Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic screening for diabetic eye disease in insulin dependent diabetes

Abstract. Under a national program established in 1980, the eyes of approximately 90% of the insulin dependent diabetic patients in Iceland have undergone annual eye examination and fundus photography. Laser treatment was given for proliferative retinopathy or diabetic macu‐lar edema according to Diabetic Retinopathy Study and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study criteria. We report on 205 insulin‐taking patients whose age at diagnosis was less than 30 years of age. Retinopathy was present in 106 (52%) patients and proliferative retinopathy in 26 (13%). 196 patients (96%) had visual acuity equal or better than 6/12 in their better eye, 6 patients (3%) with 6/18–6/48 in their better eye, and 2 patients (1%) equal or worse than 6/60 in their better eye.
High‐resolution imaging and nano‐manipulation of biological structures on surface

In this mini‐review we discuss our recent findings on imaging and manipulation of biological macromolecular structures by atomic force microscopy (AFM). In the first part of this review, we focus on high‐resolution imaging of selected biological samples. AFM images of membrane proteins have revealed detailed conformational features related to identifiable biological functions. Different self‐assembling behaviors of short peptides into supramolecular structures on various substrates under controlled environmental conditions have been systematically studied with AFM imaging. In the second part, we present a novel nano‐manipulation technique for manipulating, isolating, amplifying, and sequencing of individual DNA molecules, which may find unique applications in the analysis of difficult sequence structures. Finally, we discuss how to characterize the elasticity of individual biomolecules and live cells. These results demonstrate that not only the high resolution capacity of the AFM is suited to resolve certain biological questions, but can also be applied to single molecule isolation and biomechanical analysis with its unique advantages. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Review of nonimmunological causes for deteriorated graft function and graft loss after transplantation

Various factors determine the graft‐ and patient survival after transplantation. HLA‐matching and immunological factors are of importance for the short‐ and long‐term survival. Apart from these obvious determinants, nonimmunological factors play an important role in defining the baseline organ quality as well as the recipients’ status. The influence of these parameters on graft‐ and patient survival is still underestimated and is a topic of debate. On account of the increasing acceptance of marginal‐donor organs these events are of increasing importance for graft survival and long‐term function. We review nonimmunological causes for deteriorated graft function and graft loss after solid organ transplantation.
Remission rates following antidepressant therapy with bupropion or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a meta-analysis of original data from 7 randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND Although it is widely believed that the various classes of antidepressants are equally effective, clinically meaningful differences may be obscured in individual studies because of a lack of statistical power. The present report describes a meta-analysis of original data from a complete set of studies comparing the norepinephrine/dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI) bupropion with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs; sertraline, fluoxetine, or paroxetine). METHOD Individual patient data were pooled from a complete set of 7 randomized, double-blind studies comparing bupropion (N = 732) with SSRIs (fluoxetine, N = 339; sertraline, N = 343; paroxetine, N = 49) in outpatients with major depressive disorder (DSM-III-R or DSM-IV); 4 studies included placebo (N = 512). Response and remission rates were compared at week 8 or endpoint in both the intent-to-treat sample, using the last-observation-carried-forward (LOCF) method to account for attrition, and the observed cases. Tolerability data, including incidence of sexual side effects, were also compared. RESULTS The LOCF response and remission rates for the bupropion (62% and 47%) and SSRI (63% and 47%) groups were similar; both active therapies were superior to placebo (51% and 36%; all comparisons, p < .001). The same pattern of results was demonstrated on the observed cases analyses. Although bupropion and SSRIs were generally well tolerated, SSRI therapy resulted in significantly higher rates of sexual side effects as compared to both bupropion and placebo. SSRIs were also associated with more somnolence and diarrhea, and bupropion was associated with more dry mouth. CONCLUSION Bupropion and the SSRIs were equivalently effective and, overall, both treatments were well tolerated. The principal difference between these treatments was that sexual dysfunction commonly complicated SSRI therapy, whereas treatment with bupropion caused no more sexual dysfunction than placebo.
Plasma 24,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations in x‐linked hypophosphatemic mice: Studies using mass fragmentographic and radioreceptor assays

