Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MR angiography of infrapopliteal arteries in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease by using Gadofosveset at 3.0 T: diagnostic accuracy compared with selective DSA.

PURPOSE To prospectively compare the diagnostic accuracy of steady-state, high-spatial-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) angiography of the lower leg, performed with a blood pool contrast agent, with selective digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS Local ethics committee approval and written informed consent were obtained. In a nonrandomized trial, selective DSA and MR angiography were performed at 3.0 T with a blood pool contrast agent on 22 calves in 20 patients (mean age, 69.4 years +/- 11.3 [standard deviation]), 16 men (mean age, 67.8 years +/- 12.4) and four women (mean age, 75.6 years +/- 3.6 years), to evaluate 352 arterial segments. DSA and MR angiography were performed within 24 hours of each other and directly compared by three experienced, blinded radiologists by using high-spatial-resolution steady-state MR angiograms. Consensus reading for both DSA and MR angiography served as the reference standard. RESULTS MR angiography was successful and occurred without serious adverse events in all patients. Seven significantly stenosed and 40 occluded segments were rated equally in both modalities. In three cases, the tibial arteries were shown to be occluded or significantly stenosed at DSA but appeared normal or significantly stenosed at MR angiography. The respective average segment sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 98.3% (59 of 60), 98% (113.7 of 116), and 98.1% (172.7 of 176) for DSA and 100% (60 of 60), 100% (116 of 116), and 100% (176 of 176) for MR angiography. Steady-state MR angiography was especially useful for the distal peroneal artery and the proximal anterior tibial artery. CONCLUSION MR angiography performed with blood pool agents has an accuracy comparable with that of selective DSA in the lower leg but with less risk involved. Steady-state imaging performed with blood pool agents facilitates evaluation of MR angiography of infrapopliteal arteries.
Purification and Characterization of a Bacillus subtilis 168 Nuclease, YokF, Involved in Chromosomal DNA Degradation and Cell Death Caused by Thermal Shock Treatments*

We purified and characterized a 39-kDaBacillus subtilis 168 nuclease that has been suggested in this laboratory to be involved in chromosomal DNA degradation induced by lethal heat and cold shock treatments in vivo. The nuclease activity was inhibited in vitro by aurintricalboxylic acid but not by Zn2+. By the mutant analysis, we identified the 39-kDa nuclease as a product ofyokF gene. The yokF gene contained a putative lipoprotein signal peptide motif. After in vivo exposure to lethal heat and cold stresses, the chromosomal DNA fragmentation was reduced in the yokF mutant, which demonstrated about a 2–10-fold higher survival rate than the wild type. TheyokF mutant was found to be more sensitive to mitomycin C than the wild type. The transformation efficiency of theyokF mutant was about 10 times higher than that of the wild type. It is suggested that when B. subtilis cells are exposed to a stressful thermal shock resulting in membrane perturbation, YokF nuclease consequently dislocates into the cytoplasm and then attacks DNA.
Detection of EpCAM positive and negative circulating tumor cells in metastatic breast cancer patients

