Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Update on Clostridial Diseases/Abomasal Ulcers

Losses of calves in beef herds to Clostridial diseases continues to be a problem. In a large 1991 Colorado study 1 of 47 herds with 11,767 cows reported that two of the most common causes of calf mortality were enteric and sudden death diseases. Both of these entities are consistent with Clostridial disease. Unfortunately, less than 1% of the calves that died were ever presented to a diagnostic lab for confirmation of death and 99% was based on producer perception. A smaller study 2 conducted in 1992-93 of 15 beef herds in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska with 3,273 calves born attempted to at least get a better handle on the extent of Clostridial related disease. In this study, a total of 153 died (4.7%) with 93 calves dying between 48 hours and branding at about 2 months of age. All 93 calves were submitted for field necropsy and sample submission for confirmatory laboratory diagnosis. This was a cooperative effort involving 8 local veterinary practitioners who received uniform training and 2 state diagnostic laboratories. Causes of death were categorized into 1) abomasitis, 2) abomasal ulcer, 3) clostridial enteritis, 4) general enteritis, 5) respiratory/pneumonia, and 5) other causes of death. Samples were submitted to diagnostic labs in Colorado and Nebraska and the information assimilated into the same six categories reported by the practioners. field
Second Prize: Elastographic Measurements of in-Vivo Radiofrequency Ablation Lesions of the Kidney

Background and Purpose: Elastography may prove useful for monitoring radiofrequency ablative (RFA) therapy because heat-ablated tissues are more elastic than untreated tissues. Herein, we report our initial evaluations of the reliability of elastography for delineating thermal-lesion boundaries at the time of RFA of porcine kidneys. Materials and Methods: In-vivo RFA was performed on 20 kidneys from 10 40-kg female pigs. Elastography was performed at the time of surgery and after 48 hours. The imaging plane was perpendicular to the axis of the RF electrode so that the ablated region was around the center of the plane. Measurements of the sections representing the same image plane used for elastography were taken at pathologic examination and compared with the measurements obtained from the elastograms. Results: We found a statistically significant correlation between elastography and pathology measurements with respect to the area and volume estimates (r = 0.9302 and r = 0.953, respectively). Overall, ela.
Trichinella spiralis: changes in leucocytes during infection.

Rats infected with Trichinella spiralis were examined during the course of infection for various changes in the leucocytic population. In each experiment rats were divided into three groups: Group A, inoculated with Escherichia coli B-5-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administered four days before each experiment; Group B, infected with Trichinella spiralis; and Group C, untreated controls.An extensive leucocytosis was observed in the peripheral blood and peritoneal cavity of infected rats. Regardless of the site (peripheral blood, bone marrow, peritoneal cavity), the most obvious change was an increase in eosinophils. Differential counts of peritoneal exudate cells also revealed a significant population of macrophages. Acid phosphatase activity, macrophage phagocytosis of polystyrene latex particles, and macrophage spreading revealed that peritoneal exudate cells from T spiralis-infected rats are activated from 6 to 48 days postinfection.This paper serves to reinforce existing information on the changes and state of the various leucocytic populations during infection with T spiralis and aids in assessing the activity change of macrophages.
Dynamic Contrast–Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Dynamic contrast–enhanced (DCE) time-resolved magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a technique whereby the passage of an intravenous contrast bolus can be tracked through the pulmonary vascular system. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of DCE-MR pulmonary blood transit times in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Seventy-nine patients diagnosed with PAH underwent pulmonary DCE imaging at 1.5 T using a time-resolved three-dimensional spoiled gradient echo sequence. The prognostic significance of two DCE parameters, full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the first-pass clearance curve and pulmonary transit time (PTT), along with demographic and invasive catheter measurements, was evaluated by univariate and bivariate Cox proportional hazards regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. DCE-MR transit times were most closely correlated with cardiac index (CI) and pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRI) and were both found to be accurate for detecting reduced CI (FWHM area under the curve [AUC] at receiver operating characteristic analysis = 0.91 and PTT AUC = 0.92, respectively) and for detecting elevated PVRI (FWHM AUC = 0.88 and PTT AUC = 0.84, respectively). During the follow-up period, 25 patients died. Patients with longer measurements of FWHM (P = 0.0014) and PTT (P = 0.004) were associated with poor outcome at Kaplan-Meier analysis, and both parameters were strong predictors of adverse outcome from Cox proportional hazards analysis (P = 0.013 and 0.010, respectively). At bivariate analysis, DCE measurements predicted mortality independent of age, gender, and World Health Organization functional class; however, invasive hemodynamic indexes CI, PVRI, and DCE measurements were not independent of one another. In conclusion, DCE-MR transit times predict mortality in patients with PAH and are closely associated with clinical gold standards CI and PVRI.
Comparative analysis of germline and somatic microlesion mutational spectra in 17 human tumor suppressor genes

