Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-term course and consequences of Helicobacter pylori gastritis. Results of a 32-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND The long-term course of Helicobacter pylori gastritis is not well known because there are few follow-up studies available, and the follow-up time has been short. METHODS The progression of H. pylori infection and chronic gastritis was retrospectively examined in 102 patients followed up for 32 years. In all patients a blind suction biopsy from the corpus mucosa was taken in 1952, and an endoscopic re-examination with biopsy specimens from the antrum and corpus was performed in 1983. RESULTS In the first examination 85 patients (83%) were H. pylori-positive as assessed from Giemsa-stained corpus mucosa specimens as compared with 70 H. pylori-positive patients (69%) at the end of the follow-up (1983). Two of the 17 patients who were initially H. pylori-negative became positive in 1983, implying an infection rate of 0.4% per patient-year. On the other hand, 17 of the 85 patients who were initially H. pylori-positive became negative in 1983, representing a disappearance rate of 0.6%. However, the stomach became completely normal in only eight cases, which represents a healing rate of 0.3% per patient-year. All patients with duodenal ulcer disease were H. pylori-positive at the first examination and remained so during the follow-up. In these patients chronic gastritis affected predominantly the antral mucosa, and corpus atrophy did not develop. Parietal cell antibodies appeared during the follow-up in six cases, and five of them were H. pylori-positive at the first examination. In most of these cases gastritis progressed into severe grades of corpus atrophy accompanied by the disappearance of H. pylori infection and normalization of the antral mucosa. CONCLUSIONS New H. pylori infection and complete healing of infected mucosa may occur in adult life, but this is rare. Duodenal ulcer disease is associated with persistent H. pylori infection and absence of corpus atrophy. The appearance of parietal cell antibodies leads to progression of corpus atrophy and disappearance of H. pylori.
Probable Alzheimer's Disease Patients Presenting as “Focal Temporal Lobe Dysfunction” Show a Slow Rate of Cognitive Decline

Abstract Several authors have recently shown that anterograde amnesia is often associated with semantic memory impairment in amnesic MCI patients. Similarly, after the MCI condition, some patients who convert to Alzheimer's disease (AD) show the classic onset (cAD) characterized by the impairment of memory and executive functions, whereas other AD patients show isolated defects of episodic and semantic memory without deficits in other cognitive domains. The latter have been considered an AD variant characterized by ‘focal Temporal Lobe Dysfunction’ (TLD). The aim of the present study was to assess the differences in disease progression between cAD and TLD. For this purpose a continuous series of newly diagnosed probable AD patients presenting as cAD (n = 30) and TLD (n = 25), matched for severity, and 65 healthy controls underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation at baseline; TLD and cAD were re-evaluated at a 24-month follow-up. At follow-up, TLD patients showed no significant worsening of cognitive functions, whereas cAD subjects displayed a significant worsening in all explored cognitive domains. In conclusion, our results confirm that probable AD presenting as TLD represents a specific onset of AD characterized by a slower rate of progression. (JINS, 2012, 18, 144–150)
Impact of oligon central venous catheters on catheter colonization and catheter-related bloodstream infection

ObjectiveTo evaluate a new antimicrobial treatment for central venous catheters in comparison with a traditional treatment, by assessing the catheter colonization and catheter-related bloodstream infection rates in two groups of patients. DesignMultiple-center, prospective randomized study. SettingThe medical and surgical departments of ten institutions. PatientsPatients requiring a central venous catheter for medical or surgical pathologies between June 2000 and November 2001. InterventionsPatients in the control group received a conventional benzalkonium-treated double-lumen central venous catheter, while patients in the oligon group received an oligon-treated (polyurethane combined with silver, carbon, and platinum) catheter with the same characteristics. Data collection included demographics, preexisting clinical conditions, main pathology, catheter insertion, and management data. Catheter colonization was defined as the growth of ≥15 colony-forming units in culture of catheter segments by the roll-plate method, or ≥1000 colony-forming units for the sonication method, and catheter-related bloodstream infection was defined as isolation of the same organism from the colonized catheter and from the peripheral blood of a patient with clinical signs of bloodstream infection. Measurements and Main ResultsData were obtained from 545 catheters. Of these, 132 catheters (24.2%) were positive for colonization. Patients in the oligon group demonstrated a lower risk for catheter colonization in the overall population (relative risk, 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.46–0.86;p = .003) and in the surgical subgroup (relative risk, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.33–0.76;p = .001). Significant differences between groups were detected for coagulase-negative staphylococci and Gram-negative bacilli colonization rates. Twenty-one patients (3.8%) were positive for catheter-related bloodstream infection, without significant differences between control and oligon groups. ConclusionsOligon treatment is effective in limiting the catheter colonization rate. Due to the limited amount of events, this study lacked the power to detect significant differences in terms of catheter-related bloodstream infection rate.
Functional Diversity of Silencers in Budding Yeasts

