Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Helicobacter pylori Infection in Never-Smoking Male Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and its Relation to Lung Function

There is a recent epidemiologic and serologic evidence for relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In order to assess the relationship between H. pylori infection and COPD and its impact on lung function we performed a cross-sectional study including 84 never-smoking male patients with COPD and an equal number of never-smoking males without chronic respiratory disease matched to the COPD patients by age. Evaluation of the study subjects included evaluation of H. pylori serological status, baseline and post-bronchodilator spirometry. We found significantly higher H. pylori seropositivity in COPD patients than in controls (76.2 Vs 34.5%, p = 0.041). The prevalence of H. pylori seropositivity did not differ significantly between patients with mild, moderate and severe COPD. Borderline significance was registered for the difference of the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) mean value between seropositive and seronegative COPD patients (56.4 vs. 59.2, p = 0.063). The mean degree of FEV1 reversibility did not differ significantly between seropositive and seronegative COPD patients. Our findings indicate that in cross-sectional analysis there is higher prevalence of H. pylori seropositivity in COPD than in non-COPD patients, as well as that H. pylori infection has not significant impact on lung function in COPD patients.
A simple and simultaneous determination of acyclovir and ganciclovir in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the therapeutic levels of acyclovir and ganciclovir in human plasma. After precipitation of plasma proteins with 6% perchloric acid, acyclovir and ganciclovir were simultaneously determined by reversed-phase chromatography with spectophotometric detection at 254 nm. The peak heights for acyclovir and ganciclovir were linearly related to their concentrations ranging from 0.063 to 2.080 micro g/mL. The recovery was 100.48-102.84% for acyclovir and 99.26-103.07% for ganciclovir. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation values were in the range 0.186-8.703% for acyclovir and 0.137-6.424% for ganciclovir. The detection limits for both compounds were 0.01 micro g/mL determined as the signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The present method is applicable to therapeutic monitoring during antiviral medication.
Efficacy of Injection Immunotherapy with Ragweed and Birch Pollen in Elderly Patients

