Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behandlung der Verbrauchskoagulopathie mit Antithrombin III-Konzentrat bei Kindern mit nachgewiesener Sepsis

Consumption coagulopathy in childhood is still a serious problem. Besides treatment of the underlying diseases therapy of consumption coagulopathy was performed with heparin and nowadays with substitution of coagulation factors, especially antithrombin III concentrate, alone or in combination with heparin. We performed administration of AT III concentrates only, without additional heparin treatment in children with proven septicaemia (preterm infants n = 21, children beyond the newborn period n-18). Antithrombin III, platelet count, fibrinogen, PT, aPTT and TT were assayed. These coagulation parameters turned to be normal 48 hours after normalisation of the antithrombin III plasma level-AT III increased to normal values within 24 hours after the initial substitution in all children. Lethal outcome was not observed after sole administration of AT III as well as no other side effects have been seen. In summary, these data indicate that consumption coagulopathy in childhood can be managed successfully with early subsitution of AT III concentrate. Die Verbrauchskoagulopathie bei Septikaemie im Kindesalter ist immer noch ein ernstes Problem. Neben der Behandlung der Grundkrankheit mit den ublichen intensivtherapeutischen Masnahmen und einer breiten empirischen antibiotischen Therapie ist auch in der Kinderheilkunde die alleinige Heparinisierung als unzureichende Therapie der Verbrauchskoagulopathie erkannt worden. Diese Arbeit berichtet uber die Behandlung bei Fruhgeborenen (N = 21) und Kindern jenseits der Neugeborenenperiode (N = 18) mit bakteriologisch nachgewiesener Septikamie mit alleiniger Antithrombin III Substitution (bei Fruhgeborenen zusatzlich lowe-dose Heparinisierung bei liegenden zentralen Kathetern als Occlusionsprophylaxe). Antithrombin III, Thrombozytenzahl, Fibrinogen, TPZ, PTT und TZ wurden vor, wahrend und nach Beendigung dieser Substitutionstherapie gemessen. 48 Stunden nach Normalisierung des AT III Plasmaspiegels wurden fur diese Parameter ebenfalls normale Werte in Bezug zur Altersnorm gefunden. Antithrombin III stieg bei allen Kindern bis 24 h nach Substitutionsbeginn an. Blutungen, die bei der Heparintherapie zu beobachten sind, haben wir nicht gesehen. Andere Nebenwirkungen wurden nicht beobachtet. Todesfalle traten auf bei nicht therapierbarer Grundkrankheit, in der Mehrzahl der Falle jedoch lange nach Ausbehandlung der Septikamie.
Evaluation of Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis for Typing a Polyclonal Hospital-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Population in an Area Where Such Infections Are Endemic

ABSTRACT Multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) was performed with 292 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates previously characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing, and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec typing. Quantitative correspondence analyses showed the best correlation between data when an ≥80% cutoff was applied to MLVA. We confirmed the validity of MLVA for identification of related strains in a polyclonal MRSA population.
Dietary Sodium and Renal α2-Adrenergic Receptors in Dahl Hypertensive Rats

Dahl sodium-sensitive and resistant rats were fed low and high sodium diets. Renal plasma membrane α2-adrenergic receptor concentrations were greater (p<.05) in sensitive than in resistant rats while ingesting a low sodium diet. On a high sodium diet the α2 receptor concentration increased (p<.01) in sensitive but not in resistant rats. Since α2 receptors are located in proximal tubules at sites where nor-epinephrine induces sodium reabsorption, we postulate that this genetically determined abnormal receptor regulation could lead to exaggerated sodium retention and possibly high blood pressure.
Modeling and Validation of Windscreen Laminated Glass Behavior during Fracture

The objective of the study is to provide a method to simulate the mechanical behavior of windscreen laminated glass. The polyvinyl butyral (PVB) laminated glass is manufactured by pressing a layer of PVB film in between two pieces of glass plates under the high temperature condition. In this study, windscreen models are developed using different combination of glass and PVB with various connection types and two mesh sizes (5mm & 10mm). Then each windscreen model was impacted with standard adult headform under LS-DYNA environment and the results were compared with the experimental data reported in the literature. The results show that the behavior of windscreen developed with double layered shell elements of glass and PVB each with tied element connection simulates best the test results. Furthermore, the influence of fracture stress of glass on the above mentioned windscreen was investigated. It was observed that the area of crack and the peak value of headform acceleration are determined by the critical fracture stress and 50MPa fracture stress of glass best predicts the headform acceleration level and the cracks of windscreen.
Human Papillomavirus Genotyping Using Archival Vulval Dysplastic or Neoplastic Biopsy Tissues: Comparison between the INNO-LiPA and Linear Array Assays

