Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Interleukin-1&agr; Administration on Intestinal Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury, Mucosal Permeability, and Bacterial Translocation in Burn and Sepsis

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of interleukin-1&agr; (IL-1&agr;) on the mesenteric circulation, intestinal mucosal integrity, and bacterial translocation in a burn/endotoxemia chronic porcine model. Summary Background DataMajor burn and sepsis are associated with a high mortality, ischemia/reperfusion injury to the intestine, and an increased rate of bacterial translocation. Pathologic alterations of IL-1 synthesis, degradation, and binding to receptors have been reported. Manipulation of IL-1-mediated effects might be of therapeutic utility. MethodsTwenty-one female pigs were instrumented with an ultrasonic flow probe on the superior mesenteric artery and a catheter into the superior mesenteric vein. After 5 days, all animals were anesthetized, and 14 received 40% total body surface area third-degree burn. IL-1&agr; was administered intravenously at 1,000 ng/kg to seven pigs immediately after burn. Eighteen hours after burn, 100 &mgr;g/kg Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was administered intravenously. Systemic and splanchnic hemodynamics were measured and blood samples were drawn for blood gas analysis. Intestinal permeability was assessed every 6 hours by measuring the lactulose/mannitol (L/M) excretion ratio. At the end of the study (42 hours), tissue samples were harvested for bacteriologic cultures. ResultsMesenteric blood flow was significantly decreased after burn and endotoxin. Administration of IL-1&agr; significantly improved mesenteric blood flow postburn and post-LPS. Mesenteric oxygen supply and consumption showed a significant reduction after burn. In contrast, animals treated with IL-1&agr; showed an increase in postburn mesenteric oxygen supply and consumption. LPS-induced mesenteric hypoxia was also ameliorated by IL-1&agr; treatment. Intestinal permeability, as assessed by the L/M ratio, showed a 7- and 10-fold elevation after thermal injury and LPS, respectively. In contrast, IL-1&agr;-treated animals showed an increase of only three- and fourfold in the L/M ratio, respectively. Bacterial translocation was significantly increased in the burn/endotoxin group. IL-1&agr; significantly reduced the rates of bacterial translocation. ConclusionsIL-1&agr; treatment attenuates mesenteric ischemia and reperfusion injury induced by thermal injury and endotoxemia by improving mesenteric blood flow and oxygenation. Subsequently, IL-1&agr; reduces intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation after burn and sepsis.
Regional chemotherapy of colorectal cancer metastatic to the liver

Ninety‐three patients with biopsy‐proven colorectal cancer metastatic to the liver were treated with hepatic arterial infusion of 5‐fluorodeoxyuridine (FUDR). There were 52 men and 41 women (median age, 60 years). Forty‐two patients (45%) had failed prior systemic chemotherapy. Catheters were operatively placed and multiple catheters were used if dictated by hepatic arterial anatomy in order to obtain perfusion of the entire liver. The drug was delivered by a totally implanted INFUSAID model 400 pump and patients received cyclic therapy consisting of 2 weeks of 0.3 mg/kg/d FUDR alternating with 2 weeks of saline. Patients with extrahepatic tumor or patients whose hepatic tumor failed to respond to FUDR were given a 30 minute intraarterial infusion of mitomycin C, 15 mg/m2, every 6 to 8 weeks in addition to FUDR. Fifty of the 93 evaluable patients presented with metastatic tumor confined to the liver. Of these 50 patients, 83% demonstrated a significant reduction in tumor size with a median duration of response of 13 months and a median survival of 25 months from diagnosis of liver metastases. Twenty‐four of these 50 patients remain alive. Forty‐three patients presented with extrahepatic metastases in addition to their liver tumor, and 74% had a response with a median duration of 6 months and a median survival of 14 months. Only six patients of those presenting with extrahepatic tumor remain alive. None of the 93 patients died solely of uncontrolled liver tumor, and only 9 died as a result of uncontrolled liver metastases and disseminated extrahepatic tumor. The duration of survival for both groups was determined by the uncontrolled progression of extrahepatic tumor. In patients with metastatic colorectal cancer involving only the liver, hepatic arterial FUDR alone and with the addition of mitomycin C provided excellent control of hepatic tumor. Survival appeared to be prolonged in this uncontrolled study. Cancer 53:1336‐1343, 1984.
Risk stratification of survival in injured patients with cardiopulmonary resuscitation within the first hour of arrival to trauma centre: retrospective analysis from the national trauma data bank

