Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bilabial closure durations for p, b, and m in voiced and whispered vowel environments.

A study was made of the duration of bilabial closures for /p/, /b/, and /m/ under voiced and whispered speaking conditions. The results, obtained from 12 normal‐speaking young adult males, indicated significantly greater whisper durations for /p/ and /b/ but not /m/. An explanation for this finding is offered in terms of the hypothesis that individuals conserve air when whispering by prolonging air‐arresting articulatory gestures.
Increased intrathecal nitric oxide formation in multiple sclerosis; cerebrospinal fluid nitrite as activity marker

Nitric oxide is formed from L‐arginine by a family of enzymes: nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The inducible nitric oxide synthase is activated by cytokines and it has been suggested that activation of the enzyme gives rise to neurotoxic levels of reactive nitrogen oxides. This enzyme has been shown to be localized in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions but the role of nitric oxide formation in the pathogenesis of MS is still unclear. Using capillary electrophoresis, we have analysed nitrite and nitrate in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and demonstrate increased levels of reactive nitrogen products in 17 patients with MS. The total levels of oxidized nitrogen products were significantly elevated in MS patients when compared with controls. In patients with active MS, nitrite levels were significantly increased when compared with controls and patients in remission. This is supportive of NOS induction in MS. We suggest that capillary electrophoresis analysis of nitrite and nitrate in CSF could provide a clinically useful way to determine disease activity in MS.
Coronary artery fistulas: How to manage them

Coronary artery fistulas are rare persisting vascular connections from a coronary artery to a cardiac chamber or major central blood vessel. The true incidence is difficult to discern because at least 75% may be asymptomatic and clinically undetectable until an echocardiogram or coronary arteriogram is performed. Small coronary artery fistulas that are not clinically detectable are not clearly associated with significant long term complications. Medium or large fistulas are associated with significant long term problems including angina, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, endocarditis, and progressive dilation. Treatment options include surgical and catheter approaches to significant fistulas. The long term outlook after fistula closure is not well defined and deserves further study. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase‐Activating Polypeptide (PACAP) and Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP) on Prolactin, Luteinizing Hormone and Growth Hormone Secretion in the Ewe

This study was undertaken to investigate the roles of PACAP and VIP in the control of pituitary hormone secretion in the ewe. The first experiment was designed to identify any direct effects at the level of the pituitary and was conducted during the luteal phase of a prostaglandin‐synchronized oestrous cycle. PACAP (0.008, 0.04, 0.2 and 1.0 nmol/min) or VIP (0.06, 0.2, 0.6 and 1.8 nmol/min) was infused into the carotid artery over a 10 min period. Blood samples were taken before and after the infusions so that plasma PRL, LH and GH concentrations could be measured. Blood pressure was also monitored to determine if the doses used were biologically active. In no case was an effect on hormone secretion observed. In contrast, the highest dose of each peptide induced an increase in heart rate to almost three‐fold the resting value. Although both peptides are active in vivo, this result suggests that neither peptide has a direct effect on hormone release from the pituitary of prostaglandin‐synchronized ewes. In a second experiment, we investigated whether the peptides had central effects on hormone secretion. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of PACAP or VIP at the dose 10nmol was tested in ovariectomized ewes. After injection, PACAP suppressed PRL and GH secretion so that plasma hormone concentrations from 1–3 h after injection were significantly different from the control (P<0.05 for PRL, P<0.01 for GH). In addition, PACAP significantly reduced mean LH concentration (P<0.05) and LH pulse frequency (P<0.01). A similar suppressive effect on LH secretion was also observed after ICV injection of VIP (P<0.05 for both parameters), although PRL and GH release were not affected. These results suggest a possible role for PACAP in the neuroendocrine control of PRL, GH and LH secretion in sheep. In addition, VIP may be involved in the control of LH secretion. In contrast, there is no evidence to suggest that either peptide is a hypophysiotropic factor for PRL, LH or GH in prostaglandin‐synchronized ewes.
The choice of antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia.