Abstract Background. Immunomagnetic EpCAM based methods are used to enrich circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients. EpCAM negative CTCs may be missed. We addressed the question of the reliability of an EpCAM dependent assay to enrich CTCs. Methods. To elucidate this issue, our study has been designed to assess two different CTC enrichment technologies (i) in EpCAM positive (+) and EpCAM negative cell lines and (ii) in mBC patients in dependency on their respective EpCAM expression. These two technologies encompass one anti-EpCAM immunomagnetic enrichment technology, MACS HEA MicroBeads® (MACS), and one EpCAM independent density centrifugation method, OncoQuick® plus (OQ+). Furthermore, the coherence between EpCAM expression in the primary tumor tissue of mBC patients and the CTC detection rates in the corresponding patients is analyzed. Results. (i) MACS recovered significantly more EpCAM (+) than EpCAM (−) tumor cells (p < 0.001) in spiked blood samples. With OQ+ no significantly different recovery rates between EpCAM (+) and EpCAM (−) tumor cells (p = 0.796) were detected. (ii) In mBC patients MACS yielded a significantly higher (p = 0.024) detection rate of EpCAM (+) CTCs. No statistically significant difference (p = 0.070) was found concerning the EpCAM status-based detection rate of CTCs by OQ+. (iii) CTC detection rates are independent of the primary tumors’ EpCAM expression. Conclusions. EpCAM (−) CTCs can not be detected by immunomagnetic EpCAM dependent enrichment methods. EpCAM independent enrichment technologies seem to be superior to detect the entire CTC population. Evaluation of CTCs as prognostic marker should compromise EpCAM (+) and (−) subpopulations.
Inhibition of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) pathway and the induction of radioresistance in rat 3Y1 cells

Purpose: Activation of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) pathway generally results in stimulation of cell growth and confers a survival advantage. However, the potential involvement of this pathway in cellular radiosensitivity remains unclear. The study was designed to examine whether the ERK pathway affects intrinsic radiosensitivity in mammalian cells. Materials and methods: Exponentially growing rat 3Y1 cells were used. A specific inhibitor of mitogen‐activated ERK kinase (MEK), PD98059, was used to inhibit the ERK pathway. In addition, kinase‐deficient MEK was expressed in cells to inhibit the pathway in a dominant‐negative manner. Activation of ERK was visualized by Western blot using an antibody that recognizes the phosphorylated form of ERK. Radiosensitivity was evaluated by a colony‐forming assay. Results: 3Y1 cells treated with PD98059 exhibited a significant inhibition of cell proliferation and radiation‐induced transient activation of ERK. Unexpectedly, it was found that the inhibitor enhanced clonogenic radioresistance. This effect on radioresistance was confirmed by expression of kinase‐deficient MEK. Apoptotic activities following irradiation were significantly inhibited in PD98059‐treated cells as determined by caspase‐3‐like activities. Conclusion: Activation of the MEK/ERK pathway increases clonogenic radiosensitivity in rat 3Y1 cells. These findings, together with a variety of other data, suggest that there might be clinical implications in targeting the MEK/ERK pathway in radiotherapy.
HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections in a high-risk population in Bombay, India: evidence for the spread of HIV-2 and presence of a divergent HIV-1 subtype.

A high-risk population (patients of a sexually transmitted disease clinic and the GT hospital in Bombay) was tested for antibodies against HIV-1 and HIV-2. Among 405 serum samples, 226 had previously been classified HIV-positive in India using different locally available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. The serology of 179 samples was unknown. All 405 samples were tested at the Georg-Speyer-Haus (GSH) with the Pasteur HIV-1/2-Combi-ELISA. Positive samples were further analyzed with HIV-1 and HIV-2 Western blot kits from Dupont and Pasteur, respectively. A very high seroprevalence of HIV was found in this population. Among the 179 unscreened samples, 69 (38.5%) were positive in the ELISAs as well as the Western blots for HIV-1 or HIV-2. Among the prescreened samples, only 174 (77%) were confirmed HIV-positive. Altogether, 243 of 405 sera were HIV-positive. Of these, 184 (76%) were reactive with HIV-1, 10 (4%) were reactive with HIV-2, and 49 (20%) had dual reactivity to HIV-1 and HIV-2. Previous data from the Indian Council of Medical Research had already suggested a possible high prevalence of HIV-1 in India. Our results confirm this view. The finding of a substantial spread of HIV-2 infection was, however, totally unexpected in India, but confirms our previous study which had already demonstrated the existence of HIV-2 in this country. Asia can thus no longer be considered free of HIV-2, and testing for HIV-2 appears mandatory, at least in India. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A novel CMOS/BiCMOS UWB pulse generator and modulator