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate overall survival and associated survival factors for patients with trauma who had cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) within 1 hour after arrival to a hospital. Methods Retrospective patient data was retrieved from the 2007–2010 edition of the US National Trauma Data Bank. Inhospital survival was the primary outcome; only patients with a known outcome were included in the analysis. Summary statistics and univariate analyses were first reported. Eighty per cent of the patients were then randomly selected and used for multivariate logistic regression analysis. The identified risk factors were further assessed for discrimination and calibration with the remaining patients with trauma using area under the curve (AUC) analysis and a Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Results From 19 310 total cases that were reviewed, only 2640 patients required CPR within 1 hour of hospital arrival and met the additional inclusion criteria. Of these patients, 2309 (87.5%) died and 331 (12.5%) survived to discharge. There were statistical differences for race (p=0.003), initial systolic BP (p<0.001), initial pulse (p<0.001), cause of injury (p<0.001), presence of head injury (p=0.02), Injury Severity Score (ISS) (p<0.001), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) total score (p<0.001) and GCS motor score (p<0.001); though not all were clinically significant. The multiple logistic regression model (AUC=0.72) identified lower ISS, higher GCS motor score, Caucasian race, American College of Surgeons (ACS) level 2 trauma designation and higher initial SBP as the most predictive of survival to hospital discharge. Conclusion Approximately 13% of patients who had CPR within an hour of arrival to a trauma centre survived their injury. Therefore, implementation of an aggressive first hour in-hospital resuscitation strategy may result in better survival outcomes for this patient population.
The effects of throughfall exclusion on xylogenesis of balsam fir.

A 20-40% reduction in soil moisture is projected for the boreal forest of Eastern Canada for the period 2070-99 relative to 1971-2000. In order to better predict the effects of a reduced water supply on the growth of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. ), a dominant tree species of the boreal forest, we simulated 2 consecutive years of summer droughts (starting in July) by means of throughfall exclusion. Four 100-m(2) plots were established in 2010 with polyethylene sheets maintained 1.3-2 m aboveground and redirecting the water outside the plots. Wood microcores were extracted weekly from mature trees from April to October 2011 to analyse the time dynamics of wood formation in that year. The number of tracheids formed during and before treatment and their anatomical characteristics were determined through microscopic analyses. The growth of lateral and terminal branches and the water potential of balsam fir seedlings were also monitored. Throughfall exclusion significantly reduced soil water content by 5.8% in 2010 and 10.5% in 2011. Xylogenesis was affected significantly by the treatment. Tracheids were 16.1% smaller in diameter and their cell wall was 14.1% thicker during both years. The treatment delayed by more than a week the start of the tracheid differentiation process in the second year with a concomitant decrease (26%) in the number of tracheids produced. The seedlings displayed a 32% reduction in growth and a 40% reduction in leaf water potential. Our results suggest that a future regime of increased frequency and intensity of droughts could have negative effects on the duration of xylogenesis and the production of xylem cells in balsam fir.
Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and mortality in Shizuoka, Japan

