Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Disk Diffusion, VITEK 2, and Broth Microdilution Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test Results for Unusual Species of Enterobacteriaceae

ABSTRACT We compared the antimicrobial susceptibility testing results generated by disk diffusion and the VITEK 2 automated system with the results of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth microdilution (BMD) reference method for 61 isolates of unusual species of Enterobacteriaceae. The isolates represented 15 genera and 26 different species, including Buttiauxella, Cedecea, Kluyvera, Leminorella, and Yokenella. Antimicrobial agents included aminoglycosides, carbapenems, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, penicillins, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. CLSI interpretative criteria for Enterobacteriaceae were used. Of the 12 drugs tested by BMD and disk diffusion, 10 showed >95% categorical agreement (CA). CA was lower for ampicillin (80.3%) and cefazolin (77.0%). There were 3 very major errors (all with cefazolin), 1 major error (also with cefazolin), and 26 minor errors. Of the 40 isolates (representing 12 species) that could be identified with the VITEK 2 database, 36 were identified correctly to species level, 1 was identified to genus level only, and 3 were reported as unidentified. VITEK 2 generated MIC results for 42 (68.8%) of 61 isolates, but categorical interpretations (susceptible, intermediate, and resistant) were provided for only 22. For the 17 drugs tested by both BMD and VITEK 2, essential agreement ranged from 80.9 to 100% and CA ranged from 68.2% (ampicillin) to 100%; thirteen drugs exhibited 100% CA. In summary, disk diffusion provides a reliable alternative to BMD for testing of unusual Enterobacteriaceae, some of which cannot be tested, or produce incorrect results, by automated methods.
Does the anteromedial portal provide clinical superiority compared to the transtibial portal in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in nonprofessional athletes in short-term follow-up?

OBJECTIVE Two drilling techniques of the femoral tunnel are commonly used in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction: through the transtibial (TT) portal or through the anteromedial (AM) portal. The aim of the present study is to investigate the radiological and clinical outcomes of arthroscopic single-bundle ACL reconstruction using AM and TT portal techniques for drilling the femoral tunnel in nonprofessional athletes. METHODS A retrospective review was made of 44 nonprofessional athletes undergoing ACL reconstruction using AM and TT techniques between 2011-2013. The femoral tunnel clock position on axial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the anterior-posterior position of the tibial tunnel on sagittal-cut MRI scan were measured. Radiological femoral tunnel and tibial tunnel anterior-posterior inclination angles were assessed. At final follow-up, the Lachman test and pivot-shift test were used in the evaluation of the anterior-posterior stability of the knee and the rotational stability of the knee. For clinical and functional evaluation, the modified Cincinnati knee grading system, Lysholm knee scoring scale, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form were used. RESULTS No statistically significant difference was determined between the groups in terms of patient age, follow-up period, gender, and affected side distribution. There were 6 outliers in the TT group due to the clock face position. The mean femoral tunnel inclination angle was 31.07°±8.44° in the AM group and 19.02°±8.93° in the TT group. The tibial tunnel inclination angle was 21.08°±5.42° in the TT group and 16.58°±7.02° in the AM group. A statistically significant difference was determined between the 2 groups. No statistically significant difference was observed between the 2 groups in terms of Lachman test, pivot-shift test, Lysholm score, IKDC score, and modified Cincinnati score results. CONCLUSION The AM technique has no clinical superiority compared to the TT technique in ACL reconstruction in nonprofessional athletes.
Relation of Adolescent Mothers' History of Antisocial Behavior to Child Conduct Problems and Social Competence

