Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PYOGENIC LIVER ABSCESS IN OLDER ADULTS: COMPARISON WITH YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS

To the Editor: We would like to thank Dr. Shou-Jin Pu and colleagues for sharing their research letter; we are appreciative of their work, ‘‘Pyogenic Liver Abscess in Older Patients: Comparison with Younger Patients,’’ in which they compared older and younger adults with pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). Fever and chills were less frequent in older adults than in younger adults. Atypical clinical features are a possible explanation for absence of fever and chill in older adults with this serious infection, and physicians need to be alert for early diagnosis, especially emergency physicians. In one study, older adults had a few days of fever before their hospital visit. They were taken to the hospital earlier, because their families were concerned about their constitutional symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, and anorexia. There may be more cases of diabetes mellitus in the older group with PLA because diabetes mellitus is more prevalent in the elderly population. Diabetes mellitus, biliary stones, malignancy, liver cirrhosis, and alcoholism were the risk factors for PLA in older adults. Younger individuals were more likely to be male and have alcoholism and a cryptogenic etiology than older adults. On admission, older adults had significantly less right-upper abdominal tenderness than younger individuals. Pu and colleagues reported that there was no significant difference in therapeutic procedures with drainage between these two groups and that a positive culture of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli was more frequent in older than younger adults. The most frequent pathogen in one study was K. pneumoniae, whereas E. coli is the most common pathogen reported worldwide. K. pneumoniae has been reported as the leading pathogen of PLA in Asia, and there is a trend for causative pathogen to change from E. coli to K. pneumoniae in Western countries. Over the past 70 years, PLA has been seen predominantly in younger individuals, but it has recently become more common in older adults. Mortality was 9.5% in older patients, which was lower than in a previous study because of advanced imaging techniques and new antibiotics. The relationship between mortality in PLA and age is controversial. Some series found no significant difference, but some revealed higher mortality in older adults, possibly because of more comorbidities in this population. PLA continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in older adults with diabetes mellitus. To reduce morbidity and mortality, adequate antibiotics, such as ceftriaxone with or without metronidazole and good control of blood glucose with early adequate drainage are mandatory. Surgery should not be delayed if medical treatment or percutaneous drainage fails. Once again, we thank Dr. Pu and colleagues for their present and future study of PLA in older adults.
Antiepileptic drugs in neuroprotection

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are designed to prevent and suppress seizure activity. Their effects on calcium influx and molecular cascades contributing to necrotic and apoptotic neuronal death, however, suggests that they have functions other than just suppression of excitability. The neuroprotective effects of 20 AEDs currently in use or being investigated in Phase II – III clinical trials for treatment of epilepsy are reviewed. Data analyses is complicated by several factors. Firstly, the available data on the neuroprotective effects of different AEDs varies largely. Secondly, most of the evidence demonstrating neuroprotective effects comes from stroke models and it is uncertain whether these data can be extrapolated to other conditions, such as status epilepticus (SE) or traumatic brain injury. Thirdly, data obtained in adult animals cannot be extrapolated to young animals without caution. For example, AEDs protecting adult brain from stroke or SE-induced injury can cause apoptosis in immature brain. Finally, data comparison is complicated by the variability in study designs and methodologies between studies. With these caveats in mind, an analysis of the available data suggests that AEDs with different mechanisms of action can have mild-to-moderate neuroprotective effects. It is difficult, however, to associate the neuroprotective effects with a favourable functional outcome. For example, it is difficult to conclude that administration of AEDs during the latency phase would have an effect on the molecular cascades underlying epileptogenesis. The few favourable data demonstrating a decrease in the incidence of epilepsy after SE are probably related to the administration of AEDs during SE, which resulted in modification/alleviation of the insult itself and consequently, reduced its epileptogenecity. These experimental data, however, are clinically important because they show that early intervention of SE has an effect on long-term functional outcome. These observations emphasise the need to use additional outcome measures, such as markers of normal development or cognitive performance, when the benefits of neuroprotection achieved by the use of neuroprotective AEDs are assessed.
Wireless network coding throughput dependence on node locations

Network coding is a promising technique because of its ability to improve network throughput. In this paper we study the relation between throughput and the physical distribution of nodes in a cooperative network coding scheme, targeting to characterize favourable conditions for network coding in wireless networks. The coding scheme involves one base station and three mobile users transmitting signals cooperatively, where one of the three mobile users is selected to act as a relay node to coordinate the cooperation. The correlation between relative distances and throughput is studied by means of numerical simulations on four typical scenarios. The simulation results show that the network coding scheme can achieve gains of about 10%-30% over the traditional direct transmit scheme in terms of throughput when users are located in a suitable range. It is also shown that the network coding scheme performs better when the backhaul link has a comparable distance as the access link in the observed simulation scenarios.
IRS-4 Mediates Protein Kinase B Signaling during Insulin Stimulation without Promoting Antiapoptosis

