Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tailored antiplatelet therapy in high-risk ACS patients treated with PCI stenting: lessons from the ANTARCTIC trial.

The recently reported ANTARCTIC trial by Cayla and colleagues is the latest large-scale study of personalized antiplatelet therapy based on platelet function testing (1). In this open-label, blinded end-point, randomized, controlled trial, the authors ascertained the net clinical benefit of individualized antiplatelet therapy based on platelet function monitoring in elderly patients undergoing stenting (PCI) for an acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
Role of Quinsy Tonsillectomy in the Management of Peritonsillar Abscess

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is the most frequent complication of acute tonsillitis requiring surgical intervention. Debate continues concerning optimal therapy in terms of patient morbidity and cost-effectiveness. A retrospective study was performed on 45 tonsillectomies for PTA in military personnel from December 1986 through December 1988. Twenty-three quinsy (abscess) tonsillectomies and 22 interval tonsillectomies were identified. Parameters studied were age, sex, abscess location, interval prior to operation, blood loss, operative time, operative experience, and combined hospital and convalescent days for the two groups. Significant differences were noted between the quinsy and interval tonsillectomy groups concerning the average number of days hospitalized (3.0 versus 4.5) and their respective convalescent periods (10.3 versus 17.3). We conclude that quinsy tonsillectomy is the best management for PTA in a young work force when the optimal treatment choice is between interval or acute tonsillectomy.
On the optimal pure strategy sets for a mixed missile guidance law synthesis

The terminal phase of a missile versus aircraft engagement in a noise corrupted environment is formulated as an imperfect information differential game. The pay-off of the game is the single shot kill probability (SSKP) of the missile, to be maximized by its designer and to be minimized by the pilot of the target aircraft. The optimal strategies in such a scenario can be mixed. This paper outlines a constructive methodology for guidance law synthesis based on the concept of mixed strategies. Assuming that the pure strategy set of the evading aircraft is known, the necessary conditions that determine the structure of the missile's pure strategy set are derived.
Gyration of the Feline Brain: Localization, Terminology and Variability

The terminology of feline brain gyration is not consistent and individual variability has not been systematically examined. The aim of the study was to identify the gyri and sulci of cat brains and describe them using the current terminology. The brains of 15 cats including 10 European shorthairs, 2 Siamese, 2 Maine coons and one Norvegian forest cat without clinical evidence of brain disease were examined post‐mortem and photographed for documentation. For description, the terms of the most recent Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria (NAV, 2012) were used, and comparisons with previous anatomical texts were also performed. In addition to the lack of comparative morphology in the NAV, veterinary and human nomenclature are used interchangeably and inconsistently in the literature. This presents a challenge for neurologists and anatomists in localizing gyri and sulci. A comparative analysis of brain gyration showed only minor individual variability among the cats. High‐quality labelled figures are provided to facilitate the identification of cat brain gyration. Our work consolidates the current and more consistent gyration terminology for reporting the localization of a cortical lesion based on magnetic resonance imaging or histopathology. This will facilitate not only morphological but also functional research using accurate anatomical reporting.
Inhibition of human ovarian cancer cell proliferation in vitro by ginsenoside Rh2 and adjuvant effects to cisplatin in vivo

In vitro and in vivo effects of ginsenoside Rh2 on human ovarian tumor growth were examined by using a cell line (HRA) derived from ascites of a patient with serous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary. The HRA cell proliferation in vitro was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner with dosages of 10–100 μM of ginsenoside RH2. DNA, RNA and protein synthesis by the HRA cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner at more than 15 μM of ginsenoside RH2. However, the growth of HRA cells transplanted in nude mice was not significantly inhibited by ginsenoside RH2. On the contrary, when cisplatin was administered together with 10 μM (but not 1 μM or 100 μM) ginsenoside RH2, the tumor growth was significantly inhibited 31 days after inoculation and the survival was also significantly prolonged, compared with not only the untreated group but also the groups given cisplatin alone or ginsenoside RH, alone. This indicates synergistic effects between cisplatin and ginsenoside RH2. From monitoring of body weight and hematocrit, concentrations of ginsenoside RH2 used in this study did not seem to cause any adverse effect.
An Extended Model of E-Government Adoption by Civil Servants in Greece

E-government in Greece lacks a customer-centric view in its implementation. Government is driving its development agenda and investment on electronic services without measuring what increases customers' willingness to adopt offered services. The study has taken a lead in understanding the factors that affect e-government adoption by teachers in Greece. It uses constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the theoretical extension of the TAM (TAM2), Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) and integrates the constructs of perceived behavioral control, trust in e-government, perceived risk, personal innovativeness and awareness in a model. The validated model offers a starting point for the investigation of factors affecting the adoption of e-government services and can be extended by using domain-specific constructs to fit all Greek governmental organizations.
Observations on development in copepods

