Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postoperative Sepsis in an Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Ward

Background: Postoperative sepsis constitutes a considerable proportion of surgical healthcare problems and upper gastrointestinal surgery includes high risk procedures. The challenge in early diagnosis of postoperative sepsis is to separate the inflammatory response to surgery from that of an infection, i.e. sepsis. Recent studies suggest risk factors and early markers of postoperative sepsis. Assessment tools for vital signs are used but no established screening tool aimed specifically to identify postoperative sepsis exists. Efforts made to diminish the problems of sepsis focus mainly on severe sepsis and its treatment. When approaching early identification of sepsis the guidelines directs mostly to patients in the ICU, not patients in surgical wards. Objective: To identify possible predicative risk factors for postoperative sepsis and clinical and laboratory parameters useful for early-stage diagnosis of postoperative sepsis. Methods: Data from 50 patients submitted to upper gastrointestinal surgery were prospectively collected at the Haukeland University hospital, Bergen, Norway. The four parameters of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and CRP were followed daily postoperatively. In order to find possible preoperative and postoperative risk factors for postoperative sepsis logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: The progress of the parameters respiratory frequency, heart rate, body temperature and CRP over the first ten postoperative days turned out to be significant early markers of postoperative sepsis. The incidence of postoperative sepsis in this upper gastrointestinal surgical setting was 16% with a lethal outcome of 25% for the sepsis patients. The sepsis patients were more likely to have a malignancy and they had a longer hospital stay than no-sepsis patients. Conclusions: This study suggests that it is the dynamics of the clinical parameters of SIRS and CRP that are of significant importance when identifying postoperative sepsis. A screening tool for postoperative sepsis should take into account repeated measurements (i.e. abnormal values over time) when alerting for signs of sepsis, rather than one single data gathering.
Empirical Exchange Rate Models of the Nineties: Are Any Fit to Survive?

Previous assessments of forecasting performance of exchange rate models have focused upon a narrow set of models typically of the 1970’s vintage. The canonical papers in this literature are by Meese and Rogoff (1983, 1988), who examined monetary and portfolio balance models. Succeeding works by Mark (1995) and Chinn and Meese (1995) focused on similar models. In this paper we re-assess exchange rate prediction using a wider set of models that have been proposed in the last decade: interest rate parity, productivity based models, and a composite specification incorporating the real interest differential, portfolio balance and nontradables price channels. The performance of these models is compared against two reference specifications – the purchasing power parity and the Dornbusch-Frankel sticky price monetary model. The models are estimated in error correction and first-difference specifications. Rather than estimating the cointegrating vector over the entire sample and treating it as part of the ex ante information set as is commonly done in the literature, we also update the cointegrating vector, thereby generating true ex ante forecasts. We examine model performance at various forecast horizons (1 quarter, 4 quarters, 20 quarters) using differing metrics (mean squared error, direction of change), as well as the “consistency” test of Cheung and Chinn (1998). No model consistently outperforms a random walk, by a mean squared error measure; however, along a direction-of-change dimension, certain structural models do outperform a random walk with statistical significance. Moreover, one finds that these forecasts are cointegrated with the actual values of exchange rates, although in a large number of cases, the elasticity of the forecasts with respect to the actual values is different from unity. Overall, model/specification/currency combinations that work well in one period will not necessarily work well in another period.
The stable isotopic composition of Daphnia ephippia reﬂects changes in δ 13 C and δ 18 O values of food and water

The stable isotopic composition of fossil resting eggs (ephippia) of Daphnia spp. is being used to reconstruct past environmental conditions in lake ecosystems. However, the underlying assumption that the stable isotopic composition of the ephippia reﬂects the stable isotopic composition of the parent Daphnia , of their diet and of the environmental water have yet to be conﬁrmed in a controlled experimental setting.
G6PD Deﬁciency in Endogamous Bhilala, Barela and Korku Tribes of Malaria Endemic Regions of Central India

