Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Significant improvement in symptoms, skin test, and specific bronchial reactivity after 6 months of treatment with a depigmented, polymerized extract of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae.

BACKGROUND The efficacy of allergen immunotherapy using depigmented and polymerized extracts has been previously shown for Olea europaea, Phleum pratense, and Parietaria judaica. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy after 3 and 6 months of treatment of a depigmented, polymerized extract of a mixture of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae. METHODS A group of 22 patients suffering from asthma and monosensitized to mites was treated with the mixture of modified allergen extract. A group of 11 mite-sensitive, asthmatic patients receiving only pharmacological treatment was used as control. The study was open, parallel, controlled, and random-allocated. Objective and subjective criteria, such as changes in D. pteronyssinus-specific bronchial hyperreactivity, visual scale, and medication/symptom scores were used to evaluate efficacy. Each patient received a built-up phase of 6 injections in 5 weeks, followed by 5 injections of the maintenance dose, which consisted of 42.5 micrograms of depigmented, polymerized extract of D. pteronyssinus and 32.5 of D. farinae. The Friedman test was used to compare the results of the specific bronchial challenges at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of treatment. RESULTS A significant difference in the amount of native extract of D. pteronyssinus needed to produce a drop of 20% in the FEV1 (p = 0.0029) in the immunotherapy-treated group was found. In this group, the median allergen potency needed at baseline was 0.6 HEP (35 micrograms) vs. 3.96 HEP (232 micrograms) at the end of the study, whereas no difference (median 0.6 vs. 0.57 HEP) was found in the control group. At the end of the study, 10 patients in the immunotherapy treated group vs. 1 in the control group needed more than twice the amount of allergen than at baseline to experience a 20% drop in FEV1 (p = 0.03). Symptom and medication scores and visual scale evaluation did also show a significant improvement after 3 and 6 months of treatment only in active group. A significant decrease in skin test reactivity was also detected in the active group after 6 months, which needed a median of 3 times more allergen to elicit the same reaction as histamine (10 HEP) (p = 0.028), whereas no changes were found in control group. No serious side effects were registered. CONCLUSIONS Depigmented polymerized extracts of D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae are safe and effective in the treatment of mite allergic asthmatic patients, and provide clinical benefit in the shock organ after 6 months of treatment. Skin test reactivity, symptom and medication scores were also improved. Depigmented polymerized extracts of D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae induce clinical protection against a native extract as verified by specific bronchial challenges.
Voluntary motion support control of Robot Suit HAL triggered by bioelectrical signal for hemiplegia

Our goal is to enhance the quality of life of patients with hemiplegia by means of an active motion support system that assists the impaired motion such as to make it as close as possible to the motion of an able bodied person. We have developed the Robot Suit HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) to actively support and enhance the human motor functions. The purpose of the research presented in this paper is to propose the required control method to support voluntarily motion using a trigger based on patient's bioelectrical signal. Clinical trials were conducted in order to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed control method. The first stage of the trials, described in this paper, involved the participation of one hemiplegic patient who is not able to bend his right knee. As a result, the motion support provided by the HAL moved the paralyzed knee joint according to his intention and improved the range of the subject's knee flexion. The first evaluation of the control method with one subject showed promising results for future trials to explore the effectiveness for a wide range of types of hemiplegia.
A new prediction score for critically ill patients-do we need an Apgar score for acute respiratory distress syndrome?

