Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An analysis of the pivot shift phenomenon

The description of the pivot shift test and its modifica tions is for the most part based on clinical observations. We wished to precisely determine the knee motions and medial-lateral tibiofemoral compartment subluxa tions that examiners induce in the knee joint to produce the pivot shift phenomenon. Eleven skilled knee sur geons performed the pivot shift test on an instrumented cadaveric lower limb. The anterior cruciate and super ficial medial collateral ligaments (long fibers) of one limb were sectioned to produce an abnormal state. An in strumented spatial linkage allowed all six degrees of freedom motions to be measured. Before and after ligament sectioning we determined the limits of knee motion under defined loading conditions. The tibial and femoral bony landmarks were digitized to determine the positions of the medial and lateral tibial plateaus in reference to the femoral condyles during the pivot shift tests. Each examiner performed his pivot shift test. The analysis of the data showed that examiners typically induced a coupled anterior translation and internal tibial rotation to produce an anterior tibial subluxation, and a coupled posterior translation and external tibial rotation to induce the reduction event. The magnitude of ante rior subluxation of each plateau depended upon the examiner's technique. The maximal anterior subluxa tion of the lateral tibial plateau varied from 14 to 19.8 mm (mean, 17.2 ± 2.0 mm), whereas anterior sublux ation of the medial tibial plateau ranged from 6 to 16.9 mm (mean, 11.2 ± 3.3 mm). This variation was due to the different amounts of internal tibial rotation that an examiner induced in the knee. Increased internal rota tion significantly limited the amount of anterior sublux ation of the medial tibial plateau (P < 0.01). Conversely, increased external tibial rotation (after the reduction event) induced anterior subluxation of the medial tibial plateau. We concluded that more diagnostic information on the magnitude of the anterior knee subluxation in the anterior cruciate deficient knee is available by perform ing the pivot shift test starting with the tibia in external rotation and using a technique that enhances anterior tibial translation and avoids excessive internal tibial rotation. We also concluded that grading of the pivot shift test would vary considerably because of the dif ferences we measured between examiners. We believe there is an unmet need for reliable measurement of medial and lateral tibiofemoral rotational subluxations under specified loading conditions.
Waist circumference as a measure for indicating need for weight management

Abstract Objective: To test the hypothesis that a single measurement, waist circumference, might be used to identify people at health risk both from being overweight and from having a central fat distribution. Design: A community derived random sample of men and women and a second, validation sample. Setting: North Glasgow. Subjects: 904 men and 1014 women (first sample); 86 men and 202 women (validation sample). Main outcome measures: Waist circumference, body mass index, waist:hip ratio. Results: Waist circumference >/=94 cm for men and >/=80 cm for women identified subjects with high body mass index (>/=25 kg/m2) and those with lower body mass index but high waist:hip ratio (>/=0.95 for men, >/=0.80 women) with a sensitivity of >96% and specificity >97.5%. Waist circumference >/=102 cm for men or >/=88 cm for women identified subjects with body mass index >/=30 and those with lower body mass index but high waist:hip ratio with a sensitivity of >96% and specificity >98%, with only about 2% of the sample being misclassified. Conclusions: Waist circumference could be used in health promotion programmes to identify individuals who should seek and be offered weight management. Men with waist circumference >/=94 cm and women with waist circumference >/=80 cm should gain no further weight; men with waist circumference >/=102 cm and women with waist circumference >/=88 cm should reduce their weight.
B cell subsets in healthy children: Reference values for evaluation of B cell maturation process in peripheral blood

The process of maturation of the immune system leads to generation of various lymphoid cell populations having the ability to react in specific way and expressing various markers on the cell surface. The study was set up to establish reference values for B lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood of children and young adults to find the spectrum of their physiological age‐related variation.
Innovation, Policy and Law: Index

Part I. The Framework for the Study: 1. Innovation and policy 2. Policy and law Part II. Intellectual Property: 3. Patents and living organisms 4. Copyright and computer software 5. Information and appropriation Part III. Competition and Trade: 6. Competition law 7. Foreign trade and investment Part IV. Government Sponsorship and Entrepreneurship: 8. Direct grants and tax concession 9. Procurement preference and offsets 10. Telecommunications licensing 11. The positive adjustment measures in the courts and legislatures 12. Conclusion Bibliography Index.
Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of antofloxacin hydrochloride in a neutropenic murine thigh model of Staphylococcus aureus infection