Background: The role of specific immunotherapy (SIT) in elderly allergic patients is still debated. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether SIT is associated with a better control of symptoms and a better quality of life also in older allergic patients. Methods: The effect of injection SIT was assessed in 39 patients [age >54 years, median 59; 29 patients (74%) with asthma, otherwise healthy] monosensitized to birch (n = 20) and ragweed (n = 19). Thirty-three younger subjects [age <50 years, median 35; 26 patients (79%) with asthma, otherwise healthy] monosensitized to birch (n = 10) and ragweed (n = 23), and 37 subjects >54 years old (25 males/12 females; age 55–79 years, median 59 years) monosensitized to birch (n = 18) and ragweed (n = 19) who refused to undergo SIT were enrolled as positive and negative controls, respectively. All groups had a disease duration <10 years; the disease was inadequately controlled with standard drug therapies in all cases. SIT was carried out using the same extracts and was administered using a perennial schedule both in patients and controls. Seasonal therapies were the same in all groups and were not changed after SIT was started. After 1–5 years of SIT, patients and controls were asked to quantify symptom reduction on a visual analogue scale: reductions >50% were considered significant. Moreover, the use of cetirizine and/or salbutamol as an adjunct to standard therapies during the last pollen season was assessed as an objective measure of SIT outcome. Results: 37/39 (95%) patients versus 32/33 (97%) controls submitted to SIT reported a symptom reduction >50% after 1–5 years of SIT (nonsignificant). The median clinical efficacy of SIT was 80% in both groups (nonsignificant). 27/37 controls not submitted to SIT did not report any change in symptom severity at the follow-up visits, whereas 10/37 reported a more severe disease (4 subjects reported the appearance of seasonal asthma) (p < 0.001 vs. patients submitted to SIT). Patients used less frequently cetirizine (p < 0.001) and/or salbutamol (p < 0.05) than controls not submitted to SIT. Conclusion: Injection SIT can be considered an effective therapeutic option in otherwise healthy elderly patients with a short disease duration whose symptoms cannot be adequately controlled by drug therapies alone.
Changing patterns in long-term noninvasive ventilation: a 7-year prospective study in the Geneva Lake area.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To describe a 7-year follow-up (1992 to 2000) of patients who were treated by home nasal positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) for chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure. DESIGN Prospective descriptive study. SETTING Two university hospitals and a pulmonary rehabilitation center. PATIENTS Two hundred eleven patients with obstructive pulmonary disorders (58 patients) or restrictive pulmonary disorders (post-tuberculosis, 23 patients; neuromuscular diseases [NM], 28 patients; post-poliomyelitis syndrome, 12 patients; kyphoscoliosis [KYPH], 19 patients; obesity-hypoventilation syndrome [OHS], 71 patients) who were treated by long-term NPPV. INTERVENTION Annual, elective, standardized medical evaluations. MEASUREMENTS Pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gas levels, health status, compliance, survival and probability of pursuing NPPV, and hospitalization rates. RESULTS Patients with OHS, NM, and KYPH had the highest probability of pursuing NPPV, while patients with COPD had the lowest values. Overall, the compliance rate was high (noncompliance rate, 15%). As of 1994, COPD and OHS became the most frequent indications for NPPV, increasing regularly, while other indications remained stable. The use of pressure-cycled ventilators progressively replaced that of volume-cycled ventilators in most indications. Hospitalization rates decreased in all groups after initiating NPPV, when compared with the year before NPPV, for up to 2 years in COPD patients, and 5 years in non-COPD patients. CONCLUSION Major changes in patient selection for NPPV occurred during the study period with a marked increase in COPD and OHS. The shift toward less expensive pressure-cycled ventilators and the decrease in hospitalizations after initiating NPPV have had positive impacts on the cost-effectiveness of NPPV in patients with chronic respiratory failure.
Influence of Cone‐Beam Computed Tomography filters on diagnosis of simulated endodontic complications

AIM To evaluate the influence of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) filters on diagnosis of simulated endodontic complications. METHODOLOGY Sixteen human teeth, in three mandibles, were submitted to the following simulated endodontic complications: (G1) fractured file, (G2) perforations in the canal walls, (G3) deviated cast post, and (G4) external root resorption. The mandibles were submitted to CBCT examination (I-Cat® Next Generation). Five oral radiologists evaluated the images independently with and without XoranCat® software filters. Accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were determined. ROC curves were calculated for each group with the filters, and the areas under the curves were compared using anova (one-way) test. McNemar test was applied for pair-wise agreement between all images versus the gold standard and original images versus images with filters (P < 0.05). RESULTS G1 was the most difficult endodontic complication to diagnosis, followed by G2, G4 and G3. There were no differences between areas under the ROC curves for the filters in all groups; however, Sharpen Super Mild filter had the best results for G1 (0.47), Angio Sharpen Low 3 × 3 for G2 (0.93), Angio Sharpen Low 3 × 3, S9, Shadow and Sharpen for G3 (1.00) and Sharpen 3 × 3 for G4 (1.00). The McNemar test revealed significant differences between all filters with the gold standard (P = 0.00 for all filters) and the originals images (P = 0.00 for all filters) only in G1 group. There were no differences in the other groups. CONCLUSIONS The filters did not improve the diagnosis of the simulated endodontic complications evaluated. Their diagnosis remains a major challenge in clinical practice.
DETERIORATING INVENTORY MODEL WITH POWER DEMAND AND PARTIAL BACKLOGGING

In this study, a deterministic inventory model has been developed for which items are subject to constant deterioration. Here shortages are allowed and are partially backlogged. The demand follows power pattern. The backlogging rate is taken to be inversely proportional to the waiting time for the next replenishment. We have established the optimal order quantity by minimizing the total inventory cost.
Enterovirus is Not Present in Placentas from Cases of Perinatal Depression Using Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis

Enteroviruses have been implicated as a cause of low Apgar scores in conjunction with perinatal seizures and respiratory insufficiency. Using in-situ reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (in-situ PCR), Nuovo et al detected enterovirus in up to 86% of placentas from perinates exhibiting these symptoms. In-situ PCR has been the only method employed to assess for the presence of enterovirus in this specific patient population. The purpose of our study was to use PCR amplification of enterovirus from extracted RNA to confirm these observations. RNA was extracted from 26 placentas of infants with low Apgar scores, perinatal seizures, and respiratory insufficiency. Each extraction was positive for beta-actin RNA, which confirmed that the integrity of RNA was maintained in the sample. Enterovirus RNA was not detected in any of the cases. Our results indicate that enterovirus is not present in placentas from neonates with the combination of low Apgar scores, respiratory insufficiency, and seizures, as previously reported.
Degradation of uniquely glycosylated secretory immunoglobulin a in tears from patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis.

PURPOSE To investigate the integrity of secretory (S)-IgA in tear fluid during bacterial keratitis and to evaluate the significance of specific Pseudomonas aeruginosa extracellular proteases in the observed degradation of S-IgA. METHODS The integrity of component chains of S-IgA in tear fluid from patients with keratitis caused by P. aeruginosa, Streptococcus group G, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and the IgA1 protease-producing Streptococcus pneumoniae were compared with S-IgA in tear fluid, colostrum, and saliva from healthy individuals and with tear S-IgA incubated with clinical isolates and genetically engineered P. aeruginosa strains with different protease profiles. Degradation of S-IgA and the significance of its glycosylation were analyzed in Western blot analysis developed with antibodies against individual chains of S-IgA. RESULTS Secretory component (SC) of S-IgA secreted by the lacrimal glands was more abundantly glycosylated than SC in colostrum and saliva. S-IgA degradation was observed only in tears from P. aeruginosa-infected patients, in a pattern similar to that observed in incubation of tear samples with P. aeruginosa strains and to an extent closely correlated with their expression and activity of individual proteases. Experiments using isogenic mutants of P. aeruginosa PAO1 lacking either elastase or alkaline protease indicated that several proteases were working in concert. CONCLUSIONS Surprisingly, SC of tear S-IgA is more abundantly glycosylated than SC of S-IgA in other secretions, a difference of potentially great functional significance. Primarily, SC and alpha-chains are partially degraded in vivo during Pseudomonas keratitis by the concerted action of several proteases, including elastase and alkaline protease.
Atypical Femoral Fractures: Radiological Evaluation and Bisphosphonate Exposure.

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that prolonged bisphosphonate (BP) treatment predisposes to atypical fractures (AF), but the etiology has yet to be determined. Addressing causality begins with case identification, which requires radiological adjudication. However, many trials based their case findings on coded diagnoses. OBJECTIVES To investigate the feasibility of case findings by the coding system and the reproducibility of radiological evaluations in two hospitals in Israel, and to compare BP exposure of AF patients to a control group with typical (intertrochanteric of femoral neck) fractures. METHODS Diagnostic databases from 2007 to 2010 were reviewed and admission X-rays of patients were examined in two steps by two radiologists. Fractures were classified as atypical or not atypical according to published criteria. A 2:1 control group was created. Ambulatory drug acquisition was reviewed. RESULTS Of the 198 patients who fulfilled the search criteria, 38 were classified by initial radiological opinion as AF. Subsequent radiological opinion judged 16 as not atypical. Of the AF patients, 80% were exposed to BP. Of those, 81% continued to receive BP treatment for 2.4 years after AF. Only one AF patient was discharged with suspected AF diagnosis. In the control group, 27% were exposed to BP prior to fracture (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Thorough radiological revision is mandatory for proper classification of AF, and even when performed there is significant inconsistency in interpretation. Conclusions drawn from trials based solely on coded diagnoses lead to significant bias. BP exposure was significantly higher in the AF group. Caregiver unawareness of AF leads to improper management.
BOARD SIZE AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: A COMPARATIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS BY USING ORGANIZATIONAL THEORIES AND CORRECT PROXIES

