Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coronary flow reserve dysfunction in hemodialysis and kidney transplant patients

Abstract: Background: The assessment of coronary flow reserve (CFR) by trans‐thoracic echocardiography has recently been introduced into clinical studies. Impairment of coronary microvascular functions and decreased CFR detected by trans‐thoracic Doppler harmonic echocardiography (TTDE) has recently been reported in hemodialysis (HD) patients, but there is no comparative study between HD patients and renal transplant recipients.
Serum Vitamin D Levels and VDR Polymorphisms (BsmI and FokI) in Patients and their Household Contacts Susceptible to Tuberculosis

Vitamin D, an immunomodulator of macrophage function, can activate human antimycobacterial activity. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with an impaired mycobacterial immunity and susceptibility to tuberculosis. It has been found that vitamin D and its receptor may be essential for immune function. In this study, we examined the serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels and its receptor (VDR) polymorphisms with susceptibility to tuberculosis in patients, household contacts and healthy controls. Serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels were measured in 75 cases (25 patients, 25 household contacts and 25 healthy controls), and polymorphisms (BsmI and FokI) were carried out in 335 cases (110 patients, 110 household contacts and 115 healthy controls). The proportion of serum 25(OH) vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was high in patients (44, 58%) and household contacts (40, 48%) compared to controls (48%). The BB and Bb genotypes of BsmI were significantly associated in patients (P < 0.014; OR: 0.509; CI: 0.265–0.876) (P < 0.001; OR: 2.351; CI: 1.368–4.041) and household contacts (P < 0.04; OR: 0.575; CI: 0.336–0.985); (P < 0.002; OR: −2.267; CI: 1.32–3.895) when compared to healthy controls. The diplotype and MDR analysis showed the high‐risk genotypes of BsmI and FokI polymorphisms. Vitamin D deficiency and its association with VDR gene polymorphisms may be useful to identify the high‐risk group individuals.
Pseudomonas Septicemia Due to Deficient Disinfectant Mixing during Reuse

We describe a cluster of four septicemias with pseudomonas, that occurred in a unit performing formaldehyde reuse of capillary dialyzers. Samples of blood, heparin solutions, dialysate and effluent of reused dialyzers, were evaluated bacteriologically and upon the adequacy of the reuse procedure. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, vesicularis and/or xanthomonas maltophilia were found on the blood cultures obtained during the septicemic reactions, and in the effluent of two reprocessed dialyzers not yet used (> 104 CFU/ml). These two dialyzers had also extremely low formaldehyde concentrations (0.0014 and 0.005% versus the expected 4%). Membrane and antibiogram characteristics of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain, recovered from the blood cultures in one patient, and of a strain found in the effluent of one of the two contaminated reprocessed dialyzers, were the same. The problem was attributed to the inadequate mixing of the disinfectant with the tap water used in the automated reprocessing device, in the absence of an alarm disclosing this failure.
Vax1 Plays an Indirect Role in the Etiology of Murine Cleft Palate

Cleft lip with or without palate (CLP) and isolated cleft palate (CP) are common human developmental malformations with a complex etiology that reflects a failure of normal facial development. VAX1 encodes a homeobox-containing transcription factor identified as a candidate gene for CLP in human populations, with targeted deletion in mice associated with multiple anomalies, including disruption of the visual apparatus and basal forebrain, lobar holoprosencephaly, and CP. We have investigated Vax1 function during murine palatogenesis but found no evidence for a direct role in this process. Vax1 is not expressed in the developing palate and mutant palatal shelves elevate above the tongue, demonstrating morphology and proliferation indices indistinguishable from wild type. However, mutant mice did have a large midline cavity originating from the embryonic forebrain situated beneath the floor of the hypothalamus and extending through the nasal cavity to expand this region and prevent approximation of the palatal shelves. Interestingly, despite strong expression of Vax1 in ectoderm of the medial nasal processes, the upper lip remained intact in mutant mice. We found further evidence of disrupted craniofacial morphology in Vax1 mutants, including truncation of the midface associated with reduced cell proliferation in forebrain neuroectoderm and frontonasal mesenchyme. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signal transduction was downregulated in the mutant forebrain, consistent with a role for Vax1 in mediating transduction of this pathway. However, Shh was also reduced in this region, suggestive of a Shh-Vax1 feedback loop during early development of the forebrain and a likely mechanism for the underlying lobar holoprosencephaly. Despite significant associations between VAX1 and human forms of CLP, we find no evidence of a direct role for this transcription factor in development of this region in a mutant mouse model.
Oxidative stress markers in severe preeclampsia and preeclampsia-related perinatal morbidity - preliminary report.

