Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Platelet‐rich plasma versus platelet‐poor plasma in the management of chronic diabetic foot ulcers: a comparative study

Non healing diabetic foot ulcers and the resulting potential amputations present significant costs to the health care system and reduce patient quality of life. The goal of diabetic foot ulcer treatment is to obtain wound closure as expeditiously as possible. The use of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) to enhance wound healing has increased dramatically over the last decade. However, controversies exist in the literature regarding the added benefit of this procedure. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficiency of platelet releasate on the healing of chronic diabetic ulcers in comparison with platelet‐poor plasma (PPP). This study included 24 patients with chronic diabetic ulcers. They were systematically randomised into two groups: PRP group (n = 12) and PPP group (n = 12). The results showed that healing in PRP group was significantly faster (P < 0·005). PRP enhances healing of chronic diabetic foot ulcers.
Inconsistencies in classification by experts of cardiotocograms and subsequent clinical decision

Inter‐observer agreement in the interpretation according to the FIGO guidelines of 33 cardiotocographic tracings by experts and subsequent clinical decision was evaluated, using the kappa statistic (K) and the proportions of agreement (Pa). Overall agreement in the classification of tracings was fair (K = 0.48) and was better for normal (Pa = 0.62), than for suspicious (Pa = 0.42) or pathologic tracings (Pa = 0.25). Overall agreement on clinical decision was slightly higher (K = 0.59), but mostly was centred on the decision to take ‘no action’ (Pa = 0.79). Experts especially disagreed over the decisions to ‘monitor closely’ (Pa = 0.14) or to ‘intervene immediately’ (Pa = 0.38). These limitations should be taken into account in clinical audits and in medical jurisprudence.
Bradykinin and nitric oxide generation by dialysis membranes can be blunted by alkaline rinsing solutions.

BACKGROUND Bradykinin (BK) generation following the first contact of blood with the dialysis materials is thought to enhance hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs). Some of the effects of BK are mediated by nitric oxide (NO). We have recently reported that the pH of diluted blood modulates the kinin system. The present study was aimed to investigate the role of the pH of culture media and filter-washing solutions and BK and NO generation, either in vitro and ex vivo. METHODS BK was measured by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and NO synthase (NOS) activity by 3H-citrulline production after incubation with 3H-arginine and nitrites by using the Griess reagent. In in vitro experiments, NOS activity was detected in endothelial cells (ECs) cultured with graded BK concentrations at various pH values. Blood from 30 patients in regular dialysis was ex vivo circulated in one single passage through minifilters prerinsed with pH 7 or pH 8 phosphate buffer (PB) solutions. The out-flowing blood was tested for BK and nitrite content and was incubated with cultured ECs to evaluate its capacity to modulate NOS activity. RESULTS BK induced in vitro a dose-dependent increase in NOS activity of ECs, which was mediated by tyrosine kinase phosphorylation. NO generation was enhanced at pH 7.2, which remained unchanged at pH 7.6. In ex vivo experiments, blood out-flowing after one passage on filters washed with pH 7 PB solutions had increased BK levels (P < 0.0001), increased nitrites (P < 0.05), and enhanced EC NOS activity (P < 0. 05) in comparison to data found when filters were washed with pH 8 PB. Only when the filters were rinsed with a solution at pH 7 did PAN DX and AN69 membranes show a distinct BK generation capability, and cuprophane a peculiar capability to enhance NOS. Such effects were prevented when dialyzers were prerinsed with pH 8 PB. Multiple regression analysis showed that the pH of the uremic blood was the driving factor for BK and NOS activation (r = 0.54, P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS BK and NO generation are modulated by environmental pH. Rinsing the blood and dialysate compartments of filters with an alkaline solution prior to use may mitigate the activation of mediators likely to be involved in some HSRs.
Sexing Frogs by Real-Time PCR: Using Aromatase (cyp19) as an Early Ovarian Differentiation Marker