Back in 1952 the anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar invented a score to quickly summarize the health of neonates (1). The scale of the score was determined by evaluating a neonate on five simple criteria on a scale from zero to two, then summing up the five values thus obtained, at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. Some 10 years after initial publication, a backronym for the score was coined in the United States as a mnemonic learning aid: appearance (skin color), pulse (heart rate), grimace (reflex irritability), activity (muscle tone), and respiration, or “Apgar score”. Of note, the purpose of the “Apgar score” was to determine quickly whether a newborn needed immediate medical care—it was not designed to predict long-term outcome; nevertheless, a score that remains <3 at later time points may indicate longer term neurological damage.
Identification of a Functional Binding Site for Activin on the Type I Receptor ALK4*

Activins, like other members of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily, initiate signaling by assembling a complex of two types of transmembrane serine/threonine receptor kinases classified as type II (ActRII or ActRIIB) and type I (ALK4). A kinase-deleted version of ALK4 can form an inactive complex with activin and ActRII/IIB and thereby acts in a dominant negative manner to block activin signaling. Using the complex structure of bone morphogenetic protein-2 bound to its type I receptor (ALK3) as a guide, we introduced extracellular domain mutations in the context of the truncated ALK4 (ALK4-trunc) construct and assessed the ability of the mutants to inhibit activin function. We have identified five hydrophobic amino acid residues on the ALK4 extracellular domain (Leu40, Ile70, Val73, Leu75, and Pro77) that, when mutated to alanine, have substantial effects on ALK4-trunc dominant negative activity. In addition, eleven mutants partially affected activin binding to ALK4. Together, these residues likely constitute the binding surface for activin on ALK4. Cross-linking studies measuring binding of 125I-activin-A to the ALK4-trunc mutants in the presence of ActRII implicated the same residues. Our results indicate that there is only a partial overlap of the binding sites on ALK4 and ALK3 for activin-A and bone morphogenetic protein-2, respectively. In addition three of the residues required for activin binding to ALK4 are conserved on the type I TGF-β receptor ALK5, suggesting the corresponding region on ALK5 may be important for TGF-β binding.
Patterns of Use of Prophylaxis for Stress-Related Mucosal Disease in Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Background: Morbidity associated with stress ulcer–related bleeding, the cost of medications, and the possible complications associated with stress ulcer prophylaxis are important considerations when prescribing prophylaxis. We prospectively studied the prescription patterns for stress ulcer prophylaxis in patients admitted to our ICU. Methods: We prospectively recorded the indications for stress ulcer prophylaxis and prescription patterns for use based on the American Society of Healthcare Pharmacists criteria and other indications for 99 new intensive care unit (ICU) admissions to a tertiary referral center. Results: In all 51 patients had no indication for stress ulcer prophylaxis, 32 had 1 indication, 14 had 2 indications, and 2 patients had 3 indications for receiving stress ulcer prophylaxis in the ICU. Eighty-two percent of patients without any indications received stress ulcer prophylaxis; 81% of patients with 1 indication, 79% of patients with 2 indication, and 50% of patients with 3 indications received stress ulcer prophylaxis. Overall, 53% of patients either received stress ulcer prophylaxis when none was indicated or did not receive stress ulcer prophylaxis when it was indicated. We also review the recent literature on stress-related mucosal disease and the use of prophylaxis for stress-related mucosal disease. Conclusions: Stress ulcer prophylaxis administration in this ICU is inconsistent and includes both underutilization and overutilization. Educating physicians and implementing hospital protocols could improve use patterns.
Q: a new retrotransposon from the mosquito Anopheles gambiae

A new family of retrotransposons (RTPs) without long terminal repeats (LTRs), designated Q, has been isolated from the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. The nucleotide sequence of a complete element G‐22, was determined and analysed. Approximately 4.5 kb long, 0–22 contains two long overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) that potentially encode proteins with nucleic acid binding and reverse transcriptase domains similar to those of non‐LTR RTPs previously described. The 3 end is characterized by variable numbers of the triplet repeat TAA, immediately following a polyadenylation signal. In situ hybridization of nurse cell polytene chromosomes revealed about twenty labelled sites distributed over all arms and diffuse hybridization to the chromocentre. Cross‐hybridizing sequences with the same internal structure occur in all members of the A. gambiae complex. Genomic Southerns of wild A. gambiae specimens probed with Q suggest that Q is or recently was capable of retrotransposition.
Validation of the Epidemiological Dementia Index in Geriatric Outpatients

