Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance of the Cockcroft-Gault and modification of diet in renal disease equations in estimating GFR in ill hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND Estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in severely ill inpatients is clinically important for therapeutic interventions and prognosis, but notoriously difficult to do accurately. The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation and Cockcroft-Gault (CG) formula are widely used to estimate renal function in sick hospitalized patients; however, neither method has been validated in this setting. METHODS Iodine 125-iothalamate clearances (iGFR) performed in 107 sick inpatients with renal dysfunction were compared with estimated GFRs (eGFRs) from the 6- and 4-variable MDRD (MDRD eGFR) and CG (CG eGFR) equations. RESULTS Mean serum creatinine (SCr) level was 3.5 +/- 2.0 mg/dL (309 +/- 177 micromol/L), and mean iGFR was 17.1 +/- 17.9 mL/min/1.73 m2 (0.29 +/- 0.30 mL/s/1.73 m2). Six-variable MDRD eGFR was 22.5 +/- 17.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 (0.38 +/- 0.29 mL/s/1.73 m2), 4-variable MDRD eGFR was 23.9 +/- 16.3 mL/min/1.73 m2 (0.40 +/- 0.27 mL/s/1.73 m2), and CG eGFR was 26.0 +/- 17.1 mL/min/1.73 m2 (0.43 +/- 0.29 mL/s/1.73 m2). Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)/SCr ratios greater than 20 were seen in 58% of patients. Overall, the CG and MDRD equations overestimated iGFR, with poor agreement. Overestimation of at least 25% of measured iGFR was seen in 63%, 67%, and 70% of all inpatients when using the 6-variable MDRD, 4-variable MDRD, and CG equations, respectively. Accuracy of eGFR within 50% of measured iGFR was 55% for the 6-variable MDRD equation, 49% for the 4-variable MDRD equation, and 40% for the CG formula. The performance of both methods deteriorated further in patients with a BUN/SCr ratio greater than 20. CONCLUSION Estimation equations are performed poorly compared with iGFR and are not reliable measures of actual level of function in sick hospitalized patients, especially those with a high BUN/SCr ratio. Although use of the 6-variable MDRD equation provides a better estimation of GFR, it still is unsuitable for clinical application in this population.
Identification of inbred mouse strains harboring genetic modifiers of mammary tumor age of onset and metastatic progression

Metastasis is one of the most important and complex processes in human neoplastic disease. A large number of both positive and negative events must occur to permit a tumor cell to colonize a distant site successfully. To identify mouse strains that harbor dominant genetic modifiers of this process, a strain survey was initiated utilizing a transgenic mouse mammary tumor model that exhibits a high incidence of pulmonary metastases. The transgenic animal was bred to 27 different inbred strains of mice and scored for the metastatic organ tropism and metastatic density. Thirteen strains were identified that had a statistically significant reduction in the numbers of pulmonary metastases. In addition, 10 strains were identified that altered the kinetics of induction of the primary mammary tumor. These strains will likely provide useful model systems for the analysis of genetic interactions in the initiation and progression of mammary adenocarcinomas. Int. J. Cancer 77:640–644, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Functional topography of myelin‐associated glycoprotein. II. Mapping of domains on molecular fragments

The myelin‐associated glycoprotein (MAG), an adhesion molecule of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily with five Ig‐like domains, was investigated with regard to its binding site(s) for the neuronal cell surface, collagen I, and heparin, using a panel of new monoclonal antibodies and cyanogen bromide cleavage fragments of MAG. All antibodies generated competed with each other for binding to MAG, indicating that they reacted with identical or closely related epitopes. Mapping of the reactive epitopes on recombinant deletion fragments of MAG expressed by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) fibroblasts showed reactivity of monoclonal antibody 513 with domains I, II, and III, comprising the amino‐terminal end of the extracellular domain. Monoclonal antibody 15 recognized domain III only. Binding of MAG‐containing liposomes to neurons was blocked by antibodies 15 and 513. Cyanogen bromide (CNBr) fragments of domains I, II, and III bound to collagen type I under isotonic buffer conditions. CNBr fragments containing domains I and II were involved in binding to heparin. These observations suggest that domain III may be important for binding to the neuronal cell surface receptor for MAG, while domains I, II, and III interact with collagen type I and domains II and III with heparin. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Adaptation of protein secretion to extremely high‐salt conditions by extensive use of the twin‐arginine translocation pathway