Since the discovery of the effects of chlorpromazine in the 1950s, treatment of schizophrenia has relied on antipsychotic drugs that target dopamine D2 receptors. The effectiveness of these agents in reducing the intensity of patients' delusions and hallucinations permitted outpatient treatment instead of lifelong institutionalization in state mental hospitals. The many antipsychotic drugs introduced during the next decade were increasingly potent, as medicinal chemists improved the drugs' affinity for the D2 receptor. However, the efficacy of the drugs was similar, since all had the same mechanism of action.1 A troubling problem was that the blockade of dopaminergic neurotransmission in the .
Conversion From Subcutaneous to Intravenous Erythropoietin in a Hemodialysis Population

The purpose of this study was to compare erythropoietin dosage requirements during subcutaneous versus intravenous administration in a hemodialysis population. Hemodialysis patients receiving subcutaneous epoetin alfa were switched to the intravenous route using a prospective, crossover design. Baseline anemia parameters were measured at months −2, −1, and 0 when patients were receiving subcutaneous dosing and compared to months 4, 5, and 6 after the switch to intravenous dosing. Ninety‐eight patients were enrolled into the study with an average age of 54.8 years. Over the course of the study, 34 patients were excluded from analysis, leaving 64 patients with complete hemoglobin and erythropoietin dosing data throughout the subcutaneous and intravenous evaluation periods. In these patients, the dose of erythropoietin increased significantly from the subcutaneous to the intravenous period (7567.7 to 10229.2 IU/wk). The conversion of hemodialysis patients from the subcutaneous to the intravenous route of administration significantly increased epoetin alfa dosage requirements.
Striatal neurones show sustained recovery from severe hypoglycaemic insult

Glucose deprivation provides a reliable model to investigate cellular responses to metabolic dysfunction, and is reportedly associated with permanent cell death in many paradigms. Consistent with previous studies, primary cultures of rat striatal neurones exposed to 24‐h hypoglycaemia showed dramatically decreased sodium 2,3‐bis(2‐methoxy‐4‐nitro‐5‐sulfophenyl)‐2H‐tetrazolium‐5‐carboxanilide (XTT) metabolism (used as a marker of cell viability) and increased TUNEL staining, suggesting widespread DNA damage typical of apoptotic cell death. Remarkably, restoration of normal glucose levels initiated a sustained recovery in XTT staining, along with a concomitant decrease in TUNEL staining, even after 24 h of hypoglycaemia, suggesting recovery of damaged neurones and repair of nicked DNA. No alterations in the levels of four DNA repair proteins could be detected during hypoglycaemia or recovery. A reduction in intracellular calcium concentration was seen in recovered cells. These data suggest that striatal cells do not die after extended periods of glucose deprivation, but survive in a form of suspended animation, with sufficient energy to maintain membrane potential.
Microleakage of amalgam cavity treatment systems: an in vitro evaluation.

PURPOSE to evaluate the effectiveness of four cavity treatment systems for their ability to seal standardized Class V restorations of amalgam. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Celay copy-milling machine was used to prepare twenty-five standardized Class V cavities on the buccal and palatal surfaces of maxillary premolar teeth extracted for orthodontic purposes. The cavosurface margins lay entirely within enamel. Five cavity treatment test groups were employed prior to amalgam placement: Group 1, Cervitec; Group 2, Gluma One Bond; Group 3, Panavia 21; Group 4, Copaliner Dentin Varnish and Sealant and Group 5, Control. Following restoration placement, the teeth were aged at room temperature (25 +/- 2 degrees C) in tap water for 2 months. The specimens were subsequently thermocycled (500 cycles, 5 -55 +/- 2 degrees C), immersed in a dye solution, sectioned and scored for microleakage. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to examine features of the tooth/restoration interface. RESULTS None of the materials tested consistently prevented microleakage. No statistically significant differences were identified between the groups with respect to the microleakage scores (P > 0.05). The gingival walls exhibited significantly more microleakage than the occlusal walls (P = 0.00). No significant differences were identified between the microleakage scores obtained for the buccal and palatal cavities. Scanning electron microscopy examination failed to demonstrate a consistent pattern of interfacial appearance, showing a combination of cohesive and adhesive failure within and between test groups.
β8 integrin and band 4.1B cooperatively regulate morphogenesis of the embryonic heart