The aim of the current study was to test the properties of a scale especially developed for use in epidemiological surveys in low sociocultural populations, and to determine whether this scale can be used in a clinical population. Material and Methods: Two hundred fifty subjects took part; 150 were controls and 100 had dementia of various types according to DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Results: Cronbach's alpha was equal to . 78. In the group of people under 75 years old, sensitivity did not exceed 90%. Specificity was over 90% at the level 4/5. The respective scores for the group of people over 74 were 6/7 and 3/4. Discussion: The Epidemiological Dementia Index seems to be less powerful when used in a clinical population. This provides further evidence that it is not suitable to use the same instruments in both epidemiological studies and clinical practice.
Determination of digesta flow entering the omasal canal of dairy cows using different marker systems

Four studies were conducted to compare the effect of four indigestible markers (LiCoEDTA, Yb-acetate, Cr-mordanted straw and indigestible neutral-detergent fibre (INDF)) and three marker systems on the flow of digesta entering the omasal canal of lactating dairy cows. Samples of digesta aspirated from the omasal canal were pooled and separated using filtration and high-speed centrifugation into three fractions defined as the liquid phase, small particulate and large particulate matter. Co was primarily associated with the liquid phase, Yb was concentrated in small particulate matter, whilst Cr and INDF were associated with large particles. Digesta flow was calculated based on single markers or using the reconstitution system based on combinations of two (Co + Yb, Co + Cr and Co + INDF) or three markers (Co + Yb + Cr and Co + Yb + INDF). Use of single markers resulted in large differences between estimates of organic matter (OM) flow entering the omasal canal suggesting that samples were not representative of true digesta. Digesta appeared to consist of at least three phases that tended to separate during sampling. OM was concentrated in particulate matter, whilst the liquid phase consisted mainly of volatile fatty acids and inorganic matter. Yb was intimately associated with nitrogenous compounds, whereas Cr and INDF were concentrated in fibrous material. Current data indicated that marker systems based on Yb in combination with Cr or INDF are required for the accurate determination of OM, N and neutral-detergent fibre flow. In cases where the flow of water-soluble nutrients entering the omasal canal is also required, the marker system should also include Co.
Thyroid nodules in the population living around Chernobyl.

OBJECTIVE To determine the baseline incidence, prevalence, and characteristics of thyroid nodules in the population living around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and to compare the findings with unexposed populations. DESIGN Prevalence study. Population samples from seven highly contaminated villages were compared with six nearby control villages of the same size and type. The data were obtained as part of the International Chernobyl Project conducted in 1990. SETTING The study was conducted 4.5 years after the Chernobyl reactor accident that released large quantities of radionuclides, including radioiodine. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Population samples of approximately 100 persons residing in both highly contaminated villages and control villages since the accident were compared. Individuals were selected on the basis of birth date as being 5, 10, 40, or 60 years old at the time of the study. All persons selected underwent a thyroid examination. INTERVENTIONS None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Two main outcome measures were used, both for thyroid nodularity: clinical palpation and high-resolution ultrasonography. RESULTS There was no significant difference in thyroid nodularity between the study groups. Nodules were palpated in 0.7% of children and 2.9% of adults. Discrete nodules were found by ultrasonography in 0.5% of children and 14.9% of adults. Multinodular goiter was found in 3% of adults. Nodules were more common in females. CONCLUSIONS Four and a half years after the Chernobyl accident, the incidence, prevalence, and characteristics of thyroid nodules were the same in population samples from both highly contaminated and control settlements and similar to results reported for unexposed populations in other countries.
Fabrication of long-acting insulin formulation based on poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) nanoparticles: preparation, optimization, characterization, and in vitro evaluation

