Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CSF and MRI findings in patients with acute herpes zoster

Objective: To explore MRI and CSF findings in patients with herpes zoster (HZ) and to correlate the findings with clinical manifestations of the disease. Methods: Fifty immunocompetent patients (mean age, 59 years; range, 17 to 84 years) with HZ of fewer than 18 days duration participated. None had clinical signs of meningeal irritation, encephalitis, or myelitis. In 42 patients (84%), the symptoms constituted pain and rash only. Six patients (12%) had motor paresis, and three patients (6%) had ocular complications. One to three CSF samples were obtained from 46 patients (the first sampling taken 1 to 18 days from onset of rash), and 16 patients (all with either trigeminal or cervical HZ) underwent MRI of the brain. The clinical follow-up continued at least 3 months. Results: CSF was abnormal in 28/46 patients (61%): pleocytosis (range, 5 to 1,440 µL) was detected in 21, elevated protein concentration in 12, varicella zoster virus (VZV) DNA in 10, and immunoglobulin G antibody to VZV in 10. These changes were more common in patients with acute complications, although they did not predict development of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). In 9/16 patients (56%), MRI lesions attributable to HZ were seen in the brainstem and cervical cord. At 3 months, 5/9 patients (56%) with abnormal MRI had PHN, whereas none of the 7 patients with no HZ-related lesions on MRI had any remaining pain. Conclusions: Subclinical extension of viral inflammation into the CNS occurs commonly in HZ. This finding may have implications for treatment of HZ and prevention of various associated complications.
Evolution of the Genotype-to-Phenotype Map and the Cost of Pleiotropy in Mammals

Evolutionary studies have long emphasized that the genetic architecture of traits holds important microevolutionary consequences. Yet, studies comparing the genetic architecture of traits across species are rare, and discussions of the evolution of genetic systems are made on theoretical arguments rather than on empirical evidence. Here, we compared the genetic architecture of cranial traits in two different mammalian model organisms: the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, and the laboratory mouse, Mus musculus. We show that both organisms share a highly polygenic genetic architecture for craniofacial traits, with many loci of small effect. However, these two model species differ significantly in the overall degree of pleiotropy, N, of the genotype-to-phenotype map, with opossums presenting a higher average N. They also diverge in their degree of genetic modularity, with opossums presenting less modular patterns of genetic association among traits. We argue that such differences highlight the context dependency of gene effects, with developmental systems shaping the variational properties of genetic systems. Finally, we also demonstrate based on the opossum data that current measurements for the relationship between the mutational effect size and N need to be re-evaluated in relation to the importance of the cost of pleiotropy for mammals.
A Homologue of the 3-Oxoacyl-(Acyl Carrier Protein) Synthase III Gene Located in the Glycosylation Island of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci Regulates Virulence Factors via N-Acyl Homoserine Lactone and Fatty Acid Synthesis

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 possesses a genetic region involved in flagellin glycosylation. This region is composed of three open reading frames: orf1, orf2, and orf3. Our previous study revealed that orf1 and orf2 encode glycosyltransferases; on the other hand, orf3 has no role in posttranslational modification of flagellin. Although the function of Orf3 remained unclear, an orf3 deletion mutant (Δorf3 mutant) had reduced virulence on tobacco plants. Orf3 shows significant homology to a 3-oxoacyl-(acyl carrier protein) synthase III in the fatty acid elongation cycle. The Δorf3 mutant had a significantly reduced ability to form acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), which are quorum-sensing molecules, suggesting that Orf3 is required for AHL synthesis. In comparison with the wild-type strain, swarming motility, biosurfactant production, and tolerance to H2O2 and antibiotics were enhanced in the Δorf3 mutant. A scanning electron micrograph of inoculated bacteria on the tobacco leaf surface revealed that there is little extracellular polymeric substance matrix surrounding the cells in the Δorf3 mutant. The phenotypes of the Δorf3 mutant and an AHL synthesis (ΔpsyI) mutant were similar, although the mutant-specific characteristics were more extreme in the Δorf3 mutant. The swarming motility of the Δorf3 mutant was greater than that of the ΔpsyI mutant. This was attributed to the synergistic effects of the overproduction of biosurfactants and/or alternative fatty acid metabolism in the Δorf3 mutant. Furthermore, the amounts of iron and biosurfactant seem to be involved in biofilm development under quorum-sensing regulation in P. syringae pv. tabaci 6605.
Placebo-controlled trial of oral laquinimod for multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND Two proof-of-concept clinical trials have provided evidence that laquinimod reduces disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, phase 3 study at 139 sites in 24 countries. A total of 1106 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive oral laquinimod at a dose of 0.6 mg once daily or placebo for 24 months. The primary end point was the annualized relapse rate during the 24-month period. Secondary end points included confirmed disability progression (defined as an increase in the score on the Expanded Disability Status Scale that was sustained for at least 3 months) and the cumulative number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions and new or enlarging lesions on T(2)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS Treatment with laquinimod as compared with placebo was associated with a modest reduction in the mean (±SE) annualized relapse rate (0.30±0.02 vs. 0.39±0.03, P=0.002) and with a reduction in the risk of confirmed disability progression (11.1% vs. 15.7%; hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.45 to 0.91; P=0.01). The mean cumulative numbers of gadolinium-enhancing lesions and new or enlarging lesions on T(2)-weighted images were lower for patients receiving laquinimod than for those receiving placebo (1.33±0.14 vs. 2.12±0.22 and 5.03±0.08 vs. 7.14±0.07, respectively; P<0.001 for both comparisons). Transient elevations in alanine aminotransferase levels to greater than three times the upper limit of the normal range were observed in 24 patients receiving laquinimod (5%) and 8 receiving placebo (2%). CONCLUSIONS In this phase 3 study, oral laquinimod administered once daily slowed the progression of disability and reduced the rate of relapse in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. (Funded by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00509145.).
Outcomes of coronary artery interventions: Comparing coronary artery bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with unprotected left main stenosis