ABSTRACT Insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins are tyrosine phosphorylated and mediate multiple signals during activation of the receptors for insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and various cytokines. In order to distinguish common and unique functions of IRS-1, IRS-2, and IRS-4, we expressed them individually in 32D myeloid progenitor cells containing the human insulin receptor (32DIR). Insulin promoted the association of Grb-2 with IRS-1 and IRS-4, whereas IRS-2 weakly bound Grb-2; consequently, IRS-1 and IRS-4 enhanced insulin-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activity. During insulin stimulation, IRS-1 and IRS-2 strongly bound p85α/β, which activated phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase, protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt, and p70s6k, and promoted the phosphorylation of BAD. IRS-4 also promoted the activation of PKB/Akt and BAD phosphorylation during insulin stimulation; however, it weakly bound or activated p85-associated PI 3-kinase and failed to mediate the activation of p70s6k. Insulin strongly inhibited apoptosis of interleukin-3 (IL-3)-deprived 32DIR cells expressing IRS-1 or IRS-2 but failed to inhibit apoptosis of cells expressing IRS-4. Consequently, 32DIR cells expressing IRS-4 proliferated slowly during insulin stimulation. Thus, the activation of PKB/Akt and BAD phosphorylation might not be sufficient to inhibit the apoptosis of IL-3-deprived 32DIR cells unless p85-associated PI 3-kinase or p70s6k are strongly activated.
Differences in Characteristics of Heroin Inhalers and Heroin Injectors at Admission to Treatment: A Preliminary Study Using a Large Database of Client Records

Aims. To compare the characteristics of heroin injectors vs. inhalers at their first admission to publicly funded treatment in Texas. Methods. The sample consisted of 9732 unique clients who entered publicly funded treatment programs in Texas between 1997 and 2001 and who had a primary problem with either injected or inhaled heroin, which they had used in the past 30 days. The records were analyzed using a generalized linear model of logistic regression with the outcomes modeled as binomial and multinomial distribution and a hierarchical linear model for continuous outcomes to compare heroin inhalers and injectors. Findings. There were large statistically significant differences between injectors and inhalers. Inhalers were more likely to be older at first use of heroin, to have entered treatment sooner, to have minor children at home, to have higher annual incomes, to be first admissions to treatment, and to have a secondary drug problem with crack cocaine. They were also more likely to be Hispanic [odds ratio (OR) = 1.74] or African-American (OR = 12.32). Conclusions. Even though the race/ethnic differences in the Texas population and the type of heroin available for use in Texas differs from that studied elsewhere, many of the characteristics of heroin users are similar. Inhalers have more strengths in many areas, and these findings raise the possibility that there are factors, particularly among African-American participants in Texas, that lessen the risk of injecting heroin. Efforts should be directed to providing therapeutic interventions to discourage the transition to injecting and to encourage inhalers to enter treatment earlier rather than progressing on to injecting. This analysis is the first part of a larger study of heroin users in public and private treatment.
Dynamic changes of substrate reactivity and enzyme adsorption on partially hydrolyzed cellulose

The enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is a thermodynamically challenging catalytic process that is influenced by both substrate‐related and enzyme‐related factors. In this study, a proteolysis approach was applied to recover and clean the partially converted cellulose at the different stages of enzymatic hydrolysis to monitor the hydrolysis rate as a function of substrate reactivity/accessibility and investigate surface characteristics of the partially converted cellulose. Enzyme‐substrate interactions between individual key cellulase components from wild‐type Trichoderma reesei and partially converted cellulose were followed and correlated to the enzyme adsorption capacity and dynamic sugar release. Results suggest that cellobiohydrolase CBH1 (Cel7A) and endoglucanases EG2 (Cel5A) adsorption capacities decreased as cellulose was progressively hydrolyzed, likely due to the “depletion” of binding sites. Furthermore, the degree of synergism between CBH1 and EG2 varied depending on the enzyme loading and the substrates. The results provide a better understanding of the relationship between dynamic change of substrate features and the functionality of various cellulase components during enzymatic hydrolysis. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 503–515. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Downscaling GLDAS Soil Moisture Data in East Asia through Fusion of Multi-Sensors by Optimizing Modified Regression Trees