Abstract The purpose of this research was the fabrication, statistical optimization, and in vitro characterization of insulin-loaded poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) nanoparticles (INS-PHBV-NPs). Nanopar-ticles were successfully developed by double emulsification solvent evaporation method. The NPs were characterized for particle size, entrapment efficiency (EE%), and polydispersity index (PDI). The NPs also were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and circular dichroism (CD). The optimum conditions were found to be 1.6% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), 0.9% of PHBV, and 15 mg/ml of insulin with the aid of the Box–Behnken experimental design results. The optimized NPs showed spherical shape with particle size of 250.21 ± 11.37 nm, PDI of 0.12 ± 0.01, and with EE% of 90.12 ± 2.10%. In vitro drug release pattern followed Korsmeyer–Peppas model and exhibited an initial burst release of 19% with extended drug release of 63.2% from optimized NPs within 27 d. In conclusion, these results suggest that INS-PHBV-NPs could be a promising candidate for designing an injectable sustained release formulation for insulin.
Detection thresholds for multi-target tracking in clutter

Tracking performance depends upon the quality of the measurement data. In the Kalman-Bucy filter and other trackers, this dependence is well-understood in terms of the measurement noise covariance matrix, which specifies the uncertainty in the values of the measurement inputs. When the origin of the measurements is also uncertain, one has the widely-studied problem of data association (or data correlation), and tracking performance depends critically on additional parameters, primarily the probabilities of detection and false alarm. In this paper we derive a modified Riccati equation that quantifies (approximately) the dependence of the state error covariance on these parameters. We also show how to use an ROC curve in conjunction with the above relationship to determine an optimal detection threshold in the signal processing system that provides measurements to the tracker.
Pulmonary immune responses to Aspergillus fumigatus in an immunocompetent mouse model of repeated exposures

Abstract Aspergillus fumigatus is a filamentous fungus that produces abundant pigmented conidia. Several fungal components have been identified as virulence factors, including melanin; however, the impact of these factors in a repeated exposure model resembling natural environmental exposures remains unknown. This study examined the role of fungal melanin in the stimulation of pulmonary immune responses using immunocompetent BALB/c mice in a multiple exposure model. It compared conidia from wild-type A. fumigatus to two melanin mutants of the same strain, Δarp2 (tan) or Δalb1 (white). Mass spectrometry-based analysis of conidial extracts demonstrated that there was little difference in the protein fingerprint profiles between the three strains. Field emission scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the immunologically inert Rodlet A layer remained intact in melanin-deficient conidia. Thus, the primary difference between the strains was the extent of melanization. Histopathology indicated that each A. fumigatus strain induced lung inflammation, regardless of the extent of melanization. In mice exposed to Δalb1 conidia, an increase in airway eosinophils and a decrease in neutrophils and CD8+ IL-17+ (Tc17) cells were observed. Additionally, it was shown that melanin mutant conidia were more rapidly cleared from the lungs than wild-type conidia. These data suggest that the presence of fungal melanin may modulate the pulmonary immune response in a mouse model of repeated exposures to A. fumigatus conidia.
A New Compound, 1H,8H-Pyrano[3,4-C]Pyran-1,8-Dione, Suppresses Airway Epithelial Cell Inflammatory Responses in a Murine Model of Asthma

