 hospitalizations for zoster compared to 1991 for varicella. For varicella the mean age of patients was 15 years compared to 69 years for zoster. The mean length of stay in hospital was 4·2 days for varicella and 12·7 days for zoster. Varicella accounted for 8396 (3726 with principal diagnosis varicella) bed days compared to 26266 (5382 with principal diagnosis of zoster) for zoster. The in-hospital case-fatality rate was 0·4% for varicella and 1% for zoster. In 1999, 59200 community-based cases of zoster were treated with antivirals. We estimate that 157266 cases of zoster occurred in the community in 1999, a rate of 830 per 100000 population. Herpes zoster has a higher burden of disease than varicella, and must be a component of disease surveillance in order to determine the full impact of vaccination on the epidemiology of varicella zoster virus (VZV).
Bending Properties of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) with a 45° Alternating Layer Configuration

Bending tests were conducted with cross laminated timber (CLT) panels made using an alternating layer arrangement. Boards of Norway spruce were used to manufacture five-layer panels on an industrial CLT production line. In total, 20 samples were tested, consisting of two CLT configurations with 10 samples of each type: transverse layers at 45° and the conventional 90° arrangement. Sample dimensions were 95 mm × 590 mm × 2000 mm. The CLT panels were tested by four point bending in the main load-carrying direction in a flatwise panel layup. The results indicated that bending strength increased by 35% for elements assembled with 45° layers in comparison with 90° layers. Improved mechanical load bearing panel properties could lead to a larger span length with less material.
Effects of specific exercise instructions on abdominal muscle activity during trunk curl exercises.

STUDY DESIGN A repeated-measures, counterbalanced design. OBJECTIVES To test whether subjects could learn and retain the ability to alter the relative activity of abdominal muscle groups when performing trunk curl exercises. BACKGROUND Although trunk curl exercises are widely prescribed, a disadvantage of trunk curls is that they primarily activate rectus abdominis, while the internal and external oblique abdominis muscles are considered to be more important contributors to lumbar stability. METHODS AND MEASURES A convenience sample of 25 subjects performed trunk curl exercises in accordance with 3 different sets of instructions: nonspecific instructions (NS), instructions intended to emphasize rectus abdominis activity (RE), and instructions intended to emphasize oblique abdominis activity (OE). Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from the upper and lower rectus and the internal and external oblique abdominis muscles while a physical target was used to insure that the trunk was raised to the same height for all conditions. Normalized root-mean-square EMG amplitude measures were used to test for instruction-dependent changes in the relative EMG activity of the rectus and oblique muscle groups. RESULTS Following a single, brief, instruction session, subjects performing trunk curls had significantly greater normalized oblique:rectus EMG ratios when following OE instructions (mean [+/- SD] oblique-rectus ratio, 1.45 +/- 0.34) than when following RE (mean [+/- SD] oblique-rectus ratio, 0.76 +/- 0.24) or NS (mean [ISD] oblique-rectus ratio, 0.63 +/- 0.23) instructions. Retesting 1 week later indicated that subjects retained this skill. CONCLUSIONS With minimal instruction, subjects are able to volitionally alter the relative activity of the oblique and rectus abdominis muscles when performing trunk curls. Incorporating instructions emphasizing oblique abdominis activity into lumbar stabilization programs appears promising and has potential advantages over other approaches to altering abdominal muscle activity during trunk
Carbapenems Versus Piperacillin-Tazobactam for Bloodstream Infections of Nonurinary Source Caused by Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase–Producing Enterobacteriaceae

A recent, frequently quoted study has suggested that for bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL) Escherichia coli, treatment with β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors (BLBLIs) might be equivalent to treatment with carbapenems. However, the majority of BSIs originate from the urinary tract. A multicenter, multinational efficacy analysis was conducted from 2010 to 2012 to compare outcomes of patients with non-urinary ESBL BSIs who received a carbapenem (69 patients) vs those treated with piperacillin-tazobactam (10 patients). In multivariate analysis, therapy with piperacillin-tazobactam was associated with increased 90-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 7.9, P=.03). For ESBL BSIs of a non-urinary origin, carbapenems should be considered a superior treatment to BLBLIs. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;36(8):981–985
Endothelial Cells and Extracellular Calmodulin Inhibit Monocyte Tumor Necrosis Factor Release and Augment Neutrophil Elastase Release*

Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α release from whole blood or isolated mononuclear cells exposed to endotoxin. In contrast, the endothelial cells augmented neutrophil elastase release in the same blood. A protein with these functional properties was isolated from endothelial cell-conditioned media and, surprisingly, was identified as calmodulin. Authentic calmodulin mimicked the effect of endothelium.125I-Calmodulin bound to a high affinity site on monocytic cell lines (K d ∼30 nm, in agreement with its functional activity). Cross-linking of125I-calmodulin to monocytic cells identified a candidate calmodulin receptor. We conclude that calmodulin possesses an extracellular signaling role in addition to its intracellular regulatory functions. Calmodulin released at sites of tissue injury or possibly by specific mechanisms in the endothelium can bind to receptors, modulating the activities of inflammatory cells.
Behavioral Assessment and Intervention in Pediatric Diabetes

This article reviews the empirical research literature on behavioral assessment and intervention methods in the context of diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents. The review summarizes the pathophysiology, medical management, and monitoring of pediatric type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Next, the article describes common behavioral barriers to acceptable diabetes management and adequate metabolic control and the role of behavior change agents in evaluation and intervention for these problems. Validated approaches to the assessment of diabetes-specific behavioral problems are described for the measurement of treatment adherence, diabetes-related fears and avoidance behaviors, diabetes-specific social skills, and disease-related stressors. Behavioral interventions that have empirical support are discussed, including treatments that target treatment adherence, social skills, coping skills, family communication and problem solving, anxiety and stress management, and weight control. The article concludes with clinical practice recommendations for behavior change specialists who have the opportunity to work with this population.
Direct application of basic fibroblast growth factor improves tympanic membrane perforation healing

Topical application of basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) on tympanic membrane (TM) perforations was studied in guinea pigs. One-millimeter simple round TM perforations or 2-mm TM perforations with medially flapped borders were performed. Either b-FGF or placebo was instilled in each ear on the day of surgery and daily thereafter. Treatment was applied either directly to the perforation or to a Gelfoam pledget over the defect. When no scaffolding material was interposed, b-FGF induced a faster healing response characterized by a hyperplastic but linear subepidermal connective tissue reaction compared to the control. When Gelfoam was interposed as a scaffold, a voluminous scar protruding into the middle ear cavity and involving the ossicles was observed in both b-FGF and control animals. Gelfoam-induced scars did not decrease after long-term observation, therefore discouraging its use.
Characterizing the Business Cycles of Emerging Economies (Second Version)

We document the properties of business cycles using the dating algorithm by Harding and Pagan (2002) on a quarterly database for 58 countries —21 industrial countries and 37 emerging market economies (EMEs)— from 1970q1 to 2007q4. We find that: (a) recessions are deeper, steeper and costlier among EMEs (especially, in East Asia and Latin America) and that recoveries are swifter and stronger. (b) Recessions have become less costly during the globalization period (1990-2007) than before (1970-89) for industrial countries and EMEs. (c) The main characteristics of downturns are amplified when associated to crisis episodes. (d) The time path of macroeconomic indicators around peaks in real GDP is more volatile in downturns associated with crisis compared to other downturns. (e) Financial cycles (credit and asset prices) tend to precede real output cycles. (f) Credit and stock prices are strongly pro-cyclical while real exchange rates, capital flows and terms of trade tend to be a-cyclical. Finally, an exploratory analysis on the conditional correlates of the cost of recessions shows that: (i) adverse terms of trade shocks raise the cost of recessions in countries with a more open trade regime and deeper financial markets. (ii) Recessions tend to be deeper if they coincide with a sudden stop, but the effect is smaller in countries with deeper domestic credit markets. (iii) Floating exchange rate regimes appear to act as shock absorbers.
Carriage of Haemophilus influenzae in Cape Town children.

Little is known about the epidemiology of Haemophilus influenzae infections in South Africa. This study was designed to determine the prevalence, serotype distribution, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and effect of age and hospitalisation on the carriage of H. influenzae in 322 Cape Town children. The overall and type b specific carriage rates in normal children (N = 107) were 45.8% and 4.7% respectively. The yield following nasopharyngeal culture was twice that following throat culture (P < 0.001). Children hospitalised with tuberculosis (N = 62) had significantly greater carriage rates, 66.1% and 37.1% respectively (P = 0.02). Institutionalised mentally handicapped children (N = 77) and children with tuberculosis attending an outpatient clinic (N = 76) had lower carriage rates (P < 0.02). Antimicrobial resistance was a major problem only in children hospitalised with tuberculosis (rifampicin 100%, penicillin 43.9%, erythromycin 85.4%, co-trimoxazole 82.9%). This universal resistance to rifampicin has not been reported previously. There was no difference in the mean age of children with positive or negative cultures, with the exception of those hospitalised with tuberculosis. In this group children infected with type b were much younger (mean 19.7 months) than those with other and non-typeable infections (32.1 months) and the non-infected (50.1 months) (P = 0.04). Duration of hospitalisation or outpatient therapy in the patients with tuberculosis did not influence carriage rates. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The incidence of pressure ulcers in surgical patients of the last 5 years: a systematic review.

