Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum bactericidal activities and comparative pharmacokinetics of meropenem and imipenem-cilastatin

The pharmacokinetics and serum bactericidal activities (SBAs) of imipenem and meropenem were investigated in a randomized crossover study. Twelve healthy male volunteers received a constant 30-min infusion of either 1 g of imipenem plus 1 g of cilastatin or 1 g of meropenem. The concentrations of the drugs in serum and urine were determined by bioassay and high-pressure liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic parameters were based on an open two-compartment model and a noncompartmental technique. At the end of infusion, the mean concentrations of imipenem and meropenem measured in serum were 61.2 +/- 9.8 and 51.6 +/- 6.5 mg/liter, respectively; urinary recoveries were 48.6% +/- 8.2% and 60.0% +/- 6.5% of the dose in 12 h, respectively; and the areas under the concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity were 96.1 +/- 14.4 and 70.5 +/- 10.3 mg.h/liter, respectively (P < or = 0.02). Imipenem had a mean half-life of 66.7 +/- 10.4 min; that of meropenem was 64.4 +/- 6.9 min. The volumes of distribution at steady state of imipenem and meropenem were 15.3 +/- 3.3 and 18.6 +/- 3.0 liters/70 kg, respectively, and the mean renal clearances per 1.73 m2 were 85.6 +/- 17.6 and 144.6 +/- 26.0 ml/min, respectively. Both antibiotics were well tolerated in this single-dose administration study. The SBAs were measured by the microdilution method of Reller and Stratton (L. B. Reller and C. W. Stratton, J. Infect. Dis. 136:196-204, 1977) against 40 clinically isolated strains. Mean reciprocal bactericidal titers were measured 1 and 6 h after administration. After 1 and 6 h the median SBAs for imipenem and meropenem, were 409 and 34.9 and 97.9 and 5.8, respectively, against Staphylococcus aureus, 19.9 and 4.4 and 19.4 and 4.8, respectively, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 34.3 and 2.2 and 232 and 15.5, respectively, against Enterobacter cloacae, and 13.4 and 2.25 and 90.7 and 7.9, respectively, against Proteus mirabilis. Both drugs had rather short biological elimination half-lives and a predominantly renal route of elimination. Both carbapenems revealed high SBAs against clinically important pathogens at 1 h; meropenem had a higher SBA against E. cloacae and P. mirabilis, and the SBA of imipenem against S. aureus was greater than the SBA of meropenem.
Parent–Therapist Communication and Satisfaction With the Services of a Child Development Center: A Comparison Between Israeli Parents— Jews and Bedouins

This study evaluates the level of general satisfaction with the services of a child development center in 2 groups of Israeli parents, Jews and Bedouins. It also assesses which 3 dimensions of therapist-parent communication significantly explain general satisfaction with the center's services. A total of 193 parents of children ranging from 6 months to 6 years of age participated in the study (84% response rate). Parents' attitudes regarding their communication with the center's therapists were evaluated by 15 items that were clustered into 3 dimensions of communication: caring, collaboration, and interest. General satisfaction with the center's services was high in both groups. Relatively high average scores were also given to the studied dimensions of communication. Jews were more satisfied with the center's services than were Bedouins and ranked caring and collaboration significantly higher than did Bedouins. Caring and collaboration best explained the variability in general satisfaction in a multivariate analysis. Being a Jew or a Bedouin parent was not found to be a significant explanatory variable of general satisfaction with the center's services. Therapists' expressions of care and collaboration with parents seem to be key factors in explaining parents' general satisfaction with rehabilitation services in the 2 different cultural groups. These factors should therefore be nurtured in order to ensure parents' satisfaction and participation in the ongoing and demanding process of child rehabilitation. The question of whether this finding is applicable to other populations has to be further studied.
Association of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition circulating tumor cells in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) molecular subgroups.

The early detection of cancer is the hallmark of a successful treatment. However, many tumors remain clinically occult until they are far advanced. The high metastatic potential of the disease is attributed to the dissemination of tumor cells through the hematogenous and/or the lymphatic vasculature (1). To this direction, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) constitute the “seed” for the promotion of the general metastatic potential in distant organs (“soil”), triggering a mechanism that is responsible for the vast majority of cancer-related deaths (2). CTC detection, in the peripheral blood, has been proposed and is being tested as a liquid biopsy material; it is a non-invasive procedure and the presence of CTCs and their molecular characteristics has been associated with disease prognosis, treatment effectiveness and, eventually, with early detection of cancer (3).
Optimization of Collaborative Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio

Cognitive radio introduces spectrum sharing between primary licensed user and many secondary users, while successful spectrum sharing depends on the correct detection of primary users. To increase the probability of detection and reduce the probability of false alarm, a cooperative spectrum-sensing scheme has been proposed for cognitive radio. However, the cooperative spectrum-sensing scheme renders another significant problem-great many of sensing reports have to be sent over the channel when there are huge numbers of secondary users, and thus increase the traffic burden. To overcome this problem, this paper proposes an optimized collaborative sensing scheme, in which only the users with enough confidence can share the sensing result. Numerical analysis and computer simulation suggest that the optimized collaborative sensing scheme can significantly reduce the number of information bits of sensing with no loss of sensing performance.
Inhaled corticosteroids and survival in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of mortality worldwide 1. In the majority of cases, the diagnosis is made relatively late in the natural history of the disease. These patients will endure years of progressive dyspnoea with consequent gradual reduction in their functional capacity, restriction to their performance of the activities of daily living, or, even worse, a limit to their fulfilment of a normal role at work and/or at home. The slow progression of the disease is punctuated by acute exacerbations that require medical attention and may result in mortality. The goals in the management of COPD are to prevent and/or treat acute exacerbations and to improve the long-term course of the disease. The strategies available to achieve these goals include smoking cessation, rehabilitation, self-management, and pharmacological treatment. Smoking cessation is the single most effective way to reduce the risk of developing COPD and stop its progression 2. Self-management 3 and rehabilitation 4 have also been shown to reduce hospitalisation 3, 5 and improve quality of life 3–5. Of the pharmacological therapies, bronchodilators are well established as effective symptomatic therapy 6. Based on recent controlled trials 7, it has been demonstrated in patients with advanced COPD that inhaled corticosteroids can reduce exacerbation rate without significantly modifying the rate of …
Does Intraoperative Ketamine Attenuate Inflammatory Reactivity Following Surgery? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND:Reports regarding the ability of the anesthetic drug ketamine to attenuate the inflammatory response to surgery are conflicting. In this systematic review we examined the effect of perioperative ketamine administration on postoperative inflammation as assessed by concentrations of the biomarker interleukin-6 (IL-6). METHODS:This study was based on a systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library. English written randomized controlled trials conducted in humans were eligible. To be included in the analysis, outcome had to relate to inflammation or immune modulation. Each study was reviewed independently by 2 assessors. Data were analyzed according to the GRADE's approach and reported in compliance with the PRISMA recommendations. RESULTS:Fourteen studies were eligible for evaluation (684 patients). Surgery was performed under general anesthesia, and ketamine was given before or during the surgery in varied doses Eight studies involved cardiopulmonary bypass operations, 4 were for abdominal surgery, 1 thoracic surgery, and 1 cataract surgery. Three studies were deemed of low quality. Nine studies measured IL-6 concentrations within the first 6 hours postoperatively; but in 3 studies, other potent anti-inflammatory drugs were used as premedication or during the operation; thus 6 studies (n = 331) were included in the meta-analysis. Using postoperative IL-6 concentrations as an outcome, ketamine had an anti-inflammatory effect; the meta-analysis showed a mean preoperative–postoperative IL-6 concentration difference (95% confidence interval) of −71 (−101 to −41) pg/mL. CONCLUSIONS:It can be concluded that intraoperative administration of ketamine significantly inhibits the early postoperative IL-6 inflammatory response. Future studies should further examine the anti-inflammatory effect of ketamine during major surgery, determine whether ketamine treatment alters functional outcomes, elucidate the mechanisms of its anti-inflammatory effect, and suggest an appropriate dosing regimen.
Population genomics as a new tool for wildlife management

Admixture and introgression have varied effects on population viability and fitness. Admixture might be an important source of new alleles, particularly for small, geographically isolated populations. However, admixture might also cause outbreeding depression if populations are adapted to different ecological or climatic conditions. Because of the emerging use of translocation and admixture as a conservation and wildlife management strategy to reduce genetic load (termed genetic rescue), the possible effects of admixture have practical consequences ( Bouzat et al. 2009 ; Hedrick & Fredrickson 2010 ). Importantly, genetic load and local adaptation are properties of individual loci and epistatic interactions among loci rather than properties of genomes. Likewise, the outcome and consequences of genetic rescue depend on the fitness effects of individual introduced alleles. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Miller et al. (2012) use model‐based, population genomic analyses to document locus‐specific effects of a recent genetic rescue in the bighorn sheep population within the National Bison Range wildlife refuge (NBR; Montana, USA). They find a subset of introduced alleles associated with increased fitness in NBR bighorn sheep, some of which experienced accelerated introgression following their introduction. These loci mark regions of the genome that could constitute the genetic basis of the successful NBR bighorn sheep genetic rescue. Although population genomic analyses are frequently used to study local adaptation and selection (e.g. Hohenlohe et al. 2010 ; Lawniczak et al. 2010 ), this study constitutes a novel application of this analytical framework for wildlife management. Moreover, the detailed demographic data available for the NBR bighorn sheep population provide a rare and powerful source of information and allow more robust population genomic inference than is often possible.
The Development and Initial Validation of the Countertransference Management Scale

