Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bacteria and wound healing

Purpose of review Wound healing is a complex process with many potential factors that can delay healing. There is increasing interest in the effects of bacteria on the processes of wound healing. All chronic wounds are colonized by bacteria, with low levels of bacteria being beneficial to the wound healing process. Wound infection is detrimental to wound healing, but the diagnosis and management of wound infection is controversial, and varies between clinicians. Recent findings There is increasing recognition of the concept of critical colonization or local infection, when wound healing may be delayed in the absence of the typical clinical features of infection. The progression from wound colonization to infection depends not only on the bacterial count or the species present, but also on the host immune response, the number of different species present, the virulence of the organisms and synergistic interactions between the different species. There is increasing evidence that bacteria within chronic wounds live within biofilm communities, in which the bacteria are protected from host defences and develop resistance to antibiotic treatment. Summary An appreciation of the factors affecting the progression from colonization to infection can help clinicians with the interpretation of clinical findings and microbiological investigations in patients with chronic wounds. An understanding of the physiology and interactions within multi-species biofilms may aid the development of more effective methods of treating infected and poorly healing wounds. The emergence of consensus guidelines has helped to optimize clinical management.
Dimensions of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) examined using Rasch analysis

Executive dysfunction is very broad term used to capture a range of interacting high-level cognitive, emotional and behavioural difficulties, commonly seen after acquired brain injury (ABI). Many argue that the concept of executive functioning should be subdivided into several separate dimensions. In this study we explore the dimensional structure of a tool designed to assess level of executive functioning, the Dysexecutive (DEX) Questionnaire (Burgess, Alderman, Wilson, Evans, & Emslie, 1996), in order to inform theoretical conceptualisations of executive functioning and improve measurement precision in rehabilitation centres. Rasch analysis was undertaken on the responses of 363 people with ABI to the DEX. Overall, the questionnaire did not perform as a unidimensional, interval-level scale of executive functioning, suggesting that it measures more than one psychological construct. Most subscales previously proposed using factor analysis, including those suggested in the DEX manual, did not perform as unidimensional interval-level scales either. Several new subscales in keeping with theoretical conceptualisations of the different dimensions of executive functioning are proposed, alongside suggestions for revision of the wording and scoring of some of the items in the DEX. These results provide a platform for future evaluation of executive function rehabilitation programmes.
Morbidity and Complications Following Percutaneous Calcaneal Autograft Bone Harvest

Background: Autogenous bone grafting is commonly used as an adjuvant in foot and ankle procedures. The iliac crest and tibia are common sources of autogenous bone graft but require a separate operative site and have been reported to have significant morbidity including pain, fractures, and prolonged hospitalization. Bone grafting from the posterolateral calcaneus offers advantages such as a single operative field, ability to be done under an ankle block, and a theoretical low complication rate. We report our morbidity and complications of percutaneous calcaneal autograft bone harvest in patients undergoing foot operations. Methods: Between 2006 and 2010, 6 foot and ankle surgeons performed a calcaneal bone graft on 393 patients undergoing foot procedures. Outcomes were measured through the use of a 4-question survey evaluating pain, subjective sensitivity at the incision site, numbness at the incision site, and limitation of shoe wear at a minimum of 1 year following the operation. Patient records were also examined for any additional complications that may have been reported. Results: Of the 393 patients eligible for this study, 210 patients responded at an average of 2.8 years (range, 1.2-5.8 years) after the operation (minimum 1 year). Of those, 181 patients (86.2%) reported no problems. Minor complications included 6 patients (2.9%) who experienced only incisional nerve sensitivity, 4 patients (1.9%) with only incisional pain, 4 patients (1.9%) who reported some degree of incisional numbness only, 2 patients (1.0%) who reported only shoe wear limitations, and 10 patients (4.8%) who had a combination of symptoms. Three patients (1.4%) had more significant complications, which consisted of a pathological fracture through the graft site, a calcaneal stress fracture, and 1 patient with permanent numbness along the distribution of the sural nerve. Conclusion: Calcaneal bone graft was an easily accessible source of local autogenous bone graft for foot and ankle procedures. Despite the simplicity of the procedure, minor complications are not infrequent, with 13.8% of patients reporting some residual symptoms along the lateral border of the calcaneus when bone graft was obtained through an oblique incision. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.
Interleukin-6 is an independent predictor of mortality in patients starting dialysis treatment.