ABSTRACT We studied the silencing of the cryptic mating-type loci HMLα and HMRa in the budding yeast Kluyveromyces lactis. A 102-bp minimal silencer fragment was defined that was both necessary and sufficient for silencing of HMLα. Mutagenesis of the silencer revealed three distinct regions (A, B, and C) that were important for silencing. Recombinant K. lactis ribosomal DNA enhancer binding protein 1 (Reb1p) could bind the silencer in vitro, and point mutations in the B box abolished both Reb1p binding and silencer function. Furthermore, strains carrying temperature-sensitive alleles of the REB1 gene derepressed the transcription of the HMLα1 gene at the nonpermissive temperature. A functional silencer element from the K. lactis cryptic HMRa locus was also identified, which contained both Reb1p binding sites and A boxes, strongly suggesting a general role for these sequences in K. lactis silencing. Our data indicate that different proteins bind to Kluyveromyces silencers than to Saccharomyces silencers. We suggest that the evolution of silencers is rapid in budding yeasts and discuss the similarities and differences between silencers in Saccharomyces and Kluyveromyces.
Robust Adaptive Coverage Control for Robotic Sensor Networks

This paper presents a distributed control algorithm to drive a group of robots to spread out over an environment and provide adaptive sensor coverage of that environment. The robots use an online learning mechanism to estimate the areas in the environment that require more concentrated sensor coverage, while simultaneously providing this coverage. The algorithm differs from previous approaches in that both provable robustness is emphasized in the learning mechanism, and decentralization over a communication network is emphasized in the control. To achieve a provable bound on the learning error, the robots explore the environment to gather sufficient data. They then switch to a Voronoi-based coverage controller to position themselves for sensing. Robots coordinate their learning, control, and mode switching in a fully distributed fashion over their mesh network. It is proved that the robots approximate the weighting function with a known bounded error, and that they converge to locations that are locally optimal for sensing. Simulations and multiple experiments with six iRobot Create robots are presented to illustrate the performance of the method.
Satellite Measurements Reveal Persistent Small-Scale Features in Ocean Winds

Four-year averages of 25-kilometer-resolution measurements of near-surface wind speed and direction over the global ocean from the QuikSCAT satellite radar scatterometer reveal the existence of surprisingly persistent small-scale features in the dynamically and thermodynamically important curl and divergence of the wind stress. Air-sea interaction over sea surface temperature fronts throughout the world ocean is evident in both the curl and divergence fields, as are the influences of islands and coastal mountains. Ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream generate distinctive patterns in the curl field. These previously unresolved features have important implications for oceanographic and air-sea interaction research.
A Monolithic High-Flow Knudsen Pump Using Vertical Al2O3 Channels in SOI

This paper describes the analysis, design, and microfabrication of a Knudsen pump for high flow generation. The Knudsen pump generates gas streams from the cold end to the hot end using free-molecular flow without moving parts. The designed Knudsen pump has densely arrayed vertically oriented 2-μm wide rectangular channels for providing high flow. The temperature gradient is provided between a thin-film metal heater and a gridded Si heat sink in the Knudsen pump structure. The Knudsen pump is fabricated on a single silicon-on-insulator wafer using a four-mask lithographic process. The sidewalls of the rectangular channels are constructed by atomic layer deposition of Al2O3 on sacrificial Si channels and subsequent Si etching. The fabricated Knudsen pumps have designed footprints ranging from 0.4-3.2 cm2. At atmospheric pressure, the fabricated Knudsen pumps provide a maximum measured air flow rate of >200 sccm with response time of <;0.5 s. Experimental results have also shown that these Knudsen pumps are most suitable for pumping at moderate vacuum pressure of ≈200 Torr (27 kPa).
Raised interleukin-13 levels in cord blood increases the risk of allergic sensitization at 5 years of age.

The identification of early markers of atopy in cord blood of newborns at delivery may offer prediction of future allergic sensitization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between cord blood interleukin-13 (IL-13) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and development of allergic diseases during the first five years of life. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected at the time of delivery from 62 newborns. The families of these newborns were asked to complete a questionnaire about age and education of parents, number of siblings, allergic diseases in family members, cigarette exposure during pregnancy and presence of pets in their house. The same subjects were evaluated when they were five years old. Venous blood samples were drawn and epidermal skin prick tests were performed. IL-13 and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels were studied from the blood samples which were taken during birth and five years later. There was no significant relationship between gender, type of delivery, educational levels of parents, exposure to cigarette smoke, atopy in parents, presence of pets in the house and IL-13 and IFN-γ levels in cord blood and at five years. Higher levels of IL-13 in newborns and five years olds, were found significantly related to skin prick test positivity (p=0.004 and p<0.0001, respectively) and presence of allergic diseases (p= 0.008 and p= 0.001, respectively). Levels of IFN-γ, both in cord blood and five years after, were not related with the future of allergic status of children. Higher levels of IL-13 in cord blood may be a predictor of future development of allergic sensitization.
Psychoneuroimmunology--mind-brain-immune interactions.

