Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Faecal and serum levels of eosinophil cationic protein in a healthy paediatric population

Background. Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) has been regarded as an excellent marker of eosinophil activation in various diseases where eosinophil‐mediated inflammation plays a role. Recently, it has been suggested as a faecal marker of intestinal inflammation in several immune‐mediated diseases with gastrointestinal expression. Owing to the scarcity of information at paediatric age, the establishment of reference values is necessary before further clinical studies. Objective. To determine faecal and serum ECP levels in healthy children and their association with other biological parameters, thereby providing background additional validation data for this age group. Methods. Faecal and serum ECP levels were available from healthy Caucasian children recruited at a regular outpatient clinic. Exclusion criteria were: chronic illnesses, acute illness, mucosal bleeding and recent pharmacological medication. Faecal and serum ECP levels and faecal α1AT were determined by commercial radioimmunoassay and serum IgE by fluoroenzyme immunoassay Uni‐CAP. Results. Mean and median faecal ECP levels were 1.93 µg/g and 1.20 µg/g, respectively (range 0.41–22.20), while the corresponding serum ECP levels were 13.50 µg/L and 9.54 µg/L, respectively (range 0.20–74.8). The cut‐offs found were 2.80 µg/g and 16.89 µg/L for faecal and serum ECP, respectively. A significant (p = 0.001) increase in serum, but not in faecal, ECP levels was found among patients with high peripheral eosinophil blood count. Neither faecal nor serum ECP levels were influenced by serum IgE levels. Conclusions. Faecal and serum ECP levels, as determined in the present study, add background information concerning reference levels at paediatric age for further studies in different clinical settings.
Self-reported injury and physical activity levels: United States 2000 to 2002.

PURPOSE The aim of the study is to compare national estimates of the incidence of self-reported all-cause and activity-specific injuries in adults with differing leisure-time physical activity levels. METHODS Data were analyzed from the 2000 to 2002 National Health Interview Survey. Leisure-time physical activity levels were categorized as active, insufficiently active, and inactive. RESULTS Age-adjusted incidences of all-cause injury did not differ by leisure-time physical activity level (active, 89.3/1000; 95% confidence interval [CI], 81.8-96.8; insufficiently active, 81.6/1000; 95% CI, 73.1-90.1; and inactive, 86.3/1000; 95% CI, 78.6-93.9). Active respondents (29.4/1000; 95% CI, 25.2-33.6) had a greater incidence of injury related to sport and leisure-time activities than inactive respondents (15.2/1000; 95% CI, 12.1-18.3), whereas inactive respondents (71.1/1000; 95% CI, 63.9-78.2) had a greater incidence of injury related to nonsport and non-leisure-time activities than active respondents (59.9/1000; 95% CI, 53.6-66.2). Results were unchanged after multivariate control for confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS Although the incidence of sport and leisure-time injuries is associated with participation in leisure-time physical activity, no association was observed between leisure-time physical activity and overall injuries.
KNOWLEDGE , ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF WOMEN TOWARDS FAMILY PLANNING METHODS IN TAFILA-JORDAN

Objective: To assess women’s knowledge, practice, and attitude towards family planning methods, and the factors that could affect their use. Methods: A total of 600 married women (44-60 years.) from Tafila city in the south of Jordan were interviewed and they filled a semi structured interview form consisting of demographic data, questions related to knowledge, attitude and practice of different contraception methods and factors affecting the use of these methods. Results: About 88% of women had used contraception at some time. About 67% of women showed positive attitude towards using a contraceptive method that was approved by the husband. In contrast, 23% showed negative attitudes towards using a contraceptive. 38% were using contraception at the time of the study. Five hundred and sixty (93%) women showed considerable knowledge about different methods of contraception. Intrauterine contraceptive devices were the most commonly used (38%), followed by coitus interruptus (16%) and safe period (14%), respectively. The intrauterine contraceptive device was found to be preferable by the younger, less educated women and those having two children, the reverse was true for oral contraceptive pills, and the cause of stopping contraception was to become pregnant. The reason for using contraception was for spacing between births. The mean duration of use was 2.89+1.44 years. Around two thirds of women got their contraceptive means from family planning centers. Conclusion: Women in Tafila city have considerable knowledge and positive attitudes towards contraception
Detecting genetic drift versus selection in human evolution

