Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pleural Effusion in the First Days of Life: A Prospective Study

In a thirty-month prospective study pleural effusions were found on chest radiographs in 33 of 1482 newborns admitted to intensive care units. Congenital heart disease was the most common cause, accounting for eleven cases. Meconium aspiration was the most common respiratory disease associated with neonatal pleural effusion. Infants whose effusions were first noted after the second day of life were likely to have heart disease (p = 0.02). Infants with moderate or large effusions were unlikely to have heart disease (p = 0.04). Prolonged pleural effusion was associated with a prolonged need for supplemental oxygen. Survivors whose effusions lasted three or more days were at increased risk for needing supplemental oxygen for more than twenty-one days (p = 0.07). The overall mortality was 48 percent (sixteen of thirty-three infants died).
Analysis and Design of a Control Strategy for Tracking Sinusoidal References in Single-Phase Grid-Connected Current-Source Inverters

A novel control strategy for single-phase current-source inverters connected to an ac grid is proposed in this paper. The control strategy aims to inject maximum power to the grid under transient and steady-state conditions by the tracking of sinusoidal references. This paper presents the modeling and the design of the control strategy based on the exact linearization of the inverter model. Results are obtained by computational simulation and validated experimentally. By using error performance indexes in the analysis of the results, it is demonstrated that the proposed controllers achieve correct tracking of the sinusoidal reference while keeping a low switching frequency, which helps to minimize the commutation losses.
Primary nodal follicular lymphoma with spindle cell features: a potential diagnostic pitfall

of 41 human breast cancer cell lines reveals three new deleterious mutants. Cancer Res. 2006; 66; 41–45. 9. Xu CF, Chambers JA, Solomon E. Complex regulation of the BRCA1 gene. J. Biol. Chem. 1997; 272; 20994–20997. 10. Sobczak K, Krzyzosiak WJ. Structural determinants of BRCA1 translational regulation. J. Biol. Chem. 2002; 277; 17349– 17358. 11. Lambie H, Miremadi A, Pinder SE et al. Prognostic significance of BRCA1 expression in sporadic breast carcinomas. J. Pathol. 2003; 200; 207–213. 12. Abd El-Rehim DM, Ball G, Pinder SE et al. High-throughput protein expression analysis using tissue microarray technology of a large well-characterised series identifies biologically distinct classes of breast cancer confirming recent cDNA expression analyses. Int. J. Cancer 2005; 116; 340–350.
Human cord blood monocytes undergo terminal osteoclast differentiation in vitro in the presence of culture medium conditioned by giant cell tumor of bone

Osteoclasts (OCs), which form by fusion of hematopoietic precursor cells, are typically present in large numbers in giant cell tumors of bone (GCTBs). These tumors may, therefore, contain cells which secrete factors that stimulate recruitment and differentiation of OC precursors. Multinucleated cells resembling OCs also form in cultures of human cord blood monocytes (CBMs) stimulated by 1.25 dihydroxyvitamin D3, but these cells lack the ability to form bone resorption pits, the defining functional characteristic of mature OCs. CBMs may thus require additional stimulation to form OCs; we therefore investigated whether GCTBs are a source of such a stimulus. CBMs were stimulated in long term (21 day) culture by medium conditioned by explants of GCTBs; media collected within 15 days of explant (early‐CM) and after 15 days (late‐CM) were employed. We also cocultured CBMs with primary GCTB‐derived stromal cells as well as immortalized bone marrow stroma‐derived cells. CBMs stimulated by early‐CM formed resorption pits on cortical bone slices; however, stimulation by late‐CM resulted in virtually no resorption. Both early‐CM and late‐CM increased CBM proliferation, but not the proportion of vitronectin receptor positive or multinucleated cells. Coculture of CBMs with stromal cells of GCTBs or bone marrow did not result in bone resorption, although these stromal cells (most expressing alkaline phosphatase but progressively losing parathyroid hormone receptor expression) expressed mRNA for cytokines involved in OC differentiation, including macrophage‐CSF, granulocyte‐macrophage‐CSF, IL‐11, IL‐6, and stem cell factor. Our results indicate that CBMs are capable of terminal OC differentiation in vitro, a process requiring 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 as well as diffusible factor(s) which can be derived from GCTB. Stromal cells of GCTB may produce such factors in vivo, but do not support OC differentiation in vitro, possibly through phenotypic instability in culture. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microvascular hepatic artery anastomosis in pediatric segmental liver transplantation: microscope vs loupe