Previous studies have suggested that both plasma 24,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D [24,25‐(OH)2D] concentrations and renal 25‐hydroxyvitamin D‐24‐hydroxylase activity are increased in mice with X‐linked hypophosphatemia (Hyp mice). However, because the plasma levels of 24,25‐(OH)2D seemed surprisingly high, we repeated these assays using two different techniques. Mass fragmentographic and radioreceptor assays were employed to compare the plasma concentrations of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐OHD) and 24,25‐(OH)2D in normal mice with those in Hyp mice. These assays yielded 24,25‐(OH)2D concentrations much lower than previously reported in mice (both normal and Hyp). The concentrations of 25‐OHD3, and 24,25‐(OH)2D3, determined by mass fragmentography, were lower in Hyp mice than in controls [25‐OHD3, 9.7 ± 0.4 versus 14.6 ± 0.6 ng/ml, p < 0.01; 24,25‐(OH)2D3, 7.1 ± 0.3 versus 10.4 ± 0.4 ng/ml, p < 0.01]. Plasma 25‐OHD concentration was the main determinant of plasma 24,25‐(OH)2D, and the ratio of 25‐OHD3 to 24,25‐(OH)2D3 obtained from mass fragmentographic measurements did not differ between the two groups (1.40 ± 0.05 versus 1.36 ± 0.03 ng/ml, NS in normal and Hyp groups, respectively). Separate measurement of plasma 25‐OHD, 24,25‐(OH)2D, and 25‐OHD3‐26,23‐lactone by radioreceptor assay showed no difference between either plasma 24,25‐(OH)2D, or the ratio of 25‐OHD concentration to 24,25‐(OH)2D concentration among Hyp and control animals. In neither study was plasma phosphate concentration related to the 25‐OHD3: 24,25‐(OH)2D3 ratio. We conclude that previous estimations of plasma 24,25‐(OH)2D3 concentrations in mice were erroneously high and, further, that in fact this metabolite is not present in increased concentration in Hyp mice
Platform to investigate aqueous outflow system structure and pressure-dependent motion using high-resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography

Abstract. The aqueous outflow system (AOS) is responsible for maintaining normal intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye. Structures of the AOS have an active role in regulating IOP in healthy eyes and these structures become abnormal in the eyes with glaucoma. We describe a newly developed system platform to obtain high-resolution images of the AOS structures. By incorporating spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), the platform allows us to systematically control, image, and quantitate the responses of AOS tissue to pressure with a millisecond resolution of pulsed flow. We use SD-OCT to image radial limbal segments from the surface of the trabecular meshwork (TM) with a spatial resolution of ∼5 μm in ex vivo nonhuman primate eyes. We carefully insert a cannula into Schlemm’s canal (SC) to control both pressures and flow rates. The experimental results demonstrate the capability of the platform to visualize the unprecedented details of AOS tissue components comparable to that delivered by scanning electron microscopy, as well as to delineate the complex pressure-dependent relationships among the TM, structures within the SC, and collector channel ostia. The described technique provides a new means to characterize the anatomic and pressure-dependent relationships of SC structures, particularly the active motion of collagenous elements at collector channel ostia; such relationships have not previously been amenable to study. Experimental findings suggest that continuing improvements in the OCT imaging of the AOS may provide both insights into the glaucoma enigma and improvements in its management.
More Bang for Your Buck

Follow up what we will offer in this article about more bang for your buck. You know really that this book is coming as the best seller book today. So, when you are really a good reader or you're fans of the author, it does will be funny if you don't have this book. It means that you have to get this book. For you who are starting to learn about something new and feel curious about this book, it's easy then. Just get this book and feel how this book will give you more exciting lessons.
Response of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 long terminal repeat to cyclic AMP

The sequences that control transcriptional initiation of the provirus of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) are shown to be responsive to intracellular levels of cyclic AMP. A heptanucleotide sequence present within the 21-nucleotide repeat sequence that is similar to the cyclic AMP-responsive consensus (CRE) sequence was required for cyclic AMP-mediated increase in gene expression. Although the CRE-like sequences were contained within sequences that were responsive to the virally encoded trans-activator (tax), the evidence presented indicates that the mechanisms of promoter induction by the tax product and cyclic AMP are independent. The implication of cyclic AMP stimulation of HTLV-1 provirus gene expression for long-term persistence of infected T cells and for virus-induced transformation is discussed.
Evidence for complex selection on four‐fold degenerate sites in Drosophila melanogaster

We considered genome‐wide four‐fold degenerate sites from an African Drosophila melanogaster population and compared them to short introns. To include divergence and to polarize the data, we used its close relatives Drosophila simulans, Drosophila sechellia, Drosophila erecta and Drosophila yakuba as outgroups. In D. melanogaster, the GC content at four‐fold degenerate sites is higher than in short introns; compared to its relatives, more AT than GC is fixed. The former has been explained by codon usage bias (CUB) favouring GC; the latter by decreased intensity of directional selection or by increased mutation bias towards AT. With a biallelic equilibrium model, evidence for directional selection comes mostly from the GC‐rich ancestral base composition. Together with a slight mutation bias, it leads to an asymmetry of the unpolarized allele frequency spectrum, from which directional selection is inferred. Using a quasi‐equilibrium model and polarized spectra, however, only purifying and no directional selection is detected. Furthermore, polarized spectra are proportional to those of the presumably unselected short introns. As we have no evidence for a decrease in effective population size, relaxed CUB must be due to a reduction in the selection coefficient. Going beyond the biallelic model and considering all four bases, signs of directional selection are stronger. In contrast to short introns, complementary bases show strand specificity and allele frequency spectra depend on mutation directions. Hence, the traditional biallelic model to describe the evolution of four‐fold degenerate sites should be replaced by more complex models assuming only quasi‐equilibrium and accounting for all four bases.
Pediatric Radial Neck Fractures: When and How to Fix

