Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AIDS: Clinical Manifestations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects the host's immune system over time. As a result, HIV-infected people can experience a wide range of clinical manifestations, especially if the infection is not treated with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). In advanced stages of the disease, patients eventually risk severe illnesses. More than 20 conditions, including opportunistic infections and malignancies, have been classified as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining illnesses. With the success of cART producing long-term viral suppression and immune reconstitution, the major clinical complications of chronic infection now are serious non-AIDS-related events. This term refers to an increasing rate of cardiovascular, liver and renal diseases as well as neoplasms occurring in long-term treated patients with longer life expectancies. However, there are still significant differences in access to and availability of antiretroviral therapy throughout the world which leads to contrasting patterns in the spectrum of AIDS-defining illnesses in resource-limited settings and developed countries. Key Concepts: AIDS arise from a compromised immune system and the resulting loss of host defences and immune surveillance mechanisms. The spectrum of AIDS-defining illnesses varies in developed and resource-limited settings. Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia is the most common AIDS-related illness in developed countries. Tuberculosis is the most common AIDS-related illness in developing countries. Many AIDS-related infections represent recrudescence of latent infection rather than de novo acquisition. Antiretroviral therapy has had a significant impact on the spectrum of ADIs. AIDS-related malignancies occur at increased rates in chronically infected patients and these tend to have a viral associated aetiology. Effective antiretroviral therapy has resulted in prolonged suppression of viral replication, sustained immune reconstitution and very substantial reductions in AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. Owing to increases in life expectancy resulting from effective antiretroviral therapy serious non-AIDS-related illnesses have become more important in clinical management. Keywords: HIV; AIDS; clinical spectrum; opportunistic infections; SNAEs; cancer
The influence of short-term thermo-mechanical densification on the surface wettability of wood veneers

The study investigated the effects of short-term thermo-mechanical (STTM) densification temperature and pressure on changes in surface wettability of alder (Alnus glutinosa), beech (Fagus sylvatica), birch (Betula verrucosa) and pine (Pinus sylvestris) wood veneer. Veneer sheets were densified using pressure levels of 4 MPa, 8 MPa and 12 MPa at three temperatures: 100°C, 150°C and 200°C for a short time of 4 min. Wettability was determined by measuring contact angles with distilled water. The results were compared with those of non-densified veneers. The results showed that in a relatively short process time wettability can be changed significantly. The wettability analysis showed that STTM-densified veneer surfaces became more hydrophobic, which indicates poor wettability. However, it was found that even STTM densification of veneers provides stable properties; in particular, contact angle values were stable for 24 hours after densification, which is an important consideration for industrial applications. The effect of temperature on the contact angle was more evident than that of pressure. Linear correlations were found between contact angle and both mass loss and compression ratio for all investigated wood species. These findings may be used to provide initial data for adhesive/ coating application processes in woodworking industry.
Epidemiology of European Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clonal Complex 80 Type IV Strains Isolated in Denmark from 1993 to 2004

ABSTRACT In Europe, community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections have been caused predominantly by isolates belonging to the “European CA-MRSA” clone (sequence type 80, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IV). In this study, the epidemiology of European CA-MRSA was investigated on a nationwide scale, covering the period from 1993 to 2004. Denmark has been a low-prevalence country regarding MRSA since the mid-1970s but has experienced an increase in the number of new MRSA cases in recent years. Our results show that European CA-MRSA contributed to this increase. The isolates primarily caused skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in patients outside hospitals, and transmission between household members was the predominant mode of spread. Although some of the isolates were found in hospitalized patients, nosocomial transmission seemed likely in only one instance, pointing to endogenous infections as an important factor. Compared to the CA-MRSA clone most common in the United States (USA300), the European CA-MRSA clone seems less well adapted to persist in hospital environments. Patients with a recent history of travel or family relation to the Mediterranean or Middle East were highly overrepresented. The epidemiological data indicated that the European CA-MRSA isolates were introduced into Denmark on multiple occasions, paralleled by an increasing level of genetic diversity of the isolates found during the study period. European CA-MRSA has previously been described as a rather uniform clone. However, we found pronounced, diverse pulsed-field gel electrophoresis subtypes, staphylococcal protein A gene (spa) types, and susceptibility patterns.
Complicaciones y manejo de procedimientos dermatoestéticos: Una actualización para el dermatólogo