Most anurans have no identified sex-markers; therefore, alternative methods for identification of early changes in sex ratios are required. In this study, Lithobates sylvaticus and Silurana tropicalis tadpoles were sampled at different developmental stages covering the entire process of sex differentiation. Three candidate genes known to be involved in sex differentiation in other vertebrate species were selected to develop a method to identify phenotypic sex in frogs: cytochrome p450 aromatase (cyp19), forkhead box L2 (foxl2) and the cytochrome 17-alpha-hydroxylase/17,20 lyase (cyp17). Cloning of these genes revealed nucleotide identity values ranging between 75–97% when compared to other amphibian species. Gene expression of cyp17,cyp19 and foxl2 in L. sylvaticus adult gonads and gonad-mesonephros complex (GMC) of tadpoles was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. Results showed clear sexually dimorphic patterns in the expression of the 3 genes. Our analysis reveals that GMC gene expression levels of cyp19 alone can be used as a robust predictor of phenotypic sex in L. sylvaticus tadpoles. In addition, we validated this method measuring cyp19 mRNA levels in S. tropicalis GMCs. We propose measuring cyp19 as a tool to study the effects of chemical contaminants (including endocrine disrupting compounds) on amphibian gonadal development and sex ratios in the future.
Endothelial cell and model membranes respond to shear stress by rapidly decreasing the order of their lipid phases

Summary Endothelial cells (ECs) sense shear stress and transduce blood flow information into functional responses that play important roles in vascular homeostasis and pathophysiology. A unique feature of shear-stress-sensing is the involvement of many different types of membrane-bound molecules, including receptors, ion channels and adhesion proteins, but the mechanisms remain unknown. Because cell membrane properties affect the activities of membrane-bound proteins, shear stress might activate various membrane-bound molecules by altering the physical properties of EC membranes. To determine how shear stress influences the cell membrane, cultured human pulmonary artery ECs were exposed to shear stress and examined for changes in membrane lipid order and fluidity by Laurdan two-photon imaging and FRAP measurements. Upon shear stress stimulation, the lipid order of EC membranes rapidly decreased in an intensity-dependent manner, and caveolar membrane domains changed from the liquid-ordered state to the liquid-disordered state. Notably, a similar decrease in lipid order occurred when the artificial membranes of giant unilamellar vesicles were exposed to shear stress, suggesting that this is a physical phenomenon. Membrane fluidity increased over the entire EC membranes in response to shear stress. Addition of cholesterol to ECs abolished the effects of shear stress on membrane lipid order and fluidity and markedly suppressed ATP release, which is a well-known EC response to shear stress and is involved in shear-stress Ca2+ signaling. These findings indicate that EC membranes directly respond to shear stress by rapidly decreasing their lipid phase order and increasing their fluidity; these changes could be linked to shear-stress-sensing and response mechanisms.
Vacuolar and Plasma Membrane Proton Pumps Collaborate to Achieve Cytosolic pH Homeostasis in Yeast*

Vacuolar proton-translocating ATPases (V-ATPases) play a central role in organelle acidification in all eukaryotic cells. To address the role of the yeast V-ATPase in vacuolar and cytosolic pH homeostasis, ratiometric pH-sensitive fluorophores specific for the vacuole or cytosol were introduced into wild-type cells and vma mutants, which lack V-ATPase subunits. Transiently glucose-deprived wild-type cells respond to glucose addition with vacuolar acidification and cytosolic alkalinization, and subsequent addition of K+ ion increases the pH of both the vacuole and cytosol. In contrast, glucose addition results in an increase in vacuolar pH in both vma mutants and wild-type cells treated with the V-ATPase inhibitor concanamycin A. Cytosolic pH homeostasis is also significantly perturbed in the vma mutants. Even at extracellular pH 5, conditions optimal for their growth, cytosolic pH was much lower, and response to glucose was smaller in the mutants. In plasma membrane fractions from the vma mutants, activity of the plasma membrane proton pump, Pma1p, was 65–75% lower than in fractions from wild-type cells. Immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed decreased levels of plasma membrane Pma1p and increased Pma1p at the vacuole and other compartments in the mutants. Pma1p was not mislocalized in concanamycin-treated cells, but a significant reduction in cytosolic pH under all conditions was still observed. We propose that short-term, V-ATPase activity is essential for both vacuolar acidification in response to glucose metabolism and for efficient cytosolic pH homeostasis, and long-term, V-ATPases are important for stable localization of Pma1p at the plasma membrane.
Oxytocinergic inputs to the nucleus of the solitary tract and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus in neonatal rats