We examined the extent to which maternal antisocial behavior (ASB) is directly related to child conduct problems and social competence and assessed the potential mediating role of negative parenting. The sample included 93 adolescent mothers and their children (44 boys, 49 girls). Mothers retrospectively reported about their ASB since the child's birth, through Grade 2. Negative parenting was coded during a parent–child interaction task (PCIT) at Grade 2. Teachers assessed child outcomes at Grade 3. Maternal ASB during the child's life was directly related to parenting and both child outcomes. In the overall sample, negative parenting partially mediated the relation between maternal ASB and child conduct problems. However, the pattern of relations differed by sex. For boys, maternal ASB was directly related to conduct problems, independent of parenting. For girls, maternal ASB was strongly related to parenting but not conduct problems. Negative parenting did not mediate the relation between maternal ASB and child social competence. Implications for intervention and future research are discussed.
Alprazolam withdrawal symptoms in agoraphobia with panic disorder: observations from a controlled Anglo-Canadian study

The study examines the effect of discontinuing alprazolam in panic disorder+agoraphobia patients. Fifty-seven alprazolam and 50 placebo agoraphobia+panic disorder patients, who had participated in an 8 week double- blind controlled study of alprazolam at average doses of 5 mg daily, were withdrawn gradually from their medication over the subsequent 8 weeks. The effects of discontinuation of medication on anxiety, panic, depression, phobia and withdrawal symptoms were examined during the taper phase and over the following 6 months. Alprazolam patients deteriorated on anxiety, panics, Hamilton depression and phobia. There was no difference between the two drug groups on rebound. Serious withdrawal symptoms did not arise, but weight loss, sweating and muscle twitching were more common in alprazolam patients. The deterioration in alprazolam patients persisted up to 6 months post-taper. A high dose of alprazolam at week 8 was the best predictor of subsequent deterioration. Discontinuation of alprazolam leads to recurrence of the original disorder in some patients. Rebound and severe withdrawal reactions were not found during gradual taper of alprazolam, but minor withdrawal symptoms did arise. The study shows the importance of using gradual taper to minimize withdrawal effects.
Use of an absorbable embolization material for reversible portal vein embolization in an experimental model

Portal vein embolization (PVE) is used to increase future remnant liver size in patients requiring major hepatic resection. PVE using permanent embolization, however, predisposes to complications and excludes the use of PVE in living donor liver transplantation. In the present study, an absorbable embolization material containing fibrin glue and different concentrations of the fibrinolysis inhibitor aprotinin was used in an experimental animal model.
Additional Evidence that Juvenile Oyster Disease Is Caused by a Member of the Roseobacter Group and Colonization of Nonaffected Animals by Stappia stellulata-Like Strains

ABSTRACT Juvenile oyster disease (JOD) causes significant annual mortalities of hatchery-produced Eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, cultured in the Northeast. We have reported that a novel species of the α-proteobacteria Roseobacter group (designated CVSP) was numerically dominant in JOD-affected animals sampled during the 1997 epizootic on the Damariscotta River, Maine. In this study we report the isolation of CVSP bacteria from JOD-affected oysters during three separate epizootics in 1998. These bacteria were not detected in nonaffected oysters at the enzootic site, nor in animals raised at a JOD-free site. Animals raised at the JOD enzootic site that were unaffected by JOD were stably and persistently colonized by Stappia stellulata-like strains. These isolates (designated M1) inhibited the growth of CVSP bacteria in a disk-diffusion assay and thus may have prevented colonization of these animals by CVSP bacteria in situ. Laboratory-maintained C. virginica injected with CVSP bacteria experienced statistically significant elevated mortalities compared to controls, and CVSP bacteria were recovered from these animals during the mortality events. Together, these results provide additional evidence that CVSP bacteria are the etiological agent of JOD. Further, there are no other descriptions of specific marine α-proteobacteria that have been successfully cultivated from a defined animal host. Thus, this system presents an opportunity to investigate both bacterial and host factors involved in the establishment of such associations and the role of the invertebrate host in the ecology of these marine α-proteobacteria.
At least two different regions are involved in allelic imbalance on chromosome arm 16q in breast cancer

