Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute exercise reduces caffeine-induced anxiogenesis.

PURPOSE This experiment examined the influence of acute exercise on anxiety following caffeine-induced elevations in self-rated anxiety. METHODS Eleven physically active, moderately fit males aged 25.1 +/- 3.8 yr completed four conditions in a within-subject, counterbalanced design involving 60 min of (1) cycling at 60% VO2peak or (2) quiet rest following placebo consumption (800 mg of lactose), as well as (3) cycling at 60% VO2peak and (4) quiet rest following 800 mg of caffeine. State anxiety and blood pressure were assessed 10 min before and 10 and 20 min after the conditions. RESULTS A main effect for drug (caffeine vs placebo) determined by repeated measures ANOVA, (F(1,8) = 9.77; P = 0.01), indicated that state anxiety was elevated by caffeine. Drug effects were not obtained for blood pressure. Experimental hypotheses were tested by drug-by-condition (exercise vs quiet rest)-by-time (10 and 20 min postcondition) repeated measures ANOVA of change scores from the precondition baseline. A main effect for drug (F(1,8) = 5.81; P = 0.043) indicated that reductions in state anxiety were larger after caffeine ingestion. A condition-by-time effect (F(1,8) = 5.02; P = 0.055) indicated greater reductions in state anxiety 20 min after exercise compared with quiet rest. A condition effect for systolic blood pressure (F(1,10) = 4.56; P = 0.058) and condition-by-time interactions for diastolic (F(1,10) = 8.87; P = 0.014) and mean arterial blood pressures (F(1,10) = 8.46; P = 0.016) indicated reductions after exercise but not after quiet rest following both caffeine and placebo. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that exercise can reduce anxiety elevated by a high dose of caffeine.
RABIES PREVALENCE IN MIGRATORY TREE-BATS IN ALBERTA AND THE INFLUENCE OF ROOSTING ECOLOGY AND SAMPLING METHOD ON REPORTED PREVALENCE OF RABIES IN BATS

The migratory tree-roosting hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) and silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) are among the bat species with the highest reported prevalence of rabies in North America. However, bats submitted for rabies testing typically have been those that have come in contact with humans or pets. Given the roosting ecology of L. cinereus and L. noctivagans, contact with healthy individuals of these species is expected to be rare, with a bias in contact and submission of infected individuals and thus an overestimation of rabies prevalence. We tested 121 L. cinereus and 96 L. noctivagans specimens, collected during mortality surveys at wind energy facilities in Southern Alberta, Canada in 2007 and 2008, for rabies. None of the L. cinereus (0%) and one L. noctivagans (1%) tested positive for rabies. Prevalence of rabies was significantly lower than previously reported estimates, passive and active, for L. cinereus and L. noctivagans. In a review of the literature including multiple bat species, we found a significant difference in estimates of rabies prevalence based on passive versus active surveillance testing. Furthermore, roosting ecology influenced estimates of rabies prevalence, with significantly higher prevalence among passive surveillance submissions of nonsynanthropic species compared to synanthropic species, a trend not evident in active surveillance reports. We conclude that rabies prevalence in randomly collected L. cinereus and L. noctivagans is low and comparable to active surveillance estimates from other species (≤1%), and that roosting ecology influences estimates of rabies prevalence among bats submitted to public health laboratories in North America.
Chronic Oxidative Stress Leads to Malignant Transformation Along With Acquisition of Stem Cell Characteristics, and Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Human Renal Epithelial Cells

