Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mycophenolate mofetil prevents the progressive renal failure induced by 5/6 renal ablation in rats.

BACKGROUND Extensive renal ablation is associated with progressive sclerosis of the remnant kidney. Because lymphocytes and monocytes accumulate in the remnant kidney, it is likely that they play a role in the renal scarring. Therefore, we treated rats with 5/6 nephrectomy (5/6Nx) with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a drug that has an antiproliferative effect and that suppresses the expression of intercellular adhesion molecules. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats with 5/6Nx received MMF (30 mg. kg-1. day-1 by daily gastric gavage, N = 15) or vehicle (N = 16). Ten additional rats were sham operated. All rats were fed a 30% protein diet. Body weight, serum creatinine, and urinary protein excretion were determined weekly. Lipid peroxidation, as a measure of oxidative stress observed by urinary malondialdehyde determinations, was performed every two weeks. Histologic studies were done in the remnant kidney four weeks (9 rats from the vehicle-treated group, 7 rats from the MMF group, and 5 sham-operated rats) and eight weeks after surgery (the remaining rats). Glomerular volume, sclerosis in glomeruli (segmental and global) and interstitium (semiquantitative scale), infiltrating lymphocytes and macrophages (CD43- and ED1-positive cells), and expression of adhesion molecules (CD54, CD18, and CD11b) were analyzed. RESULTS MMF treatment prevented the progressive increment in serum creatinine and the proteinuria observed in the 5/6 nephrectomized rats during the eight weeks of observation (P < 0.01). Weight gain was comparable in the MMF-treated and sham-operated rats, whereas weight gain was decreased in untreated 5/6 nephrectomized rats. Excretion of malondialdehyde increased after surgery but returned sooner to control levels in the MMF-treated rats. Increments in glomerular size and mean arterial blood pressure induced by renal ablation were not modified by MMF treatment. Eight weeks after surgery, segmental sclerosis was present in 48.4 +/- 8.35% (+/- sd) glomeruli in the vehicle-treated group versus 25 +/- 10.5% in the MMF-treated group (P < 0.001). Interstitial fibrosis was reduced significantly with MMF treatment (P < 0.001). Infiltration with CD43- and ED1-positive cells in glomeruli and interstitium was two to five times lower in MMF-treated rats (P < 0.01). Expression of adhesion molecules CD18 and CD11b was similarly reduced. CONCLUSION MMF ameliorates the progressive renal damage in the remnant kidney after 5/6Nx. This effect is associated with a reduction in the infiltration of lymphocytes and monocytes, whereas glomerular hypertrophy and systemic hypertension are unchanged.
Comparative Myocardial Depressive Effects of Propofol and Thiopental

&NA; To compare the direct myocardial effects of thiopental and propofol, concentration‐contractility curves were determined by using an isolated guinea pig left atrial preparation. Contractility was measured as peak twitch tension, maximum rate of contraction (dT/dt), and maximum rate of relaxation (‐dT/dt). Drug concentrations ranged from 56 μM (10 μg/mL) to 2800 μM (500 μg/mL) propofol and 3.8 μM (1 μg/mL) to 190 μM (50 μg/mL) thiopental. Data were fitted to a sigmoidal inhibitory pharmacodynamic model in which an increasing incremental drug concentration is needed to cause a consistent incremental effect. Comparisons were then made of the drug concentrations at which a 50% inhibition in contractility was noted (IC50). To compare drugs on an equi‐anesthetic basis, comparisons also were made between IC50 values normalized to anesthetic concentrations needed to produce anesthesia (67.8 μM and 28.1 μM for thiopental and propofol, respectively). Data from seven atrial preparations for thiopental and seven atrial preparations for propofol were analyzed. The IC50 (μM) for peak twitch tension were 20.9 ± 6.3 and 96.6 ± 10.1 (P < 0.05), for dT/dt were 21.1 ± 5.9 and 86.9 ± 8.3 (P < 0.05), and for ‐dT/dt were 21.0 ± 6.1 and 84.3 ± 9.2 (P < 0.05) for thiopental and propofol, respectively. When the normalized IC50 were compared, the differences between anesthetics became greater. For guinea pig left atria in vitro, thiopental is a more potent myocardial depressant than propofol, especially when compared relative to anesthetic potencies; neither anesthetic preferentially affects peak twitch tension, maximum rate of contraction, or maximum rate of relaxation. (Anesth Analg 1993;77:324‐9)
Hereditary Cerebral Hemorrhage with Amyloidosis‐Dutch type (HCHWA‐D): II ‐ A Review of Histopathological Aspects

