Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Arteriovenous Malformations of the Brain in Children: A Forty Year Experience

ABSTRACT: Despite the great capacity for the pediatric brain to recover from stroke, the morbidity and mortality in children who harbor an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) remains high. This study examines the clinical data and management experience with 132 patients with brain AVM from 1949 to 1989. Although the high tendency for a childhood AVM to present with hemorrhage (79%) remained constant for the forty year study period, the associated morbidity and mortality of hemorrhage changed. The mortality rate from hemorrhage for the entire series was 25%, which was reduced from 39% to 16% after the introduction of computed tomography. The mortality from AVM hemorrhage since 1975 was dependent on location; 8 of 14 patients (57%) with a cerebellar AVM died from hemorrhage while only 2 of 44 patients (4.5%) with a cerebral hemisphere AVM died (p < 0.0001). Sixteen children (12%) presented with a chronic seizure disorder. Surgical excision of the malformation resulted in complete seizure control off anti-convulsant medication in 73% of patients. Although 21% of patients were treated non-operatively (many with terminal poor-grade hemorrhage), 79% had a surgical procedure with total AVM excision achieved in 70 patients (53.1%). Complete AVM resection was followed by a normal neurological outcome in 47 children (67%). Most partial excisions (n=9) and clipping of feeding arteries (n=7) were performed in the early years of this study, and did not provide protection from rehe-morrhage. Although conservative management has been advocated for selected non-hemorrhagic AVMs, we conclude that essentially all children with an AVM should be treated in order to eliminate the risk of hemorrhage. Long-term conservative management in pediatric patients is warranted only in patients with large AVMs not amenable to treatment using current multimodality techniques.
Polymorphic light eruption and skin cancer prevalence: is one protective against the other?

Background Ultraviolet (UV) radiation (UVR) interacts with chromophores in cutaneous cells with consequent antigenicity. The normal response to this is a downregulation of immune responsiveness. Failure of the immune system to downregulate and to ignore transient photoantigens in human skin results in polymorphic light eruption (PLE), the commonest of the photodermatoses. UVR initiates and promotes skin cancer (SC): UV‐induced immunosuppression permits the expansion of UV‐mutated clones of cells which ultimately lead to SC.
Hepatocytes Entrapped in Alginate Gel Beads and Cultured in Bioreactor: Rapid Repolarization and Reconstitution of Adhesion Areas

The maintenance of the differentiated hepatocyte phenotype and its specific physiological properties is known to depend on several factors, such as chemical signals, cell-cell and extracellular matrix molecular interactions, as well as the use of three-dimensional matrices. The entrapment of hepatocytes within Ca-alginate at high cell density and the culture under continuous flow favour the development of three-dimensional organization and promote expression of the differentiated hepatic phenotype. This system could represent an improvement in hepatocyte cultivation for basic studies of liver physiology and metabolism; it could also be applicable in toxicology, hepatocyte transplantation or development of bioartificial organs. This report describes the effect of alginate entrapment and culture in a bioreactor on hepatocyte aggregate formation, with particular attention to the re-establishment of cell polarity, cell junctions and three-dimensional re-organization of the cytoskeleton. Oxygen supply and cell oxygen consumption rate were monitored in order to evaluate possible changes in hepatocyte energy requirement. Our data show that after only 6 h of perfusion in the bioreactor, actin and cytokeratin localize along the adhesion areas of the plasma membrane, in which reconstituted bile canaliculi were also observed. Moreover, the presence of connexin at the level of joined membranes of neighbouring cells suggests the establishment of gap junctions between hepatocytes. After the first 30 min of perfusion the oxygen consumption rate remained constant throughout the experimental period.
Turning off flagellum rotation requires the pleiotropic gene pleD: pleA, pleC, and pleD define two morphogenic pathways in Caulobacter crescentus