Purpose: The purpose of this integrative review is to examine the existing literature comparing short‐ and long‐term outcomes of both coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) stenosis. CABG has long been considered the standard of treatment for ULMCA stenosis; however, advancements in the use of PCI have made it a viable alternative treatment option. Data sources: Sixteen articles were selected from a literature search using the PubMed database, with at least 1 year of follow‐up and adjustment for established risk factors. Conclusions: The majority of studies found CABG and PCI with stenting to be comparable and equally safe treatment strategies for patients with ULMCA stenosis. Some studies found that PCI had a significantly lower risk for adverse events and mortality compared to CABG. However, a large number of studies found that PCI had a higher rate of target vessel restenosis. Implications for practice: Advanced practice nurses have become a prominent and influential part of the healthcare delivery system. As such, advanced practice nurses should be educated on the current research about coronary artery interventions so that they may better screen, treat, and manage this patient population.
Multidimensional Caregiving Burden of Female Family Caregivers in Korea

The purpose of this study was to examine a staged theoretical model to explain cultural knowledge-based multidimensional burden of women family caregivers caring for community-dwelling older adults using a modified Poulshock and Deimling model. In the model, the antecedents included elders’ impairment in activities of daily living (ADL), elders’ cognitive impairment, caregivers’ self-efficacy, and caregivers’ familism. The perception contained the disruptive behavior burden and social functioning burden of caregivers. The consequence variable included social activity restriction and negative changes in family relationships. The total sample was 157 primary women caregivers caring for community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and older. Instruments were General Self-Efficacy Scale, Family Scale, and Burden Scale. Path analysis was done to analyze the model using multiple linear regression methods. This study showed that impairments of older adults (impairment in ADL, cognitive impairment) and caregiver beliefs (strong familism, low self-efficacy) had an indirect influence on negative changes in family relationship and social activity restriction through the perceived emotional distress.
Retinopathy of prematurity: future vision and challenges.

I read with interest the paper by Chaudhari, et al.(1) in the March 2009 issue of Indian Pediatrics and would like to congratulate the authors for broaching and researching on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Oxygen administration, septicemia and apnea were found to be the significant risk factors reported. This is in agreement with a retrospective study from Pakistan at a tertiary care centre where sepsis, duration of supplemental oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation and respiratory distress syndrome were found to be significantly associated with the development of ROP(2). In a study from a tertiary care centre in Nepal, oxygen supplementation was identified as an independent risk factor for ROP(3). It is important to collect more data from the developing world to quantify the true burden of this disease. This should dictate the future resources allocated for this problem. Meanwhile, the need for Retinopathy of Prematurity: Future Vision and Challenges the development and execution of an effective and successful screening program in developing countries can not be overemphasized.
Fetal presentation of morquio disease type A