Soil moisture is a key part of Earth’s climate systems, including agricultural and hydrological cycles. Soil moisture data from satellite and numerical models is typically provided at a global scale with coarse spatial resolution, which is not enough for local and regional applications. In this study, a soil moisture downscaling model was developed using satellite-derived variables targeting Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) soil moisture as a reference dataset in East Asia based on the optimization of a modified regression tree. A total of six variables, Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) and Advanced SCATterometer (ASCAT) soil moisture products, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products, including Land Surface Temperature, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and land cover, were used as input variables. The optimization was conducted through a pruning approach for operational use, and finally 59 rules were extracted based on root mean square errors (RMSEs) and correlation coefficients (r). The developed downscaling model showed a good modeling performance (r = 0.79, RMSE = 0.056 m3·m−3, and slope = 0.74). The 1 km downscaled soil moisture showed similar time series patterns with both GLDAS and ground soil moisture and good correlation with ground soil moisture (average r = 0.47, average RMSD = 0.038 m3·m−3) at 14 ground stations. The spatial distribution of 1 km downscaled soil moisture reflected seasonal and regional characteristics well, although the model did not result in good performance over a few areas such as Southern China due to very high cloud cover rates. The results of this study are expected to be helpful in operational use to monitor soil moisture throughout East Asia since the downscaling model produces daily high resolution (1 km) real time soil moisture with a low computational demand. This study yielded a promising result to operationally produce daily high resolution soil moisture data from multiple satellite sources, although there are yet several limitations. In future research, more variables including Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) precipitation, Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) soil moisture, and other vegetation indices will be integrated to improve the performance of the proposed soil moisture downscaling model.
11 NMR Spectroscopy for Studying Integrin Antagonists

The expansion of the modern pharmacopeia is driven by advances in structural genomics that enable the detailed understanding of drug – protein interactions necessary for the identification of novel compounds as well as improved variants of existing drugs. Our research has centered on understanding the mechanism by which a critical class of transmembrane receptor proteins, the integrins, become activated in healthy and disease states. An important component of this research has been in identifying novel inhibitors of integrin function and their mechanism of action. As we describe in the following sections, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) has been an essential tool in advances in this area, and is the major focus of this review.
Within-host evolution for the invasiveness of commensal bacteria: an experimental study of bacteremias resulting from Haemophilus influenzae nasal carriage.

BACKGROUND Many bacteria responsible for clinically relevant disease reside harmlessly in a large fraction of humans. Three explanations have been proposed to account for why these normally commensal bacteria occasionally cause invasive disease: host susceptibility, stochasticity in the host-bacteria interaction, and the evolution of invasive mutants in colonized hosts. Here we test the third of these hypotheses for the rare invasiveness of commensal bacteria: within-host evolution. METHODS AND RESULTS Using neonatal rats intranasally colonized with pairs of marked Haemophilus influenzae type b strains, we demonstrate that the resulting bacteremias are derived from single organisms. To test the within-host evolution hypothesis we explored the relative ability of bacteria isolated from the blood and nasal passages of bacteremic rats to colonize the nasopharynx and invade the bloodstream. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide support for within-host evolution as one but not the sole explanation for the invasiveness of these bacteria. We discuss the implications of these results for both the rare invasiveness of commensal bacteria and the general observation that bacteria isolated from the sites of human invasive disease are almost invariably monoclonal.
La urgencia psiquiátrica en un hospital general. La patología de la agresividad principal motivo de consulta.

Analisis descriptivo de la urgencia psiquiatrica en un hospital general durante 6 anos. Se mantienen como grupo principal los pacientes psicoticos, se detecta un aumento de pacientes con trastornos de personalidad. El principal motivo de consulta es la agresividad. Predominan mujeres con conductas autolesivas y varones con conductas violentas.
Controlled trial of methotrexate versus CH-1504 in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical efficacy, safety, tolerability, and toxicity profile of a metabolically stable antifolate, CH-1504, compared to methotrexate (MTX) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS A 24-week open-label trial of MTX and CH-1504 was performed in 20 patients with RA. RESULTS Improvements in clinical and laboratory indicators were observed in both study groups. Improvement in the CH-1504 group was greater than in the MTX group. Both treatments were generally well tolerated; however, the liver function test abnormalities and gastrointestinal related adverse events expected with this class of medication were not seen with CH-1504. CONCLUSION CH-1504 appears to be clinically efficacious and may possess a superior safety and tolerance profile compared to MTX.
Similarity in Bond Covenants

We examine the economic consequences associated with the inclusion of covenants with similar levels of restrictiveness in bond contracts. Using a unique Moody’s dataset on the quality of bond covenants, we develop measures that capture similarity in bond covenant terms by comparing the restrictiveness of a bond’s covenants with the covenant restrictiveness of previously issued peer bonds. Consistent with similarity in covenants reducing bondholders’ contracting and comparability costs, we document that bonds with more similar covenant restrictiveness receive significantly lower yields at issuance. These bonds are also characterized by greater liquidity in the secondary market and are more likely to be held by long-term bond investors, such as insurance companies. Our results highlight the benefits of covenant similarity and suggest that the use of covenants with similar restrictiveness levels brings contracting and comparability cost savings that may be larger than the monitoring benefits provided by covenants with more tailored credit protection.
Facts on grid friendly wind plants

