Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perioperative Risk Factors for Pulmonary Complications after Liver Transplantation

Using monofactorial and multivariate logistic regression analyses, the correlation of perioperative risk factors with postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) within 1 month after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) was investigated. Data on 107 patients (median age 46.8 years, 72% male) with end-stage liver disease who received OLT were retrospectively analysed. The incidence of PPCs was 60.7%. Overall mortality was 13.1% and pulmonary causes accounted for 85.7% of deaths. Mortality was 18.5% and 4.8% for patients with and without pulmonary complications, respectively. Independent risk factors for PPCs were a preoperative model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score ≥ 25, intraoperative fluid transfusion volume > 10 l and intraoperative blood transfusion volume > 4 l. A fluid balance of ≤ −300 ml for ≥ 2 days of the first 3 days after surgery was protective. Other variables studied did not predict PPCs. It was concluded that improving the patient's preoperative medical condition, restricting intraoperative transfusion volumes and maintaining a negative fluid balance in the first 3 days after operation may decrease PPCs.
Deproteinizing Agents as an Effective Enamel Bond Enhancer-An in Vitro Study.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the effect of different deproteinizing agents on shear bond strength of composite to primary teeth enamel. STUDY DESIGN Forty sound primary molars divided in 4 groups of 10 teeth each. In control group 1, enamel was etched for 60 seconds with 37% phosphoric acid and rinsed with water. Group 2: after acid etching deproteinizing agent 5 % sodium hypochlorite was applied for 60 seconds and rinsed. Group 3: after acid etching deproteinizing agent papain gel was applied for 60 seconds and rinsed. Group 4: after acid etching deproteinizing agent bromelain gel applied for 60 seconds and rinsed. Following this, bonding agent was applied to treated enamel surface and composite resin disc were build. Samples were then tested for shear bond strength using Universal Testing Machine. RESULTS Mean SBS was highest for group 4 and lowest for group 1. No statistically significant difference (p value >0.05) was found between all the four groups. CONCLUSION Among deproteinizing agents, deproteinization when carried out with bromelain gel and sodium hypochlorite showed effective bond strength as compared to papain.
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis is a rare epilepsy syndrome defined by seizures originating in limbic areas of the mesial temporal lobe, particularly in the hippocampus, amygdala, and in the parahippocampal gyrus and its connections, and hippocampal sclerosis, usually unilateral or assymetric. It is frequently associated with an initial precipitating event, such as febrile seizures, hypoxia, intracranial infection or head trauma, most often occurring in the first five years of life, followed by a latent period without seizures. T ypical seizures consist of a characteristic aura that is frequently a rising epigastric sensation associated with emotional disturbances, illusions, and autonomic symptoms (widened pupils, palpitations), progressive impairment of consciousness, oro-alimentary automatisms (lip smacking, chewing, licking, tooth grinding), behavioral arrest, head deviation, dystonic postures, hand and verbal automatisms. Seizures are followed by postictal dysfunction. Initially, seizures are easily controlled with antiepileptic drugs, later they frequently become refractory and associated with progressive behavioral changes and memory deficits. Qeios · Definition, February 10, 2020
The platelet-lymphocyte ratio: A simple, inexpensive and rapid prognostic marker for cardiovascular events

Abstract A full blood count is a routine, inexpensive and easy test that provides information about formed blood contents. The platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is a novel inflammatory marker, which may be used in many diseases for predicting inflammation and mortality. The PLR can be easily calculated and is widely available but it may be affected by several inflammatory conditions. Recent studies show that a high PLR reflects inflammation, atherosclerosis and platelet activation. More research is needed to determine how the PLR may be used in clinical practice.
Short circuiting stress protein expression via a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, herbimycin A

We set out to identify pharmacological means by which to activate the so‐called heat shock or stress response and thereby harness the protective effect afforded to the cell by its acquisition of a thermotolerant phenotype. An earlier report by Murakami et al. (1991, Exp. Cell Res., 195: 338–344) described the increased expression of the 70 kDa heat shock proteins in human A431 cells exposed to Herbimycin A (HA), a benzoquinoid ansamycin antibiotic. We show here that treatment of cells with HA results in the increased expression of all of the constitutively expressed stress proteins and confers upon the cells a thermotolerant‐like phenotype. Increases in the expression of the stress proteins continued for as long as the cells were exposed to the drug and was independent of the pre‐existing levels of the stress proteins. Unlike heat shock or other metabolic stressors, we did not observe any adverse cellular effects following HA exposure. For example, unlike most agents/treatments that elicit the stress response HA‐treated cells exhibited no obvious abnormalities with respect to protein maturation, protein insolubility, the integrity of the intermediate filament cytoskeleton, or overall cell viability. In addition, unlike other metabolic stressors, HA treatment did not result in the translocation of hsp 73 into the nucleus/nucleolus. Finally, for at least rodent cells, HA exposure did not result in any obvious activation of the heat shock transcription factor. Based on these findings, we suggest that HA treatment of cells results in a “short‐circuiting” of the pathway(s) that normally regulates the expression of the stress proteins. These results are discussed as they pertain to the potential use of HA in animals as a way to harness the protective effects afforded by the stress response. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss Inc.
The outbreak of cooperation among success-driven individuals under noisy conditions