April 2004, Vol. 94, No. 4 SAMJ Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is the study of interactions between psychological, neuroendocrine and immune processes under basal, disease and therapeutic conditions. It expands the understanding of disease, recognising that psychological phenomena and social context can influence the aetiology and progression of and recovery from illness. While debate continues regarding the way in which intangible mental processes and identifiable physiological ones interact, there can be little argument that these psychological processes require an evolved nervous system, with certain neural networks — identified through imaging studies and neurological disease affecting the mind — related to mental and emotional functions. The extension of the mind/brain relationship to include the immune system is predicated on the presence of multiple neuropeptides and their receptors in cells of the immune system, where they are produced and expressed de novo with high sequence homology to their neuroendocrine relatives, as well as structural links between lymphoid organs and noradrenergic and peptidergic nerve fibres. Furthermore many immunopeptides and their receptors are produced de novo in discrete regions of the brain, most specifically the limbichypothalamic axis, where they may exert a neuromodulatory effect. The functionality of the immune-brain-behavioural pathway has been well described during the acute phase or sickness response. The acute behavioural and physiological changes that regularly accompany infectious illness include, for example, fever, depression, social withdrawal, increased desire for sleep, decreased interest in food and perceptual changes. As part of the immune response to infection, interleukin-1 (IL-1) acts on IL-1 receptors in the vagus nerve and in the brain to mediate such sickness behaviours. The neuroendocrine and immune systems share a common molecular language which serves to integrate the two systems primarily involved in systemic homeostasis, providing a network of communication between ‘mind’, brain and body. Because the central nervous system (CNS) and immune systems are central to homeostasis, it is implicit that functional neuroendocrine-immune interactions are constantly established. Further, changes in immunity often give rise to disease, implying that the immune system, and by extension the psychoneuroimmune network, operates at a diffuse border between physiological and pathophysiological processes. This forms a basis on which psychosocial phenomena and interventions may influence disease, immunity and health.
The Relationship Between Postdeployment Factors and PTSD Severity in Recent Combat Veterans

Combat traumas precipitate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, nontraumatic deployment and postdeployment factors may also contribute to PTSD severity. The Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory (DRRI) was used to investigate pre-, peri-, and postdeployment factors associated with current PTSD severity in 150 recent combat veterans with PTSD and hazardous alcohol use. Hierarchal linear regression analyzed what factors independently predicted PTSD severity when controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and combat specific variables. Four postdeployment factors independently predicted PTSD severity: unemployment, alcohol use, social support, and stressful (nontraumatic) life events. The centrality of trauma in the maintenance of PTSD and clinical implications for treatment providers are discussed.
Deteriorating Stroke: Diagnostic Criteria, Predictors, Mechanisms and Treatment

Neurological deterioration in the hours following the onset of stroke is not rare. Depending on the diagnostic criteria and the time from onset of symptoms to the first evaluation, neurological deterioration has been reported in 26–43% of cerebral infarcts (CI) [1–8], and 33–51% of intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH) [9, 10]. In both types of stroke, neurological deterioration is associated with increased mortality and morbidity [3, 5, 6, 8, 11]. Early detection and prediction of neurological deterioration, identification of the responsible mechanisms and their correction, are the basis of an effective therapy.
Adverse immunological effects and autoimmunity induced by dental amalgam and alloy in mice