A fetus with mucopolysaccharidosis type IV A (Morquio type A) is described. The family had one affected child exhibiting symptoms of classical Morquio A disease, and late in the subsequent pregnancy prenatal diagnosis was requested. At 23 weeks' gestation, moderate ascites was detected by detailed ultrasound scan and keratan sulphate was found in the amniotic fluid. The pregnancy was terminated by prostaglandin induction and the diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidosis type IV A was confirmed by demonstration of a deficiency of N‐acetylgalactosamine‐6‐sulphate (GalNac‐6‐S) sulphatase in cultured amniotic cells and in post‐mortem fibroblast cultures. The activities of β‐galactosidase and arylsulphatase A were normal, ruling out Morquio disease type B and multiple sulphatase deficiency. These results indicate that mucopolysaccharidosis IV A (a disease that predominantly affects the skeletal system) may produce ascites in the fetus to such an extent that it can be detected by ultrasound.
Recent advances in machine translation using comparable corpora

Abstract This paper highlights some of the recent developments in the field of machine translation using comparable corpora. We start by updating previous definitions of comparable corpora and then look at bilingual versions of continuous vector space models. Recently, neural networks have been used to obtain latent context representations with only few dimensions which are often called word embeddings. These promising new techniques cannot only be applied to parallel but also to comparable corpora. Subsequent sections of the paper discuss work specifically targeting at machine translation using comparable corpora, as well as work dealing with the extraction of parallel segments from comparable corpora. Finally, we give an overview on the design and the results of a recent shared task on measuring document comparability across languages.
Responses of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to interleukin-6: a pilot study in fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether deficient activity of the hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neuron, which stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the central control nuclei of the sympathetic nervous system and inhibits ascending pain pathways, may be pathogenic in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS We administered interleukin-6 (IL-6; 3 microg/kg of body weight subcutaneously), a cytokine capable of stimulating hypothalamic CRH release, and measured plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, and catecholamines and their metabolites and precursors. Thirteen female FM patients and 8 age- and body mass index-matched female controls were studied. The diagnosis of FM was made according to American College of Rheumatology criteria. Tender points were quantitated by pressure algometry. All subjects had HPA axis studies. Seven FM patients and 7 controls also had catecholamine measurements. RESULTS After IL-6 injection, delayed ACTH release was evident in the FM patients, with peak levels at 96.9 +/- 6.0 minutes (mean +/- SEM; control peak 68.6 +/- 10.3 minutes; P = 0.02). Plasma cortisol responses to IL-6 did not differ significantly between patients and controls. Basal norepinephrine (NE) levels were higher in the FM patients than in the controls. While a small, although not significant, rise in NE levels occurred after IL-6 injection in the controls, NE levels dramatically increased over basal levels in the FM patients between 60 and 180 minutes after IL-6 injection. Both peak NE levels (mean +/- SEM 537.6 +/- 82.3 versus 254.3 +/- 41.6 pg/ml; P = 0.0001) and time-integrated NE responses (93.2 +/- 16.6 pg/ml x minutes(-3) versus 52.2 +/- 5.7 pg/ml x minutes(-3); P = 0.038) were greater in FM patients than in controls. Heart rate was increased by IL-6 injection in FM patients and controls, but rose to significantly higher levels in the FM patients from 30 minutes to 180 minutes after IL-6 injection (P < 0.03). CONCLUSION Exaggerated NE responses and heart rate increases, as well as delayed ACTH release, were observed among female FM patients compared with age-matched female controls. Delayed ACTH release after IL-6 administration in FM is consistent with a defect in hypothalamic CRH neuronal function. Exaggerated NE release may reflect abnormal regulation of the sympathetic nervous system, perhaps secondary to chronically deficient hypothalamic CRH. The excessive heart rate response after IL-6 injection in FM patients may be unrelated to the increase in NE, or it may reflect an alteration in the sensitivity of cardiac beta-adrenoceptors to NE. These responses to a physiologic stressor support the notion that FM may represent a primary disorder of the stress system.
Cross-sectional morphology of the SK 82 and 97 proximal femora.

Computed tomography scans of the proximal femoral shaft of the South African "robust" australopithecine, A. robustus, reveal a total morphological pattern that is similar to the specimen attributed to A. boisei in East Africa but unlike that of Homo erectus or modern human femora. Like femora attributed to H. erectus, SK 82 and 97 have very thick cortices, although they do not have the extreme increase in mediolateral buttressing that is so characteristic of H. erectus. And unlike H. erectus or modern humans, their femoral heads are very small relative to shaft strength. These features are consistent with both increased overall mechanical loading of the postcranial skeleton and a possibly slightly altered pattern of bipedal gait relative to that of H. erectus and modern humans.
Neonatal genital trauma associated with breech presentation.

