Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immune function early in acute pancreatitis

Circulating lymphocyte numbers and activation together with granulocyte function were measured in 20 patients in the early stages of an attack of acute pancreatitis and in 20 healthy controls. Circulating lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, and CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte subsets were decreased in both mild pancreatitis (67–80 per cent of controls) and severe pancreatitis (22–40 per cent of controls). CD4: CD8 ratios were unchanged and median (interquartile range) interleukin 2 receptor expression was increased from less than 1 per cent in controls to 14(6) per cent in severe pancreatitis, suggesting lymphocyte activation. Median granulocyte chemiluminescence was increased to 293 per cent of controls in severe pancreatitis and random motility was reduced to 77 per cent of controls, indicating increased metabolic activity. Complement‐mediated antibody‐independent opsonization and chemotaxis toward endotoxin were normal. Immune function is not reduced early in acute pancreatitis. Granulocyte hyperactivity may be important in the development of multiple organ failure.
Prevalence of HPV cervical infection in a family planning clinic determined by polymerase chain reaction and dot blot hybridisation

The overall prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) cervical infection in 131 women attending a family planning clinic was 7% (HPV 6/11,16,18,31) by dot blot hybridisation, 53% (HPV 11,16,31) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and 56% by the two methods combined. HPV 16 and 18 were the commonest types (4% each) by dot blot, HPV 16 (39%) by PCR. Fifteen percent of subjects had mildly abnormal cervical cytology (grades 1A, 2A, or 3). There was no significant correlation between cytological abnormality and HPV positivity, or between cytological or HPV status and other postulated risk factors for cervical neoplasia.
Influence Maximization in Hypergraphs

Influence maximization in complex networks, i.e., maximizing the size of influenced nodes via selecting K seed nodes for a given spreading process, has attracted great attention in recent years. However, the influence maximization problem in hypergraphs, in which the hyperedges are leveraged to represent the interactions among more than two nodes, is still an open question. In this paper, we propose an adaptive degree-based heuristic algorithm, i.e., Heuristic Degree Discount (HDD), which iteratively selects nodes with low influence overlap as seeds, to solve the influence maximization problem in hypergraphs. We further extend algorithms from ordinary networks as baselines and compare the performance of the proposed algorithm and baselines on both real data and synthetic hypergraphs. Results show that HDD outperforms the baselines in terms of both effectiveness and efficiency. Moreover, the experiments on synthetic hypergraphs indicate that HDD shows high performance, especially in hypergraphs with heterogeneous degree distribution.
The relative bioavailability of diclofenac with respect to time of administration.

