Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology of Isolated Meniscus Tears in Young Athletes

Objectives: Meniscus tears are common in athletic populations; however, there are few studies of the epidemiology of meniscal tears in a stable knee, and particularly tears in young populations. The purpose of this study was to define the incidence of isolated meniscus tears and to determine demographic and athletic risk factors. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was performed to determine the incidence and characteristics of isolated meniscus tears at the United States Military Academy between 2005 and 2012. Injuries identified in the Cadet Illness and Injury Tracking System (CIITS) were confirmed by clinic, surgical, and radiographic data for inclusion. Cooper's classification was used to localize meniscus tears. Incidence rates (IR) per 1000 person-years and per 1000 athlete-exposures (AE) were determined for sport and level of competition. Demographic, injury characteristic and time loss data were also evaluated. Results: There were 79 instances of meniscus tears in stable knees in a cohort of 9086 subjects from 2005-2012. Of these, 68 (86%) were in males and 11 (14%) in females. Right (40) and Left (39) knees were equally affected. The lateral meniscus (70%) was torn at a greater rate than medial meniscus (30%). Body mass index (BMI) of the meniscus injured population was 25.7 vs. 24.6 for the uninjured cohort (p less than .05). BMI was also greater in subjects with lateral (26.4) vs. medial (23.9) meniscus tears (p less than .05). The average time lost from activity was 102 days. Surgically managed injuries lost 112.7 days vs. 36.1 for non-operative cases (p less than .05). Of the operative cases, repairs lost 150.8 days vs. 101.0 for debridement (p less than .05). There was no significant difference in time lost from medial (90.9 days) vs. lateral (106.9 days) injuries. The greatest percentages of meniscus tears were found in football (19%), wrestling (13%) and rugby (9%) activities. Military combative training accounted for 5% of meniscus tears. The IR per 1000 AE for intercollegiate athletes was greatest in wrestling (0.157) and rugby (0.150). This was mirrored in the intramural population with rates of 0.125 and 0.138 respectively. Rates per AE in football were lower at 0.045 and 0.062 for intercollegiate and intramural competition. Conclusion: Isolated meniscus tears are relatively common in young athletes and cause significant loss of time from athletic pursuits with meniscus repair causing greater loss than debridement. Lateral meniscus tears are more prevalent in this population. A significantly greater BMI was seen in those with vs. without isolated meniscus tear in this cohort, and between those with lateral vs. medial meniscus tear among the injured. Wrestling and rugby carry the greatest risk of meniscus injury per exposure at both the intercollegiate and intramural level of competition.
Insecticide resistance in German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) from hospitals and households in Taiwan

Since a high percentage of cockroach infestation has been determined in hospitals in Kaohsiung, South Taiwan, insecticide resistances may have developed in the cockroach populations. To determine the resistances in cohorts of German cockroach (Blattella germanica) from hospitals and households to organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids, cockroaches were trapped from 30 hospitals and 30 households in this area. Bioassays by topical application were then carried out on the first generation bred in the laboratory. Resistance ratio (RR) was determined by comparing the LD50 of the collected cohorts with that of a susceptible cohort. RR ranges of chlorpyrifos, propoxur and cypermethrin in the hospitals were 2.04-28.80, 2.86-30.86 and 1.95-14.05 and those in the household were 1.92-17.72, 6.93-62.50 and 2.80-27.35 respectively. Significant correlations among the RRs of the three insecticides were separately found in the hospitals and households, indicating the existence of cross resistance among the three groups of insecticides. The patterns of propoxur > chlorpyrifos > cypermethrin in hospitals and propoxur > cypermethrin > chlorpyrifos in households reflect that chlorpyrifos is more frequently used in hospitals than in households. In contrast, cypermethrin is used more frequently in households.
Revisiting the X-Chromosome Inactivation and Its Impact on Female Longevity

