Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post‐synaptic inhibition of bulbar inspiratory neurones in the cat.

Stable intracellular recordings from thirty‐six bulbar inspiratory neurones revealed three centrally originating, rhythmic patterns of synaptic inhibition (i.p.s.p.s). (i) A declining pattern of i.p.s.p.s accompanying the early stages of inspiration (early inspiratory inhibition) was identified in a total of twenty neurones representing examples of each of the functional classes of bulbar neurones examined, i.e. six R alpha‐ and two R beta‐neurones of the dorsal respiratory group and twelve R alpha‐neurones of the ventral respiratory group. (ii) A transient pattern of i.p.s.p.s just preceding or coinciding with the cessation of inspiration (late inspiratory inhibition) was present in the remaining sixteen neurones which were tested, representing six R alpha‐neurones and three R beta‐neurones of the dorsal respiratory group and seven R alpha‐neurones of the ventral respiratory group. (iii) An augmenting pattern of expiratory i.p.s.p.s was present in all thirty‐six neurones. Late inspiratory and expiratory i.p.s.p.s in the same neurones showed a similar time course of reversal when chloride was injected or allowed to diffuse into the cells and were associated with similar increases in input conductance. Both patterns of i.p.s.p.s appear to arise at or close to the cell soma. Early inspiratory i.p.s.p.s required a relatively longer period of chloride injection for reversal to be accomplished. Input conductance changes were either absent or smaller than those associated with late inspiratory or expiratory inhibition. These i.p.s.p.s appear to arise at more distal dendritic sites. These patterns of i.p.s.p.s are discussed in relation to the mechanisms shaping the growth of central inspiratory activity, bringing this activity to an end, and suppressing its redevelopment during expiration.
Venous thrombosis in the elderly: incidence, risk factors and risk groups

Summary. The incidence of venous thrombosis (VT) increases sharply with age: it is very rare in young individuals (< 1 per 10 000 per year) but increases to ∼ 1% per year in the elderly, which indicates that aging is one of the strongest and most prevalent risk factor for venous thrombosis. The cause of this steep age gradient is as yet, unexplained. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of studies on the effect of conventional risk factors as well as age‐specific risk factors for thrombosis in the elderly. Limited data are available on risk factors for thrombosis in the elderly, i.e. all results are based on small study groups. Results indicate that, of the conventional risk factors, malignant disease, the presence of co‐morbidities and the genetic risk factors factor (F)V Leiden and the prothrombin mutation seem to be associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis. In the elderly, the population attributable risk (PAR) of malignancy is approximately 35%, for co‐morbidities a PAR up to 25% is found, and the contribution of genetic risk factors to the thrombosis incidence is estimated to be 7–22%. Age‐specific risk factors of thrombosis, i.e. endothelial dysfunction and frailty may be important in the explanation of the increased incidence of VT in the elderly. In conclusion, as aging is a major risk factor for thrombosis, further identification of the risk factors for thrombosis in the elderly is needed to elucidate the age gradient of the incidence of VT and to target preventive measures.
Deregulated Bag‐1 protein expression in human oral squamous cell carcinomas and lymph node metastases

Bag‐1 is an anti‐apoptotic protein that promotes metastasis in some tumour cell types. To determine whether Bag‐1 expression is altered in 64 oral squamous cell carcinomas, tumour samples were compared with 17 samples of normal oral epithelium. Normal oral epithelia had pronounced nuclear staining in the basal and maturation layers and weak cytoplasmic staining that was most pronounced in the basal and suprabasal layers. Oral squamous cell carcinomas demonstrated a tendency for reduced nuclear staining intensity (p=0.036). Cytoplasmic staining intensity was not significantly different between tumour and normal tissue. However, many tumours were observed to have less of a difference between nuclear staining intensity and cytoplasmic staining intensity than normal oral epithelium. Furthermore, in lymph node metastases, cytoplasmic Bag‐1 staining was stronger in 8/13 cases than in corresponding primary tumours (p=0.021). Western blotting using nine oral primary carcinoma cell lines and four normal keratinocyte cultures showed that the isoforms Bag‐1S, Bag‐1M, and Bag‐1L were expressed in normal and malignant oral epithelial cells. Bag‐1L unique sequences were shown to adopt an exclusively nuclear, and predominantly nucleolar, localization by use of transiently transfected N‐terminal Bag‐1L‐EGFP. However, levels of Bag‐1L in carcinoma cells did not differ significantly from those of normal keratinocytes. Therefore the reduced nuclear staining observed in oral squamous cell carcinomas compared with normal epithelium may reflect changes in the localization of Bag‐1 isoforms, rather than decreased expression of Bag‐1L. Alterations in the relative proportions of Bag‐1S, Bag‐1M, and Bag‐1L were detected in 6/9 oral carcinoma cell lines; 5/9 oral carcinoma cell lines had a significantly greater proportion of Bag‐1M than normal keratinocytes and in another cell line, Bag‐1L was significantly underrepresented. Overall, the results suggest that Bag‐1 deregulation plays a role in oral carcinogenesis at two different stages: during primary carcinoma development and during lymph node metastasis. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Waterborne transmission of Cryptosporidium and Giardia: detection, surveillance and implications for public health