En las últimas décadas se han desarrollado nuevas técnicas e indicaciones de los procedimientos estéticos mínimamente invasivos, presentando cada vez mejores resultados con un alto nivel de seguridad, sin embargo estos no se encuentran exentos de complicaciones, las que pueden ser transitorias o permanentes. El conocimiento, abordaje, tratamiento y prevención de las distintas complicaciones son esenciales para el dermatólogo y otros médicos especializados en estos procedimientos. Los procedimientos más utilizados son la administración de rellenos, peeling químicos, láser, luz pulsada intensa y ultrasonido de alta frecuencia. La siguiente revisión tiene como objetivo reconocer las principales complicaciones de estos procedimientos y su manejo.
Eukaryotic interference with homoserine lactone-mediated prokaryotic signalling

Acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs) play a widespread role in intercellular communication among bacteria. The Australian macroalga Delisea pulchra produces secondary metabolites which have structural similarities to AHL molecules. We report here that these metabolites inhibited AHL-controlled processes in prokaryotes. Our results suggest that the interaction between higher organisms and their surface-associated bacteria may be mediated by interference with bacterial regulatory systems.
Fault Modeling and Worst Case Test Vector Generation for Flash-Based FPGAs Exposed to Total Dose

We analyzed the delay failure induced in flash-based field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) exposed to total-ionizing dose. We developed a novel cell-level fault model for such delay failure. We introduced a novel methodology for identifying worst case test vectors (WCTVs) for flash-based FPGA devices exposed to total-ionizing dose based on the developed fault model for delay failure. We introduced a novel methodology to identify WCTVs for flash-based FPGAs using commercially available design and automatic test pattern generation tools. We validated the delay fault model using Microsemi ProASIC3 FPGAs and Cobalt 60 facility. The experimental results also show significant impact on the total-dose failure levels when using WCTVs.
Immunolocalization of proton-ATPase in the gills of the elasmobranch, Squalus acanthias.

Proton-ATPase was localized to mitochondria-rich cells in the interlamellar region of the gills of the elasmobranch, Squalus acanthias. Localization was accomplished using a polyclonal antibody specific for the 70 kDa subunit of the (V-type) proton-ATPase as confirmed by Western blot analysis. In addition, significant levels of N-ethymaleimide sensitive ATPase activity (0.116 +/- 0.026 mumol Pi.mg-1 protein.h-1) were also measured in crude gill membrane preparations. These data provide, for the first time, direct evidence of the localization of elements possibly involved in branchial acid-base (or ionic) regulation in elasmobranchs.
The use of zebrafish as a model system for investigating the role of the SULTs in the metabolism of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics

Abstract In recent years, zebrafish has emerged as a useful animal model for biomedical research. The deciphering of the zebrafish genome has revealed that many of the enzymes involved in the metabolism of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics are conserved between zebrafish and humans. This review summarizes the information currently available concerning the zebrafish cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs), a group of phase II enzymes that have been proposed to be involved in the regulation and homeostasis of key endogenous compounds and the detoxification of xenobiotics. To date, 20 zebrafish SULTs that fall into six major SULT gene families have been identified. Of the 20 SULTs 18 have been cloned, expressed, purified and characterized. These zebrafish SULTs were shown to exhibit differential substrate specificities for endogenous compounds such as monoamine transmitters, steroid/thyroid hormones and bile salts, as well as xenobiotics including environmental toxicants and drugs. These findings provide a foundation for using zebrafish as a model for investigating further the physiological, pharmacological, and toxicological involvement of the SULTs.
Properties of bispecific single chain antibodies expressed in Escherichia coli.

Single chain bispecific antibodies, in which the genes that encode the VH and VL regions are linked in tandem, may offer some advantages over other methods of bispecific antibody preparation. To begin to evaluate the potential of this system, a single chain bispecific antibody (scFv2) that binds to the T cell receptor of a cytotoxic T cell clone and to the hapten fluorescein was constructed. The individual scFv regions were joined by a 25 amino acid linker, and the scFv2 protein was obtained from insoluble inclusion bodies after guanidine solubilization and refolding. Fluorescein-purified scFv2 is active at concentrations of approximately 10 nM (approximately 1 microgram/ml) and above in mediating lysis of fluorescein-coupled tumor cells by the cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). This system has now been used to evaluate various features of the scFv2 approach: (a) affinities of the scFv2 for the TCR and fluorescein, (b) yields of the scFv2 from several different purification schemes, (c) relationship of antigen density (i.e., fluorescein density on tumor cells) to the ability to redirect lysis of the tumor cell, and (d) relationship of scFv2 affinity for the tumor antigen to the ability to redirect lysis. This study was performed by using several analogs of fluorescein for which the scFv2 had different affinities. Results showed that it should be possible to select antibodies with appropriate affinities such that tumor cells with typical antigen densities of 10(4)-10(5) molecules per cell will be lysed and normal cells that have lower levels of the antigen will be spared.
David H. Hubel MD FRS Nobel Laureate: A man of vision