Cerebral amyloid‐β (Aβ) angiopathy is the histopathological hallmark of hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis (Dutch) (HCHWA‐D). Aβ deposits are found mainly in the cerebral and cerebellar meningocortical blood vessels and as plaques throughout the cerebrocortical gray matter. Aβ deposition in arteries and arterioles starts at the junction of media and adventitia and proceeds to involve the media causing degeneration of the vascular smooth muscle cells. Cerebrocortical arterioles often show one or two layers of radial Aβ around a layer of homogenous Aβ that replaces the media. Degenerating neurites, reactive astrocytes and microglial cells may surround cerebrocortical angiopathic arterioles and capillaries, probably in reaction to invasion of the perivascular neuropil by Aβ fibrils. Furthermore, clusters of coarse extracellular matrix deposits may be found near Aβ‐laden cerebrocortical arterioles. The amyloid‐associated proteins, cystatin C, and βPP colocalize diffusely with Dutch vascular Aβ, whereas HLA‐DR immunoreactivity is found only in the periphery of the diseased vessel wall. The latter phenomenon may be related to the presence of perivascular cells. Angiopathic blood vessels frequently show structural changes. The relation of the described pathology to the development of hemorrhage, infarction and leukoencephalopathy needs further elucidation.
Agency Cost of Debt Overhang with Optimal Investment Timing and Size

The concept of debt overhang (that is, an equity‐maximizing levered firm will under‐invest relative to a firm‐value‐maximizing firm) is well established in the literature. A number of papers have demonstrated it as delayed investment (when investment size is specified) or smaller investment (when investment time is specified). However, there is no work on the underinvestment effect when the firm chooses both size and timing of investment, as it usually does in real life. This is what our paper focuses on. When the firm has the flexibility to choose both size and time, the effect is complicated by the fact that delayed investment results in larger investment, which suggests that the underinvestment problem might be mitigated. We find, however, that the effect depends on how underinvestment is measured. When measured by the expected present value of investment, flexibility can mitigate or exacerbate the underinvestment problem, depending on the cost of installing capacity. But when measured by the agency cost, flexibility always exacerbates the underinvestment problem. It is shown numerically that, at the optimal leverage ratio, the agency cost with plausible parameter values can be economically significant. Thus, with the flexibility of choosing both time and size of investment, the debt overhang problem can be of significant practical relevance in corporate investment decisions.
An assessment of treatment history and its association with clinical outcomes and relapse in 155 pemphigus patients with response to a single cycle of rituximab

Studies of pemphigus vulgaris and foliaceus patients treated with rituximab have used several different dosing protocols. Likewise, patients' clinical history varies in the length of the disease prior to initiation of rituximab, previous immunosuppressants used and adjuvants used during rituximab treatment.
Presence of Phospholipid-Neutral Lipid Complex Structures in Atherosclerotic Lesions as Detected by a Novel Monoclonal Antibody*