Halophilic archaea thrive in environments with salt concentrations approaching saturation. However, little is known about the way in which these organisms stabilize their secreted proteins in such ‘hostile’ conditions. Here, we present data suggesting that the utilization of protein translocation pathways for protein secretion by the Halobacteriaceae differs significantly from that of non‐haloarchaea, and most probably represents an adaptation to the high‐salt environment. Although most proteins are secreted via the general secretion (Sec) machinery, the twin‐arginine translocation (Tat) pathway is mainly used for the secretion of redox proteins and is distinct from the Sec pathway, in that it allows cytoplasmic folding of secreted proteins. tatfind (developed in this study) was used for systematic whole‐genome analysis of Halobacterium sp. NRC‐1 and several other prokaryotes to identify putative Tat substrates. Our analyses revealed that the vast majority of haloarchaeal secreted proteins were predicted substrates of the Tat pathway. Strikingly, most of these putative Tat substrates were non‐redox proteins, the homologues of which in non‐haloarchaea were identified as putative Sec substrates. We confirmed experimentally that the secretion of one such putative Tat substrate depended on the twin‐arginine motif in its signal sequence. This extensive utilization of the Tat pathway in haloarchaea suggests an evolutionary adaptation to high‐salt conditions by allowing cytoplasmic folding of secreted proteins before their secretion.
An enhanced personalized recommendation utilizing expert's opinion via collaborative filtering and clustering techniques

The emergence of web had a profound impact on personalized Recommender systems. They empower most of the popular e-commerce websites by changing the way the users communicate with the websites. Despite the available of popular recommendation techniques like Content based and Collaborative filtering which have been successful in implementing satisfactory systems, they still have some downsides. One of the most notable issue is to generate efficient recommendations when there is sparsity of data. Aimed to address the issue to some extent, this paper proposes a framework that integrates the collaborative filtering features and clustering techniques. Items and Users are clustered separately using similarity techniques from which a user is promoted as an expert from each user group based on the user whose profile is more concentrated on a particular class of items. The proposed method aims in delivering accurate recommendations by considering the experts opinion when there is sparsity of data.
Other-Oriented Values and Job Satisfaction

Considering the propositions of Simon (1990;1993) and Korsgaard and collaborators (1997), that an individual who assigns priority to values related to altruism tends to pay less attention to evaluating personal costs and benefits when processing social information. As well as the basic premisis of job satisfaction that establishes that this attitude is centered on a cognitive process of evaluating how specific conditions or outcomes in a job fulfills the needs and values of a person. We proposed that individuals who score higher on values associated with altruism, will reveal higher scores on all specific facets of job satisfaction than those who score lower. A sample of 3,201 Mexican employees, living in 11 cities and working for 30 different companies belonging to the same holding, was used in this study. The results of the research clearly support the central hypothesis.
Topiramate as an Adjunctive Treatment for Refractory Partial Epilepsy in the Elderly

This double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigated the efficacy and tolerability of adjunctive topiramate in 86 elderly Chinese patients with refractory partial epilepsy. Patients who had at least four seizures per 4 weeks during an 8-week baseline period, despite medication with up to three standard antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), were randomly assigned to receive topiramate (n = 46) or placebo (n = 40). Topiramate dosages were titrated (target dose 200 mg/day orally) for 8 weeks and maintained at stable levels for another 12 weeks; concomitant AEDs continued at original dosages. All patients completed the study: 47.8% in the topiramate group and 7.5% on placebo reached ≥ 50% reduction in complex partial seizures. In the topiramate group, the most common adverse events were dizziness, somnolence, fatigue, headache and difficulty with memory; most events were transient and mild or moderate in severity. It was concluded that 200 mg/day topiramate was effective and well-tolerated in elderly patients with refractory partial epilepsy.
Nitric Oxide Increases Tumor Necrosis Factor Production in Differentiated U937 Cells by Decreasing Cyclic AMP*

