Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trans-Sector Integrated Treatment in Psychosis and Addiction.

BACKGROUND Patients with psychosis often develop comorbid addiction, with a lifetime prevalence of ca. 50%. Dual diagnoses are considered hard to treat. Long-term integrated treatment programs might improve such patients' outcomes, at least to a moderate extent, but they have not yet been adequately studied or implemented in Germany to date. METHODS 100 dual diagnosis patients participated in a single-center, randomized, controlled trial under standard hospital treatment conditions. They were randomly allotted to two groups. Patients in the intervention group were admitted to a specialized open hospital ward, where they were given integrated treatment, including disorder-specific group therapy. Their treatment was continued with further disorder-specific group therapy in the outpatient setting. Patients in the control group were admitted to an open general psychiatric ward and received treatment as usual, but no disorder-specific treatment either during their hospitalization or in the subsequent outpatient phase. Follow-up examinations were performed three, six, and twelve months after inclusion. The primary outcome was defined as the changes in substance use and abstinence motivation. The secondary outcome consisted of the patients' satisfaction with treatment and with life in general, retention rate, psychopathology, rehospitalizations, and global level of functioning. RESULTS The patients in the intervention group developed higher abstinence motivation than those in the control group (p = 0.009) and transiently reduced their substance use to a greater extent (p = 0.039 at three months). They were also more satisfied with their treatment (group effect: p = 0.011). Their global level of functioning and their retention rate were also higher, but these differences did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION Low-threshold, motivational, integrated treatment programs with psycho-educative and behavioral therapeutic elements may be helpful in the treatment of dual diagnosis patients and should be more extensively implemented as part of standard hospital treatment. Larger-scale, methodologically more complex studies will be needed to identify subgroups of patients that respond to such treatments in different ways.
Pathology and causes of death in a group of 128 predominantly HIV-positive patients in Botswana, 1997-1998.

BACKGROUND Little is known about causes of death in countries of southern Africa seriously affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. METHODS After obtaining informed consent, autopsies were performed on 128 mainly hospitalised adults in Francistown, Botswana, between July 1997 and June 1998. Criteria for case selection included those who died before a diagnosis could be established, those whose condition deteriorated unexpectedly during hospitalization, and those who had respiratory disease. This represented 14% of adult medical patients who died in hospital during the study period. RESULTS Of the 128 patients, 104 (81%) were HIV-positive. Among HIV-positive patients, the most common pathologic findings were tuberculosis (TB) (40%), bacterial pneumonia (23%), Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (11%), and Kaposi's sarcoma (11%); these conditions were the cause of death in 38%, 14%, 11%, and 6%, respectively. Of the 40 pulmonary TB cases, 90% also had disseminated extra-pulmonary TB. Chest radiology could not reliably distinguish the pathologies pre-mortem. CONCLUSIONS TB was the leading cause of death in our series of HIV-positive adults in Botswana, selected towards those with chest disease; in most, it was widely disseminated. Bacterial pneumonia also played an important role in mortality. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was present, but relatively uncommon.
Expression of tissue factor correlates with grade of malignancy in human glioma

Tissue factor (TF), a cell surface receptor of factor VII/VIIa, was initially recognized as an initiator of the extrinsic coagulation pathway. TF has recently been found to be expressed highly in certain types of malignant tumors. In addition, TF belongs to the interferon receptor family and is one of the immediate early genes, suggesting that TF may participate in the regulation of cell growth. However, the correlation between the expression of TF and cell growth is still unclear.
Rhombomere development in a reptilian embryo