In this paper, a new low voltage high frequency pulse generation circuit is proposed which can be fully integrated in CMOS and/or BiCMOS process. The circuit is able to generate symmetrical pulses those are the second-order derivative of Gaussian pulses with a bandwidth up to 5 GHz and having sufficient swing for UWB applications. Based on the proposed pulse generator, a novel BPSK pulse modulator is also proposed and can be directly used in UWB transmitter. Simulation results based on a 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS/BiCMOS technology confirm their performance.
Patients who return to care after tracking remain at high risk of attrition: experience from a large HIV clinic, Uganda

We determined the retention rate of patients infected with HIV who resumed care after being tracked at the Infectious Diseases Clinic (IDC) in Kampala, Uganda. Between April 2011 and September 2013, patients who missed their clinic appointment for 8–90 days were tracked, and those who returned to the clinic within 120 days were followed up. The proportion of patients retained among tracked patients, and those who resumed care before tracking started was compared. At 18 months of follow up, 33 (39%) of the tracked patients and 72 (61%) of those who had resumed care before tracking started were retained in care. The most important cause of attrition among the traceable was self-transfer to another clinic (38 [73%] patients), whereas among those who resumed care before tracking was loss to follow up (LTFU) (32 [71%] patients). Tracked patients who resume care following a missed appointment are at high risk of attrition. To increase retention, antiretroviral therapy clinics need to adopt a chronic care model which takes into consideration patients’ changing needs and their preference for self-management.
Severe Physical Intimate Partner Violence and the Mental and Physical Health of U.S. Caribbean Black Women.

BACKGROUND Intimate partner violence is a threat to women's health. Relative to other racial/ethnic groups, African American and immigrant women are at an increased risk for violence. However, despite the growing presence of Caribbean Black immigrants in this country, few studies have examined the association between severe physical intimate partner violence (SPIPV) and the health of Caribbean Black women currently residing in the United States. This study examined the mental and physical health of U.S. Caribbean Black women with and without a history of SPIPV. We also explored the role of generational status-first, second, or third-in association with the physical and mental health of abused Caribbean Black women. METHODS Data from the National Survey of American Life, the largest and the only known representative study on Caribbeans residing in the United States, were analyzed. The World Health Organization (WHO) World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) was used to determine DSM-IV mental disorders. The presence of physical health conditions was based on respondents' self-reports of physician diagnoses. RESULTS The findings indicate an association between SPIPV and the mental and physical health status of U.S. Caribbean Black women. Rates of physical conditions and mental health disorders were generally higher among women with a history of SPIPV than those without a history. Generational status also played a role in women's health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The study has interventions and preventive implications for both detecting and addressing the health needs of U.S. Caribbean Black women who experience severe physical abuse by an intimate partner.
Country Size, Specialization Patterns and Secular Demand Stagnation

Using a dynamic two-country two-commodity Ricardian model where preference for money (or wealth) leads to aggregate demand deficiency, this paper examines the relationship between the two countries’ relative population size and their specialization patterns, employment and consumption. When the countries have similar population sizes, they specialize in respective commodities with comparative advantage. In this case a larger foreign, or a smaller home, population raises the relative price of the home commodity. It raises home real income and consumption per capita if full employment prevails in the home country. If unemployment appears, however, home employment and consumption per capita decrease.
Knowledge of residual curarization: an Italian survey

Background: The use of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) is widespread in anesthetic practice; little is known about the current use of these drugs in Italy. This survey was conducted to obtain information about the most commonly used clinical tests and the train‐of‐four (TOF) ratios that are considered as being reliable for assessing recovery from neuromuscular blockade at the end of anesthesia and the estimated occurrence rates of post‐operative paralysis in Italian hospitals.
The scope and scale of the informal food economy of South African urban residential townships: Results of a small-area micro-enterprise census