X-chromosome inactivation is the genetic mechanism by which X-linked gene expression is equalized between the male and female genders of all placental mammal species. Given that the probability of mutant X-linked allele expression decreases as a result of the inactivation, it has been proposed that females have biological advantages relative to males. These advantages have grabbed the attention of the scientific community in recent years and have focused it on this topic and its clinical implications. To shed some new light on this intriguing phenomenon, this article reviews the most relevant molecular events involved in this process. These events include the role of Xist, the selection mechanism for future X-chromosome inactivation, the age-related inactivation skewing, and the relationship between inactivation and the emergence of X-linked diseases, possible treatments, and longevity.
A proteolytic enzyme secreted by Proteus mirabilis degrades immunoglobulins of the immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1), IgA2, and IgG isotypes

Proteus mirabilis strains associated with human urinary tract infections have previously been shown to secrete an extracellular metalloproteinase which cleaves serum immunoglobulin A (IgA). The enzyme has now been purified to apparent homogeneity from culture supernatants of P. mirabilis 64676. The protease activity is associated with a 50-kilodalton (kDa) protein. Unlike that of the classic IgA1 proteases, the substrate specificity of the P. mirabilis protease has been found to extend to both sublcasses of IgA, IgG, and the nonimmunoglobulin substrates, secretory component and casein. Cleavage of IgA1 and IgA2 by the P. mirabilis protease yielded fragments on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis whose sizes were consistent with a cleavage site outside the hinge region. Both secretory IgA1 and IgA2 were also cleaved by P. mirabilis protease, although the secretory IgA2 molecule was less readily cleaved than secretory IgA1. Free and IgA-bound secretory components were degraded to some extent by P. mirabilis protease. Cleavage of IgG, however, occurred at the hinge region as a two-stage process. The first stage was pepsinlike and generated an F(ab')2 fragment of 120 kDa and a small pFc fragment detected on nonreduced polyacrylamide gels. In the second stage, the F(ab')2 product was cleaved to yield papainlike Fab and Fc fragments, visualized as a diffuse band of 40 to 50 kDa.
Induction of p38δ Expression Plays an Essential Role in Oncogenic ras-Induced Senescence

ABSTRACT Oncogene-induced senescence is a stable proliferative arrest that serves as a tumor-suppressing defense mechanism. p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) has been implicated in oncogene-induced senescence and tumor suppression. However, the specific role of each of the four p38 isoforms in oncogene-induced senescence is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that p38δ mediates oncogene-induced senescence through a p53- and p16INK4A-independent mechanism. Instead, evidence suggests a link between p38δ and the DNA damage pathways. Moreover, we have discovered a novel mechanism that enhances the expression of p38δ during senescence. In this mechanism, oncogenic ras induces the Raf-1–MEK–extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, which, in turn, activates the AP-1 and Ets transcription factors that are bound to the p38δ promoter, leading to increased transcription of p38δ. These findings indicate that induction of the prosenescent function of p38δ by oncogenic ras is achieved through 2 mechanisms, transcriptional activation by the Raf-1–MEK–ERK–AP-1/Ets pathway, which increases the cellular concentration of the p38δ protein, and posttranslational modification by MKK3/6, which stimulates the enzymatic activity of p38δ. In addition, these studies identify the AP-1 and Ets transcription factors as novel signaling components in the senescence-inducing pathway.
The Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU: Valid and Reliable Delirium Monitoring for Critically Ill Infants and Children*

Objectives:Delirium assessments in critically ill infants and young children pose unique challenges due to evolution of cognitive and language skills. The objectives of this study were to determine the validity and reliability of a fundamentally objective and developmentally appropriate delirium assessment tool for critically ill infants and preschool-aged children and to determine delirium prevalence. Design and Setting:Prospective, observational cohort validation study of the PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU in a tertiary medical center PICU. Patients:Participants aged 6 months to 5 years and admitted to the PICU regardless of admission diagnosis were enrolled. Measurements and Main Results:An interdisciplinary team created the PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU for pediatric delirium monitoring. To assess validity, patients were independently assessed for delirium daily by the research team using the PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU and by a child psychiatrist using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria. Reliability was assessed using blinded, concurrent PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU evaluations by research staff. A total of 530-paired delirium assessments were completed among 300 patients, with a median age of 20 months (interquartile range, 11–37) and 43% requiring mechanical ventilation. The PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU demonstrated a specificity of 91% (95% CI, 90–93), sensitivity of 75% (95% CI, 72–78), negative predictive value of 86% (95% CI, 84–88), positive predictive value of 84% (95% CI, 81–87), and a reliability &kgr;–statistic of 0.79 (0.76–0.83). Delirium prevalence was 44% using the PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU and 47% by the reference rater. The rates of delirium were 53% versus 56% in patients younger than 2 years old and 33% versus 35% in patients 2–5 years old using the PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU and reference rater, respectively. The short-form PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU maintained a high specificity (87%) and sensitivity (78%) in post hoc analysis. Conclusions:The PreSchool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU is a highly valid and reliable delirium instrument for critically ill infants and preschool-aged children, in whom delirium is extremely prevalent.
7A-4 A New Method for Enhancing Dynamic Vascular Patterns of Focal Liver Lesions in Contrast Ultrasound

