Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Intravenous Verapamil on Cerebral Hemodynamics in a Migraine Patient with Hemiplegia

OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of intravenous verapamil in a migraine patient with hemiplegia to reverse the symptomatology and hemodynamics of the middle cerebral artery as determined by transcranial Doppler. CASE SUMMARY: A 31-year-old white woman was admitted with an acute exacerbation of migraine with hemiplegia. A transcranial Doppler showed an increased flow velocity through the middle cerebral artery consistent with a migrainous process. The patient was treated with verapamil 5 mg iv and the hemiplegia gradually resolved. A transcranial Doppler indicated that the flow velocity through the middle cerebral artery was decreased after verapamil administration, indicating reversal of the vasospasm. DISCUSSION: Transcranial Doppler has not been previously used to determine the effect of intravenous verapamil on the migrainous process. Intravenous verapamil reversed the altered hemodynamics of the middle cerebral artery as determined by transcranial Doppler. This finding correlated with the gradual resolution of hemiplegia. Whether both subjective and objective findings in this patient can be attributed to the reversal of the cerebral artery hemodynamics is not known. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous verapamil appears to reverse the vasospasm that may be associated with a migrainous process. Whether this effect is solely responsible for clinical improvement is not known. Verapamil may be a consideration for the treatment of intractable migraine, especially when there is evidence of spasm of the major cerebral arteries.
Effects of physical training on physical performance in institutionalised elderly patients (70+) with multiple diagnoses.

OBJECTIVE the positive effect of physical training in healthy elderly people is well documented. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the effect of physical training on physical performance in institutionalised elderly patients with multiple diagnoses. DESIGN systematic literature review of randomised controlled trials regarding effects of physical training of elderly (70+) subjects. METHODS the randomised controlled trials were evaluated using a modified version of an evaluation form originally developed by the Cochrane Collaboration. It is based on a weighted scale of 0-100 points, and ranks the studies as high, moderate or low methodological quality. A total of 16 randomised controlled trials were included in the review. RESULTS six studies scored as high quality, eight as moderate and two as low. There was a large heterogeneity in the studies concerning sample size, types of interventions and types of assessments. There is strong evidence for a positive effect of physical training on muscle strength and mobility; moderate evidence for an effect on range of motion; and contradictory evidence regarding gait, activities of daily living, balance and endurance. CONCLUSION more studies are required, with larger sample sizes, higher specificity as to the types of interventions and assessments, greater focus on clinically relevant outcomes such as endurance and activities of daily living, and also, for example, quality of life and mortality.
Tropical Medicine and Animal Diseases: Onderstepoort and the Development of Veterinary Science in South Africa 1908–1950 *

This article traces the development of agricultural science at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, near Pretoria, from its founding in 1908 until the 1950s, by which time many enzootic and epizootic diseases had either been eradicated, or were largely controllable through various forms of prophylaxis. The Institute demonstrated the political and economic significance attributed to the pastoral industry in South Africa and the conviction that scientific discoveries could increase output. During this period, researchers explicated the aetiology and provenance of hitherto mysterious diseases such as lamsiekte, geeldikkop and African horsesickness. They developed vaccines, some of which were adopted internationally. The nature of their investigations showed that veterinary science increasingly entailed more than just progress in biomedical procedures. Ecological factors, in particular the nutritional state of the veld, became a priority from the 1920s onwards as veterinarians saw their function as promoting animal health as well as eliminating disease. Dealing with contagious infections also incorporated less welcome, and at times controversial, approaches to disease control. The imposition of pastoral regulations illustrated the expanding powers of the South African state, founded on presumptions of scientific legitimacy. The article also explores the contribution made by African communities and settler farmers to the institutionalisation of veterinary knowledge, as well as the role South African researchers played in the evolution of a colonial, as well as an increasingly international, scientific culture.
Cultivation of Grafted Vegetables II. Development of Grafting Robots in Japan

