Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indications for Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is not a new concept. Noninvasive intermittent positive pressure ventilation using a mouthpiece or facemask has been used since the early 1960s. With the recognition of NPPV’s advantages, NPPV has become increasingly popular over the last decade in caring for patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF). NPPV, which uses a facial or nasal mask as an interface between the patient and the mechanical ventilator, can be available within a few minutes in a well-prepared intensive care unit (ICU). NPPV can reduce the likelihood of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) by avoiding endotracheal tube intubation (ETI) compared with conventional positive pressure ventilation using an endotracheal tube (invasive PPV, IPPV). The inherent disadvantages of NPPV are related to the absence of the advantages acquired by ETI. The best candidates for NPPV are those able to protect their airway, are cooperative, and are otherwise medically stable. NPPV can be applied in community hospitals. With the accumulation of positive data for the beneficial effect of NPPVon ARF, NPPV has been recommended as a first-line intervention in patients with acute hypercapnic and hypoxemic respiratory failure. However, there is concern that the efficacy of NPPV is overrated. This chapter briefly reviews the indications of NPPV, which have been broadened.
Are there gap junctions between chief (glomus, type I) cells in the carotid body chemoreceptor? A review

Since the dye‐ and electronic couplings between the carotid body chief cells have been demonstrated, the detection and localization of the gap junctions in the carotid body is crucial to understanding the functional mechanism of chemoreception. However, conventional electron microscopy has been unsuccessful in unquestionably detecting ultrastructural features equivalent to the gap junctions, such as close (2 nm in width) membrane appositions in ultrathin sections and aggregations of intramembranous particles in freeze‐fracture replicas of the carotid body. We previously reported using a modified electron microscopic study by chemically fixed and subsequent rapid freezing and freeze‐substitution method a number of close membrane appositions comparable to the gap junctions. However, we later found that the freeze‐substitution also induces numerous close apposition of the membrane in sites where the gap junctions are not known to occur, indicating that the modified electron microscopy by freeze‐substitution is not always confirmative in the detection of the gap junction. With regard to the molecular evidence for the gap junction in the carotid body, there have so far been few data on the immunohistochemical demonstration on connexin 32 and 43 in cultured chief cells, but not in the in situ cells. Microsc. Res. Tech. 59:227–233, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hypoxia‐sensitive molecules may modulate the development of atherosclerosis in sleep apnoea syndrome

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease. In order to examine the association between OSAHS and cardiovascular disease, this study measured hypoxia‐inducible and atherosclerosis‐associated molecules in the peripheral blood.
Isolation of an Escherichia coli K-12 Mutant Strain Able To Form Biofilms on Inert Surfaces: Involvement of a New ompR Allele That Increases Curli Expression

ABSTRACT Classical laboratory strains of Escherichia coli do not spontaneously colonize inert surfaces. However, when maintained in continuous culture for evolution studies or industrial processes, these strains usually generate adherent mutants which form a thick biofilm, visible with the naked eye, on the wall of the culture apparatus. Such a mutant was isolated to identify the genes and morphological structures involved in biofilm formation in the very well characterizedE. coli K-12 context. This mutant acquired the ability to colonize hydrophilic (glass) and hydrophobic (polystyrene) surfaces and to form aggregation clumps. A single point mutation, resulting in the replacement of a leucine by an arginine residue at position 43 in the regulatory protein OmpR, was responsible for this phenotype. Observations by electron microscopy revealed the presence at the surfaces of the mutant bacteria of fibrillar structures looking like the particular fimbriae described by the Olsén group and designated curli (A. Olsén, A. Jonsson, and S. Normark, Nature 338:652–655, 1989). The production of curli (visualized by Congo red binding) and the expression of the csgA gene encoding curlin synthesis (monitored by coupling a reporter gene to its promoter) were significantly increased in the presence of theompR allele described in this work. Transduction of knockout mutations in either csgA or ompRcaused the loss of the adherence properties of several biofilm-formingE. coli strains, including all those which were isolated in this work from the wall of a continuous culture apparatus and two clinical strains isolated from patients with catheter-related infections. These results indicate that curli are morphological structures of major importance for inert surface colonization and biofilm formation and demonstrate that their synthesis is under the control of the EnvZ-OmpR two-component regulatory system.
Ciprofloxacin Induces an Immunomodulatory Stress Response in Human T Lymphocytes