The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) modulates vagal digestive motor functions via oxytocinergic projections to the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) in adult rats. Little is known regarding the structural or functional maturation of these projections. The present study examines the postnatal development of immunocytochemically identified oxytocinergic fibers in gastric subregions of the medial NST‐DMV. For this purpose, a monoclonal antibody (PS36) that recognizes both oxytocin (OT)‐neurophysin and its prohormone was used to identify oxytocinergic fibers. PS36‐positive fibers already were present within the NST‐DMV in rats on the day of birth. Retrograde transport of cholera toxin neural tracer from the NST‐DMV in newborn rats confirmed that PVN neurons were the sole source of these oxytocinergic fibers. The cumulative length of PS36‐positive fibers in sampled subregions of the medial NST and DMV increased approximately 23‐fold and 94‐fold, respectively, between birth and adulthood. The observed postnatal increases in PS36 immunolabeling could reflect increased delivery of immunoreactive antigen from hypothalamic perikarya to distal axons and/or increasing oxytocinergic innervation of the NST‐DMV. Additional work will be needed to address these questions and to determine the time course during which central oxytocinergic pathways become mature in their ability to influence vagally mediated digestive functions. J. Comp. Neurol. 399:101–109, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Systematic Analysis of Efficacy of Second-Line Chemotherapy in Sensitive and Refractory Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Introduction: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients unresponsive or relapsing within 90 days after frontline chemotherapy have poor prognosis and are treated with regimens different from the first-line regimen. Potential differences in the efficacy of second-line therapy for refractory and sensitive SCLC have not been well studied. Methods: Studies that enrolled sensitive and refractory (relapse < 90 days or > 90 days) SCLC patients for second-line therapy were identified using electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane library), and meeting abstracts databases. A systematic analysis was conducted using Comprehensive Meta Analysis (version 2.2.048) software to calculate the odds ratio of response and 95% confidence interval. Median overall survival time for sensitive and resistant SCLC patients was compared by two-sided Student’s t test. We tested for significant heterogeneity by Cochran’s chi-square test and I-square index. Results: Twenty-one studies published between 1984 and 2011 were eligible for this analysis with a total of 1692 patients enrolled; 912 with sensitive and 780 with refractory SCLC. The overall response rate was 17.9% with a higher response rate of 27.7% (range, 0%–77%) for sensitive SCLC versus 14.8% (range, 0%–70%) for refractory patients; p=0.0001. Pooled overall odds ratio of response was 2.235 (95% confidence interval: 1.518–3.291; p=0.001) favoring patients with sensitive disease. Median overall survival time was 6.7 months with a weighted survival of 7.7 and 5.4 months for sensitive and refractory SCLC, respectively (p = 0.0035). Conclusions: Refractory SCLC patients derive modest clinical benefit from second-line chemotherapy. However, response and survival outcomes are superior with chemosensitive disease.
gem-1 Encodes an SLC16 Monocarboxylate Transporter-Related Protein That Functions in Parallel to the gon-2 TRPM Channel During Gonad Development in Caenorhabditis elegans

The gon-2 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans encodes a TRPM cation channel required for gonadal cell divisions. In this article, we demonstrate that the gonadogenesis defects of gon-2 loss-of-function mutants (including a null allele) can be suppressed by gain-of-function mutations in the gem-1 (gon-2 extragenic modifier) locus. gem-1 encodes a multipass transmembrane protein that is similar to SLC16 family monocarboxylate transporters. Inactivation of gem-1 enhances the gonadogenesis defects of gon-2 hypomorphic mutations, suggesting that these two genes probably act in parallel to promote gonadal cell divisions. GEM-1∷GFP is expressed within the gonadal precursor cells and localizes to the plasma membrane. Therefore, we propose that GEM-1 acts in parallel to the GON-2 channel to promote cation uptake within the developing gonad.
Do All Bad Things Go Together? Electoral Authoritarianism and the Consequences of Political Change Short of Democratisation*