: Present study demonstrates the distribution of erythrocytic enzyme, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC. 1.1.1.49) deﬁciency in male counterparts belonging to different age groups of three tribes, namely Bhilala, Barela and Korku of Central India. Tribes have shown the prevalence to be remarkably high, 13.81% among Korku of Pachmarhi hills of Hoshangabad district followed by Bhilala, 10.20% and Barela, 9.59% of Barwani in West Nimar of Madhya Pradesh. Both the study areas have shown past history of variably high malaria endemicity. The distribution of G6PD deﬁciency is remarkably similar to that of malaria hence, showing positive correlation lending support to the so-called malaria protection hypothesis. All the three tribes practice clan exogamy and avoid marriages in other tribes and in close relations or consanguinity. Beside this, inbreeding as evidenced by marital distance is considerably high in Korku followed by Barela and Bhilala. Moreover, the incidence of intra-village marriages was noted strikingly high at 43.21% among Korku inhabiting hilly terrain of Pachmarhi. Inbreeding might be an additional factor responsible for the prevalence of G6PD deﬁciency in different degrees in the tribes besides considering extensive exposure to malaria infection over time in past. Little difference was noted in prevalence of G6PD deﬁciency in different age groups within and among the tribes investigated with no clear declining trend in ascending age groups, suggesting that there is no serious adverse effect of the G6PD (-) gene on the tribes tested. This inference is also supported by some family studies, where two or more male subjects were detected to be G6PD deﬁcient, reporting no any incidence of infant or pre-reproductive mortality.
Low-Dose Pamidronate Therapy for Pediatric Osteoporosis: Influence of Diagnosis on Changes in Fracture Rate and Bone Mineral Density

Controversy surrounds the optimal agent, dose and duration of bisphosphonate therapy for pediatric osteoporosis. We conducted a prospective, observational study of low-dose (4 mg/kg/year) intravenous pamidronate in 31 children with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) or non-OI osteoporosis treated for a median of 39 months (range 6.5-164). Subjects in both diagnostic groups showed significant gains in spine areal Bone Mineral Density (aBMD) during the first year of therapy (29% median gain in children with OI and 15% in children with non-OI osteoporosis). Fracture frequency also declined significantly in both patient groups during the first year of treatment, including for two patients who had <10% improvement in spine aBMD over this time frame. The correlation between % change in aBMD and % change in fracture rate for our study population was weak, as demonstrated by a Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rho) of 0.13 (p-value 0.32, 95% confidence interval -0.32 to 1.00). Minor side effects of bisphosphonate therapy were self-limited, and no osteopetrosis, jaw osteonecrosis, or atypical femur fractures occurred during treatment for up to 13.6 years. These data suggest that low dose pamidronate is safe and effective for long-term use in pediatric osteoporosis, and that change in aBMD is an imperfect predictor of reduction in fracture risk.
Nasopharyngeal Microbiota Pro ling of SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients

Flavio De Maio Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli Brunella Posteraro Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli Francesca Romana Ponziani Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli Paola Cattani Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli Antonio Gasbarrini Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli Maurizio Sanguinetti (  maurizio.sanguinetti@unicatt.it ) Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9780-7059
Clinical Signs of Paraquat Poisoning in Patients Admitted to the Poisoning Section 2009-2015, In Razi Hospital (Ahvaz): A Review of 207 Cases

