Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leptomeningeal dissemination of primary central nervous system tumors of childhood

Presymptomatic craniospinal radiation therapy improves the rate of survival for children with brain tumors, which frequently metastasize to the leptomeninges. Radiotherapy may cause neurological damage and should be used only in patients considered to be at highest risk for leptomeningeal dissemination (LMS) at either the time of initial diagnosis or onset of disease relapse. We reviewed 314 consecutive patients with brain tumors to determine the incidence, timing, and importance of LMS. LMS occurred in 60 (19%) children. LMS occurred before diagnosis in 30 patients, as the only site of relapse or simultaneously with local first disease recurrence in 17 patients, and after local disease recurrence in 13 patients. Children with primitive neuroectodermal tumors, anaplastic gliomas, and ependymomas most frequently had LMS. Patients with primitive neuroectodermal tumors and posterior fossa anaplastic gliomas frequently had LMS before diagnosis or at the onset of relapse, whereas patients with ependymomas had LMS after local disease relapse. Both myelography and cerebrospinal fluid cytological examination are required to diagnose LMS.
Competitive reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction without an artificial internal standard.

Advances in our understanding of molecular and cellular physiology necessitate that mRNA levels for specific growth factors and other rare transcripts be measured quantitatively in small samples. Conventional methods such as Northern blot analysis and solution hybridization/ribonuclease protection are not sufficiently sensitive. We now report the theory, development, and validation of a rapid and highly sensitive assay, the RNA/DNA quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RD-PCR), which uses a competitive PCR approach to measure the number of copies of a specific mRNA per cell. Total nucleic acid (RNA and genomic DNA) is isolated from cells in culture. The mRNA of interest is first reverse-transcribed with an oligomer bearing a complementary sequence specific for the mRNA at its 3'-end, and a sequence complementary to an intron of the desired gene at the 5'-end. Competitive PCR is then performed in the presence of the cDNA product and endogenous genomic DNA, with an upstream primer complementary to the exon sequence of the gene of interest, and a downstream primer complementary to the intron sequence that was tagged to the cDNA. The cell's own genomic DNA is thereby used as the internal standard. To control for the efficiency of reverse transcription, a standard curve is used in each assay. The technique was validated by comparing the quantitation of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) mRNA in two human cell lines by RD-PCR and by RNase protection analysis. Both methods gave similar numbers of copies of IGF-I mRNA per cell. For accurate analysis, RNase protection required at least 10(7) cells; RD-PCR required as little as 10(2) cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Clinical usefulness of D-dimer depending on clinical probability and cutoff value in outpatients with suspected pulmonary embolism.

BACKGROUND We evaluated whether a highly sensitive D-dimer test is clinically useful and safe for ruling out pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with a high clinical probability and whether adopting different cutoff values according to the clinical probability category might increase the proportion of patients in whom PE is ruled out. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the databases of 2 outcome studies on the diagnosis of PE with a 3-month follow-up that included 1409 patients. We evaluated the usefulness of D-dimer testing by calculating the number needed to test to rule out one PE, and its safety by measuring the 3-month thromboembolic risk in patients not treated by anticoagulant agents based on a normal D-dimer level. RESULTS The sensitivity of D-dimer was 100% in all clinical probability categories, but the number needed to test increased with increasing clinical probability of PE. The 95% confidence interval (0%-23%) of the 3-month thromboembolic risk (0%) among 13 of 121 patients with a normal D-dimer level and a high clinical probability of PE was wide. Increasing the cutoff value to 700 mug/L in patients with a low clinical probability would rule out PE in an additional 5% of the entire patient cohort at the expense of a lower sensitivity (93% [95% confidence interval, 83%-97%]). CONCLUSIONS The safety of D-dimer testing in patients with a high clinical probability of PE is not established, and testing results are rarely negative in such patients. Increasing the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay D-dimer cutoff value only marginally increased the test's usefulness.
Spatio-temporal modelling of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks

SUMMARY We present and analyse data collected during a severe epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) that occurred between July and September 2000 in a region of northeastern Greece with strategic importance since it represents the southeastern border of Europe and Asia. We implement generic Bayesian methodology, which offers flexibility in the ability to fit several realistically complex models that simultaneously capture the presence of ‘excess’ zeros, the spatio-temporal dependence of the cases, assesses the impact of environmental noise and controls for multicollinearity issues. Our findings suggest that the epidemic was mostly driven by the size and the animal type of each farm as well as the distance between farms while environmental and other endemic factors were not important during this outbreak. Analyses of this kind may prove useful to informing decisions related to optimal control measures for potential future FMD outbreaks as well as other acute epidemics such as FMD.
Rational Engineering Defines a Molecular Switch That Is Essential for Activity of Spider-Venom Peptides against the Analgesics Target NaV1.7

Many spider-venom peptides are known to modulate the activity of the voltage-gated sodium (NaV) subtype 1.7 (NaV1.7) channel, which has emerged as a promising analgesic target. In particular, a class of spider-venom peptides (NaSpTx1) has been found to potently inhibit NaV1.7 (nanomolar IC50), and has been shown to produce analgesic effects in animals. However, one member of this family [µ-TRTX-Hhn2b (Hhn2b)] does not inhibit mammalian NaV channels expressed in dorsal root ganglia at concentrations up to 100 µM. This peptide is classified as a NaSpTx1 member by virtue of its cysteine spacing and sequence conservation over functionally important residues. Here, we have performed detailed structural and functional analyses of Hhn2b, leading us to identify two nonpharmacophore residues that contribute to human NaV1.7 (hNaV1.7) inhibition by nonoverlapping mechanisms. These findings allowed us to produce a double mutant of Hhn2b that shows nanomolar inhibition of hNaV1.7. Traditional structure/function analysis did not provide sufficient resolution to identify the mechanism underlying the observed gain of function. However, by solving the high-resolution structure of both the wild-type and mutant peptides using advanced multidimensional NMR experiments, we were able to uncover a previously unknown network of interactions that stabilize the pharmacophore region of this class of venom peptides. We further monitored the lipid binding properties of the peptides and identified that one of the key amino acid substitutions also selectively modulates the binding of the peptide to anionic lipids. These results will further aid the development of peptide-based analgesics for the treatment of chronic pain.
Evidence for STIM1‐ and Orail‐dependent storeoperated calcium influx through ICRAC in vascular smooth muscle cells: role in proliferation and migration

The identity of store‐operated calcium (Ca2+) entry (SOCE) channels in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) remains a highly contentious issue. Whereas previous studies have suggested that SOCE in VSMCs is mediated by the nonselective transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) 1 protein, the identification of STIM1 and Orail as essential components of ICRAC, a highly Ca2+‐selective SOCE current in leukocytes, has challenged that view. Here we show that cultured proliferative migratory VSMCs isolated from rat aorta (called “synthetic”) display SOCE with classic features, namely inhibition by 2‐aminoethoxydiphenyl borate, ML‐9, and low concentrations of lanthanides. On store depletion, synthetic VSMCs and A7r5 cells display currents with characteristics of ICRAC. Protein knockdown of either STIM1 or Orail in synthetic VSMCs greatly reduced SOCE, whereas Orai2, Orai3, TRPC1, TRPC4, and TRPC6 knockdown had no effect. Orail knockdown reduced ICRAC in synthetic VSMCs and A7r5 cells. Synthetic VSMCs showed up‐regulated STIM1/Orai1 proteins and SOCE compared with quiescent freshly isolated VSMC. Knockdown of STIM1 and Orai1 inhibited synthetic VSMC proliferation and migration, whereas STIM2, Orai2, and Orai3 knockdown had no effect. To our knowledge, these results are the first to show ICRAC in VSMCs and resolve a long‐standing controversy by identifying CRAC as the elusive VSMC SOCE channel important for proliferation and migration. — Potier, M. , Gonzalez, J. C. , Motiani, R. K. , Abdullaev, I. F. , Bisaillon, J. M. , Singer, H. A. , Trebak, M. Evidence for STIM1‐ and Orai1‐ dependent store‐operated calcium influx through IC RAC in vascular smooth muscle cells: role in proliferation and migration. FASEB J. 23, 2425–2437 (2009)
Prediction of neural excitation during magnetic stimulation using passive cable models

