Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative determination of vapor-phase compound A in sevoflurane anesthesia using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND During low-flow or closed-circuit anesthesia with the fluorinated inhalation anesthetic sevoflurane, compound A, an olefinic degradation product with known nephrotoxicity in rats, is generated on contact with alkaline CO(2) adsorbents. To evaluate compound A formation and thus potential sevoflurane toxicity, a reliable and reproducible assay for quantitative vapor-phase compound A determination was developed. METHODS Compound A concentrations were measured by fully automated capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with cryofocusing. Calibrators of compound A in the vapor phase were prepared from liquid volumetric dilutions of stock solutions of compound A and sevoflurane in ethyl acetate. 1,1,1-Trifluoro-2-iodoethane was chosen as an internal standard. The resulting quantitative method was fully validated. RESULTS A linear response over a clinically useful concentration interval (0.3-75 microL/L) was obtained. Specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy conformed with current analytical requirements. The CVs were 4.1-10%, the limit of detection was 0.1 microL/L, and the limit of quantification was 0.3 microL/L. Analytical recoveries were 100.6% +/- 10.1%, 102.5% +/- 7.3%, and 99.0% +/- 4.1% at 0.5, 10, and 75 microL/L, respectively. The method described was used to determine compound A concentrations during simulated closed-circuit conditions. Some of the resulting data are included, illustrating the practical applicability of the proposed analytical approach. CONCLUSIONS A simple, fully automated, and reliable quantitative analytical method for determination of compound A in air was developed. A solution was established for sampling, calibration, and chromatographic separation of volatiles in an area complicated by limited availability of sample volume and low concentrations of the analyte.
[Immunochemical analysis of the immune response in late manifestations of Lyme borreliosis].

Compared to American strains, European Borrelia burgdorferi strains revealed considerable heterogeneity of major proteins. Four strains isolated from ticks, human skin and human CSF were selected from our 23 Borrelia burgdorferi isolates. These strains and the American type strain B31 were characterized by SDS-PAGE (Coomassie Blue staining) and Western blots (using rabbit immune sera against two of the strains and two monoclonal antibodies (H5323 and H3TS) against a major outer surface protein (OspA]. The strains showed considerable differences in SDS-PAGE pattern. Corroborating the results of a previous study, we could demonstrate that the OspA (31/32K) can change from a minor to a major protein and in reverse the pC (21/22K) from a major to a minor protein during subculturing. Moreover, European strains can antigenically differ in OspA, pC and also in a further low molecular weight protein of 17/18K. To examine whether the antigenic heterogeneity of European isolates is reflected in the immune response of European patients we examined sera from patients with late manifestations of Lyme Borreliosis by Western blot using the five strains as antigens. Sera from seven patients with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) showed a surprisingly strong reactivity with the skin isolate. All sera had antibodies against the 17/18K protein of the skin isolate, but none was reactive with the analogous 17/18K of the other strains. On the other hand a comparable predominance of one strain was not found testing sera from patients with Lyme arthritis. One patient even had antibodies against OspA and OspB proteins of strain B31. Contrary to findings in American Lyme Disease antibodies against the OspA were rarely observed in the sera of our patients (only one patient had such antibodies) although we tested the patients sera with five different strains. Only two patients had stronger reactions with the skin isolate. These findings suggest that ACA is caused by antigenically closely related Borreliae. This could explain the finding that ACA is rarely observed in the US (US strains are antigenically closely related to strain B31). Our findings in patients with Lyme Arthritis--on the other hand--suggest that "different serotypes" can cause Lyme Arthritis. This does not exclude the possibility that Borrelia proteins are an important factor in the pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis. Finally the differences in reactivity of sera with different strains in the Western blot led us to examine whether such differences are also found in serodiagnostic tests using different strains as antigens. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Vasopressin as an alternative to norepinephrine in the treatment of milrinone‐induced hypotension