Oxidative injury to cellular macromolecules has been suggested as a common pathway shared by multiple etiological factors for kidney cancer. Whether the chronic oxidative stress alone is sufficient to induce malignant transformation in human kidney cells is not clear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of H2O2‐induced chronic oxidative stress on growth, and malignant transformation of HK‐2 normal kidney epithelial cells. This study revealed that chronic oxidative stress causes increased growth and neoplastic transformation in normal kidney epithelial cells at non‐cytotoxic dose and increased adaptation to cytotoxic level. This was confirmed by gene expression changes, cell cycle analysis, anchorage independent growth assay and in vivo tumorigenicity in nude mice. Stem cells characteristics as revealed by up‐regulation of stem cell marker genes, and morphological changes indicative of EMT with up regulation of mesenchymal markers were also observed in cells exposed to chronic oxidative stress. Antioxidant NAC did not reverse the chronic oxidative stress‐induced growth, and adaptation suggesting that perturbed biological function in these cells are permanent. Partial reversal of oxidative stress‐induced growth, and adaptation by silencing of Oct 4 and Snail1, respectively, suggest that these changes are mediated by acquisition of stem cell and EMT characteristics. In summary, this study for the first time suggests that chronic exposure to elevated levels of oxidative stress is sufficient to induce malignant transformation in kidney epithelial cells through acquisition of stem cell characteristics. Additionally, the EMT plays an important role in increased adaptive response of renal cells to oxidative stress. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 1916–1928, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Efficacy of Clevidipine in Controlling Perioperative Hypertension in Neurosurgical Patients: Initial Single-center Experience

Background Acute blood pressure (BP) elevations in neurosurgical patients are associated with serious neurologic, cardiovascular, or surgical site complications. Clevidipine, an ultra-short-acting dihydropyridine calcium antagonist, has been shown to be efficacious and safe for acute hypertension in cardiac surgery. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of clevidipine in controlling perioperative hypertension in the neurosurgical setting. Methods Patients scheduled for intracranial surgery were prospectively enrolled after giving consent. Clevidipine (0.5 mg/mL in 20% lipid solution, which was to be initiated at 10 mg/h and titrated to effect) was administered as the primary antihypertensive agent for perioperative hypertension, with target BPs of less than 130 mm Hg. Other vasoactive drugs were administered as needed for treating systolic BP (SBP) less than 90 mm Hg or greater than 130 mm Hg. The primary study endpoint was the proportion of patients not requiring rescue antihypertensives to maintain target SBP (<130 mm Hg). Results Twenty-two patients were enrolled. One patient did not require antihypertensive therapy. Seventeen patients (17 of 21, 81%) were treated with clevidipine alone; one received clevidipine in the postanesthesia care unit only. Twenty-eight hypertensive episodes (defined as any new acute BP elevation requiring clevidipine initiation) were documented. SBP was reduced to target level within 15 minutes in 22 of 28 episodes (78.6%). Two mild hypotensive episodes occurred after the initiation of clevidipine infusion; these transient decreases in BP were treated with vasoactive drugs and resolved within 5 minutes. Conclusions Clevidipine is effective and safe for perioperative hypertension in patients undergoing intracranial procedures. Rapid control of BP is possible with higher starting doses. Drug effects resolved rapidly after drug discontinuation.
Visualizing Desirable Patient Healthcare Experiences

High healthcare cost has drawn much attention and healthcare service providers (HSPs) are expected to deliver high-quality and consistent care. Therefore, an intimate understanding of the most desirable experience from a patient's and/or family's perspective as well as effective mapping and communication of such findings should facilitate HSPs' efforts in attaining sustainable competitive advantage in an increasingly discerning environment. This study describes (a) the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of the experience desired by patients and (b) the application of two visualization tools that are relatively new to the healthcare sector, namely the “spider-web diagram” and “promotion and detraction matrix. ” The visualization tools are tested with primary data collected from telephone surveys of 1,800 patients who had received care during calendar year 2005 at 6 of 61 hospitals within St. Louis, Missouri-based, Ascension Health. Five CQAs were found by factor analysis. The spider-web diagram illustrates that communication and empowerment and compassionate and respectful care are the most important CQAs, and accordingly, the promotion and detraction matrix shows those attributes that have the greatest effect for creating promoters, preventing detractors, and improving consumer's likelihood to recommend the healthcare provider.
A tester system for detecting each of the six base-pair substitutions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by selecting for an essential cysteine in iso-1-cytochrome c.