A method for predicting neural excitation during magnetic stimulation using passive cable models has been developed. This method uses the information of the threshold capacitor voltage for magnetic stimulation coils to determine the equivalent excitation thresholds for the passive transient (PT) and passive steady-state (PSS) cable models as well as for the activating function. The threshold values for the PT, PSS models, and the activating function vary only with the pulsewidth of the stimulus for a variety of coils at different locations and orientations. Furthermore, the excitation threshold for the PSS model is also independent of axon diameter and best fitted to a simple mathematical function. By comparing the transmembrane potential of the PSS model with the corresponding threshold, the prediction of excitation during magnetic stimulation can be made. Similarly, it is also possible to predict excitation using the PT model and the activating function with the corresponding thresholds provided. By taking advantage of the weighted pulsewidth, this method can even predict the excitation for stimuli with various waveforms, greatly simplifying the determination of neural excitation for magnetic stimulation.
Comparison of Digene Hybrid Capture 2 and Conventional Culture for Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Cervical Specimens

ABSTRACT Digene's Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) CT/GC, CT-ID, and GC-ID DNA tests were evaluated by comparison to traditional culture methods for detecting Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in 669 cervical specimens from high-risk female populations attending two sexually transmitted disease clinics. For detection of either or both infections, the HC2 CT/GC test algorithm had 93.8% sensitivity and 95.9% specificity compared to those of culture. After resolution of discrepant results by direct fluorescent-antibody (DFA) staining or PCR assay, the relative sensitivity and specificity of the HC2 CT/GC test algorithm increased to 94.8 and 99.8%, while the values for culture were 83.6% (McNemar's P value, 0.0062) and 100%, respectively. For detection of the individual pathogens, the relative sensitivities for the HC2 CT-ID and GC-ID tests were 97.2 and 92.2% and the specificities were greater than 99% compared to culture adjucated by DFA staining and PCR. Test performance varied at the two clinics: the HC2 CT/GC algorithm, CT-ID, and GC-ID tests had significantly higher sensitivities (McNemar's P value, <0.05) than that of culture for the population at one clinic as well as for the combined populations. At the other clinic, the HC2 tests performed as well as culture.
Endovascular treatment of hemifacial spasm associated with a cerebral arteriovenous malformation using transvenous embolization: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE To illustrate that decompression of the facial nerve by transvenous endovascular treatment may relieve hemifacial spasm (HFS) caused by dilated veins. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 35-year-old man suffered severe chronic right HFS associated with a dilated right lateral mesencephalic vein lying in the vicinity of the facial nerve. This nonessential vein was recruited as a secondary collateral drainage from an inoperable left temporo-occipital arteriovenous malformation. INTERVENTION The lateral mesencephalic vein was reached through the superior petrosal sinus using a transfemoral venous approach and was occluded with interlocking detachable coils (Target Therapeutics, Freemont, CA). There was complete remission of HFS without recurrence after 2.5 years of follow-up. CONCLUSION This case report supports vascular compression in the pathogenesis of HFS and suggests that facial nerve injury is not essential for the therapeutic effect of surgical decompression.
Detection of Four Plasmodium Species by Genus- and Species-Specific Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for Clinical Diagnosis

ABSTRACT Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a novel nucleic acid amplification method, was developed for the clinical detection of four species of human malaria parasites: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of LAMP in comparison with the results of microscopic examination and nested PCR. LAMP showed a detection limit (analytical sensitivity) of 10 copies of the target 18S rRNA genes for P. malariae and P. ovale and 100 copies for the genus Plasmodium, P. falciparum, and P. vivax. LAMP detected malaria parasites in 67 of 68 microscopically positive blood samples (sensitivity, 98.5%) and 3 of 53 microscopically negative samples (specificity, 94.3%), in good agreement with the results of nested PCR. The LAMP reactions yielded results within about 26 min, on average, for detection of the genus Plasmodium, 32 min for P. falciparum, 31 min for P. vivax, 35 min for P. malariae, and 36 min for P. ovale. Accordingly, in comparison to the results obtained by microscopy, LAMP had a similar sensitivity and a greater specificity and LAMP yielded results similar to those of nested PCR in a shorter turnaround time. Because it can be performed with a simple technology, i.e., with heat-treated blood as the template, reaction in a water bath, and inspection of the results by the naked eye because of the use of a fluorescent dye, LAMP may provide a simple and reliable test for routine screening for malaria parasites in both clinical laboratories and malaria clinics in areas where malaria is endemic.
Effects of selected surfactants on purified glucosyltransferases from mutans streptococci and cellular adherence to smooth surfaces.