Considerations sur les resultats obtenus en 1970 par Corkett et McLaren et en 1980 par les memes auteurs sur Eurytemora herdmani: on compare, pour ce dernier, les resultats obtenus en laboratoire et ceux obtenus pour le Northwest Arm, Halifax, Nouvelle Ecosse
Validity and reliability of the Malay version of WHOQOL-HIV BREF in patients with HIV infection

Abstract This study determines the validity and reliability of the Malay version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) assessment instrument in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A cross-sectional study on 157 patients with HIV seen at the Infectious Disease Unit, Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Kota Bharu, Kelantan was conducted. Factor analysis identified five major domains: physical needs, spirituality, social relationship, psychological, and environment. Significant correlation was found between each domain scores and the general health questions. The instrument was able to discriminate between asymptomatic and symptomatic HIV positive patients for all domain scores except for the spirituality domain. The internal consistency of the five domains ranged from 0.70 to 0.83. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.60 to 0.87 across all domains. In conclusion, the Malay version of WHOQOL-HIV BREF is a valid and reliable instrument in assessing quality of life in HIV positive patients.
The Causes of Cancelled Elective Surgery

We reviewed causes of cancelled elective surgery in a community hospital. Over a 6-month period, during which 4100 operating room procedures were completed, cancellations occurred in 13% of cases scheduled for outpatient surgery, 9% of cases sched uled for admission the same day, and 17% of cases scheduled for inpatient surgery. Dental procedures had significantly higher rates of cancellation among outpatient procedures, and cardiovascular surgical procedures had significantly higher rates among in patient procedures. Chart review of cancelled inpa tient cases showed 43% due to administrative reasons with unsigned consent the most common cause. Med ical factors were responsible in the remaining cases, with reevaluation of the surgical condition and asso ciated medical illnesses equally common as reasons in this category. Appreciation of the usual reasons for cancellation can improve utilization by permitting administrators and providers to anticipate those cases in which problems might arise so that additional at tention can be paid to them.
Stress Responses in Probiotic Lactobacillus casei

Survival in harsh environments is critical to both the industrial performance of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their competitiveness in complex microbial ecologies. Among the LAB, members of the Lactobacillus casei group have industrial applications as acid-producing starter cultures for milk fermentations and as specialty cultures for the intensification and acceleration of flavor development in certain bacterial-ripened cheese varieties. They are amongst the most common organisms in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of humans and other animals, and have the potential to function as probiotics. Whether used in industrial or probiotic applications, environmental stresses will affect the physiological status and properties of cells, including altering their functionality and biochemistry. Understanding the mechanisms of how LAB cope with different environments is of great biotechnological importance, from both a fundamental and applied perspective: hence, interaction between these strains and their environment has gained increased interest in recent years. This paper presents an overview of the important features of stress responses in Lb. casei, and related proteomic or gene expression patterns that may improve their use as starter cultures and probiotics.
Risk of thyroid cancer after childhood exposure to ionizing radiation for tinea capitis.

BACKGROUND The thyroid gland is known to be sensitive to the carcinogenic effect of ionizing radiation, especially in children. The role of potential modifiers of the risk and latency period effects needs further investigation. We examined the effect of low doses of ionizing radiation (4.5-49.5 cGy) on the risk of developing thyroid cancer after long latent periods of up to 54 yr after childhood exposure. METHODS The study population included 10,834 individuals irradiated against tinea capitis in the 1950s and two matched nonirradiated groups (general population and siblings) for comparison. Cancer statistics and vital status data were obtained from national registries, updated to December 2002. Excess relative and absolute risks [excess relative risk per gray (ERR/Gy), excess absolute risk (EAR)] were estimated using Poisson regression for survival analysis. RESULTS Within the study period, 159 cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed. Total ERR/Gy and excess absolute risk per gray per 10(4) person-years for developing thyroid cancer reached 20.2 (95% confidence interval 11.8-32.3) and 9.9 (95% confidence interval 5.7-14.7), respectively. The risk was positively associated with dose and negatively associated with age at exposure. ERR/Gy was significantly elevated 10-19 yr after exposure, peaking at 20-30 yr, and decreasing dramatically (although still significantly elevated) 40 yr after exposure. CONCLUSIONS Our findings agree with patterns of risk modification seen in most studies of radiation-induced thyroid cancer, although risk per unit dose seems higher. Our data show that 40 yr after irradiation, ERR decreases dramatically, although remaining significantly elevated. The hypothesis of different genetic susceptibility of the Jewish population deserves further exploration.
Expression of Annexin-1 in patients with endometriosis.