Clinical and experimental studies have established eosinophilia as a sign of allergic disorders. Activation of eosinophils in the airways is believed to cause epithelial tissue injury, contraction of airway smooth muscle and increased bronchial responsiveness. As part of the search for new anti-asthmatic agents produced by medicinal plants, the effects of 270 standardized medicinal plant extracts on cytokine-activated A549 human lung epithelial cells were evaluated. After several rounds of activity-guided screening, the new natural compound, 1H,8H-Pyrano[3,4-c]pyran-1,8-dione (PPY), was isolated from Vitex rotundifolia L. To elucidate the mechanism by which the anti-asthmatic responses of PPY occurred in vitro, lung epithelial cells (A549 cell) were stimulated with TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-1β to induce the expression of chemokines and adhesion molecules involved in eosinophil chemotaxis. PPY treatments reduced the expression of eotaxin, IL-8, IL-16 and VCAM-1 mRNA significantly. Additionally, PPY reduced eotaxin secretion in a dose-dependent manner and significantly inhibited eosinophil migration toward A549 medium. In addition, PPY treatment suppressed the phosphorylation of p65 and ERK1/2, suggesting that it can inhibit the MAPK/NF-κβ pathway. To clarify the anti-inflammatory and anti-asthmatic effects of PPY in vivo, we examined the influence of PPY on the development of pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation in a murine model of asthma. To accomplish this, mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) and then examined for the following typical asthmatic reactions: an increase in the number of eosinophils in BALF; the presence of Th2 cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-5 in the BALF; the presence of allergen-specific IgE in the serum; and a marked influx of inflammatory cells into the lung. Taken together, our results revealed that PPY exerts profound inhibitory effects on the accumulation of eosinophils into the airways while reducing the levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in the BALF. Therefore, these results suggest that PPY may be useful as a new therapeutic drug for the treatment of allergic asthma.
Hybrid Protocol for Application Level Multicast for Live Video Streaming

A hybrid protocol for application level multicast (HPAM) for live video streaming without native IP multicast support is proposed. HPAM exploits the simplicity and optimality of a lightweight, centralized server with the robustness and scaleability of distributed clients. HPAM self-organizes clients on the fly to form efficient source-based overlay trees while the server facilitates peer discovery and also serves as a reliable backup should the distributed algorithms fails. Tree construction, refinement and recovery from partitions are carried out independently by the clients. Simulation results show that HPAM can build and maintain reasonably latency-efficient overlay trees with a lower overhead than a fully centralized system (host based multicast) and yet more responsive to group dynamics and network environment than a fully distributed system (host multicast).
Using an asthma control questionnaire and administrative data to predict health-care utilization.

OBJECTIVE To examine the merits of the Asthma Therapy Assessment Questionnaire (ATAQ) control index together with prior asthma health-care utilization from administrative data in predicting future acute asthma health-care utilization. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. POPULATION A total of 4,788 adult asthma patients aged 17 to 93 years who completed a baseline evaluation and had at least 6 months of follow-up data. STATISTICAL METHODS Classification and regression tree methodology to predict future risk of acute health-care utilization events. RESULTS These results show that the ATAQ control index and administrative data are jointly useful for predicting future health-care utilization. The utility of the ATAQ control index in the presence of information about prior health-care utilization is to further stratify risk among the subset of younger individuals who did not have any prior acute health-care utilization. While administrative health-care utilization data served as the strongest predictor of future health-care utilization, the ATAQ control index helped to identify 1% of individuals without recent acute care that had approximately a sixfold elevated risk (95% confidence interval, 4.2 to 8.4) of future acute health-care utilization. This is an important result since only a small fraction of individuals with acute events in a given year will have had acute events in the previous year. CONCLUSION These findings should assist the practicing clinician and organizations interested in population-based asthma disease management.
Genomic Analysis of Clostridium botulinum Group II by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis

ABSTRACT Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was optimized for genomic analyses of Clostridium botulinum (nonproteolytic) group II. DNA degradation problems caused by extracellular DNases were overcome by fixation of cells with formaldehyde prior to isolation. A rapid (4-h) in situ DNA isolation method was also assessed and gave indistinguishable results. Genomic DNA from 21 strains of various geographical and temporal origins was digested with 15 rare-cutting restriction enzymes. Of these, ApaI, MluI,NruI, SmaI, and XhoI gave the most revealing PFGE patterns, enabling strain differentiation. Twenty strains yielded PFGE patterns containing 13 pulsotypes. From summation of MluI, SmaI, and XhoI restriction fragments, the genome size of C. botulinum group II was estimated to be 3.6 to 4.1 Mb (mean ± standard deviation = 3,890 ± 170 kb). The results substantiate that after problems due to DNases are overcome, PFGE analysis will be a reproducible and highly discriminating epidemiological method for studying C. botulinum group II at the molecular level.