Mutations associated with tumorigenesis may either arise somatically or can be inherited through the germline. We performed a comparison of somatic, germline, shared (found in both soma and germline) and somatic recurrent mutational spectra for 17 human tumor suppressor genes, which focused upon missense single base‐pair substitutions and microdeletions/microinsertions. Somatic and germline mutational spectra were similar in relation to C.G>T.A transitions but differed with respect to the frequency of A.T>G.C, A.T>T.A, and C.G>A.T substitutions. Shared missense mutations were characterized by higher mutability rates, greater physicochemical differences between wild‐type and mutant residues, and a tendency to occur in evolutionarily conserved residues and within CpG/CpHpG oligonucleotides. Mononucleotide runs (≥4 bp) were identified as hotspots for shared microdeletions/microinsertions. Both germline and somatic microdeletions/microinsertions were found to be significantly overrepresented within the “indel‐hotspot” motif, GTAAGT. Using a naïve Bayes' classifier trained to discriminate between five missense mutation groups, 63% of mutations in our dataset were on average correctly recognized. Applying this classifier to an independent dataset of probable driver mutations, we concluded that ∼50% of these somatic missense mutations possess features consistent with their being either shared or recurrent, suggesting that a disproportionate number of such lesions are likely to be drivers of tumorigenesis. Hum Mutat 32:1–13, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High‐resolution analysis of alterations in medullary thyroid carcinoma genomes

Hereditary and sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) are closely associated with RET proto‐oncogene mutations. However, the role of additional changes in the tumor genomes remains unclear. Our objective was the identification of chromosomal regions involved in MTC tumorigenesis and to assess their significance by using MTC‐derived cell lines. We used array‐CGH (comparative genomic hybridization) to map chromosomal imbalances in 52 primary tumors and ten metastases. Eleven tumors (11/52, 21%) were hereditary and 41 (41/52, 79%) were sporadic. Among the latter, 15 tumors (15/41, 37%) harbored RET mutations. Furthermore, we characterized five MTC cell lines in detail and evaluated the tumorigenicity by severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)‐mouse experiments. Most MTCs had only few copy number changes, and losses of chromosomes 1p, 4q, 19p and 22q were observed most frequently. The number of chromosomal aberrations increased in metastases. Twenty‐three percent (12/52) of the primary tumors did not even show any chromosomal gains and losses. We injected three cell lines (two of these were without chromosomal changes and pathogenic RET mutations) into immune deficient SCID mice, and in each case, we observed rapid tumor growth at the injection sites. Our data suggest that MTCs—in contrast to most other tumor entities—do not acquire a multitude of genomic imbalances. SCID mouse experiments performed with chromosomally normal cell lines and without RET mutations suggest that presently unknown submicroscopic genomic changes are sufficient in MTC tumorigenesis.
Post‐natal knockout of prion protein alters hippocampal CA1 properties, but does not result in neurodegeneration