Countertransference is an important aspect of the therapeutic relationship that exists in therapies of all theoretical orientations, and depending on how it is managed, it can either help or hinder treatment. Management of countertransference has been measured almost exclusively with the Countertransference Factors Inventory (Van Wagoner, Gelso, Hayes, & Diemer, 1991) and its variations, all of which focus on 5 therapist qualities theorized to facilitate management: self-insight, conceptualizing ability, empathy, self-integration, and anxiety management. Existing versions of the Countertransference Factors Inventory, however, possess certain psychometric limitations that appear to constrain how well they assess actual management of countertransference during a therapy session. We thus sought to develop a new measure that addressed these limitations and that captured the 5 therapist qualities as constituents (rather than correlates) of countertransference management that manifest in the treatment hour. The development and initial validation of the resulting 22-item Countertransference Management Scale (CMS) is described here. Exploratory factor analysis of ratings of 286 therapy supervisors of current supervisees indicated that the 5 constituents of countertransference management could be grouped into 2 correlated factors: “Understanding Self and Client” and “Self-Integration and Regulation. ” Evidence of convergent and criterion-related validity was supported by CMS total and subscale scores correlating as expected with measures of theoretically relevant constructs, namely, therapist countertransference behavior, theoretical framework, self-esteem, observing ego, empathic understanding, and tolerance of anxiety. Results also supported the internal consistency of the CMS and its subscales. Research, clinical, and training implications are discussed.
Mortality After Atypical Femoral Fractures: A Cohort Study

Although osteoporotic fracture rates can be reduced by bisphosphonates, prolonged therapy is associated with higher risk of atypical femoral fractures. Ordinary fragility fractures are linked to high mortality rates. We aimed to determine whether atypical femoral fractures also confer excess mortality. Radiographs were reviewed for all patients aged ≥55 years who had experienced a subtrochanteric or femoral shaft fracture in Sweden in 2008 to 2010. The fractures were classified as either atypical or ordinary. Data on medication use, coexisting conditions, and date of death were obtained from national registers. We estimated multivariable‐adjusted relative risks of death after atypical femoral fractures compared with ordinary subtrochanteric or femoral shaft fractures and calculated age‐ and sex‐standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for atypical and ordinary fractures compared with the population average. During a mean of 4 years of follow‐up, 39 of 172 (23%) patients with an atypical fracture had died compared with 588 of 952 (62%) with an ordinary fracture, corresponding to a relative risk of 0.51 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38–0.68). The lower risk was evident in both users and nonusers of bisphosphonates. No patient with atypical fracture died in the first year after fracture. Individuals with an ordinary fracture had a higher mortality risk than the general population (SMR = 1.82; 95% CI 1.69–1.99), but no excess risk was found in patients with atypical fracture (SMR = 0.92; 95% CI 0.65–1.26). We conclude that in contrast to ordinary subtrochanteric and femoral shaft fractures, atypical femoral fractures are not associated with excess mortality. © 2015 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Identification of sialic acids on Leishmania donovani amastigotes

Abstract The presence of Neu5Ac on promastigotes of Leishmania donovani, the causative organism of Indian visceral leishmaniasis, has been reported recently. Here we report the occurrence of Neu5Ac as a major component on amastigotes, as well as Neu5Gc, Neu5,9Ac2 and Neu9Ac5Gc as indicated by fluorimetric high performance liquid chromatography and gas liquid chromatography/electron impact mass spectrometry. Furthermore, binding studies with Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA), Maackia amurensis agglutinin (MAA), and various Siglecs, showed the presence of both (alpha2-6) and (alpha2-3)linked sialic acids; their binding was reduced after sialidase pretreatment. Western blotting of amastigote membrane glycoproteins with SNA demonstrated the presence of two sialoglycoconjugates of Mr values of 164 000 and 150 000. Similarly, binding of MAA demonstrated the presence of five distinct sialoglycans corresponding to molecular masses of 188, 162, 136, 137 and 124 kDa. Achatinin-H, a lectin that preferentially identifies 9-Oacetylated sialic acid (alpha2-6)linked to GalNAc, demonstrated the occurrence of two 9-Oacetylated sialoglycans with Mr 158 000 and 150 000, and was corroborated by flow cytometry; this binding was abolished by recombinant 9-Oacetylesterase pretreatment. Our results indicate that Neu5Ac w(alpha2-6) and (alpha2-3)linked, as well as Neu5Gc and their 9-Oacetyl derivatives, constitute components of the amastigote cell surface of L. donovani.
Levels and patterns of persistent organochlorines in minke whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata ) stocks from the North Atlantic and European Arctic

