Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racehorses that sustained a complete scapular fracture.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY To determine if scapular fractures occur in racehorses with distinctive characteristics. OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that Thoroughbred (TB) and Quarter Horse (QH) racehorses with a scapular fracture have similar characteristics that are different from those of their respective racetrack populations. METHODS Necropsy findings, case details, last race information and career earnings for TB and QH racehorses that had a scapular fracture in California between 1990 and 2008 were retrospectively compared between breeds. Horse signalment, career earnings, career starts and race characteristics were obtained for all California racehorses. Comparisons were made between affected horses, other racehorses that died, and all horses that raced, in California during the 19 year period. RESULTS Seventy-three TB and 28 QH racehorses had a similar, complete comminuted scapular fracture with an articular component, and right forelimb predilection. The QHs had a higher incidence of scapular fracture incurred during racing than TBs (0.98 vs. 0.39/1000 starters). The TB and QH incident rates for musculoskeletal deaths incurred racing were 20.5 and 17.5/1000 starters, respectively; however, a greater proportion of TB musculoskeletal deaths occurred training (40% vs. 8%). Horses with a scapular fracture were more likely to be male and aged 2 or ≥ 5 years than the racetrack population. Most affected QHs (64%) were 2-year-olds; most TBs (74%) were aged ≥ 3 years. Scapular fractures occurred more commonly during racing in QHs (70%) than TBs (44%). Race-related scapular fracture was more likely to occur in a Maiden race than in a non-Maiden race. Horses with a scapular fracture had fewer career starts than the racetrack population. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE Despite breed differences for signalment and exercise distances, both breeds incur a complete scapular fracture that is more likely to occur in the right scapula of young and older, male racehorses, early in their race career or after few races. Quarter Horses sustain a catastrophic scapular fracture more frequently than TBs.
Evaluation of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)–Associated Morbidity Following Relaxation of VRE Screening and Isolation Precautions in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective To determine whether relaxing vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) precautions results in an increase in the incidence of invasive VRE infections over time. Design Retrospective analysis of a microbiology database before and after relaxation of VRE screening and isolation precautions. Setting Urban tertiary care teaching hospital in Montreal, Canada. Participants. All hospitalized and emergency room patients over a 13-year period from January 1, 2000, to March 31, 2013. Methods We assessed the results of all microbiology cultures for the presence of VRE as well as the results of all polymerase chain reaction assays for vanA and vanB during the study period. Applying criteria for 4 clinical situations (bacteremia, definite infection, possible infection, and colonization with VRE), we analyzed the effects of relaxed VRE screening and isolation precautions on the incidence of each of these outcomes over the time preceding and following this change. Results When VRE screening and isolation precautions were relaxed, a marked rise in VRE colonization was observed, with a lesser but definite rise in the 3 other outcomes. Despite this initial rise in all measures, all incidences other than colonization plateaued during the 34 months of follow-up. Conclusions Relaxation of VRE screening and isolation precautions was associated with an immediate increase in colonization and infection incidence. Despite increasing colonization, infection outcomes remained infrequent and stable, suggesting a finite number of susceptible hosts at risk. Relaxation of VRE protocols may not lead to increasing infection incidence in a hospital setting, advocating that cost effectiveness exercises, with targeted screening and isolation precautions, are crucial.
Sickle Erythrocytes and Platelets Augment Lung Leukotriene Synthesis with Downregulation of Anti-Inflammatory Proteins: Relevance in the Pathology of the Acute Chest Syndrome