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) or allelic imbalance, the latter term referring to both loss and gain of an allele, on the long arm of chromosome 16 has been repeatedly found in cancers of, e.g., the breast and prostate. This indicates the presence of one or more tumor suppressor genes on 16q. To locate the gene(s) more precisely, a detailed allelic imbalance map of 20 polymorphic markers on this chromosome arm was made for 79 sporadic breast carcinomas. LOH of one or more markers was found in 63% of the tumors. Some had allelic imbalance on a region of 16q which failed to overlap with the LOH in other tumors. We therefore assigned two separate “smallest regions of overlap” to 16q and suggest that this chromosome arm contains at least two different tumor suppressor genes. Genes Chrom Cancer 9:101‐107 (1994). © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery and Micro-Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in Moderately Sized Pediatric Kidney Stones.

PURPOSE To compare the effectiveness and reliability of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) and micro-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (micro-perc) for the management of kidney stones in pediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis was made of pediatric patients aged <18 years with kidney stones that ranged from 10 to 20 mm in size, who underwent RIRS (n = 36) or micro-perc (n = 45) in referral centers. RESULTS In the RIRS group, the mean age of patients was 8.39 ± 4.72 years and in the micro-perc group, it was 5.62 ± 4.50 years (p = 0.01). The mean stone size was 12.80 ± 3.03 mm in the RIRS group and 13.97 ± 3.46 mm in the micro-perc group (p = 0.189). The success rate was 86.2% (n = 31) in the RIRS group and 80.0% (n = 36) in the micro-perc group (p = 0.47). The mean complication rate was 16.6% and 13.3% in the RIRS and micro-perc groups, respectively (p = 0.675). Hospital stay and radiation exposure were significantly lower in the RIRS group (all p < 0.001). The mean anesthesia session was 1.94 in the RIRS group and 1.26 in the micro-perc group (p < 0.001). The mean hemoglobin drop was 0.53 ± 0.87 g/dL in the micro-perc group, and none of the cases required blood transfusion. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggested that micro-perc and RIRS were highly effective methods for the treatment of moderately sized renal stones in children, with comparable success and complication rates. Patients and their parents should be informed about the currently available treatment options, and of their efficacy and safety. However, further clinical trials are needed to support these results.
Serum Total Prostate-Specific Antigen Assay in Women with Cushing’s Disease or Alcohol-Dependent Pseudo-Cushing’s State

Background: The distinction between Cushing’s disease (Cushing’s syndrome dependent on adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting tumors of pituitary origin) and pseudo-Cushing’s states (Cushingoid features and hypercortisolism sometimes present in alcoholic, depressed or obese subjects) can present a diagnostic challenge in clinical endocrinology. Recently, the availability of a highly sensitive immunofluorometric assay for the measurement of total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) provided the possibility to measure serum PSA levels in women. Interestingly, PSA gene expression and protein production has been found to be upregulated by steroid hormones, such as androgens, glucocorticoids, mineral corticoids and progestins. In fact, serum total PSA concentrations appear to be higher in female patients with Cushing’s disease than in normal women. We wondered whether a similar phenomenon also occurs in pseudo-Cushing’s state. Methods: In order to answer this question, we compared the serum total PSA levels measured in 10 female subjects with alcohol-dependent pseudo-Cushing’s state with those observed in 8 female patients with Cushing’s disease and in 15 age-matched healthy women. Serum testosterone, ACTH and cortisol, and 24-hour urinary cortisol levels were measured; cortisol suppression after dexamethasone was also tested in all subjects. Results: The basal serum levels of ACTH and cortisol were significantly lower in normal subjects than in patients with Cushing’s disease or pseudo-Cushing’s state; these latter groups showed similar basal hormonal values. Dexamethasone administration was unable to suppress serum cortisol levels in 5 subjects with Cushing’s disease and 6 subjects with pseudo-Cushing’s state. Serum testosterone values in the group with Cushing’s disease were higher than in the other groups. No differences were observed between pseudo-Cushing’s and normal subjects. Serum total PSA levels were significantly higher in women with Cushing’s disease than in subjects with pseudo-Cushing’s state and normal controls; these latter groups showed similar PSA values. When serum total PSA and testosterone levels were considered together, a significant positive correlation was observed in the group with Cushing’s disease, but not in the other groups. Conclusions: These data indicate that the steroid milieu responsible for the elevation in serum PSA in women with Cushing’s disease is not present in subjects with alcohol-dependent pseudo-Cushing’s state, suggesting the possible use of PSA as a marker of differentiation between these pathological conditions in women.
Chronic postsurgical pain in the Evaluation of Nitrous Oxide in the Gas Mixture for Anaesthesia (ENIGMA)-II trial.