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to determine maternal serum total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), paraoxonase (PON) and arylesterase levels in severe preeclamptic pregnants and also to investigate whether these parameters are implicated in the occurence of perinatal morbidity or not. MATERIAL AND METHODS A case-control study was carried out including 60 pregnant women (30 with severe preeclampsia and 30 healthy controls). The optimal cut off points of oxidative stress markers for the diagnosis of severe preeclampsia and for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcomes were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. Multi-variate logistic regression analysis was used to determine if a relationship between adverse perinatal outcomes and serum oxidative stress markers was present or not. RESULTS TAS (OR = 37.486, 95% CI 3.535-397.519, p = 0.003), TOS (OR = 15.588, 95% CI 2.135-113.818, p = 0.007) and ary-lesterase (OR = 31.356, 95% CI 2.284-430.548, p = 0.01) were found to be diagnostic for preeclampsia. Statistically significant positive correlation of adverse perinatal outcomes with serum TAS, PON and arylesterase levels were determined. Besides, a significant negative correlation was found between serum TAS levels and gestational week (r = -0.342, p = 0.007) and also between serum PON levels and birthweight (r = -0.262, p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS Increased maternal serum TAS, TOS and arylesterase levels are significantly associated with the presence of severe preeclampsia. Furthermore, elevated maternal serum TAS, PON and arylesterase levels are significantly and positively correlated with adverse perinatal outcomes. We suggest that in preeclampsia increased oxidative status may cause adverse perinatal outcomes and antioxidants may be increased in order to protect the fetus against oxidative damage.
Complications and outcome after acute stroke. Does dysphagia matter?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The published data on the relationship between dysphagia and both outcome and complications after acute stroke have been inconclusive. We examined the relationship between these, using bedside assessment and videofluoroscopic examination. METHODS We prospectively studied 121 consecutive patients admitted with acute stroke. A standardized bedside assessment was performed by a physician. We performed videofluoroscopy blinded to this assessment within 3 days of stroke onset and within a median time of 24 hours of the bedside evaluations. The presence of aspiration was recorded. Mortality, functional outcome, lengthy of stay, place of discharge, occurrence of chest infection, nutritional status, and hydration were the main outcome measures. RESULTS Patients with an abnormal swallow (dysphagia) on bedside assessment had a higher risk of chest infection (P=.05) and a poor nutritional state (P=.001). The presence of dysphagia was associated with an increased risk of death (P=.001), disability (P=.02), length of hospital stay (P<.001), and institutional care (P<.05). When other factors were taken into account, dysphagia remained as an independent predictor of outcome only with regard to mortality. The use of videofluoroscopy in detecting aspiration did not add to the value of bedside assessment. CONCLUSIONS Bedside assessment of swallowing is of use in identifying patients at risk of developing complications. The value of routine screening with videofluoroscopy to detect aspiration is questioned.
The glutamine 27 glutamic acid polymorphism of the β2‐adrenoceptor gene is associated with abdominal obesity and greater risk of impaired glucose tolerance in men but not in women: a population‐based study in Spain

objetive Given the important role of the β2‐adrenoceptor (β2‐AR) in lipid mobilization and the lack of studies in Southern European countries, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of the glutamine 27 glutamic acid (Gln27Glu) β2‐AR polymorphism in the susceptibility to obesity and its metabolic complications in a population‐based nationwide multicentre study in Spain, especially focusing on the hypothetical influence of gender.
High telomerase is a hallmark of undifferentiated spermatogonia and is required for maintenance of male germline stem cells

Here, Pech et al. use telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) reporter mice and show that very high telomerase expression is a hallmark of undifferentiated spermatogonia. These results provide insight into the dependence on telomerase within the germline in metazoans and demonstrate that telomere maintenance in germline stem cells is a central determinant of germline immortality.
Panax ginseng: A Role in Cancer Therapy?

Panax ginseng is a plant that has been used in traditional medicine in China for thousands of years. It is used as a general tonic or adaptogen with chronically ill patients and is frequently featured in traditional medicine prescriptions from China, Japan, and Korea used by cancer patients. The putative active compounds are the ginsenosides, of which there are more than two dozen. These compounds are found in both Panax ginseng and in other Panax species that are used in herbal medicine. Analysis of ginsenosides is being used in developing quality control assessments for ginseng, which has frequently been adulterated due to its high cost; many currently available standardized extracts do appear to contain the amounts of ginsenosides listed on package labeling. The toxicity of ginseng appears to be low: some of the reports of toxic episodes of ginseng may actually pertain to other components of multicomponent preparations. Very low incidence of toxicity has been observed in ginseng clinical trials using well-characterized preparations. Numerous pharmacological activities of ginseng and the ginsenosides have been explored: the authors review here the activities relating to cancer. Immune system modulation, antistress activities, and antihyperglycemic activities are among the most notable features of ginseng noted in laboratory and clinical analyses. Much testing has been done in humans to explore ginseng's purported antifatigue properties, but this area remains controversial. A number of investigations point to antitumor properties and other pharmacological activities related to cancer, but no trials have yet confirmed a clinically significant anticancer activity. Cancer patients may empirically find ginseng to be useful when they are fatigued, although clinical trials should be conducted to confirm its benefits.
Polymeric Nanocomposite Materials