Initiation, progression, and resolution of vaso-occlusive pain episodes in sickle cell disease (SCD) have been recognized as reperfusion injury, which provokes an inflammatory response in the pulmonary circulation. Some 5-lipoxygenase (5-lox) metabolites are potent vasoconstrictors in the pulmonary circulation. We studied stimulation of production of the inflammatory eicosanoids leukotrienes (LTs) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by isolated rat lungs perfused with sickle (HbSS) erythrocytes. Our hypothesis is that HbSS erythrocytes produce more LTs than normal (HbAA) erythrocytes, which can induce vaso-occlusive episodes in SCD patients. Lung perfusates were collected at specific time points and purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography, and LTC4 and PGE2 contents were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Rat lung explants were also cultured with purified HbAA and HbSS peptides, and 5-lox, cyclooxygenase 1/2, and platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR) proteins were measured by Western blotting, while prostacyclin and LTs produced by cultured lung explants were measured by ELISA. Lung weight gain and blood gas data were not different among the groups. HbSS-perfused lungs produced more LTC4 and PGE2 than HbAA-perfused lungs: 10.40 ± 0.62 versus 0.92 ± 0.2 ng/g dry lung weight (mean ± SEM; P = 0.0001) for LTC4. Inclusion of autologous platelets (platelet-rich plasma) elevated LTC4 production to 12.6 ± 0.96 and 7 ± 0.60 ng/g dry lung weight in HbSS and HbAA perfusates, respectively. HbSS lungs also expressed more 5-lox and PAFR. The data suggest that HbSS erythrocytes and activated platelets in patient's pulmonary microcirculation will enhance the synthesis and release of the proinflammatory mediators LTC4 and PGE2, both of which may contribute to onset of the acute chest syndrome in SCD.
Can Vaccines Control Resistance? The Example of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Abstract: Pneumococcal infections are a major cause of death and disability worldwide, and the emergence of resistance to commonly used drugs over the last 2 decades has made treating these infections even more difficult. Because only a few of the 90 known pneumococcal serotypes cause most resistant infections, vaccines that target these few serotypes could have a major effect on resistant disease. Data from clinical trials and now from 5 years of experience in the United States suggest that pneumococcal conjugate vaccines can significantly reduce carriage, otitis media, and invasive disease caused by resistant strains. Not only is the vaccine beneficial for young children who receive it, but resistant infections have decreased in the United States among adults because of reduced transmission of resistant strains from children. The challenge will be to maintain this early benefit from vaccination, as pneumococcus has repeatedly shown a remarkable ability to adapt to its environment and new strains not covered by conjugate vaccines could start to become resistant.
Survival of horses following strangulating large colon volvulus.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY The pattern of long-term survival and specific factors associated with long-term survival have not previously been evaluated in horses with a strangulating large colon volvulus (LCV). OBJECTIVES To provide data on the long-term survival of horses with LCV and to identify pre-, intra- and post operative variables associated with survival. METHODS Clinical data and long-term follow-up information were obtained from 116 horses with a strangulating LCV (≥360°) undergoing general anaesthesia. Two multivariable Cox proportional hazards models for post operative survival time were developed: Model 1 included all horses and evaluated preoperative variables and Model 2 included horses that survived anaesthesia and evaluated pre-, intra- and post operative variables. RESULTS The study population comprised 116 horses. Eighty-nine (76.7%) survived general anaesthesia. Of these, the percentage that survived until discharge, to one year and to 2 years was 70.7%, 48.3% and 33.7%, respectively. Median survival time for horses that survived general anaesthesia was 365 days. In Model 1 increased preoperative packed cell volume (PCV) was significantly associated with reduced post operative survival (hazard ratio [HR] 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-1.11). However, this effect changed over time. In Model 2 abnormal serosal colour intraoperatively (HR 3.61, 95% CI 1.55-8.44), increased heart rate at 48 h post surgery (HR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.06), and colic during post operative hospitalisation (HR 2.63, 95% CI 1.00-6.95), were all significantly associated with reduced post operative survival. CONCLUSIONS Survival time in horses with a LCV was associated with preoperative PCV, serosal colour, heart rate at 48 h post operatively and colic during post operative hospitalisation. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE This study provides evidence-based information on the long-term survival of horses with LCV and identifies parameters that may assist decision-making by clinicians and owners.
Case-control study of high-speed exercise history of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racehorses that died related to a complete scapular fracture.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Identification of exercise history patterns that are related to catastrophic scapular fracture will facilitate prevention of racehorse fatalities. OBJECTIVES To determine if exercise patterns are associated with scapular fracture in Thoroughbred (TB) and Quarter Horse (QH) racehorses. METHODS High-speed exercise histories for 65 TB and 26 QH racehorses that had a complete scapular fracture (cases) and 2 matched control racehorses were retrospectively studied. Exercise variables were created from lifetime race and official timed workout reports. Associations between exercise variables and scapular fracture were investigated using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS Thoroughbreds with a scapular fracture had a greater number of workouts, events (combined works and races), and mean event distances than QHs with a scapular fracture. Quarter Horses worked less frequently and accumulated distance at a lower rate than TBs. Breed differences were not found for career race number or length, time between races or lay-up variables for horses with ≥1 lay-up. For both breeds, cases had fewer events, lower recent accumulated distance and fewer active days in training than controls; however, a subset of TB cases with >10 events since lay-up had a longer active career than controls. For QHs that had a lay-up, total and mean lay-up times were greater for cases than controls. Multivariable models revealed that odds ratios (OR) of scapular fracture were greater for TBs that had not yet raced (OR = 23.19; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.03-177.38) and lower for QHs with more events (OR = 0.71; 95% CI 0.54-0.94). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Racehorses that are in early high-speed training but behind that of their training cohort should be examined for signs of scapular stress remodelling. Quarter Horses that had a prolonged lay-up and TBs that have endured high-speed training for a longer duration than that of their training cohort also were at greater risk.
Enhanced contractility in coronary arteries of diabetic pigs is prevented by exercise