A novel monoclonal antibody (ASH1a/256C) that recognizes atherosclerotic lesions in human and Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbit aortae is described. When 123I-labeled ASH1a/256C antibody is injected intravenously into WHHL rabbits, it associates specifically with fatty streaks on the aorta. The antigen recognized by the antibody is lipid, based on extraction with chloroform and methanol from WHHL rabbit tissues. The antigen, purified by high performance liquid chromatography, was shown to be phosphatidylcholine (PC), which contains unsaturated fatty acyl groups based on analyses utilizing1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transfer-infrared spectrum, and mass spectrometry. The antibody did not react with other classes of phospholipids or neutral lipids when tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. When PC was mixed with either cholesterol, cholesteryl ester, or triacylglycerol, however, the reactivity of the antibody to PC increased up to 8-fold. Homogenates of aorta tissue obtained from normal and WHHL rabbits were fractionated using sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation in which neutral lipid droplets, cellular membranes, and proteins are separated. The phospholipid content in cellular membrane fractions from WHHL rabbits was twice as high as that of normal rabbits, and there was an enormous difference in the antigenic activity in these fractions. The content of cholesterol in the cellular membrane fraction of WHHL rabbits was approximately 50 times higher than that of normal rabbits. Addition of neutral lipids to the cellular membrane fraction of normal rabbit markedly increased the antigenic activity. Atheromatous lesions in thickened WHHL rabbit aortic intima that were rich in lipid droplets were stained positively with ASH1a/256C immunohistochemically. These results strongly suggest that PC-neutral lipid complex domains are formed in atherosclerotic lesions.
High carbohydrate diets are positively associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome irrespective to fatty acid composition in women: the KNHANES 2007–2014

Abstract We evaluated that carbohydrates and fatty acids intake modifies the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and we also determined gender–nutrient interaction in 38,766 adults in KNHANES (2007–2014). Carbohydrate intake was positively associated, and fat intake inversely associated, with the incidence of MetS. The association exhibited a gender interaction with the macronutrient intake; this association was significant in females. Furthermore, saturated fatty acid (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intakes were inversely associated with MetS risk and only females showed the positive association. Both n-3 and n-6 fatty acids intake showed inverse associations with MetS risk, similar to PUFA intake. Among the MetS components, serum triglyceride levels and blood pressure had significant inverse associations with fatty acid intake irrespective of fatty acid types and exhibited a gender interaction. In conclusions, high carbohydrate intakes (≥74.2 En%) may increase the MetS risk and moderate fat intakes (≥20.7 En%), irrespective of fat types, may decrease it. These associations were significant only in women.
“There is a chain of Chinese whispers …”: empirical data support the call to formally teach handover to prequalification doctors

Background: Changing patterns of work in the hospital setting mean different teams look after the same group of patients over the course of any given day. Shift handovers, or hand/sign-off, can give rise to miscommunication of critical information, a patient safety issue. How can we best prepare new doctors for handover? Methods: This was a qualitative, focus-group study, exploring the views of doctors (Foundation Year, Senior House Officers, Registrars and Consultants) and night nurse practitioners, in Aberdeen, UK. Results: Five focus groups were carried out with 21 participants. Using framework analysis, five main themes relevant to the task of effectively handing over, and how to best teach handover, emerged. These were: definition of handover; experience of handover as a junior doctor; perceptions of junior doctors’ handover skills and attitudes; systems factors, and their interaction with individual factors; and the “what” and the “how” of teaching handover. Conclusions: New doctors feel unprepared for handover and are seen as poor at handing over. Certain skills are required for effective handover, but professional attitudes are also critical. The skills identified reflect those suggested in policy documents based on expert panel views. Poor systems are a barrier to effective learning and practice. Our empirical approach adds to existing knowledge by highlighting that handover is not solely a skills-based task; there are complex interactions between individual and systems factors; and junior doctors should be prepared for handover prequalification. These data can be used to plan optimal handover teaching for medical students.
Beginning Insulin Treatment of Obese Patients With Evening 70/30 Insulin Plus Glimepiride Versus Insulin Alone