ABSTRACT Exposure of cells to adverse environmental conditions invokes a genetically programmed series of events resulting in the induction of specific genes. The fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin has recently been reported to upregulate interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene induction. In the present investigation, the effect of ciprofloxacin at supratherapeutic concentrations on immediate-early (<2 h) gene expression in primary human peripheral blood lymphocytes was studied with Northern blots. In addition, transcriptional activity of IL-2 and metallothionein enhancer and promoter regions and transcription factors AP-1, NF-κB, and NF-AT were analyzed by chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, respectively. The concentration of c-fos, c-jun, c-myc, junB, andfra-1 mRNAs was increased in activated peripheral blood lymphocytes incubated with ciprofloxacin compared to that in untreated controls. Ciprofloxacin increased CAT activity in stimulated lymphocytes transfected with plasmids containing either the IL-2 or metallothionein enhancer. Furthermore, among the transcription factors tested, AP-1 activity was increased in stimulated purified T helper lymphocytes incubated with ciprofloxacin compared to drug-free controls. Taken together, ciprofloxacin increased the levels of immediate-early transcripts, enhanced IL-2 and metallothionein promoter induction, and upregulated AP-1 concentrations in primary lymphocytes, reflecting a program commonly observed in mammalian stress responses.
Impact of corrosion on the reliability of low voltage cables with aluminium conductors

Aluminium is widely used as conductor material for power cables, but corrosion taking place under specific circumstances can have impact on its reliability. Aluminium corrosion under the influence of an alternating current was studied experimentally. Submerged cable segments with inflicted damage exposing the conductors resulted in a continuous corrosion of the conductor material. Effects of temperature and applied voltage were studied by observing corrosion of an aluminium wire. These parameters strongly affect the corrosion rate. Comparison with copper showed that aluminium is far more susceptible to corrosion. The impact of corrosion on the reliability of the cables is discussed.
The response to levodopa in parkinson's disease: Imposing pharmacological law and order

The seemingly unpredictable response to levodopa in patients with Parkinson's disease can be understood as an interaction between several distinct pharmacological effects of levodopa. The most important are a short‐duration response with a half‐life of minutes to hours and a long‐duration response with a half‐life of days, superimposed on diurnal motor variation. A negative response characterized by brief worsening before and after the short‐duration response and dyskinesia accentuate the short‐duration response. These various responses are modified by disease progression and long‐term levodopa therapy. Pharmacodynamic modeling of the short‐duration response indicates that with time, the response becomes less graded and small changes in levodopa concentrations can produce big changes in response. In this setting, unpredictability arises from the variation in absorption and distribution of levodopa.
Going Public to Acquire? The Acquisition Motive in IPOs

Newly public firms make acquisitions at a torrid pace. Their large acquisition appetites reflect the concentration of initial public offerings (IPOs) in mergers and acquisitions-(M&A-) intensive industries, but acquisitions by IPO firms also outpace those by mature firms in the same industry. IPO firms' acquisition activity is fueled by the initial capital infusion at the IPO and through the creation of an acquisition currency used to raise capital for both cash- and stock-financed acquisitions along with debt issuance subsequent to the IPO. IPO firms play a bigger role in the M&A process by participating as acquirers than they do as takeover targets, and acquisitions are as important to their growth as research and development (R&D) and capital expenditures (CAPEX). The pattern of acquisitions following an IPO shapes the evolution of ownership structure of newly public firms.
Association Between Peritoneal Glucose Exposure and Peritonitis in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: The balANZ Trial

Background: Glucose is the primary osmotic medium used in most peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions, and exposure to glucose has been shown to exert detrimental effects both locally, at the peritoneal membrane, and systemically. Moreover, high dialysate glucose exposure may predispose patients to an increased risk of peritonitis, perhaps as a result of impaired host defences, vascular disease, and damage to the peritoneal membrane. Methods: In this post-hoc analysis of a multicenter, multinational, open-label randomized controlled trial of neutral pH, low-glucose degradation product (GDP) versus conventional PD solutions (balANZ trial), the relationship between peritonitis rates of low (< 123.1 g/day) versus high (≥ 123.1 g/day) dialysate glucose exposure was evaluated in 177 incident PD patients over a 2-year study period. Results: Peritonitis rates were 0.44 episodes per patient-year in the low-glucose exposure group and 0.31 episodes per patient-year in the high-glucose exposure group, (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.69, p = 0.09). There was no significant association between dialysate glucose exposure and peritonitis-free survival on univariable analysis (high glucose exposure hazard ratio [HR] 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.40 – 1.08) or on multivariable analysis (adjusted HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.39 – 1.05). Moreover, there was no relationship between peritoneal glucose exposure and type of organism causing peritonitis. Physician-rated severity of first peritonitis episodes was similar between groups, as was rate and duration of hospital admission. Conclusions: Overall, this study did not identify an association between peritoneal dialysate glucose exposure and peritonitis occurrence, severity, hospitalization, or outcomes. A further large-scale, prospective, randomized controlled trial evaluating patient-level outcomes is merited.
A New Model for the Domain Structure of Heparan Sulfate Based on the Novel Specificity of K5 Lyase*