According to Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan [1651; 2008 (Touchstone, New York), English Ed], “the life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,” and it would need powerful social institutions to establish social order. In reality, however, social cooperation can also arise spontaneously, based on local interactions rather than centralized control. The self-organization of cooperative behavior is particularly puzzling for social dilemmas related to sharing natural resources or creating common goods. Such situations are often described by the prisoner's dilemma. Here, we report the sudden outbreak of predominant cooperation in a noisy world dominated by selfishness and defection, when individuals imitate superior strategies and show success-driven migration. In our model, individuals are unrelated, and do not inherit behavioral traits. They defect or cooperate selfishly when the opportunity arises, and they do not know how often they will interact or have interacted with someone else. Moreover, our individuals have no reputation mechanism to form friendship networks, nor do they have the option of voluntary interaction or costly punishment. Therefore, the outbreak of prevailing cooperation, when directed motion is integrated in a game-theoretical model, is remarkable, particularly when random strategy mutations and random relocations challenge the formation and survival of cooperative clusters. Our results suggest that mobility is significant for the evolution of social order, and essential for its stabilization and maintenance.
Two-step grafting of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) onto a polyethylene plate for enhancement of Cr(VI) ion adsorption

ABSTRACT Polyethylene (PE) plates grafted with a neutral monomer, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and a cationic monomer, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates were prepared by the two-step photografting. The Cr(VI) ion adsorption behavior of the (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates was investigated as a function of the amounts of grafted HEMA, amount of grafted DMAEMA, initial pH value, and temperature. The adsorption capacity of the DMAEMA-grafted PE (PE-g-PDMAEMA) and (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates had the maximum value at the initial pH value of 3.0, independent of the temperature. The adsorption capacity of (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates increased with the amount of grafted HEMA (GHEMA) in the first-step grafting. The increase in the water absorptivity of the grafted layers and thereby the increase in the degree of protonation of dimethylamino groups on grafted PDMAEMA chains were found to lead to the increase in the adsorption capacity. This adsorption capacity was higher than or comparable to those of other polymeric adsorbents for Cr(VI) ions. The Cr(VI) ion adsorption behavior on both PE-g-DMAEMA and (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates obeyed the mechanism of the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and was well expressed by Langmuir isotherm. The high values of the Langmuir constant suggest that the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions occurs through an electrostatic interaction between protonated dimethylamino groups on grafted PDMAEMA chains and ions. Cr(VI) ions were successfully desorbed from PE-g-PDMAEMA and (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates in eluents such as NaCl, NaCl containing NaOH, NH4Cl, NH4Cl containing NaOH, and NaOH.
Expression of Ang-2/Tie-2 and PI3K/AKT in colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE To study the expression of angiogenin-2 (Ang-2) and its receptor Tie-2 in colorectal cancer and discuss the possible mechanisms behind this process. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using the streptavidin-peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemical method, paraffin sections from 100 colorectal cancer samples and 10 samples from tumor-adjacent normal tissue (>2 cm from the edge of the gross tumor) were tested for protein expression of Ang-2, Tie-2, PI3K, and AKT. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blots were further used to measure expression of the 4 genes and proteins in 20 freshly-resected colorectal cancer samples and tumor-adjacent normal tissues. RESULTS In colorectal cancer tissues, the expression of the Ang-2, Tie-2, PI3K, and AKT genes and their proteins was significantly higher than in tumor-adjacent normal tissues. Protein expression in poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma was higher than that in well and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. According to Duke's classification, the protein expression in Stages C and D was significantly higher than that in Stages A and B. In the group with lymphatic metastasis, the protein expression was higher than that without lymphatic metastasis. CONCLUSIONS In colorectal cancer, the expression of the Ang-2, Tie-2, PI3K, and AKT genes and their proteins is markedly higher than those in tumor-adjacent normal tissues. No correlation was observed between protein expression and gender, location, or histologic type. Correlations did exist between protein expression and differentiation level, stage of Duke's classification, and lymphatic metastasis; in colorectal cancer tissues with lower differentiation levels, higher stages of Duke's classification, and lymphatic metastasis, the expression of all 4 proteins was higher. The study of their expression patterns and relationships with aggression and metastasis will provide a valuable experimental foundation for assessing prognosis and targeted therapy of colorectal cancer.
Technology Adoption and Factor Proportions in Open Economies: Theory and Evidence from the Global Computer Industry