OBJECTIVE This study tested a simple algorithm for beginning insulin for obese patients with type 2 diabetes after sulfonylurea failure, comparing suppertime 70/30 insulin plus continued glimepiride with insulin alone. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a multicenter ambulatory randomized double-masked parallel comparison. There were 208 subjects with secondary failure to sulfonylureas who took glimepiride titrated to 8 mg b.i. d. for 8 weeks; 145 subjects with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) 180–300 mg/dl (10–16.7 mmol/1) on this treatment were randomized to placebo plus insulin (PI) or glimepiride plus insulin (GI) for 24 weeks. A dosage of 70/30 insulin before supper was titrated, seeking fasting capillary blood glucose (FBG) 120 mg/dl (6.7 mmol/1), equivalent to FPG 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/1). Outcome measures included FPG, HbA1c, insulin dosage, weight, serum insulin and lipids, and adverse events. RESULTS FPG and HbA1c were equivalent at baseline: 261 vs. 250 mg/dl (14.5 vs. 13.9 mmol/1), and 9.9 vs. 9.7%. At 24 weeks, the FPG target was achieved in both groups (136 vs. 138 mg/dl, 7.6 vs. 7.6 mmol/1), and HbA1c values were equal (7.7 vs. 7.6%). However, with GI, control improved faster and fewer subjects dropped out (3 vs. 15%, P < 0.01), and less insulin was needed (49 vs. 78 U/d, P < 0.001). The outcomes were alike in other respects. No subject had severe hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS Injection of 70/30 insulin before supper safely restored glycemic control of type 2 diabetes not controlled by glimepiride alone. Control was restored more rapidly and with less injected insulin when glimepiride was continued.
Highly accurate virtual dynamic characterization of discrete SiC power devices

Optimized low-inductive layouting of the package interconnections and external PCBs and bus-bars are necessary to benefit from Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices, which allow inherently very fast switching transitions. In this paper, a comprehensive modeling procedure for highly accurate virtual dynamic characterization of discrete SiC power devices is described taking into account the 3D geometry of the internal and external interconnections of package as input. The modeling requirements are discussed on an example of a commercial 1.2 kV, 80 mΩ SiC Power MOSFET in a standard TO-247 package (Cree C2M0080120D). The software tools, Simplorer, Saber, Q3D and LTSpice, commonly used for modeling and simulation of power modules, are evaluated with respect to their modeling capabilities for SiC devices.
Diclofenac drops to treat inflammation after cataract surgery.

PURPOSE To compare the anti-inflammatory effect of topical diclofenac sodium 0.1% in a fixed combination with gentamicin 0.3% to the anti-inflammatory effect of dexamethasone phosphate 0.1% in a prospective randomized double-masked double-dummy study in patients undergoing cataract surgery. SETTING Trial performed from June 1991 to April 1992 at the Hôpital Jules Gonin, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. METHODS Inclusion of patients scheduled for extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with implantation of an all PMMA intraocular lens (IOL). Double-masked comparison of post-operative inflammation in two randomized treatment groups: (1) fixed diclofenac sodium 0.1%/gentamicin 0.3% and vehicle drops 4X/day until day 12-14 and diclofenac sodium 0.1% 3X/day until day 28. (2) dexamethasone phosphate 0.1% drops 4X/day until postoperative day 12-14 and 3X/day until day 28 and gentamicin 0.3% drops 4X/day until day 12-14. Anterior chamber flare and cells, measured by laser flare-cell photometry, were analyzed as the primary outcomes. RESULTS Eighty-seven patients were recruited, 45 being assigned to the diclofenac group and 42 to the dexamethasone control group. Diclofenac was significantly better than dexamethasone at controlling flare at day 3 (p< or =0.01) and day 12-14 (p< or =0.002). Mean anterior chamber cells were also significantly lower at day 12-14 (p< or =0.021) and day 28 (p< or =0.012). The commonest adverse event was transient punctate keratitis, which occurred in 15 diclofenac and 3 dexamethasone patients. CONCLUSIONS While both treatments were effective at controlling post-operative inflammation, the diclofenac-gentamicin combination followed by diclofenac alone was significantly better at suppressing flare and cells but showed a slightly higher incidence of punctate keratitis and eye discomfort.
Design and Implementation of High Interaction Client Honeypot for Drive-by-Download Attacks