Use of operative microscopy (OM) has dramatically reduced the incidence of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) in children undergoing segmental liver transplantation. We used OM (12–16×) in our early experience. We changed to high power loupe magnification (6×) after 14 cases. We examined our experience with microvascular hepatic artery reconstruction in 28 consecutive children (<18 years) who underwent living donor (LDLT) or split liver transplantation (SLT). Reconstructions were done with interrupted, end-to-end anastomoses with 8–0 polypropylene using microvascular techniques. Group 1 consisted of 14 children who underwent LDLT employing OM for the hepatic artery anastomosis. Group 2 consisted of the subsequent 14 children (11 LDLT, 3 SLT) in whom 6× loupe optics were used for the arterial anastomosis. Grafts included 25 left lateral segments, 2 left lobes, and 1 right lobe. Recipients’ median age was 1.0 years (range 3 months to 17 years). The mean follow-up time was 27.1 months. There were no cases of HAT. Variables of age, sex, graft type, number of Doppler ultrasound exams (DUS), and biliary complications were similar between groups. Microvascular hepatic artery reconstruction in children with 6× loupe magnification can yield results as good as operative microscopy.
Using history and colposcopy to select women for endocervical curettage. Results from 2,287 cases.

OBJECTIVE To enhance the yield of endocervical curettage (ECC) by defining risks for abnormality. STUDY DESIGN Demographic and medical information collected at colposcopy and subsequent histology were reviewed retrospectively. Statistical analysis was by t and chi 2 tests. RESULTS Among 2,287 women undergoing ECC at colposcopy, in only 105 (5%) did positive ECC require excisional therapy that would not otherwise have been recommended. Women with positive ECC were older (mean, 39.0 vs. 33.2 years; P < .001) and of higher parity (mean, 3.0 vs. 2.0 births; P < .001), with earlier first intercourse (at 16.6 vs. 17.2 years, P = .006), more unsatisfactory colposcopy (148 [27%] of 545 women with unsatisfactory colposcopy vs. 183 [12%] of 1,523 women with satisfactory colposcopy; P < .001) and more colposcopic impressions of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2-3 (163 [51%] of 323 vs. 443 [25.6%] of 1,730 women with low grade or a negative impression; P < .001). The likelihood of missed CIN 2-3 was 0.4%, with no missed cancers among women with satisfactory colposcopy and either a normal colposcopic impression (1/254) or nulliparity (2/474). CONCLUSION ECC identifies otherwise-undetected preinvasive and invasive lesions but may be avoided in women with satisfactory colposcopy who are nulliparous or have no colposcopic lesions.
1 WEEKDAY EDUCATIONAL COURSE Everything You Wanted to Know about Magnetic Susceptibility & Why It Is Important

Gradient Recalled Echo (GRE) based MR imaging techniques have wide applications in MRI. Due to the absence of refocusing RF pulses GRE sequences are fast and since low flip angles are usually applied, GRE sequences have low specific absorption rate, hence are particularly well suited for high field MRI. While MR signal generated from GRE techniques is complex, most traditional applications rely only on magnitude information whereas the phase information from the data is usually discarded. However, certain newer applications also rely on phase data. Among these, Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI) (1,2) uses a specific algorithm based on GRE T2* weighted magnitude and phase data to create images sensitive to variations in tissue magnetic susceptibility resulting from sources such as venous blood, calcification, hemorrhage, iron stores, etc. Other techniques, some of which rely exclusively on the phase data of the GRE signal have also been intensely explored for uniquely characterizing anatomical structures that are especially evident at high field MRI (3-6), and even for creating maps of tissue magnetic susceptibility – the so called Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) (7-12). Another technique – Gradient Echo Plural Contrast Imaging (GEPCI) (13-15) combines information from phase and magnitude images obtained with multi-gradient-echo sequence to generate a variety of images. The information obtained from these techniques reveals image features complimentary to that obtained from traditional magnitude-based imaging and could improve our understanding of both normal tissue anatomy as well as changes in tissue in various pathological conditions.
Habitual exercise induced resistance to oxidative stress