BACKGROUND Annexin-1 was identified as an endometriosis-related protein by comparative proteomics in previous study. As an endogenous anti-inflammatory mediator, Annexin-1 has been shown to regulate the immune response, cell proliferation and apoptosis. To investigate whether Annexin-1 is involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, we examined the expression of Annexin-1 in eutopic endometrium of women with or without endometriosis, and detected its expression in peritoneal fluids of those with endometriosis. METHODS Eutopic endometrium samples from twenty-five women with endometriosis and those from sixteen age-matched women without endometriosis were collected. Peritoneal fluids were obtained from ten patients with endometriosis. The expression of Annexin-1 protein in eutopic endometrium was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, and mRNA detected by real-time PCR. Annexin-1 protein in the peritoneal fluids was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS Annexin-1 mRNA and protein were overexpressed in eutopic endometrium of endometriosis without significant differences between the proliferative and secretory phase. Immunohistochemistry showed that Annexin-1 protein was expressed mainly in endometrial glandular cells throughout the menstrual cycle. Annexin-1 protein was detected in the peritoneal fluids of all the ten patients with endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS Annexin-1 is overexpressed in eutopic endometrium and presents in the peritoneal fluids of patients with endometriosis, and may play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.
The Use of Geospatial Technology in Disaster Management

The daily use of geospatial technology, such as the global positioning system (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS), and remote sensing (RS), is increasing. The use of geospatial technology in disaster management is a natural fit because almost every aspect of a disaster is referenced by location. This paper presents the results of a recent web-based survey of disaster management practitioners. Findings reveal that more than 60% of disaster management practitioners are currently using geospatial technology and 70% plan to use it in a future disaster management activity. However, the results indicate that most disaster management practitioners have a low level of knowledge of geospatial technology. The survey findings also show that geospatial technologies enhance situational awareness, cost is a major challenge for practitioners who would like to use them, and an opportunity exists for the academic community to engage with practitioners to help them raise their level of geospatial knowledge.
Mutator clones of Neisseria meningitidis in epidemic serogroup A disease

Serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis has repeatedly caused widespread epidemics of meningitis and septicemia throughout the 20th century. Recently, in a limited collection of strains, epidemic serogroup A isolates were found to have elevated mutation rates that was caused by defects in mismatch repair pathways. To ascertain the role of these mutators in the epidemic spread of this serogroup, the prevalence of hypermutability in a collection of 95 serogroup A N. meningitidis invasive isolates was determined. Overall mutability in Neisseriae can be described by measuring both missense mutation rates as well as phase variation frequencies of “contingency loci. ” Fifty-seven percent of serogroup A isolates possessed elevated mutability, which could be divided into two classes: intermediate and high level. Eleven of 20 high-level mutators, with phase variation rates >100-fold higher than wild-type isolates, were defective in mismatch repair. Ten of the 34 intermediate mutators possessing >10-fold increases in phase variation rates could be partially complemented by a wild-type mutL allele. A high prevalence of mutators in epidemic isolates indicates that hypermutability may play a major role in the transmission of this pathogen. The added diversity derived from increased phase variation rates may allow fixation of mutator alleles more frequently during epidemic spread.
Burden of illness and factors associated with duration of illness in clinical campylobacteriosis