BACKGROUND The mortality rate is high among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, and recent evidence suggests that this may be linked to inflammation. The activity of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and its soluble receptor (sIL-6R) are markedly up-regulated in ESRD patients, and plasma IL-6 levels predict outcome in haemodialysis (HD) patients. However, it has not been established whether elevated plasma IL-6 also predicts outcome in ESRD patients treated by peritoneal dialysis (PD), and how it relates to the data on HD patients. The predictive power of sIL-6R levels on outcome is also unknown in this patient population. METHODS To determine whether or not plasma IL-6 and sIL-6R predict patient survival, we studied 173 ESRD patients (62% males, 53+/-1 years of age) near the initiation of dialysis treatment (99 PD, 74 HD patients). The patients were followed for a mean period of 3.1+/-0.1 years (range 0.1-7.1 years) and were stratified at the start of dialysis treatment according to age, gender, presence of cardiovascular disease, malnutrition (determined by subjective global assessment), diabetes mellitus, and IL-6 and sIL-6R plasma levels. RESULTS A significantly different (P<0.0001) mortality rate was observed in different groups when patients were divided into quartiles according to IL-6 levels. Furthermore, the same differences were observed, less notably however, for sIL-6R (P<0.05). When patients were stratified according to IL-6 quartiles and analysed separately according to the different initial treatment groups, a similar profile of survival was observed for PD (P<0.01) and HD (P<0.05) patients. In a Cox proportional hazard model adjusting for the impact of age, malnutrition, diabetes mellitus and male gender, log IL-6 values were independently associated with poor outcome (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrates that the strong predictive value of elevated IL-6 levels for poor outcome in ESRD patients is similar in both HD and PD patients starting treatment.
Partial reversal of increased preproenkephalin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and decreased preprotachykinin mRNA by foetal dopamine cells in unilateral 6‐Hydroxydopamine–Lesioned rat striatum parallels functional recovery

In situ hybridization histochemistry was used to investigate the expression of striatal preproenkephalin and preprotachykinin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in rats with 6‐hydroxydopamine lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway followed 4 weeks later by implantation of foetal dopamine cells into the denervated striatum. Striatal dopamine deafferentation caused an (+)‐amphetamine‐induced rotational asymmetry, an increase in striatal preproenkephalin mRNA message, and a decrease in striatal preprotachykinin mRNA message relative to control animals. Two months after grafting a foetal ventral mesencephalon suspension, there was reversal of the rotational asymmetry to (+)‐amphetamine. At this time the increase in striatal preproenkephalin mRNA was significantly attenuated and the decrease in preprotachykinin mRNA was partially reversed compared to animals with a 6‐hydroxydopamine lesion alone. Subregional analysis showed the attenuation of the increase in preproenkephalin mRNA to occur in dorsolateral, dorsomedial and ventromedial, but not ventrolateral, striatal subdivisions. The partial reversal of the decreased preprotachykinin mRNA density after grafting was only statistically significant in the DM and VM subdivisions. These results demonstrate graft‐induced partial recovery of striatal function, as judged by preproenkephalin and preprotachykinin mRNA levels, within 2 months of transplantation.
Amblyopia induced by anisometropia without shrinkage of ocular dominance columns in human striate cortex.