This is a review of current evaluation and treatment recommendations for pediatric radial neck fractures, including a series of cases that were presented and reviewed by a panel at The Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America annual meeting 2010. We summarize the different published techniques for closed, percutaneous, and open reduction, and review when these techniques are recommended. The potential complications that can arise from radial neck fractures and their treatment are discussed.
Response to "Ideational Influence, Connectedness, and Venue Representation: Making an Assessment of Scholarly Capital"

: I respond to Cueller, Takeda, Vidgen & Truex (2016), who proposes three measures of scholarly output: “1) the extent to which other scholars take up the scholar’s work (ideational influence), 2) who the scholar works with (connectedness), and 3) how well the scholar publishes in venues in the scholar’s field (venue representation)” (p. 3). These are not novel and valid measures of research output. Ideational influence is operationalized as counting citations, which improve current practice but is not novel. Connectedness assesses position in a co-authorship network and rewards the cronies of central players without assessing their output. Venue representation involves counting papers in a different basket, which commits an ecological fallacy. Connectedness and venue representation are based on a common misinterpretation of network centrality measures. Adopting either of these measures in practice would distract from actual impact and so be negative for our field.
Detection of Plasmodium falciparum Infection in Anopheles squamosus (Diptera: Culicidae) in an Area Targeted for Malaria Elimination, Southern Zambia

Abstract Southern Zambia is the focus of strategies to create malaria-free zones. Interventions being rolled out include test and treat strategies and distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets that target vectors that host-seek indoors and late at night. In Macha, Choma District, collections of mosquitoes were made outdoors using barrier screens within homesteads or UV bulb light traps set next to goats, cattle, or chickens during the rainy season of 2015. Anopheline mosquitoes were identified to species using molecular methods and Plasmodium falciparum infectivity was determined by ELISA and real-time qPCR methods. More than 40% of specimens caught were identified as Anopheles squamosus Theobald, 1901 of which six were found harboring malaria parasites. A single sample, morphologically identified as Anopheles coustani Laveran, 1900, was also found to be infectious. All seven specimens were caught outdoors next to goat pens. Parasite-positive specimens as well as a subset of An. squamosus specimens from either the same study or archive collections from the same area underwent sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Maximum parsimony trees constructed from the aligned sequences indicated presence of at least two clades of An. squamosus with infectious specimens falling in each clade. The single infectious specimen identified morphologically as An. coustani could not be matched to reference sequences. This is the first report from Zambia of infections in An. squamosus, a species which is described in literature to display exophagic traits. The bionomic characteristics of this species needs to be studied further to fully evaluate the implications for indoor-targeted vector control.
Decomposing Wage Distributions using Recentered Influence Function Regressions

This paper provides a detailed exposition of an extension of the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method that can be applied to various distributional measures. The two-stage procedure first divides distributional changes into a wage structure effect and a composition effect using a reweighting method. Second, the two components are further divided into the contribution of each explanatory variable using recentered influence function (RIF) regressions. We illustrate the practical aspects of the procedure by analyzing how the polarization of U.S. male wages between the late 1980s and the mid 2010s was affected by factors such as de-unionization, education, occupations, and industry changes.
Maternal citrulline supplementation prevents prenatal dexamethasone-induced programmed hypertension

