Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Posterior Distraction and Instrumentation Cannot Always Reduce Displaced and Rotated Posterosuperior Fracture Fragments in Thoracolumbar Burst Fracture

Study Design: A retrospective clinical study. Objective: To determine the imaging features that can be used to predict failure of reduction of a retropulsed fracture fragment by posterior ligamentotaxis in thoracolumbar burst fractures. Summary of Background Data: Posterior instrumentation and distraction with ligamentotaxis has been successfully used to shift retropulsed fragments anteriorly in thoracolumbar burst fractures. However, posterior longitudinal ligament rupture can lead to treatment failure. The exact preoperative radiographical parameters associated with failure of reduction remain unknown. Materials and Methods: A total of 85 patients who suffered from thoracolumbar burst fractures with significant retropulsion of fragments into the spinal canal, as confirmed by preoperative computed tomography and followed by postoperative computed tomography, were retrospectively analyzed. Seventy-three patients (85.9%) in whom the fragments were reduced by ligamentotaxis were included in the reduced group. In 12 patients (14.1%), the fracture fragment in the spinal canal was not reduced, and these patients were included in the nonreduced group. Neurologic status was classified according to the scoring system of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA). The displaced distance and rotation angle of the fracture fragment were measured at the fractured segment. Results: Preoperatively,the average displacement distances into the spinal canal of rotated posterosuperior fragments was 0.53 cm in the reduced group and 0.94 cm in the nonreduced group (P=0.002). The average rotation angles of the fracture fragments were 43.2 degrees in the reduced group and 61.7 degrees in the nonreduced group (P=0.012). “Double cortical surfaces” of the fragment were observed in the nonreduced patients. Neurological function was evaluated and recorded at the 2-year follow-up examination. There was no significant difference in the ASIA recovery grade between the 2 groups (P=0.668). Conclusions: Displaced and rotated posterosuperior fracture fragments in thoracolumbar burst fracture cannot always be reduced by posterior ligamentotaxis. The 2 criteria for treatment failure that were most consistently present in our series were a displacement distance greater than 0.85 cm and a rotation angle greater than 55 degrees.
Evaluation of the Norberg angle threshold: a comparison of Norberg angle and distraction index as measures of coxofemoral degenerative joint disease susceptibility in seven breeds of dogs.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the thresholds of 2 radiographic methods used to determine coxofemoral joint laxity in 7 breeds of dogs. ANIMALS Three hundred and fifty clinically normal dogs. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study. METHODS Hip radiographs from 7 breeds of dogs were randomly selected from a database. None of the dogs had radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease (DJD). Distraction index (DI) and Norberg angle (NA) were measured on these radiographs and compared with DI and NA thresholds for diagnosing DJD susceptibility derived from the literature and from evaluated Borzois. Dogs with a NA<105 degrees and a DI of < or =0.32 were considered false-positives and dogs with a NA> or =105 degrees and a DI of >0.32 were considered false-negatives. RESULTS Mean age of all dogs was 22.9 months. Mean NA for all dogs was 99.37 degrees, and mean DI for all dogs was 0.44. Borzoi mean DI of was significantly less than the mean DI of the other 6 breeds. The highest (most hip laxity) Borzoi DI was 0.32, and the lowest (most hip laxity) Borzoi NA was 99 degrees. False-positive and false-negative diagnoses were identified in 6 of the 7 breeds. CONCLUSIONS Using the NA threshold of 105 degrees (literature established threshold of susceptibility to DJD) resulted in a high percentage of false-negative and false-positive diagnoses. Breeds like the Labrador Retriever and Rottweiler would have large numbers of hip dysplasia susceptible dogs remain in the breeding population based on this NA threshold. False-positive diagnoses were common in breeds like the Australian Shepherd, Borzoi, and German Shepherd effectively eliminating hip dysplasia nonsusceptible dogs from the breeding population. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The NA was not an accurate predictor of DJD susceptibility in these 7 breeds of dogs when using a NA threshold of 105 degrees.
WTC‐01, a novel synthetic oxime‐flavone compound, destabilizes microtubules in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo

Dynamic polymerization of microtubules is essential for cancer cell growth and metastasis, and microtubule‐disrupting agents have become the most successful anti‐cancer agents in clinical use. Besides their antioxidant properties, flavonoids also exhibit strong microtubule‐disrupting activity and inhibit tumour growth. We have designed, synthesized and tested a series of oxime/amide‐containing flavone derivatives. Here we report the evaluation of one compound, WTC‐01 for its anti‐proliferative effects in human cancer cells.
The utopia of cooperation: does intra-group competition drive out free riding?