Amblyopia can be induced by opacity of the ocular media (e.g., cataract), misalignment of the ocular axes (strabismus), or unequal refractive error in the eyes (anisometropia). Experiments in monkeys have shown that early monocular eyelid suture, a model of amblyopia caused by cataract, results in shrinkage of the eye's ocular dominance columns in striate cortex. This reduction of the geniculocortical projection from the deprived eye has been thought to explain in part the mechanism of amblyopia. We labeled the ocular dominance columns in monkeys with amblyopia by using cytochrome oxidase histochemistry. In animals rendered amblyopic by early unilateral eyelid suture, no pattern of cytochrome oxidase activity appeared in layer IVc. Outside layer IVc, alternating rows of light and dark patches were present; the pale patches fit in register with the shrunken ocular dominance columns of the deprived eye, which were labeled by autoradiography. Subsequent removal of one eye caused a striking cytochrome oxidase pattern to emerge in layer IVc that correlated precisely with the shrunken (deprived eye) and expanded (normal eye) ocular dominance columns. This correlation was shown by injecting one eye with [3H]proline. It has remained unsettled whether other forms of amblyopia are accompanied by shrinkage of ocular dominance columns. To address this issue, in an analogous clinical case, we examined the pattern of cytochrome oxidase activity in a human subject with a history of anisometropic amblyopia who suffered a lesion of one optic nerve shortly before death. The ocular dominance columns were normal in width, indicating that some forms of amblyopia occur without shrinkage of ocular dominance columns.
Glucose levels are associated with cardiovascular disease and death in an international cohort of normal glycaemic and dysglycaemic men and women: the EpiDREAM cohort study

Aims: In an international prospective cohort study we assessed the relationship between glucose levels and incident cardiovascular events and death. Methods and results: 18,990 men and women were screened for entry into the DREAM clinical trial from 21 different countries. All had clinical and biochemical information collected at baseline, including an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and were prospectively followed over a median (IQR) of 3.5 (3.0–4.0) years for incident cardiovascular (CV) events including coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, congestive heart failure (CHF) requiring hospitalization, and death. After OGTT screening, 8000 subjects were classified as normoglycaemic, 8427 had impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and 2563 subjects had newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). There were incident events in 491 individuals: 282 CAD, 54 strokes, 19 CHF, and 164 died. The annualized CV or death event rate was 0.79/100 person-years in the overall cohort, 0.51/100 person-years in normoglycaemics, 0.92/100 person-years among subjects with IFG and/or IGT at baseline, and 1.27/100 person-years among those with DM (p for trend <0.0001). Among all subjects, a 1 mmol/l increase in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or a 2.52 mmol/l increase in the 2-h post-OGTT glucose was associated with a hazard ratio increase in the risk of CV events or death of 1.17 (95% CI 1.13–1.22). Conclusions: In this large multiethnic cohort, the risk of CV events or death increased progressively among individuals who were normoglycaemic, IFG or IGT, and newly diagnosed diabetics. A 1 mmol/l increase in FPG was associated with a 17% increase in the risk of future CV events or death. Therapeutic or behavioural interventions designed to either prevent glucose levels from rising, or lower glucose among individuals with dysglycaemia should be evaluated.
Expression and Regulation of RAB3 Proteins in Osteoclasts and Their Precursors

The ruffled membrane, the resorptive organelle of the osteoclast, is generated by fusion of intracytoplasmic acidifying vesicles with the plasma membrane, an event analogous to regulated exocytosis. While the ruffled membrane is essential to the bone resorptive process, the mechanisms governing its generation are unknown. However, regulated exocytosis is mediated, in part, by isoforms of the Rab3 subset of Rab GTPases. Because of similarities between exocytosis and ruffled membrane formation, we asked if Rab3 proteins are expressed by osteoclasts or their precursors, and if so, are these molecules regulated by agents known to prompt the osteoclast phenotype? We find murine osteoclast precursors, in the form of bone marrow macrophages (BMMs), express at least two Rab3 isoforms, namely A and B/C, which are individually enhanced by a variety of hematopoietic cytokines. Consistent with the osteoclastogenic properties of a number of these cytokines, differentiation of BMMs into osteoclasts, in vitro, is associated with increased expression of both isoforms, particularly Rab3B/C. Finally, Rab3B/C localizes with the avian osteoclast H+ATPase (vacuolar proton pump) and pp60c–src, both intracellularly and within acidifying vesicles derived largely from the ruffled membrane. Thus, expression of specific rab3 proteins, an event which may control formation of the osteoclast ruffled membrane, is modulated by cytokines during osteoclastogenesis.
Laparoscopic Pneumoperitoneum in Acute Peritonitis Does Not Increase Bacteremia or Aggravate Metabolic or Hemodynamic Disturbances