Grafted seedlings are used commonly in commercial vegetable culture in countries such as Korea and Japan, where land use is intensive. Lee (1994) has reviewed the physiological aspects of grafting. The percentage of cultivated area of grafted seedlings in outdoor commercial vegetable culture amounts to 81% in Korea and 54% in Japan (Table 2 in Lee, 1994). In greenhouse cultivation, the percentage is higher in Japan (69%) and remains the same in Korea (81%). In particular, almost all watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] seedlings are grafted in both countries. Grafting is labor intensive. Farmers must manually graft numerous seedlings within a limited period. Neighboring farmers often graft seedlings in cooperation. An analysis of such group grafting showed that production of ≈3000 grafted cucumber seedlings required 6 h of labor from seven persons (Kobayashi, 1991). About 70% of the time was devoted to joining. As the average age of farmers increases, farmers’ demand for grafted seedlings increases. Several million grafted seedlings are produced by nurseries or by agricultural cooperatives every year in Japan. However, these organizations are also suffering from a labor shortage. Although the processes of filling trays with soil, seeding, watering, and controlling the growth environment are automated in some nurseries, grafting is done manually. Thus, developing automated grafting robots, which produce uniform seedlings at a lower cost, is a high priority. Much effort has been devoted to developing grafting robots in Japan, although none of them have yet come into practical use. This report describes four robots under development.
Comparison of serum bone resorption markers in the diagnosis of skeletal metastasis.

BACKGROUND There are several bone resorption markers which are generated by different mechanisms. The serum level of 3 different bone resorption markers in cancer patients with or without skeletal metastasis was compared to see whether the markers exhibit clinically significant differences useful for metastatic screening. PATIENTS AND METHODS Serum bone metabolic markers were measured in 75 cancer patients with and 201 cancer patients without skeletal metastasis. The 3 bone resorption markers, N-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx), pyridinoline cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (ICTP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type 5b (TRAP 5b), and two bone formation markers, procollagen type I C-terminal peptide (PICP) and procollagen type I N-terminal peptide (PINP), were measured in the single sample. Each marker serum level was compared with the menopausal and the osseeous metastatic status assessed using Soloway's method for each patient. RESULTS Bone resorption marker serum levels, except for ICTP, were about 16% larger in postmenopausal patients than in premenopausal patients. All 3 bone resorption marker serum levels were 3-4 times greater in patients with extensive skeletal metastasis (extent of disease III; EOD = III) than in patients with no osseous metastasis. Although ROC analysis indicated each bone resorption marker had a similar sensitivity and specificity regarding the ability to detect osseous metastasis, some differences were detectable. The T-score of TRAP 5b was elevated, but not significantly so, in patients with a small bone metastatic burden (EOD = I). In contrast, although the T-score of NTx was not elevated in patients with a small metastatic burden (EOD = I), it was significantly elevated in patients with extensive osseous metastasis (EOD = III). CONCLUSION Three bone resorption markers with different generation mechanisms showed a difference in menopause and osseous metastasis status. The level of ICTP was not elevated in postmenopausal patients, but the levels of NTx and TRAP 5b. In osseous metastasis, even though not statistically significant, TRAP 5b increased in patients with a small bone metastatic burden and NTx increased in patients with extensive bone metastatic burden.
Identification of barley stripe mosaic virus genes involved in viral RNA replication and systemic movement.

Barley stripe mosaic hordeivirus (BSMV) has a tripartite positive‐sense RNA genome which encodes seven major polypeptides. Infectious in vitro transcripts derived from full‐length wild‐type and mutant cDNA clones have been used to investigate the contribution made by various BSMV gene products to viral RNA replication and systemic movement. We show that whereas all three of the BSMV RNA components are required for plant infection, RNAs alpha and gamma can replicate together in barley protoplasts, and therefore RNA beta must encode functions required for systemic invasion of plants. The alpha a and gamma a proteins, which contain helicase and RNA polymerase sequence motifs, together comprise the essential virus‐encoded components of BSMV RNA replicase. A second BSMV protein (beta b) which contains a helicase motif is not required for RNA replication. A small cysteine‐rich protein (gamma b) is dispensable for infection of plants, but in its absence the accumulation of viral coat (beta a) and beta b proteins is significantly reduced. In addition, mutations in both the gamma b and gamma a (replicase) proteins can affect the systemic movement phenotype.
3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase activity is inhibited by cholesterol and up-regulated by sitosterol in sitosterolemic fibroblasts.

