Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pseudohypoxic Brain Swelling (Postoperative Intracranial Hypotension-Associated Venous Congestion) After Spinal Surgery: Report of 2 Cases

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE:Pseudohypoxic brain swelling is a rare event that may occur after uneventful brain surgery when subgaleal vacuum drainage is used. To date, such cases of unexpected postoperative disturbances of consciousness associated with radiological signs of basal ganglia, thalamic, brainstem, and cerebellum damage without any signs of vessel occlusion have not been known to occur after spinal surgery. CLINICAL PRESENTATION:We report for the first time on 2 patients presenting with a clinical and radiological picture of pseudohypoxic brain swelling after spinal surgery. In the first patient, bilateral basal ganglia damage occurred after thoracic spondylodiscitis surgery, manifested by epileptic seizures and coma lasting 1 week postoperatively with subsequent recovery. The second patient suffered basal ganglia and cerebellar and brainstem infarction after lumbar spondylodiscitis surgery, resulting in death. Because intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage and use of postoperative epidural suction drainage with cerebrospinal fluid loss occurred in both cases, they are highly suspected to have potentially caused the complications. CONCLUSION:Pseudohypoxic brain swelling should be considered in patients with unexpected neurological deterioration after spinal surgery. It might be a form of postoperative intracranial hypotension-associated venous congestion, which should be distinguished from common postoperative cerebral ischemic events caused by arterial or venous occlusions.
Molecular interactions within the halophilic, thermophilic, and mesophilic prokaryotic ribosomal complexes: clues to environmental adaptation

Using the available crystal structures of 50S ribosomal subunits from three prokaryotic species: Escherichia coli (mesophilic), Thermus thermophilus (thermophilic), and Haloarcula marismortui (halophilic), we have analyzed different structural features of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), proteins, and of their interfaces. We have correlated these structural features with the environmental adaptation strategies of the corresponding species. While dense intra-rRNA packing is observed in thermophilic, loose intra-rRNA packing is observed in halophilic (both compared to mesophilic). Interestingly, protein–rRNA interfaces of both the extremophiles are densely packed compared to that of the mesophilic. The intersubunit bridge regions are almost devoid of cavities, probably ensuring the proper formation of each bridge (by not allowing any loosely packed region nearby). During rRNA binding, the ribosomal proteins experience some structural transitions. Here, we have analyzed the intrinsically disordered and ordered regions of the ribosomal proteins, which are subjected to such transitions. The intrinsically disordered and disorder-to-order transition sites of the thermophilic and mesophilic ribosomal proteins are simultaneously (i) highly conserved and (ii) slowly evolving compared to rest of the protein structure. Although high conservation is observed at such sites of halophilic ribosomal proteins, but slow rate of evolution is absent. Such differences between thermophilic, mesophilic, and halophilic can be explained from their environmental adaptation strategy. Interestingly, a universal biophysical principle evident by a linear relationship between the free energy of interface formation, interface area, and structural changes of r-proteins during assembly is always maintained, irrespective of the environmental conditions.
Psychophysiological Associations with Gastrointestinal Symptomatology in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often accompanied by gastrointestinal disturbances, which also may impact behavior. Alterations in autonomic nervous system functioning are also frequently observed in ASD. The relationship between these findings in ASD is not known. We examined the relationship between gastrointestinal symptomatology, examining upper and lower gastrointestinal tract symptomatology separately, and autonomic nervous system functioning, as assessed by heart rate variability and skin conductance level, in a sample of 120 individuals with ASD. Relationships with co‐occurring medical and psychiatric symptoms were also examined. While the number of participants with significant upper gastrointestinal tract problems was small in this sample, 42.5% of participants met criteria for functional constipation, a disorder of the lower gastrointestinal tract. Heart rate variability, a measure of parasympathetic modulation of cardiac activity, was found to be positively associated with lower gastrointestinal tract symptomatology at baseline. This relationship was particularly strong for participants with co‐occurring diagnoses of anxiety disorder and for those with a history of regressive ASD or loss of previously acquired skills. These findings suggest that autonomic function and gastrointestinal problems are intertwined in children with ASD; although it is not possible to assess causality in this data set. Future work should examine the impact of treatment of gastrointestinal problems on autonomic function and anxiety, as well as the impact of anxiety treatment on gastrointestinal problems. Clinicians should be aware that gastrointestinal problems, anxiety, and autonomic dysfunction may cluster in children with ASD and should be addressed in a multidisciplinary treatment plan. Autism Res 2017, 10: 276–288. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Indirect calorimetry in the mechanically ventilated patient