The use of laparoscopy in generalized peritonitis has become increasingly frequent in recent years. However, CO2 pneumoperitoneum in association with increased intraperitoneal pressure may have deleterious effects in patients with hemodynamic or metabolic disturbances caused by bacterial peritonitis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of CO2 pneumoperitoneum on bacteremia, mean arterial pressure, and blood gas disturbances in an animal model of bacterial peritonitis. Dogs were anesthetized, orally intubated, and subjected to experimental peritonitis by intraperitoneal inoculation of a suspension containing Escherichia coli and sterile dog feces. The animals were randomly assigned to two groups: control animals were maintained under anesthesia, and the insufflated animals were subjected to intraperitoneal CO2 insufflation. Bacterial peritonitis provoked the appearance of bacteremia and a significant decrease in mean arterial pressure, pH, bicarbonate, and base deficit. The induction of bacterial peritonitis did not significantly influence pH in the control group and partial pressure of arterial CO2 in either group. Thirty minutes of CO2 pneumoperitoneum did not influence the effect of bacterial peritonitis on the analyzed variables. These results suggest that laparoscopic CO2 pneumoperitoneum does not aggravate bacteremia or metabolic and hemodynamic disturbances induced by bacterial peritonitis.
[Pancytopenia related to low-dose methotrexate: study of five cases and review of the literature].

PURPOSE The aim of this study is to report personal experience of pancytopenia related to low-dose methotrexate and to review the literature. METHODS We included retrospectively all cases of pancytopenia related to low-dose methotrexate (<25 mg/week), followed between January 1997 and December 2006, in the university hospital of Strasbourg, France. RESULTS Five women, mean age 75.6 years, were included in the present study. Clinical manifestations included: symptomatic anemia (n=4), infection (n=3) and hemorrhagic manifestations (n=2); one patient had no feature. Mean hemoglobin concentration was 8,8 g/dl; mean white cell and platelet counts were 1,500 /mm(3) and 16,000 /mm(3), respectively. Potential risk factors were identified in all patients: renal failure and low serum albumin levels (n=5), anti-inflammatory drug intake (n=2), folate deficiency (n=4) and cobalamin deficiency (n=1). One patient died of septic and hemorrhagic cerebral complications. CONCLUSION Pancytopenia related to tow-dose methotrexate is a rare but life-threatening disorder. Search and prevention of potential risk factors are required in all patients; determination of MTHFR genotype may be of several interests as folate supplementation.
Interaction of Frizzled 7 and Dishevelled in Xenopus

Frizzled proteins act as putative Wnt receptors and depending on Wnt/Frizzled interactions distinct intracellular pathways can be activated. The canonical Wnt pathway, triggered by Wnt‐1‐type ligands, is the best characterized and involves the activation of the cytoplasmic protein Dishevelled (Dsh). The Xenopus frizzled 7 receptor (Xfz7) can act in the canonical (Wnt‐1‐type) as well as in a non‐canonical Wnt pathway which involves the activation of protein kinase C (PKC). In order to analyze the interaction between Xfz7 and Xdsh protein, we tested the effect of overexpression of Xfz7 on the subcellular distribution of Xdsh‐myc protein. We demonstrate that Xfz7 can recruit Xdsh‐myc to the plasma membrane and target genes of the Wnt‐1‐type pathway such as siamois and nodal related 3 (Xnr‐3) are only activated in the presence of exogenous Xdsh‐myc. Xfz7 in combination with Xwnt‐8b, however, is able to induce siamois even in the absence of Xdsh‐myc. Similar results were obtained after expression of Human frizzled 5 (Hfz5) together with Xwnt‐5a but this receptor‐ligand combination recruits Xdsh‐myc only very poorly to the membrane. These results suggests that the endogenous Xdsh pool and exogenous Xdsh‐myc differ in their ability to be recruited by Frizzled receptors. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Taste‐Active Compounds in a Traditional Italian Food: ‘Lampascioni’