We hypothesized that hyperlipidaemia, diabetes and diabetic dyslipidaemia increase the contractility of coronary arteries in swine, and that exercise would prevent this enhanced contractility. We further hypothesized that this enhanced contractility is associated with elevated potassium (Kþ) channel activity, consistent with the idea that certain disease states, as in hypertension, result in a compensatory upregulation in Kþ channels. Swine were assigned to one of the following groups: control, standard chow (C; n 1⁄4 6); hyperlipidaemic, high-fat chow (H; n 1⁄4 5); diabetic, standard chow (D; n 1⁄4 7); diabetic, high-fat chow (‘diabetic dyslipidaemic’, DD; n 1⁄4 12); or exercise-trained DD (DDX; n 1⁄4 9). High-fat chow consisted of standard pig chow with added cholesterol (2%) and coconut oil. Endothelium-denuded segments from D, DD and DDX animals showed enhanced contractility to prostaglandin F2a (PGF2a) compared with C, while segments from H, D and DD showed enhanced contractility to endothelin-1 (ET-1) compared with C and DDX (P , 0.05). The enhanced contractility was not accompanied by differences in Kþ channel contribution to force reduction. There was no effect of the treatments on expression of the endothelin receptor A or endothelin receptor B. A possible mechanism for the enhanced vasoreactivity of coronary arteries of H, D and DD swine is an alteration in the signalling pathways of ET-1and PGF2a-induced contraction. Exercise prevented the increase in contractility to ET-1, but not to PGF2a, reinforcing the concept of vasoconstrictor specificity.
The availability of injecting paraphernalia in the UK following the 2003 law change to permit supply