The inhibitory effect of non-ionic, anionic, cationic and ampholytic surfactants on cellular growth of Streptococcus mutans MT8148 and S. sobrinus 6715, on glucan synthesis by the purified glucosyltransferase (GTase) from these organisms, and on bacterial adherence to glass surfaces was examined in vitro. Cationic surfactants exhibited marked bactericidal activities. Anionic and ampholytic compounds were less strongly bactericidal and non-ionic surfactants produced only slight inhibition of cell growth under the conditions tested. Some non-ionic compounds had no effect on this. Glucan synthesis by GTase from mutans streptococci was inhibited by anionic and cationic surfactants. Among various GTase proteins, insoluble glucan synthesising GTases, i.e., S. mutans CA-GTase and S. sobrinus GTase-I were those most effectively inhibited by these agents. However, it was noted that whereas lower concentrations of cationic surfactants enhanced these GTase activities, higher concentrations of the surfactants were inhibitory. Non-ionic detergents stimulated soluble glucan synthesis from S. mutans CF-GTase and cationic and ampholytic surfactants enhanced or inhibited glucan synthesis depending on the concentrations of the surfactants. Sucrose-dependent cellular adherence of resting cells of mutans streptococci to glass surfaces was inhibited by the addition of surfactants that annulled the GTase activities.
Growth and protective potentials of attenuated strains of equid herpesvirus 1 in the lungs of mice.

Attenuated equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) strains with different passage histories in bovine kidney cells (BKC), i.e. BK77, BK161, BK271 and BK343, were examined for their growth in mouse lungs after intranasal inoculation. BK77 and BK161 were recovered from lungs with almost the same titres, and were found to be about 100 times lower than that of the parent HH1 strain. The growth abilities of high-passaged BK271 and BK343 were markedly reduced. Although partial growth of BK343 in the lungs of athymic nude mice was observed, the virus was almost eradicated from their lungs within 1 week. By contrast, the parent HH1 persisted in the lungs of nude mice for at least 1 week. The mice immunized with the BKC-passaged viruses were partially protected against subsequent challenge with the parent HH1. Antibodies were detected by ELISA. These results demonstrate that, although serial BKC-passage lowered the growth ability of the parent HH1, the descendant viruses still have a partial protective potential in mice.
The effectiveness of physical, psychological, and functional interventions in treating clients with multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis.

This article provides a meta-analysis of the current best evidence for the use of occupational therapy with clients with multiple sclerosis (MS). A review of the literature identified 23 articles that examined the effectiveness of occupational therapy-related treatments on clients with MS. Meta-analytic analysis suggests that occupational therapy-related treatments were effective in treating the deficits associated with MS (r = .52), particularly for outcomes in the capacity and ability (r = .52; e.g., muscle strength, range of motion, mood) and task and activity (r = .57; e.g., dressing, bathing, ambulation) levels. A review of the research designs used to study MS suggests that more rigorous research is necessary to fully understand treatment effectiveness. Further, more research must be done to establish the effectiveness of occupational therapy treatment at the life role level.
Time-Frequency Energy Distribution of Ground Motion and Its Effect on the Dynamic Response of Nonlinear Structures