Rhombomere development was investigated in a reptile, Alligator mississippiensis, using a variety of methodologies: cytoarchitecture (cresyl violet), histochemistry (peanut agglutinin), immunocytochemistry (antibodies to acetylated tubulin, vimentin, calretinin, and acetylcholinesterase), and external and internal morphology of wholemount embryos. Rhombomere boundaries form sequentially until 8 rhombomeres are present at stage 8. From stage 11 onwards, rhombomere borders fade. When present, boundaries of rhombomeres 2 through 5 were distinct. In all embryos, except the earliest stages, neural tissue was divided between the caudal end of the mesencephalon and the rostral end of the rhombencephalon. This area of transection was designated as the isthmus. For these technical reasons, a distinct border between the midbrain and the first rhombomere was not seen and the isthmic rhombomere could not be identified. The interrhombomeric boundary between rhombomere 7 and rhombomere 8 and between the most caudal rhombomere and the spinal cord was not nearly as clear as were the boundaries of rhombomeres 2 through 5. Development of rhombomeres 2 through 5 was investigated in wholemount preparations between stages 5/6 and 11. Qualitative and quantitative observations were made. In these rhombomeres, r2 through r5, rostrocaudal caudal expansion occurs at a slower rate than mediolateral development. This differential growth sculpts the morphology of rhombomeres 2 through 5.
Use of H2 15O-PET for investigating perfusion changes in pelvic tumors due to regional hyperthermia

Purpose: An increase in tumor oxygenation and perfusion due to hyperthermia has been reported for experimental tumors. The present study was performed to investigate this hypothesis in patients who underwent regional hyperthermia. Methods: Twenty-seven patients with primary or recurrent pelvic tumors were included in this study. Prior to and up to 1 h after regional hyperthermia, perfusion and partition coefficient were quantitatively determined by utilizing H2 15O-PET. First pass PET images were fused with the segmented common iliac artery from separately acquired CT scan. The arterial input function was extracted from the common iliac arteries using the dynamic PET images and the fused CT. The fused images were also used to extract tumor activity–time curves. Perfusion was calculated from the total tumor curves with correction for arterial spill-over. Changes in perfusion and partition coefficient were analyzed and correlated with various treatment parameters. Results: Heating under hyperthermia conditions significantly increased the partition coefficient for pelvic tumors (P = 0.005). The increase correlated with the duration of hyperthermia and was found in patients treated for more than 1 h and persisted for more than 1 h after the end. Significant changes in perfusion were not observed. Perfusion had recurred to initial values 20 min after heating. Conclusions: The increase in partition coefficient reflects an increased diffusion distance of radio-labeled water. Therefore water diffusion is increased due to hyperthermia. Analogous to water diffusion, the diffusion of inert gases is also facilitated, improving the oxygenation of hypoxic tumor cells. Our results suggest that tumor oxygenation can probably be enhanced by regional hyperthermia for a period of more than 1 h after heating, provided hyperthermia is applied for at least 60 min. The effect was observed to be reversible within one week.
Sentinel node biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer: results from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project Protocol B-27.

PURPOSE Experience with sentinel node biopsy (SNB) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is limited. We examined the feasibility and accuracy of this procedure within a randomized trial in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS During the conduct of National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project trial B-27, several participating surgeons attempted SNB before the required axillary dissection in 428 patients. All underwent lymphatic mapping and an attempt to identify and remove a sentinel node. Lymphatic mapping was performed with radioactive colloid (14.7%), with lymphazurin blue dye alone (29.9%), or with both (54.7%). RESULTS Success rate for the identification and removal of a sentinel node was 84.8%. Success rate increased significantly with the use of radioisotope (87.6% to 88.9%) versus with the use of lymphazurin alone (78.1%, P = .03). There were no significant differences in success rate according to clinical tumor size, clinical nodal status, age, or calendar year of random assignment. Of 343 patients who had SNB and axillary dissection, the sentinel nodes were positive in 125 patients and were the only positive nodes in 70 patients (56.0%). Of the 218 patients with negative sentinel nodes, nonsentinel nodes were positive in 15 (false-negative rate, 10.7%; 15 of 140 patients). There were no significant differences in false-negative rate according to clinical patient and tumor characteristics, method of lymphatic mapping, or breast tumor response to chemotherapy. CONCLUSION These results are comparable to those obtained from multicenter studies evaluating SNB before systemic therapy and suggest that the sentinel node concept is applicable following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Incidence of occupational skin conditions in a food manufacturing company: results of a health surveillance programme.