Objective: To determine whether vasopressin could be effective in treating the hypotension associated with phosphodiesterase III inhibition. Phosphodiesterase III inhibitors are cardiotonic agents that increase myocardial contractility and decrease vascular smooth muscle tone. The vasodilatory effect can be profound, and the resulting hypotension frequently requires the administration of catecholamine pressors. Design: Retrospective analysis of existing data. Setting: The medical or surgical intensive care unit of Columbia‐Presbyterian Medical Center. Patients: Three consecutive patients receiving milrinone and requiring catecholamine pressors to maintain systolic arterial pressure of ≥90 mm Hg. Interventions: Vasopressin was administered to the three patients. Measurements and Main Results: Vasopressin (0.03‐0.07 units/min) increased systolic arterial pressure from 90 ± 4.7 to 130 ± 2.3 mm Hg while reducing the administration of catecholamine pressors. Conclusions: Vasopressin at very low doses appears to be an effective vasopressor for milrinone‐induced hypotension.
Enzymes of the glycogen cycle and glycolysis in various human neuromuscular disorders.

Previous investigations in several laboratories (Cooper and Miller, 1962; Schapira and Dreyfus, 1963; Pennington, 1964; Laudahn and Heyck, 1965) have shown that the activity of glycolytic enzymes is decreased, whereas that of mitochondrial enzymes is essentially unchanged in skeletal muscle from patients with progressive muscular dystrophy. It is still uncertain whether the above biochemical abnormalities reflect peculiarities in the metabolism of carbohydrates by the muscle fibres before the onset of degenerative changes, or whether they are merely the consequence of these changes. Further, the activities of enzymes more directly concerned with glycogen metabolism have been little investigated in human dystrophic muscle. It is recorded only that the activity of phosphorylase is considerably decreased at advanced stages of the disease (Dreyfus, Schapira, and Schapira, 1954). Investigations of U.D. P.G. -glycogen synthetase activity in muscular dystrophy have not yet been reported, though this enzyme is believed to be an important regulatory factor in glycogen synthesis (Leloir, 1961). In order to investigate aspects of carbohydrate metabolism in human dystrophic muscle for specific abnormalities, it was decided, therefore, to examine the relative tissue activities of phosphorylase, U.D. P.G. -glycogen synthetase, and of three sequential enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof pathway, in muscles from patients with progressive muscular dystrophy and with neurogenic muscular wasting. With the above objects in mind, it seemed proper to restrict our investigation to earlier enzymic changes which may precede the appearance of gross dystrophic manifestations and can, therefore, be more directly related to the primary pathological lesion.
Poliovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (3D(pol)). Assembly of stable, elongation-competent complexes by using a symmetrical primer-template substrate (sym/sub).

Detailed studies of the kinetics and mechanism of nucleotide incorporation catalyzed by the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from poliovirus, 3D(pol), have been limited by the inability to assemble elongation complexes that permit activity to be monitored by extension of end-labeled primers. We have solved this problem by employing a short, symmetrical, heteropolymeric RNA primer-template that we refer to as "sym/sub. " Formation of 3D(pol)-sym/sub complexes is slow owing to a slow rate of association (0.1 microM(-1) s(-1)) of 3D(pol) and sym/sub and a slow isomerization (0. 076 s(-1)) of the 3D(pol)-sym/sub complex that is a prerequisite for catalytic competence of this complex. Complex assembly is stoichiometric under conditions in which competing reactions, such as enzyme inactivation, are eliminated. Inactivation of 3D(pol) occurs at a maximal rate of 0.051 s(-1) at 22 degrees C in reaction buffer lacking nucleotide. At this temperature, ATP protects 3D(pol) against inactivation with a K(0.5) of 37 microM. Once formed, 3D(pol)-sym/sub elongation complexes are stable (t((1)/(2)) = 2 h at 22 degrees C) and appear to contain only a single polymerase monomer. In the presence of Mg(2+), AMP, 2'-dAMP, and 3'-dAMP are incorporated into sym/sub by 3D(pol) at rates of 72, 0.6, and 1 s(-1), respectively. After incorporation of AMP, 3D(pol)-sym/sub product complexes have a half-life of 8 h at 22 degrees C. The stability of 3D(pol)-sym/sub complexes is temperature-dependent. At 30 degrees C, there is a 2-8-fold decrease in complex stability. Complex dissociation is the rate-limiting step for primer utilization. 3D(pol) dissociates from the end of template at a rate 10-fold faster than from internal positions. The sym/sub system will facilitate mechanistic analysis of 3D(pol) and permit a direct kinetic and thermodynamic comparison of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to the other classes of nucleic acid polymerases.
Scanning X-ray imaging with small-angle scattering contrast