ABSTRACT Growing urbanisation in South Africa is reflected in burgeoning Working class and informal township settlements on the fringes of its major towns and cities. Paired with this is an increasing reliance on cash as the primary means of economic transaction, which has in turn stimulated the growth of micro-enterprise business activities within the township context. This article discusses the findings of an eight-township small-area census which occurred between 2010 and 2013 in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Durban townships representing 250 000 residents. The researchers were able to establish the scope and scale of informal food and drink retailing in these localities. Of the 10 049 micro-enterprises located in the study, some 3966 (or 39% of the total) trade in food. These include enterprises in primary production, fresh produce retailing, grocery retailing from house and spaza shops, and informal foodservice enterprises. Food is the basis for much township informal business and plays an important role in making food increasingly affordable and locally accessible, and in creating cash employment. The article builds on the knowledge base of the township informal economy role in bolstering food security needs for the marginalised.
MicroRNAs: components of an integrated system controlling cardiac development, physiology, and disease pathogenesis.

See reviews in this series by Fazi and Nervi,21 Thum et al. ,22 Yang et al. ,23 and Urbich et al. 24 Protein-encoding sequences comprise <1.5% of the human genome.1 Nevertheless, a considerable fraction (∼90%) of the genome is effectively transcribed.2 Therefore, most of the transcriptional output of the genome of higher organisms seems to consist of non-coding (nc) RNAs, i.e. RNA that is not translated into a protein end product.3 It is now clear that much of this genomic output is not just transcriptional background noise of ‘junk’ DNA but an intricate RNA-based network constituting a level of regulation that appears as important as posttranscriptional protein modification. Only a limited number of ncRNA species predominantly maintaining basic biochemical processes, such as ribosomal RNA and transfer RNA, have been analysed in depth, but other types of ncRNAs have now been identified and are being studied.4 These ncRNAs regulate the gene expression process at many of its steps, from the epigenetic level down to translation, through a variety of mechanisms ( Figure 1 ). 5 ncRNA has also been implicated in surprising areas, such as the integrity of cellular structure,6 and many other fascinating functions probably await discovery. Figure 1 Outline of some ncRNA functions. The central dogma of the flow …
DISCOVERY OF A NEW SOFT GAMMA REPEATER, SGR J1833−0832

On 2010 March 19, the Swift/Burst Alert Telescope triggered on a short burst with temporal and spectral characteristics similar to those of soft gamma repeater (SGR) bursts. The source location, however, did not coincide with any known SGR. Subsequent observations of the source error box with the Swift/X-Ray Telescope and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer led to the discovery of a new X-ray source with a spin period of 7.56 s, confirming SGR J1833−0832 as a new magnetar. Based on our detailed temporal and spectral analyses, we show that the new SGR is rapidly spinning down (4 × 10−12 s s−1) and find an inferred dipole magnetic field of 1.8 × 1014 G. We also show that the X-ray flux of SGR J1833−0832 remained constant for approximately 20 days following the burst and then started to decline. We derived an accurate location of the source with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and we searched for a counterpart in deep optical and infrared observations of SGR J1833−0832, and for radio pulsed emission with the Westerbork Radio Synthesis Telescope. Finally, we compare the spectral and temporal properties of the source to other magnetar candidates.
Clinical factors, including All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Group severity, as predictors of early rehospitalization after COPD exacerbation

