Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Severe eosinophilic fasciitis: comparison of treatment with d-penicillamine plus corticosteroids vs. corticosteroids alone

Objectives: To compare the therapeutic effectiveness of corticosteroids (CS) alone vs. CS plus d-penicillamine (d-Pen) in severe eosinophilic fasciitis. Method: A long-term prospective non-randomized trial of d-Pen plus CS vs. CS alone in patients with severe eosinophilic fasciitis, defined as clinically apparent cutaneous fibrotic involvement affecting more than 15% body surface area (BSA) or more than 10% BSA with joint flexion contractures. Results: Sixteen patients with severe eosinophilic fasciitis entered the study. Ten patients received d-Pen plus CS and six received CS alone. Affected BSA decreased from an average of 29% to 8.9% in the d-Pen plus CS group compared to a decrease in affected BSA from 28% to 22.83% in the CS-alone group. The reduction in affected BSA in the d-Pen plus CS group was significantly greater than in the CS-alone group (p = 0.038). Clinical improvement occurred in all d-Pen plus CS patients compared to only 33.3% of CS-alone patients (p = 0.008). There was no difference in overall frequency of adverse events between the groups (p = 0.60). The most common adverse event in the d-Pen plus CS group was proteinuria (33.3%). However, proteinuria also occurred in 16.6% in the CS-alone group. Conclusions: Treatment with CS alone failed to induce clinical improvement in the majority of the severe eosinophilic fasciitis patients. By contrast, d-Pen plus CS resulted in significantly greater clinical improvement. These results suggest that initial treatment of severe eosinophilic fasciitis with CS alone is not sufficient for optimal therapeutic response and that addition of an antifibrotic agent results in an improved outcome.
Oxygen Radicals in Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Oxygen free radicals have been widely implicated in the pathogenesis of brain injury due to ischemia followed by reperfusion. The success of making transgenic animals overexpressing human CuZn‐super‐oxide dismutase (CuZn‐SOD) in brain cells allows researchers to discern the specific role of superoxide radicals in reperfusion injury after focal ischemia. It has been shown that increased brain levels of CuZn‐SOD in transgenic mice protect neurons from ischemia / reperfusion injury. However, overexpression of CuZn‐SOD does not provide neuronal protection in permanent focal ischemia in mice, when compared with non‐transgenic mouse littermates. It is proposed that molecular genetic approaches of modifying antioxidant levels in the brain offer a unique tool for studying oxidative mechanisms in focal cerebral ischemia.
What Brings Children to the Park? Analysis and Measurement of the Variables Affecting Children's Use of Parks

Problem: Children make little use of many neighborhood parks even though they have facilities for active recreation. Purpose: We examined the factors that bring children to parks, and aimed to understand how park visitation patterns differ between boys and girls, among children of different races and ethnicities, and between inner-city and suburban children. Methods: We surveyed children and their parents in 12 middle schools and analyzed the results. Our team also observed children at 50 inner-city and 50 suburban parks, and we used multiple regression models containing park- and neighborhood-level variables to relate them to the numbers of children using parks. Results and conclusions: The study confirms that many middle-school children make little use of parks. This is primarily explained by their own lack of interest in the existing park activities and their households' lack of time and concerns about safety. Active recreation facilities and organized sport programs, natural features, and good levels of maintenance and cleanliness are the most significant factors attracting middle-school children to parks. Our survey found some significant gender, racial, and ethnic differences in preferences for park equipment, perceptions of park safety, and park visitation patterns. Additionally, our regression models confirmed that inner-city and suburban children were attracted to parks of different sizes and containing different facilities, and that the association between park safety and park use was also different in these two settings. Takeaway for practice: Neighborhood parks provide the potential for active recreation, but they are often underutilized and attract only a subset of neighborhood children. Planners should take into account that different factors attract different groups of children to parks. Research support: This research was supported by the John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation.
Expression of schizophrenia in black Xhosa-speaking and white English-speaking South Africans.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether schizophrenia manifests itself differently in Xhosa-speaking South Africans, compared with English-speaking white South Africans. DESIGN A comparative study of the presentation of schizophrenia in two groups of patients. SETTINGS AND SUBJECTS A sample of 63 patients (43 Xhosa-speaking and 20 English-speaking) admitted to a large psychiatric hospital for the first time with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. OUTCOME MEASURES The Present State Examination (PSE) was used to confirm the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia. The Relatives' Rating of Symptoms and Social Behaviour (KAS-R) was used to obtain information on the behavioural and emotional expression of schizophrenia. RESULTS A significantly higher prevalence of aggressive and disruptive behaviour was reported by relatives of Xhosa-speaking patients with schizophrenia of recent onset compared with English-speaking patients. The PSE elicited significantly more delusions of persecution, sexual and fantastic delusions, self-neglect and irritability in the Xhosa-speaking patients. CONCLUSION Significant differences in the presentation of schizophrenia, but not its core symptoms, were identified in Xhosa-speaking blacks and English-speaking whites.
Management of painless mid-trimester cervical dilatation: Prophylactic vs emergency placement of cervical cerclage