BACKGROUND Previous animal and clinical studies showed that nitrous oxide may produce long-term analgesia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nitrous oxide in preventing chronic postsurgical pain. We also explored whether methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphisms (1298A>C, 667C>T) would enhance nitrous oxide analgesia. METHODS We conducted a telephone interview at 12 months after surgery on 2924 (41.1%) patients enrolled in the Evaluation of Nitrous Oxide in the Gas Mixture for Anaesthesia-II trial. Pain at the wound site was recorded using the modified brief pain inventory and the neuropathic pain questionnaire. General health status was measured using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Genotyping was performed in a subset of 674 Asian patients in Hong Kong. RESULTS At 12 months after surgery, 356 (12.2%) patients reported chronic postsurgical pain at the wound site and 112 (3.8%) patients had severe pain and required regular analgesic interventions. Nitrous oxide did not affect the rate of chronic postsurgical pain (11.8% nitrous oxide group; 12.5% no nitrous oxide group), relative risk (95% confidence intervals): 0.94 (0.75-1.17), P=0.57. However, in a planned subgroup analysis, nitrous oxide reduced the risk of chronic postsurgical pain in Asian patients, relative risk (95% confidence intervals): 0.70 (0.50-0.98), P=0.031. Patients who were homozygous for either gene polymorphism and who received nitrous oxide during surgery were less likely to report chronic postsurgical pain. CONCLUSIONS Nitrous oxide administration had no impact on chronic postsurgical pain, but benefits may still be possible in Asian patients and patients with variants in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT00430989.
Staphylococcus aureus Mutant Screen Reveals Interaction of the Human Antimicrobial Peptide Dermcidin with Membrane Phospholipids

ABSTRACT Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) form an important part of the innate host defense. In contrast to most AMPs, human dermcidin has an anionic net charge. To investigate whether bacteria have developed specific mechanisms of resistance to dermcidin, we screened for mutants of the leading human pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, with altered resistance to dermcidin. To that end, we constructed a plasmid for use in mariner-based transposon mutagenesis and developed a high-throughput cell viability screening method based on luminescence. In a large screen, we did not find mutants with strongly increased susceptibility to dermcidin, indicating that S. aureus has no specific mechanism of resistance to this AMP. Furthermore, we detected a mutation in a gene of unknown function that resulted in significantly increased resistance to dermcidin. The mutant strain had an altered membrane phospholipid pattern and showed decreased binding of dermcidin to the bacterial surface, indicating that dermcidin interacts with membrane phospholipids. The mode of this interaction was direct, as shown by assays of dermcidin binding to phospholipid preparations, and specific, as the resistance to other AMPs was not affected. Our findings indicate that dermcidin has an exceptional value for the human innate host defense and lend support to the idea that it evolved to evade bacterial resistance mechanisms targeted at the cationic character of most AMPs. Moreover, they suggest that the antimicrobial activity of dermcidin is dependent on the interaction with the bacterial membrane and might thus assist with the determination of the yet unknown mode of action of this important human AMP.
Tracking of a maneuvering underwater target