The pharmacokinetics of diclofenac after a single oral dose (50 mg) were studied in 10 healthy adults on two occasions separated by 2 weeks, once in the morning (dose administered at 07.00 h) and once in the evening (dose at 19.00 h). Peak serum drug concentrations as well as the area under the drug concentration-time curve were significantly less during the night compared with the day (Cmax: 1886 +/- s.d 901 vs 2791 +/- 1565 ng ml-1 and AUC: 2807 +/- 1376 vs 3681 +/- 1986 ng ml-1 h). However, the time to reach peak concentration (tmax) and the half-life of diclofenac (t1/2) were not significantly different on the two occasions. We suggest that the extent of diclofenac absorption is slightly lower following administration in the evening compared with administration in the morning.
Increased exhaled nitric oxide in chronic bronchitis: comparison with asthma and COPD.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that exhaled nitric oxide (NO) is increased in patients with chronic bronchitis, and to compare the results with exhaled NO in patients with asthma and COPD. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING AND PATIENTS Veterans Administration pulmonary function laboratory. Patients (n = 179) were recruited from 234 consecutive patients. Two nonsmoking control groups of similar age, with normal spirometry measurements and no lung disease, were used (18 patient control subjects and 20 volunteers). MEASUREMENTS Participants completed questionnaires and spirometry testing. Exhaled NO was measured by chemiluminescence using a single-breath exhalation technique. RESULTS Current smoking status was associated with reduced levels of exhaled NO (smokers, 9. 2 +/- 0.9 parts per billion [ppb]; never and ex-smokers, 14.3 +/- 0. 6 ppb; p < 0.0001). Current smokers (n = 57) were excluded from further analysis. Among nonsmokers, the levels of exhaled NO were significantly higher in patients with chronic bronchitis (17.0 +/- 1. 1 ppb; p = 0.035) and asthma (16.4 +/- 1.3 ppb; p = 0.05) but not in those with COPD (14.7 +/- 1.0 ppb; p = 0.17) when compared with either control group (patient control subjects, 11.1 +/- 1.6 ppb; outside control subjects, 11.5 +/- 1.5 ppb). The highest mean exhaled NO concentration occurred in patients with both chronic bronchitis and asthma (20.2 +/- 1.6 ppb; p = 0.005 vs control subjects). CONCLUSIONS Exhaled NO is increased in patients with chronic bronchitis. The increase of exhaled NO in patients with chronic bronchitis was similar to that seen in patients with asthma. The highest mean exhaled NO occurred in patients with both chronic bronchitis and asthma. Exhaled NO was not increased in patients with COPD. Although chronic bronchitis and asthma have distinct histopathologic features, increased exhaled NO in patients with both diseases suggests common features of inflammation.
Inability to Access Addiction Treatment and Risk of HIV Infection Among Injection Drug Users

It was recently found that 94% of the nearly $500 million allocated annually to Canada's illicit drug strategy has been spent on enforcement-based interventions. As a result, lack of funds for addiction treatment has meant demand for substance abuse treatment among illicit drug users has exceeded availability. This study evaluated whether injection drug users (IDUs) who reported being unable to access addiction treatment were at elevated risk of HIV infection. A prospective analysis was done of factors associated with syringe borrowing by baseline HIV-negative IDUs among participants enrolled in the Vancouver Injecting Drug Users Study (VIDUS). Since serial measures for each individual were available, variables potentially associated with syringe borrowing were evaluated using generalized estimating equations (GEEs) with logit link for binary outcomes. Overall, 1157 HIV-negative IDUs were enrolled into the VIDUS cohort between May 1996 and May 2002. Unsuccessful attempts to access addiction treatment were associated with reporting syringe borrowing during follow-up in both univariate (odds ratio 1.72; 95% CI 1.47–2.00; P < 0.001) and in multivariate GEE analyses (adjusted odds ratio 1.29; 95% CI 1.09–1.53; P = 0.003). Inability to access addiction treatment was independently associated with syringe borrowing among HIV-negative IDUs at risk for HIV infection. These findings suggest that the limited provision of addiction treatment may result in a major missed opportunity to reduce HIV transmission behavior among IDUs and that the expansion of addiction treatment services has major potential to reduce the substantial human and fiscal costs of HIV infection.
Myocardial adrenergic dysinnervation in dilated cardiomyopathy: cornerstone or epiphenomenon?

During the last few decades, interest in inflammatory cardiomyopathy has been growing. This interest has developed over the years because of substantial animal experimental data supporting the hypothesis that a pathogenetic link exists between infectious agents (usually viruses) and subsequent immune-mediated damage to the myocardium resulting in dilated cardiomyopathy (1–3) and because of human studies providing evidence of a significant prevalence of the viral genome in the heart of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (2). These studies provided new insights into the immunologic mechanisms of the disease and into potential therapies for humans (4). Although a possible causal link between myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy has been suggested (5,6), definitive proof of such a link is still lacking. Dilated cardiomyopathy is an important cause of heart failure. A recent analysis of the data published between 1966 and 1997 showed a 21% incidence of progression to dilated cardiomyopathy over a mean o f3y( 7) in patients with a clinical or histologic diagnosis of acute myocarditis of viral or unknown origin. Whatever the cause of heart failure, increased adrenergic activity plays a critical role in the evolution of the disease. Much experimental evidence has accumulated over the past few decades that shows that the failing human heart is adrenergically supported (8 –10), and adrenergic support helps to maintain cardiac performance over the short term by modulating contractility and heart rate. A possibility is that it is the increase in cardiac adrenergic drive, leading to local release of the adrenergic neurotransmitter, rather than an increase in circulating norepinephrine (NE) that is both initially supportive and then ultimately deleterious to the failing heart (11–13). Catecholamines are actually cytotoxic substances. Oxidative metabolites of epinephrine have been shown to induce coronary spasm, arrhythmias, myocardial necrosis and ultrastructural damage, and ventricular dysfunction (14,15). Hydroxydopamine acts as a neurotoxin that causes degeneration of sympathetic nerve endings and leads to myocardial denervation lesions, which
Adaptation of Islets of Langerhans to Pregnancy: β-Cell Growth, Enhanced Insulin Secretion and the Role of Lactogenic Hormones