The differential diagnosis of focal liver lesions (FLL) frequently presents a dilemma, as FLL cannot be reliably characterized with conventional ultrasound. Recently, ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) and contrast-specific imaging methods have substantially improved the characterization of FLL. This was made possible by the known differences in dynamic vascular patterns (DVP) between healthy parenchyma and various FLL types, revealed by UCA. The purpose of this work was to develop a new method, called DVP processing, which provides a DVP-enhanced imaging mode of FLL using contrast ultrasound; this mode allows an improved differentiation of benign from malignant lesions. DVP processing consists in generating a sequence of images, where hyper-echoic and hypo- echoic pixels, compared to reference levels taken in healthy parenchyma, are coded over time in warm and cold colors, respectively. For example, a benign lesion remains hyper-echoic over time, while a malignant lesion is hyper-echoic in the arterial phase and turns into hypo-echoic in the portal phase. This method was implemented as an image-processing software program, which was the object of clinical evaluation. Sequences of 111 FLL were acquired with real-time low-MI contrast- specific ultrasound after a 2.5-mL bolus injection of SonoVuetrade, and subsequently analyzed off-fine with DVP processing. The sensitivity and specificity achieved by two clinical observers in this way were 92%, and 86%, respectively. These results reflect a significant improvement over accuracy scores achieved with contrast-enhanced ultrasound alone, having resulted in 93% and 82% in sensitivity and specificity, respectively.
Resetting of renal blood flow autoregulation in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Renal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation was examined in untreated 10- and 40-wk-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) [mean arterial pressure (MAP) 125 +/- 4 and 167 +/- 7 mmHg] and in captopril-treated (7 days) 10- and 40-wk-old SHR (88 +/- 7 and 112 +/- 5 mmHg). Age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were used as controls (MAP 91 +/- 3 and 104 +/- 2 mmHg). The study was carried out in rats with and without acute uninephrectomy. In 10-wk-old acutely uninephrectomized animals, the lower pressure limit of autoregulation was 78 +/- 4 mmHg in WKY, 102 +/- 5 mmHg in SHR (P less than 0.02), and 78 +/- 7 mmHg in captopril-treated SHR (P greater than 0.10). The renal vascular resistance (RVR) was significantly elevated at the lower pressure limit of RBF autoregulation in untreated SHR (P less than 0.02) but became normal after treatment (P greater than 0.10). Neither uninephrectomy nor variation of RBF between different batches seemed to influence the lower pressure limit of RBF autoregulation. In 40-wk-old acutely nephrectomized animals, the lower pressure limit of RBF autoregulation in WKY was 85 +/- 4 mmHg, 128 +/- 3 mmHg in SHR (P less than 0.001), and 101 +/- 5 mmHg in captopril-treated SHR (P less than 0.01). RVR at the lower pressure limit was increased in untreated SHR (P less than 0.01), but fell to normal values during captopril treatment. Neither the uninephrectomy nor variation of RBF between different batches of rats seemed to influence the lower pressure limit of RBF autoregulation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Dosimetry and adequacy of CT-based attenuation correction for pediatric PET: phantom study.