Recent paleoanthropological discoveries reveal a diverse, potentially speciose human fossil record. Such extensive morphological diversity results from the action of divergent evolutionary forces on an evolving lineage. Here, we apply quantitative evolutionary theory to test whether random evolutionary processes alone can explain the morphological diversity seen among fossil australopith and early Homo crania from the Plio–Pleistocene. We show that although selection may have played an important role in diversifying hominin facial morphology in the late Pliocene, this is not the case during the early evolution of the genus Homo, where genetic drift was probably the primary force responsible for facial diversification.
Cell cycle progression in glioblastoma cells is unaffected by pathophysiological levels of hypoxia

Hypoxia is associated with the increased malignancy of a broad range of solid tumours. While very severe hypoxia has been widely shown to induce cell cycle arrest, the impact of pathophysiological hypoxia on tumour cell proliferation is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different oxygen levels on glioblastoma (GBM) cell proliferation and survival. GBM is an extremely aggressive brain tumour with a heterogeneous oxygenation pattern. The effects of a range of oxygen tensions on GBM cell lines and primary cells were assessed using flow cytometry. Results indicate that cell cycle distribution and viability are unaffected by long term exposure (24–96 h) to pathophysiological levels of oxygen (1–8% O2). Both transient cell cycle arrest and small amounts of cell death could only be detected when cells were exposed to severe hypoxia (0.1% O2). No significant changes in p21 protein expression levels were detected. These findings reinforce the importance of using physiologically relevant oxygen tensions when investigating tumour hypoxia, and help to explain how solid tumours can be both hypoxic and highly proliferative, as is the case with GBM.
Mast Cells and Neutrophils Release IL-17 through Extracellular Trap Formation in Psoriasis

IL-17 and IL-23 are known to be absolutely central to psoriasis pathogenesis because drugs targeting either cytokine are highly effective treatments for this disease. The efficacy of these drugs has been attributed to blocking the function of IL-17–producing T cells and their IL-23–induced expansion. However, we demonstrate that mast cells and neutrophils, not T cells, are the predominant cell types that contain IL-17 in human skin. IL-17+ mast cells and neutrophils are found at higher densities than IL-17+ T cells in psoriasis lesions and frequently release IL-17 in the process of forming specialized structures called extracellular traps. Furthermore, we find that IL-23 and IL-1β can induce mast cell extracellular trap formation and degranulation of human mast cells. Release of IL-17 from innate immune cells may be central to the pathogenesis of psoriasis, representing a fundamental mechanism by which the IL-23–IL-17 axis mediates host defense and autoimmunity.
Molecular Epidemiology of a Cluster of Cases Due toKlebsiella pneumoniae Producing SHV-5 Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase in the Premature Intensive Care Unit of a Hungarian Hospital

ABSTRACT Fifteen nosocomial cases of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae occurred among 132 neonates in a premature intensive care unit in Hungary in June through November 1998. Fourteen strains were indistinguishable by molecular biological typing and harbored the same single conjugative extended-spectrum β-lactamase-encoding plasmid that was spontaneously found in a Serratia marcescens strain in the same patient.
Botulinum Toxin in Upper Limb Spasticity After Acquired Brain Injury: A Randomized Trial Comparing Dilution Techniques

Francisco GE, Boake C, Vaughn A: Botulinum toxin in upper limb spasticity after acquired brain injury: A randomized trial comparing dilution techniques. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2002;81:355–363. Objective To compare the efficacy of two different volume preparations of the same dose of botulinum toxin-A in relieving spasticity in wrist and finger flexors secondary to acquired brain injury. Design Thirteen adult patients who had modified Ashworth scale scores of 3 for both wrist and finger flexors were included in this randomized, controlled trial. Wrist and finger flexors were each injected. Blinded modified Ashworth scale ratings of wrist and finger flexor spasticity were measured. Results Spasticity in both muscles decreased significantly in both treatment groups. However, the high-volume and low-volume groups did not differ significantly in spasticity reduction. Conclusions Because this preliminary study found no difference in spasticity reduction between high- and low-volume preparations of a 60-unit dose of botulinum toxin-A, a larger-sample study seems warranted to compare the efficacy of high-volume and low-volume preparations.
Temporal Relationship of Viral Load, Ribavirin, Interleukin (IL)—6, IL-8, and Clinical Progression in Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Abstract Although viral replication and overwhelming immune responses are believed to contribute to the progression of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), little is known about the temporal relationship between viral load, ribavirin, proinflammatory cytokines, and clinical progression. We report that ribavirin was not effective in reducing the SARS coronavirus load in 3 of 8 probable cases studied and that elevated levels of interleukin (IL)—6 and IL-8 subsequent to the peak viral load were found in 8 and 6 cases, respectively. The nadir lymphocyte count during lymphopenia, the peak level of lactate dehydrogenase, and the peak density of pulmonary infiltrates lag further behind the peak viral load by a median of 4, 5, and 3.5 days, respectively. These findings provide important information for therapeutic strategies to treat SARS.
Cell wall assembly in Bacillus megaterium: incorporation of new peptidoglycan by a monomer addition process