We used indirect calorimetry to measure oxygen consumption (&OV0312;o2) and carbon dioxide production in 29 mechanically ventilated patients. These data were compared to &OV0312;o2 measured simultaneously by a standard thermodilution technique. A good correlation was demonstrated between the methods, but &OV0312;o2 measured by indirect calorimetry was 15% higher than &OV0312;o2 measured by thermodilution.
Energy and reliability management in parallel real-time systems

Historically, slack time in real-time systems has been used as temporal redundancy by roll-back recovery schemes to increase system reliability in the presence of faults. However, with advanced technologies, slack time can also be used by energy management schemes to save energy. For reliable real-time systems where higher levels of reliability are as important as lower levels of energy consumption, centralized management of slack time is desired. For frame-based parallel real-time applications, energy management schemes are first explored. Although the simple static power management that evenly allocates static slack over a schedule is optimal for uni-processor systems, it is not optimal for parallel systems due to different levels of parallelism in a schedule. Taking parallelism variations into consideration, a parallel static power management scheme is proposed. When dynamic slack is considered, assuming global scheduling strategies, slack shifting and sharing schemes as well as speculation schemes are proposed for more energy savings. For simultaneous management of power and reliability, checkpointing techniques are first deployed to efficiently use slack time and the optimal numbers of checkpoints needed to minimize energy consumption or to maximize system reliability are explored. Then, an energy efficient optimistic modular redundancy scheme is addressed. Finally, a framework that encompasses energy and reliability management is proposed for obtaining optimal redundant, configurations. While exploring the trade-off between energy and reliability, the effects of voltage scaling on fault rates are considered.
Leptin Causes the Early Inhibition of Glycolysis- and TCA Cycle-Related Genes in the Brain of Ob/Ob Mice to Restore Fertility

Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is undoubtedly the commonest androgen disorder in woman’s fertile period and certainly one of the most prevalent causes of anovulation. The syndrome has an estimated prevalence of 4% - 10% among women of childbearing age. Previously, our group demonstrated the effect of gonadal white adipose tissue transplantation from wild-type lean and fertile female mice to isogenic obese anovulatory ob/ob mice. These complex metabolic interrelationships between obesity and PCOS have yet to be fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of gonadal white adipose tissue (WAT) transplantation from the wild-type lean and fertile female mice to isogenic obese, anovulatory mice (Lep ob/Lep ob) on the expression of glycolysis- and TCA cycle-related genes and obtain a general view of the glucose metabolism in the brain of these animals. Methods: Fifteen ob/ob mice ranging from 2 to 3 months of age were divided into 3 experimental groups: control normal weight (n = 5), obese control (n = 5) and obese 7 days leptin treated (n = 5). The whole brains of the mice were processed for RNA extraction. The samples from each group were used to perform PCR assays using an array plate containing 84 primers to study the glucose metabolism-related genes. Results: The glycolysis- and TCA cycle-related genes were significantly downregulated. The most significantly affected genes were as follows: for glycolysis (fold regulation with p
Management of Seizures in the Critically Ill

Seizures in a critically ill patient are not infrequent phenomena. Physicians are perplexed by the wide range of possible cranial or extracranial etiologies, alerted by the risk for further crucial organ compromise if seizures recur, and confused about the treatment options in an environment rich in complex drug interactions and multiple organ dysfunction. The advent of an armamentarium containing multiple new antiepileptic medications complicates the situation further, since several of them have less known mechanisms of action, side effects, or interactions with other intensive care unit (ICU) medications. This review contains useful information regarding the most common etiologies and treatment options for intensivists, consulting neurologists, neurosurgeons, or other specialized physicians treating ICU patients with seizures.
On the optimal weight vector of a perceptron with Gaussian data and arbitrary nonlinearity

The authors investigate the solution to the following problem: find the optimal weighted sum of given signals when the optimality criterion is the expected value of a function of this sum and a given 'training' signal. The optimality criterion can be a nonlinear function from a very large family of possible functions. A number of interesting cases fall under this general framework, such as a single layer perceptron with any of the commonly used nonlinearities, the least-mean-square (LMS), the LMF or higher moments, or the various sign algorithms. Assuming the signals to be jointly Gaussian, it is shown that the optimal solution, when it exits, is always collinear with the well-known Wiener solution, and only its scaling factor depends on the particular functions chosen. Necessary constructive conditions for the existence of the optimal solution are also presented. >
The ACTN 3 Gene and Differences between Playing Positions in Bone Mineral Content , Fat Mass and Lean Tissue Mass in the Arms , Legs and Trunk Of Rugby Union Football Players

Bell W1*, Colley JP2, Evans WD3, Darlington SE3, Cooper SM1 and Cobner DM1 1Cardiff School of Sport, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cyncoed, Cardiff, Wales, UK 2Wales Gene Park, Institute of Medical Genetics, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, Wales, UK 3Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff, Wales, UK Journal of Exercise, Sports & Orthopedics Open Access Research Article
Cognitive inflexibility in Japanese adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders.