We have identified mutations in three pleiotropic genes, pleA, pleC, and pleD, that are required for differentiation in Caulobacter crescentus. pleA and pleC mutants were isolated in an extensive screen for strains defective in both motility and adsorption of polar bacteriophage phi CbK; using temperature-sensitive alleles, we determined the time at which the two genes act. pleA was required for a short period at 0.7 of the swarmer cell cycle for flagellum biosynthesis, whereas pleC was required during an overlapping period from 0.6 to 0.95 of the cell cycle to activate flagellum rotation as well as to enable loss of the flagellum and stalk formation by swarmer cells after division. The third pleiotropic gene, pleD, is described here for the first time. A pleD mutation was identified as a bypass suppressor of a temperature-sensitive pleC allele. Strains containing this mutation were highly motile, did not shed the flagellum or form stalks, and retained motility throughout the cell cycle. Since pleD was required to turn off motility and was a bypass suppressor of pleC, we conclude that it acts after the pleA and pleC gene functions in the cell cycle. No mutants defective in both flagellum biosynthesis and stalk formation were identified. Consequently, we propose that the steps required for formation of swarmer cells and subsequent development into stalked cells are organized into at least two developmental pathways: a pleA-dependent sequence of events, responsible for flagellum biosynthesis in predivisional cells, and a pleC-pleD-dependent sequence, responsible for flagellum activation in predivisional cells and loss of motility and stalk formation in progeny swarmer cells.
Diagnosis and clinical impact of occult hepatitis B infection in patients with biopsy proven chronic hepatitis C: A multicenter study

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients with chronic hepatitis C has been found associated with severe liver damage, low response to interferon treatment and increased risk of developing HCC. However, doubts remain on its clinical impact and the sensitivity and specificity of its detection. HBV‐DNA was sought by PCR in plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and liver compartments of 89 patients with biopsy proven chronic hepatitis C, using sets of primers for core (“c”), surface (“s”), and x (“x”) regions of HBV genome. Occult HBV infection was defined by the presence of HBV‐DNA in at least two different PCRs in at least one compartment. Occult HBV infection was detected in 37 (41.6%) of the 89 patients investigated. It was more frequent (80.8%) in 26 anti‐ HBs negative/anti‐HBc positive patients than in 18 anti‐HBs/anti‐HBc positive (61.1%, P < 0.01) and 45 anti‐HBs/anti‐HBc negative (11.1%, P < 0.0001), and more frequently in liver (91.9%) than in PBMCs (62.2%) and plasma (32.4%). No association was found between occult HBV infection and the degree of liver necroinflammation and fibrosis. However, considering the 52 patients without occult HBV infection, 51.4% of 35 patients with genotype 1 and 5.9% of 17 with genotype non‐1 showed severe fibrosis (P = 0.003); patients with occult HBV infection did not show such difference. Instead of seeking occult HBV infection in patients with chronic hepatitis C, both anti‐HBs negative/anti‐HBc positive and anti‐HBs positive/anti‐HBc positive, in plasma alone, more reliable information can also be obtained from the liver tissue and PBMCs. J. Med. Virol. 80:1547–1553, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bacterial communities associated with invasive populations of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in China