Sitosterolemia is an inherited recessive disease characterized by abnormally increased plasma and tissue plant sterol concentrations. Patients hyperabsorb sitosterol. In addition, hepatic, ileal, and mononuclear leukocyte 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, the rate-controlling enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, is markedly suppressed in this disease. It is still controversial whether the down-regulation is due to accumulated sitosterol, but the effect of sitosterol on HMG-CoA reductase activity has not been studied in sitosterolemic tissues. To investigate whether sitosterol inhibits HMG-CoA reductase activity in sitosterolemia, we measured the enzyme activities in liver and cultured skin flbroblasts from patients. Hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activities in patients were decreased 76% (P < .05) as compared with results in control subjects. In contrast, HMG-CoA reductase activities in sitosterolemic fibroblasts were not decreased as compared with results in control fibroblasts, and the activities in all cells were up-regulated similarly when they were exposed to delipidated medium. Because the cultured sitosterolemic fibroblasts contained only trace amounts of plant sterols, we added 20 microg/mL sitosterol directly to the cell medium. Raising the intracellular sitosterol concentration to 7% of cellular cholesterol level increased HMG-CoA reductase activity 23% (P < .05), while the addition of the same amount of cholesterol to the cells reduced the activity 46% (P < .05). Thus, when sitosterolemic skin fibroblasts were used, it was possible to distinguish between the effects of cholesterol and those of sitosterol on the activity of HMG-CoA reductase. These results suggest that reduced HMG-CoA reductase activity in this disease is caused by secondary effects of unknown regulator(s) other than sitosterol.
Dietary Fats and Blood Pressure

This chapter reviews the evidence from epidemiologic studies and controlled clinical trials dealing with dietary fats and blood pressure. Trials studying the effect on blood pressure of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish oil show a dose-response hypotensive effect that may be restricted to patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, fish oil is not a practical therapy for hypertension given the large dose required (10 capsules per day) for a small effect (3–4 mmHg). From numerous studies, it is clear that saturated and n−6 polyunsaturated fats have no effect on blood pressure. Monounsaturated fats also have no effect but fewer studies have examined this relation.
A Note on Diminishing Returns and Linear Homogeneity: Comment

In their note in this journal, David Geithman and Byron Stinson(1) offer a linearly homogeneous production function of two variables which they claim has the Knightian properties that each short-run product curve has a unique local maximum and a unique inflection point preceding the maximum, both occurring in the range of positive output. Unfortunately, Eichhorn(2) has shown that no such linearly homogeneous two times continuously partially differ entiable production function can exist since by his Theorem 1, in order for the marginal productivity of one factor to be initially increasing, the marginal pro ductivity of the other factor must eventually be increasing for sufficiently large values of the latter factor. In the case of Geithman and Stinsonfs production function we note that
Characteristics and functions of Na-K-Cl cotransport in epithelial tissues.

This review summarizes our present understanding of Na-K-Cl cotransport and its physiological role in absorption and secretion of electrolytes and water in epithelial tissues. In the past several years an extensive literature about this cotransporter has developed due to its widespread distribution in a variety of cell types and its essential role in fluid and electrolyte transport in several epithelial tissues. We summarize this literature and speculate on the future characterization of this transport system. Although this review focuses on cotransport as it relates to absorptive and secretory processes in epithelia, important information concerning the pharmacology, stoichiometry, and regulation of Na-K-Cl cotransport in nonepithelial systems (i.e., erythrocytes, fibroblasts, squid axon, etc.) has been included to supplement areas that are less well established in the epithelial literature.
Consistency in size and asymmetry of the psoas major muscle among elite footballers

Objective To determine, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the psoas major (PM) muscle across multiple vertebral levels, to examine any asymmetry of the PM muscle and investigate the consistency across vertebral levels, and to determine whether a relationship exists between low back pain (LBP) and the size or asymmetry of the PM muscle among elite Australian Rules football (AFL) players. Design Observational cross-sectional study. Setting Assessments and MRI examinations were carried out in a hospital setting. Participants Thirty-one male elite AFL players aged between 20 and 32 years participated in the study. Risk Factors The independent factors in the study were “asymmetry” (coded as ipsilateral or contralateral to kicking leg) and “group” (current LBP versus no current LBP). Main Outcome Measurements The dependent variable in the study was the CSA of the PM muscle. Results The PM muscle was larger on the side of the dominant kicking leg at all four vertebral levels measured (F = 7.28, p = 0.012). Participants who reported current LBP had larger PM muscles than the remainder of the players (F = 4.63, p = 0.041). Conclusion Additional investigation into the underlying mechanisms of the observed differences in PM muscle size could help to develop treatment and rehabilitation programmes aimed at reducing the incidence of LBP among AFL players. Furthermore, asymmetry of the PM muscle was observed at multiple vertebral levels and therefore future studies may only need to take single-level measurements to assess for asymmetry.
Evaluation of the Standardized Assessment of Concussion in a Pediatric Emergency Department