A collection of isogenic yeast strains that is specifically diagnostic for the six possible base-pair substitutions is described. Each strain contains a single, unique base-pair substitution at the Cys-22 codon of the CYC1 gene, which codes for iso-1-cytochrome c. These mutations encode replacements of the functionally critical Cys-22 and render each strain unable to grow on media containing nonfermentable carbon sources (Cyc-). Specific base-pair substitutions, which restore the Cys-22 codon, can be monitored simply by scoring for reversion to the Cyc+ phenotype. These strains revert spontaneously at very low frequencies and exhibit specific patterns of reversion in response to different mutagens. Only true (CYC1+) revertants were recovered after 7 days on selection medium. The following mutagen specificities were observed: ethyl methanesulfonate and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, G.C----A.T; 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, G.C----T.A and G.C----A.T; diepoxybutane, A.T----T.A, A.T----G.C and G.C----T.A; 5-azacytidine, G.C----C.G. Methyl methanesulfonate induced all six mutations, albeit at relatively low frequencies, with preference for A.T----T.A and A.T----G.C. Ultraviolet light was the most inefficient mutagen used in this study, consistent with its preference for transition mutations at dipyrimidine sequences reported in other systems. This tester system is valuable as a simple and reliable assay for specific mutations without DNA sequence analysis.
The association between asymptomatic coronary artery disease and CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores in patients with stroke

CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores are measurement tools that stratify thromboembolic risk in patients with non‐valvular atrial fibrillation, and are predictive of cerebral atherosclerosis, fatal stroke and ischaemic heart disease. Patients with higher CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores are more likely to have had an akinetic/hypokinetic left ventricular segment or a recent myocardial infarction, all of which are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Most of the CHADS2 score components are also risk factors for atherosclerosis. Thus, CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores may be predictive of CAD.
Antenatal education for self-diagnosis of the onset of active labour at term.

BACKGROUND A specific program designed to teach women to recognise active labour may be beneficial through potentially decreasing the incidence of early admission to hospital, increasing women's confidence and decreasing their anxiety. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to assess the effects of teaching pregnant women specific criteria for self-diagnosis of active labour onset in term pregnancy. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised trials comparing a structured antenatal education intervention for the identification of symptoms for self-diagnosis of active labour with usual care. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Trial quality was assessed. MAIN RESULTS One study involving 245 women was included. Method of randomisation was unclear and 15% of the sample was lost to follow-up in this trial. A specific antenatal education program was associated with a reduction in the mean number of visits to the labour suite before the onset of labour (weighted mean difference -0. 29, 95% confidence interval -0.47 to -0.11). It is unclear whether this resulted in fewer women being sent home because they were not in labour. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS There is not enough evidence to evaluate the use of a specific set of criteria for self-diagnosis of active labour.
Safe and Effective Use of the Once Weekly Dulaglutide Single-Dose Pen in Injection-Naïve Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Background: This 4-week, phase 3b, multicenter, open-label, single-arm, outpatient study demonstrated the safe and effective use of the dulaglutide single-dose pen containing 0.5 mL of placebo for subcutaneous injection in injection-naïve adult patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), with A1C ≤ 8.5% (69 mmol/mol), BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2 and ≤ 45 kg/m2. Method: Patients completed a modified self-injecting subscale of the Diabetes Fear of Injecting and Self-Testing Questionnaire (mD-FISQ) and were trained to self-inject with the single-dose pen. Patients completed the initial self-injection at the site, injected at home for 2 subsequent weeks, and returned to the site for the final injection. The initial and final self-injections were evaluated for success; the final (initial) self-injection success rate was the primary (secondary) outcome measure, and the primary (secondary) objective was to demonstrate this success rate as being significantly greater than 80%. Patients recorded their level of pain after each injection. After the final injection, patients completed the mD-FISQ and the Medication Delivery Device Assessment Battery (MDDAB) to assess their perceptions of the single-dose pen, including ease of use and experience with the device. Results: Among 211 patients (mean age: 61 years), the primary objective was met, with a final injection success rate of 99.1% (95% CI: 96.6% to 99.7%). Among 214 patients, the initial injection success rate was 97.2% (95% CI: 94.0% to 98.7%), meeting the key secondary objective. Overall, most patients (>96%) found the device easy to use, were satisfied with the device, and would be willing to continue to use the single-dose pen after the study. There was a significant reduction (P < .001) from baseline to study end in patients’ fear of self-injecting, as measured by the mD-FISQ. Conclusions: The dulaglutide single-dose pen was found to be a safe and effective device for use by patients with T2D who were injection-naïve. A positive injection experience is an important factor for patients and providers when initiating injectable therapy.
Bacteriotherapy with Streptococcus salivarius 24SMB and Streptococcus oralis 89a nasal spray for preventing recurrent acute otitis media in children: a real-life clinical experience