Now what I call the images of things Are scattered every way and cast abroad, But we can see them only with our eyes And so, in every place we turn our gaze, They meet it with their colour and their shape. By them we judge of all things’ distances And separate existence in the world. The poet Lucretius ‘On the Nature of Things’ attached special importance to explaining the nature of vision and the working of the eyes; here he is struggling to explain the connection between external reality and our sense perception of sight, anxious to make everything clear and certain. The problem he discusses, whether it was originally raised by him or by his master Epicurus, is one of the highest interest, and also of the highest difficulty. In fact it was quite insoluble, as long as men, however ingenious they might be, preferred to speculate about it in the abstract rather than to build up a body of knowledge by ingenious experiment and careful observation. One of the subjects which were obscure to our ancestors but have been illuminated by modern science is the nature of the brain. In that progress no one has made a greater contribution than David Hubel. When an object is seen by the eye, light is focused on 125,000,000 ‘receptors’ which transmit an electrical signal to a great array of cells, positioned at various angles. The signal is passed on by a route of great complexity through the brain, which produces a visual image of the object. Our guest was the first to work all this out, to explain the working and function of the cerebral cortex, and to illuminate the nature of the brain and of vision itself. ’ This was the citation to David Hubel when in 1994 he received an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Oxford, having been a former Eastman Professor at this university. David H. Hubel was the John Franklin Enders University Professor at Harvard Medical School. Having attended McGill University Medical School he qualified as an MD in 1951. His research pioneered the understanding of the cerebral cortex, and knowledge in the fields of colour vision, motion perception and stereoscopic vision. In 1981 he won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, shared with Torsten Wiesel and Roger Sperry. Professor Hubel was President of the Society for Neuroscience, and an Honorary Member of both The Physiological Society and the American Neurological Association. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. However, David Hubel was more than a brillant neurophysiologist. He was a man of great humanity, and this Journal is indebted to him. Physiology has lost one of its giants. The Journal of Physiology has lost one of its heroes. But more importantly, Carl, Eric and Paul have now lost their beloved father.
Optimal Adaptive Designs for Binary Response Trials

Summary. We derive the optimal allocation between two treatments in a clinical trial based on the following optimality criterion: for fixed variance of the test statistic, what allocation minimizes the expected number of treatment failures? A sequential design is described that leads asymptotically to the optimal allocation and is compared with the randomized play‐the‐winner rule, sequential Neyman allocation, and equal allocation at similar power levels. We find that the sequential procedure generally results in fewer treatment failures than the other procedures, particularly when the success probabilities of treatments are smaller.
Major histocompatibility complex class I molecules are required for the development of insulitis in non‐obese diabetic mice

An early step in the development of autoimmune diabetes is lymphocyte infiltration into the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas, or insulitis. The infiltrate contains both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and both are required for progression to diabetes in non‐obese diabetic (NOD) mice. It has been thought that the CD4+ lymphocytes are the initiators of the disease, the islet invaders, while CD8+ cells are the effectors, the islet destroyers. We question this interpretation because NOD mice lacking MHC class I molecules, hence CD8+ T cells, do not display even insulitis when expected.
Genetic Machine Learning algorithms in the optimization of communication efficiency in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) can be used to monitor hazardous and inaccessible areas. In these situations, the power supply (e.g. battery) in each node can not be easily replaced. One solution is to deploy a large number of sensor nodes, since the lifetime and dependability of the network can be increased through cooperation among nodes. In addition to energy consumption, applications for WSN may also have other concerns, such as, meeting deadlines and maximizing the quality of information. In this paper, we present a Genetic Machine Learning algorithm aimed at applications that make use of trade-offs between different metrics. Simulations were performed on random topologies assuming different levels of faults. Our approach showed a significant improvement when compared with the use of IEEE 802.15. 4 protocol.
Understanding Photographic Composition through Data-driven Approaches

Many elements contribute to a photograph’s aesthetic value, include context, emotion, color, lightness, and composition. Of those elements, composition, which is how the arrangement of subjects, background, and features work together, is both highly challenging, and yet amenable, for understanding with computer vision techniques. Choosing famous monochromic photographs for which the composition is the dominant aesthetic contributor, we have developed data-driven approaches to understand composition. We obtain two novel results. The first shows relationships between the composition styles of master photographers based on their works, as obtained by analyzing extracted SIFT features. The second result, which relies on data obtained from eye-tracking equipment on both expert photographers and novices, shows that there are significant differences between them in what is salient in a photograph’s composition.
Reliability analysis of RSSI for localization in small scale WSNs