Objectives The number of studies investigating the health effects of long-term exposure to air pollution is increasing, however, most studies have been conducted in Western countries. The health status of Asian populations may be different to that of Western populations and may, therefore, respond differently to air pollution exposure. Therefore, we evaluated the health effects of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution in Shizuoka, Japan. Methods Individual data were extracted from participants of an ongoing cohort study. A total of 14 001 older residents, who were randomly chosen from all 74 municipalities of Shizuoka, completed questionnaires and were followed from December 1999 to March 2006. Individual nitrogen dioxide exposure data, as an index for traffic-related exposure, were modelled using a land use regression model. We assigned participants an estimated concentration of nitrogen dioxide exposure during 2000–2006. We then estimated the adjusted HR and their CI for a 10 μg/m3 increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide for all-cause or cause-specific mortality. Results The adjusted HR for all-cause mortality was 1.02 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.08). Regarding cause-specific mortality, the adjusted HR for cardiopulmonary mortality was 1.16 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.26); in particular the adjusted HR for ischaemic heart disease mortality was 1.27 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.58) and for pulmonary disease mortality it was 1.19 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.38). Furthermore, among non-smokers, a 10 μg/m3 increase in nitrogen dioxide was associated with a higher risk for lung cancer mortality (HR 1.30, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.93). Conclusion Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution, indexed by nitrogen dioxide concentration, increases the risk of cardiopulmonary mortality, even in a population with a relatively low body mass index and increases the risk of lung cancer mortality in non-smokers.
Influence of distribution line asymmetry on power flow results

This paper presents further analysis of a recently published application of Fortescue transformation theory in distribution power flow analysis with multiphase lines. It has been previously shown that when the three-phase network lines are transposed, the algorithm performance is significantly improved as compared to standard power flow calculation in phase coordinates. This paper reports a detailed analysis of voltage deviations in case when non-transposed network lines are assumed transposed, and argues that the error introduced due to neglecting line asymmetry is likely to be less significant than the loss in accuracy that is attributed to load estimation uncertainty.
Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses: Awareness and safe practices of hairdressers in Izmir — A survey

ObjectivesThe aim of the study is to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in barbers and to assess the awareness of these employees related to occupational risks of HBV and HCV.Materials and MethodsIn this study, 2145 barbers in Izmir were given an occupational safety seminar. Blood samples were collected from 2066 voluntary participants and 1284 individuals completed the questionnaires. Sera were tested for the presence of HBV and HCV markers by ELISA.ResultsOur results document low levels of knowledge about HBV and HCV infection, risk perception and adequate protection among participants before the seminar session. Of the participants, 63.5% reported that they had suffered from equipment-related injuries during the last month. The prevalence of HBsAg positive and anti-HCV individuals of the 2066 person was found to be 2.2% and 0.4%, respectively.ConclusionsHairdressers’ knowledge of HBV, HCV and health hazards associated with their profession was inadequate. The prevalence of HBsAg positive and anti-HCV was similar to that among the general population.
Application of Adaptive Wavelet Network for Power Quality Disturbance Recognition and Analysis

To improve power quality disturbance classification performance in distributed power system, a novel adaptive wavelet network based on wavelet transform and self-organizing learning array (SOLAR) system is proposed. The wavelet transform is useful in detecting and extracting signal features of various types of electric power quality disturbances because it is sensitive to signal irregularities. These feature vectors then are applied to SOLAR network for structure parameters training and disturbance pattern classification. By comparing with conventional neural network, it is concluded that SOLAR has better data driven learning and local interconnections performance. The research results between the proposed method and the other existing method are discussed. The simulation results demonstrate the proposed approach gives an effective way for improving classification accuracy of power quality disturbances.
Hematological and cardiometabolic safety of clozapine in the treatment of very early onset schizophrenia: a retrospective chart review.