Nowadays, the number of web-browser targeted attacks that lead users to adversaries' web sites and exploit web browser vulnerabilities is increasing, and a clarification of their methods and countermeasures is urgently needed. In this paper, we introduce the design and implementation of a new client honeypot for drive-by-download attacks that has the capacity to detect and investigate a variety of malicious web sites. On the basis of the problems of existing client honeypots, we enumerate the requirements of a client honeypot: 1) detection accuracy and variety, 2) collection variety, 3) performance efficiency, and 4) safety and stability. We improve our system with regard to these requirements. The key features of our developed system are stepwise detection focusing on exploit phases, multiple crawler processing, tracking of malware distribution networks, and malware infection prevention. Our evaluation of our developed system in a laboratory experiment and field experiment indicated that its detection variety and crawling performance are higher than those of existing client honeypots. In addition, our system is able to collect information for countermeasures and is secure and stable for continuous operation. We conclude that our system can investigate malicious web sites comprehensively and support countermeasures.
Interviewing elites. Perspectives from medical tourism sector in India and in Thailand

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Interviewing elites. Perspectives from medical tourism sector in India and in Thailand Audrey Bochaton, Bertrand Lefebvre
Carcinoma of the esophagus and the cardiac end of the stomach immediate and late results of treatment by resection and primary esophagogastric anastomosis.

Until 1938 when Phemister and his associates1performed the first successful transthoracic resection for carcinoma of the lower end of the esophagus invading the cardia, the prospect of treatment of this disease was dismal if not hopeless. In the majority of cases in which the tumor involved the midthoracic segment, the application of the Torek procedure2resulted in disappointment because of the failure of this operation to provide satisfactory palliation and its inefficacy as a method of controlling the disease.3 As a result of several years of experience with resection and primary anastomosis within the thorax, the entire situation has changed, and the immediate and late results of treatment by resection and primary esophagogastric anastomosis may be evaluated. The elimination of the distressing dysphagia provided by this operation has been most gratifying, and the fact that a recurrence of the tumor at the site of anastomosis is
Structural Changes in the Relationship between Foreign Direct Investments and China’s Housing Price Bubble

Since 2006, China has issued a series of policies to regulate foreign investments (FI) in the attempt to control housing prices. In the present study, the association between foreign direct investments (FDI) and China’s housing price bubble (HPB) was examined to elucidate the rationality of foreign investment controls. Structural changes in the influence of FDI on China’s HPB were observed. FDI and China’s HPB exhibited an increased association between 1985 and 2015, particularly following Q3 of 1997. This may have resulted from the relative stability of the Renminbi during the Asian Financial Crises, which attracted an increased inflow of FDI to China, and consequently aggravated China’s HPB. A threshold regression model was employed to uncover the reasons for the structural changes exhibited in the influence of FDI on China’s HPB. Findings indicated that FDI only influenced China’s HPB during the Renminbi appreciation, and that increased FDI was not correlated to HPB during the Renminbi depreciation or when the value of Renminbi remained unchanged against the U.S. dollar. The empirical results obtained in the present study suggest that the Chinese government should first observe changes in the exchange market prior to controlling the housing market.
Protective immunity induced by Bacillus anthracis toxin-deficient strains

The two toxins secreted by Bacillus anthracis are composed of binary combinations of three proteins: protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF), and edema factor (EF). Six mutant strains that are deficient in the production of one or two of these toxin components have been previously constructed and characterized (C. Pezard, E. Duflot, and M. Mock, J. Gen. Microbiol. 139:2459-2463, 1993). In this work, we examined the antibody response to the in vivo production of PA, LF, and EF in mice immunized with spores of strains producing these proteins. High titers of antibody to PA were observed after immunization with all strains producing PA, while titers of antibodies to EF and LF were weak in animals immunized with strains producing only EF or LF. In contrast, immunization with strains producing either PA and EF or PA and LF resulted in an increased antibody response to EF or LF, respectively. The differing levels of protection from a lethal anthrax challenge afforded to mice immunized with spores of the mutant strains not only confirm the role of PA as the major protective antigen in the humoral response but also indicate a significant contribution of LF and EF to immunoprotection. We observed, however, that PA-deficient strains were also able to provide some protection, thereby suggesting that immune mechanisms other than the humoral response may be involved in immunity to anthrax. Finally, a control strain lacking the toxin-encoding plasmid was unable to provide protection or elicit an antibody response against bacterial antigens, indicating a possible role for pXO1 in the survival of B. anthracis in a host.