Theories of international trade assume that all countries use similar and exogenous technologies in the production of any good. This paper relaxes this assumption. The marriage of literatures on biased technical change and trade yields a tractable theory, which predicts that differences in factor endowments and intellectual property rights bias technical change toward particular factor intensities, and thus unit factor input requirements can vary across economies. Using data on net exports of a single industry, computers, intellectual property rights and factor endowments for 73 countries during 1980-2000, the paper shows that once technological choices are considered, countries with different factor endowments can become net exporters of the same product.
The First Field Season of Excavations at the Alto del Molino Site, Pisco Valley, Peru

Abstract Little archaeological fieldwork has been conducted in the Pisco Valley on the south coast of Peru and Pisco has long been regarded as inconsequential in the cultural dynamics of the region's prehistory. Yet a critical review of the literature and, especially, the results of recent excavations at the Alto del Molino site reveal that Pisco played an important role in the development of social complexity on the south coast at the end of the Early Horizon (ca. 300–1 B.C.) through the early Early Intermediate Period (ca. A.C. 1–300). The Pisco Valley is part of the larger context of the great cemeteries of the nearby, desolate Paracas Peninsula and the valley contributes to our understanding of those elaborate mortuary phenomena. In addition, a major regional culture called Carmen flourished in Pisco following the abandonment of the Paracas cemeteries and contemporary Pisco Valley sites. Carmen is contemporary with early Nasca culture of the Ica and Nazca valleys to the south and is clearly related to.
Expression of N-myc and MRP genes and their relationship to N-myc gene dosage and tumor formation in a murine neuroblastoma model.

BACKGROUND Although the association between N-myc gene amplification and poor clinical outcome in neuroblastoma is well established, the mechanism by which amplification influences prognosis is not well defined. PROCEDURE We used a human N-myc transgenic mouse model to investigate the role of N-myc in neuroblastoma, including its relationship to the multidrug-resistance-associated protein (MRP) gene. We developed a rapid real-time PCR method to distinguish homozygous and hemizygous N-myc mice that is comparable to Southern analysis. RESULTS A highly significant correlation (P < 0.0001) between N-myc and MRP expression was demonstrated in murine tumors. Amplification of the transgene was observed in the majority of tumors, highlighting the clinical relevance of this model. However, no correlation between N-myc expression and transgene dosage or tumor latency was observed. CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that increased N-myc dosage contributes to increased tumor incidence and decreased latency by mechanisms independent of N-myc expression.
General Practitioners Knowledge of Breastfeeding Management: a Review of the Literature

Breastmilk and breastfeeding are known to have significant advantages and benefits over the use of artificial formula for infants and young children(1-4). These benefits are reflected in the increased costs related to preventable illnesses as well as the actual costs of artificial formulas(5). Both the World Health Organization(3) and the National Health and Medical Research Council(1) Guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby's life, with the gradual introduction of appropriate, complementary foods and continuing to breastfeed for two or more years. Pregnant and breastfeeding women seek support from a variety of sources, and in particular, health professionals. The medical practitioner or general practitioner (GP) is commonly the first health professional women encounter during pregnancy. The GP will continue to provide care for mother and then mother and baby after discharge from hospital. This literature review seeks to determine what is known about medical practitioners' attitudes to and levels of knowledge about, breastfeeding and human lactation. The review also considers how they initially learn and then maintain their knowledge once in general practice.
Sequence elements upstream of the 3' cleavage site confer substrate strength to the adenovirus L1 and L3 polyadenylation sites