We investigated whether habitual exercise (HE) modulates levels of oxidative DNA damage and responsiveness to oxidative stress induced by renal carcinogen Fe-nitrilotriacetic acid (Fe-NTA). During a ten week protocol, two groups of rats either remained sedentary or underwent swimming for 15–60 min per day, 5 days per week, with or without a weight equivalent to 5% of their body weight. Then we injected Fe-NTA and sacrificed the rats 1 h after the injection. We determined the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in diaphragm and kidney, evaluated levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8OHdG), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, and assayed OGG1 protein levels in kidney. SOD activity in the diaphragm and kidney was increased in HE rats. By itself, HE had no effect on the level of 8OHdG, but it did significantly suppress induction of 8OHdG by Fe-NTA, and the amount of suppression correlated with intensity of exercise. These results suggest that HE induces resistance to oxidative stress and, at least at the initiation stage, inhibits carcinogenesis.
Treatment of recurrent malignant supratentorial astrocytomas with carboplatin and etoposide combined with recombinant mutant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

BACKGROUND This study assesses the safety, tolerance and preliminary efficacy of combined treatment with carboplatin, etoposide and recombinant human mutant tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-SAM2) for recurrent malignant supratentorial astrocytomas at first relapse. MATERIALS AND METHODS Carboplatin was administered intravenously at a dose of 400 mg/m2 on Day 1, while etoposide was administered intravenously at a dose of 100 mg/m2 from Day 1 to Day 3 for 3 days. From Day 7, 80x10(4) U/m2 TNF-SAM2 was given intravenously for up to 5 injections for 2 weeks. Treatment was repeated every 8 to 12 weeks. RESULTS Ten patients previously treated with surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy with a nitrosourea (ranimustine: MCNU) for malignant astrocytomas received this regimen for up to four cycles. Three patients with anaplastic astrocytomas, one patient with anaplastic oligoastrocytoma and 6 patients with glioblastomas (3 men and 7 women), aged 27 to 69 years, were eligible and were evaluated for response and toxicity. Grade 2 and 3 hematological toxicities occurred in 4 (40%) and 2 patients (20%), respectively. Grade 2 hepatic toxicity was observed in two patients. Of 9 evaluable patients, three (33%), including one glioblastoma, partially responded to the treatment (PR) with time to tumor progression (TTP) of 231, 121 and 57 weeks, respectively. Two patients had stable disease (SD), while 4 glioblastomas (44%) had progressive disease (PD) with TTP values of 11, 15, 6 and 12 weeks, respectively. CONCLUSION These results suggest that combined therapy with carboplatin, etoposide and recombinant mutant TNF-alpha in this patient population seems to be safe and acceptable and may benefit those with recurrent anaplastic astrocytomas. These intriguing clinical observations warrant a properly stratified randomized trial to determine whether this approach can provide therapeutic benefits and improve survival.
Estimation of Serum Aldosterone and Electrolytes in Pregnancy Induced Hypertension

Pregnancy Induced Hypertension(PIH) is one of the most frequent complications of pregnancy , however little is known about its etiology. The renin angiotensin aldosterone system(RAAS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of PIH. The study of serum electrolytes is gaining ground in the pathophysiology of hypertension. The study sample consist of 50 normal non pregnant women, 50 normotensive pregnant women, and 50 preeclamptic pregnant women in their third trimester in Mosul city. The aim of this study was designed to evaluate the role of serum aldosterone and the serum electrolytes in pathogenesis of PIH. The results of this study showed that there was a highly significant reduction (P<0.000) in serum sodium, calcium, and aldosterone levels in preeclamptic pregnant women in comparison with normotensive pregnant women & the control group. While there is a highly significant elevation (P<0.000) in the serum level of potassium in preeclamptic women in comparison with normotensive pregnant women & the control group. The serum chloride level showed a highly significant reduction (P<0.006) in preeclamptic women in comparison with the normotensive pregnant women. The serum aldosterone has a positive and negative correlation with serum sodium and potassium respectively in preeclamptic pregnant women
Stability Through the Ages: The GSK Experience

