Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of tilarginine acetate in patients with acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock: the TRIUMPH randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT Cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction (MI) remains a common and lethal disorder despite aggressive use of early revascularization. Systemic inflammation, including expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and generation of excess nitric oxide, is believed to contribute to the pathogenesis and inappropriate vasodilatation of persistent cardiogenic shock. Preliminary, single-center studies suggested a beneficial effect of NOS inhibition on hemodynamics, renal function, and survival in patients with cardiogenic shock. OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of an isoform-nonselective NOS inhibitor in patients with MI and refractory cardiogenic shock despite establishment of an open infarct artery. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS International, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (Tilarginine Acetate Injection in a Randomized International Study in Unstable MI Patients With Cardiogenic Shock [TRIUMPH]) with planned enrollment of 658 patients at 130 centers. Participants were enrolled between January 2005 and August 2006 when the study was terminated early. INTERVENTION Tilarginine (L-N(G)-monomethylarginine [L-NMMA]), 1-mg/kg bolus and 1-mg/kg per hour 5-hour infusion, vs matching placebo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality among patients who received study medication. Secondary outcomes included shock resolution and duration, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class at 30 days, and 6-month mortality. RESULTS Enrollment was terminated at 398 patients based on a prespecified futility analysis. Six-month follow-up was completed in February 2007. There was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality between patients who received tilarginine (97/201 [48%]) vs placebo (76/180 [42%]) (risk ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.92-1.41; P = .24). Resolution of shock (133/201 [66%] tilarginine vs 110/180 [61%] placebo; P = .31) and duration of shock (median, 156 [interquartile range, 78-759] hours tilarginine vs 190 [100-759] placebo; P = .16) were similar. At 30 days a similar percentage of patients had heart failure (48% tilarginine vs 51% placebo; P = .51) with a similar percentage of those patients in NYHA class I/II (73% tilarginine vs 75% placebo; P = .27). After 6 months mortality rates were similar in the 2 groups (58% tilarginine vs 59% placebo; hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-1.36; P = .80). CONCLUSIONS Tilarginine, 1-mg/kg bolus and 5-hour infusion, did not reduce mortality rates in patients with refractory cardiogenic shock complicating MI despite an open infarct artery. Early mortality rates in this patient group are high. Further research is needed to develop effective therapies for patients with cardiogenic shock following acute MI. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00112281
On Walsh-Fourier Bispectral Analysis

In this paper we define the Walsh-Fourier bispectral density and establish a statistical methodology for bispectral analysis of integer valued time series. The theoretical properties and results pertaining to the definition and estimation of the Walsh-Fourier bispectral density are obtained. Many of the results we obtain have their analogues in the conventional Fourier frequency domain. We present simulation results of Walsh Fourier bispectral density for linear and bilinear integer valued time series models.
Invited editorial comment—the human phenotype of germline PIGA mutations

Two research groups have published reports on PIGA (phosphatidylinositol glycan class A) mutations that validate and extend our understanding of the range of phenotypes of this phenotypic spectrum. One report is primarily confirmatory of the discovery in 2012 that mutations in this gene cause a phenotype of dysmorphic features, neurologic manifestations, and biochemical perturbations. The second report describes an intriguing family with a phenotypically distinct neurological picture, distinguished primarily by CNS iron accumulation. These reports address important lessons in judging causality in the exome age and bear on the question of syndrome nomenclature. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Can macroscopic oxide thickness uniformity improve oxide reliability?

In this work, we investigated both experimentally and numerically the impact of macroscopic oxide thickness uniformity on Weibull breakdown characteristics for both Weibull parameters, namely, the characteristics times (T/sub 63/) and Weibull slopes (/spl beta/) over a wide range of oxide thickness. A detailed full-scale Monte Carlo analysis is used to examine the breakdown characteristics at low-percentile and its sensitivity to variation of thickness dependence of time-to-breakdown and Weibull slopes. We show that for thinner oxides with very shallow Weibull slopes the impact of thickness variation is drastically reduced as compared to thicker oxides for the same parameters.
Pigmentos indicadores: caracterización de la comunidad fitoplanctónica en ecosistemas marinos costeros