We study whether intra-group competition fosters cooperation even when cooperate is not a dominant strategy. We arranged an experimental Public Good Game comparing contributions in a risky treatment with contributions in a baseline standard treatment. The intra-group competition was induced by assigning different marginal per capita return (MPCR) in accordance to the size of the contribution itself. Results show that risky MPCR are detrimental for cooperation, while intra-group competition significantly reduces free riding.
Notch2/Hes-1 Pathway Plays an Important Role in Renal Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury-Associated Inflammation and Apoptosis and the γ-Secretase Inhibitor DAPT has a Nephroprotective Effect

This study aims to investigate the role of Notch pathway in the renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI)-associated inflammation and apoptosis. Materials and methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three groups: normal saline (NS)-treated sham rats, NS-treated ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) rats, and N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl-l-alanyl)]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT) (a γ-secretase inhibitor) treated I/R rats. I/R rat model underwent nephrectomy of the right kidney and was subjected to 60 min of left renal pedicle occlusion followed by 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h of reperfusion, respectively. The levels of creatinine, urea nitrogen (BUN), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in serum samples and urinary N-acety-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) were assayed. Histological examinations were performed. The protein expression of Notch2, hairy/enhancer of split 1 (hes-1), NF-κB2, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, B-cell lymphoma 2 (bcl-2), and bcl-2-associated X (bax) were detected and the degree of apoptosis of tubular cells was evaluated. Results: Renal IR induced severe tubular damage, caused significant increases in the Scr, BUN, IL-6, TNF-α, urinary NAG, Notch2, hes-1, NF-κB2, MCP-1, ratio of tubule cells apoptosis, and reduction in the ratio of bcl-2 to bax. However, DAPT treatment significantly reduced the level of Scr, BUN, IL-6, TNF-α, and NAG. Thus, I/R activates Notch2/hes-1 signaling and DAPT treatment can ameliorate the severity of tubular damage after renal IRI, lower the expression of NF-κB2, MCP-1, and bax protein, increase the expression of bcl-2 protein, and reduce the ratio of terminal 2-deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate nick end-labeling-positive cells. Conclusion: Notch signaling plays an important role in the renal IRI-associated inflammation and apoptosis. DAPT can protect against IRI through partly suppressing inflammation and apoptosis, which could constitute a new target for AKI.
Experimental Infection of Different Tomato Genotypes with Tomato mosaic virus Led to a Low Viral Population Heterogeneity in the Capsid Protein Encoding Region

The complete genome sequence of a Slovak SL-1 isolate of Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) was determined from the next generation sequencing (NGS) data, further confirming a limited sequence divergence in this tobamovirus species. Tomato genotypes Monalbo, Mobaci and Moperou, respectively carrying the susceptible tm-2 allele or the Tm-1 and Tm-2 resistant alleles, were tested for their susceptibility to ToMV SL-1. Although the three tomato genotypes accumulated ToMV SL-1 to similar amounts as judged by semi-quantitative DAS-ELISA, they showed variations in the rate of infection and symptomatology. Possible differences in the intra-isolate variability and polymorphism between viral populations propagating in these tomato genotypes were evaluated by analysis of the capsid protein (CP) encoding region. Irrespective of genotype infected, the intra-isolate haplotype structure showed the presence of the same highly dominant CP sequence and the low level of population diversity (0.08–0.19%). Our results suggest that ToMV CP encoding sequence is relatively stable in the viral population during its replication in vivo and provides further demonstration that RNA viruses may show high sequence stability, probably as a result of purifying selection.
Divided by the Market, Divided by the State: Distribution, Redistribution and Welfare Attitudes in 47 Countries

This article examines the impact of income inequality and welfare state context on the extent to which the rich and poor share similar attitudes towards redistribution. It asks whether and how differences in attitudes, particularly those between income groups, are shaped by inequality and redistributive efforts. Based on a multi-level analysis of individual survey data across 47 countries at three points in time, the article shows that such an interaction of individual characteristics and the macro-context indeed matters considerably. While material self-interest, unsurprisingly, explains part of the individual differences, the analysis also shows, for the first time, that both high inequality and strongly redistributive policies divide public opinion along the lines of socioeconomic position. Put differently, while market inequality may be associated with less cohesive attitudes, a highly redistributive welfare state does not seem to foster agreement among the public, either. These findings have important policy implications for advanced welfare states, including a renewed emphasis on ‘predistribution’ (i.e., policies that influence the primary distribution of income) in order to avoid the scenario of intensified redistributive conflicts.
Changing morphological structures: The effect of sentence context on the interpretation of structurally ambiguous English trimorphemic words