AbstractAim:Antofloxacin hydrochloride is a new fluoroquinolone antibiotic with broad-spectrum in vitro activity. Using the neutropenic murine thigh infection model, we defined the pharmacodynamic profile and property of antofloxacin hydrochloride against Staphylococcus aureus.Methods:Single-dose pharmacokinetic studies of antofloxacin hydrochloride were carried out in thigh infected mice. Therapy was initiated at 2 h postinoculation with 5–640 mg/kg per d fractionated for different dosing regimens. The thighs were removed for bacterial measurement after 24 h of therapy, the best pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) index correlated with the efficacy was determined by nonlinear regression analysis. A sigmoid Emax dose-response model was used to estimate the daily dose and AUC24 h/MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) required to achieve a static effect.Results:The PK was linear with similar elimination half-life over the dose range studied. The AUC24 h/MIC ratio was the PK/PD parameter that best correlated with efficacy (R2=92.3%, 90.8% for the two organisms, compared with Cmax/MIC and T>MIC [%], respectively). The 24 h static dose ranged from 34.3 to 153.7 mg/kg per d for all S aureus strains, the total AUC24 h/MIC ratio to achieve bacteriostatic effect varied from 31.7 to 122.5 (mean, 65.7±30.6). Conclusion:Antofloxacin hydrochloride showed powerful antibacterial activity against the S aureus isolates used in our neutropenicinfected mice model. Our data suggested that the AUC/MIC ratio appeared to be most closely linked to the bacterial outcome (R2>90%), and a total AUC24 h/MIC ratio of 65.7 appears to be the target value to achieve a net bactericidal activity against S aureus, similar to the results of other fluoroquinolones.
Functional characterization of CDX2 during bovine preimplantation development in vitro

Placental defects are common in bovine embryos produced using assisted reproductive techniques. A proper understanding of the events leading to inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) specification could help identify the origins of such developmental failures. We focused on caudal‐type homeobox transcription factor 2 (CDX2) since it has a specific role during TE differentiation in mouse embryos. Of all the preimplantation stages analyzed, CDX2 protein was present only at the blastocyst stage. To further understand the roles of CDX2 during bovine development, we depleted CDX2 mRNA; despite a significant loss of detectable protein, embryos were able to form blastocysts at the same rate as controls. Embryos lacking CDX2 did not show abnormalities in the number of TE, ICM, or total cells in the blastocyst. Expression of the developmentally important genes SOX2, POU5F1, and NANOG, or TE markers such as IFN‐T and KRT18 were not affected by the reduction in CDX2 levels, nor was the localization of SOX2 and POU5F1 protein. Using a functional barrier assay, we observed that the TE epithelial layer of embryos lacking CDX2 had lost its integrity. Our results thus indicate that CDX2 is not required for TE formation during bovine development; nevertheless, it is necessary for maintaining TE integrity. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 81: 962–970, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A controlled comparison between single doses of intravenous and intramuscular morphine with respect to analgesic effects and patient safety

Background and aim of investigation: Intramuscular (IM) administration has been considered to be safer than intravenous (IV) for opioids on wards, but a comparative knowledge of patient safety and analgesic potency following a single dose of IV and IM administration is lacking. This study was carried out to compare patient safety and analgesic efficacy of a single and high dose of morphine given IM or IV for post‐operative pain management.
Pet, an Autotransporter Enterotoxin from Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an emerging cause of diarrheal illness. Clinical data suggest that diarrhea caused by EAEC is predominantly secretory in nature, but the responsible enterotoxin has not been described. Work from our laboratories has implicated a ca. 108-kDa protein as a heat-labile enterotoxin and cytotoxin, as evidenced by rises in short-circuit current and falls in tissue resistance in rat jejunal tissue mounted in an Ussing chamber. Here we report the genetic cloning, sequencing, and characterization of this high-molecular-weight heat-labile toxin. The toxin (designated the plasmid-encoded toxin [Pet]) is encoded on the 65-MDa adherence-related plasmid of EAEC strain 042. Nucleotide sequence analysis suggests that the toxin is a member of the autotransporter class of proteins, characterized by the presence of a conserved C-terminal domain which forms a β-barrel pore in the bacterial outer membrane and through which the mature protein is transported. The Pet toxin is highly homologous to the EspP protease of enterohemorrhagic E. coli and to EspC of enteropathogenicE. coli, an as yet cryptic protein. In addition to its potential role in EAEC infection, Pet represents the first enterotoxin within the autotransporter class of secreted proteins. We hypothesize that other closely related members of this class may also produce enterotoxic effects.
Frequent inactivation of hSRBC in ovarian cancers by promoter CpG island hypermethylation