An X-ray scanning imaging technique using the integrated intensity of the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) signal is presented. The technique is based on two-dimensional scanning of a thin sample section with an X-ray microbeam, collecting SAXS patterns at every scanning step using a two-dimensional detector. The integrated intensity within pre-defined regions of interest of the SAXS patterns is used to image bulk nanostructural features in the specimen with micrometre resolution which are usually not accessible by other methods such as light microscopy or scanning electron microscopy. The possibilities and limitations of the method are discussed with particular emphasis on the sources of contrast in the SAXS region for three biological specimens: cortical bone, eggshell and hair. Two main sources of image contrast are identified in the form of orientation effects for strongly anisotropic systems like cortical bone and differences in the local volume fraction of the scattering entities in eggshell. Moreover, other parameters than the integrated intensity can be quantitatively deduced from the SAXS patterns, for instance, the mean thickness of mineral platelets in bone or the strain distributions in a hair deformed plastically by microindentation.
Studies on the mechanism of action of uridine diphosphate galactose 4-epimerase. II. Substrate-dependent reduction by sodium borohydride.

Abstract Esherichia coli UDP-galactose 4-epimerase is inactivated by NaBH4 in a substrate-dependent reaction. Experiments with NaB3H4 show that this reaction produces enzyme-bound tritiated DPNH but little or no tritiated nucleotide sugars, which could be expected if a nucleotide ketosugar intermediate had been reduced. Upon prolonged incubation of this enzyme with substrates the catalytic activity decreases and the amount of enzymebound DPNH increases, both at the same rate. This process approaches equilibrium in about 2 hours in the presence of 3.5 x 10-3 m UDP-glucose + UDP-galactose at pH 8.5 and 27°. Under these conditions the catalytic activity has decreased by about 67% and the system exhibits the following two properties not characteristic of native enzyme. Reduction with NaB3H4 produces tritiated UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose, and intermolecular hydrogen transfer between substrates can be detected. The data establish that under these special conditions a detectable part of substrate epimerization proceeds via free UDP-4-ketosugar intermediates.
Transforming Growth Factor-β/Transforming Growth Factor-βRII Signaling May Regulate CD4+CD25+ T-Regulatory Cell Homeostasis and Suppressor Function in Feline AIDS Lentivirus Infection

We have reported that CD4+CD25+ T-regulatory (Treg) cells are fully activated for suppressor function in feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cats. Studies have suggested that surface transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ; membrane TGFβ [mTGFβ]) is a feature of activated CD4+CD25+ Treg cells and may play a role in Treg homeostasis and suppressor function. Herein, we explore the role of TGFβ in feline Treg homeostasis and suppressor function and what effect FIV infection of cats might have on these processes. Stimulation of CD4+CD25− T helper (Th) cells with Concanavalin A (ConA) plus TGFβ converts them to Treg-like cells capable of suppressor function. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry revealed that these ConA/TGFβ-converted Treg cells upregulate Foxp3 and mTGFβ. ConA stimulation of CD4+CD25− T cells upregulates TGFβ receptor II (RII), and pretreatment of these cells with anti-TGFβ-RII antibodies blocks the TGFβ-induced conversion to Treg cells. Pretreatment of ConA/TGFβ-converted Treg cells with anti-TGFβ antibodies also abrogates their suppressor function, suggesting that Treg homeostasis and suppressor function may be mediated by mTGFβ. Finally, we show that treatment of CD4+CD25+ mTGFβ-positive Treg cells from FIV-infected cats with anti-TGFβ antibodies or treatment of ConA-stimulated CD4+CD25− Th target cells with anti-TGFβ-RII antibodies diminishes suppressor function. These data suggest that the recruitment of Treg cells from the Th pool and suppressor function of Treg cells are dependent on the TGFβ/TGFβ-RII signaling pathway and that this pathway is constitutively upregulated in asymptomatic chronically FIV-infected cats.
Nitrogen Balance During Total Parenteral Nutrition Glucose vs. Fat