It is common knowledge in the pharmaceutical industry that the quality of a company's compound collection has a major influence on the success of biological screening in drug discovery programs. DMSO is the widely accepted solvent of choice for storage of compounds, despite the hygroscopic nature of the solvent, which can lead to stability issues. Other factors that can affect compound stability (e.g., degradation, precipitation) include concentration of compound, intrinsic compound stability, presence of reactive contaminants, storage format-related factors (vessel, sealing, etc.), storage conditions (temperature, humidity, freeze-thaw technique and cycles, etc.), and storage time. To define the best practice for the storage and handling of solution samples, GlaxoSmithKline has undertaken stability experiments over more than a decade, initially to support the implementation of new automated liquid stores (ALS) and, subsequently, to enhance storage and use of compounds in solution through an understanding of compound degradation under storage and assay conditions. The experiments described used a number of technologies, including hyphenated liquid chromatography, electrospray mass spectrometry, flow chemiluminescence nitrogen detection, nuclear magnetic resonance, and Karl Fischer titration. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2009:547-556)
2 Indian Monsoon Depression : Climatology and Variability

The monsoon climate is traditionally characterized by large amount of seasonal rainfall and reversal of wind direction (e.g., Krishnamurti 1979). Most importantly this rainfall is the major source of fresh water to various human activities such as agriculture. The Indian subcontinent resides at the core of the Southeast Asian summer monsoon system (Fig.1) with the monsoon trough extended from northern India across Indochina to the Western Tropical Pacific (WTP). Large fraction of annual rainfall occurs during the summer monsoon season, i.e., June – August1, with two distinct maxima. One is located over the Bay of Bengal with rainfall extending northwestward into eastern and central India, and the other along the west coast of India where the lower level moist wind meets the Western Ghat Mountains (Saha and Bavardeckar 1976). The rest of the Indian subcontinent receives relatively less rainfall.
Hereditary red cell membrane defects: diagnostic and clinical aspects.

The plasma membrane of the erythrocyte accounts for all of this cell’s antigenic, transport, and mechanical characteristics, particularly its ability to undergo large passive deformations during repeated passage through the narrow capillaries of the microvasculature, throughout its 120-day life span. The determinant of normal membrane cohesion is the system of “vertical” linkages between the phospholipid bilayer and membrane skeleton, formed by the interactions of the cytoplasmic domains of various membrane proteins with the spectrin-based skeletal network. Band 3 and Rh-associated glycoprotein (RhAG) provide such links by interacting with ankyrin, which in turn binds to β-spectrin. Protein 4.2 binds to both band 3 and ankyrin and can regulate the avidity of the interaction between band 3 and ankyrin. Glycophorin C, band 3, XK, Rh, and Duffy all bind to protein 4.1R, the third member of the ternary junctional complex with β-spectrin and actin1–2. Red cell membrane disorders are inherited diseases due to mutations in various membrane or skeletal proteins, resulting in decreased red cell deformability, reduced life span and premature removal of the erythrocytes from the circulation. The red cell membrane disorders include hereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis, hereditary ovalocytosis and hereditary stomatocytosis.
Reduced Expression of EXTL2, a Member of the Exostosin (EXT) Family of Glycosyltransferases, in Human Embryonic Kidney 293 Cells Results in Longer Heparan Sulfate Chains*