Morphological parsing has often been studied with words in isolation. In this study we used sentence context to investigate how structural analyses of morphologically complex words are affected by the semantic content of their carrier sentences. Our main stimuli were trimorphemic ambiguous words such as unlockable (meaning either “not able to be locked” or “able to be unlocked”). We treat these words as structurally ambiguous such that the meaning of the words is determined by the perceived organisation of their constituent morphemes. The effect and malleability of this structural organisation were examined in one offline rating experiment and one cross-modal priming experiment with ambiguous words embedded in sentence context. The results of the study suggest that morphologically ambiguous words do show two interpretations and that the balance of these interpretations can be affected by the semantics of the sentence in which they are embedded. We interpret the pattern of data to suggest that when structurally ambiguous words are presented in isolation, word-internal factors determine which interpretation is to be preferred. However, in strongly constraining sentence contexts, these preferred parses are modified online to be consistent with the semantics of the entire sentence structure.
Movement and physiological match demands of elite rugby league using portable global positioning systems

Abstract Twelve elite players from an English Super League club consented to participate in the present study using portable global positioning system (GPS) devices to assess position-specific demands. Distances covered at low-intensity running, moderate-intensity running, high-intensity running, very high-intensity running, and total distance were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in forwards compared with outside backs and adjustables. Metres per minute was higher in adjustables and forwards, owing to higher values for relative distance in medium-intensity running and a rise in high-intensity running from previous absolute values. Sprint distance, sprint frequency, and peak speed were higher in outside backs than both adjustables and forwards. A moderate, significant correlation (r = 0.62, P = 0.001) was apparent between session ratings of perceived exertion and summated heart rate. Results support the requirement for position-specific conditioning and provide preliminary evidence for the use of session ratings of perceived exertion as a measure of match load.
Postantibiotic Effect of Meropenem and Ciprofloxacin in the Presence of 5-Fluorouracil

Background: The postantibiotic effect (PAE) of meropenem and ciprofloxacin was studied in the presence of the antineoplastic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the PAEs of the combinations differed from the PAEs of the antibiotics alone. Methods: The PAEs of the combinations of 5-FU plus meropenem or ciprofloxacin were determined with viable counts against four reference strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and two clinical isolates of S. epidermidis. The results were compared with the PAEs of the antibiotics drugs and 5-FU alone. The gram-positive strains were tested for slime production, both alone and in the presence of 5-FU. Results: Against two of the three tested strains of S. epidermidis, the combination of ciprofloxacin and 5-FU gave a synergistic prolongation of the PAE in comparison with the PAEs induced by the drugs alone. The combinations showed indifference against the other bacteria. The combination of meropenem and 5-FU had a synergistic PAE against one of the three tested strains of S. epidermidis and an additive effect against E. coli but showed indifference against the rest of the strains. Conclusions: The presence of 5-FU did not influence the PAEs of the antibiotics against most of the tested strains, but caused a synergistic prolongation of the PAEs induced by ciprofloxacin and meropenem against some of the tested strains of S. epidermidis. 5-FU inhibited slime production in the same S. epidermidis strains, which might have contributed to the longer PAE.
A novel lineage of myoviruses infecting cyanobacteria is widespread in the oceans

Viruses infecting bacteria (phages) are thought to greatly impact microbial population dynamics as well as the genome diversity and evolution of their hosts. Here we report on the discovery of a novel lineage of tailed dsDNA phages belonging to the family Myoviridae and describe its first representative, S-TIM5, that infects the ubiquitous marine cyanobacterium, Synechococcus. The genome of this phage encodes an entirely unique set of structural proteins not found in any currently known phage, indicating that it uses lineage-specific genes for virion morphogenesis and represents a previously unknown lineage of myoviruses. Furthermore, among its distinctive collection of replication and DNA metabolism genes, it carries a mitochondrial-like DNA polymerase gene, providing strong evidence for the bacteriophage origin of the mitochondrial DNA polymerase. S-TIM5 also encodes an array of bacterial-like metabolism genes commonly found in phages infecting cyanobacteria including photosynthesis, carbon metabolism and phosphorus acquisition genes. This suggests a common gene pool and gene swapping of cyanophage-specific genes among different phage lineages despite distinct sets of structural and replication genes. All cytosines following purine nucleotides are methylated in the S-TIM5 genome, constituting a unique methylation pattern that likely protects the genome from nuclease degradation. This phage is abundant in the Red Sea and S-TIM5 gene homologs are widespread in the oceans. This unusual phage type is thus likely to be an important player in the oceans, impacting the population dynamics and evolution of their primary producing cyanobacterial hosts.
Mitral valve hemodynamic effects of percutaneous edge‐to‐edge repair with the MitraClip™ device for mitral regurgitation