An organization’s board is an important governance mechanism to incorporate corporate governance provisions in financial markets. Previous studies on board size and the value of a firm relationship (BVF) are inconclusive and lack a comparative and comprehensive analysis of this relationship which incorporates the role of additional factors present in the developing financial market. This study bridges the gap in the literature by providing some additional empirical evidence about the BVF relationship. This evidence is provided by performing a comparative and comprehensive analysis of the firms in developing and developed financial markets. Based on a sophisticated data set for the selected markets, two separate models are run and their results are compared. The results for this study suggest that in the developing market a bigger board improves the value of a firm, supporting the relevance of stewardship theory. On the contrary, in the developed market a smaller board improves shareholders’ value, supporting the agency theory. The study has reflected the differences in the efficiency of institutional framework and the sophistication of financial development in a selection of countries, in the results on the BVF relationship. Furthermore, these results make the applicability of different business theories explaining market operations in these markets different from each other. The results are innovative and valuable to academics, analysts and industry professionals in both developing and developed financial markets.
The Role of Perpetrator Motivation in Two Crime Scenarios

Undergraduate volunteers (n = 134) were randomly assigned in a 2 × 2 design that manipulated type of crime (rape vs. robbery) and perpetrator motivation (anger vs. desire). After reading one of the crime scenarios, participants responded to a series of attitude items regarding responsibility for the crime, assigned blame to agents mentioned in the scenario, and assigned a prison sentence to the perpetrator. A two-way ANOVA showed a significant interaction of motivation and crime (p = .026), with the victim rated least responsible in the anger-motivated rape scenario. Likewise, the assignment of blame produced a significant interaction of motivation and crime (p = .034); the victim was blamed the least in the anger-motivated rape scenario. Although the perpetrator was viewed as more responsible for the crime of rape than robbery (p = .022) and received a significantly longer sentence for rape (p < .001), perpetrator motivation did not affect perceptions of the perpetrator’s responsibility for either crime. These results stand in contrast to those of Mitchell, Angelone, Kohlberger, and Hirschman (2009) and suggest their findings may have been the result of homophobic statements by the perpetrator rather than anger per se.
Environmental Risk Factors in the First Year of Life and Childhood Asthma in the Central South of Chile

Background. Childhood asthma has a high prevalence in South America—a region of the world currently undergoing a thorough modernization and transition process. Asthma in South America is mainly associated with poor urban environment, which actually may challenge the role of the hygiene hypothesis. We systematically assessed the impact of environmental factors in the first year of life on asthma. Methods. A case–control study including 188 asthmatics and 294 hospital-based controls aged 6–15 years was carried out in the Central South of Chile. Parents of study participants completed a computer-assisted interview on environmental factors (such as birth order, day-care attendance, pneumonia infection, regular animal and furry pet contact, and environmental tobacco smoke exposure) in the first year of life and potential confounders. Atopy was assessed using skin prick tests. Multivariate logistic regression models were calculated to assess the association between exposures and asthma, adjusting for potential confounders. Results. Day-care attendance (OR = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.94) and regular farm animal contact (OR = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.85) were inversely related to childhood asthma in the logistic regression models. Pneumonia infection (OR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.21, 4.16) and mold or dampness in the home (OR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.18, 2.97) in the first year of life were positively associated with asthma. Conclusion. Our results suggest that the hygiene hypothesis is also applicable in the Chilean setting, a South American country in epidemiological transition.
The East–West divide in late-life depression in Europe: Results from the Generations and Gender Survey