Las aguas costeras y estuarinas se caracterizan por una gran variabilidad, espacial y temporal, en sus caracteristicas hidrologicas, fisicas y quimicas, que se refleja en la complejidad de la dinamica de sus comunidades fitoplanctonicas. Ademas, las zonas costeras estan sometidas a una elevada presion antropica, cuyo principal efecto es el aumento de los aportes de nutrientes de origen terrestre a las aguas receptoras, en las que puede llegar a provocar problemas de eutrofizacion. El objetivo de esta tesis es caracterizar la variabilidad espacial de las comunidades fitoplanctonicas en aguas costeras y de transicion caracterizadas por distintas fuentes de entrada de nutrientes. Obtener informacion sobre el funcionamiento de estos ecosistemas es necesario para orientar las medidas de gestion necesarias para mejorar la calidad de sus aguas. En la presente tesis se realiza la clasificacion taxonomica del fitoplancton con el software CHEMTAX a partir de las concentraciones de pigmentos fotosinteticos halladas por cromatografia liquida de alta resolucion en muestras de aguas costeras. Frente a las tecnicas tradicionales de microscopia, esta metodologia presenta una serie de ventajas entre las que cabe destacar el menor coste, la mayor rapidez y precision. Ademas, se realiza una primera aproximacion al uso de imagenes de satelite de alta resolucion espacial, para estimar los niveles de clorofila a, parametro indicador de la biomasa fitoplanctonica. La principal ventaja de esta tecnica es que permite obtener una vision sinoptica de una determinada zona de estudio que no es posible obtener con las tecnicas tradicionales de muestreo. Las caracteristicas que presentan estas tecnicas hacen de ellas buenas candidatas para las exigencias de monitoreo de la Directiva Marco del Agua. Los resultados de esta tesis indican que los principales problemas de calidad de aguas se dan en las areas con un menor intercambio y dilucion con el mar. En la presente tesis estas areas estan rep
Correction: Curcumin Modulates the Inflammatory Response and Inhibits Subsequent Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of Viral-induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

In Fig 4A, as the result of an error in preparation of the Western blot images, incorrect bands were shown for ß-actin, saline-treated α-SMA and saline-treated Tenascin. Bands labelled ßactin were taken from the α-SMA blot by mistake; the band labelled saline-treated α-SMA was taken from a different lane showing curcumin-treated lysate in the same blot; the band labelled saline-treated Tenascin was from a different blot. Additionally, α-SMA, E-cadherin and ß-actin expression were measured on a single blot that was stripped and re-probed multiple times, while Tenascin (TN-C) was probed on a different blot in an independent experiment with ß-actin antibodies used concurrently. The ß-actin bands from the independent Tenascin blot were not shown in the original Fig 4A. Here we provide a revised Fig 4 showing the correct ß-actin and α-SMA bands, and a revised Fig 4 legend. The original uncropped blot images are provided as a supplementary file, with arrows indicating the correct sized bands. Multiple exposures are provided for the E-cadherin blot. The revised figure has been prepared using lanes 1, 6, and 7 of the original E-cadherin blot to match the lanes used from the ß-actin and α-SMA blots; the original published figure used lanes 1, 4, and 5 (lanes 4 and 6 both used lysates from untreated mice on day 14; lanes 5 and 7 both used lysates from curcumin-treated mice on day 14). The errors in the original figure do not affect the results demonstrated in Fig 4A, which are further confirmed by the additional methods shown in Fig 4B and 4C.
Cytomegalovirus: occurrence, severity, and effect on graft survival in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND This analysis of the Euro-SPK 001 study examined the occurrence and effect of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during the first 3 years after simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplantation. METHODS In this multicentre study, 205 SPK transplant patients were randomized to immunosuppressive treatment with tacrolimus (n = 103) or cyclosporin microemulsion [(ME), n = 102]. All patients received antibody induction therapy, mycophenolate mofetil and short-term corticosteroids. The choice of CMV prophylaxis and treatment was at the discretion of each investigator. RESULTS The overall incidence of CMV infection was 34%, with equal distribution in the tacrolimus and cyclosporin-ME groups. Fewer CMV infections occurred with ganciclovir (22%) than aciclovir (43% P = 0.007) or no prophylaxis (42%, P = 0.008). The rates of CMV infection according to donor and recipient CMV serological status were: D-/R- 11%; D-/R+ (40%, P = 0.004); D+/R+ (37%, P = 0.002); and D+/R- (52%, P<0.001). In the three at-risk subgroups, infection rates were lower among patients receiving ganciclovir (22%) than among those receiving aciclovir or no prophylaxis (64%; P<0.0001). Acute rejection was more common among CMV-infected patients (66 vs 41% without infection, P = 0.001) and in those not receiving ganciclovir prophylaxis. The 3-year actuarial rejection-free survival rate was 61.4% with ganciclovir and 42.2% with no prophylaxis or aciclovir alone (P = 0.002). No differences were observed in actuarial patient, kidney or pancreas survival between CMV and non-CMV infection groups. CONCLUSIONS Our findings confirm that the incidence of CMV infection is the same in tacrolimus- and cyclosporin-ME-treated SPK recipients. Ganciclovir prophylaxis effectively prevented CMV infection, especially in higher risk groups, and was associated with a reduced incidence of rejection compared with aciclovir/no prophylaxis.
Hepatoselectivity and the evolution of insulin