Elucidation of the molecular structure of heparan sulfate (HS) is the key to understanding its functional versatility as a co-receptor for growth factors and morphogens. We have identified and exploited the novel substrate specificity of the coliphage K5 lyase in studies of the domain organization of HS. We show that K5 lyase cleaves HS principally within non-sulfated sequences of four or more N-acetylated disaccharides. Uniquely, sections comprising alternating N-acetylated and N-sulfated units are resistant to the enzyme, as are the highly sulfated S domains. Spacing of the K5 lyase cleavage sites (∼7–8 kDa) is similar to that of the S domains. On the basis of these findings, we propose a refined model of the structure of HS in which N-acetylated sequences of four to five disaccharide units (GlcNAc-GlcUA)4–5 are positioned centrally between the S domains. The latter are embedded within N-acetylated and N-sulfated sequences, forming extended regions of hypervariable sulfation distributed at regular intervals along the polymer chain. K5 lyase provides a means of excision of these composite sulfated regions for structural and functional analyses.
Pretransplant dyslipidaemia influences primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation.

OBJECTIVES Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a major cause of mortality within the first year following lung transplantation. Pulmonary hypertension, elevated body mass index (BMI), prolonged ischaemic time of the graft, intraoperative blood transfusions >1000 ml and the use of cardiopulmonary bypass or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation increase the risk for PGD. We aimed to evaluate whether dyslipidaemia is an additional risk factor for the development of PGD. METHODS We retrospectively analysed demographic and clinical data of 264 patients who received their first bilateral lung transplantation between March 2000 and October 2013 at our institution. The endpoint was PGD grade 3 at any time, defined according to the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) criteria. Fasting lipid profiles at listing time or just before transplantation (baseline) were documented and dyslipidaemia was defined as any of the parameters being out of range. Comparisons of continuous variables between patients with PGD grade 3 and patients without were performed with the Mann-Whitney U-test, whereas proportions were compared with the χ(2) test. Continuous variables were presented as arithmetic means with standard deviation for ease of comparison, but levels of statistical significance were computed using the appropriate non-parametric statistical test. To identify PGD risk factors, a forward stepwise logistic regression model was used. RESULTS PGD occurred in 63 recipients (24%). Pretransplant dyslipidaemia was documented in 153 recipients (58%) and was significantly more prevalent among recipients developing PGD (45 vs 108, P < 0.013). Despite various underlying pulmonary pathologies, higher triglyceride (TG) levels (1.41 ± 0.78 vs 1.16 ± 0.78, P < 0.012), lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations (1.24 ± 0.55 vs 1.57 ± 0.71, P < 0.0005) and higher cholesterol/HDL-C values (3.80 ± 2.02 vs 3.00 ± 0.92, P < 0.0005) were associated with a lower incidence of PGD. Patients with PGD had significantly longer ischaemic time (350 ± 89 vs 322 ± 91, P = 0.017) and higher BMI (23 ± 5 vs 21 ± 4.4, P < 0.007). CONCLUSIONS Dyslipidaemia seems to be an independent risk factor for PGD after lung transplantation: low circulating levels of HDL-C and hypertriglyceridaemia increase the incidence of PGD. Even if HDL-C levels are difficult to alter today, triglyceride and cholesterol levels can be addressed therapeutically and may have a positive influence on the development of PGD.
Construction and plasmid-borne complementation of strains lacking the epsilon subunit of the Escherichia coli F1F0 ATP synthase

Two strains of Escherichia coli that lack the epsilon subunit of the F1F0 ATP synthase have been constructed. They are shown to be viable but with very low growth yields (28%). These strains can be complemented by plasmids carrying wild-type uncC, but not when epsilon is overproduced. These results indicate that epsilon is not essential for growth on minimal glucose medium and that the level of its expression affects the assembly of the ATP synthase.
Pharmacotherapy for Advanced Parkinson's Disease

Medical management of Parkinson's disease consists of two strategies. A presynaptic strategy attempts to maintain physiologic synaptic concentrations of dopamine, usually by individualizing delivery of levodopa (or exogenous dopamine) by varying the rate of gastrointestinal absorption or blood‐brain barrier passage. A postsynaptic strategy bypasses degenerating nigrostriatal neurons by stimulating striatal neurons directly with dopamine agonists. With advancing disease, motor fluctuations appear, related to physiologic changes that narrow the window of levodopa concentration in which symptoms are under control. Then it becomes necessary to add dopamine agonists to therapy.
Role for endothelial cell conduction in ascending vasodilatation and exercise hyperaemia in hamster skeletal muscle