Prion protein (PrP) plays a crucial role in prion disease, but its physiological function remains unclear Mice with gene deletions restricted to the coding region of PrP have only minor phenotypic deficits, but are resistant to prion disease We generated double transgenic mice using the Cre–loxP system to examine the effects of PrP depletion on neuronal survival and function in adult brain Cre‐mediated ablation of PrP in neurons occurred after 9 weeks We found that the mice remained healthy without evidence of neurodegeneration or other histopathological changes for up to 15 months post‐knockout However, on neurophysiological evaluation, they showed significant reduction of afterhyperpolarization potentials (AHPs) in hippocampal CA1 cells, suggesting a direct role for PrP in the modulation of neuronal excitability These data provide new insights into PrP function Furthermore, they show that acute depletion of PrP does not affect neuronal survival in this model, ruling out loss of PrP function as a pathogenic mechanism in prion disease and validating therapeutic approaches targeting PrP.
The in-between world of knowledge brokering

> “The mere knowledge of a fact is pale; but when you come to realize a fact, it takes on color. It is all the difference of hearing of a man being stabbed to the heart, and seeing it done. ” > > Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee , 1889 The ultimate aim of people engaged in health research is to get the health service's workforce, its employers, and its suppliers to have knowledge of facts (as represented by research results) and to use these facts in their practices, policies, and products. How well organised is research to achieve this aim? And how receptive and oriented are health services to this aim? The answers seem to be “not well organised” and “not very receptive. ” The interpersonal connections needed to bridge this know-do gap are not yet in place.1 An emerging role therefore exists for knowledge brokers, supported by knowledge brokering resources and agencies, to fill the gap. The old adage “form follows function” is poorly reflected in the production and use of health research. The research world favours grant acquisition and academic publication over knowledge synthesis and engagement with the health service.2 Researcher to researcher communication about the next study (“more research is needed”) is well organised and all too common;3 4 researcher to practitioner dialogue about implementing findings (“actionable messages”) is poorly organised and all too rare.5 Structures and incentives in the health system do not fare much better. The governance, organisation, and delivery of services reward consensus more than use of research; coordination with stakeholders generally trumps collaboration with researchers; and strategic positioning triumphs over decision making informed by research.6 Indeed, research is often seen as the opposite of action, not the antidote for ignorance. Exceptions to these generalisations exist—the rise of research based guidance organisations such …
Generalizability of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in Biologic Agent Clinical Trials

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have consistently demonstrated the efficacy of biologic agents in treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who satisfy strict eligibility criteria, yet studies report that a majority of RA patients in the US have had biologic treatment exposure. We identified the proportion of RA patients in clinical practice satisfying entry criteria for biologic agent RCTs.
Characterization of a virulent bacteriophage LK1 specific for Citrobacter freundii isolated from sewage water

Citrobacter freundii is a worldwide emerging nosocomial pathogen with escalating incidence of multidrug resistance. Citrobacter freundii exists in natural environment, especially in health care settings and is difficult to eradicate. Phage therapy is considered as an alternative way of controlling bacterial infections and contaminations. In this study, we have described isolation and characterization of a virulent bacteriophage LK1 capable of specifically infecting Citrobacter freundii. A virulent bacteriophage LK1, specific for Citrobacter freundii was isolated from sewage water sample. TEM showed that phage Lk1 has an icosahedral head 70 nm in diameter and short tail of 17 nm, and can be classified as a member of the Podoviridae family. Restriction analysis indicated that phage LK1 was a dsDNA virus with an approximate genome size of 20–23 kb. Proteomic pattern generated by SDS PAGE using purified LK1 phage particles, revealed three major and six minor protein bands with molecular weight ranging from 25 to 80 kDa. Adsorption rate of LK1 relative to the host bacterium was also determined which showed significant improvement in adsorption with the addition of CaCl2. In a single step growth experiment, LK1 exhibited a latent period of 24 min and burst size of 801 particle/cell. Moreover, pH and thermal stability of phage LK1 demonstrated a pH range of 5.0–6.0 and phage viability decreased to 0% at 65 °C. When LK1 was used to infect six other clinically isolated pathogenic strains, it showed relatively narrow host range. LK1 was capable of eliciting efficient lysis of Citrobacter freundii, revealing its potential as a non‐toxic sanitizer for controlling Citrobacter freundii infection and contamination in both hospital and other public environments.
Plaque Assay of Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruses in Cell Culture