BACKGROUND The food industry has been associated with a high risk of work-related skin problems. Aim To examine the incidence of work-related skin conditions and the likely causative agents in a single large food company. METHOD Analysis of a health surveillance programme, conducted over a 7 year period, in a food company with 21 000 employees working in diverse manufacturing processes. RESULTS The mean incidence of skin conditions, taking all of the different food manufacturing operations together, was 1310 per million employees per annum. The mean incidence was greatest in the manufacturing sector whose operations involved chilled or frozen product (3180 per million employees per annum). Most of the cases reported (184/192 = 96%) were due to primary irritant dermatitis. The two commonest suspected causes of the dermatitis were contact with ingredients and hand washing. Taken together, these factors accounted for 58% of all cases. Although the wearing of gloves is often considered necessary to prevent dermatitis from exposure to ingredients and to lessen the need for hand washing, this factor itself was responsible for 9% of all cases. CONCLUSION Analysis of a company health surveillance scheme showed the average incidence of work-related skin problems to be lower than previously reported in the food industry.
Urinary and Renal Tissue Kallikrein in the Streptozocin-diabetic Rat

The renal kallikrein-kinin system is thought to participate in blood pressure regulation and displays abnormalities in human hypertension, as well as in many animal models of hypertension. Urinary excretion and tissue levels of renal kallikrein were measured in streptozocin (STZ)-diabetic rats in relation to blood pressure, glycemia, and insulin treatment. In study 1, STZ-diabetic rats with marked hyperglycemia showed reduced kallikrein-like esterase excretion, compared with control rats, when first measured after 7 days of diabetes (9.9 ± 2.5 versus 17.5 ± 2.4 EU/24 h, P < 0.05). This difference increased with time and, after 210 days, urinary esterase excretion in diabetic and control rats was 6.7 ± 2.1 and 39.0 ± 6.0 EU/24 h, respectively (P < 0.001). Urine kallikrein, measured by radioimmunoassay, was similarly reduced in diabetic rats (40.4 ± 8.0 versus 88.0 ± 6.5 μg/24 h, at 30 days, P < 0.001). At 120 days, systolic blood pressures were elevated in diabetic rats (P < 0.05), and at 180 days over 60% of the diabetic rats had pressures above the highest pressures of control rats. In study 2, STZ-diabetic rats were treated with insulin for 2 wk (2 U NPH at 0800 h, or 2 U NPH at 0800 and 1600 h). In the single-dose group, with hyperglycemia similar to that of diabetic rats in study 1, kallikrein excretion was reduced as early as day 2, compared with nondiabetic rats (56.0 ± 6.1 versus 109 ± 9.4 μg/24 h, respectively, P < 0.001). In the diabetic rats treated with twice-daily insulin, glycemia was reduced and daily urine glucose was not significantly different from that in controls. Kallikrein excretion was normal in these rats. In study 3, we measured renal tissue kallikrein i untreated and insulin-treated (2.25 U PZI) STZdiabetic rats. After 2 wk, untreated diabetic rats had decreased renal kallikrein compared with nondiabetic rats (22.8 ± 1.6 versus 29.7 ± 1.4 ng/mg protein, P < 0.001). In the insulin-treated diabetic rats with near-normal plasma glucose levels, renal kallikrein (35.8 ± 2.1 ng/mg protein) was increased above that of untreated diabetic (P < 0.001) or nondiabetic rats (P < 0.05). These studies confirm that STZ-diabetic rats develop systolic hypertension as assessed by tail cuff measurement. There is an early reduction in kallikrein excretion, which reflects reduced renal enzyme content. These abnormalities in kallikrein can be prevented by insulin treatment. Relationships of these changes in urinary and renal kallikrein to the function of the diabetic kidney and development of hypertension in this model can now be explored.
Short-Lived Infected Cells Support Virus Replication in Sooty Mangabeys Naturally Infected with Simian Immunodeficiency Virus: Implications for AIDS Pathogenesis