This study explores Europe’s country differences in depressed mood among older men and women and the role individual-level socioeconomic status, health, and social variables play in these patterns. We use cross-sectional, nationally representative data from the Generations and Gender Survey. The sample comprises 27,543 Europeans aged 60 to 80 from 10 countries. Depressive symptoms are measured with a seven-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Findings show considerable between-country heterogeneity in depressed mood, especially among older women. An East–West gradient is evident, with rates of depressed mood up to three times higher in Eastern European than in North-Western European countries. Rates are about twice as high among women versus men in all countries. Among older women, the rate of depressed mood is 25% to 41% in Eastern European countries versus 14% to 25% in North-Western Europe. For men, these rates are 14% to 21% and 7% to 10%, respectively. The high prevalence of depressed mood among seniors in Eastern Europe, and women in particular, is explained by the high prevalence of health problems, poverty, and widowhood in countries of this region. Macro-level factors such as welfare provision and pension spending may moderate the exposure to, and impact of, some of the determinants. They may thus contribute to buffering against, or postponing, the risk of late-life depression in stronger welfare states.
Experimentally produced diploid〈‐〉triploid mouse chimaeras develop up to adulthood

Spontaneous diploid〈‐〉triploid chimaeras occur sporadically in various mammalian species including man, but so far have never been produced experimentally. In order to get a deeper insight into the developmental consequences of this anomaly, we have developed two procedures that enabled for the first time to produce routinely diploid〈‐〉triploid embryos, foetuses, and animals in the mouse. These procedures are: (1) aggregation of cleaving diploid embryos with triploid embryos produced by suppression of the second polar body in zygotes, and (2) fusion of a haploid karyoplast with one blastomere of the two‐cell diploid embryos. The first procedure yielded 23 living and 6 dead postimplantation embryos and foetuses (age: 8th–19th day) out of which 22 were chimaeric. In addition, three chimaeric neonates reached adulthood. Two animals were fertile, and one—an overt chimaera—was an infertile male. The rate of postimplantation development of aggregation chimaeras was normal or only slightly retarded, and with one exception the foetuses were morphologically normal. Generally, the highest contribution of the 3n component in extra‐embryonic structures was noted in the yolk sac, and usually it was higher than its contribution to the organs of the body. Chimaerism was most often noted in the liver, the heart, the intestine, and the lungs. Participation of triploid cells to all tissues studied, both in the body and in extra‐embryonic structures, appeared to decrease slightly as development progressed. The second procedure yielded 10 foetuses and 6 adults. Three foetuses were chimaeric. Six fertile adults were probably nonchimaeras: the triploid component was absent in the coat and in the blood. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rab27 and Rab3 sequentially regulate human sperm dense-core granule exocytosis

Two so-called “secretory Rabs,” Rab3 and Rab27, regulate late steps during dense-core vesicle exocytosis in neuroendocrine cells. Sperm contain a single large dense-core granule that is released by regulated exocytosis (termed the acrosome reaction) during fertilization or on exposure to inducers in vitro. Sperm exocytosis uses the same fusion machinery as neurons and neuroendocrine cells, with an additional requirement for active Rab3. Here we show that Rab27 is also required for the acrosome reaction, as demonstrated by the inability of inducers to elicit exocytosis when streptolysin O-permeabilized human sperm were loaded with inhibitory anti-Rab27 antibodies or the Rab27–GTP binding domain of the effector Slac2-b. The levels of GTP-bound Rab27 increased on initiation of exocytosis, as did the proportion of GTP-bound Rab3A. We have developed a fluorescence microscopy-based method for detecting endogenous Rab3A-GTP and Rab27-GTP in the acrosomal region of human sperm. Challenge with an inducer increased the population of cells exhibiting GTP-bound Rabs in this subcellular domain. Interestingly, introducing recombinant Rab27A loaded with GTP-γ-S into sperm elicited a remarkable increase in the number of cells evincing GTP-bound Rab3A. In the converse condition, recombinant Rab3A did not modify the percentage of Rab27-GTP–containing cells. Furthermore, Rab27A-GTP recruited a Rab3 GDP/GTP exchange factor (GEF) activity. Our findings suggest that Rab27/Rab3A constitutes a Rab-GEF cascade in dense-core vesicle exocytosis.