The nuclear polyhedrosis virus of Autographa californica has been titrated in Spodoptera frugiperda cells by the plaque method, using a solid overlay which does not require either the use of modified culture medium or expensive purified agarose or the addition of culture medium as a liquid layer above the solid agarose. This assay is more sensitive than that using a viscous methyl cellulose overlay but less sensitive than the end-point dilution technique. Neither Trichoplusia ni nor Bombyx mori cells were satisfactory as indicators for the assay as described, since they failed to form a stable monolayer. Manduca sexta cells could be utilized for assay of A. californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus, but the sensitivity was lower than with S. frugiperda cells.
Chemokine receptors in cancer metastasis and cancer cell‐derived chemokines in host immune response

The chemotactic cytokines called chemokines are a superfamily of small secreted cytokines that were initially characterized through their ability to prompt the migration of leukocytes. Attention has been focused on the chemokine receptors expressed on cancer cells because cancer cell migration and metastasis show similarities to leukocyte trafficking. CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) was first investigated as a chemokine receptor that is associated with lung metastasis of breast cancers. Recently, CXCR4 was reported to be a key molecule in the formation of peritoneal carcinomatosis in gastric cancer. In the present review, we highlight current knowledge about the role of CXCR4 in cancer metastases. In contrast to chemokine receptors expressed on cancer cells, little is known about the roles of cancer cell‐derived chemokines. Cancer tissue consists of both cancer cells and various stromal cells, and leukocytes that infiltrate into cancer are of particular importance in cancer progression. Although colorectal cancer invasion is regulated by the chemokine CCL9‐induced infiltration of immature myeloid cells into cancer, high‐level expression of cancer cell‐derived chemokine CXCL16 increases infiltrating CD8+ and CD4+ T cells into cancer tissues, and correlates with a good prognosis. We discuss the conflicting biological effects of cancer cell‐derived chemokines on cancer progression, using CCL9 and CXCL16 as examples. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 1652–1658)
A two-version approach for real-time concurrency control and recovery

This paper proposes an integrated mechanism for concurrency control and recovery in real-time databases. A two-version approach is used to adjust the serializability of schedules in favor of higher-priority transactions, and, at the same time, to provide a consistent database image at client sites for local processing of read-only transactions. When the database crashes, a consistent database image is used, in return, to efficiently and predictably recover the database from failure. A two-version network-server-based architecture is proposed to support a diskless run-time logging mechanism and an effective write-through procedure.
Convergence and Segregation of Ventral Striatal Inputs and Outputs

ABSTRACT: The ventral striatum, which prominently includes the nucleus accumbens (Acb), is a heterogeneous area. Within the Acb of rats, a peripherally located shell and a centrally situated core can be recognized that have different connectional, neurochemical, and functional identities. Although the Acb core resembles in many respects the dorsally adjacent caudate‐putamen complex in its striatal character, the Acb shell has, in addition to striatal features, a more diverse array of neurochemical characteristics, and afferent and efferent connections. Inputs and outputs of the Acb, in particular of the shell, are inhomogeneously distributed, resulting in a mosaical arrangement of concentrations of afferent fibers and terminals and clusters of output neurons. To determine the precise relationships between the distributional patterns of various afferents (e.g., from the prefrontal cortex, the basal amygdaloid complex, the hippocampal formation, and the midline/intralaminar thalamic nuclei) and efferents to the ventral pallidum and mesencephalon, neuroanatomical anterograde and retrograde tracing experiments were carried out. The results of the double anterograde, double retrograde, and anterograde/retrograde tracing experiments indicate that various parts of the shell (dorsomedial, ventromedial, ventral, and lateral) and the core (medial and lateral) have different input‐output characteristics. Furthermore, within these Acb regions, various populations of neurons can be identified, arranged in a cluster‐like fashion, onto which specific sets of afferents converge and that project to particular output stations, distinct from the input‐output relationships of neighboring, cluster‐like neuronal populations. These results support the idea that the nucleus accumbens may consist of a collection of neuronal ensembles with different input‐output relationships and, presumably, different functional characteristics.
Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Wet Distillers Grains on Feedlot Performance of Finishing Cattle and Energy Value Relative to Corn