Introduction: Paraquat (PQ), a toxic herbicide, is characterized by multi-organ failure, which can induce significant mortality and morbidity. In this research, the factors related to PQ poisoning have been investigated in the Ahvaz Province of Iran. Methods: Demographic and clinical presentation data were collected and evaluated in individuals referred to the poisoning section of Razi Hospital, Iran, 2009–2015. In order to assess factors related to PQ poisoning, an individual questionnaire was developed. Physicians treated two hundred seven patients (61.35% men and 38.65% women) with PQ poisoning. All patients received vitamin C (3 g/day), vitamin E (200-4000 mg/day), NAC (20 mg/kg IV infusion stat then 50 mg/kg q12), and pulse therapy. Activated Charcoal (AC) and dialysis applied for 62.31% and 22.22% of patients, respectively. Results: The mean age of cases was 24.06 ± 8.31 years, and the majority of them (43.20%) were 10-20 years of age. The most common on-admission clinical findings of the patients (63.28%) were nausea, vomiting, and pain. The rate of suicide was 91.78%, and the overall mortality rate was 17.87%. Death was significantly higher in patients with respiratory distress (12.56%, P<0.001), renal dysfunction (9.66%, P<0.001), and hepatic dysfunction (7.24%, P<0.002). In patients who received intubation, pulse therapy, dialysis, AC, and NAC, 85%, 82.12%, 52.17%, 89.92%, and 83.09% of the cases have been recovered and discharged from hospital, respectively. Conclusion: Knowing about the clinical presentation, evaluation, and treatment options for PQ poisoning is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality in these cases. The main way to manage PQ poisoning, as in the past, mainly has supportive care.
Efﬁcient Procedure for Puriﬁcation of Obligate Intracellular Wolbachia pipientis and Representative Ampliﬁcation of Its Genome by Multiple-Displacement Ampliﬁcation

Bacteria belonging to the genus Wolbachia are obligatory microendocytobionts that infect a variety of arthropods and a majority of ﬁlarial nematode species, where they induce reproductive alterations or establish a mutualistic symbiosis. Although two whole genome sequences of Wolbachia pipientis , for strain wMel from Drosophila melanogaster and strain wBm from Brugia malayi , have been fully completed and six other genome sequencing projects are ongoing (http://www.genomesonline.org/index.cgi? want (cid:1) Prokaryotic (cid:2) Ongoin), genetic analyses of these bacteria are still scarce, mainly due to the inability to cultivate them outside of eukaryotic cells. Usually, a large amount of host tissue (a thousand individuals, or about 10 g) is required in order to purify Wolbachia and extract its DNA, which is often recovered in small amounts and contaminated by host cell DNA, thus hindering genomic studies. In this report, we describe an efﬁcient and reliable procedure to representatively amplify the Wolbachia genome by multiple-displacement ampliﬁcation from limited infected host tissue (0.2 g or 2 (cid:3) 10 7 cells). We obtained sufﬁcient amounts (8 to 10 (cid:4) g) of DNA of suitable quality for genomic studies, and we demonstrated that the ampliﬁed DNA contained all of the Wolbachia loci targeted. In addition, our data indicated that the genome of strain wRi, an obligatory endosymbiont of Drosophila simulans , shares a similar overall architecture with its relative strain wMel. parameters were an initial denaturation at 94°C for 1 min followed by 30 am- pliﬁcation cycles of denaturation at 94°C for 1 min, annealing at 49°C (glnAF1-virD4R1) or 57°C (methIIF2-WOR and recFF1-rpoDF1) for 1 min, and exten- sion at 68°C for 10 min. PCR products were monitored by electrophoresis in a 0.8% agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide. Following puriﬁcation with a GFX PCR DNA and gel band puriﬁcation kit (Amersham), PCR products of the expected sizes were either cloned directly (0.4 to 2.2 kb) into the pCR2.1-TOPO vector by using a TOPO-TA cloning kit (Invitrogen) or digested before being cloned into pUC19. Long PCR fragments and cloned inserts were subjected to sequencing at either Genome Express (Meylan, France) or Bioﬁdal (Vaux-en-Velin, France). All sequences were analyzed by the BLASTn program (http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/BLAST). Nucleotide sequence accession numbers. The sequences obtained for this study are available in GenBank under accession numbers AY833061 to AY833078.
Speciﬁc and Randomly Derived Immunoactive Peptide Mimotopes of Mycobacterial Antigens (cid:1)