Pregnancy is a unique event in the life span of islet beta-cells. Under the influence of pregnancy islet beta-cells undergo major long term up-regulatory structural and functional changes in response to the increased demand for insulin. Adaptive changes that occur in islets during normal pregnancy include: 1) increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion with a lowered threshold for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, 2) increased insulin synthesis, 3) increased beta-cell proliferation and islet volume, 4) increased gap-junctional coupling among beta-cells, 5) increased glucose metabolism, and 6) increased c-AMP metabolism. Of the islet changes that occur during pregnancy the increase in beta-cell division and enhanced glucose sensitivity of insulin secretion are most notable. The increase in beta-cell division leads to an increase in islet mass that contributes to the ability of islets to respond to the increased need for insulin. However, the increased glucose sensitivity of beta-cells is likely to be more important. The lowering of the threshold for glucose stimulated insulin secretion is the primary mechanism by which beta-cells can release significantly more insulin under normal blood glucose concentrations. Although the hormonal changes which occur during pregnancy are complex, it appears that lactogenic influences (either placental lactogen and/or prolactin) are sufficient to induce all of the up-regulatory changes that occur in islets during pregnancy. We have demonstrated that rat placental lactogens I and II are the hormones responsible for up-regulating islets during rodent pregnancy. Although most studies have been done using rodent islets, available evidence strongly suggests that human placental lactogen and/or human prolactin are the responsible lactogens for up-regulating islets during human pregnancy. A model for how lactogens up-regulate islets during pregnancy is proposed.
Toothbrushing frequency as it relates to plaque development and gingival health.

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL and experimental studies have dem­ onstrated that gingival inflammation, as well as dental caries, is dependent upon the presence of bacterial plaque on the teeth. 1 9 On a clean tooth surface, plaque begins to develop with the formation of a salivaryand glycoprotein containing pellicle 1 0 1 3 into which bacteria may subsequently colonize . 1 4 1 8 Alterations in the bac­ terial flora, and changes in the chemical composition of plaque as it grows have been demonstrated. 2 0 2 3 However, information on the rate of plaque growth and its pattern of development on the dentition is lacking.
Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of MS-275, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, in patients with advanced and refractory solid tumors or lymphoma.

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to define the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), the recommended phase II dose, the dose-limiting toxicity, and determine the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic profiles of MS-275. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphoma were treated with MS-275 orally initially on a once daily x 28 every 6 weeks (daily) and later on once every-14-days (q14-day) schedules. The starting dose was 2 mg/m2 and the dose was escalated in three- to six-patient cohorts based on toxicity assessments. RESULTS With the daily schedule, the MTD was exceeded at the first dose level. Preliminary PK analysis suggested the half-life of MS-275 in humans was 39 to 80 hours, substantially longer than predicted by preclinical studies. With the q14-day schedule, 28 patients were treated. The MTD was 10 mg/m2 and dose-limiting toxicities were nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and fatigue. Exposure to MS-275 was dose dependent, suggesting linear PK. Increased histone H3 acetylation in peripheral-blood mononuclear-cells was apparent at all dose levels by immunofluorescence analysis. Ten of 29 patients remained on treatment for > or = 3 months. CONCLUSION The MS-275 oral formulation on the daily schedule was intolerable at a dose and schedule explored. The q14-day schedule is reasonably well tolerated. Histone deacetylase inhibition was observed in peripheral-blood mononuclear-cells. Based on PK data from the q14-day schedule, a more frequent dosing schedule, weekly x 4, repeated every 6 weeks is presently being evaluated.
Elastofibromatous change of the oral mucosa: case report and literature review