Summary Women with recurrent painless mid-trimester miscarriages are often diagnosed with cervical insufficiency. Presenting symptoms typically include vaginal pressure and minimal bleeding; when the cervix is examined, advanced dilatation is usually detected. Labour is short and the premature fetus is born alive. Women with this history were traditionally considered candidates for the placement of cervical cerclage. Recently, this practice has been called into question. Rather than routine placement of prophylactic cervical cerclage at 12 – 14 weeks, many patients are followed expectantly with serial sonographic assessments of cervical length. The goal of this update is to review the literature regarding management options of mid-trimester cervical dilatation.
HER‐2/neu is overexpressed infrequently in patients with prostate carcinoma

The overexpression of HER‐2/neu is found in 20–30% of patients with breast carcinoma and is an adverse prognostic factor. HER‐2 overexpression also has been reported in up to 60% of patients with hormone‐refractory prostate carcinoma (HRPC) and was correlated with shortened survival. Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to the HER‐2 receptor and has antitumor activity in patients with HER‐2‐overexpressing breast carcinoma. The authors report the results of HER‐2 screening from a Phase II trial of chemotherapy with trastuzumab and docetaxel in patients with HER‐2‐overexpressing prostate carcinoma.
Emissão de monoxido de carbono e hidrocarbonetos totais em camaras de incineração - efeito do numero de rotação e composição do combustivel

A incineracao termica tem sido utilizada como metodo de tratamento e disposicao de residuos perigosos. Cabe a câmara secundaria dos incineradores um papel importante na eficiente destruicao dos residuos e no controle da emissao de produtos de combustao incompleta, sendo a analise continua das emissoes de CO e hidrocarbonetos nao queimados o procedimento utilizado para o monitoramento, em tempo real, do seu desempenho. O presente trabalho estudou experimentalmente o efeito do numero de rotacao do escoamento no interior da câmara, nas emissoes de CO e HC totais para tres concentracoes de tolueno no combustivel e dois valores do excesso de ar. Foram tambem realizadas medicoes locais no interior da câmara de combustao, compreendendo: dois campos de velocidades, tres distribuicoes de temperatura e duas distribuicoes de concentracao de CO e HC totais. A distribuicao do tempo de residencia foi avaliada atraves da resposta a um sinal de concentracao de SOztipo impulso unitario. Para a consecucao da pesquisa foram projetados e construidos uma câmara de combustao cilindrica horizontal isolada termicamente; um queimador com ajuste variavel do numero de rotacao; tres tubos de Pitot de 5 furos para medidas de velocidade do escoamento; um pirometro de succao para medidas de temperatura, duas sondas de amostragem de gases de combustao e um analisador continuo de hidrocarbonetos totais a partir de um cromatografo de ionizacao de chama. O aumento do numero de rotacao teve influencia na emissao de CO e HC totais, diminuindo as emissoes na condicao de maior excesso de ar (42%) e aumentando as emissoes na condicao de menor excesso de ar (19%). A proporcao relativa das regioes de mistura e de escoamento pistonado resultante dentro da câmara influenciou a eficiencia de combustao, com efeitos diferentes conforme as condicoes de excesso de ar e de concentracao de residuo no combustivel. A relacao CO/HC mostrou-se relativamente constante com o numero de rotacao nestas condicoes Abstract
Mid-Infrared Spectral Diagnostics of Nuclear and Extranuclear Regions in Nearby Galaxies