SUMMARY A population-based study investigated the burden of illness, including the duration of illness associated with laboratory-confirmed cases of campylobacteriosis in two health unit areas. Questionnaire data were collected for 250 cases. The median duration of illness was 8 days and 66% of cases reported symptoms of moderate severity or greater. A Cox proportional hazards model identified antimicrobial use factors associated with a significantly increased rate of symptom resolution (shorter duration of illness): macrolides for less than the recommended number of days, ciprofloxacin for at least 3 days, and antimicrobials not recommended for campylobacteriosis. The impact of antimicrobial use was consistent regardless of when, during the course of illness, the antimicrobial use began. The effectiveness of ciprofloxacin in these results may be due to the low prevalence of resistance to ciprofloxacin in isolates from this study. The effect of antimicrobials not recommended for campylobacteriosis should be further investigated.
Sex and acquired cofactors determine phenotypes of ferroportin disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Ferroportin disease is characterized by iron overload. It has an autosomal-dominant pattern of inheritance and has been associated with mutations in the SLC40A1 gene, which encodes the cellular iron exporter ferroportin. Since the first description in 2001, about 30 mutations have been reported; the heterogeneity of ferroportin disease phenotypes has led to the hypothesis that the nature of the mutation affects the function of the protein in different ways. We studied genotypes and phenotypes of a large cohort of patients with ferroportin disease. METHODS We studied clinical, biochemical, imaging, histologic, and genetic data from 70 affected subjects from 33 families with 19 mutations. RESULTS We found that ferroportin disease, at the time of diagnosis, has limited consequences in the absence of cofactors. Data indicated that transferrin saturation, which correlated with fibrosis and levels of alanine aminotransferase, might be a marker of disease severity. Although the study was performed in a large number of families, we observed incomplete penetrance and no correlation between genotypes and phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS Members of families with ferroportin disease should be screened for biochemical parameters of iron metabolism as well as genotype to detect silent mutations that might cause disease with acquired or genetic cofactors. Patients should be followed up long term to identify potential complications of the disease.
A QUANTITATIVE COMPETITIVE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION ASSAY FOR THE OYSTER PATHOGEN PERKINSUS MARINUS

A quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction (QCPCR) assay was developed for the oyster parasite Perkinsus marinus. PCR primers for the rRNA gene region of P. marinus amplified DNA isolated from P. marinus but not from Perkinsus atlanticus, Crassostrea virginica, or the dinoflagellates Peridinium sp. , Gymnodinium sp. , or Amphidinium sp. A mutagenic primer was used to create a competitor plasmid molecule identical to the P. marinus target DNA sequence except for a 13-bp deletion. Both P. marinus and competitor DNA amplified with equivalent efficiencies. Each of 25 oysters was processed by 5 P. marinus diagnostic methods—Ray's fluid thioglycollate medium (FTM) tissue assay, FTM hemolymph assay, whole oyster body burden assay, QCPCR of combined gill and mantle (gill/mantle) tissue, and QCPCR of hemolymph. The QCPCR assay enabled detection of 0.01 fg of P. marinus DNA in 1.0 µg of oyster tissue. QCPCR of gill/mantle tissue or hemolymph as well as the body burden assay detected infections in 24 of 25 oysters. Ray's FTM tissue assay detected only 19 infections. The FTM hemolymph assay detected only 22 infections. Regression analysis of QCPCR results and FTM results indicated that the QCPCR assays were effective in quantitating P. marinus infections in oyster tissues.
Ultrasonography compared to magnetic resonance imaging in thyroid-associated Graves' ophthalmopathy.

OBJECTIVE To compare ultrasonography (US) to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the clinical activity score (CAS) in Graves' ophthalmopathy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Nineteen patients underwent extraocular muscle thickness measurements by US and MRI, reflectivity by US and signal-intensity ratio by MRI. There were also twelve US control subjects. RESULTS US median thicknesses were greater than in controls. Correlation was found between US and MRI in the median thickness of the left eye rectus medial muscle as well as between signal-intensity ratio (SIR) and thickness by US. An inverse correlation was found between reflectivity and SIR in the inferior and lateral rectus. On associating the tests for detecting activity the best results were obtained with CAS plus MRI (sensitivity 75%), and US and MRI (positive predictive value 77% and specificity 80%). CONCLUSION CAS and US results showed poor correlation with MRI results suggesting that they cannot replace each other but when combined these methods can improve the evaluation of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.
Effect of CD28 signal transduction on c-Rel in human peripheral blood T cells

Optimal T-cell activation requires both an antigen-specific signal delivered through the T-cell receptor and a costimulatory signal which can be delivered through the CD28 molecule. CD28 costimulation induces the expression of multiple lymphokines, including interleukin 2 (IL-2). Because the c-Rel transcription factor bound to and activated the CD28 response element within the IL-2 promoter, we focused our study on the mechanism of CD28-mediated regulation of c-Rel in human peripheral blood T cells. We showed that CD28 costimulation accelerated the kinetics of nuclear translocation of c-Rel (and its phosphorylated form), p50 (NFKB1), and p65 (RelA). The enhanced nuclear translocation of c-Rel correlated with the stimulation of Il-2 production and T-cell proliferation by several distinct anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies. This is explained at least in part by the long-term downregulation of I kappa B alpha following CD28 signalling as opposed to phorbol myristate acetate alone. Furthermore, we showed that the c-Rel-containing CD28-responsive complex is enhanced by, but not specific to, CD28 costimulation. Our results indicate that c-Rel is one of the transcription factors targeted by CD28 signalling.