In spite of major developments in insulin production, purification, pharmaceutical formulation and methods of delivery, problems remain both in the day to day management of insulin‐treated diabetes and with regard to its long‐term complications. The risks of hypoglycaemia and weight gain are major concerns particularly for the patient, and the persistence of microvascular and premature macrovascular complications as the main causes of morbidity and mortality in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is a constant reminder that our therapeutic and management strategies are inadequate. One clear and striking difference between currently available insulin treatments and normal physiology is the relative difference in exposure to insulin of the liver versus peripheral tissues. Hepatoselective insulin analogues have the potential to restore the normal hepatic to peripheral gradient in insulin action. Here, we discuss the possible therapeutic potential that such analogues may have over currently available insulin preparations. These benefits could include a lower risk of hypoglycaemia, less weight gain and a potential reduction in microvascular and macrovascular complications. We explore the evolution of insulin with hepatoselectivity in mind and possible strategies to create hepatoselective insulins.
Consumption of ‘extra’ foods (energy-dense, nutrient-poor) among children aged 16–24 months from western Sydney, Australia

Abstract Objective This study evaluates the contribution of energy-dense, nutrient-poor ‘extra’ foods to the diets of 16–24-month-old children from western Sydney, Australia. Design An analysis of cross-sectional data collected on participants in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS), a randomised trial investigating the primary prevention of asthma from birth to 5 years. We collected 3-day weighed food records, calculated nutrient intakes, classified recorded foods into major food groups, and further classified foods as either ‘core’ or ‘extras’ according to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Setting Pregnant women, whose unborn child was at risk of developing asthma because of a family history, were recruited from all six hospitals in western Sydney, Australia. Data for this study were collected in clinic visits and at participants’ homes at the 18-month assessment. Participants Four hundred and twenty-nine children participating in the CAPS study; 80% of the total cohort. Results The mean consumption of ‘extra’ foods was ∼150 g day− 1 and contributed 25–30% of the total energy, fat, carbohydrate and sodium to the diets of the study children. ‘Extra’ foods also contributed around 20% of fibre, 10% of protein and zinc, and about 5% of calcium. Children in the highest quintile of ‘extra’ foods intake had a slightly higher but not significantly different intake of energy from those in the lowest quintile. However, significant differences were evident for the percentage of energy provided by carbohydrate and sugars (higher) and protein and saturated fat (lower). The intake of most micronutrients was also significantly lower among children in the highest quintile of consumption. The intake of ‘extra’ foods was inversely associated with the intake of core foods. Conclusions The high percentage of energy contributed by ‘extra’ foods and their negative association with nutrient density emphasise the need for dietary guidance for parents of children aged 1–2 years. These preliminary data on commonly consumed ‘extra’ foods and portion sizes may inform age-specific dietary assessment methods.
Cryptococcus gattii in urban trees from cities in North‐eastern Argentina

In the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Cryptococcus gattii genotype AFLP4/VGI was found to be associated with decaying wood in hollows of different tree species. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of C. gattii in the environment of riverside cities of the river Paraná, and to describe its serotypes and molecular types. Five hundred samples were collected in 50 parks by swabbing tree hollows. The samples were inoculated on caffeic acid agar supplemented with chloramphenicol, and incubated at 28 °C for 1 week with a daily observation. The isolates were identified by conventional methods. The serotype was determined by slide agglutination with specific antisera. Molecular typing was carried out by PCR‐RFLP of the URA5 gene. Four isolates of C. gattii were recovered: Cryptococcus gattii serotype B, genotype AFLP4/VGI, isolated from Eucalyptus sp. in the city of Rosario and from Grevillea robusta in the city of La Paz; and C. gattii serotype C, genotype AFLP5/VGIII, isolated from two different Tipuana tipu trees in the city of Resistencia. Here, we report for the first time the isolation of C. gattii serotype C, genotype AFLP5/VGIII, from environmental samples in Argentina.
Effects of reduced glomerular filtration on urine concentration in the presence of antidiuretic hormone.

In the presence of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), the concentration of the urine is usually related inversely to the excreted osmotic load. When solute excretion is increased by infusion of relatively nonreabsorbable solute, urine concentration falls toward plasma concentration. Maximum urine concentrations are achieved only when solute excretion is very low. In the dog, the highest urine osmolalities, in the range of 1,800 to 2,200 mOsm. per Kg. H2O, occur when solute excretion is about 200 to 300 /%Osm. per minute, If urine concentration and solute excretion are inversely related even at the lowest solute loads, one would expect an increase in urine concentration when spontaneously low osmotic loads are decreased further by lowering the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). On the other hand, if the highest urine concentrations seen under spontaneous conditions represent the maximum osmolality which the kidney can achieve (1), further reductions in solute excretion would not be expected to result in increased urine concentration. Under certain circumstances in the present studies, maximum spontaneous urine concentrations did increase when the GFR was reduced, in conformity with the first view described. However, neither of these alternatives explains the findings of Leaf, Kerr, Wrong and Chatillon (2), confirmed in this paper, that urine osmolality often falls when the GFR is reduced in the presence of ADH. Recently, it has been postulated (3, 4) that urine is made hypertonic to plasma by equilibration with hypertonic interstitial fluid in the medulla of the kidney. This paper presents data consistent with the view that the fall in urine concentration when GFR is reduced is due to de-
Maternal‐effect gene Ces5/Ooep/Moep19/Floped is essential for oocyte cytoplasmic lattice formation and embryonic development at the maternal‐zygotic stage transition