Morphogenesis of the heart is regulated by various cues, including growth factors and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The mechanisms by which cardiac cells properly integrate these cues to regulate growth, differentiation, and migration remain poorly understood. Here we have used genetic strategies in mice to identify αvβ8 integrin and its cytoskeletal adaptor protein, Band 4.1B, as essential regulators of cardiac morphogenesis. We demonstrate that approximately 60% of mouse embryos genetically null for β8 integrin and Band 4.1B display cardiovascular phenotypes and die by E11.5. This premature death is due, in part, to defective development of the cardiac outflow tract (OFT), with reduced expression of smooth muscle α‐actin (SMAα‐actin) in OFT cells derived from the cardiac neural crest. These data are the first to identify cell adhesion and signaling pathways regulated by αvβ8 integrin and Band 4.1B as essential for normal formation and function of the heart during embryogenesis. Developmental Dynamics, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Efficacy of alcohol-based hand rinses under frequent-use conditions

Fifty volunteers randomly assigned to one of five hand washing agents (10 subjects per agent)--a nonantiseptic liquid soap (control), an antiseptic hand rinse containing 60% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with emollients (Alc A), an antiseptic hand rinse containing 70% IPA and 0.5% chlorhexidine gluconate with emollients (Alc B), an antiseptic containing 4% chlorhexidine gluconate and 4% IPA (CHG), and 70% IPA--washed their hands 15 times per day for 5 days under supervision by using a standardized technique and measured amounts of test agent. Microbiologic samples of hand flora were obtained at base line and after hand washes 1 and 15 on test days 1 and 5. After the initial hand wash there were significant reductions over base line in aerobic and anaerobic log CFU among those using Alc A, CHG, and IPA. By the end of the first day of hand washing (15 washes), there were 2-log or greater reductions in aerobic counts among subjects using all antiseptics, but no significant reductions in controls. By the end of day 5, all agents produced significant reductions in aerobic (P = 0.0002) and anaerobic (P = 0.002) counts over control soap. Subject assessment of effects of hand washing on the skin and overall satisfaction varied significantly by product (P = 0.04 and 0.05, respectively). We conclude that alcohol-based hand rinses are highly efficacious, and such products are recommended as a health care personnel hand wash, particularly when sink and running water are inaccessible.
Tocilizumab: a novel therapy for patients with large-vessel vasculitis.

OBJECTIVE Treatment of large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) remains challenging. Patients usually respond to glucocorticoid (GC) therapy, but often relapse on tapering of the GC dose or after GC withdrawal. In addition, GCs are fraught with numerous adverse events. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the anti-IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) antibody tocilizumab (TCZ) in patients with LVV. METHODS Four patients with active LVV (two with GCA and two with Takayasu arteritis) received monthly TCZ infusions (8 mg/kg bodyweight) for 6 consecutive months. Two patients were treatment naïve, while two had relapsing disease. Disease activity and drug tolerability were assessed clinically and by laboratory tests at study entry and subsequently every month for 6 months of TCZ treatment, while an [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET (PET/CT) scan was performed before and after treatment. In addition, a semi-quantitative clinical evaluation was performed at baseline and at 3 and 6 months using the Indian Takayasu activity score and the Kerr indices. After TCZ, MTX was used as maintenance therapy. RESULTS All patients treated with TCZ therapy had a satisfactory clinical and laboratory response, while PET/CT findings significantly improved in all cases. No serious adverse events were noted. Only one patient had a transient increase in liver enzymes. CONCLUSIONS In this small group of patients with LVV, treatment with TCZ was effective and well tolerated. Further, larger studies are required to confirm our findings.
Montessori-Based Activities as a Transgenerational Interface for Persons With Dementia and Preschool Children