Recurrence of acute otitis media (RAOM) is a relevant issue in the clinical practice. “Bacteriotherapy” has been proposed as an option in children with RAOM. Streptococcus salivarius 24SMB nasal spray has been previously demonstrated to reduce the risk of acute otitis media (AOM) in otitis-prone children. The current retrospective and observational study aimed to confirm this outcome in a real-life setting, such as the common pediatric practice. Group A (108 children) served as control; group B (159 children) was treated with S. salivarius 24SMB and Streptococcus oralis 89a nasal spray after the first AOM episode. Active treatment consisted of 3 monthly courses: 2 puffs per nostril twice/day for a week. Group B showed a significant reduction of AOM episodes in comparison with group A (p<0.0001). Notably, all actively treated children with the highest AOM recurrence had a reduction of recurrence, whereas only 50% of the control group children had reduced RAOM (p<0.0001). Also, severity grade of AOM significantly diminished after the preventive bacteriotherapy (p<0.0001). In conclusion, the current retrospective and observational study demonstrated that S. salivarius 24SMB and S. oralis 89a nasal spray could be effective in the prevention of RAOM in a real-life setting.
Topodiagnostic investigations on the sympathoexcitatory brain stem pathway using a new method of three dimensional brain stem mapping

Objectives: To study the incompletely understood sympathoexcitatory pathway through the human brain stem, using a new method of three dimensional brain stem mapping on the basis of digitally postprocessed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: 258 consecutive patients presenting with acute signs of brain stem ischaemia underwent biplane T2 and EPI diffusion weighted MRI, with slice orientation parallel and perpendicular to a transversal slice selection of the stereotactic anatomical atlas of Schaltenbrand and Wahren, 1977. The individual slices were digitally normalised and projected onto the appropriate slices of the anatomical atlas. For correlation analysis lesions were imported into a three dimensional model of the human brain stem. Results: 31 of the 258 patients had Horner’s syndrome caused by acute brain stem ischaemia. Only four of the patients with Horner’s syndrome had pontine infarctions, 12 had pontomedullary lesions, and 15 had medullary lesions. Correlation analysis showed significantly affected voxels in the dorsolateral medulla but not in the pons. A statistical comparison with infarct topology in patients with medullary lesions but without Horner’s syndrome indicated that involvement of the medial and ventral part of affected voxels located in the ventrolateral medullary tegmentum was specific for Horner’s syndrome. Conclusions: Based on this first in vivo topodiagnostic study, the central sympathoexcitatory pathway probably descends through the dorsal pons before converging on specific generators in the ventrolateral medullary tegmentum at a level below the IX and X nerve exits.
Studies Concerning the Glucosyltransferase of Streptococcus sanguis

We have shown in previous studies that the glucosyltransferase (Gtf) enzymes of Streptococcus mutans have distinct properties when adsorbed to a surface. In the present study, we compared the activity of Gtf from Streptococcus sanguis, designated GtfSs, in solution and on the surface of saliva–coated hydroxyapatite (sHA) beads, and determined the ability of its product glucan to support the adherence of oral microorganisms. Gtf from S. sanguis 804 NCTC 10904 was purified from culture supernatant fluids by means of hydroxyapatite chromatography. Enzyme and the substrate were prepared in buffers at pH values from 3.5 to 7.5. Maximum activity of GtfSs occurred between pH 5.5 and pH 6.5, whether in solution or adsorbed onto a surface. The solubilized and insolubilized enzymes showed highest activity at 40°C; activity was reduced by 50(±2)% at 20 and 30°C. The enzyme did not form glucans in either phase at 10 or 60°C. The Km, determined from Lineweaver–Burk plots, for the enzyme in solution was 4.3(±0.4) mmol/l sucrose, and the Km for the enzyme on sHA beads was 5.0(±1.0) mmol/l sucrose. The ability of the GtfSs glucan synthesized on the surface of sHA beads to support the adherence of oral bacteria was investigated. 3H–thymidine–labeled bacteria (S. mutans GS–5, S. sobrinus 6715, S. sobrinus 6716, S. sanguis 10904, Actinomyces viscosus OMZ105E, A. viscosus 2085, and A. viscosus 2086) were incubated with sHA beads coated with GtfSs glucan. S. mutans GS–5 displayed the highest level of binding numerically. These results show that the GtfSs of S. sanguis is active on sHA beads, that the pH optimum for activity on a surface differs slightly from that in solution, and that its product glucan can support the adherence of oral microorganisms.
Cord blood levels of cytokines as predictors of early neonatal sepsis