ABSTRACT The article surveys the literature on electoral authoritarianism, paying special attention to the social consequences of the phenomenon. Autocrats have learnt to use elections, legislatures and multipartyism to their own advantage. Hence, nominally democratic institutions can turn into instruments of authoritarian consolidation, rather than citizen emancipation. Challenging this overly pessimistic scenario, recent research reveals that bad things do not necessarily go together. Electoral authoritarian rulers have both the incentives and the capabilities to improve citizen living conditions. Political change short of democratisation, that is, transition from closed to electoral forms of authoritarian rule, may thus generate mutual returns, and benefit both rulers and citizens, at least from a strictly socio-economic viewpoint. Yet this area of study is only in its infancy. The paper identifies and discusses a few issues that future research should address.
Caloric Expenditure Post-Isocaloric Bouts of Steady State Exercise and High Intensity Interval Training

By Toby Leigh Chambers Lack of time is a common barrier to exercise participation in the general population. Lack of exercise may lead to a disruption in the energy balance equation. The purpose of the study was to determine caloric expenditure differences post-isocaloric bouts of steady state exercise and high intensity interval training. Thirteen recreationally active individuals (9 female, 4 male; 21.3±1.4yrs) participated in this study which included performing trials of steady state exercise and high intensity interval training. Trials were matched for volume of exercise based on energy used and lasted 60 minutes. The total caloric expenditure was used for data analysis. The caloric expenditure for steady state exercise trials were 261.5±74.4kcals and 284.8±83.9kcals for high intensity interval training and determined to have significant difference. In conclusion, high intensity interval training elicits statistically greater energy expenditure versus steady state exercise. CALORIC EXPENDITURE POST-ISOCALORIC BOUTS OF STEADY STATE EXERCISE AND HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING by Toby Leigh Chambers A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Nutrition and Kinesiology University of Central Missouri
Prolonged Survival of Campylobacter Species in Bovine Manure Compost

ABSTRACT The persistence of naturally occurring campylobacteria in aerobic compost constructed of manure from beef cattle that were administered chlortetracycline and sulfamethazine (AS700) or from cattle not administered antibiotics (control) was examined. Although there were no differences in population sizes of heterotrophic bacteria, the temperature of AS700 compost was more variable and did not become as high as that of control compost. There were significant differences in water content, total carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and electrical conductivity but not in the C/N ratio or pH between the two compost treatments. Campylobacteria were readily isolated from pen manure, for up to day 15 from control compost, and throughout the active phase of AS700 compost. Campylobacter DNA (including Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter fetus, Campylobacter hyointestinalis, and Campylobacter jejuni) was detected over the ca. 10-month composting period, and no reductions in quantities of C. jejuni DNA were observed over the duration of the active phase. The utilization of centrifugation in combination with ethidium monoazide (EMA) significantly reduced (>90%) the amplification of C. jejuni DNA that did not originate from cells with intact cell membranes. No differences were observed in the frequency of Campylobacter DNA detection between EMA- and non-EMA-treated samples, suggesting that Campylobacter DNA amplified from compost was extracted from cells with intact cell membranes (i.e., from viable cells). The findings of this study indicate that campylobacteria excreted in cattle feces persist for long periods in compost and call into question the common belief that these bacteria do not persist in manure.
Generalized BRIEF: A Novel Fast Feature Extraction Method for Robust Hand Detection