The mycobacterial cell surface contains complex nonprotein antigens that are highly immunoactive in nature. However, these antigens are chemically heterogeneous and structurally complex, thereby limiting their applications. To identify their peptide mimotopes, phage-displayed peptide libraries Ph.D.-7 and Ph.D.-12 were panned on either deﬁned template, monoclonal antibody (MAb) CS-35 against lipoarabinomannan (LAM), or a polyclonal rabbit immune serum reactive against whole cells of Mycobacterium bovis BCG. Panning on anti-LAM MAb CS-35 yielded two conﬁrmed mimotopes of LAM, a 7-mer and a 12-mer, whereas panning on polyclonal serum yielded a large repertoire of mimotopes reactive against sera from BCG-immunized rabbits, one of which turned out to have the same sequence as the 7-mer LAM mimotope. The dissociation constant of the interaction between MAb CS-35 and a synthetic peptide corresponding to the 7-mer LAM mimotope was determined to be 7.55 (cid:1) M. Dot blot assays were performed with peptides corresponding to the two LAM mimotopes to evaluate their diagnostic potential. Both peptides gave discernibly higher signals with a panel of tuberculosis (TB) patient sera than with sera from healthy controls. The peptides were also found to stimulate the release of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-12 cytokines in the J774A.1 cell line and primary bone marrow-derived macrophages, indicating that they may have immunomodulatory potential. The present study demonstrates that peptide mimotopes of known and unknown mycobacterial antigens could be isolated by using subtractive phage display techniques and that these peptides could have potential applications in areas such as TB diagnostics and immunotherapy.
Electrical and Thermal Effects of Fault Currents in Aircraft Electrical Power Systems with Composite

 Abstract – The upwards trend for the use of electrical power on state of the art aircraft is resulting in significant change to the design of power system architectures and protection systems for these platforms. There is a pull from the aerospace industry to integrate the electrical power system with the aircraft’s structural materials to form an embedded system, reducing the need for bulky cable harnesses. This directly impacts the fault response for ground faults and ultimately the development of appropriate protection systems. Such structural materials include composites such as carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP). This paper presents the experimental capture and analysis of the response of CFRP to electrical fault current, which indicates the need for two distinct sets of electrical ground fault detection criteria for low and high resistance faults and identifies the threshold resistance for this distinction. By extrapolating these results to develop models of CFRP for use in transient simulation studies, the key electrical fault detection thresholds for speed, selectivity and sensitivity for a DC system rail to ground fault through CFRP are identified. This provides the first set of key factors for electrical fault detection through CFRP, providing a platform for the design of fully integrated structural and electrical power systems, with appropriate electrical protection
Quantiﬁcation of Human Cytomegalovirus DNA in Bone Marrow Transplant Recipients by Real-Time PCR

A real-time PCR assay was developed to quantify human cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) of bone marrow transplantation patients. Unlike other teams, we quantiﬁed CMV and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene using a plasmid containing both sequences as an external standard. Tenfold serial dilutions of this plasmid yielded overlapping standard curves that allowed the quantiﬁcation of CMV and GAPDH gene copies in an efﬁcient and accurate manner. Sequential blood samples (164 specimens) were collected from 16 patients. PBLs were tested by the pp65 antigenemia assay and quantitative CMV and GAPDH gene PCRs. CMV DNA was detected by PCR in 13 patients a mean of 15 days prior to the appearance of antigenemia. The administration of anti-CMV drugs led to a rapid decrease in the numbers of viral copies and positive nuclei. Real-time PCR assay results correlated with those of the CMV pp65 antigenemia assay ( P < 0.00001). The TaqMan assay may be a useful tool for rapid quantiﬁcation of CMV infection
The Review of Regional Studies Explaining Canadian Regional Wage Differentials

: We explore the potential of a human capital model augmented with controls for industry and occupation in explaining Canadian regional wage differentials. We place our approach in a broader theoretical context by first reviewing the literature on potential explanations for regional wage differences and also on the related issues of migration, population growth, industrial location, and agglomeration economies. We then estimate an econometric model using subprovincial wage data from the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey. A striking finding is that subprovincial wage differences, including the urban-rural divide, can be explained by our model, but that the differences between broad regions defined by provincial boundaries cannot.
Does Partner’s Tenure Matter to Auditor’s Independence?