Mid-infrared diagnostics are presented for a large portion of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS) sample plus archival data from ISO and Spitzer. The SINGS data set includes low- and high-resolution spectral maps and broadband imaging in the infrared for over 160 nuclear and extranuclear regions within 75 nearby galaxies spanning a wide range of morphologies, metallicities, luminosities, and star formation rates. Our main result is that these mid-infrared diagnostics effectively constrain a target's dominant power source. The combination of a high-ionization line index and PAH strength serves as an efficient discriminant between AGNs and star-forming nuclei, confirming progress made with ISO spectroscopy on starbursting and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. The sensitivity of Spitzer allows us to probe fainter nuclear and star-forming regions within galaxy disks. We find that both star-forming nuclei and extranuclear regions stand apart from nuclei that are powered by Seyfert or LINER activity. In fact, we identify areas within four diagnostic diagrams containing >90% Seyfert/LINER nuclei or >90% H II regions/H II nuclei. We also find that, compared to starbursting nuclei, extranuclear regions typically separate even further from AGNs, especially for low-metallicity extranuclear environments. In addition, instead of the traditional mid-infrared approach to differentiating between AGNs and star-forming sources that utilizes relatively weak high-ionization lines, we show that strong low-ionization cooling lines of X-ray-dominated regions like [Si II] 34.82 μm can alternatively be used as excellent discriminants. Finally, the typical target in this sample shows relatively modest interstellar electron density (~400 cm-3) and obscuration (AV ~ 1.0 mag for a foreground screen), consistent with a lack of dense clumps of highly obscured gas and dust residing in the emitting regions.
Quantification of the Effect of Culturing Temperature on Salt-Induced Heat Resistance of Bacillus Species

ABSTRACT Short- and long-term exposure to mild stress conditions can activate stress adaptation mechanisms in pathogens, resulting in a protective effect toward otherwise lethal stresses. The mesophilic strains Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 and ATCC 10987 and the psychrotolerant strain B. weihenstephanensis KBAB4 were cultured at 12°C and 30°C until the exponential growth phase (i) in the absence of salt, (ii) in the presence of salt, and (iii) with salt shock after they reached the exponential growth phase and subsequently heat inactivated. Both the first-order model and the Weibull model were fitted to the inactivation kinetics, and statistical indices were calculated to select for each condition the most appropriate model to describe the inactivation data. The third-decimal reduction times (which reflected the times needed to reduce the initial number of microorganisms by three decimal powers) were determined for quantitative comparison. The heat resistance of both mesophilic strains increased when cells were salt cultured and salt shocked at 30°C, whereas these salt-induced effects were not significant for the psychrotolerant strain. In contrast, only the psychrotolerant strain showed salt-induced heat resistance when cells were cultured at 12°C. Therefore, culturing temperature and strain diversity are important aspects to address when adaptive stress responses are quantified. The activated adaptive stress response had an even larger impact on the number of surviving microorganisms when the stress factor (i.e., salt) was still present during inactivation. These factors should be considered when stress-integrated predictive models are developed that can be used in the food industry to balance and optimize processing conditions of minimally processed foods.
The effects of iloprost infusion on microcirculation is independent of nitric oxide metabolites and endothelin‐1 in chronic peripheral ischaemia