Aim: To describe the availability of injecting paraphernalia in the UK following the introduction of legislation that permits supply for harm reduction purposes. Methods: A postal questionnaire undertaken 18 months after the law change, sent to all identified UK drugs services. Those providing needle exchange were asked to respond. Co-ordinators of their schemes completed the questionnaires. Findings: A total of 469 services were identified and contacted, 403 (86%) responded. Of these, 231 provided needle exchange (NX) from 1521 outlets. On average, they were responsible for 1.6 agency-based, 4.2 pharmacy, 0.7 outreach and 0.2 ‘other’ NX outlets. Of those providing NX, 212 (92%) supplied one or more items of paraphernalia, most commonly swabs (n = 220, 87%), followed by citric acid sachets (n = 155, 67%), filters (n = 106, 46%), spoons (n = 102, 44%), vitamin C sachets (n = 69, 30%) and sterile water (n = 52, 23%). Other items supplied were citric acid loose powder (n = 34, 15%), tourniquets (n = 34, 15%) and vitamin C loose powder (n = 6, 3%). Only 4% (n = 10) said their services supplied all six items necessary in the injection process (sterile water, spoons, an acid, filters, tourniquets and swabs). Most commonly only two items were supplied, usually swabs and one acid and 63% (n = 144) supplied 3 or less items. Most commonly finances were said to limit supply. Sharing paraphernalia is associated with an increased risk of IDUs being hepatitis C (HCV) antibody positive. These data suggest that the range of paraphernalia supplied by needle exchanges could be extended from the majority of outlets, in the absence of information that can attribute risk to the sharing of specific items. Conclusions: Although the majority of services supplied some form of paraphernalia, most did not supply the full range. Further research is needed to establish the impact of this supply on blood-borne virus and bacterial infections and whether increased supply is warranted.
Evaluation of the pharmacokinetic interaction of midazolam with ursodeoxycholic acid, ketoconazole and dexamethasone by brain benzodiazepine receptor occupancy

Objectives To clarify whether alterations in midazolam pharmacokinetics resulting from changes in cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) activity lead to changes in its pharmacodynamic effects, benzodiazepine receptor occupancy was measured in the brain of rats after oral administration of midazolam.
Causal mechanisms underlying periventricular leukomalacia and cerebral palsy

Periventricula r leukomalacia is a major neuropathological substrate underlying most of the neurologic morbidity in cerebral palsy. Etiopathogenesis of periventricular leukomalacia is believed to be multifactorial, involving hypoxic-ischemic insults and inflammatory processes. While emphasis was previously placed on hypoxia/ische mia, epidemiological, clinical, experimental and other studies conducted over the last decade have provided evidence for an important role of infective/inf lammatory conditions and immune mediators in the pathogenesis of periventricul ar leukomalacia. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1b) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) are overexpressed in affected brains, and receptors for these cytokines are present on many inflammatory and neural cells in the white matter. These findings may be part of a wider network of cytokines, chemokines and other inflammatory factors. There is also evidence for interaction between infective/inflammatory conditions and ischemia/hypoxia as etiopathogenic factors in periventricular leukomalacia/cerebral palsy, as the former may enhance the effects of the latter. These developments in the understanding of the immune responses associated with perinatal brain damage, and the characterization of the implicated cellular and molecular mechanisms may have important implications for neuroprotection strategies aiming at prevention of periventricular leukomalacia and cerebral palsy.
Adiponectin and Insulin in Gray Seals during Suckling and Fasting: Relationship with Nutritional State and Body Mass during Nursing in Mothers and Pups

Animals that fast during breeding and/or development, such as phocids, must regulate energy balance carefully to maximize reproductive fitness and survival probability. Adiponectin, produced by adipose tissue, contributes to metabolic regulation by modulating sensitivity to insulin, increasing fatty acid oxidation by liver and muscle, and promoting adipogenesis and lipid storage in fat tissue. We tested the hypotheses that (1) circulating adiponectin, insulin, or relative adiponectin gene expression is related to nutritional state, body mass, and mass gain in wild gray seal pups; (2) plasma adiponectin or insulin is related to maternal lactation duration, body mass, percentage milk fat, or free fatty acid (FFA) concentration; and (3) plasma adiponectin and insulin are correlated with circulating FFA in females and pups. In pups, plasma adiponectin decreased during suckling (linear mixed-effects model [LME]: T = 4.49; P < 0.001) and the early postweaning fast (LME: T = 3.39; P = 0.004). In contrast, their blubber adiponectin gene expression was higher during the early postweaning fast than early in suckling (LME: T = 2.11; P = 0.046). Insulin levels were significantly higher in early (LME: T = 3.52; P = 0.004) and late (LME: T = 6.99; P < 0.001) suckling than in fasting and, given the effect of nutritional state, were also positively related to body mass (LME: T = 3.58; P = 0.004). Adiponectin and insulin levels did not change during lactation and were unrelated to milk FFA or percentage milk fat in adult females. Our data suggest that adiponectin, in conjunction with insulin, may facilitate fat storage in seals and is likely to be particularly important in the development of blubber reserves in pups.
Multimodal analysis of in vivo resorbable CaP bone substitutes by combining histology, SEM, and microcomputed tomography data.