Aim: To investigate whether cord blood levels of C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6, interleukin‐8, tumour necrosis factor‐α and the soluble receptor of interleukin‐2, are useful markers in the diagnosis of early neonatal sepsis. Design: Umbilical cord blood samples were obtained at birth from 261 neonates, but 5 of these newborns were excluded from the study. Group I included 10 newborns that developed early neonatal sepsis with a positive blood culture; Group II included 11 newborns with non‐infectious perinatal diseases; Group III, which served as the control group, included 10 randomly selected patients, matched for gestational age, among the 235 healthy newborn babies. Results: There were no differences among the three study groups in levels of C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐1 β, tumour necrosis factor‐α and the soluble receptor of interleukin‐2. Interleukin‐6 was significantly elevated in Group I (360.4 ± 157.8 pg/ml) and Group II (158.8 ± 122.3 pg/ml), when compared with Group III (8.6 ± 3.12 pg/ml) (p < 0.01), whereas interleukin‐8 was significantly elevated in Group I (389.3 ± 115.9 pg/ml) compared with Groups II (30.2 ± 5.1 pg/ml) (p < 0.05) and III (33.9 ± 8.6 pg/ml) (p < 0.05). A cut‐off of 100.8 pg/ml for interleukin‐6 obtained by the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) method gave a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 87%, and a cut‐off of 111.7 pg/ml for interleukin‐8 showed a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 91%.
Complexation of amphotericin B and curcumin with serum albumins: solubility and effect on erythrocyte membrane damage

Amphotericin and curcumin are known to form complexes with albumins individually. In-silico analysis shows that amphotericin B and curcumin have separate binding regions on human serum albumin and bovine serum albumin. The complex formed with albumin in the presence of both amphotericin and curcumin is water soluble, and it retains antifungal activity. Interestingly, it was found that the presence of curcumin in the complex significantly delayed the red cell lysis by amphotericin B, indicating the possibility of moderating the toxic side effects of the drug using curcumin. Furthermore, since the presumed ternary complex is stable and water soluble, its potential use in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) and systemic fungal infections needs to be evaluated.
Comparison of colorectal cancer screening and diagnoses in HIV-positive and HIV-negative veterans

Non-AIDS defining malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC), are emerging as significant problems in HIV-infected people. Some data suggest that HIV-positive patients have higher incidence of CRC at younger ages than those who are HIV-negative. This investigation examined CRC rates and screening types and trends between 943 HIV-infected cases and their age, race, and gender matched HIV-negative controls (n = 943) from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2008 at the Atlanta VA Medical Center. The most common screening type among these patients was fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), but colonoscopies were more common in the controls (16.4% for cases, 27.5% for controls; p < 0.0001). Almost half of all patients included in this analysis did not have any screening for CRC during the four years of follow-up even though average age was 55 years. Fifty-one percent of cases had at least one screening test during follow-up compared to 48% of the controls; 7.6% of the cases had a screening each of the four years compared to only 2.4% of the controls (p < 0.0001). Ten HIV-positive patients were diagnosed with CRC during the study period compared to no CRC diagnoses among controls (p = 0.0015), though there was no difference in the diagnosis of colon polyps (4.6% vs. 5.1%, p = 0.5911). These data also suggest a discrepancy in CRC incidence between race and age groups: 80% of HIV-positive cases diagnosed with CRC during the study were black and two were less than 50 years of age. Future studies will need to address whether different recommendations are needed for screening based on HIV status, younger age, or race.