Nature is a rich source of taste‐active compounds, in particular of plant origin, many of which have unusual tastes. Many of these are found in traditional food, where spontaneous plants are used as ingredients. Some taste‐active compounds were identified in the bulbs of Muscari comosum, a spontaneous plant belonging to the family of the Liliaceae, very common in the Mediterranean area, and used in traditional gastronomy (called ‘lampascioni’ in South Italy). The bulbs were extracted with a series of solvents of different polarity. The different fractions were submitted to a preliminary sensory evaluation, and the most interesting ones, characterized by a strong bitter taste and some chemestetic properties, were submitted to further purification and structural analysis. From the ethereal extract, several 3‐benzyl‐4‐chromanones and one stilbene derivative were isolated. Pure compounds were examined for their taste activity by means of sensory evaluation, and proved to be responsible for the characteristic taste of this food. Some of these compounds have been synthesized de novo to confirm their structure.
Increased CCL25 and T Helper Cells Expressing CCR9 in the Salivary Glands of Patients With Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: Potential New Axis in Lymphoid Neogenesis

Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells play a critical role in germinal center formation and B cell activation, both of which are hallmarks of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). CCR9‐expressing T helper cells have “Tfh‐like” characteristics and their numbers are increased at mucosa‐associated sites in several inflammatory conditions. Because the characteristics of these cells are unique and evaluation has been limited, this study was undertaken to investigate the local and systemic CCL25/CCR9 axis in patients with primary SS.
Low-Grade and High-Grade Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Lung: CT Findings and Clinical Features of 17 Cases.

OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to characterize the CT features and clinical findings of low-grade and high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the lung. MATERIALS AND METHODS The CT findings and clinical information of 17 consecutive patients with primary low-grade (n = 11) or high-grade (n = 6) MEC were analyzed retrospectively. We assessed tumor location, size, contour, margin, density, calcification, obstructive changes, presence of metastasis, and enhancement. RESULTS In patients with low-grade MEC, tumor location was central in 10 and peripheral in one. In contrast, one and five tumors in patients with high-grade MEC were central and peripheral, respectively. There was a significant difference between central and peripheral locations among tumor grades (p = 0.005). In low-grade MECs, tumor contour was smoothly oval (n = 3) or spheric (n = 4); four were lobular. In five patients with low-grade MEC, tumors had well-defined margins; margins in the other six were poorly defined. Tumor density was homogeneous and heterogeneous in eight and three low-grade tumors, respectively. All six high-grade tumors had heterogeneous density, lobular contours, and poorly defined margins. Enhancement in both low-grade and high-grade tumors was greater than that of chest wall muscles, and low-grade tumors showed greater enhancement (46.90 ± 20.44 HU) than did high-grade tumors (22.50 ± 8.38 HU) (p = 0.015). CONCLUSION A markedly enhanced homogeneous central bronchial nodule or mass may suggest low-grade MEC. High-grade MEC tends to be peripheral, to have poorly defined margins, and to be lobular, heterogeneous nodules or masses with less enhancement.
Reducing the negative effect of defective data on driving behavior segmentation via a deep sparse autoencoder

Analyzing driving behavior data is essential for developing driver assistance systems. Statistical segmentation is one of the important methods to realize the analysis. Driving behavior data actually include undesirable defects caused by external environment and sensor failures. Defects in the data cause a huge negative effect on the segmentation. In this paper, we showed that a feature extraction method based on a deep sparse autoencoder with fixed point (DSAE-FP) could reduce the negative effect of defective data in a driving behavior segmentation task. In the experiments, we used sticky hierarchical Dirichlet process hidden Markov model to segment the driving behavior. We compared the segmentation results using hidden features extracted by DSAE-FP and other comparative methods. Experimental results showed that segmentation results of non-defective dataset and defective dataset turned out most similar when DSAE-FP was used.