Abstract The oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is a destructive insect pest of a wide range of fruits and vegetables. This pest is an invasive species and is currently distributed in some provinces of China. To recover the symbiotic bacteria of B. dorsalis from different invasion regions in China, we researched the bacterial diversity of this fruit fly among one laboratory colony (Guangdong, China) and 15 wild populations (14 sites in China and one site in Thailand) using DNA-based approaches. The construction of 16S rRNA gene libraries allowed the identification of 24 operational taxonomic units of associated bacteria at the 3% distance level, and these were affiliated with 3 phyla, 5 families, and 13 genera. The higher bacterial diversity was recovered in wild populations compared with the laboratory colony and in samples from early term invasion regions compared with samples from late term invasion regions. Moreover, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Providencia sp. were two of the most frequently recovered bacteria, present in flies collected from three different regions in China where B. dorsalis is invasive. This study for the first time provides a systemic investigation of the symbiotic bacteria of B. dorsalis from different invasion regions in China.
Treatment with belimumab restores B cell subsets and their expression of B cell activating factor receptor in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the biological effects of belimumab on B cells in the first phase II open-label trial with belimumab in patients with primary SS (pSS) (BELISS). METHODS Peripheral blood B cell subsets and their B cell activating factor-receptor (BAFF-R) expression were analysed by multicolour flow cytometry in 10 pSS patients either before or after 24 and 52 weeks of therapy with belimumab. Serum BAFF levels were analysed by ELISA. RESULTS At baseline, pSS patients showed a significant increase in circulating B cells compared with healthy donors matched for age and sex, with a predominant expansion of transitional and naive B cell subsets. pSS patients also showed higher serum BAFF levels and lower B cell BAFF-R expression. Therapy with belimumab in pSS patients induced a significant reduction in transitional and naive B cell subsets to levels similar to those observed in healthy donors. Furthermore, belimumab normalized BAFF-R expression in all B subsets comprised within the memory compartment. The restoration of B cell frequency and subset composition in response to belimumab was also associated with a decrease in serum levels of Ig, RF, ANAs, and with an increase in the C4 complement fraction. All of these belimumab-mediated effects were observed after 24 weeks of therapy and maintained until the end of the therapeutic protocol. CONCLUSION Taken together, our findings show that targeting BAFF with belimumab is successful in normalizing B cell frequency, phenotype and functions in pSS. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov; https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT01008982.
Genotypic selection of simian immunodeficiency virus in macaque infants infected transplacentally

To understand viral and host factors that contribute to transplacental transmission of human immunodeficiency virus, we developed an animal model using pregnant female macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Pregnant females were inoculated intravenously during midgestation with either a well-characterized primary isolate of SIV (SIV/DeltaB670) or a combination of SIV/DeltaB670 and the macrophage-tropic molecular clone SIV/17E-Fr. The viral genetic diversity in five infected female macaques and their in utero-infected infants was analyzed. All of the mothers harbored a genetically diverse virus population at parturition, whereas a single genotype from the maternal quasispecies was identified in the infants at birth. Only one of two variants was found in the infants: SIV/17E-Fr (two cases) or a genotype contained within the SIV/DeltaB670 quasispecies (three cases). The macrophage-tropic properties of both transmitted genotypes were suggested by productive replication in primary rhesus macrophage cultures in vitro and the clonal presence in central nervous system tissue of infected monkeys with encephalitis. These observations provide compelling evidence for both genotypic and phenotypic selection in transplacental transmission of SIV and suggest a critical role for macrophages in fetal infection in utero.
Effect of fermented milk-based probiotic preparations on Helicobacter pylori eradication: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials

Objective To evaluate the effect of fermented milk-based probiotic preparations on Helicobacter pylori eradication. Design Systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Data sources Electronic databases and hand search of reviews, bibliographies of books and abstracts and proceedings of international conferences. Review methods Included trials had to be randomized or quasi-randomized and controlled, using fermented milk-based probiotics in the intervention group, treating Helicobacter-infected patients and evaluating improvement or eradication of H. pylori as an outcome. Results The search identified 10 eligible randomized controlled trials. Data were available for 963 patients, of whom 498 were in the treatment group and 465 in the control group. The pooled odds ratio (studies n=9) for eradication by intention-to-treat analysis in the treatment versus control group was 1.91 (1.38–2.67; P<0.0001) using the fixed effects model; test for heterogeneity (Cochran's Q=5.44; P=0.488). The pooled risk difference was 0.10 (95% CI 0.05–0.15; P<0.0001) by the fixed effects model (Cochran's Q=13.41; P=0.144). The pooled odds ratio for the number of patients with any adverse effect was 0.51 (95% CI 0.10–2.57; P=0.41; random effects model; heterogeneity by Cochran's Q=68.5; P<0.0001). Conclusion Fermented milk-based probiotic preparations improve H. pylori eradication rates by approximately 5–15%, whereas the effect on adverse effects is heterogeneous.
A two-arm cluster randomized control trial to determine the effectiveness of a pressure ulcer prevention bundle for critically ill patients.