Montessori-based activities for persons with dementia have been used to successfully provide opportunities for programming between older adults and preschool children in shared site intergenerational care programs. Such intergenerational programming allows older adults with dementia to fulfill roles of teacher or mentor to younger children or as collaborative workmates for persons with more advanced dementia while providing children with positive one-on-one interactions with older adults. We review several studies using this approach; describe characteristics of the programs, participants, and results obtained; and provide recommendations for those interested in extending this line of work.
The Potential of Subliminal Information Displays to Change Driver Behavior

In the long history of subliminal messages and perception, many contradictory results have been presented. One group of researchers suggests that subliminal interaction techniques improve humancomputer interaction by reducing sensory workload, whereas others have found that subliminal perception does not work. In this paper, we want to challenge this prejudice by first defining a terminology and introducing a theoretical taxonomy of mental processing states, then reviewing and discussing the potential of subliminal approaches for different sensory channels, and finally recapitulating the findings from our studies on subliminally triggered behavior change. Our objective is to mitigate driving problems caused by excessive information. Therefore, this work focuses on subliminal techniques applied to drivervehicle interaction to induce a nonconscious change in driver behavior. Based on a survey of related work which identified the potential of subliminal cues in driving, we conducted two user studies assessing their applicability in real-world situations. The first study evaluated whether subtle (subliminal) vibrations could promote economical driving, and the second exposed drivers to very briefly flashed visual stimuli to assess their potential to improve steering behavior. Our results suggest that subliminal approaches are indeed feasible to provide drivers with added driving support without dissipating attention resources. Despite the lack of general evidence for uniform effectiveness of such interfaces in all driving circumstances, we firmly believe that such interfaces are valuable since they may eventually prevent accidents, save lives, and even reduce fuel costs and CO2 emissions for some drivers. For all these reasons, we are confident that subliminally driven interfaces will find their way into cars of the (near) future.
Xenotransplantation and xenogeneic infections.

The ongoing shortage of human organs and tissues for transplantation, coupled with scientific and biotechnological advances, has catalyzed new attempts to use animal tissues in humans — a field known as xenotransplantation. Pigs and nonhuman primates have been used as sources of organs, with limited success.1,2 Recently, the transplantation of baboon bone marrow to attempt to reconstitute the immune system in patients with AIDS was proposed,3 and fetal-pig mesencephalon cells are being studied for the treatment of patients with refractory parkinsonism. The use of xenogeneic tissues in transplantation has raised concern about potential infection with both recognized zoonotic pathogens .
SKELETAL MATURITY IN MYELODYSPLASIA

Incongruent skeletal age in 76 myelomeningocele patients was assessed by a single hand and wrist bone‐age film. 28 per cent of patients were found to have a bone age of more than two standard deviations from their chronological age. 22 per cent had advanced skeletal age. Below eight years of age, only 11 per cent were advanced, but over this age 32 per cent showed skeletal maturity exceeding chronological age. Gender, neurological level, presence of hydrocephalus and number of shunt revisions did not correlate with the prevalence of advanced bone age.
Alcohol-related acute axonal polyneuropathy: a differential diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