Nitric oxide (NO) increases tumor necrosis factor (TNF) synthesis in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by a cGMP-independent mechanism. NO has been shown to inhibit adenylate cyclase in cell membranes. Since cAMP down-regulates TNF transcription, we examined the possibility that NO enhances TNF synthesis by decreasing cAMP. U937 cells were induced to differentiate using phorbol myristate acetate (100 nM for 48 h) and then were incubated for 24 h with sodium nitroprusside (SNP) or S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP). These NO donors increased TNF production (7.0- and 15.6-fold, respectively, at 500 μM) in a dose-dependent manner (p = 0.002). However, SNP and SNAP did not elevate cGMP levels in U937 cell cultures, and the cGMP analog, 8-bromo-cGMP, had no effect on TNF production. In contrast, SNP (p = 0.001) and SNAP (p = 0.009) decreased intracellular cAMP levels by up to 51.5% over 24 h and, in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, blunted isoproterenol-stimulated increases in cAMP by 21.8% (p = 0.004) and 27.6% (p = 0.008), respectively. H89, an inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, dose dependently increased TNF production in phorbol myristate acetate-differentiated U937 cells in the absence (6.5-fold at 30 μM; p = 0.035), but not in the presence (p = 0.77) of SNAP. Conversely, the cAMP analog dibutyryl cAMP (Bt2cAMP) blocked SNAP-induced TNF production (p = 0.001). SNP and SNAP (500 μM) increased relative TNF mRNA levels by 57.5% (p = 0.045) and 66.2% (p = 0.001), respectively. This effect was prevented by Bt2cAMP. These results indicate that NO up-regulates TNF production by decreasing intracellular cAMP.
Unsupervised video segmentation based on watersheds and temporal tracking

This paper presents a technique for unsupervised video segmentation. This technique consists of two phases: initial segmentation and temporal tracking, similar to a number of existing techniques. However, new algorithms for spatial segmentation, marker extraction, and modified watershed transformation are proposed for the present technique. The new algorithms make this technique differ from existing techniques by the following features: (1) it can effectively track fast moving objects, (2) it can detect the appearance of new objects as well as the disappearance of existing objects, and (3) it is computationally efficient because of the use of watershed transformations and a fast motion estimation algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed technique can efficiently segment video sequences with fast moving, newly appearing, or disappearing objects in the scene.
Male or Female?

* Consultant Paediatrician, City General Hospital, Sheffield 5, England. IN 1949 Barr and Bertram described the dense chromatin body in female nuclei which is absent from the nuclei of all normal male cells. It was reasonable, in the next few years, to refer to &dquo;female nuclear sex&dquo; and &dquo;male nuclear sex&dquo; on the basis of the presence or absence of these &dquo;Barr bodies. &dquo; When individuals with abnormal chromosomes came to be studied’intensively, however, these terms often proved to be inadequate. Cases of classical Turner’s syndrome, for example, were at first thought to be associated with &dquo;male nuclear sex&dquo; but it was later shown
Increased plasma levels of soluble IL‐2R are associated with severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Plasma samples from children with mild and severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria and from children with unrelated diseases were collected to investigate whether the clinical outcome of infection was associated with plasma factors which reflected the activity of different cells of the immune system. Children with severe P. falciparum malaria had significantly higher plasma levels of soluble IL‐2R than children with mild malaria. Plasma levels of 1L‐2R and levels of parasitaemia were significantly correlated. Neither parasitaemia nor plasma levels of tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF ‐a). IL‐6. lymphotoxin (LT). interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ). IL‐4, soluble IL‐4R or soluble CD8 differed significantly between the two groups of children with malaria. High plasma levels of soluble CD8 were associated with failure of lymphocytes to produce I FN‐γin vitro following stimulation with P. falciparum antigen. We conclude that soluble IL‐2R is a useful marker of disease severity independently of the association with levels of parasitaemia, and that functional regulation of different lymphocyte subsets occurs during acute malaria episodes.
Association of a (TTTA)n microsatellite and a TCT del/ins polymorphisms in the aromatase gene (CYP19) with hip fracture risk in Mexican postmenopausal women