PURPOSE This study tested the effectiveness of a pressure ulcer (PU) prevention bundle in reducing the incidence of PUs in critically ill patients in two Saudi intensive care units (ICUs). DESIGN A two-arm cluster randomized experimental control trial. METHODS Participants in the intervention group received the PU prevention bundle, while the control group received standard skin care as per the local ICU policies. Data collected included demographic variables (age, diagnosis, comorbidities, admission trajectory, length of stay) and clinical variables (Braden Scale score, severity of organ function score, mechanical ventilation, PU presence, and staging). All patients were followed every two days from admission through to discharge, death, or up to a maximum of 28 days. Data were analyzed with descriptive correlation statistics, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and Poisson regression. FINDINGS The total number of participants recruited was 140: 70 control participants (with a total of 728 days of observation) and 70 intervention participants (784 days of observation). PU cumulative incidence was significantly lower in the intervention group (7.14%) compared to the control group (32.86%). Poisson regression revealed the likelihood of PU development was 70% lower in the intervention group. The intervention group had significantly less Stage I (p = .002) and Stage II PU development (p = .026). CONCLUSIONS Significant improvements were observed in PU-related outcomes with the implementation of the PU prevention bundle in the ICU; PU incidence, severity, and total number of PUs per patient were reduced. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Utilizing a bundle approach and standardized nursing language through skin assessment and translation of the knowledge to practice has the potential to impact positively on the quality of care and patient outcome.
Phytoestrogen Exposure Is Associated with Circulating Sex Hormone Levels in Postmenopausal Women and Interact with ESR1 and NR1I2 Gene Variants

In this large cross-sectional study, we investigated the relationship between phytoestrogen exposure and circulating sex hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels in 1988 healthy postmenopausal women and their interactions with polymorphisms in genes involved in estrogen signaling. Plasma estradiol, testosterone, androstenedione, estrone, and SHBG were measured. Urinary levels of five isoflavones (daidzein, genistein, glycitein, O-desmethylangolensin, and equol) and two lignans (enterodiol and enterolactone) were measured and used as biomarkers for dietary intakes. Eighteen polymorphisms in ESR1, ESR2, and NR1I2 genes were genotyped. Results showed that lignans were positively associated with plasma SHBG levels (ηp2 = 1.2%; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with plasma testosterone (ηp2 = 0.2%; P = 0.042). Equol was negatively associated with plasma estradiol levels (ηp2 = 0.3%; P = 0.028), whereas O-desmethylangolensin was positively associated with plasma estradiol level (ηp2 = 0.3%; P = 0.010). There were significant phytoestrogen interactions with polymorphisms in ESR1 and NR1I2 genes in affecting estrone levels. We conclude that phytoestrogens modulate sex hormone and SHBG levels in postmenopausal women and interact with gene variants involved in estrogen signaling. Such phytoestrogen-gene interactions may explain the conflicting literature on the hormonal effects of phytoestrogens. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(5):1009–16)
Exploiting MIMO SAR Potentialities With Efficient Cross-Track Constellation Configurations for Improved Range Resolution

In this paper, an innovative technique is presented for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) ground range resolution improvement using multiple transmit and receive platforms with adequate cross-track displacement. Using orthogonal waveforms, which occupy the same bandwidth in the range frequency domain, for the different platforms of the constellation, a multiple-input-multiple-output SAR system is configured. The proposed technique allows one to achieve a maximum theoretical range resolution improvement factor that is significantly greater than the number of operating SAR sensors by jointly exploiting both mono- and bistatic acquisitions. This can be exploited to obtain a ground range resolution that is much higher than the resolution corresponding to the frequency bandwidth transmitted by the single platform. After illustrating the proposed technique and its system requirements, a simulated data set is used to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Is the interaction between human capital and financial development one of the determinants of FDI in emerging markets