AIM To investigate executive function in Japanese adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to Japanese controls. METHODS Thirty-three individuals with ASD and 33 controls participated. The ASD and control groups' demographic variables were matched for gender (male/female: 20/13 vs 20/13), age (26.1 ± 11.5 vs 26.8 ± 9.6), years of education (13.2 ± 2.9 vs 14.2 ± 1.9), full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) (103.0 ± 16.7 vs 103.7 ± 14.7), performance IQ (96.2 ± 16.1 vs 97.8 ± 15.0), and verbal IQ (107.9 ± 16.3 vs 107.7 ± 14.4). Participants performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), which assesses the executive processes involved in problem solving and cognitive flexibility, and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), which assesses attention and impulsivity. Symptoms were assessed by the Autism-Spectrum Quotient Japanese version (AQ-J). First, we compared the scores of the WCST between the groups using a Mann-Whitney U-test and conducted an analysis of covariance for the variables with the scores of category archives and CPT scores as covariates. Second, we analyzed the correlation between the scores of the WCST and the AQ-J in the ASD group using Pearson's r. RESULTS The total errors (TE) and the percentages of perseverative errors of the Milner type (%PEM) and Nelson type (%PEN) among the TE in the ASD group were significantly worse compared with the control group (ASD vs Control, respectively: TE: 16.0 ± 6.2 vs 12.6 ± 3.5, P = 0.012; %PEM: 11.7 ± 10.7 vs 6.6 ± 8.9, P = 0.037; %PEN: 20.1 ± 14.5 vs 8.7 ± 10.4, P = 0.0011). In contrast, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in the scores of categories achieved on the WCST or the CPT. An analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the groups in the %PEN scores (P = 0.0062) but not in the TE or the %PEM scores. These results suggest that Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD have cognitive inflexibility. Furthermore, our results suggest that Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD may have difficulties using negative feedback because perseverative errors of the Nelson type indicate persistence in choosing the incorrect reaction. By contrast, there was no significant correlation between the WCST and AQ-J scores. CONCLUSION We confirmed the presence of cognitive inflexibility in Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD. Our results also indicated that subjects with ASD may not use negative feedback effectively.
Chédiak-Higashi syndrome

Chediak-Higashi syndrome is a condition that affects many parts of the body, particularly the immune system. This disease damages immune system cells, leaving them less able to fight off invaders such as viruses and bacteria. As a result, most people with Chediak-Higashi syndrome have repeated and persistent infections starting in infancy or early childhood. These infections tend to be very serious or life-threatening.
A chronopharmacologic phase II clinical trial with 5‐fluorouracil, folinic acid, and oxaliplatin using an ambulatory multichannel programmable pump. High antitumor effectiveness against metastatic colorectal cancer

A significant increase in the dose intensity of chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidines and platinum complexes has resulted from selective circadian timing and/or circadian modulation of the infusion rate. The relevance of such chronopharmacologic strategy for improving the outcome of metastatic colorectal cancer was evaluated in an extended Phase II clinical trial involving 93 patients. Cancer 1992; 69:893–899.
A Systematic Review of Treatment Modalities for Alcohol Use Disorder

Currently, there is an increasing recognition of the importance of treatment for alcohol use disorder, and how this condition has major impacts on a large percentage of the population. Given current economic conditions, the move from inpatient treatment to outpatient treatment, and several different recommended approaches, it is appropriate to review the range of treatment available for alcohol use disorder to determine if there can be a single recommended treatment approach. Detoxification is the initial step toward recovery, and may be accompanied by brief interventions to effect changes in alcohol use through the harm reduction approach. For some individuals, this may be the final form of therapy while others will engage in therapy that increases in duration and intensity through a stepped care approach. From this review it is clear that there are multiple possible treatment modalities for alcohol use disorders. These include programs focusing on elements of social control, behavioural economics, behavioural choice, social learning, and stress and coping mechanisms. In addition, the length and duration of therapy varies; however, elements of motivational interviewing (MI), motivational enhancement therapy (MET), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and mindfulness meditation (MM) are found in brief interventions during detoxification, harm reduction approaches, inpatient and residential care programs, and self-help programs. These therapies enable the individual to restructure their thought processes, perception of events, and enhance coping skills and self-efficacy. However, the research data for all of these proposed approaches is relatively limited, certainly in terms of frequent studies demonstrating significant improvements in abstinence at 12-months or longer. Nonetheless, despite a large variety of options, the current research evidence is not strong enough to identify optimal treatment strategies for diverse populations. For example, when discussing alcohol dependence, it is unclear what components of a treatment pathway are necessary and sufficient to produce positive outcomes for specific populations. Long term prospective studies including sustained remission as an outcome for each approach are lacking, with most literature reporting outcomes within the first year post-treatment. In addition, studies on alcohol use disorders do not always incorporate a control or comparator groups. Variations in design and demonstrated difficulties in reproducing results across study sites further contribute to the challenge of developing treatment guidelines from available research.
In Vitro Effects of Sulfonylurea on Glucose Transport and Translocation of Glucose Transporters in Adipocytes From Streptozocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