This study introduced and demonstrated a new method to investigate the repair process of bone defects using micro- and macroporous beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) substitutes. Specifically, the new method combined and aligned histology, SEM, and preimplantation microcomputed tomography (mCT) data to accurately characterize tissue phases found in biopsies, and thus better understand the bone repair process. The results included (a) the exact fraction of ceramic remnants (CR); (b) the fraction of ceramic resorbed and substituted by bone (CSB); and (c) the fraction of ceramic resorbed and not substituted by bone (CNSB). The new method allowed in particular the detection and quantification of mineralized tissues within the 1-10 µm micropores of the ceramic ("micro-bone"). The utility of the new method was demonstrated by applying it on biopsies of two β-tricalcium phosphate bone substitute groups with two differing macropore sizes implanted in an ovine model for 6 weeks. The total bone deposition and ceramic resorption of the two substitute groups, having macropore sizes of 510 and 1220 μm, were 25.1 ± 8.1% and 67.5 ± 3.2%, and 24.4 ± 4.1% and 61.4 ± 6.5% for the group having the larger pore size. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1567-1577, 2018.
Intraspecific Niche Variation Drives Abundance-Occupancy Relationships in Freshwater Fish Communities

A positive relationship between occupancy and average local abundance of species is found in a variety of taxa, yet the mechanisms driving this association between abundance and occupancy are still enigmatic. Here we show that freshwater fishes exhibit a positive abundance-occupancy relationship across 125 Swedish lakes. For a subset of 9 species from 11 lakes, we estimated species-specific diet breadth from stable isotopes, within-lake habitat breadth from catch data for littoral and pelagic nets, adaptive potential from genetic diversity, abiotic niche position, and dispersal capacity. Average local abundance was mainly positively associated with both within-lake habitat and diet breadth, that is, species with larger intraspecific variation in niche space had higher abundances. No measure was a good predictor of occupancy, indicating that occupancy may be more directly related to abundance or abiotic conditions than to niche breadth per se. This study suggests a link between intraspecific niche variation and a positive abundance-occupancy relationship and implies that management of freshwater fish communities, whether to conserve threatened or control invasive species, should initially be aimed at niche processes.
Standing surgical treatment of spiral longitudinal metacarpal and metatarsal condylar fractures in 4 horses

Condylar fractures are common injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses (Bassage and Richardson 1998) as a result of the stress accumulation in this area during high-speed exercise (Riggs and Boyde 1999; Riggs et al. 1999). The forelimb is affected more frequently than the hindlimb, and the lateral condyle more frequently than the medial (Martin 2000). Condylar fractures have been classified into 4 main groups (Rick et al. 1983); incomplete and complete nondisplaced fractures, complete displaced and spiral longitudinal fractures (also referred to as diaphyseal fractures). Spiral longitudinal fractures are long, incomplete and progress into the diaphysis, often in a spiralling configuration (Fig 1). The medial condyle is involved more commonly than the lateral condyle (Barr et al. 1989; Ellis 1994). General anaesthesia and surgical repair with AO/ASIF cortical screws placed in lag fashion is the treatment of choice for complete displaced and spiral longitudinal fractures (Richardson 1998, 1999). A special recovery system is recommended in the spiral longitudinal fracture in order to avoid a catastrophic fracture during recovery from general anaesthesia (Bassage and Richardson 1998; Richardson 1999). The purpose of this report is to evaluate an alternative surgical technique, performed on a standing, heavily sedated horse, thereby circumventing the post anaesthetic recovery period.
β‐Elemene induces apoptosis as well as protective autophagy in human non‐small‐cell lung cancer A549 cells

Objectives β‐Elemene, a novel traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to be effective against a wide range of tumours. In this study, the antitumour effect of β‐elemene on human non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 cells and the mechanism involved have been investigated.