OBJECTIVE: The Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) is a validated tool for identifying the effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Previous research focused on sport-related sideline evaluation of adolescents and adults. Our goal was to evaluate performance of the SAC among subjects with and without head injury in a pediatric emergency department (ED). METHODS: This was an observational study of children 6 to 18 years of age who presented to an ED with blunt head injury (case-patients) or minor extremity injury (controls). SAC and graded-symptom-checklist scores were compared. American Academy of Neurology concussion grades, presence of loss of consciousness and posttraumatic amnesia were also compared with SAC and graded-symptom-checklist scores among case-patients. RESULTS: Three hundred forty-eight children were enrolled. SAC scores trended lower (greater cognitive deficits) for case-patients compared with controls but did not reach significance. Graded-symptom-checklist scores were significantly higher among case-patients. Presence of altered mental status magnified this effect. There was no correlation between SAC scores and other indicators of mTBI. There was a positive correlation between graded-symptom-checklist scores and posttraumatic amnesia and American Academy of Neurology concussion grade. CONCLUSIONS: The graded symptom checklist reliably identified mTBI symptoms for all children aged 6 years and older. SAC scores tended to be lower for case-patients compared with controls but did not reach significance. Patients with altered mental status at the time of injury manifest an increased number and severity of symptoms. Additional research into strategies to identify cognitive deficits related to mTBI and classify mTBI severity in children is needed.
Unimolecular and Bimolecular Binding System for the Prediction of CYP2D6-Mediated Metabolism

We have developed a template system for the prediction of CYP2D6-mediated metabolism of compounds. The system is composed of two types of two-dimensional templates (templates A and B), which were generated from mutually occupied areas of typical CYP2D6 substrates. The areas of templates are expressed as hexagonal blocks for application to the two-dimensional structures of chemicals. Experiments with 93 reactions with 69 typical substrates indicated the necessity for two similar but distinct shapes for template A (A1 and A2) for optimal placement. A frequently occupied area for substrates in template A1 was defined as a trigger area in which to capture a substrate for initiation of metabolism. Another frequently occupied area was found near the site of metabolism in template B. Both frequently occupied areas are linked to a pinching area. Occupancy of substrates on two template areas is suggested to be essential for the metabolism of CYPD6 substrates. In cases of CYP2D6 substrates without simultaneous occupancy of both areas, bimolecular placement, in which two molecules are placed coordinately, is proposed. Metabolism of small molecules, including naphthalene and quinoline, became explainable with the use of this idea. Validation of this template system with the use of both good and poor CYP2D6 substrates indicated clear advantages of the present system as a tool for drug modification, in addition to enabling highly accurate estimation of the site of metabolism.
Secondhand Smoke Exposure 7 Years After an Indoor Smoke-Free Law

Purpose: To examine locations of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among nonsmokers, 7 years after a statewide smoke-free policy. Design: Data collected via statewide, random digit dial telephone survey. Response rates were 64.7% for landline and 73.5% for cell phone. Setting: Minnesota, 2014. Participants: Representative sample of 7887 nonsmoking adults. Measures: Self-reported locations of SHS exposure and opinions on smoke-free restrictions. Analysis: Descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results: A total of 35.5% of nonsmokers reported SHS exposure in the past 7 days. The greatest proportion of exposure occurred in community settings (31.7%) followed by cars (6.9%) and in the home (3.2%). Young adults were more likely to be exposed in a home or car than older adults. Nonsmokers living with a smoker were 39.6 (20.6-75.8) times more likely to be exposed to SHS in their home and 5.3 (4.1-6.8) times more likely to be exposed in a car, compared to those who did not live with a smoker. Conclusion: SHS exposure continues after comprehensive smoke-free policies restricted it from public places. Disparities in exposure rates exist for those who live with a smoker, are young, and have low incomes. Findings suggest the need for additional policies that will have the greatest public health benefit.