Abstract Glucocorticoids are administered to premature infants to accelerate pulmonary maturation. In experimental model, prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) results in reduced nephron number and adulthood hypertension. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), can cause oxidative stress and is involved in the development of hypertension. l-citrulline can be converted to l-arginine (the substrate for NOS) in the body. Thus we intended to determine if maternal l-citrulline therapy can prevent prenatal DEX-induced programmed hypertension by restoration ADMA/nitric oxide (NO) balance, alterations of renin–angiotensin system (RAS) and sodium transporters, and epigenetic regulation by histone deacetylases (HDACs). Male offspring were assigned to four groups: control, pregnancy rats received intraperitoneal DEX (0.2mg/kg body weight) daily on gestational days 15 and 16 (DEX), pregnancy rats received 0.25% l-citrulline in drinking water during the entire pregnancy and lactation period (CIT), and DEX + CIT. We found DEX group developed hypertension at 16 weeks of age, which was prevented by maternal l-citrulline therapy. Prenatal DEX exposure increased plasma ADMA concentrations and reduced renal NO production. However, l-citrulline reduced plasma ADMA level and increased renal level of NO in DEX + CIT group. Next, prenatal DEX-induced programmed hypertension is related to increased mRNA expression of angiotensin and angiotensin II type 1 receptor, and class I HDACs in the kidney. Prenatal DEX exposure increased renal protein abundance of Na+/Cl− cotransporter (NCC), which was prevented by l-citrulline therapy. The beneficial effects of l-citrulline therapy include restoration of ADMA/NO balance and alteration of NCC, to prevent the prenatal DEX-induced programmed hypertension.
DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR ESTIMATING EXPENDITURE BY DISEASE , AGE AND GENDER UNDER THE SYSTEM OF HEALTH ACCOUNTS

1. This paper summarizes the methodology for general Cost of Illness (COI) studies and provides guidelines that others can use to set up and carry out a similar study. Special attention is given to the need to use the OECD’s System of Health Accounts (SHA) as a framework for international reporting on outcomes of a national COI analysis. The paper is based on experiences of the authors with a series of Cost of Illness studies in the Netherlands. It contains extensive examples taken from the Dutch 2003 COI-study.
Study of Weak Acid Preservatives and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) on Mold Growth in Modal Agar System

Inhibition of spoilage mold of common contaminant of bakery goods in modal agar system by potassium sorbate and calcium propionate in wide range of concentration (0 - 2000 ppm) at different pH (5.5 - 7) was investigated. All Samples were examined daily for mold growth. Results showed that both potassium sorbate and calcium propionate can be used effectively to inhibit mold growth and the effectiveness of these preservatives is enhanced by increasing the concentration and decreasing the pH. The effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) comprised of 60% or 80% CO2 (balance N2) and oxygen absorbents on the growth of mold was also studied on the agar system. The results indicated that mold growth was prevented up to 42 days in packs flushed with 60% or 80% CO2 (balance N2). It was also evident that all samples did not show mold growth for >40 days when packaged in the presence of oxygen scavenger sachet.
Initial Treatment Assignment as a Function of Patient Self-Assessment And/Or Family Assessment of Patient

A standardized interview administered at intake to a cohort of 611 applicants to a community mental health center and to 433 of their family members showed that patients who received hospitalization as their initial assignment were assessed as significantly more ill by their families than those who received other initial outpatient assignments. Patients who were hospitalized did not see themselves as being more ill, however. Patients assigned to Medicine Clinic saw themselves as significantly less psychologically ill.
Optimizing Learning in College

Every fall, thousands of college students begin their first college courses, often in large lecture settings. Many students, even those who work hard, flounder. What should students be doing differently? Drawing on research in cognitive psychology and our experience as educators, we provide suggestions about how students should approach taking a course in college. We discuss time management techniques, identify the ineffective study strategies students often use, and suggest more effective strategies based on research in the lab and the classroom. In particular, we advise students to space their study sessions on a topic and to quiz themselves, as well as using other active learning strategies while reading. Our goal was to provide a framework for students to succeed in college classes.
Evaluation of SupermixTM as an in vitro model of human liver microsomal drug metabolism

SUPERMIXTM is a commercially available formulation of insect cell‐expressed human drug‐metabolizing cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms, mixed in proportions that are optimized to parallel their relative activities in human liver microsomes. We have evaluated the apparent functional affinity and capacity of individual CYP isoforms in SUPERMIXTM in comparison with microsomes from a panel of 12 human livers, using enzyme kinetic studies of isoform‐selective index reactions. In addition, we have measured the concentration of NADPH cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (OR) in SUPERMIXTM and compared it with the concentrations of this accessory electron transfer protein in human liver microsomes. No important differences were evident in the catalytic activities of CYPs 1A2, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 3A4 between SUPERMIXTM and human liver microsomes. However, SUPERMIXTM lacks CYP2B6 activity and did not hydroxylate the antidepressant bupropion, a clinically relevant substrate of this enzyme. In addition, the concentration of OR in SUPERMIXTM (1198 pmol mg protein−1) is 17‐fold higher than the mean value in human liver microsomes (70 pmol mg protein−1). In conclusion, SUPERMIXTM lacks CYP2B6 activity and contains supraphysiological concentrations of the accessory electron transfer protein OR. These factors should be considered when this formulation is used as an in vitro model in human liver microsomal drug metabolism studies. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.