PURPOSE To evaluate the dose from the computed tomographic (CT) portion of positron emission tomography (PET)/CT to determine minimum CT acquisition parameters that provide adequate attenuation correction. MATERIALS AND METHODS Measurements were made with a PET/CT scanner or a PET scanner, five anthropomorphic phantoms (newborn to medium adult), and an ionization chamber. The CT dose was evaluated for acquisition parameters (10, 20, 40, 80, 160 mA; 80, 100, 120, 140 kVp; 0.5 and 0.8 second per rotation; 1.5:1 pitch). Thermoluminescent dosimetry was used to evaluate the germanium 68/gallium 68 rod sources. A phantom study was performed to evaluate CT image noise and the adequacy of PET attenuation correction as a function of CT acquisition parameters and patient size. RESULTS The volumetric anthropomorphic CT dose index varied by two orders of magnitude for each phantom over the range of acquisition parameters (0.30 and 21.0 mGy for a 10-year-old with 80 kVp, 10 mAs, and 0.8 second and with 140 kVp, 160 mAs, and 0.8 second, respectively). The volumetric anthropomorphic CT dose index for newborn phantoms was twice that for adult phantoms acquired similarly. The rod source dose was 0.03 mGy (3-minute scan). Although CT noise varied substantially among acquisition parameters, its contribution to PET noise was minimal and yielded only a 2% variation in PET noise. In a pediatric phantom, PET images generated by using CT performed with 80 kVp and 5 mAs for attenuation correction were visually indistinguishable from those generated by using CT performed with 140 kVp and 128 mAs. With very-low-dose CT (80 kVp, 5 mAs) for the adult phantom, undercorrection of the PET data resulted. CONCLUSION For pediatric patients, adequate attenuation correction can be obtained with very-low-dose CT (80 kVp, 5 mAs, 1.5:1 pitch), and such correction leads to a 100-fold dose reduction relative to diagnostic CT. For adults undergoing CT with 5 mAs and 1.5:1 pitch, the tube voltage needs to be increased to 120 kVp to prevent undercorrection.
Kinetic Characteristics of Acidic and Alkaline Ceramidase in Human Epidermis

It has recently become evident that at least five ceramidase (CDase) isoforms are present in human epidermis, and that specifically acidic CDase (aCDase) and alkaline CDase (alkCDase) activities increase during keratinocyte differentiation, and thus might play a pivotal role(s) in permeability barrier function. Prior to investigating their possible roles in the epidermal barrier function, it is necessary to characterize basic kinetic parameters for these enzymes, as well as to determine the effects of the established CDase inhibitors and their activities. In this study, assays for both aCDase and alkCDase activities in fully differentiated human epidermis were optimized using a radiolabeled substrate. These studies revealed that aCDase activity is substantially higher than alkCDase activity, and that both isoenzymes are inhibited by a CDase inhibitor N-oleylethanolamine. These findings were also confirmed using an in situ enzyme assay.
The Effect of Verapamil and EGTA on the Rat Phrenic Nerve‐Hemidiaphragm Preparation

Relatively high concentrations of verapamil or EGTA [ethylene glycol-bis (β-aminoethyl ether) N, N, N′, N′-tetra acetic acid] inhibit contraction (P) of the rat phrenic nerve--hemidiaphragm preparation elicited by direct or indirect stimulation. The inhibitory effect of verapamil is greater (P < 0.002) with direct (I50 = 26.3 ± 1.7 μM) than indirect (I50 = 37.6 ± 2.9 μM) stimulation. For EGTA the reverse is true: I50 is 1320 ± 80 μM with direct and 1100 ± 60 μM with indirect stimulation. The greater than 90% verapamil-induced depression of P can only be partially reversed by washout. Increasing the [Ca2+] or the addition of 4-aminopyridine (4AP) has insignificant antagonist effect. Except for the antagonism by 4AP during direct stimulation, the EGTA-induced depression of P is better antagonized by washout, increase of the [Ca2+], or the addition of 4AP than that caused by verapamil. Neostigimine did not antagonize the depression of P caused by either verapamil or EGTA. The findings presented indicate that the primary site of action of verapamil is postjunctional and that of EGTA is prejunctional.
Hierarchical Linear Models : Applications to cross-cultural comparisons of school culture