Elastofibroma is an uncommon fibrous pseudotumor that usually occurs in the subscapular region of middle‐aged and older adults. Since its seminal description, cases of elastofibroma or elastofibroma‐like proliferations have been identified at several anatomic locations, including the foot, hand, thigh, olecranon, gastrointestinal tract, trachea, dorsal spine and eye. Involvement of the oral cavity is rare, with only four cases reported to date. Herein, we report a case of elastofibromatous change in the soft palate of a 55‐year‐old man and review the literature regarding pathogenesis, clinicopathologic features, differential diagnosis and management.
Use of alternative health care practices by persons with serious mental illness: perceived benefits.

Perceived benefit has been identified as an important factor influencing the decision to use alternative medicine for various health problems.1 Although research examining the use of alternative health care practices in the treatment of psychiatric disorders has been increasing,2–7 little is known about the specific benefits experienced by users with mental illness. A few studies4,5 have attempted to address this issue by having respondents assess the extent to which a given practice was experienced as helpful. This report presents preliminary findings on the perceived benefits of alternative health care practices used by adults with serious mental illness (SMI) who participated in a larger exploratory study on the role of such practices in mental health recovery.
Prevalence of Metallo Beta Lactamase Production among Bacterial Isolates in Cases of Neonatal Septicemia in HAHC Hospital, Delhi, India

Bacterial sepsis is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among neonates. It is characterized as generalized bacterial infection indicated by positive blood culture in the first four weeks of life (Agarwal et al., 2001). The common causative agents for neonatal sepsis are Staphylococcus spp, Enterococci spp, E. coli, Klebsiella spp, Enterobacter spp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp (Roy et al., 2002). Metallo-beta-lactamase is an enzyme that makes bacteria resistant to a broad range of beta-lactam antibiotics including Carbapenem family. The spread of these enzymes severely limits therapeutic options for infections by pathogens (Peleg et al., 2005).
Identifying design-code inconsistencies in object-oriented software: a case study

Traceability is a key issue to ensure consistency among software artifacts of subsequent phases of the development cycle. However few works have addressed the theme of tracing object oriented design into its software. This paper presents an approach to check the compliance of OO design with respect to source code. The process works on design artefacts expressed in OMT notation and accepts C++ source code. It recovers an "as is" design from the code, compares recovered design with the actual design and helps the user to deal with inconsistency by pointing out regions of code which do not match with design. The recovery process exploits regular expression and edit distance to bridge the gap between code and design. Results as well as consideration related to presentation issues are reported in the paper.
Polymorphic DNA haplotypes at the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) locus in European families with phenylketonuria (PKU).

DNA haplotype data from the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) locus are available from a number of European populations as a result of RFLP testing for genetic counseling in families with phenylketonuria (PKU). We have analyzed data from Hungary and Czechoslovakia together with published data from five additional countries--Denmark, Switzerland, Scotland, Germany, and France--representing a broad geographic and ethnographic range. The data include 686 complete chromosomal haplotypes for eight RFLP sites assayed in 202 unrelated Caucasian families with PKU. Forty-six distinct RFLP haplotypes have been observed to date, 10 unique to PKU-bearing chromosomes, 12 unique to non-PKU chromosomes, and the remainder found in association with both types. Despite the large number of haplotypes observed (still much less than the theoretical maximum of 384), five haplotypes alone account for more than 76% of normal European chromosomes and four haplotypes alone account for more than 80% of PKU-bearing chromosomes. We evaluated the distribution of haplotypes and alleles within these populations and calculated pairwise disequilibrium values between RFLP sites and between these sites and a hypothetical PKU "locus. " These are statistically significant differences between European populations in the frequencies of non-PKU chromosomal haplotypes (P = .025) and PKU chromosomal haplotypes (P much less than .001). Haplotype frequencies of the PKU and non-PKU chromosomes also differ significantly (P much less than .001. Disequilibrium values are consistent with the PAH physical map and support the molecular evidence for multiple, independent PKU mutations in Caucasians. However, the data do not support a single geographic origin for these mutations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Nonstructural Protein 5A (NS5A) and Human Replication Protein A Increase the Processivity of Hepatitis C Virus NS5B Polymerase Activity In Vitro