Most literatures have been relying on image processing approaches such as skin detection and depth thresholding for hand detection. These techniques are restricted by strong assumptions and normally possess low robustness in actual applications. In this paper, we focus on an appearance approach and propose a new feature extraction method based on sparse pixel-pair wise intensity comparisons for hand detection. Our method can be viewed as a generalized BRIEF descriptor and can be easily adopted for other object detection or recognition tasks. We perform extensive experiments and prove that our method achieves comparable results with normal, noisy, and occluded hand images in term of both test accuracy and ROC. The main contributions of our work are threefold: 1) We introduce a new and simple feature extraction method that is robust against image noise, cluttered backgrounds, and partial occlusion. 2) Combined with AdaBoost, we show that the new feature descriptor is effective for hand detection. 3) The new feature descriptor has been rigorously compared with existing feature descriptors with a new hand database that has very challenging image backgrounds.
Citation measures at the micro level: Influence of publication age, field, and uncitedness

The application of micro-level citation indicators is not without controversy. The procedure requires the availability of both adequate data sets and trusted metrics. Few indicators have been developed to deal specifically with individual assessment. The h-type indices are the most popular category; however, the dependence of h-type metrics on publication age and field makes their application often unjustified. This article studies the effects that publication age and field normalization have on h-type citation values of German Leibniz Prize winners. This data set is exclusive in that it is highly scrutinized for homonyms. Results are compared with other field-normalized citation rates, contributing to the debate on using demarcation versus average citation approaches to evaluate top researchers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Orthopaedics and the Physician Payments Sunshine Act: An Examination of Payments to U.S. Orthopaedic Surgeons in the Open Payments Database.

BACKGROUND The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the Open Payments database (OPD) detailing payments from industry to physicians and teaching hospitals. We seek here to provide an overview of the data with a focus on the orthopaedic community. METHODS We analyzed payments in the OPD from August 1 to December 31, 2013. The OPD consists of three individual databases: General Payments, Research Payments, and Ownership. Physician identification number, physician specialty, payment type, and payment value were collected. Physicians assigned to multiple specialties were excluded. Comparisons were made between orthopaedic surgeons and the remainder of the top fifteen specialties by payment value. RESULTS In all, 2,697,015 payments with physicians were recorded; 491,223 of these payments (18.2%) were made to physicians with multiple listed specialties and were excluded. Excluding these potentially misattributed payments did not have a significant impact on the trends identified, and $394.5 million in payments remained. Orthopaedic surgeons represented 3.4% of payments but 25.6% of value, and 13,347 orthopaedic surgeons (68.9% of all active orthopaedic surgeons) were listed in the OPD. Payments over $10,000 represented only 1.6% of payments to orthopaedic surgeons but 75.5% of value. The majority of these payments (56.1%) were royalties. The median payment value for orthopaedic surgeons listed in the OPD was $38.11, with two payments per surgeon; the median aggregated value was $132.56 per surgeon. Orthopaedic surgeons listed in the OPD were more likely to receive payments for travel compared with all other specialties (p < 0.001) and more likely to receive payments for royalties compared with all other specialties (p < 0.001) except neurological surgery. CONCLUSIONS Financial interactions between orthopaedic surgeons and industry are highly prevalent. A small subset of orthopaedic surgeons received large royalties, which accounted for a majority of the transactional value provided by industry. Orthopaedic surgeons were the recipients of more payments for travel and for royalties than all other specialties except neurological surgery; however, the median value of these and other payments was similar to that for other specialties.
A Hybrid Model for Portfolio Optimization Based on Stock Clustering and Different Investment Strategies

In today’s dynamic business environment, in order to compete in the market, financial institutes are trying to find the best portfolio policy that in turn leads to an increase in the return and a decrease in the risk for the investors. The objective of this study is to develop a portfolio considering the behavior of investors in risk taking. This research aims to support investors, experts and intermediate managers in establishing optimized portfolio of stocks according to investment strategy. The proposed model has used the five indexes of risk, return, skewness, liquidity and current ratio of 66 companies that enlisted in Tehran stock exchange market and then clustered different companies using the hybrid method of clustering algorithm. After that, the clusters ranked using Topsis method. Ultimately, using genetic algorithm, the portfolio is established for different classes of investors with respect to their risk-taking level. The results show that the proposed model in comparison to general index, the industry index and the index of 50 more active companies are better in Tehran stock exchange.