Owing to the rising cases of corporate failure and the current debate on auditor independence, this paper sought to examine the effect of partner tenure on auditor independence, as measured by the going concern opinion. A sample of 120 Kenyan firms and data for the years 2011-2018 was used. Data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics, while the hypothesis was tested through logistic estimation model. The findings indicate that partner’s tenure has a significant and positive effect on auditors’ independence suggesting that auditor’s independence is maximized when partners’ tenures are shorter. Therefore, the study recommends that firms should not engage auditors for a long tenure; however, the tenure should be sufficient to give auditors an opportunity to understand their clients’ business.
Differential modulation of a polymorphism in the COOH terminus of the (cid:1) -subunit of the human epithelial sodium channel by protein kinase C (cid:2)

Differential modulation of a polymorphism in the COOH terminus of the (cid:1) -subunit of the human epithelial sodium channel by protein kinase C Am J Physiol Renal A663T polymorphism of the (cid:1) -subunit of the human epithelial sodium channel (hENaC) increases the functional and surface expression of (cid:1)(cid:3)(cid:4) -hENaC in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The context of this residue in the COOH terminus of (cid:1) -hENaC is important for this effect, as a homologous change in murine ENaC (mENaC), A692T, does not alter functional and surface expression of mENaC. Query of a phosphoprotein database suggested that the (cid:1) -T663 residue might be phosphorylated by PKC (cid:2) . General inhibition of PKC with calphostin C decreased the functional and surface expression of (cid:1) T663-hENaC and not (cid:1) A663-hENaC, and was without effect on (cid:1) A692-mENaC, (cid:1) T692-mENaC, and a chimeric m(1–678)/h(650–669) (cid:1) T663, m (cid:3)(cid:4) -ENaC. These data suggest that residues outside of the (cid:1) -hENaC COOH terminus are important for modulation of (cid:1) T663-hENaC trafﬁcking by PKC. In contrast, expression of PKC (cid:2) decreased the functional and surface expression of (cid:1) T663-hENaC and the functional expression of m(1–678)/h(650– 669) (cid:1) T663, m (cid:3)(cid:4) -ENaC, and was without effect on (cid:1) A663-hENaC, (cid:1) A692-mENaC, or (cid:1) T692-mENaC. PKC (cid:2) did not phosphorylate the COOH terminus of either (cid:1) T663-hENaC or (cid:1) A663-hENaC in vitro, suggesting that it acts indirectly to regulate hENaC trafﬁcking. (cid:1) T663-hENaC was retrieved from the oocyte membrane more slowly than (cid:1) A663-hENaC, and calphostin C increased the rate of (cid:1) T663-hENaC removal from the oocyte membrane to a rate similar to that of (cid:1) A663-hENaC. In contrast, PKC (cid:2) did not alter the rate of removal of (cid:1) T663-hENaC from the oocyte membrane, suggesting that PKC (cid:2) altered rates of (cid:1) T663-hENaC biosynthesis and/or delivery to the plasma membrane. These data are consistent with PKC isoform- speciﬁc effects on the intracellular trafﬁcking of (cid:1) T663- vs. (cid:1) A663-hENaC.
Consistent and Signiﬁcant Inhibition of Human Immunodeﬁciency Virus Type 1 Envelope–Mediated Membrane Fusion by b -Chemokines (RANTES) in Primary Human Macrophages

Infection and entry of CD4 + cells by human immunodeﬁciency virus type 1 (HIV-1) requires a coreceptor molecule, which, in concert with CD4, interacts with the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env), leading to membrane fusion. The principal coreceptors are the CCR5 and CXCR4 chemokine receptors. The suppressive effect of b -chemokines, principally RANTES, on certain HIV-1 isolates was established before the discovery of the CCR5 receptor, and there have since been multiple reports conﬁrming this initial observation. However, the inhibitory effect of b -chemokines on HIV-1 infection of macrophages has been controversial. The current study focused on this issue in detail, with a reductionist approach, using assays that measure the effect of b -chemokines solely on Env-mediated fusion. It is shown that under a variety of culture and differentiation conditions, RANTES maintains a signiﬁcant and consistent inhibitory effect on CCR5-dependent Env-mediated fusion, and the role of these ﬁndings is discussed in relation to the role of b -chemokines in HIV pathogenesis.