Nowadays the enormous use of polymer materials is attributed to their extraordinary combination of properties, low weight and ease of processing. However for improvement of some properties such as thermal and mechanical stability, large numbers of additives were added to polymeric matrix and formed polymer matrix composite [1, 2]. A composite is defined as a combination of two or more materials with different physical and chemical properties and distinguishable interface. Composite materials have a wonderful and different range of applications. Important advantages of composites over many metal compounds are high specific stiffness and specific strength, high toughness, corrosion resistance, low density and thermal insulation [1-3]. In most composite materials, one phase is usually continuous and called the matrix, while the other phase called the dispersed phase. On the basis of the nature of the matrices, composites can be classified into four major categories: 1. Polymer matrix composite 2. Metal matrix composite 3. Ceramic matrix composite 4. Carbon matrix composite [4]. Polymer matrix composite can be processed at a much lower temperature, compared to other composite. Depending on the types of polymer matrices, polymer matrix composite are classified as thermosetting composites and thermoplastic composites [4].
AGE RATIOS AS ESTIMATORS OF PRODUCTIVITY: TESTING ASSUMPTIONS ON A THREATENED SEABIRD, THE MARBLED MURRELET (BRACHYRAMPHUS MARMORATUS)

Abstract The ratio of hatch-year (HY) to after-hatch-year (AHY) individuals (HY:AHY ratio) can be a valuable metric for estimating avian productivity because it does not require monitoring individual breeding sites and can often be estimated across large geographic and temporal scales. However, rigorous estimation of age ratios requires that both young and adult age classes are sampled in an unbiased manner, an assumption that is rarely tested. We estimated HY:AHY ratios for Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), a threatened seabird, using at-sea surveys and captures to assess whether age-specific differences in behavior and distribution result in biased productivity estimates in central California. AHY and HY Marbled Murrelets were distributed similarly at sea, and HY individuals did not congregate in nursery areas. Moreover, dispersal by radiomarked AHY Marbled Murrelets out of our survey area occurred at a low rate, and AHY densities were constant over the survey period, which suggests that AHY immigration and emigration did not significantly bias productivity estimates. HY density increased linearly over the survey period as expected if little dispersal occurred, which suggests that productivity estimates were not significantly biased by HY dispersal. Finally, simulation analyses indicated that annual variation in the timing of breeding resulted in only small biases in HY:AHY ratios. HY:AHY ratios were corrected for the proportion of AHY Marbled Murrelets that were incubating and the proportion of HY individuals that had not fledged at the time of sampling. Mean corrected HY:AHY ratios were low on the basis of both at-sea surveys conducted from 1996 to 2003 (0.032; SE = 0.011) and captures conducted from 1999 to 2003 (0.037; SE = 0.028), implying that productivity was poor in central California. Estimating age ratios may be an effective way of monitoring changes in reproductive success and identifying environmental factors that affect Marbled Murrelet populations, though tests of assumptions are needed in other regions. Le Rapport des Âges comme Estimateur de la Productivité: Tester les Hypothèses avec un Oiseau de Mer Menacé, Brachyramphus marmoratus
Long‐living nanobubbles of dissolved gas in aqueous solutions of salts and erythrocyte suspensions

Results of experiments combining laser modulation interference microscopy and Mueller matrix scatterometry show that macroscopic scatterers of light are present in liquids free of external solid impurities. Experimental data on distilled water and aqueous NaCl solutions of various concentrations as well as physiological saline solution are reported. The experimental data can be interpreted by using a model of micron‐scale clusters composed of polydisperse air nanobubbles having effective radii of 70–100 nm. Their concentration increases with the growth of ionic content. We hypothesize that under certain conditions those clusters of nanobubbles can affect the erythrocyte structure. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease cases with leukoencephalopathy diagnosed via skin biopsy

Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterised by eosinophilic hyaline intranuclear inclusions which are widely observed in neuronal and somatic cells.1 ,2 NIID has been considered to be a heterogeneous disease with highly variable clinical manifestations such as neuropathy, cerebellar ataxia and dementia, which may occur concomitantly in certain cases.1–5 Sporadic and familial cases have been reported, and the onset of disease varies from the infantile stages to late middle age. These factors made the antemortem diagnosis of NIID difficult. However, in 2011, we reported that skin biopsy is a useful antemortem diagnostic tool for familial neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease because it detects intranuclear inclusions in the dermal cells.3 Recently, some autopsies of NIID patients with leukoencephalopathy have been reported.4 In this study, we identified intranuclear inclusions in skin biopsy samples from three sporadic NIID patients who presented with cognitive dysfunction along with notable brain MRIs findings of leukoencephalopathy. A patient aged in the late sixties with neither significant past medical history nor family history of neurological disease was referred to our hospital with gait disturbance and dementia with symptoms including frequent disorientation over 3 years. A neurological examination revealed no ataxia, sensory disturbances or urinary incontinence. The patient's Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) Score was 29. A brain MRI showed moderate cerebral and cerebellar atrophy and high-intensity areas in the cerebral white matter in the T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images (figure 1A). The MRI diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) revealed a high-intensity signal in the corticomedullary junction, and these areas showed isointensity and low intensity on the ADC map (figure 1A). A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination showed no pleocytosis or protein elevation and a normal glucose level. The nerve conduction studies …
Flavonoides: Potenciais agentes Terapêuticos para o Processo Inflamatório

O processo inflamatorio, envolvido em diversas patologias, e uma resposta do organismo frente a uma infeccao ou a uma injuria tecidual. Compreende basicamente dois mecanismos de defesa: uma resposta inespecifica (resposta inata), responsavel pelas caracteristicas da regiao inflamada (vermelhidao, edema, calor, dor e perda de funcao) e uma resposta imunologica, na qual ha producao de anticorpos especificos contra um determinado agente agressor. Nem sempre a resposta inflamatoria inicial e suficiente e o processo pode evoluir para um estado de inflamacao cronica. Apesar da grande incidencia de efeitos colaterais gastroduodenais e cardiovasculares, o uso de anti-inflamatorios nao esteroidais (AINEs) e atualmente a principal abordagem terapeutica para as reacoes inflamatorias. Tal situacao estimula a busca por novas moleculas, potencialmente uteis no tratamento da inflamacao. A riqueza da flora brasileira, no que diz respeito as plantas empregadas popularmente contra processos inflamatorios, propicia essa busca por novas moleculas bioativas. Dentre as diversas classes de produtos naturais bioativos, os flavonoides - grupo de substâncias polifenolicas - estao em destaque. Os flavonoides sao amplamente distribuidos pelo reino vegetal e notaveis por suas diversificadas acoes biologicas, dentre elas a capacidade de agir sobre a inflamacao e sobre o sistema imunologico - o que lhes confere um enorme potencial farmacologico. Dessa forma, os flavonoides representam uma alternativa promissora frente aos processos inflamatorios. Neste artigo serao abordados diferentes aspectos do processo inflamatorio e tratamentos, com especial enfoque na atividade anti-inflamatoria de flavonoides. Uma breve avaliacao da relacao estrutura-atividade e apresentada. DOI: 10.5935/1984-6835.20090024
A systematic literature review on SOA migration

When Service Orientation was introduced as the solution for retaining and rehabilitating legacy assets, both researchers and practitioners proposed techniques, methods, and guidelines for SOA migration. With so much hype surrounding SOA, it is not surprising that the concept was interpreted in many different ways, and consequently, different approaches to SOA migration were proposed. Accordingly, soon there was an abundance of methods that were hard to compare and eventually adopt. Against this backdrop, this paper reports on a systematic literature review that was conducted to extract the categories of SOA migration proposed by the research community. We provide the state‐of‐the‐art in SOA migration approaches, and discuss categories of activities carried out and knowledge elements used or produced in those approaches. From such categorization, we derive a reference model, called SOA migration frame of reference, that can be used for selecting and defining SOA migration approaches. As a co‐product of the analysis, we shed light on how SOA migration is perceived in the field, which further points to promising future research directions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rising cesarean section rates, a patient's perspective: experience from a high birth rate country.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION To investigate the effect of social class, education and antenatal care on cesarian section (CS) rate and women's preference for CS. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a descriptive study performed on 509 women attending postnatal clinics in three primary care units in Ismailia governorate, Egypt. The study performed via a structured questionnaire including questions related to background socio-demographic data, questions related to obstetrical history for the last pregnancy and delivery, and questions related to economic standards. RESULTS The study included 266 participants (52.3%) that delivered by CS in their last delivery. CS rate was significantly higher in highly educated women and high economic standard. Only 29 (7.7%) reported that they had preferred CS as a method of delivery. Educational level and economic standards significantly affected the proportion of women preferring CS as a method of delivery (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). In a stepwise logistic regression model, significant factors affecting CS rate were: the method of delivery preferred (p < 0.005) and educational level (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Educational level and economic standards significantly affected women's preference towards CS and CS rate.
Epidemiological and clinicotherapeutic study of leucoderma in dairy cattle and buffaloes

LEUCODERMA (vitiligo), a depigmentation of the skin, is a common disease in human beings and has been observed in cattle, horses and buffaloes ([Cockrill 1974][1], [Gill and Gill 1975][2], [Dhillon and others 1991][3], [Radostits and others 2000][4]). This short communication describes a study of