This paper elaborates a technique for improving the performance of a sensor network based system for tracking an abruptly maneuvering under water target. The results of tracking estimates of a maneuvering target may vary owing to various noises and interferences such as sensor errors and environmental noises. The conventional Kalman filter may induce unsatisfactory tracking errors when applied to the maneuvering target scenario, since the parameters of the filter cannot adapt itself to the highly maneuvering target. In this simulation study, a decision based maneuvering detection which depends on the chi-square significance test of the measurement residuals has been exercised. Upon detection of the maneuvering, the Kalman filter is reinitialized by resetting the parameters for improving the maneuvering target tracking estimates.
Assessment of the intrinsic radiosensitivity of glioma cells and monitoring of metabolite ratio changes after irradiation by 14.7‐T high‐resolution 1H MRS

Gliomas are the most common type of primary brain tumor. Radiation therapy (RT) is the primary adjuvant treatment to eliminate residual tumor tissue after surgery. However, the current RT guided by conventional imaging is unsatisfactory. A fundamental question is whether it is possible to further enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of RT based on individual radiosensitivity. In this research, to probe the correlation between radiosensitivity and the metabolite characteristics of glioma cells in vitro, a perchloric acid (PCA) extracting method was used to obtain water‐soluble metabolites [such as N‐acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), creatine (Cr) and succinate (Suc)]. Spectral patterns from these processed water‐soluble metabolite samples were acquired by in vitro 14.7‐T high‐resolution 1H MRS. Survival fraction analysis was performed to test the intrinsic radiosensitivity of glioma cell lines. Good 1H MRS of PCA extracts from glioma cells was obtained. The radiosensitivity of glioma cells correlated positively with the Cho/Cr and Cho/NAA ratios, but negatively with the Suc/Cr ratio. Irradiation of the C6 cell line at different X‐ray dosages led to changes in metabolite ratios and apoptotic rates. A plateau phase of metabolite ratio change and a decrease in apoptotic rate were found in the C6 cell line. We conclude that in vitro high‐resolution 1H MRS possesses the sensitivity required to detect subtle biochemical changes at the cellular level. 1H MRS may aid in the assessment of the individual radiosensitivity of brain tumors, which is pivotal in the identification of the biological target volume. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Novel self-adaptive harmony search algorithm for continuous optimization problems

This paper presents a novel harmony search algorithm for solving the global continuous optimization problems. In the proposed algorithm, a new version of improvisation scheme is proposed to generate candidate harmonies, where two control parameters, bandwidth distance (bw) and pitch adjusting rate (PAR), are either self-adaptive or automatically updated with respect to both the evolution of the search process and the useful information taken from the optimization problems with different features. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm is very competitive in comparison with the compared HS algorithms.
Nerve Terminal Growth Remodels Neuromuscular Synapses in Mice following Regeneration of the Postsynaptic Muscle Fiber

Muscle fibers degenerate and regenerate in response to contractile damage, during aging, and in various muscle diseases that weaken the fibers. It is known that degeneration and regeneration of the segment of the postsynaptic fiber produces dramatic alterations in the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) that forms on the regenerated fiber, but the mechanisms here are incompletely understood. We have used a laser microbeam to damage the postsynaptic fibers at individual NMJs in the sternomastoid muscle of living young adult mice and then followed the synapses vitally over time using fluorescent proteins expressed in motor neurons and glial cells and staining of postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors. We find, in contrast to previous reports, that the mouse nerve terminal retains contact with the synaptic basal lamina marked by cholinesterase staining even in the absence of the target, showing that this terminal does not require a continuous supply of target-derived molecules for its maintenance. Thus, remodeling of the nerve terminal during the period of target absence does not explain the subsequent changes in the new NMJ. Rather, we see that the synapse becomes altered as the new fiber segment regenerates. Mechanisms for remodeling the synapse include failure of the regenerating muscle fiber to contact the old basal lamina and nerve terminal, growth of the nerve terminal and its glia toward the regenerating fiber, and remodeling of the initial contact as the nerve terminal becomes varicose.