ABSTRACT The Roche Linear Array (LA) and Innogenetics INNO-LiPA human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping assays were compared for paraffin-embedded vulval tissues. The LA detected amplifiable DNA in 28 (57%) out of 49 biopsy specimens, 20 (40%) being HPV genotyped, compared to 49 (100%) and 41 (83%), respectively, detected by the INNO-LiPA. The INNO-LiPA provides greater sensitivity for HPV genotyping in archival tissue.
Development and Validation of a Sensitive and Specific sodB-Based Quantitative PCR Assay for Molecular Detection of Ehrlichia Species

ABSTRACT We developed a sensitive and specific sodB-based quantitative PCR assay to detect Ehrlichia spp. The assay's limit of detection was 5 copies/reaction, and it did not amplify nonspecific DNA. Compared with a 16S rRNA gene PCR target, the sodB target may offer an improved molecular diagnostic assay to detect Ehrlichia spp.
The European Quality of Care Pathway (EQCP) Study: history, project management and approach

The European Quality of Care Pathway (EQCP) study is the first, international, cluster randomized controlled trial launched to study the effect of the implementation of care pathways and to study why and under what circumstances pathways work. The study will be performed in Belgium, Italy, Ireland and Portugal and will include individual studies: a trial including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, a trial including proximal femur fracture patients and a trial focusing on multidisciplinary teamwork within both populations. The study is managed by the European Pathway Association in close collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of the Catholic University Leuven (Belgium), the University of Eastern Piedmont (Italy), the National School of Public Health Lisbon (Portugal) and the Health Services Executive in Dublin (Ireland). This paper will describe the history, project management and overall approach of this international study.
Insufficient Demonstration of Long-Term Stability of Aspergillus Galactomannan

The report in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology by Wheat et al. ([1][1]) investigates the stability of the galactomannan index (GMI) (the ratio of the optical densities of patient samples to the mean optical density of control samples), following storage using the Platelia immunoassay to detect
Wavelet-Based Multiresolution Smart Meter Privacy

The availability of individual load curves per household in the smart grid end-user domain combined with nonintrusive load monitoring (NILM) to infer personal data from these load curves has led to privacy concerns. Based on insights of the interrelation of load profile resolution and accuracy of NILM techniques, we propose the use of the wavelet transform to represent load data in multiple resolutions. Each resolution is encrypted with a different key using an appropriate cipher and a hierarchical keying scheme. End-to-end security ensures access control. To meet requirements of low computational complexity in low-cost smart meters, the lifting implementation of the wavelet transform is used to generate multiple resolutions. It is shown that the multiresolution approach is compatible with other privacy-enhancing technologies, such as secure signal processing. This allows adding new degrees of freedom to these methods by introducing the dimension of multiple resolutions. The proposed approach is evaluated based on the provided level of privacy and security, computational demands, and feasibility in an economic sense.
Rapid Detection of Staphylococcus aureus in Lower Respiratory Tract Secretions from Patients with Suspected Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Evaluation of the Cepheid Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI Assay

ABSTRACT A preclinical evaluation was conducted to evaluate the performance of the Cepheid Xpert assay on 135 lower respiratory tract secretions for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and S. aureus. Compared with the quantitative culture, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 99.0%, 72.2%, 90.7%, and 96.3%, respectively.
Non-Disruptive Load-Side Control for Frequency Regulation in Power Systems

This paper studies frequency regulation of power systems by using both automatic generation control (AGC) and load-side control. A switched distributed controller is designed for each load bus in a transmission network. The targets of the designed controller are twofold. First, it makes controllable loads work together with generators to restore the system frequency quickly after a real power mismatch occurs in the grid. Second, it restores controllable loads to their nominal working conditions. To achieve the first target, a consensus-based distributed load-side controller is designed. Peer-to-peer communication between loads is used to achieve an average consensus according to which controllable load reacts to the frequency deviation. To achieve the second target, the load-side controller shifts its duties to AGC slowly after the frequency goes back into an ideal region, and hence, controllable loads will restore to their nominal conditions gradually. A switching signal is designed to detect time instants when the load-side controller should work in the mode of frequency restoration or in the mode of load restoration.
Assessment of Impact of Peptide Nucleic Acid Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization for Rapid Identification of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci in the Absence of Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention

ABSTRACT Peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization (PNA FISH) was instituted at Boston Medical Center for the rapid identification of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). Without active notification or antimicrobial stewardship intervention, a pre- and postimpact analysis showed no benefit of this assay with respect to the length of hospital stay or vancomycin use.
Evaluation of augmented alveolar bone with vertical alveolar distraction osteogenesis and implant installation