Endothelial vascular tone modulators are thought to be involved in aetiopathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SS) and of peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD). Iloprost, a prostacyclin (PGI2) analogue, induces clinical benefit in patients suffering from peripheral ischaemia. This study was performed to investigate the effect of this drug on endothelial function in vivo to elucidate the role of vascular tone modulators.
Aquaporin 9 (AQP9) Localization in the Adult Dog Testis Excurrent Ducts by Immunohistochemistry

Aquaporins (AQPs) are small, intrinsic membrane proteins that are present in many cell types involved in fluid transport. AQP9 is a major apical water channel that is expressed throughout the efferent ducts, epididymis, and vas deferens, as well as in other regions of the human and rodent male reproductive tract. The target of this study was to examine the expression of AQP9 in epithelial cells in the adult dog efferent ducts, epididymis, and vas deferens. Samples of dog male reproductive tract comprising fragments of the testis; initial segment, caput, corpus, and cauda of the epididymis; and vas deferens were obtained from eight adult mongrel dogs. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting procedures were used to show AQP9 localization and distribution. AQP9 expression was not detected either in dog seminiferous tubules or rete testis. However, apical labeling for AQP9 was detected in the different regions of epididymis and vas deferens, with the reaction being less intense in the caput epididymis. Thus, AQP9 is abundantly expressed in dog male reproductive tract, in which it is an important apical pathway for transmembrane flow of water and neutral solutes. Anat Rec, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Health and Social Consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Across the Lifespan: An Introduction to Prevention and Intervention in the Community

This introduction to the themed issue overviews the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and discusses prevention and intervention with ACE and their consequences in communities. A commentary by Dr. Robert Anda, an ACE Study Co-Principal Investigator, is incorporated within this introduction. Implications of articles within the issue are addressed, and next steps are explored.
Crystal Structure of the Polymer Electrolyte Poly(ethylene oxide)3:LiCF3SO3

Ionically conducting polymers (polymer electrolytes) are under intensive investigation because they form the basis of all solid-state lithium batteries, fuel cells, and electrochromic display devices, as well as being highly novel electrolytes. Little is known about the structures of the many crystalline complexes that form between poly(ethylene oxide) and a wide range of salts. The crystal structure is reported of the archetypal polymer electrolyte poly(ethylene oxide)3:LiCF3SO3, which has been determined from powder x-ray diffraction data. The poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chain adopts a helical conformation parallel to the crystallographic b axis. The Li+ cation is coordinated by five oxygen atoms—three ether oxygens and one from each of two adjacent CF3SO3- groups. Each CF3SO3– in turn bridges two Li+ ions to form chains running parallel to and intertwined with the PEO chain. There are no interchain links between PEO chains, and the electrolyte can be regarded as an infinite columnar coordination complex.
The impact of green stormwater infrastructure installation on surrounding health and safety.

OBJECTIVES We investigated the health and safety effects of urban green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) installments. METHODS We conducted a difference-in-differences analysis of the effects of GSI installments on health (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol and stress levels) and safety (e.g., felonies, nuisance and property crimes, narcotics crimes) outcomes from 2000 to 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We used mixed-effects regression models to compare differences in pre- and posttreatment measures of outcomes for treatment sites (n=52) and randomly chosen, matched control sites (n=186) within multiple geographic extents surrounding GSI sites. RESULTS Regression-adjusted models showed consistent and statistically significant reductions in narcotics possession (18%-27% less) within 16th-mile, quarter-mile, half-mile (P<.001), and eighth-mile (P<.01) distances from treatment sites and at the census tract level (P<.01). Narcotics manufacture and burglaries were also significantly reduced at multiple scales. Nonsignificant reductions in homicides, assaults, thefts, public drunkenness, and narcotics sales were associated with GSI installation in at least 1 geographic extent. CONCLUSIONS Health and safety considerations should be included in future assessments of GSI programs. Subsequent studies should assess mechanisms of this association.
Implementation patterns for supporting learning and group interactions