Background: EXTL2 belongs to the exostosin family of glycosyltransferases involved in heparan sulfate biosynthesis. Results: We determined the effect of reduced or increased amounts of EXTL2 on heparan sulfate structure in a human cell line. Conclusion: EXTL2 levels influence heparan sulfate chain elongation. Significance: Knowledge about how EXTL2 influences heparan sulfate structure is crucial for understanding heparan sulfate dependent processes. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans are ubiquitously located on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrices. The negatively charged heparan sulfate chains interact with a multitude of different proteins, thereby influencing a variety of cellular and developmental processes, for example cell adhesion, migration, tissue morphogenesis, and differentiation. The human exostosin (EXT) family of genes contains five members: the heparan sulfate polymerizing enzymes, EXT1 and EXT2, and three EXT-like genes, EXTL1, EXTL2, and EXTL3. EXTL2 has been ascribed activities related to the initiation and termination of heparan sulfate chains. Here we further investigated the role of EXTL2 in heparan sulfate chain elongation by gene silencing and overexpression strategies. We found that siRNA-mediated knockdown of EXTL2 in human embryonic kidney 293 cells resulted in increased chain length, whereas overexpression of EXTL2 in the same cell line had little or no effect on heparan sulfate chain length. To study in more detail the role of EXTL2 in heparan sulfate chain elongation, we tested the ability of the overexpressed protein to catalyze the in vitro incorporation of N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine to oligosaccharide acceptors resembling unmodified heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate precursor molecules. Analysis of the generated products revealed that recombinant EXTL2 showed weak ability to transfer N-acetylgalactosamine to heparan sulfate precursor molecules but also, that EXTL2 exhibited much stronger in vitro N-acetylglucosamine-transferase activity related to elongation of heparan sulfate chains.
The Reverse Matthew Effect: Consequences of Retraction in Scientific Teams

Abstract Teamwork pervades modern production, yet teamwork can make individual roles difficult to ascertain. The Matthew effect suggests that communities reward eminent team members for great outcomes at the expense of less eminent team members. We study this phenomenon in reverse, investigating credit sharing after damaging events. Our context is article retractions in the sciences. We find that retractions impose little citation penalty on the prior work of eminent coauthors, but less eminent coauthors experience substantial citation declines, especially when teamed with eminent authors. These findings suggest a reverse Matthew effect for team-produced negative events. A Bayesian model provides a candidate interpretation.
3D Bolus Tracking with Frequency‐Shifted BURST MRI

Objective Our goal was to develop and test a 3D bolus-tracking MR technique for perfusion imaging of normal and pathological (infarcted) human brain. Materials and Methods All experiments were performed on standard 1.5 T GE/Signa clinical scanners. Five normal volunteers and one patient with a subacute brain infarct were studied. Modified [frequency-shifted (FS)] BURST MRI was performed during injection of a bolus of Gd-DTPA (0.13 mmol/kg) in the antecubital vein. The 3D datasets were acquired with a time resolution of 2.2 s and an effective spatial resolution of 4.3 ± 4.3 ± 6.4 mm. Three-dimensional maps of blood volume and bolus arrival time were determined by fitting a synthetic curve to the intensity time course on a voxel-by-voxel basis. Results Both relative cerebral blood volume and arrival time maps demonstrated sensitivity to regional differences in blood supply in both normal brain and in the subacute brain infarction. The transit time maps showed arrival time delays of 5–7 s within and around the infarct and confirmed the diagnosis of left middle cerebral artery occlusion. Conclusion The results of the measurements on both normal and diseased human brain demonstrated the ability to acquire valuable 3D information about brain perfusion using FS BURST MRI.
Brain Activation During Silent Word Generation Evaluated with Functional MRI

This is a study of word generation during functional MRI (fMRI). Eleven normal healthy subjects were instructed to generate words covertly, (i.e., silently) that began with particular letters. Images were acquired on a conventional 1.5T scanner at three contiguous axial planes encompassing language-related areas of the temporal and frontal lobe. The data were analyzed at the level of a Talairach box, after individually fitting the proportional Talairach grid system to each slice. The main variable of interest was the number of activated pixels within a Talairach box. Boxes with a significant increase in the proportion of activated pixels were located in three regions of the left neocortex: (1) Brodmann areas 44 and 45 in the dorsolateral frontal cortex (Broca's area), (2) areas 21 and 37 in the temporal cortex, (3) and the striate/extrastriate cortex (areas 17 & 18). The results are discussed in terms of a cognitive model of word generation and are compared, in detail, with the results of prior relevant imaging studies.