Nitrogen balance and energy expenditure were measured in 18 traumatized and/or septic patients and five depleted patients during different dietary conditions. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) was given with nonprotein energy entirely as hypertonic glucose solutions (glucose system) or as half glucose-half intravenous fat emulsion (lipid system). In acutely ill patients, the change from 5% dextrose to TPN resulted in a prompt improvement of nitrogen balance to maintenance levels. There were no significant differences between patients given the glucose or lipid system. The five depleted patients were given the lipid and glucose systems alternately for a total of 19 one-week periods. A highly positive N balance, 80 mg N/kg day, was attained on both diets. There was no significant difference between diets and no period of adaptation after switching from one diet to the other. On comparable intravenous diets, the acutely ill patients had higher plasma concentrations of glucose, glycerol, triglycerides, insulin, and glucagon than did the depleted patients. The study shows that the nitrogen-sparing effects of the lipid and the glucose systems are similar in moderately traumatized or infected as well as in malnourished patients. Factors other than nitrogen balance are of greater importance when choosing between the lipid and the glucose system for intravenous support.
Formation and distribution of the sural nerve based on nerve fascicle and nerve fiber analyses

The formation and distribution of the sural nerve are presented on the basis of an investigation of 31 legs of Japanese cadavers using nerve fascicle and fiber analyses. Nerve fibers constituting the medial sural cutaneous nerve were designated as ‘T’, whereas those constituting the peroneal communicating branch were designated as ‘F’. In 74.2% of cases (23/31), the T and F fibers joined each other in the leg, whereas in 9.7% of cases (3/31) they descended separately. In 16.1% of cases (5/31), the sural nerve was formed of only the T fibers. The sural nerve gave off lateral calcaneal branches and medial and lateral branches at the ankle. The lateral calcaneal branches always contained T fibers. The medial branches consisted of only T fibers, whereas most of the lateral branches consisted of only F fibers (71.0%; 22/31). In addition to the T and F fibers, P fibers, which derived from the superficial and deep peroneal nerves, formed the dorsal digital nerves. The P fibers were entirely supplied to the medial four and one-half toes. However, they were gradually replaced by the T and F fibers in the lateral direction. The 10th proper dorsal digital nerve consisted of T fibers only (38.7%; 12/31), of F fibers only (19.4%; 6/31) or of both T and F fibers (38.7%; 12/31). These findings suggest that the T fibers are essential nerve components for the skin and deep structures of the ankle and heel rather than the skin of the lateral side of the fifth toe. The designation of the medial sural cutaneous nerve should be avoided and only the T fibers are appropriate components for naming as the sural nerve.
Metal releases from a municipal solid waste incineration air pollution control residue mixed with compost