The in vitro effects of the sulfonylurea glyburide on insulin binding and action were comparedin adipocytes from control and nonketotic streptozocininduced diabetic rats. Adipose tissue from control and diabetic animals was maintained in the absence or presence of 2 μg/ml glyburidefor 20 h. Insulin binding and insulin-stimulated glucose transport were examined in adipocytes prepared from this tissue. As expected, insulin binding was increased in adipocytes from diabetic animals. Exposure of tissue to glyburide did not influence insulin binding in either control or diabetic cells. Glucose transport activity of diabetic cells, assessed with 2-deoxyglucose, was decreased 30–40% in both the absence (basal) and presence of insulin compared with controls. Glyburide potentiated insulin's effects in both control (15–20%) and diabetic (30–40%) adipocytes. As a result, glucose transport activity in glyburide-treated diabetic cells was restored to a level similar to that of control cells not exposed to the drug. The mechanism by which glyburide potentiatedglucose transport activity was examined with the D-glucose-displaceable cytochalasin B-binding technique to measure glucose-transporter concentration in membranes prepared from control and diabetic adipocytes exposed to the drug. Adipocytes from this model of diabetes are known to have a decreased cellular content of glucose transporters. The concentration of glucose transporters was decreased by 31% in plasma membranes from insulin-treated diabetic cells. There were corresponding decreases in diabetic microsomal and total membrane fractions. There was also a 40% decrease in the translocation of transporters from the microsomes to the plasma membrane in response to insulin in diabetic cells. Glyburide exposure increased the concentration of transporters in plasmamembranes from insulin-treated control and diabetic cells by 18 and 33%, respectively. Glyburide exposure also increased the concentration of glucose transporters in total adipocyte membrane preparations from diabetic but not control animals. Glyburide potentiates insulin-stimulated glucose transport in both control and diabetic adipocytes. In control cells, this effect is due to an increase in the efficiency of the translocation process. In diabetic cells, both cellular transporter content and the translocation process are increased by glyburide.
The effects of statins on mortality rates among bacteremic patients.

SIR-Liappis et al. [1] noted decreased mortality rates among bacteremic patients who were receiving statins, but they were not able to define the mechanisms by which this reduction in the mortality rate occurred. It has recently been proposed that endothelial apoptosis could be the pivotal event in the pathogenesis of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiple-organ dysfunction syndrome [2]. Endothelial apoptosis is caused by Staphylococcus aureus, lipopolysaccharides, and numerous other factors commonly associated with bacteremia and sepsis, and it can be prevented by the use of statins [2, 3]. Other forms of treatment have a dem-
Palliative Care Consults in Nursing Homes and Reductions in Acute Care Use and Potentially Burdensome End-of-Life Transitions

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES— To evaluate how receipt and timing of nursing home (NH) palliative care consults (primarily by nurse practitioners with palliative care expertise) is associated with end-of-life care transitions and acute care use DESIGN— A propensity-score (pscore) matched retrospective cohort study SETTING— Forty-six NHs in two states PARTICIPANTS— NH residents who died in 2006–2010 stratified by days between initial consult and death: ≤7, 8–30, 31–60 or 61–180. By strata, pscore matching identified three controls (n=1,174) for each consult recipient (n=477). MEASUREMENTS— Outcomes were hospitalizations in the last 7, 30 and 60 days of life, emergency room visits in the last 30 and 60 days, and any potentially burdensome care transition defined as hospitalization or hospice admission within three days of death or two or more hospitalizations or emergency room visits within 30. Weighted multivariate logistic regression analyses evaluated outcomes. RESULTS— Residents with consults (compared to controls) had lower rates of hospitalization, with rates lowest when initial consults were furthest from death. For instance, among residents with initial consults 8–30 days before death the adjusted hospitalization rate in the last seven days of life was 11.1% (95% CI, 9.79 to 12.43) compared to 22.0% (95% CI, 20.62 to 23.41) among controls; however, among those with initial consults 61–180 days before death, rates were 6.9% (95% CI, 5.47 to 8.37) compared to 22.9% (95% CI, 20.48 to 25.42). Potentially burdensome transition rates were lower when consults were 61–180 days before death (16.2% (95% CI, 13.74 to 18.57) compared to 28.2% (95% CI, 25.82 to 30.59)) for controls. CONCLUSION— Findings suggest palliative care consults improve end-of-life NH care by reducing acute care use and potentially burdensome care transitions.