Protozoan enteroparasites of the genera Cryptosporidium and Giardia have emerged over the past decades as major waterborne pathogens. Both parasites are among the major causative agents of gastroenteritis and nutritional disorders in humans, with tens of millions of new cases occurring every year. Although cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis are normally self.limiting in immune.competent individuals, both are potential severe, life.threatening diseases in immune. compromised patients. Both pathogens are transmitted via the faecal.oral route, with the consumption of contaminated drinking water and use of recreational waterways being significant avenues for acquisition of infection. Because infected humans and animals can seed enormous amounts of the transmission stages of these parasites (Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts), both micro.organisms are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment. In addition, (oo)cysts may remain viable for several months under a range of environmental conditions, their small size allow them to pass through conventional water plant filters, both are resistant to disinfectants at the concentrations and exposure times commonly used, and have low infectious doses in humans. Taken together, these data indicate that Cryptosporidium and Giardia represent a significant threat to public health. Indeed an increasing number of waterborne outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis have been reported worldwide, with most cases occurring in the USA and UK. This situation has become a major concern for water utilities and sanitary authorities that are responsible for providing safe drinking water supplies for human consumption. In this chapter relevant aspects of the biology and epidemiology of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from the aquatic environmental perspective are discussed, including pathology, treatment, transmission dynamics, detection, prevention and control measures.
In vitamin B12 deficiency, higher serum folate is associated with increased homocysteine and methylmalonic acid concentrations

In the December 11, 2007, issue of PNAS, Selhub et al. (1) suggest that the association between elevated serum folate and methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentrations in vitamin B12 deficiency resulted from disruption of MMA metabolism by folate. An alternative explanation is that the increase in both serum folate and MMA concentrations resulted from … *E-mail: epq{at}ufl.edu
From Theory to Usage: Requirements for successful Visualizations in Applications

Visualizations are a powerful tool to solve various tasks in different applications. Although a huge variety of visualization techniques are constantly published, only a few of them end up being used in real world day-to-day operations. To identify the reasons for this observation, this work aims at summarizing the criteria, that promote a real world application of a visualization tool.
Substrate Selectivity in Aspergillus niger KU-8 Acid Phosphatase II Using Phosphoryl Oligosaccharides

The intracellular acid phosphatase II (ACPase II) produced by Aspergillus niger KU-8 preferentially dephosphorylates C-6 phosphate groups rather than C-3 phosphate groups of phosphoryl oligosaccharides. In this study, the kinetic parameters of ACPase II were measured. 32-phosphoryl maltotriose and 62-phosphoryl maltotriose, which differ only in the binding position of the phosphate group, were prepared and used as the substrates. The K m for both substrates were similar. However, the k cat value for the 62-phosphoryl maltotriose was about three-fold of that for the 32-phosphoryl maltotriose.
Penetration of cefetamet pivoxil and cefuroxime axetil into the maxillary sinus mucosa at steady state

The penetration of cefetamet and cefuroxime into the maxillary sinus mucosa after the administration of cefetamet pivoxil and cefuroxime axetil was investigated in patients undergoing elective surgery of the maxillary sinus. A total of 27 patients, 13 for cefetamet pivoxil and 14 for cefuroxime axetil, ranging from 15 to 70 years of age participated in this study. Each patient received three oral doses of either one tablet of cefetamet pivoxil (500 mg of GLOBOCEF) or two film tablets of cefuroxime axetil (125 and 250 mg of ZINAT) every 12 h. Sinus mucosa tissue samples were removed during surgery at times ranging from 2 to 4.5 h after the last oral administration. Blood samples were collected before drug administration, 2 h after the first and third doses, and concomitantly with tissue sample collection during surgery. All samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The concentrations of cefetamet and cefuroxime in plasma samples measured concomitantly with those in tissue samples ranged between 0.83 and 4.5 micrograms/ml for cefetamet and 0.59 and 3 micrograms/ml for cefuroxime. The mean tissue-to-plasma ratios calculated with reference to total (bound plus unbound) plasma drug concentrations were 0.60 (range, 0.52 to 0.77) for cefetamet (n = 4) and 0.38 (range, 0.28 to 0.44) for cefuroxime (n = 6). Both drugs seem to penetrate freely and easily into the sinus mucosa. The antibacterial activities of cefetamet pivoxil and cefuroxime axetil in cases of sinusitis therefore depend mainly on their achieved active plasma drug concentrations and their intrinsic activities in inhibiting the causative organism(s).
Attitudes, procedures, and delivery of behavior services by veterinarians in small animal practice.