OBJECTIVE There are very few studies in the literature regarding clozapine use in children <13 years of age. In this retrospective chart review, we compared the safety of clozapine--as determined by hematological and cardiometabolic changes - to that of non-clozapine antipsychotics used in the treatment of childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS). METHODS The clozapine treatment group (CTG) consisted of 17 COS patients (mean age 10.4 ± 2 years) who were hospitalized in a psychiatric ward between the years 2005 and 2012. The control group consisted of 19 COS patients (mean age 10.1 ± 1.4 years) who were hospitalized in the same ward during the same time period, and were treated with non-clozapine antipsychotics. A retrospective chart review was conducted. Hematological (white blood cells, absolute neutrophil count [ANC], red blood cells, platelets), metabolic (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, triglycerides, total cholesterol, bilirubin) and cardiac (heart rate) values were extracted from the medical charts. RESULTS The average follow-up periods for the CTG and the control group were 332.9 ± 200.5 days and 291.7 ± 157 days, respectively. In the CTG, moderate neutropenia (ANC<1500/mm(3)) and mild neutropenia (1500/mm(3)<ANC<2000/mm(3)) were observed in two children (12%) and one child (6%), respectively. The neutropenia was transient in all cases. Treatment with clozapine was permanently discontinued only in one child (6%). There were no cases of agranulocytosis or severe infection in the CTG. In the control group, two children (11%) showed hematological abnormalities. Hyperlipidemia was observed in one child (6%) in the CTG at release from the hospital. Significantly more children (47%) in the CTG had tachycardia (heart rate>100 beats per minute) at release from the hospital, compared with only one child (5%) in the control group (p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS It appears that clozapine use in very early onset schizophrenia is safe. Although hematological adverse effects did occur in our study, the rates were not much higher than those seen in the control group. We found that the hematological abnormalities in the CTG were mostly transient, and that treatment with clozapine can be safely continued or renewed.
Value of short exercise and short exercise with cooling tests in the diagnosis of myotonic dystrophies (DM1 AND DM2)

Introduction: Standard electromyography (EMG) is useful in the diagnosis of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2), but it does not differentiate between them. The aim of this study was to estimate the utility of the short exercise test (SET) and short exercise test with cooling (SETC) in differentiating between DM1 and DM2. Methods: SET and SETC were performed in 32 patients with DM1 (mean age 35.8 ± 12.7 years) and 28 patients with DM2 (mean age 44.5 ± 12.5 years). Results: We observed a significant decline in compound motor action potential (CMAP) amplitude in DM1 with both SET and SETC immediately after effort. In DM2, there was no marked change in CMAP amplitude with either SET or SETC. Conclusions: SET and SETC may serve as useful tools for clinical differentiation between DM1 and DM2, and they may be used as a guide for molecular testing. Muscle Nerve 49: 277–283, 2014
Children recruit distinct neural systems for implicit emotional face processing

The ability to properly distinguish facial emotions has a protracted development, not maturing until well into adolescence. Emotional faces activate emotion-specific neural networks in adults; whether these networks are operational in children is not known. Using an implicit face-processing task in 10-year-old children, we determined that the emotions of fear, disgust and sadness recruited distinct neural systems. These systems included a number of regions typically associated with processing emotions in adults, namely the amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus, insula and cingulate gyrus, as well as the fusiform and superior temporal gyri. Thus, in spite of immature behavioral responses to emotional faces in explicit tasks, neural networks for emotion-specific processing are present in young children.
Parental Perceptions on ECD Provisioning In Mdantsane District, Eastern Cape

This paper sought to explore parental perception on ECD provisioning at early childhood centres. The key questions asked were: What are the perceptions of parents on the role of ECD centres? What are the perceptions of parents regarding participation in ECDC Activities? Four parents, two from each of the two selected centres were purposively sampled. All the four respondents were female. Data was collected through interviews and document analysis. The results revealed that parents perceived the role of ECD centres as: for the provision of food, security from perpetrators of rape, play activities that render children exhausted by the time they go home, intellectual and spiritual development and as a stepping stone into formal schooling. Parental participation was found to be very minimal. Parents perceived that by getting involved they would be disturbing the smooth running of the centres. It can be concluded that parents were neither conversant of the roles of ECD centres and roles they need to play in ECD centres for the benefit of learners. The study recommended among other things parental education on ECD provisioning for both parents and educators. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n9p457
Calibrate piezoresistive stress sensors through the assembled structure