This thesis covers research on group learning by using a computer as the medium. The computer software provides the basic blending of the students’ contributions augmented by the effects generated for the specific learning domain by a system of agents to guide the process of the students’ learning. The research is based on the approach that the computer as a medium is not an end point of the interaction. The development of agents in based on HumanComputer-Human interaction or HCH. HCH is about removing the idea that the role of the computer is that of an intelligent agent and reducing its role to that of a mixer, with the ability to insert adaptive electronic (software) components that add extra effects and depth to the product of the human-human interactions. For the computer to achieve this support, it must be able to analyse the input from the individuals and the group as a whole. Experiments have been conducted on groups working face to face, and then on groups using software developed for the research. Patterns of interaction and learning have been extracted from the logs and files of these group sessions. Also a pattern language has been developed by which to describe these patterns, so that the agent support needed to analyse and respond appropriately to each pattern can be developed. The research has led to the derivation of a structure that encompasses all the types of support required, and provides the format for implementing each type of support. The main difficulty in this work is the limited ability of computers to analyse human thoughts through their actions. However progress is made in analysing the level of approach by students to a range of learning concepts. The research identified the separate patterns that contribute to learning agents development and form a language of learning processes, and the agents derived from these patterns could in future be linked into a multi-agent system to support learning.
Effects of age, sex and physical exercise on the phagocytic process of murine peritoneal macrophages.

Different stages of the phagocytic process, i.e. chemotaxis, ingestion of latex beads and superoxide anion production, were measured in peritoneal macrophages from young (12 +/- 2 weeks old) and old (60 +/- 2 weeks old) male and female BALB/C mice, which were subjected to an acute bout of exercise (swimming until exhaustion) or to a period of training exercise (90 min of swimming each day during 20 days). Sedentary male and female mice as well as young and old animals were used as sex and age controls. The results show that both acute and training exercise stimulate the phagocytic process of murine peritoneal macrophages. The macrophage functions from sedentary controls were lower in the old than in the young animals. The chemotaxis and ingestion capacities of macrophages were higher in the female young and old sedentary mice than in their male counterparts. After exercise, the stimulation of the phagocytic process was higher in old and female mice than in young and male animals. In addition, serum corticosterone levels were measured in order to investigate the relations between stress and macrophage activity. Old and female mice as well as animals subjected to exercise showed, in general, higher corticosterone levels than young, male and sedentary animals.
Speech Evaluation After Repair of Unilateral Complete Cleft Palate Using Modified 2-Flap Palatoplasty

Two-flap palatoplasty using mucoperiosteal flaps is becoming popular for wide cleft palates. We found that elevation of the cleft-side mucoperiosteal flap was sufficient to close the defect without elevation or relaxing incision in the noncleft side when performing 2-flap palatoplasty for a complete unilateral cleft palate. We have termed this modified 2-flap palatoplasty. The present study compared speech after classic and modified 2-flap palatoplasty for unilateral complete cleft palate. Methods: Of 31 unilateral complete cleft lip and palate patients, 16 underwent the classic 2-flap palatoplasty between September 1998 and September 2000, and 15 underwent modified 2-flap palatoplasty between November 2000 and November 2002. Postoperative speech evaluation was undertaken by a speech pathologist. Patients with functional speech problems such as hypernasality or compensatory articulation were recommended for speech therapy. In cases where speech therapy did not result in normal speech, patients underwent secondary velopharyngeal surgery and further speech therapy. Results: Fifteen of 16 patients who underwent the classic procedure were followed up, of which 5 showed hypernasality or compensatory articulation upon speech evaluation. Four of those patients required secondary velopharyngeal surgery. All 15 patients who underwent the modified procedure were followed up. Six of those patients showed hypernasality or compensatory articulation, of which 2 required secondary velopharyngeal surgery. There was no statistically significant difference between the classic and modified groups in terms of palatal fistula rate, speech, and secondary surgery rate. Conclusions: There was no difference between the classic and modified 2-flap palatoplasty in terms of postoperative palatal fistula rate, speech, and secondary surgery rate. Because of the advantages of the modified procedure in terms of fewer incisions, these findings indicate that larger long-term studies are warranted, particularly to evaluate maxillary bone growth.