A female infant was born at 41 weeks' gestation to a 28-year-old primiparous woman after an uneventful pregnancy. The baby was delivered vaginally without instrumentation in a breech presentation 14 hours after spontaneous rupture of the membranes. She weighed 3360 g, was 49.5 cm long and had a head
Capabilities: Structure, Agency, and Evolution

This paper examines conceptual issues and reviews empirical results bearing on the relationship between research approaches emphasizing organizational capabilities and those based in transaction cost economics (TCE)—or in organizational economics more generally. Following a review of conceptual fundamentals—what capability is and why organizations differ in capability—it assesses recent progress toward an integration of the capabilities and transaction cost approaches, primarily in the context of the analysis of vertical structure and related phenomena. This review suggests that progress has been substantial and that the key elements of a promising dynamic synthesis have been identified. The paper then considers issues that call for attention if further progress is to be achieved. The first of these is the role of agency, which must be seen in expansive terms (relative to standard economic rationality) if its evolutionary significance is to be fully appreciated. The second is the role of structure, or more specifically, industry architecture, which affects capability development by way of its effect on the feedback that firms receive. After drawing on the recent financial crisis for an illustration of these ideas, this paper considers the rise of interest in business models as a useful field of application, and it concludes with a discussion of the role of organizational economics (beyond TCE). We argue that, whatever the theoretical perspective at the level of the firm, analyses must reach beyond that level to grasp the important causal forces affecting capability development, firm boundaries, and structural features more generally.
Filtration rate dependence of hyaluronan reflection by joint‐to‐lymph barrier: evidence for concentration polarisation

Hyaluronan (HA), a component of synovial fluid, buffers fluid loss from joints. To explain this, a quantitative theory for HA concentration polarisation at a partially sieving synovial lining was developed. The theory predicts a fall in HA reflected fraction R with increased filtration rate. To test this, knees of anaesthetised rabbits were infused with HA and fluorescein–dextran (FD) at constant trans‐synovial filtration rates of 6–89 μl min−1. Samples of femoral lymph, mixed intra‐articular fluid and subsynovial fluid after ≥ 3 h were analysed by high‐performance liquid chromatography. R was calculated as (1 – downstream/upstream concentration), using [FD] to adjust for joint lymph dilution in femoral lymph. Intra‐articular HA concentration after ≥ 3 h, 0.47 ± 0.02 mg ml−1 (mean ±s.e.m., n= 31), exceeded the infusate concentration, 0.20 mg ml−1, while subsynovial and lymph [HA] were reduced relative to [FD]. The changes in [HA] demonstrated synovial molecular sieving of HA. R from cavity to lymph (Rlymph) fell monotonically from 0.93 at 6 μl min−1 to 0.14 at 89 μl min−1 (P < 0.0001, regression analysis, n= 33). R values calculated from the intra‐articular HA accumulation (Rasp) or the low subsynovial concentrations (Rsyn) were similar negative functions of filtration rate. R for lymphatic capillary endothelium (Rendo), calculated from lymph/subsynovial concentration ratios, was effectively zero (−0.03 ± 0.18, n= 21), confirming that synovium, not initial lymphatic endothelium, is the reflection site. Logarithmic linearisation of the results evaluated the synovial HA reflection coefficient as 0.91. In conclusion, the existence of concentration polarisation during joint fluid drainage was supported by the demonstration of a negative relation between filtration rate and Rlymph, Rasp and Rsyn.
In Vivo Imaging of Macrophage Activity in the Coronary Arteries Using 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT: Correlation with Coronary Calcium Burden and Risk Factors

We measured the uptake of the somatostatin receptor ligand 68Ga-[1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N′,N″,N′″-tetraacetic acid]-d-Phe1,Tyr3-octreotate (DOTATATE) in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in association with calcified plaques (CPs) and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: Seventy consecutive tumor patients were examined by whole-body 68Ga-DOTATATE contrast-enhanced PET/CT. Blood-pool–corrected standardized uptake value (target-to-background ratio) was measured in the LAD, and CT images were used to detect CP. Cardiovascular risk factors and history of prior cardiovascular events were recorded. Results: 68Ga-DOTATATE uptake was detectable in the LAD of all patients. Target-to-background ratio in the LAD correlated significantly with the presence of CP (R = 0.34; P < 0.01), prior vascular events (R = 0.26; P < 0.05), and male sex (R = 0.29; P < 0.05), whereas CP correlated with these parameters but also with age (R = 0.34; P < 0.01) and hypertension (R = 0.25; P < 0.05). Conclusion: In a series of oncologic patients, those with prior cardiovascular events and calcified atherosclerotic plaques showed significantly increased 68Ga-DOTATATE uptake in the LAD, suggesting a potential role of this tracer for plaque imaging in the coronary arteries.