In this work, a simple assembled structure was designed and fabricated so that the calibration procedures on piezoresisitve stress sensors for microelectronic packaging can be simpler, more accurate, and more efficient. After comparing with the previous work results, validity of the aforementioned new structure was next demonstrated through experimental data. Since many accessory experimental facilities employed in traditional calibration procedure become unnecessary, the new methodology takes great advantage on piezoresisitve coefficient calibrations, especially for calibration at temperature other than room temperature.
The Marriage Squeeze Interpretation of Dowry Inflation: A Comment

In a recent paper, Rao (1993) advanced a marriage squeeze explanation to the secular rise in real dowries, so-called dowry inflation, witnessed in India. Arguing that the relevant ages with respect to marriage are 10–19 for women and 20–29 for men, Rao found that the ratio of women to men in those age groups had increased over time. Moreover, this sex ratio was found to have a positive and significant impact on dowry when one controls for differences in traits of brides and grooms. The empirical results presented here suggest that Rao’s findings are not robust. Using the same data, I fail to replicate his main result, that is, that the sex ratio (women 10–19/men 20–29) has a positive impact on dowries. Moreover, Rao’s specification—regressing dowries on differences in spouses’ traits (bride’s minus groom’s)—imposes the restriction that attributes influence dowries in a symmetrical fashion, ignoring compelling evidence against that assumption. I find that regressing dowry on individual traits instead of differences improves the model fit considerably.
Low sodium levels in serum are associated with subsequent febrile seizures

Fever plays an important role in causing disturbances in fluid and electrolyte balance. Hyponatraemia has been thought to enhance the susceptibility to seizures associated with febrile illnesses in childhood. We have studied serum electrolyte levels in children with simple and complicated febrile convulsions. Sodium levels were lower in those children with complicated convulsions in comparison with those having simple convulsions (136.07 ± 3.06 mmoll−1, mean ± SD, n = 42, and 137.62 ±2.63mmoir1, n = 71, respectively; p < 0.01, Student's Mest). The sodium concentrations were lowest in children with repeated seizures (134.20 ± 2.30 mmoll−1, n= 15) compared with children having simple (p < 0.01, ANOVA, Duncan's test) or other complicated types of febrile convulsions: focal seizures (137.08 ± 3.82 mmoir1, n = 12, p< 0.01), seizures lasting longer than 15 minutes (138.00 ± 2.45 mmoll−1, n= 5, p < 0.05) and children over 5 years (136.70 ±2.06 mmoll−1, n= 10, p < 0.05). Serum potassium levels showed no statistically significant differences between the patient groups. Our results show that hyponatraemia may increase the risk for multiple convulsions during the same febrile illness.
Neonatal Platelet Function

Healthy newborns maintain normal circulating platelet counts, with a platelet ultrastructure that does not differ from adults. In vitro assessments of intrinsic platelet function, however, have demonstrated transient hyporesponsiveness that is most marked in platelets from preterm infants. Decreased responses were originally considered to be the result of platelet activation and degranulation during labor and delivery, but more recent studies of platelet activation markers have not supported this theory. Decreased activation responses are due to relative deficiencies of phospholipid metabolism, calcium mobilization, granule secretion, and aggregation. These result in turn from differences in intrinsic signal transduction in the neonatal platelet compared with the adult. In contrast, there is enhanced platelet adhesion due to the presence in neonatal plasma of larger, more functionally potent von Willebrand factor multimers. These ultralarge multimers may result from decreased activity of von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease in neonatal plasma and are associated with shorter bleeding times and Platelet Function Analyser-100 closure times in neonates. In the immediate newborn period, this enhanced platelet adhesion may compensate for the decreased intrinsic platelet activation in healthy neonates, but may leave sick neonates at increased risk of bleeding.