The pattern of cross-linking in the peptidoglycan of Bacillus megaterium has been studied by the pulsed addition of radiolabeled diaminopimelic acid. The distribution of label in muropeptides, generated by digestion with Chalaropsis muramidase and separated by high-performance liquid chromatography, stabilized after 0.15 of a generation time. The proportion of label in the acceptor and donor positions of isolated muropeptide dimers stabilized over the same period of time. The results have led to the formulation a new model for the assembly of peptidoglycan into the cylindrical wall of B. megaterium by a monomer addition process. Single nascent glycan peptide strands form cross-linkages only with material at the inner surface of the wall. Maturation is a direct consequence of subsequent incorporation of further new glycan peptide strands, and there is no secondary cross-linking process. The initial distribution of muropeptides is constant. It follows that the final pattern of cross-linking in the wall is determined solely by, and can be forecast from, this repetitive pattern of incorporation. In a modified form, this model can also be applied to assembly of cell walls in rod-shaped gram-negative bacteria.
Intercomparison of shortwave radiative transfer schemes in global aerosol modeling: results from the AeroCom Radiative Transfer Experiment

In this study we examine the performance of 31 global model radiative transfer schemes in cloud-free conditions with prescribed gaseous absorbers and no aerosols (Rayleigh atmosphere), with prescribed scattering-only aerosols, and with more absorbing aerosols. Results are compared to benchmark results from high-resolution, multi-angular line-by-line radiation models. For purely scattering aerosols, model bias relative to the line-by-line models in the top-of-the atmosphere aerosol radiative forcing ranges from roughly −10 to 20%, with over- and underestimates of radiative cooling at lower and higher solar zenith angle, respectively. Inter-model diversity (relative standard deviation) increases from ~10 to 15% as solar zenith angle decreases. Inter-model diversity in atmospheric and surface forcing decreases with increased aerosol absorption, indicating that the treatment of multiple-scattering is more variable than aerosol absorption in the models considered. Aerosol radiative forcing results from multi-stream models are generally in better agreement with the line-by-line results than the simpler two-stream schemes. Considering radiative fluxes, model performance is generally the same or slightly better than results from previous radiation scheme intercomparisons. However, the inter-model diversity in aerosol radiative forcing remains large, primarily as a result of the treatment of multiple-scattering. Results indicate that global models that estimate aerosol radiative forcing with two-stream radiation schemes may be subject to persistent biases introduced by these schemes, particularly for regional aerosol forcing.
Dynamic Radio Resource Management for OFDMA-Based Relay Enhanced Cellular Network

Relay technology is one of the technologies that will enhance user experience in the next generation cellular networks. One of the goals (and characteristics) of successful cellular network design is availability of services to all subscribed users irrespective of their location. Designing a good Radio Resource Management (RRM) is essential in achieving that goal. In this paper we propose a dynamic resource partitioning in the OFDMA-based Relay Enhanced Networks. We study performance of the proposed RRM scheme with fairness and maximum throughput objectives and show that it has superior performance in comparison with conventional RRM schemes.
Smoking and lung cancer.

It could be argued that the armamentarium of the chronic disease epidemiologist was forged in the heat of the controversy over the relationship between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. The methods used in the midcentury studies that fueled the debate, case-control and cohort studies, were soon to be used to study the causes of cardiovascular disease, and later a variety of noncommunicable diseases. They also had some noteworthy antecedents, including informal case-control studies of the association between syphilis and cancer 1,2 and a formal multicenter case-control study of cancer in relation to a variety of risk factors. 3 The latter study is worth resurrecting, for although it was too early to show an effect for cigarette smoking, as distinct from other tobacco use, it was the first analytic study to demonstrate the protective effect of eating vegetables. See also p 2609. But it was the reaction to the postwar studies
Surgical Treatment of Failed Back Surgery Syndrome due to Sagittal Imbalance