Dental amalgam fillings are the most important source of mercury exposure in the general population, but their potential to cause systemic health consequences is disputed. In this study, inbred mice genetically susceptible to mercury‐induced immune aberrations were used to examine whether dental amalgam may interfere with the immune system and cause autoimmunity. Female SJL/N mice were implanted in the peritoneal cavity with 8‐100 mg silver amalgam or silver alloy for 10 weeks or 6 months. Chronic hyperimmunoglobulinemia, serum IgG autoantibodies targeting the nucleolar protein fibrillarin, and systemic immune‐complex deposits developed in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner after implantation of amalgam or alloy. Splenocytes from mice implanted with amalgam or alloy showed an increased expression of class II molecules. The functional capacity of splenic T and B cells was affected in a dose‐dependent way: 10 weeks of low‐dose and 6 months of high‐dose amalgam implantation strongly increased mitogen‐induced T and B cell proliferation, whereas 10 weeks of high‐dose implantation decreased the proliferation. Not only mercury but also silver accumulated in the spleen and kidneys after amalgam implantation. In conclusion, dental amalgam implantation in a physiological body milieu causes chronic stimulation of the immune system with induction of systemic autoimmunity in genetically sensitive mice. Implantation of silver alloy not containing mercury also induced autoimmunity, suggesting that other elements, especially silver, have the potential to induce autoimmunity in genetically susceptible vertebrates. Accumulation of heavy metals, from dental amalgam and other sources, may lower the threshold of an individual metal to elicit immunological aberrations. We hypothesize that under appropriate conditions of genetic susceptibility and adequate body burden, heavy metal exposure from dental amalgam may contribute to immunological aberrations, which could lead to overt autoimmunity. —Hultman, P., Johansson, U. , Turley, S. J., Lindh, U. , Enestrom, S. , Pollard, K. M. Adverse immunological effects and autoimmunity induced by dental amalgam and alloy in mice. FASEB J. 8, 1183‐1190 (1994)
Intracoronary nitroprusside in the prevention of the no-reflow phenomenon in acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND No-reflow phenomenon during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a predictive factor of continuous myocardial ischemia, ventricular remodeling and cardiac dysfunction, which is closely associated with a worse prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate intracoronary nitroprusside in the prevention of the no-reflow phenomenon in AMI. METHODS Ninety-two consecutive patients with AMI, who underwent primary PCI within 12 hours of onset, were randomly assigned to 2 groups: intracoronary administration of nitroprusside (group A, n = 46), intracoronary administration of nitroglycerin (group B, n = 46). The angiographic results were observed. The real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography (RT-MCE), including contrast score index (CSI), wall motion score index (WMSI), transmural contrast defect length (CDL) and serious WM abnormal length (WML) were recorded at 24 hours and 1 week post-PCI. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) was examined by immune rate nephelometry. N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was tested with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients were followed up for six months. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were recorded. RESULTS The incidence of final TIMI-3 flow in group A was much higher than that in Group B (P < 0.05), final corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC) in group A decreased significantly than that in group B (P < 0.01). The CSI, CDL/LV length, WMSI and WL/LV length in group A were significantly lower than that in group B (P < 0.01). Levels of Hs-CRP and NT-proBNP at 1 week post-PCI decreased significantly in group A than that in group B (P < 0.01). Patients were followed up for 6 months and the incidence of MACE in group A was significantly lower than that in group B (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Intracoronary nitroprusside can improve myocardial microcirculation, leading to the decrease of the incidence of no-reflow phenomenon and better prognosis.
Aminoglycoside Resistance in Gram-negative Bacilli

Aminoglycosides are one of the clinically relevant antibiotics. They kill bacteria by binding to bacterial 30S subunit of ribosome. Resistance to aminoglycosides occurs by three different mechanisms: 1. Production of an enzyme that modifies aminoglycosides, 2. Impaired entry of aminoglycoside into the cell by altering the OMP permeability, decreasing inner membrane transport, or active efflux, 3. The receptor protein on the 30S ribosomal subunit may be deleted or altered as a result of a mutation. By far, enzymatic modification has been the most important mechanism. In this review, the mechanisms of action and resistance, and the prevalence of resistance due to acquisition of enzymes are briefly described. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2009;12:57-61)
Titanium Silicide on Si:P With Precontact Amorphization Implantation Treatment: Contact Resistivity Approaching $1 \times 10^{-9}$ Ohm-cm2

In recent CMOS technology, extreme shrinking of contact area at source/drain regions raises serious concerns of high metal/semiconductor contact resistance. Confronting this problem, we introduce a precontact amorphization implantation plus Ti silicidation technique (PCAI + TiSi<sub>x</sub>) and achieve ultralow contact resistivity (ρ<sub>c</sub>) of (1.3 - 1.5) × 10<sup>-9</sup> Ω · cm<sup>2</sup> on Si:P. This PCAI + TiSi<sub>x</sub> technique utilizes light amorphization (low-energy implantation), thin Ti and TiSi<sub>x</sub> film, and moderate thermal budget (500°C-550°C): these features are compatible with modern CMOS manufacturing. Moreover, the PCAI + TiSi<sub>x</sub>-induced ρ<sub>c</sub> reduction is proved universal on both n- and p-Si. With additional characterizations, we find that the silicidation-induced ρ<sub>c</sub> variation is not merely a Schottky barrier height tuning effect. The electrical and physical characterizations suggest that the low ρ<sub>c</sub> is strongly correlated with the formation of interfacial TiSi<sub>x</sub> crystallites between amorphous TiSi alloy and Si.