The study investigated the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) and whether the interaction between human capital and financial development enhances FDI into the emerging markets. The dynamic generalised methods of moments (GMM) framework was employed with panel data from 1994 to 2014. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, savings, trade openness, human capital development and the lag of FDI had either a positive and significant or positive and non-significant influence on FDI. The interaction between: 1) human capital development and stock market value traded; 2) human capital development and stock market capitalisation enhanced both the size and significance on FDI. Moreover, the interaction between banking sector variables and human capital development reduced the negative impact of banking sector development on FDI. Emerging markets are therefore urged to enhance economic growth, savings mobilisation, trade openness, human capital and financial development and to reduce inflation levels in order to increase FDI.
Spaces of resilience, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship in informal work in Ghana

ABSTRACT Despite playing an important role in the economies of low-income countries, there is a perception that informal markets are haphazard and disorganized. Using in-depth interviews conducted in Accra, Ghana, this study examines the strategic choices that market women pursue to gain access to and thrive in informal working spaces and ensure long-term survival. The findings reveal that entry into the informal working spaces is contingent on women’s ability to forge and nourish ties with acquaintances, kinsmen and middlemen. Further, the study found that in contrast to the notion of unregulated competition typically associated with street vending, market relations among women traders in informal market spaces are marked by alliances between rival sellers that transcended religious, ethnic, linguistic, and generational divides. As well, a strict code of conduct governs market behaviour, underpinned by an ethos of cooperation and mutual assistance among rival sellers. Furthermore, market women in Accra articulate the rationale behind informal entrepreneurship in ways that align with local and national development agenda. In so doing, the market women lend legitimacy to their trade, demand accountability from local authorities, and oppose repressive practices by the state. We highlight the implications of our findings for city planning and development.
Multi‐center assessment of the Total Neuropathy Score for chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neurotoxicity

Abstract The aim of this multi‐center study was to assess with reduced versions of the Total Neuropathy Score (TNS), the severity of chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN), and to compare the results with those obtained with common toxicity scales. An unselected population of 428 cancer patients was evaluated at 11 different centers using a composite (clinical + neurophysiological, TNSr) or clinical (TNSc) examination and with the National Cancer Institute – Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI‐CTC) 2.0 and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores. A highly significant correlation was demonstrated between the TNSr and the NCI‐CTC 2.0 and ECOG scores; but the TNSr evaluation was more accurate in view of the more extended score range. Also, the simpler and faster TNSc (based only on the clinical neurological examination) allowed to grade accurately CIPN and correlated with the common toxicity scores. The correlation tended to be closer when the sensory items were considered, but also the TNSr motor items, which were not specifically investigated in any other previous study, significantly correlated with the results of the common toxicity scales. In conclusion, this study suggests that the TNSr is a reliable tool for accurately grading and reporting CIPN, with the additional and so far unique support of a formal comparison with known and widely used common toxicity scales. The TNSc is a valid alternative if neurophysiological examination is not feasible. The longer time needed to calculate the TNSr and TNSc in comparison to the ECOG or the NCI‐CTC 2.0 scales is offset by the more detailed knowledge of the CIPN characteristics.
In the European Union we trust: European Muslim attitudes toward the European Union

Recent research has indicated that Arab Muslims are skeptical of Western institutions such as the European Union. Do European Muslims hold comparable attitudes toward the European Union? In this article we develop a two-step argument based on a transfer of satisfaction logic. We build on both American politics literature on immigrant trust in the host country's national political actors and on European Union literature assuming a transfer of trust from the national to the international level. Our expectation is that European Muslims should be more favorable toward the domestic political actors and, as a result, toward the European Union than their Christian and agnostic counter-parts. Our empirical evidence suggests the plausibility of the transfer of satisfaction argument while other factors seem to be of minor influence.