Background: Patients hospitalized for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations carry a high risk for early rehospitalization. We wished to identify the basic clinical factors associated with a high risk of rehospitalization, and to see how well the standardized All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Group (APR-DRG) severity of illness (SOI) subclassification predicted rehospitalization if combined with other simple clinical measures. Methods: We identified adult patients aged ≥40 years discharged from a major hospital in the Southwestern USA with a COPD discharge diagnosis during the study index period (1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010). Patients readmitted within 30 days (“early rehospitalization”) and 90 days (“any rehospitalization”) were each compared with those not rehospitalized. Clinical parameters (including demographics, comorbidities) and recent healthcare utilization were examined for their association with rehospitalization. Factors independently associated with rehospitalization were then combined with the index admission APR-DRG SOI assessment using conditional linear regression to find the best models in terms of the highest C-statistic. Results: Among 306 patients hospitalized for COPD, 62 (20.3%) had a rehospitalization within 90 days and 28 (9.2%), an early readmission. An APR-DRG SOI subclassification ≥3 was a modest independent predictor of early or any readmission, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 2.09 to 3.33. Models that combined the APR-DRG SOI subclassification with clinical factors present before the index hospitalization had strong C-statistics of ≥0.80. Good models without the APR-DRG SOI subclassification but including a history of recent hospitalizations before the index hospitalization were also identified. Conclusions: An APR-DRG SOI subclassification of ≥3 for the index COPD admission is associated with an increased risk of early rehospitalizations, and can be combined with a few historical clinical factors to create strong predictive models for rehospitalization. This study demonstrates that hospitals can use commonly collected clinical information to help identify COPD patients at a high risk of failure after discharge.
On Being an Entrepreneur: the Nigerian Perspective

It is common knowledge that the success of an economy rests on the strength of its entrepreneurs. Present-day challenges make it imperative for countries in the same bracket as Nigeria to deemphasize reliance on oil and government for social crumbs, to embrace innovative activities and deepen small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are important drivers of economic growth but they face significant challenges as obtained in Nigeria where infrastructures such as power, transportation and financing needed to make entrepreneurship work seldom exists. With a high unemployment rate, young Nigerians are required to embrace entrepreneurship. The aim of this paper is to present the Nigerian entrepreneur within the country’s challenging business environment as a true definition of an entrepreneur despite the general definition. We presented a set of questions and gathered feedback through a set of questionnaires administered using purposive sampling on 6 trade associations in Iwo Town, Osun state, Nigeria.
Pattern-based NN control of a class of nonlinear systems

This paper studies the pattern-based neural network (NN) control approach for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems. Firstly, in the identification phase, adaptive NN controllers are designed to achieve closed-loop stability and tracking performance of nonlinear systems for different control situations, and the closed-loop control system dynamics are identified via deterministic learning. The identified dynamics are stored in constant radial basis function (RBF) NNs, and a set of pattern-based constant NN controllers are constructed by using the obtained constant RBF networks. Secondly, still in the phase of identification, when the plant is operated under abnormal conditions but controlled by the normal constant NN controller, the underlying system dynamics are identified via deterministic learning. Thirdly, in the phase of recognition, a bank of estimators is constructed for all the abnormal conditions. When one identified control situation recurs, by using the constructed estimators, the recurred control situation will be rapidly recognized. Finally, in the phase of pattern-based control, the corresponding pattern-based constant NN controller is selected, which guarantees the improved control performance while preserving stability. A simulation example is included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. The results presented in this paper show that pattern-based control may provide a new framework for fast decision and control in dynamic environments.
Measles control in the United States: problems of the past and challenges for the future

Elimination of indigenous measles from the United States has been a public priority since 1978. To assess the progress made toward this goal, we review the epidemiology of measles from 1963 to the present. From the 1970s through early into the recent measles epidemic, the majority of measles cases were in highly vaccinated, school-age children. This was due primarily to a 1 to 5% primary measles-mumps-rubella vaccine failure rate and nonrandom mixing patterns among school-age populations. To eliminate susceptible individuals in the school-age populations, a second dose of measles vaccine is now recommended between 5 and 6 years or 11 and 12 years by both the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Later in the epidemic, measles cases surged among unimmunized preschool children, especially among the poor in inner-city areas. Immunization rates have been documented to be low among preschool populations because of missed opportunities to administer vaccines at all health visits and barriers to access to immunizations. To raise immunization rates, the age for the first measles-mumps-rubella immunization was lowered to 12 to 15 months of age, federal immunization funding has increased, and new standards for immunization delivery have been developed and promulgated.