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical result of vertical alveolar distraction, especially the distracted alveolar bone and installed implants. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one patients who have been received the vertical alveolar distraction and implant installation on 22 areas (3 maxilla and 19 mandible) using intraoral alveolar distraction device were examined. After consolidation period of 3-4 months, distraction devices were removed and 91 implants were installed in the distracted alveolar bone. The distracted bone and implants were evaluated clinically and radiographically. Results: Mean height of distracted alveolar bone was 7.5±3.2 mm (range: 2.5-15.0 mm). Mean follow-up period after completion of the distraction was 3.1 years (range: 1.4-11.5 years). Mean resorption of distracted alveolar bone was 1.6±1.8 mm. The success and survival rates of implants was 95.3% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that vertical alveolar distraction procedure is a useful and stable method for alveolar ridge augmentation and implantation.
Empowerment and Job Satisfaction among Clinical Nurses in South Korea: Systematic Review

Purpose: To synthesize and identify the studies that delineated the relationship between empowerment and job satisfaction in clinical nurses in Korea. Methods: Electronic databases were searched, including KmBase, KoreaMed. riss4u, National Assembly Digital Library and National Discovery for Science Leaders (NDSL) The search terms included nurse, satisfaction and empowerment. Only papers published in Korean were included. Results: Twelve studies, from 156 references screened, were included the final analysis. All studies were non-experimental and used correlational analysis. A significant positive relationship between structural or psychological empowerment and job satisfaction was found. Older nurses with longer clinical experience and higher education background were more likely to have high level of structural and psychological empowerment and job satisfaction. Conclusion: The study results indicate that to produce an empowering work environment, nurse managers have to create a supportive organizational culture, and provide access to resources and opportunity as well as to strengthen emotional support.
Reactivity of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Structural Proteins to Antibodies against Porcine Enteric Coronaviruses: Diagnostic Implications

ABSTRACT The development of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) antibody-based assays is important for detecting infected animals, confirming previous virus exposure, and monitoring sow herd immunity. However, the potential cross-reactivity among porcine coronaviruses is a major concern for the development of pathogen-specific assays. In this study, we used serum samples (n = 792) from pigs of precisely known infection status and a multiplex fluorescent microbead-based immunoassay and/or enzyme-linked immunoassay platform to characterize the antibody response to PEDV whole-virus (WV) particles and recombinant polypeptides derived from the four PEDV structural proteins, i.e., spike (S), nucleocapsid (N), membrane (M), and envelope (E). Antibody assay cutoff values were selected to provide 100% diagnostic specificity for each target. The earliest IgG antibody response, mainly directed against S1 polypeptides, was observed at days 7 to 10 postinfection. With the exception of nonreactive protein E, we observed similar antibody ontogenies and patterns of seroconversion for S1, N, M, and WV antigens. Recombinant S1 provided the best diagnostic sensitivity, regardless of the PEDV strain, with no cross-reactivity detected against transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV), or porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) pig antisera. The WV particles showed some cross-reactivity to TGEV Miller and TGEV Purdue antisera, while N protein presented some cross-reactivity to TGEV Miller. The M protein was highly cross-reactive to TGEV and PRCV antisera. Differences in the antibody responses to specific PEDV structural proteins have important implications in the development and performance of antibody assays for the diagnosis of PEDV enteric disease.
Expression profiling and binding properties of fibrinogen-related proteins (FREPs), plasma proteins from the schistosome snail host Biomphalaria glabrata

A growing body of evidence suggests an important role for fibrinogen-like proteins in innate immunity in both vertebrates and invertebrates. It has been shown that fibrinogen-related proteins (FREPs), plasma proteins present in the freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata, the intermediate host for the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni, are diverse and involved in snail innate defense responses. To gain further insight into the functions of FREPs, recombinant FREP proteins (rFREPs) were produced in Escherichia coli and antibodies (Abs) were raised against the corresponding rFREPs. We first show that most FREP proteins exist in their native conformation in snail hemolymph as multimeric proteins. Western blot analyses reveal that expression of multiple FREPs including FREP4 in plasma from M line and BS-90 snails, which are susceptible and resistant to S. mansoni infection, respectively, is up-regulated significantly after infection with the trematode Echinostoma paraensei. Moreover, our assays demonstrate that FREPs are able to bind E. paraensei sporocysts and their secretory/excretory products (SEPs), and a variety of microbes (Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeast). Furthermore, this binding capability shows evidence of specificity with respect to pathogen type; for example, 65—75-kDa FREPs (mainly FREP4) bind to E. paraensei sporocysts and their SEPs whereas 95-kDa and 125-kDa FREPs bind the microbes assayed. Our results suggest that FREPs can recognize a wide range of pathogens, from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, and different categories of FREPs seem to exhibit functional specialization with respect to the pathogen encountered.
Auditory Training and Central Auditory Processing Disorders: A Case Study