Study Design. Retrospective study of consecutive patient series. Objective. To review the etiology of failed back surgery syndrome due to sagittal imbalance and radiographic and clinical results of surgical treatment of these patients who were treated with combined anterior and posterior arthrodesis. Summary of Background Data. Sagittal imbalance after spinal fusion surgery may be a major source of pain and disability. Preventing iatrogenic sagittal imbalance should be a key objective during spinal fusion surgery. Methods. Retrospective review of revision spine surgery due to sagittal imbalance treated with combined anterior and posterior spinal arthrodesis in the 19 patients. Outcome variables included radiographic measures of preoperative, postoperative, and follow-up films, and a clinical assessment using the Verbal Analogue Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index, Macnab criteria, Satisfactory Index Instrument, and a review of postoperative complications. Results. Mean age was 62 years (range, 49–74 years), and mean follow-up was 31 months (range, 24–37 months) for clinical and radiographic outcome variables. The mean preoperative sagittal imbalance was 116 (±65) mm, which improved to 32 mm (±29) after surgery. Mean lumbar lordosis was 15° (±20°) before surgery, and increased to 38° (±13°) at follow-up, an increase of 23°. The mean VAS improved from 7.2 (back pain), 6.8 (leg pain) before the surgery to 3 (back pain), 3.2 (leg pain) after the surgery (P < 0.0001). The mean Oswestry Disability Index scores improved from 62 (±11) before the surgery to 36 (±12) after the surgery (P < 0.0001). Excellent or good outcome was demonstrated in 16 patients (84.2%). Conclusion. Most common causes of revision spine surgery due to sagittal imbalance were failure to enhance lumbar lordosis and adjacent disc degeneration after lumbar fusion surgery. These patients were effectively treated with a combined anterior and posterior arthrodesis. Following these surgical treatment, sagittal balance was generally improved with fair-to-good clinical outcomes, high patient satisfaction, and low perioperative complication rates.
Transparent business practices in leading companies in Argentina : current situation and trends ∗

Latin America is a complex region when it comes to dealing with compliance and transparent business practices, high corruption levels being the most critical problem. Year after year, Transparency International’s Corruption Index lists almost all Latin American countries in the category of “rampant corruption” and in last year’s ranking only Chile, Uruguay and Costa Rica were the exception to this rule. Argentina ranks 106 among 180 countries with an indicator of 2.9 (any indicator below 5 belongs to the “rampant corruption” category). Regardless of whether this index -which is based on perceptions-, is accurate and precise, the gap that exists between Argentina and less corrupt countries is huge and most worrisome is the fact that this gap is not only not narrowing but has remained stable over the years. In the meantime globalization trends in business have led to a dissemination and homogenization of formal processes transforming the pace of change in business practices at many levels, leading to innovations that would have previously demanded a longer time framework and would have certainly remained confined, at least in the first stages, to the realm of highly industrialized, developed countries. This situation has thus opened up a new scenario where old assumptions about the speed of transformation and innovation must be left aside and the pace of changes regarded under a new light.
Occupational exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and cancer risk

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of chemicals characterized by a long-term persistence and diffusion in the environment, and by bioaccumulation through the food chain. The highest exposures occurred in occupational cohorts through inhalation or skin absorption in work environments. These cohorts can therefore provide important information on health risk from exposure to PCBs in the general population. To provide comprehensive evidence on cancer risk from PCB exposure, we have thus reviewed the epidemiological studies on workers occupationally exposed to PCBs. Overall, no excess for all cancer mortality was observed in the six studies providing information (573 cancer deaths versus 630.4 expected, corresponding to a standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of 91). Among neoplasms potentially related to PCB exposure, there were 12 deaths from liver cancer compared with 9.5 expected (SMR=126). No excess was found for cancers of the breast (40 observed versus 47.4 expected, SMR=84) and of the lymphatic and haematopoietic system (51 observed versus 53.2 expected, SMR=96). Therefore, studies on occupational exposure to PCBs do not show any excess in all cancer mortality, or in mortality for specific cancer sites of interest.
[Pulmonary embolism by cyanoacrylate following embolisation of an arteriovenous malformation].

INTRODUCTION Symptomatic complications can occur after intravascular injection of cyanoacrylate glue. We report a case of pulmonary embolism following embolisation of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). CASE REPORT A 46-year-old woman was found to have an internal iliac AVM which was obliterated using N-butyl-2 cyanoacrylate (NBCA) mixed with lipiodol. The early clinical course was uneventful. On the third post-operative day she complained of sudden, transient chest tightness. On admission one hour later the chest pain had disappeared. Physical examination was normal. A chest roentgenogram showed multiple, dense, branched opacities scattered throughout both lung fields which were confirmed on HRCT, suggesting diffuse scattered embolism of iodine- labelled NBCA. The radiological signs persisted 6 months later. CONCLUSION Endovascular treatment of arteriovenous malformations with NBCA can be responsible for symptomatic pulmonary embolism. This is not detectable radiologically in the absence of contrast medium. Radiologists should be aware of these often asymptomatic, but sometimes fatal, embolic complications.