In a search for genes specifically expressed in mouse embryonic stem cells, we identified one we called Ces5. We found that it corresponded to the Ooep gene, which was recently reported to be expressed specifically in oocytes. Mouse Ces5/Ooep, also called Moep19 or Floped, encoded a 164‐amino acid protein, which was detected in the cytoplasm of developing and mature oocytes and in embryos throughout the preimplantation period. To examine its function, we carried out targeted disruption of this gene. The Ces5/Ooep‐null mice were grossly normal, but the females were infertile. Although the ovaries and ovulation appeared normal, the embryos from Ces5/Ooep‐null females mated with wild‐type males showed developmental arrest at the two‐ or four‐cell stage. In addition, their first cleavage was considerably delayed and often asymmetrical. Thus, Ces5/Ooep is a maternal‐effect gene. By electron microscopy, we found that the eggs from Ces5/Ooep‐null females lacked oocyte cytoplasmic lattices (CPLs), which have long been predicted to function as a storage form for components that are maternally contributed to the early embryo. Further analysis showed that CES5/OOEP was directly associated with the CPLs. These results indicate that CES5/OOEP is an essential component of the CPLs and is required for embryonic development at the maternal‐zygotic stage transition.
Entecavir is superior to lamivudine in reducing hepatitis B virus DNA in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Entecavir is a novel and selective nucleoside analogue with potent activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV). METHODS In a 24-week, double-blind, randomized, multicenter, phase II clinical trial, the safety and efficacy of entecavir (0.01 mg/day, 0.1 mg/day, or 0.5 mg/day orally) were compared with lamivudine (100 mg/day orally). Patients (n = 169) chronically infected with HBV (hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg]-positive and -negative) were evaluated for efficacy. RESULTS Compared with lamivudine, entecavir reduced HBV DNA by an additional 0.97 log(10) at the 0.1-mg/day dose and an additional 1.28 log(10) at the 0.5-mg/day dose (P < 0.0001). A clear dose-response relationship was observed for entecavir with the higher doses showing significantly greater viral suppression. In patients treated with entecavir 0.5 mg/day, 83.7% had an HBV-DNA level below the lower limit of detection of the Quantiplex branched DNA (bDNA) assay (Bayer-Versant Diagnostics, formerly Chiron Diagnostics, Emeryville, CA), compared with 57.5% treated with 100 mg/day lamivudine (P = 0.008). In both treatment arms, very few patients achieved HBeAg loss and/or seroconversion by week 22. More patients treated with the 0.1-mg/day and 0.5-mg/day doses of entecavir had normalization of alanine transaminase (ALT) levels at week 22 compared with lamivudine (P = not significant). Entecavir was well tolerated; most adverse events were mild to moderate, transient, and comparable in all study arms. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that entecavir has potent antiviral activity against HBV at 0.1-mg/day and 0.5-mg/day doses, both of which were superior to lamivudine in chronically infected HBV patients.
The Analysis of Exact Controllability of Neutral-Type Systems by the Moment Problem Approach

The problem of exact null-controllability is considered for a wide class of linear neutral-type systems with distributed delay. The main tool of the analysis is the application of the moment problem approach and the theory of the basis property of exponential families. A complete characterization of this problem is given. The minimal time of controllability is specified. The results are based on the analysis of the Riesz basis property of eigenspaces of the neutral-type systems in Hilbert space.
Epidemiology of fetal alcohol syndrome among American Indians of the Southwest.

Abstract The epidemiological features of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) were examined among American Indians in the southwestern United States. All FAS suspects were screened in specific populations of Navajo, Pueblo, and Plains culture tribes. A total of 115 alcohol‐affected children were identified. The incidence of FAS was found to be highly variable from one cultural group to the next, ranging from 1.3 per 1,000 births (1/749) for the Navajo to 10.3 (1/97) for the Plains. The pattern of age‐specific prevalence indicates an increase over the past fifteen years. The overall rate of mothers who have produced fetal alcohol children was 6.1 per 1,000 women of childbearing age with a range of 4 to 33 per 1,000. These maternal prevalence rates were important for the accurate prediction of public health risk because 25 per cent of all mothers who had produced one affected child had also produced others. The average per mother was 1.3 alcohol‐affected children. Other findings indicate that the mothers of these c.