1 Vasodilatation initiated by contracting skeletal muscle ‘ascends’ from the arteriolar network to encompass feed arteries. Acetylcholine delivery from a micropipette onto a feed artery evokes hyperpolarisation at the site of application; this signal can conduct through gap junctions along the endothelium to produce vasodilatation. We tested whether conduction along the endothelium contributes to the ascending vasodilatation that occurs in response to muscular exercise. 2 In anaesthetised hamsters, a feed artery (resting diameter 64 ± 4 μm) supplying the retractor muscle was either stimulated by local microiontophoretic application of acetylcholine or the muscle was contracted rhythmically (once per 2 s, 1–2 min), before and after light‐dye treatment (LDT) to disrupt the endothelial cells within a 300 μm‐long segment located midway along the vessel. Endothelial cell damage with LDT was confirmed by the local loss of vasodilatation in response to acetylcholine and labelling with propidium iodide. Local vasodilatation in response to acetylcholine applied 500 μm proximal (upstream) or distal (downstream) to the central segment with LDT remained intact. 3 Before LDT, vessel diameter increased by more than 30 % along the entire feed artery (observed 1000 μm upstream from the retractor muscle) in response to distal acetylcholine or muscle contractions. Following LDT, vasodilatation in response to acetylcholine and to muscle contractions encompassed the distal segment but did not travel through the region of endothelial cell damage. At the upstream site, wall shear rate (and luminal shear stress) increased more than 3‐fold, with no change in vessel diameter. Thus, flow‐induced vasodilatation did not occur. 4 In response to muscle contractions, feed artery blood flow increased nearly 6‐fold; this hyperaemic response was reduced by half following the loss of ascending vasodilatation. 5 These findings indicate that rhythmic contractions of skeletal muscle can initiate the conduction of a signal along the endothelium. We propose that this signalling pathway underlies ascending vasodilatation and promotes the full expression of exercise hyperaemia.
Hepatoprotective Effect Of Crude Aqueous Leaf Extract Of Fig Tree, Ficus Benjamina, On Ethanol-Induced Liver Damage In Mice

Alcoholic abuse remains to be the most common cause of liver cirrhosis with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Herbal supplements are being used to prevent damage in excessive alcohol intake and including hepatitis from other causes as hepatoprotective agents. Fig tree is currently being utilized in studies as a potential candidate for hepatoprotection but with limited success. This study determined the hepatoprotective effect of crude aqueous leaf extract of fig tree, Ficus benjamina, on ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. In this study, fifteen Balb/c mice were assigned to negative control, positive control and treatment groups which received distilled water, Silymarin, and F. benjamina crude aqueous leaf extract respectively on day 0 to day 14. Ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity was done on day 7 to day 14 using ethanol given by oral gavage. Assessment of liver function and histology was done with the use of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) assay and histopathological study respectively. Results showed significant reduction of ALT levels in the treatment (52.40 U/L) and the positive control groups (42.58 U/L) as compared with the negative control group with a mean of 196.88 U/L (P<0.05). The difference between the positive and treatment groups was not significant (P>0.05). The degree of hepatic injury was significantly severe in the negative control group than with the treatment and positive control groups (P<0.05). On the other hand, the degree of hepatic injury showed no significant difference between the positive and treatment groups (P>0.05). Thus, the crude aqueous leaf extract of F. benjamina has hepatoprotective property on ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity in mice, similar to Silymarin. F. benjamina, as an ornamental plant, may be a source of phytochemical with potential pharmaceutical and functional activities.
Lipid Production by Rhodotorula glutinis from Pulp and Paper Wastewater for Biodiesel Production

This study investigated the potential of oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula glutinis utilizing pulp and paper wastewater effluents as cultivation media for the sustainable production of microbial lipids as biodiesel feedstock. R. glutinis is oleaginous yeast, which has the ability to produce significant quantities of intercellular lipids in the form of triacylglycerols. Yeast lipids are a promising potential feedstock for biodiesel production due to similar fatty acid composition to plant oils. The effect of various carbon sources on biomass production, lipid accumulation, substrate utilization, and fatty acid composition using R. glutinis in the pulp and paper wastewater media was studied. The pulp and paper wastewater was supplemented with glucose, xylose, and glycerol as carbon sources under nitrogen-limited conditions. The maximum lipid productions of 1.3 - 2.9 g•L–1, which corresponded to the intracellular lipid contents of 8% - 15% cell dry weight (CDW), were obtained under various carbon substrates. A kinetic study of the batch fermentation was performed in a 3 L aerobic batch fermenter to describe the cell growth, lipid accumulation, and substrate utilization process, and the kinetic parameter was estimated. The fatty acid profile of oleaginous yeast was rich in palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids and comparable to vegetable oils. Thus, the results of this study indicated that pulp and paper wastewater could be used to produce lipids as biodiesel feedstock.