BACKGROUND Chronic axonal polyneuropathy is a well-known clinical sequela of excessive alcohol consumption; however, acute axonal polyneuropathy related to alcohol abuse is less well recognized. OBJECTIVE To describe alcohol-related acute axonal polyneuropathy in 5 chronic alcoholics who developed ascending flaccid tetraparesis and areflexia within 14 days. METHODS Case series with clinical, laboratory, electrophysiological, and, in 1 patient, biopsy data. RESULTS All 5 patients consumed a daily average of 250 g of alcohol, and 4 had lost a substantial amount of weight recently. Additional clinical features included painful paresthesia, myalgia, and glove and stocking-type sensory loss. Repeated cerebrospinal fluid examinations failed to show the marked increase of protein concentration with normal cell count typical of Guillain-Barré syndrome, although the protein level was mildly elevated in 1 patient. Blood laboratory findings were consistent with longstanding alcohol abuse. Compound muscle and sensory nerve action potentials were absent or reduced, while conduction velocities were normal or mildly reduced. Three to 4 weeks after onset, needle electromyography displayed moderate to severe fibrillations and positive sharp waves in addition to normal motor unit potentials, indicating an acute axonal polyneuropathy; this was confirmed by sural nerve biopsy in 1 patient. CONCLUSIONS Excluding other factors, we assume that in these patients the combination of alcohol abuse and malnutrition caused severe acute axonal polyneuropathy. Its distinction from Guillain-Barré syndrome is important because treatment requires balanced diet, vitamin supplementation, and abstinence from alcohol, while immunotherapy may not be indicated.
The Barriers to High-Quality Inpatient Pain Management

The current literature suggests deficiencies in the quality of acute pain management among general medical inpatients. The aim of this qualitative study is to identify potential barriers to high-quality acute pain management among general medical inpatients at an urban academic medical center during a 2-year period. Data are collected using retrospective chart reviews, survey questionnaires, and semistructured, open-ended interviews of 40 general medical inpatients who have experienced pain during their hospitalization. Our results confirm high prevalence and disabling impacts of pain and significant patient- and provider-related barriers to high-quality acute pain management. We also identify unique system-related barriers such as time delay and pain management culture. Efforts to improve the pain management experience of general medical inpatients will need to address all these barriers.
A Time Window Approach to Simultaneous Scheduling of Machines and Material Handling System in an FMS

This paper exploits the interactions between the machine scheduling and the scheduling of the material handling system in an FMS by addressing them simultaneously. The material transfer between machines is done by a number of identical automated guided vehicles (AGVs) which are not allowed to return to the load/unload station after each delivery. This operating policy introduces an additional complexity to the problem because it results in sequence-dependent travel times for the deadheading trips between successive loaded trips of the AGVs. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear mixed integer programming model. Its objective is makespan minimization. The formulation consists of constraint sets of a machine scheduling subproblem and a vehicle scheduling subproblem which interact through a set of time window constraints for the material handling trip starting times. An iterative procedure is developed where, at each iteration, a new machine schedule is generated by a heuristic procedure, the operation completion times obtained from this schedule are used to construct time windows for the trips, and a feasible solution is searched for the second subproblem, which is handled as a sliding time window problem. The procedure is numerically tested on 90 example problems.
Effects of the antineoplastic alkaloid acronycine on nucleoside uptake and incorporation into nucleic acids by cultured L5178Y cells.

The antineoplastic alkaloid acronycine inhibits the incorporation of extracellular nucleosides into the RNA and DNA of cultured L5178Y cells. Spectrophotometric and DNA melting temperature studies showed no evidence of an interaction between acronycine and DNA, nor did the drug inhibit the template activity of DNA (when Escherichia coli RNA polymerase was used). Acronycine did not inhibit nucleic acid synthesis in L5178Y cells as measured by the transfer of radioactivity from an intracellular precursor pool prelabeled with radioactive uridine or thymidine into nucleic acids. On the other hand, the alkaloid markedly inhibited the accumulation of extracellular uridine and thymidine as nucleotides in the intracellular precursor pool. Acronycine had no effect on the distribution of radioactivity among the various components ( e.g. , uridine nucleotides) of the acid-soluble pool in cells incubated with uridine-5-3H, and it had little or no effect on the phosphorylation of uridine by cell extracts. It is suggested that the reduced net uptake of uridine may be due to an alteration in the transport of the nucleoside through the plasma membrane. A similar mechanism may be responsible for the inhibition by acronycine of the uptake of other nucleosides ( e.g. , thymidine). Acronycine also strongly reduced the net uptake of formate by L5178Y cells but slightly stimulated the accumulation of 2-deoxyglucose. The immediate biochemical and growth-inhibitory effects of acronycine were readily reversible upon removal of the drug.