The influence of 10 wt. % mature compost was tested on the heavy metal leachate emissions from a calcium-rich municipal solid waste incineration air pollution control residue (MSWI APC). Apart from elongated columns (500 and 1250 mm), an otherwise norm compliant European percolation test setup was used. More than 99% of the metals Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe and Ni were left in the APC residue after leaching to a liquid-to-solid ratio (L/S) of 10. Apparent short-term effects of elevated leachate DOC concentrations on heavy metal releases were not detected. Zn and Pb leachate concentrations were one order of magnitude lower for L/S 5 and 10 from the pure APC residue column, which suggests a possible long-term effect of compost on the release of these elements. Prolonging the contact time between the pore water and the material resulted in elevated leachate concentrations at L/S 0.1 to L/S 1 by a factor of 2. Only Cr and Pb concentrations were at their maxima in the first leachates at L/S 0.1. Equilibrium speciation modelling with the PHREEQC code suggested portlandite (Ca(OH)2) to control Ca solubility and pH.
Cryopreservation of human embryos by vitrification or slow freezing: which one is better?

Purpose of review To summarize the available evidence from randomized controlled trials comparing vitrification versus slow freezing for cryopreservation of human embryos. Recent findings Vitrification, as compared with slow freezing, appears to be better in terms of postthawing survival rates both for cleavage-stage embryos [odds ratio (OR): 6.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14–35.26, random effects model] and for blastocysts (OR: 4.09, 95% CI: 2.45–6.84, random effects model). Furthermore, postthawing blastocyst development of embryos cryopreserved in the cleavage stage is significantly higher with vitrification as compared with slow freezing (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.07–2.27, fixed effects model). No significant difference in clinical pregnancy rates per transfer could be detected between the two cryopreservation methods (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 0.98–2.79). Summary Currently, vitrification does not appear to be associated with an increased probability of pregnancy. However, a significant advantage of vitrification over slow freezing in terms of postthawing survival rates is present for embryos cryopreserved both at the cleavage and at the blastocyst stages. The above conclusions are based on limited data, and thus further properly designed randomized controlled trials are needed.
Similar problems , different solutions : Comparing solid waste collection in the Netherlands and Spain

Local public service provision can vary greatly because of differences in institutional arrangements, public service markets, and national traditions regarding government intervention. In this paper we compare the procedures adopted by the local governments of the Netherlands and Spain in arranging for the provision of solid waste collection. We find that Spain faces a consolidation problem, opting more frequently to implement policies of privatization and cooperation, at the expense of competition. By contrast, the Netherlands has, on average, larger municipalities, resorting somewhat less to privatization and cooperation, and more to competition. The two options cooperation and competition have their merits when striving to strike a balance between transaction costs and scale economies. The choices made in organizational reform seem to be related to several factors, among which the nature of the political system and the size of municipalities appear to be relevant.
Physical Parameter Identification of Structural Systems with Hysteretic Pinching

This research investigates the physical parameter identification of a nonlinear hysteretic structure with pinching behavior for real‐time or rapid structural health monitoring (SHM) after a major seismic event. The identification procedure is based on the overall least squares linear regression and hypothesis testing. It is applied to a general, nonlinear slip‐lock (SL) pinching model. In particular, the hysteresis loop is reconstructed using data available from current sensor technologies. The path dependent hysteresis response is first divided into different loading and unloading subhalf cycles with a single valued function. These subhalf cycles are then assumed to be piecewise linear, and the number of segments for each subhalf cycle is identified using the sup F type test. The overall least squares linear regression is finally applied to the identified subhalf cycles to compute the regression coefficients and breakpoints that yield the elastic stiffness, plastic stiffness, and cumulative plastic deformation. The performance and robustness of the proposed method is illustrated using a single degree of freedom shear‐type reinforced concrete structure with 10% added root mean square noise and variable pinching behavior. The proposed method is shown to be computationally efficient and accurate in identifying the damage parameters within 10% of true values. These results indicate that the system is able to capture nonlinear behavior and structural parameters, such as preyielding stiffness, postyielding stiffness and cumulative plastic deformation, directly relevant to damage and performance using a computationally efficient and simple method. Finally, the method requires no user input and could thus be automated and performed in real time for each half cycle, with results available effectively immediately after an event, as well as during an event, if required.