An experiment evaluated the effects of six dietary inclusions of wet distillers grain plus solubles (WDGS) on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of yearling steers, and also evaluated the energy value of WDGS relative to corn. Treatments consisted of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% (DM basis) dietary inclusion of WDGS. Final BW, DMI, and ADG increased quadratically, while feed: gain decreased quadratically as WDGS inclusion increased from 0 to 50% of DM. No differences in carcass characteristics were observed among treatments. Energy value of WDGS relative to corn was above 100% for all inclusion levels and decreased (178 to 121%) as dietary WDGS inclusion increased, (10 to 50% of DM). Results indicate that WDGS can be used effectively in finishing diets, with optimum performance being observed at 30 to 40% dietary inclusion.
Clinical Evaluation of Quality of Obturation and Instrumentation Time using Two Modified Rotary File Systems with Manual Instrumentation in Primary Teeth.

Introduction Pulp therapy in primary teeth has been performed using various instrumentation techniques. However, the conventional instrumentation technique used for root canal preparation in primary teeth is hand instrumentation. Various Nickel-Titanium (Ni-Ti) instruments are available to perform efficient root canal preparation in primary teeth. These Ni-Ti instruments has been designed to aid in better root canal preparation in permanent teeth but are rarely used in primary teeth. It is necessary to assess the feasibility of using these adult rotary files with a modified sequence in primary teeth. Aim To compare the quality of obturation and instrumentation time during root canal preparation using hand files and modified rotary file systems in primary molars. Materials and Methods Forty-five primary mandibular molars were randomly assigned to three experimental groups (n=15). Group I was instrumented using k-hand files, Group II with S2 ProTaper universal file and Group III with 0.25 tip 4% taper K3 rotary file. Standardized digital radiographs were taken before and after root canal instrumentation. Root canal preparation time was also recorded. Statistical analysis of the obtained data was done using SPSS Software version 17.0. An intergroup comparison of the instrumentation time and the quality of obturation was done using ANOVA and Chi-square test with the level of significance set at 0.05. Results No significant differences were noted with regard to the quality of obturation (p=0.791). However, a statistically significant difference was noted in the instrumentation time between the three groups (p<0.05). ProTaper rotary system had significantly lesser instrumentation time when compared to that of K3 rotary system and hand file system. Conclusion The hand files, S2 ProTaper Universal and K3 0.25 tip 4% taper files systems performed similarly with respect to the quality of obturation. There was a significant difference in instrumentation time with manual instrumentation compared to the modified rotary file systems in primary teeth.
Polygoni Rhizoma Inhibits Inflammatory Response through Inactivation of Nuclear Factor‐kappaB and Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Signaling Pathways in RAW264.7 Mouse Macrophage Cells

The objective of this study was to determine the antiinflammatory effects of Polygoni Rhizoma (PR), an Oriental medicinal herb, in interleukin 1 beta (IL‐1β) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cells. PR significantly reduced the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines such as IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) and pro‐inflammatory mediators such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitric oxide (NO), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX‐2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) even at a concentration of 1 µg/mL in the cells. In addition, PR inhibited the transcriptional activity of NF‐κB as well as the degradation and phosphorylation of inhibitory kappa B alpha (IκBα). Furthermore, PR suppressed the phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2) in IL‐1β and LPS‐treated RAW264.7. The results suggest that PR exerts an antiinflammatory property by inhibiting iNOS, COX‐2, TNF‐α and IL‐6 production in association with inactivation of the NF‐κB and MAPK signaling pathways in RAW 264.7 cells. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.