Introduction: The Endovascular Valve Edge‐to‐Edge REpair STudies (EVEREST) are investigating a percutaneous technique for edge‐to‐edge mitral valve repair with a repositionable clip. The effects on the mitral valve gradient (MVG) and mitral valve area (MVA) are not known. Methods: Twenty seven patients with moderate to severe or severe mitral regurgitation (MR) were enrolled. Echocardiography was performed preprocedure, at discharge, and at 1, 6, and 12 months. Mean MVG was measured by Doppler and MVA by planimetry and pressure half‐time, and evaluated in a central core laboratory. Pre‐ and postclip deployment, simultaneous left atrial/pulmonary capillary wedge and left ventricular pressures were obtained in eight patients. Results: Three patients did not receive a clip, six patients had their clip(s) explanted by 6 months (none for mitral stenosis), and four were repaired with two clips. Results are notable for a slight increase in mean MVG by Doppler postclip deployment (1.79 ± 0.89 to 3.31 ± 2.09 mm Hg, P < 0.01) and an expected decrease in MVA by planimetry (6.49 ± 1.61 to 4.46 ± 2.14 cm2, P < 0.001) and by pressure half time (4.35 ± 0.98 to 3.01 ± 1.42 cm2, P < 0.05). There were no significant changes in hemodynamic parameters postclip deployment by direct pressure measurements. There was no change in MVA by planimetry from discharge to 12 months (3.90 ± 1.90 to 3.79 ± 1.54 cm2, P = 0.78). Conclusions: Echocardiographic and hemodynamic measurements after percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip show an expected decrease in mitral valve area with no evidence of clinically significant mitral stenosis either immediately after clip deployment or after 12 months of follow‐up. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Meleis's theory of nursing transitions and relatives' experiences of nursing home entry.

AIM This paper explores the extent to which Meleis's mid-range theory of nursing transitions is supported by the findings of a study exploring relatives' experiences of the move to a nursing home. BACKGROUND Mid-range nursing theories are useful tools in helping to understand the scope of nursing practice in a range of contexts and situations. However, as yet, many formal mid-range theories have not been adequately tested. METHODS Findings from a constructivist study of relatives' experiences of nursing home entry were re-analysed in relation to the extent to which they reflected the domains of the theory of nursing transitions. Data for the original study were generated during 37 qualitative interviews involving 48 close family members of older people who had recently moved to a nursing home, and in observational case studies in three nursing homes. FINDINGS All domains of the theory of nursing transition were supported by the data generated within the study. However, the model failed to represent adequately the interactive and dynamic nature of relationships between formal and informal caregivers in the nursing home context. CONCLUSIONS The theory of nursing transitions has the potential to assist nurses in identifying appropriate strategies for supporting relatives throughout the period of an older person's relocation to a nursing home. However, in order to reflect fully the experiences of relatives at this time, the theory requires adjustment to recognize the contribution made by relatives themselves to positive outcomes. This therefore raises questions as to whether the relative absence of this reciprocal and interactive dimension is an element of Meleis's theory that requires further exploration in relation to other forms of transition.
Menstrual cycle‐dependent febrile episode mediated by sequence‐specific repression of poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase‐1 on the transcription of the human serotonin receptor 1A gene

The serotonin receptor 1A (encoded by the HTR1A gene) plays a critical role in serotonergic transmission and was linked with many human diseases. A 33‐year‐old woman with rare menstrual cycle‐dependent fever showed abnormal estrogen profile and responded well to the HTR1A agonist buspirone, suggesting that her fevers were allied to estrogen‐related HTR1A deficiency. We identified an adenine deletion 480‐bases upstream of the translation start site (i.e., ‐480delA) of HTR1A in this patient. To determine the underlying mechanism of ‐480delA‐mediated HTR1A deficiency, we first showed that HTR1A ‐480 region can be bound by multiple nuclear protein(s). We then identified poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP1) as one of the proteins that binds to HTR1A ‐480 region. Using PARP1 overexpression and knockdown, our data demonstrated that PARP1 represses HTR1A transcription. Furthermore, HTR1A ‐480delA promoter possesses increased interaction with PARP1 and caused an additional reduction in transcription. Finally, 17β‐estradiol administration further reduced transcription associated with the mutant promoter. Altogether, these data suggest that estrogen‐induced hyperactivity of HTR1A mutant promoter causes the reduction of HTR1A mRNA and leads to the disruption of HTR1A‐mediate hypothermic regulation. This is the first report of HTR1A mutation underlying menstrual cycle‐dependent febrile episodes, and implies that similar “febrile episode” cases may also result from the dysfunction of serotonin transmission. Hum Mutat 33:209–217, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Expression analysis of putative stem cell markers in human benign and malignant prostate

Stem cells were suggested to be present in human prostate cancer as a small population of distinct cells, which may contribute to carcinogenesis, tumor recurrence, and chemoresistance. To identify potential prostatic stem cells, we analyzed the expression of several potential stem cell markers in benign prostate and prostatic adenocarcinoma.