UNLABELLED ﻿This systematic review looks at the incidence of pressure ulcers in surgical patients of the last 5 years. METHODS The authors searched Pubmed and Web of Science for studies published after 2005. Screen- ing and data abstraction were performed independently by 2 reviewers. RESULTS Seventeen studies (5,451 patients) met the inclusion criteria. The incidence of surgery-related pressure ulcers ranged from 0.003 to 0.574. The pooled incidence was 0.15 (95% CI 0.14-0.16, I2 = 98.2%). For cardiac surgery, hip fracture surgery, and patients on the surgical intensive care unit, the pooled incidence was 0.18 (95% CI 0.14-0.22, I2 = 62.8%), 0.22 (95% CI 0.20-0.24, I2= 98.4%), and 0.11 (95% CI 0.09-0.13, I2 = 98.5%), respectively. CONCLUSION The data on the incidence of surgery-related pressure ulcers indicates that appropriate monitoring and treatment need to be performed.
Cognitive and behavioral outcome following mild traumatic head injury in children.

OBJECTIVES To investigate outcome in children with mild traumatic head injury (THI) at 1 week and 3 months postinjury and to identify factors associated with persisting problems. DESIGN Postconcussional symptomatology, behavior ratings, and neuropsychological test performance were examined at 1 week and 3 months postinjury. SETTING Participants were recruited from successive presentations to emergency departments of two major hospitals. PARTICIPANTS 130 Children with mild THI were compared with 96 children having other minor injuries as controls. RESULTS Children with mild THI experienced headaches, dizziness, and fatigue but exhibited no cognitive impairments, relative to controls, at 1 week postinjury. By 3 months, symptoms had resolved. However, 17% of children showed significant ongoing problems. They were more likely to have a history of previous head injury, learning difficulties, neurological or psychiatric problems, or family stressors. CONCLUSIONS Persisting problems following mild head injury in children are more common in those with previous head injury, preexisting learning difficulties, or neurological, psychiatric, or family problems. These "at-risk" children should be identified in the emergency department and monitored.
A Clinical Study to Compare the Bacterial Flora of Lower Respiratory Tract immediately after Tracheostomy and during First Tube Change

Tracheostomy directly exposes the lower respiratory tract to the exogenous bacteria increasing the risk of colonization of lower respiratory tract. The present study was done in patients who underwent tracheostomy and the study compares bacterial flora of oropharnyx and lower respiratory tract during tracheostomy with that of the bacterial flora of the lower respiratory tract during the first tube change. Forty patients were included in this study. During tracheotomy, a sterile suction catheter was introduced into the trachea and suction was done. Tip of the suction tube was sent for bacterial culture. Tracheostomy tube was changed after 2 – 11 days. During the tube change, tracheal suctioning was done using sterile suction catheter and the tip of suction catheter was sent for the Bacterial culture. 95% of the study population was intubated before tracheostomy. 40% had positive growth from oropharnyx during tracheostomy, most common bacteria isolated being Enterobacter spp. 20%, (n=8). Only 17.5% had positive growth from trachea during tracheostomy, most common bacteria isolated being Acinetobacter 5%, (n=2). 80% had positive growth from trachea during the first tube change. Colonization of the lower respiratory tract following tracheostomy is mainly by the exogenous bacteria, comprising of Enterobacter (27.5%), Acinetobacter Baumanii (22.5%) and E. coli (20.0%). Colonization of the lower respiratory tract after tracheostomy happens primarily from the exogenous route. Tracheal colonization present at the time of tracheostomy is not significant and does not significantly correlate with the tracheal colonization post tracheostomy. There is no significant influence on the tracheal colonization post tracheostomy by place of performance of tracheostomy.
Comparison of the structure and cell cycle expression of mRNAs encoded by two histone H3-H4 loci in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The haploid genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains two nonallelic sets of histone H3 and H4 gene pairs, termed the copy I and copy II loci. The structures of the mRNA transcripts from each of these four genes were examined by nuclease protection and primer extension mapping. For each gene, several species of mRNAs were identified that differed in the lengths of their 5' and 3' untranslated regions. The cell cycle accumulation pattern of the H3 and H4 mRNAs was determined in cells from early-exponential-growth cultures fractionated by centrifugal elutriation. The RNA transcripts from all four genes were regulated with the cell division cycle, and transcripts from the nonallelic gene copies showed tight temporal coordination. Cell cycle regulation did not depend on selection of a particular histone mRNA transcript since the ratio of the multiple species from each gene remained the same across the division cycle. Quantitative measurements showed significant differences in the amounts of mRNA expressed from the two nonallelic gene sets. The mRNAs from the copy II H3 and H4 genes were five to seven times more abundant than the mRNAs from the copy I genes. There was no dosage compensation in the steady-state levels of mRNA when either set of genes was deleted. In particular, there was no increase in the amount of copy I H3 or H4 transcripts in cells in which the high-abundance copy II genes were deleted.
[Prevalence of sensitization to allergens in school children with asthma residents from Guadalajara metropolitan area].