The ground motion characteristics are essential for understanding the structural seismic response. In this paper, the time-frequency analytical method is used to analyze the time-frequency energy distribution of ground motion, and its effect on the dynamic response of nonlinear structure is studied and discussed. The time-frequency energy distribution of ground motion is obtained by the matching pursuit decomposition algorithm, which not only effectively reflects the energy distribution of different frequency components in time, but also reflects the main frequency components existing near the peak ground acceleration occurrence time. A series of artificial ground motions with the same peak ground acceleration, Fourier amplitude spectrum, and duration are generated and chosen as the earthquake input of the structural response. By analyzing the response of the elasto-perfectly-plastic structure excited by artificial seismic waves, it can be found that the time-frequency energy distribution has a great influence on the structural ductility. Especially if there are even multiple frequency components in the same ground motion phrase, the plastic deformation of the elasto-perfectly-plastic structure will continuously accumulate in a certain direction, resulting in a large nonlinear displacement. This paper reveals that the time-frequency energy distribution of a strong ground motion has a vital influence on the structural response.
Low-sidelobe non-uniform transverse slotted antenna array fed by substrate integrated waveguide

A low-sidelobe substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) leaky wave antenna (LWA) array with non-uniform transverse slots is proposed. By tuning the length of the radiating slot etched on the SIW, the sidelobe level of the design can be effectively reduced. A four-way SIW power divider with equal outputs of same phase and amplitude is designed to feed a four by one array. The proposed LWA array shows a low sidelobe level up to -28.4 dB and can scan within an angular range of 36° with frequency varying from 2.2 GHz to 3.0 GHz.
Orientation of Multi‐Hair Follicles in Nonbald Men: Perpendicular Versus Parallel

BACKGROUND There has been much debate about the orientation of multi-hair grafts in order to obtain an appearance of fullness after the hair transplantation. OBJECTIVES To analyze natural orientation of multi-hair follicles and the influence of hair flow from the crown swirl. METHODS Natural orientation of follicles was analyzed microscopically in 100 nonbald men: a clockwise whorl flow group (50 men) and a counterclockwise group (50 men). RESULTS The majority of multi-hair follicles were oriented perpendicular to the radial line from the whorl in both the groups. The percentage of perpendicular orientation was large in the peripheral and middle scalp areas (49–79%), and it decreased in the vertex (38–49%, p<.05 or .01). The percentages of parallel, right oblique, and left oblique orientation were small in the peripheral area with a slight increase in the vertex (3–12% vs. 14–24%, p<.05 or .01). CONCLUSION Original orientation of multi-hair follicles was mainly perpendicular to the radial line from the whorl irrelevant to the crown swirl hair flow. Multi-hair grafts transplanted perpendicularly would look similar to the natural hair follicles in the front half of the scalp.
The association between mild traumatic brain injury and psychiatric conditions

The majority of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) recover fairly quickly and are usually restored to their previous level of functioning. However, a significant minority have prolonged, complicated, or incomplete recoveries and have outcomes disproportionately worse than would have been predicted by the objective facts of the injury. This failure to recover as expected was the focus of this study. The participants were 80 adults with actual or suspected mild TBI who were referred to an outpatient mild TBI clinic. Most were characterized by problematic recoveries. The results indicated that those individuals who only had brain injuries made good recoveries, but that those with psychiatric comorbidity did not (χ2 = 19.65, p = 0.0002). Most of the new psychiatric conditions responsible for poor recovery consisted of depression, anxiety disorders or conversion disorder. Dissociative phenomena appeared common after mild TBI and scores on the Dissociative Experiences Scale predicted brain injury outcome with 77% accuracy.
Skin reactivity and local cell recruitment in human atopic and nonatopic subjects by CCL2/MCP‐1 and CCL3/MIP‐1α

Background: Monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP‐1/CCL2), the ligand for CCR2 and CCR5, and macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α (MIP‐1α/CCL3), the ligand for CCR1 and CCR5, are potent chemo‐attractants in vitro and produce lesions in experimental animals, which resemble immediate and delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions. CCL3 induces mononuclear cell and granulocyte infiltration in human atopic and nonatopic skin. Whether CCL2 (MCP‐1) has comparable activity in man is uncertain as is the capacity of both the chemokines to elicit immediate‐ and DTH‐like reactions in humans.