Today, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are finding places in a wide range of applications concerning with remote and mobile measurement, personal tracking also for medical purposes, monitoring of industrial processes, mobile agents and automated warehouses to cite a few. In most of such applications, it is also required to estimate the position of the sensor node or the distances among the nodes. Then, many localization techniques have been studied in recent years, which can be adopted in small scale WSNs and that are characterized by cheapness and simplicity. Among all, those based upon the measurement of the Received Signal Strength (RSS) have found a large deployment since, commonly, the wireless communication modules implement built-in features able to provide an estimation of RSS by means of the RSS Indicator (RSSI). As described in the related literature, RSSI depends upon many practical issues, potentially sources of bias and variability that can influence significantly the localization accuracy.
Effect of carotid endarterectomy on cerebral blood flow and its response to hypercapnia

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured in 14 patients before carotid endarterectomy, 3 h after surgery and 2 days postoperatively using the intravenous xenon‐133 technique. In 11 of the patients CBF was remeasured at 6 months and in 8 patients CBF and the response to hypercapnia (5 per cent CO2 in air) was measured pre‐operatively and 6 months following surgery. All operations were performed using an intraluminal Javid shunt and internal carotid artery (ICA) ‘stump’ pressure was recorded. CBF measured at 3 h after endarterectomy revealed a postoperative cerebral hyperperfusion with significantly increased flows in both hemispheres. There was a significant correlation between carotid cross clamping time and ipsilateral hemispheric CBF increase which implied an ischaemic aetiology for the hyperperfusion and supported the routine use of an intraluminal shunt in carotid endarterectomy. Six months after surgery, CBF had returned to its pre‐operative value but reactivity to CO2 was significantly improved, which suggested that the operation had increased cerebral reserve.
Transplantation tolerance after total lymphoid irradiation.

We have presented an animal model of tissue transplantation tolerance using the unusual effects of TLI on the immune system. The application of TLI to bone marrow and whole-organ transplantation in humans merits further study, since TLI offers several advantages over presently used therapeutic modalities. Current regimens used to prepare patients for marrow transplantation are lethal in the absence of allogeneic marrow engraftment, and marrow donors are restricted to HLA-matched siblings due to the danger of GHVD. On the other hand, TLI is a nonlethal procedure that has been used successfully in animals to transplant allogeneic marrow from unmatched donors without the development of GHVD. Thus, TLI might allow for marrow transplantation in all patients with a single sibling, whereas conventional procedures are feasible in only one of four such cases (probability of finding a single HLA-matched sibling). In addition, the induction of transplantation tolerance with TLI would obviate the requirement for the use of maintenance immunosuppressive drugs after whole-organ transplantation. Systemic infections associated with the use of these drugs currently account for the majority of deaths in heart transplant patients. Serious infectious complications associated with TLI are rare; thus this therapeutic regimen may offer considerable improvement in the long-termmore » survival of organ graft recipients as compared to that presently obtained with immunosuppressive drugs. « less
Observations and experiments on the use of an avirulent mutant strain of tobacco mosaic virus as a means of controlling tomato mosaic.

SUMMARY In 1973 tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) strain M II-16 was successfully used by growers in the United Kingdom to protect commercial tomato crops against the severe effects of naturally occurring strains of TMV. However, plants in many crops had mosaic leaf symptoms which were occasionally severe, so possible reasons for symptom appearance were examined. The concentration of the mutant strain in commercially produced inocula (assessed by infectivity and spectrophotometry) ranged from 28 to 1220 μg virus/ml; nevertheless all samples contained sufficient virus to infect a high percentage of inoculated tomato seedlings. Increasing the distance between the plants and the spray gun used for inoculation from 5 to 15 cm resulted in a significant decrease in the number of tomato seedlings infected. When M II-16 infected tomato plants were subsequently inoculated with each of fifty-three different isolates of TMV, none showed severe symptoms of the challenging isolates within 4 wk, although some isolates of strain o induced atypically mild leaf symptoms. In a further experiment, M II-16 infected plants showed conspicuous leaf symptoms only 7 wk after inoculation with a virulent TMV isolate. M II-16 multiplied more slowly in tomato plants and had a lower specific infectivity than a naturally occurring strain of TMV. More than 50% of plants in crops inoculated with strain M II-16 which subsequently showed conspicuous leaf mosaic contained TMV strain 1 or a form intermediate between strains o and 1. It is suggested that the production of TMV symptoms in commercial crops previously inoculated with strain M II-16 may result from an initially low level of infection, due to inefficient inoculation, which allows subsequent infection of unprotected plants by virulent strains. Incomplete protection by strain M II-16 against all naturally occurring strains may also be an important factor.