BACKGROUND Allergic sensitization is dependent on the geographical and climatic conditions in each region; therefore, identify agents most commonly sensitized children with asthma is important for planning prevention measures. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of the sensitization to allergens in children with asthma. MATERIAL AND METHOD This cross-sectional and prolective study includes children from ages 6 to 14, who have asthma, attended for the first time in an allergy service. The patients were recruited consecutively between the months of January 1st 2014 to December 31st 2014. The frequency of the allergen sensitization was estimated. RESULTS This study included 186 children, the median age was 7 years olds, the male group was 104/186 (55.9%) The median of the positive results was 5 and monosensitized were 47/186 (2.2%). The most common category of allergens was the indoor (90.3%), then trees (71.0%), and finally the fungi (9.7%). Individually, the house dust mites were more common in between the interior allergens, followed by the epithelial; in the tree pollen were oaks (31.7%) and ashes (28.0%), in weeds was mugwort (21.5%), in grasses was Zea mays (18.3%) and in the fungi was Cladosporium spp. (6.5%). CONCLUSION The high prevalence of the sensitization to house dust mites and epithelial in children with asthma, stimulates to implement methods of environmental control for contributing a better control of the disease.
Energy Efficient RPL Routing Protocol in Smart Buildings

Energy is an important factor that must be considered by multi-hop wireless mesh routing protocols because most sensors are powered by batteries with a limited capacity. We focus on the industry-standard RPL (Routing Protocol over Low-power and lossy networks) routing protocol that must find energy-efficient paths in low-power and lossy networks. However, the existing RPL objective functions route based on hop-count and ETX (expected transmission count) metrics alone, ignoring the energy cost of data transmission and reception. We address this issue in two ways. First, we design an objective function for RPL that finds paths that require, in expectation, the minimum amount of energy. Second, we design a probing mechanism which configures the transmission power of sensors to minimize energy consumption. The proposed approach is implemented and evaluated using simulations as well as on a small testbed with two Zolertial Z1 motes.
Isopropanolic black cohosh extract and recurrence-free survival after breast cancer .

To investigate the influence of an isopropanolic Cimicifuga racemosa extract (iCR) on recurrence-free survival after breast cancer, including estrogen-dependent tumors. This pharmacoepidemiologic observational retrospective cohort study examined breast cancer patients treated at general, gynecological and internal facilities linked to a medical database in Germany. The main endpoint was disease-free survival following a diagnosis of breast cancer. The impact of treatment with iCR following diagnosis was analyzed by Coxproportional hazards models, controlling for age and other confounders. Of 18,861 patients, a total of 1,102 had received an iCR therapy. The mean overall observation time was 3.6 years. Results showed that iCR was not associated with an increase in the risk of recurrence but associated with prolonged disease-free survival. After 2 years following initial diagnosis, 14% of the control group had developed a recurrence, while the iCR group reached this proportion after 6.5 years. The primary Cox regression model controlling for age, tamoxifen use and other confounders demonstrated a protractive effect of iCR on the rate of recurrence (hazard ratio 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.69 0.99). This effect remained consistent throughout all variations of the statistical model, including subgroup analyses. TNM status was unknown but did not bias the iCR treatment decision as investigated separately. Hence, it was assumed to be equally distributed between treatment groups. Correlation analyses showed good internal and external validity of the database. An increase in the risk of breast cancer recurrence for women having had iCR treatment, compared to women not treated with iCR is unlikely. PMID: 17416109 [PubMed indexed for MEDLINE] Display Settings: Abstract Did you mean: isopropanol black cohosh free recurrence breast cancer (1 items) 1 Author information Publication Types, MeSH Terms, Substances LinkOut more resources PubMed isopropanolic black cohosh free recurrence breast cancer