The adenovirus major late transcription unit is a well-characterized transcription unit which relies heavily on alternative pre-mRNA processing to generate distinct populations of mRNA during the early and late stages of viral infection. In the early stage of infection, two major late transcription unit mRNA transcripts are generated through use of the first (L1) of five available poly(A) sites (L1 through L5). This contrasts with the late stage of infection when as many as 45 distinct mRNAs are generated, with each of the five poly(A) sites being used. In previous work characterizing elements involved in alternative poly(A) site use, we showed that the L1 poly(A) site is processed less efficiently than the L3 poly(A) site both in vitro and in vivo. Because of the dramatic difference in processing efficiency and the role processing efficiency plays in production of steady-state levels of mRNA, we have identified the sequence elements that account for the differences in L1 and L3 poly(A) site processing efficiency. We have found that the element most likely to be responsible for poly(A) site strength, the GU/U-rich downstream element, plays a minor role in the different processing efficiencies observed for the L1 and L3 poly(A) sites. The sequence element most responsible for inefficient processing of the L1 poly(A) site includes the L1 AAUAAA consensus sequence and those sequences which immediately surround the consensus hexanucleotide. This region of the L1 poly(A) site contributes to an inability to form a stable processing complex with the downstream GU/U-rich element. In contrast to the L1 element, the L3 poly(A) site has a consensus hexanucleotide and surrounding sequences which can form a stable processing complex in cooperation with the downstream GU/U-rich element. The L3 poly(A) site is also aided by the presence of sequences upstream of the hexanucleotide which facilitate processing efficiency. The sequence UUCUUUUU, present in the L3 upstream region, is shown to enhance processing efficiency as well as stable complex formation (shown by increased binding of the 64-kDa cleavage stimulatory factor subunit) and acts as a binding site for heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C proteins.
Parental experience of childhood cancer using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Whilst survival rates for childhood cancer have improved dramatically over the past three decades, it is still a devastating diagnosis for family members and an illness which severely disrupts the lifestyle of the family unit. Developing an understanding of the impact of the illness on the family is crucial to better support families’ deal with the demands of the illness. In this study nine families in which a child was diagnosed with cancer were interviewed twice over a 12 month period, approximately 6 months apart. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a semi-structured interview was used to explicate parent's experience of childhood cancer. The results revealed five super-ordinate themes; (1) a pivotal moment in time, (2) the experience of adaptation in relation to having a sick child, (3) the nature of support, (4) re-evaluation of values during a critical life experience and (5) the experience of optimism and altruism. Findings indicate that parents express both negative and positive experiences as they re-evaluate the meaning and purpose of life, seek to redefine themselves, often in terms of priorities, relationships, sense of community and achieve degrees of optimism and altruism. Implications for addressing the needs of parents and for further research are discussed.
Association of bilirubin and malondialdehyde levels with retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Introduction: Bilirubin as an antioxidant and malondialdehyde (MDA) as an oxidant have been shown to be associated with various complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Aims and Objectives: The aim was to measure the levels of serum bilirubin and MDA in type 2 DM patients with and without diabetic retinopathy (DR) and to correlate them with severity of DR. Materials and Methods: A total number of 120 subjects out of which 40 were controls without type 2 DM and the rest 80 were type 2 DM patients were included in the study. Of those 80 diabetics, 44 patients did not have DR and 36 patients had DR. Results: The total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, indirect bilirubin were higher in controls as compared to cases (P = 0.017, 0.033, 0.024). Serum MDA levels were found to be higher in diabetics as compared to controls (P = 0.00). The values of all the three parameters, that is, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin were lower in patients with retinopathy as compared to those without retinopathic changes (P = 0.00, 0.020, and 0.007). Subjects were assigned to quartiles based on serum total bilirubin concentration. The prevalence of DR was significantly lower among persons with the highest bilirubin quartile compared to those with the lowest quartile. The severity of DR was inversely proportional to the total bilirubin levels (P = 0.001). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed total bilirubin to be associated with prevalence of DR (P = 0.035). Conclusions: The levels of total bilirubin were significantly lower in patients with DR and also in the late stages of retinopathy as compared to those without retinopathy and in controls but MDA levels did not show any association with DR.
Asistencia docente y rendimiento escolar: el caso del Programa META

A mediados del 2003 el Ministerio de Educacion inicio un programa piloto cuyo objetivo fue incrementar la asistencia diaria y la permanencia en clase de los docentes a traves de un sistema de incentivos para los maestros en algunas zonas rurales del Peru. Los docentes que lograran la META (nombre con el que fue rebautizado el programa Mejor Educacion a traves de mas Tiempo en el Aula el 2004) recibirian un incentivo monetario. El programa fue continuado durante el ano 2004, pero ademas de la asistencia docente, se recogieron datos sobre el rendimiento de los estudiantes en comprension de lectura y matematica (las pruebas fueron administradas a inicios y fin del ano escolar, de modo que se pudiera estimar el crecimiento en rendimiento). El estudio encontro que la realizacion del programa tuvo un impacto positivo en la asistencia de los docentes. El efecto del programa en el rendimiento es menos claro, aunque se observa una tendencia a una asociacion positiva. Si bien el programa ha sido descontinuado, en el presente documento se analizan algunas implicancias de politicas para programas de incentivos a favor de los docentes (por ejemplo, que se vinculen los incentivos con programas de desarrollo profesional). En cualquier caso, estas iniciativas deberian estar vinculadas a la Ley de Carrera Publica Magisterial, que esta siendo implementada paulatinamente por el Ministerio de Educacion.