ABSTRACT The precise role(s) and topological organization of different factors in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA replication complex are not well understood. In order to elucidate the role of viral and host proteins in HCV replication, we have developed a novel in vitro replication system that utilizes a rolling-circle RNA template. Under close-to-physiological salt conditions, HCV NS5BΔ21, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, has poor affinity for the RNA template. Human replication protein A (RPA) and HCV NS5A recruit NS5BΔ21 to the template. Subsequently, NS3 is recruited to the replication complex by NS5BΔ21, resulting in RNA synthesis stimulation by helicase. Both RPA and NS5A(S25-C447), but not NS5A(S25-K215), enabled the NS5BΔ21-NS3 helicase complex to be stably associated with the template and synthesize RNA product in a highly processive manner in vitro. This new in vitro HCV replication system is a useful tool that may facilitate the study of other replication factors and aid in the discovery of novel inhibitors of HCV replication. IMPORTANCE The molecular mechanism of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication is not fully understood, but viral and host proteins collaborate in this process. Using a rolling-circle RNA template, we have reconstituted an in vitro HCV replication system that allows us to interrogate the role of viral and host proteins in HCV replication and delineate the molecular interactions. We showed that HCV NS5A(S25-C447) and cellular replication protein A (RPA) functionally cooperate as a processivity factor to stimulate HCV replication by HCV NS5BΔ21 polymerase and NS3 helicase. This system paves the way to test other proteins and may be used as an assay for discovery of HCV inhibitors.
Fatigue , Health and Well-being of Iran Railroad Locomotive Engineers and Conductors in Relation with Organizational Variables Khani

This research investigated the relationship of fatigue, health, well-being and demographic variables in Iran railroad operators. 413 locomotive engineers and conductors out of 2400 were randomly selected to answer to job-organizational factors of locomotive engineers and conductors questionnaire and personal data sheet. Cronbach,s alpha of questionnaire was 0.891. Its validity estimated through pilot study on 50 participants and specialist confirmation and calculated CVI (0.95). Correlation, t-test, one-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test were used to data analysis. Results indicated that there were significant relationship between age & personnel fatigue; well-being & salary; health & work system; fatigue, health & Well-Being with job position and work experience (p<0.001). In addition there weren’t found significant relationship between these variables and marital status, having child, kind of training and educational level.
Evaluation of Gross and Fine Motor Functions in Children With Hemidecortication: Predictors of Outcomes and Timing of Surgery

The purpose of this study is three-fold: First, to determine the levels of gross and fine motor functions in children before and after hemidecortication, using standardized measurement tools; second, to investigate if predictors of these outcomes can be characterized; and third, to explore if both clinical measures and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) potentially can identify optimal timing of surgery. The Gross Motor Function Measure and the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test are shown to be comprehensive, standardized outcome measures of movement performance in affected children. Age at surgery and interval between age at seizure onset and age at surgery could be the most reliable predictors of clinical outcomes. Functional MRI studies are valuable in exploring the potential of the cortical reorganization that sustains residual sensorimotor function. The combination of clinical measures with functional MRI is a promising method of inquiry into developmental and plasticity processes. (J Child Neurol 1999;14:304-315).