ABSTRACT Sooty mangabeys (SMs) naturally infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) do not develop AIDS despite high levels of virus replication. At present, the mechanisms underlying this disease resistance are poorly understood. Here we tested the hypothesis that SIV-infected SMs avoid immunodeficiency as a result of virus replication occurring in infected cells that live significantly longer than human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected human cells. To this end, we treated six SIV-infected SMs with potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) and longitudinally measured the decline in plasma viremia. We applied the same mathematical models used in HIV-infected individuals and observed that SMs naturally infected with SIV also present a two-phase decay of viremia following ART, with the bulk (92 to 99%) of virus replication sustained by short-lived cells (average life span, 1.06 days), and only 1 to 8% occurring in longer-lived cells. In addition, we observed that ART had a limited impact on CD4+ T cells and the prevailing level of T-cell activation and proliferation in SIV-infected SMs. Collectively, these results suggest that in SIV-infected SMs, similar to HIV type 1-infected humans, short-lived activated CD4+ T cells, rather than macrophages, are the main source of virus production. These findings indicate that a short in vivo life span of infected cells is a common feature of both pathogenic and nonpathogenic primate lentivirus infections and support a model for AIDS pathogenesis whereby the direct killing of infected cells by HIV is not the main determinant of disease progression.
Influence of heating on the polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of grape seed flour.

UNLABELLED The production of grape seed flour (GSF) from a waste product generated during winemaking, is of interest in product development applications due to its potential health benefits. However, before GSF can used in baking as a source of additional antioxidants, research on its heat stability is required. The overall objective of this study was to assess changes in phenolic content and antioxidant activity of GSF during heating. Merlot GSF was heated at 5 temperatures (120 to 240 °C) for 0 to 90 min. At each time/temperature combination, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavanoid content (TFC), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of the extracts were determined. Specific polyphenolic compounds, including catechin, gallocatechin, epicatechin, and gallic acid were also measured. Results showed that when Merlot GSF was heated to ≥180 °C, significant decreases in the TPC and antioxidant activity, measured using FRAP, DPPH, and TEAC, were observed. Longer heating times also caused a reduction in antioxidant capability. Catechin and epicatechin content decreased with increasing heating temperature while gallocatechin and gallic acid content increased. Both catechin and epicatechin content had strong positive correlations (r > 0.91) with TPC and TFC, as well with FRAP and TEAC, suggesting that the GSF antioxidant activity is related to the presence of these particular compounds. Overall, while a decrease in antioxidant content was observed during heating, this occurred at higher baking temperatures. Thus GSF may be suitable for use as an ingredient in baked goods to bolster antioxidant content. PRACTICAL APPLICATION In order for Merlot grape seed flour (GSF) to be used in baking as a source of additional antioxidant compounds, the impact of heating on the polyphenolic compounds in the GSF needed to be examined. Thermal treatment of Merlot GSF caused significant decreases in the TPC, antioxidant power, and specific polyphenolic compounds when heated ≥180 °C. Thus while antioxidant content decreased with higher heating temperatures, this occurred at higher baking temperatures. Thus, GSF may be suitable for use as an ingredient in baked goods to bolster antioxidant content.
Vascular Occlusion and Sequential Compression for Recovery After Resistance Exercise

Abstract Northey, JM, Rattray, B, Argus, CK, Etxebarria, N, and Driller, MW. Vascular occlusion and sequential compression for recovery after resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res 30(2): 533–539, 2016—The purpose of this study was to evaluate vascular occlusion (OCC) and sequential intermittent pneumatic compression (SIPC) as recovery strategies after fatiguing resistance exercise. Twelve strength-trained male participants (age: 24.0 ± 6.3 years, height: 180.4 ± 9.7 cm, and weight: 84.8 ± 9.6 kg) participated in a randomized cross-over study. Participants performed a fatiguing resistance exercise bout consisting of 10 sets with 10 repetitions of back squats at 70% 1 repetition maximum with 3-minute rest between sets. Outcome measures of perceived recovery status, muscle soreness, concentric peak isokinetic torque of the quadriceps, squat jump (SJ) height, and countermovement jump (CMJ) height were taken before the fatiguing resistance exercise bout and repeated immediately post, 1 hour, and 24 hours later. Immediately after the postexercise measures, participants undertook 1 of the 3 recovery strategies: OCC, SIPC, and a passive control (CON). Concentric peak isokinetic torque of the quadriceps was decreased significantly immediately post and 1 hour after the fatiguing resistance exercise bout compared with baseline values (p ⩽ 0.05). Mean SJ and CMJ jump height decreased significantly immediately post and 1 hour compared with baseline measures, but only the SJ was significantly decreased at 24 hours. There were no significant differences between conditions for any of the postexercise measures (p > 0.05). In conclusion, this study indicates that OCC and SIPC are not effective for attenuating muscle performance loss after a fatiguing resistance exercise bout relative to passive recovery.
A light‐dependent increase in free Ca2+ concentration in the salamander rod outer segment