Abstract A (TTTA)n polymorphism in the aromatase gene has been studied in relation to bone mineral density (BMD). The low number of TTTA repeats has been associated with low BMD and fracture risk. The aim of this study was to search for associations of TTTA copy number with hip fracture and lumbar spine osteoporosis in Mexican peri and postmenopausal women. The allele with seven repeats was present in the two reported versions, with or without a TCT deletion upstream of the microsatellite (A1 and A2, respectively). After adjustment by confounders, the A1 allele and the A1A1 genotype were significantly associated with an elevated risk of fracture (p = 0.034, OR = 3.2 [95% CI, 1.09–9.41] and p = 0.019, OR = 2.26 [95% CI, 1.14–4.49], respectively) and the A2 allele was associated with protection of hip fracture (p = 0.04, OR = 0.48, [95% CI, 0.22–1.05]) as the A2A2 genotype (p = 0.048, OR = 0.29 [95% CI, 0.06–1.16]). The analysis allowed us to defining the usefulness of the (TTTA)n polymorphism in the aromatase gene as an indicator of hip fracture risk in Mexican population.
Prevalence and Correlates of Depression among Nepalese Rai Older Adults

Introduction: Depression is a common public health issue with the increasing life expectancy worldwide and depression is associated with morbidity as well as disability among the elderly. There are very few studies related with depression among elderly from developing countries. Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the situation of depression and its correlates among the Nepali Rai elderly. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out in 2010. Data were collected by face-to-face interview in using Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and prepared with a translation and back translation technique from English into Nepalese. The data were analyzed using percentage, mean, simple correlation and regression. Results: The subjects (N=165) were member of the Rai caste/ethnicity living in Kathmandu valley, aged 60 years and above. Mean age of the subjects was 69.77 (± 5.75) years and 52 % were male. The average family size was 4.47 and more than 70 percent (73.3%) elderly were living with their family members. Finding shows the prevalence of depression among Nepalese Rai older adults was 29.7 %. A statistically significant correlation was found between feelings of depression with age, sex, marital status, family size, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), loneliness and participation in household activities. Regression analysis shows that higher the age, larger the family size, being widow/widower, higher the dependency in IADL and illiteracy were associated with depression. Conclusion: The present results indicate many Nepalese older adult experiences some form of depression although they are living in the joint family size. However, this result may not be generalized to the greater population of Nepalese older adults and the external validity of the GDS Scale is an important criterion to examine in future research
Randomized clinical trial of the iron-based phosphate binder PA21 in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A dose-finding study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of PA21, a novel polynuclear iron(III)-oxyhydroxide phosphate binder. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS In a randomized, active-controlled, multicenter, open-label study at 50 clinical sites in Europe and the United States, hemodialysis patients were randomized to PA21 at dosages of 1.25, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, or 12.5 g/d or sevelamer-HCl 4.8 g/d for 6 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change in serum phosphorus concentration from baseline. RESULTS There were 154 participants who were randomized and received the study drug. All groups except PA21 1.25 g/d showed a significant decrease in serum phosphorus. Mean decreases in serum phosphorus in PA21 10 g/d and 12.5 g/d were -2.00±1.71 mg/dl and -1.69±1.81 mg/dl, respectively. A similar decrease to sevelamer-HCl (-1.06±1.35 mg/dl) was seen with PA21 5.0 g/d (-1.08±2.12 mg/dl) and 7.5 g/d (-1.25±1.21 mg/d). Overall, 60.9% of participants randomized to PA21 and 57.7% randomized to sevelamer-HCl reported ≥1 adverse event. The most frequent adverse events were hypophosphatemia (18.0%) and discolored feces (11.7%) for the pooled PA21 dose groups, and diarrhea, hypophosphatemia, and hypotension (each 11.5%) for sevelamer-HCl. Discontinuation due to adverse events occurred at a similar rate in PA21-treated (21.1%) and sevelamer-HCl-treated (23.1%) participants. CONCLUSIONS PA21 5-12.5 g/d significantly reduces serum phosphorus in hemodialysis patients. The 5 g/d and 7.5 g/d dosages showed similar efficacy to 4.8 g/d of sevelamer-HCl. The adverse events rate was similar for PA21 and sevelamer-HCl.
Beta-lactamase of Mycobacterium fortuitum: kinetics of production and relationship with resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics

The kinetics of both intracellular and extracellular beta-lactamase production and the relationship between extracellular enzyme and in vitro susceptibility of Mycobacterium fortuitum to beta-lactam antibiotics have been studied. To this end we used a panel of stable nitrosoguanidine-induced mutants of M. fortuitum derived from the parental strain ATCC 19542 and differing in beta-lactamase production from 0.0001 to 278 U/liter in Mueller-Hinton broth. For overproducers of beta-lactamase (mutants A188, B180, C207, D316, and E31), MICs of benzylpenicillin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, and cephaloridine progressively increased with the amount of enzyme released into the medium, whereas MICs of imipenem and cefoxitin did not. The resistance of the mutants to amoxicillin was reduced up to 32-fold by clavulanic acid, whereas that to ampicillin was reduced 8-fold by sulbactam. These data suggest that the enzyme participated in the mechanisms of resistance to the beta-lactam antibiotics. However, for a mutant of M. fortuitum (gamma 27) with virtually nonexistent beta-lactamase production, the antibiotics still had relatively high MICs (for instance, benzylpenicillin and cephaloridine had MICs of 64 and 32 micrograms/ml, respectively). This suggests that, aside from beta-lactamase production, other mechanisms such as cell wall permeability and/or affinity for penicillin-binding proteins could coexist in M. fortuitum and explain its natural resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics.
Role for glycoconjugates in cellular communication in the human reproductive system.

Eukaryotic cells express a diverse array of carbohydratesequences on their cell surfaces linked either to protein orlipid membrane constituents (Paulson, 1989; Dwek, 1995). Perhaps the most significant role postulated for glycoconjugatesis their participation in cellular communication in complexmammalian species (Varki, 1993). Their diversity of structureand their often restricted temporal, spatial and tissue specificexpression certainly suggest the possibility that glycoconju-gates play a role in cellular communication. Only recently,however, has compelling evidence been obtained supporting arole for oligosaccharide participation in such processes.Over the past decade, there has been a virtual explosionin the number of cell adhesion molecules that have beenunambiguously demonstrated to bind to oligosaccharide ligands(Varki, 1993). When temporally or spatially expressed in arestricted manner, such ligands could represent appropriate'signals' for adhesion. For example, the predominant operatinghypothesis for initial mammalian gamete binding is thatlectin-like proteins on the spermatozoa recognize and bindto oligosaccharide sequences presented on the specializedextracellular matrix of the egg known as the zona pellucida(ZP) (Wassarman, 1990; Miller and Ax, 1990). Therefore thespecific oligosaccharide ligand on the zona pellucida could bethought of as a restricted 'signal' for sperm binding. Oncebinding is engaged, induction of the acrosome reaction occursvia a G protein-mediated event (Ward and Kopf, 1993). With the exception of fertilization or fertilization-relatedprocesses, there have been relatively few studies defining thepotential roles of glycoconjugates in human or mammalianreproductive physiology. The major focus of these other studieshas been to determine the sequence and physiological relevanceof oligosaccharides associated with glycoprotein hormones(Thotakura and Blithe, 1995). However, there are severalsignificant recent findings related to mammalian sperm-zonapellucida binding, some supporting the role of carbohydraterecognition in this process and others suggesting protein-protein interaction. This area of research is an instructivemicrocosm of the challenges and controversies associatedwith defining glycobiological relationships in the mammalianreproductive system and will be the primary focus of thisdiscussion.