OBJECTIVE To survey veterinarians in small animal practice concerning their attitudes about delivery of behavior services, frequency of common behavior problems, manner in which services were provided, confidence in their clinical ability to treat these behavior problems, frequency of use of pharmacologic intervention, and number of dogs and cats euthanatized specifically because of behavior problems. DESIGN Cross-sectional mail survey. SAMPLE POPULATION Random sample of veterinarians in small animal practice in the United States. PROCEDURE A self-administered mail survey was sent to a random sample of 2,000 veterinarians. Results were tabulated and statistically analyzed. RESULTS It was estimated that approximately 224,000 dogs and cats were euthanatized annually in small animal veterinary practices in the United States because of behavior problems. Although veterinarians seemed unwilling to euthanatize animals for behavior problems solely on the basis of a client's request, many veterinarians did not routinely inquire about animal behavior and often were not confident in their clinical skills to treat behavior problems. Female veterinarians tended to be more proactive in addressing behavior problems and to have more positive attitudes than male veterinarians about the importance of animal behavior. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Efforts are needed to increase the number of veterinarians who systematically incorporate inquiries about animal behavior into routine clinical practice and to build the confidence of veterinarians for diagnosing and treating animal behavior problems.
Acute Gastric Volvulus: Diagnosis and Management over 10 Years

Background/Aims: Gastric volvulus is a rare, potentially life-threatening condition, which is difficult to diagnose. This study represents a series of patients with acute gastric volvulus. Methods: All patients presenting with acute gastric volvulus over a 10-year period were reviewed. Results: Twenty-one patients with a median age of 66 years were identified. Acute gastric volvulus was secondary to a paraesophageal hiatus hernia in 16 patients. The major symptoms were abdominal pain, vomiting and upper gastrointestinal bleeding/anemia. The most useful investigations were barium studies and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Treatment was open surgery in all patients. There were no major complications and no deaths. Median hospitalization was 8 days. Conclusion: Acute gastric volvulus is a rare condition which requires a high index of suspicion for diagnosis, which is usually based on imaging studies. The treatment is immediate surgery. Volvulus can be treated successfully by open surgery with minimal morbidity and short hospitalization.
Evaluation of an In-House-Developed Radioassay Kit for Antibody Detection in Cases of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Tuberculous Meningitis

ABSTRACT A radioassay for the detection of antitubercular antibody has been developed. The technique involves the addition of 125I-labeled Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen as a tracer, diluted clinical sample (serum or cerebrospinal fluid [CSF]), and heat-inactivated Staphylococcus aureus to capture the antibody, incubation for 4 h, and quantitation of the amount of antibody present in the sample. A total of 330 serum samples from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and 138 control serum samples from individuals who were vaccinated with M. bovis BCG and from patients with pulmonary disorders of nontubercular origin were analyzed. Also, 26 CSF samples from patients with tuberculous meningitis and 24 CSF samples as controls from patients with central nervous system disorders of nontuberculous origin were analyzed. Sensitivities of 80 and 73% were observed for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis, respectively, and specificities of 90 and 88% were seen for the two groups of patients, respectively. The sensitivity was lower, however, for human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients coinfected with M. tuberculosis. The control population could be differentiated from the patient population. This assay is rapid and user friendly and, with its good sensitivity and specificity, should benefit the population by providing diagnoses early in the course of disease and, hence, permit the early administration of appropriate chemotherapy.
Recovery of occluded face using direct combined model-based particle filter

In this paper, we present a Bayesian framework for recovering the occluded facial image without the aid of manual face alignment or user-specified occlusion region. The proposed Bayesian framework unifies the recovery stage with face alignment and occlusion detection, and such complex probability distribution is represented by a particle set. Into this framework, each particle is one possible solution of the recovered face which is composed of several patches. First, the occluded facial patches of each particle are detected, and then are recovered by inferring their local facial details from other non-occluded patches. Further, by including the global facial geometry as a constraint, the recovered results are robust to the local image noise which then cause the alignment parameters are accurately calculated. Particularly, we also propose a novel direct combined model (DCM)-based particle filter that utilizes the face specific prior knowledge to perform such particle-based solution efficiently and robustly. Our extensive experiment results demonstrate that the recovered images are quantitatively closer to the ground truth without manual involvement.
Enhancing versus suppressive effects of stress hormones on skin immune function.

Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions are antigen-specific cell-mediated immune responses that, depending on the antigen, mediate beneficial (e.g., resistance to viruses, bacteria, and fungi) or harmful (e.g., allergic dermatitis and autoimmunity) aspects of immune function. Contrary to the idea that stress suppresses immunity, we have reported that short-duration stressors significantly enhance skin DTH and that a stress-induced trafficking of leukocytes to the skin may mediate this immunoenhancement. Here, we identify the hormonal mediators of a stress-induced enhancement of skin immunity. Adrenalectomy, which eliminates the glucocorticoid and epinephrine stress response, eliminated the stress-induced enhancement of skin DTH. Low-dose corticosterone or epinephrine administration significantly enhanced skin DTH and produced a significant increase in the number of T cells in lymph nodes draining the site of the DTH reaction. In contrast, high-dose corticosterone, chronic corticosterone, or low-dose dexamethasone administration significantly suppressed skin DTH. These results suggest a role for adrenal stress hormones as endogenous immunoenhancing agents. These results also show that hormones released during an acute stress response may help prepare the immune system for potential challenges (e.g., wounding or infection) for which stress perception by the brain may serve as an early warning signal.
Preservation of golf skills in a case of severe left lobar frontotemporal degeneration

The authors report the longitudinal study of a 53-year-old man with severe lobar atrophy confined to the left frontal and temporal lobes, including the left hippocampus, but sparing other cortical regions. He experienced profound cognitive deterioration, sparing only visuospatial memory. Despite these deficits, he could play golf at a high level of competence, following rules and etiquette as well as monitoring the ongoing game. The patient’s golf performance may have been supported by residual visuospatial declarative memory and complex flexible implicit memory programs.
Karyotypic differences between cells from placenta and other fetal tissues

Six cases are reported with discrepancies between the karyotypes of placental cells and cells from other fetal tissue. The respective findings were: (a) 48,+7,+18 resp. 47,+18. (b) 46, i(18q) resp. 46, del18(p11). (c) 46, XX resp. 46, XX/47, XXX. (d) 46, X, Yq+ and 46, XY resp. 46, XY. (e) 46/47,+12 resp. 46. (f) 46/47,+5 resp. 46. These differences were found in both early and term pregnancies. Care should be taken in deducing the fetal karyotype from the chromosomal pattern of placental cells.
Flirting with Virtual Reality

Psychoanalysis encourages patients to experience a virtual reality of the psychoanalytic relationship, in which both image and wish can be experimented with. Originally, the patient’s awareness was supposed to move back and forth between the virtual and the actual, in a flickering and uncertain fashion. That is uncomfortable, and analysts have often preferred the domain of virtuality or of actuality, or have denied the distinction altogether. Recent philosophical developments and doubts about transference neurosis and reconstruction further tempt analysts to relax the flickering uncertainty of virtual and actual. Patient and analyst may gain comfort but lose something in the process.
Testing the Reliability and Validity of Self‐Efficacy and Outcome Expectations of Restorative Care Performed by Nursing Assistants

The primary aims of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of 2 measures: the Nursing Assistant Self-efficacy for Restorative Care Scale and the Nursing Assistant Outcome Expectations for Restorative Care Scale. This study included 386 nursing assistants from 8 nursing homes. The findings provide some support for the reliability and validity of these measures on the basis of Rasch analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and convergent validity.
[Causes of conversion in laparoscopic surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease: an analysis of our experience].

BACKGROUND since its introduction in 1991 laparoscopic antireflux surgery has gained great success and popularity among surgeons, and now it is the gold standard for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). AIM to identify and evaluate the causes of conversion in the laparoscopic surgery of GERD and hiatus hernia. MATERIAL AND METHODS since January 1993 to August 2007 606 laparoscopic antireflux procedures were performed in our hospital. There were 296 women and 310 men with a median age of 53.5 years. The main indication for surgery was evidence of intractable or recurrent GERD symptoms after adequate medical treatment with associated hiatal hernia. The preoperative workup included manometry, pH-metry, oral endoscopy, and barium swallow. The surgical technique was mainly the Nissen-Rossetti procedure. RESULTS mean postoperative hospital stay was 2.7 days. The operation had to be converted to an open procedure in 43 cases (7%). Conversions were more frequent in the first decade of the learning curve (26 vs. 17, p < 0.016), and fewer among the group of experts in advanced laparoscopic surgery (15 vs. 28, p < 0.017). In 17 cases conversions were due to an intraoperative complication whereas in 26 cases a conversion was done because of technical difficulties. Esophageal perforation and pneumothorax rates were 0.8 and 1%, respectively, and mortality and morbidity rates were 0.1 and 12%. CONCLUSION the rate of conversion is acceptable and significantly decreases with surgeon experience.