Some commonly used Hierarchical Linear Models (Multilevel models) for comparing school culture, including variance component models, slope as outcome models, and hierarchical structural models were discussed in this paper. Illustrative data came from a study on a group of Year 11 students in Australia and their counterparts in Hong Kong. The application of these models in studying organisational culture using two computer software packages, namely, ML3 (Prosser, Rashbash, & Goldstein, 1992) and BIRAM (McDonald, in preparation) are presented. As well as comparing Hierarchical Linear Models with conventional approaches, the authors examined the limitations of the former in cross-cultural studies.
The relationship between hippocampal asymmetry and temperament in adolescent borderline and antisocial personality pathology

Abstract Investigating etiological processes early in the life span represents an important step toward a better understanding of the development of personality pathology. The current study evaluated the interaction between an individual difference risk factor (i.e., temperament) and a biological risk factor for aggressive behavior (i.e., atypical [larger] rightward hippocampal asymmetry) in predicting the emergence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and antisocial personality disorder symptoms during early adolescence. The sample consisted of 153 healthy adolescents (M = 12.6 years, SD = 0.4, range = 11.4–13.7) who were selected from a larger sample to maximize variation in temperament. Interactions between four temperament factors (effortful control, negative affectivity, surgency, and affiliativeness), based on the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire—Revised, and volumetric measures of hippocampal asymmetry were examined as cross-sectional predictors of BPD and antisocial personality disorder symptoms. Boys were more likely to have elevated BPD symptoms if they were high on affiliation and had larger rightward hippocampal asymmetry. In boys, low affiliation was a significant predictor of BPD symptoms in the presence of low rightward hippocampal asymmetry. For girls, low effortful control was associated with elevated BPD symptoms in the presence of atypical rightward hippocampal asymmetry. This study builds on previous work reporting significant associations between atypical hippocampal asymmetry and poor behavioral regulation.
Brain opioid peptides may participate in the reversal of pentylenetetrazol-induced amnesia.

Post-training administration of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 45 mg/kg, i.p.) disrupted 48-h retention, in mice, of an inhibitory avoidance response. The effect was reversed by any of the following treatments given 1 h prior to testing: a) a beta-endorphin injection (0.1 microgram/kg, i.p.), b) PTZ injection, or c) exposure to a novel experience (10 min in a stainless steel box with a wire mesh top). All treatments had a similar time course of effectiveness (up to at least 3 h) and their effects were blocked by naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) but not by naltrexone methyl bromide (10 mg/kg, i.p.). These findings suggest that the recovery of memory is probably due to an activation of central opioid mechanisms and, as a consequence, to the reinstatement of the neurohumoral conditions which were present during the post-training period. These results are consistent with previous evidence indicating that naltrexone given after training prevents the effects of PTZ on memory, and can be interpreted as showing that PTZ did not affect memory storage.
Reliability assessment of a stochastic node-failure network with multiple sinks under tolerable error rate

Internet service providers and enterprise customers are increasingly focusing on the tolerable error rate during transmission. This has high significance especially in service-level agreements. This study concentrates on a stochastic node-failure network (SNFN) with multiple sinks, where each component (arc or node) has several possible capacities and a transmission error rate. Measuring the performance level for an SNFN is an important issue in the system-design and system diagnosis phases. This study evaluates the system reliability of a network, or the probability that the demand is fulfilled under the tolerable error rate. In terms of minimal paths, we propose an efficient algorithm to find all minimal capacity vectors, and then compute the system reliability in terms of all minimal capacity vectors using the recursive sum of disjoint products algorithm. Finally, we test the proposed algorithm for a benchmark network and two practical networks.
Study of a PV-Wind system in tropical conditions

A PV-Wind hybrid system has been developed at the energy Laboratory of the Autonomous university of Yucatan in order to evaluate the performance of this kind of generators in the tropical conditions of the North of the Yucatan Peninsula. The systems comprise a PV array, a wind generator, a battery bank and a set of electric regulators, converters and an inverter. The voltage and the electric current of the main components of the system have been studied monthly along with their corresponding diurnal cycles. This paper presents an outline of the PV-Wind hybrid energy generator and its main characteristics which will allow to evaluate strategies to improve the performance of independent energy generation systems from renewable resources in the study region.