Regional variation in PCBs and organochlorine (OC) pesticide concentrations was examined using the blubber of 155 minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) sampled in seven regions in the North Atlantic and European Arctic, including western and southeastern Greenland, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea and the Barents Sea. The levels and relative proportions of OCs were also used to examine the boundaries for North Atlantic minke whale stocks previously defined by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Concentrations of major OC groups ( PCB, 89.1–22 800 ng/g lipid; DDT, 65.3–6280 ng/g lipid; CHL, 33.3–2110 ng/g lipid) generally increased from west to east, while HCH concentrations ( HCH, <1–497 ng/g lipid) showed the opposite trend. Statistical comparison between six regions using sex-adjusted least squared mean concentrations showed that minke whales from the Barents Sea had significantly higher concentrations of PCBs than those from the Vestfjorden/Lofoten, the North Sea, and west Svalbard, as well as significantly higher DDT concentrations compared to west Greenland animals. The differences in concentrations suggest that west and southeast Greenland minkes may represent one group of whales, which are distinct from both the Jan Mayen minkes and those from other IWC defined stocks in northern European waters. Principal components analysis using proportions of 71 PCB congeners and 20 OC pesticides (of total OCs) did not reveal any major differences among groups although minkes from the North Sea were distinguished from those from Greenland waters by higher loadings of more highly chlorinated PCBs and recalcitrant OC pesticides. The general similarity in mean levels of PCBs, DDT and CHL, as well as mean principal components analysis scores, among minkes sampled at Jan Mayen, Svalbard, Vestfjorden/Lofoten, the North Sea and the Barents Sea suggests that the whales are quite mobile and may feed in multiple areas within the northeastern Atlantic. Crown Copyright # 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
A conduction model for semiconductor-grain-boundary-semiconductor barriers in polycrystalline-silicon films

A quantitative trapping model is introduced to describe the electrical properties of a semiconductor-grain-boundary-semiconductor (SGBS) barrier in polysilicon films over a wide temperature range. The grain-boundary scattering effects on carrier transport are studied analytically by examining the behavior of the height and width of a rectangular grain-boundary potential barrier. The model also verifies the applicability of a single-crystal band diagram for the crystallite within which an impurity level exists. Carder transport includes not only thermionic field emission through the space-charge potential barrier resulting from trapping effects and through the grain-boundary scattering potential barrier but also thermionic emission over these barriers. Thermionic emission dominates at high temperatures; however, at low temperatures, thermionic field emission becomes more important and the grain-boundary scattering effects are an essential factor. By characterizing the experimental data of theI-Vcharacteristics, resistivity, mobility, and carrier concentration, this model enhances the understanding of the current transport in polysilicon films with grain sizes from 100 Å to 1 µm, doping levels from 1 × 1016to 8 × 1019cm-3, and measurement temperatures from -176 to 144°C. The limitations of the model are also discussed.
Physics‐based all‐atom modeling of RNA energetics and structure

The database of RNA sequences is exploding, but knowledge of energetics, structures, and dynamics lags behind. All‐atom computational methods, such as molecular dynamics, hold promise for closing this gap. New algorithms and faster computers have accelerated progress in improving the reliability and accuracy of predictions. Currently, the methods can facilitate refinement of experimentally determined nuclear magnetic resonance and x‐ray structures, but are ‘unreliable’ for predictions based only on sequence. Much remains to be discovered, however, about the many molecular interactions driving RNA folding and the best way to approximate them quantitatively. The large number of parameters required means that a wide variety of experimental results will be required to benchmark force fields and different approaches. As computational methods become more reliable and accessible, they will be used by an increasing number of biologists, much as x‐ray crystallography has expanded. Thus, many fundamental physical principles underlying the computational methods are described. This review presents a summary of the current state of molecular dynamics as applied to RNA. It is designed to be helpful to students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty who are considering or starting computational studies of RNA. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1422. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1422
Multimethod Assessment of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: The Diagnostic Utility of Clinic-Based Tests

Investigated the utility of two clinic-based tests, the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT; Kagan, 1966) and a version of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT; Gordon, 1983), in the assessment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At a group level of analysis, scores on the CPT and MFFT were found to share little variance with parent and teacher report on several behavior rating scales used to evaluate ADHD. Further, clinic test scores, either alone or in combination, resulted in classification decisions that frequently disagreed with a diagnosis of ADHD based on parent interview and behavior-rating-scale data. The limited utility of currently available tests in the evaluation of ADHD suggests the need to develop clinic-based measures of sufficient ecological validity, which can be used in conjunction with parent and teacher report.