Recent reports indicate that specific types of auditory training (AT) may have a positive influence on the temporal process­ ing of children who have language-learning difficulties (Tallal et al., 1996). These welldesigned studies provide more than ample scientific evidence to show that a person's auditory abilities can improve with training. For the past 50 years investigators have stud­ ied the prospect of using AT therapy to im­ prove the auditory performance of people with peripheral hearing impairment (Schow & Nerbonne, 1996). However, only recently has intensive AT gained popularity for use with children with learning disabilities and associated central auditory processing disor­ ders (CAPD) (Musiek & Berge, 1998). For people with CAPD, AT is directed toward central mediated functions of hear­ ing and language. Several types of therapy approaches may be used for children with CAPD and/or language-learning problems. Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of using AT with children who have CAPD and language-learning deficits. Phonemic syn­ thesis is one approach that centers on the practice of blending sounds into words (Katz & Harmon, 1982). This technique re­ portedly improved phonemic synthesis abil­ ity and increased decoding skills on the Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization test (Katz, 1983). In another early study, AT on dichotic listening tasks with adapted on­ set/offset times resulted in marked im­ provements in scores on a central auditory test battery for children with learning dis­ abilities and associated CAPD (Katz et al., 1984). Another approach was suggested by Alexander and Frost (1982), who reported on AT with decelerated speech that was time expanded 60-80 ms for transitions. This technique documented improvement in auditory discrimination in children with language disabilities. Tallal et al. (1996) used a similar AT paradigm as that of Alexander and Frost, but used a 50% time expansion and enhanced the intensity of fast transitional elements by 20 dB. This ap­ proach also showed an improvement in the auditory discrimination of children with language-learning disabilities. Sloan (1986) published a thorough, systematic approach to AT for CAPD that emphasized speech sound discriminations
Real-time voice activity detection for ECoG-based speech brain machine interfaces

In this article, we investigated the performance of a real-time voice activity detection module exploiting different time-frequency methods for extracting signal features in a subject with implanted electrocorticographic (ECoG) electrodes. We used ECoG signals recorded while the subject performed a syllable repetition task. The voice activity detection module used, as input, ECoG data streams, on which it performed feature extraction and classification. With this approach we were able to detect voice activity (speech onset and offset) from ECoG signals with high accuracy. The results demonstrate that different time-frequency representations carried complementary information about voice activity, with the S-transform achieving 92% accuracy using the 86 best features and support vector machines as the classifier. The proposed real-time voice activity detector may be used as a part of an automated natural speech BMI system for rehabilitating individuals with communication deficits.
Lipopolysaccharide induces alteration of serotonin transporter in human intestinal epithelial cells

Intestinal serotoninergic activity and serotonin transporter (SERT) function have been shown to be altered in intestinal inflammatory diseases. Serotonin (5-HT) plays a critical role in the regulation of gastrointestinal physiology. Activity of 5-HT depends on its extracellular availability, partly modulated by SERT that transports 5-HT into the cell. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a component of Gram-negative bacteria outer membrane, which acts as a potent activator of the inflammatory system in the intestine. The aim of this work was to determine, in the enterocyte-like cell line Caco-2, whether LPS treatment affects serotoninergic activity by acting on SERT. The results demonstrate that LPS treatment diminishes SERT activity in a dose- and period-dependent way. The kinetic study shows that Vmax was significantly reduced after treatment with LPS. The LPS effect on 5-HT uptake was, in part, mediated by protein kinase C (PKC) activation. The molecular expression of SERT revealed that LPS treatment did not affect the mRNA level or the SERT protein content in cell homogenate. The level of SERT protein, however, was reduced on brush border membrane. The LPS effect might be due to an alteration of the intracellular traffic of SERT which may, in part, be mediated by PKC activity.
Replication or death: distinct fates of pathogenic Leptospira strain Lai within macrophages of human or mouse origin

Pathogenic leptospires evoke severe diseases in humans but only cause mild chronic or asymptomatic infection in many host animals. The reasons for this diversity of infection remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated that Leptospira interrogans serovar Lai strain Lai had a similar ability to adhere to and enter primary and immortal (THP-1 and J774A.1) macrophages from human and mouse, but its intracellular fate in human macrophages differed markedly from that in mouse. The leptospires resided within membrane-bound vacuoles in the murine macrophages, but occurred free in the cytosol of human macrophages, with no surrounding vesicular membrane. Most leptospires in murine macrophages co-localized with the late-endosomal/lysosomal marker LAMP-1 and then were killed by lysosomal hydrolases, while most leptospires in human macrophages did not co-localize with this marker and survived. Enumeration of colony-forming units plus quantitative fluorimetry showed that in human, but not in murine, macrophages, the amounts of leptospires increased with incubation time. The infected human macrophages differed from mouse macrophages by displaying gradually enhanced apoptosis, in parallel with the increase in number of leptospires. These data strongly suggest that the outcome for intracellular leptospires depends on differences among host macrophages, which may account for some of the differences in the severity of leptospirosis in humans and animals.