As wind power achieves higher penetration levels and becomes a more and more substantial portion of our electric energy supply, more stringent requirements are being placed on wind plants. As wind plants displace traditional synchronous generators in terms of percentages, the wind plants must also do their part to maintain stability and reliability of the power system. Modern power electronics are being used in GE's wind offerings to allow wind plants to fulfill the requirements of modern grid codes. A critical component of modern wind generation is the power electronics. The power electronics enable advanced designs and controls that greatly improve the grid integration and functionality of modern wind plants. This paper discusses the GE WindCONTROL*, GE WindINERTIA*, GE WindFREE*, and GE WindRIDE-THROUGH* functions and offers a comparison to traditional thermal or hydro plants.
Hemolymph Levels of Methyl Farnesoate During Ovarian Development of the Swimming Crab Portunus trituberculatus, and Its Relation to Transcript Levels of HMG-CoA Reductase and Farnesoic Acid O-Methyltransferase

Methyl farnesoate (MF) is a sesquiterpene compound and the crustacean homolog of insect juvenile hormones. MF has multiple physiological functions involving the regulation of molting, reproduction, metamorphogenesis, behavior, and osmoregulation. In this study, the hemolymph levels of MF during ovarian development of Portunus trituberculatus were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the hemolymph level of MF in P. trituberculatus was low during stages I and II, increased considerably in stage III, and remained high in stage IV. Correlation of MF level with ovarian maturation indicates the putative stimulatory role of MF in this physiological process. As 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) and farnesoic acid O-methyltransferase (FAMeT) are two essential enzymes in MF biosynthesis, their transcript levels during ovarian development were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Transcript levels of HMGR and FAMeT exhibited variation trends similar to that of the level of MF in hemolymph. This might indicate that high expression of HMGR and FAMeT could result in an increase in the production of MF, which ultimately affects ovarian development.
Taurine Inhibits K+-Cl− Cotransporter KCC2 to Regulate Embryonic Cl− Homeostasis via With-no-lysine (WNK) Protein Kinase Signaling Pathway*

Background: The functions of taurine in brain development are largely unknown. Results: Taurine inhibits K+-Cl− cotransporter 2 (KCC2) activity via the with-no-lysine (WNK) protein kinase signaling pathway. Conclusion: Regulation of KCC2 by taurine may play an important role in developmental Cl− homeostasis and GABA action. Significance: Our results shed new light on the involvement of taurine during brain developmental at the molecular level. GABA inhibits mature neurons and conversely excites immature neurons due to lower K+-Cl− cotransporter 2 (KCC2) expression. We observed that ectopically expressed KCC2 in embryonic cerebral cortices was not active; however, KCC2 functioned in newborns. In vitro studies revealed that taurine increased KCC2 inactivation in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. When Thr-906 and Thr-1007 residues in KCC2 were substituted with Ala (KCC2T906A/T1007A), KCC2 activity was facilitated, and the inhibitory effect of taurine was not observed. Exogenous taurine activated the with-no-lysine protein kinase 1 (WNK1) and downstream STE20/SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase (SPAK)/oxidative stress response 1 (OSR1), and overexpression of active WNK1 resulted in KCC2 inhibition in the absence of taurine. Phosphorylation of SPAK was consistently higher in embryonic brains compared with that of neonatal brains and down-regulated by a taurine transporter inhibitor in vivo. Furthermore, cerebral radial migration was perturbed by a taurine-insensitive form of KCC2, KCC2T906A/T1007A, which may be regulated by WNK-SPAK/OSR1 signaling. Thus, taurine and WNK-SPAK/OSR1 signaling may contribute to embryonic neuronal Cl− homeostasis, which is required for normal brain development.
Caustic Ingestion Caustic Ingestion

Caustic ingestion with resultant esophagitis and gastritis is still an important social and medical problem due to early and long-term complications. This injury is seen frequently as an accidental event and may also lead to psychosocial impacts, including antisocial behavior, suicide attempts, criminal incarceration, and educational delinquency. It often occurs as a result of uncontrolled and unsafe storage of materials used in household cleaning. Despite the various treatment proposals, optimal management of the patients remains controversial. The presentation of the depth and extent of injury with endos- copy plays a key role in treatment planning. In the absence of life-threatening complica -tions, the general approach is conservative management in the acute period. The most common complications are esophageal stricture and gastric outlet obstruction. Different treatment methods such as bougienage, stent application, balloon dilation, or esophageal replacement are used in the treatment of the caustic esophageal strictures. The decision of the least invasive method for the treatment of complications will reduce the potential hazardous results.