1 The Ca2+ indicator dye fluo‐5F was excited by an argon ion laser to measure changes in free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the outer segments of isolated salamander rods rapidly exposed to a 0 Ca2+, 0 Na+ solution designed to minimise surface membrane Ca2+ fluxes. Over 30‐60 s of laser illumination, the fluorescence first increased rapidly and then declined at a rate that was much slower than in Ringer solution and consistent with previous physiological evidence that 0 Ca2+, 0 Na+ solution greatly retards light‐induced changes in [Ca2+]i. 2 The initial increase in fluorescence was investigated with a sequence of 100 ms laser flashes presented at 5 s intervals. The fluorescence evoked by the second laser flash was on average 30 % larger than the first, and subsequent responses exhibited a slow decline like that measured with continuous laser exposures. The initial increase in fluorescence did not depend upon the timing of exposure to 0 Ca2+, 0 Na+ solution but appeared to be evoked by exposure to the laser light. 3 Both the increase and subsequent decline in fluorescence measured with brief laser flashes could be reduced by incorporation of the Ca2+ chelator BAPTA. This and other results indicate that the fluorescence increase was unlikely to have been caused by a change in the affinity of fluo‐5F for Ca2+ or an increase in the quantity of incorporated dye available to bind Ca2+ but reflects an actual release of intracellular Ca2+ within the outer segment. 4 The pool of Ca2+ available to be released could be decreased if, before the first laser flash, the rod was exposed to light bright enough to bleach a substantial fraction of the photopigment. The releasable pool could also be depleted by exposure to saturating light of much lower intensity if delivered in Ringer solution but not if delivered in 0 Ca2+, 0 Na+ solution. We conclude that Ca2+ can be released within the outer segment both by the bleaching of rhodopsin and by the reduction in [Ca2+]i which normally accompanies illumination in Ringer solution. 5 The activation of rhodopsin appears somehow to induce the release of Ca2+ from a binding site or store within the outer segment. Substantial release, however, required stimulating light of an intensity sufficient to bleach a considerable fraction of the visual pigment. It therefore seems unlikely that such release contributes to the normal Ca2+‐mediated modulation of transduction during light adaptation. The mechanism and physiological function of light‐induced Ca2+ release are unknown.
Gender and the council of emergency medicine residency directors standardized letter of recommendation.

OBJECTIVES Until 2002, the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors standardized letter of recommendation (SLOR) prompted authors to predict how an applicant would rank on their match list. A ranking of guaranteed match (GM) was identified as the least common superlative response on the SLOR. That knowledge allowed precise identification of the best SLORs. The authors correlated GM with every possible author/applicant gender combination. METHODS This was a retrospective, observational study of 835 SLORs submitted in the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 application cycles to one emergency medicine residency program. A standardized data collection instrument was used. Author/applicant gender combinations (M/M, M/F, F/F, F/M, M/M + F/F, and M/F + F/M) were analyzed with respect to GM by chi-square test, odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals, and logistic regression. RESULTS There was a statistically significant association between a female-authored/female-applicant SLOR and GM, with a female applicant two times more likely to get a GM from a female author than any other author/applicant gender combination (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval = 1.1 to 3.8; p = 0.023). No other combination was significantly associated with GM. CONCLUSIONS Female applicants to the authors' emergency residency program had a two times better chance of receiving a GM recommendation on a SLOR written by a female faculty member compared with any other possible gender combination of applicants and letter authors. Although the choice of GM has now been eliminated from the SLOR, the role of gender in relation to the SLOR merits further study.