Objective. To explore the implication of human SRBC gene [serum deprivation response factor‐related gene product that binds to the c‐kinase (hSRBC)] abnormality in ovarian tumorigenesis. Design. Retrospective study. Setting. Medical center. Sample. Twenty‐two epithelial ovarian cancer and six normal ovary tissues. Measures. Mutation and altered expression of hSRBC gene. Methods. hSRBC expression was characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Promoter CG dinucleotide (CpG) site methylation was determined using methylation specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing. Results. Expression of hSRBC transcript was easily detectable in all normal tissues we examined, but 50% (two of four) of cancer cell lines and 41% (nine of 22) of primary carcinomas exhibited undetectable or substantially decreased expression. While genomic deletion or somatic mutations of the gene was not identified, its expression was reactivated in tumor cells by 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine treatment, suggesting epigenetic inactivation of the gene in tumors. Promoter methylation was detected in all nine tumors with low expression but in only one of 13 (7.7%) tumors with normal expression. Bisulfite DNA sequencing analysis of 23 CpG sites within the promoter region revealed that the CpG sites are highly methylated in low‐expressing tumors. In addition, promoter CpG sites methylation status showed a tight association with gene expression level. Conclusion. Our data demonstrate that epigenetic inactivation of hSRBC due to aberrant promoter hypermethylation is a common event and might be implicated in human ovarian tumorigenesis.
Effect of Therapeutic Hypercapnia on Inflammatory Responses to One-lung Ventilation in Lobectomy Patients

Background:One-lung ventilation (OLV) can result in local and systemic inflammation. This prospective, randomized trial was to evaluate the effect of therapeutic hypercapnia on lung injury after OLV. Method:Fifty patients aged 20 to 60 yr undergoing lobectomy were randomly provided with air or carbon dioxide (partial pressure of carbon dioxide: 35 to 45 mmHg or 60 to 70 mmHg). Peak pressure, plateau pressure, and lung compliance were recorded. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood samples were collected. Adverse events were monitored. The primary outcome was the concentration of BALF tumor necrosis factor, and the secondary outcomes were serum cytokine concentrations. Results:The BALF tumor necrosis factor was lower in the carbon dioxide group than in the air group (median [range], 51.1 [42.8 to 76.6] vs. 71.2 [44.8 to 92.7]; P = 0.034). Patients in the carbon dioxide group had lower concentrations of serum and BALF interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and IL-8, but higher serum concentrations of IL-10, accompanied by reduced numbers of cells and neutrophils as well as lower concentrations of protein in the BALF. Also, patients in the carbon dioxide group had lower peak (mean ± SD, 22.2 ± 2.9 vs. 29.8 ± 4.6) and plateau pressures (20.5 ± 2.4 vs. 27.1 ± 2.9), but higher dynamic compliance (46.6 ± 5.8 vs. 38.9 ± 6.5). Furthermore, patients in the carbon dioxide group had higher postoperation oxygenation index values. Ten patients experienced slightly increased blood pressure and heart rate during OLV in the carbon dioxide group. Conclusion:Under intravenous anesthesia, therapeutic hypercapnia inhibits local and systematic inflammation and improves respiratory function after OLV in lobectomy patients without severe complications.
The Thioredoxin System of the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus nidulans

Redox regulation has been shown to be of increasing importance for many cellular processes. Here, redox homeostasis was addressed in Aspergillus nidulans, an important model organism for fundamental biological questions such as development, gene regulation or the regulation of the production of secondary metabolites. We describe the characterization of a thioredoxin system from the filamentous fungus A. nidulans. The A. nidulans thioredoxin A (AnTrxA) is an 11.6-kDa protein with a characteristic thioredoxin active site motif (WCGPC) encoded by the trxA gene. The corresponding thioredoxin reductase (AnTrxR), encoded by the trxR gene, represents a homodimeric flavoprotein with a native molecular mass of 72.2 kDa. When combined in vitro, the in Escherichia coli overproduced recombinant proteins AnTrxA and AnTrxR were able to reduce insulin and oxidized glutathione in an NADPH-dependent manner indicating that this in vitro redox system is functional. Moreover, we have created a thioredoxin A deletion strain that shows decreased growth, an increased catalase activity, and the inability to form reproductive structures like conidiophores or cleistothecia when cultivated under standard conditions. However, addition of GSH at low concentrations led to the development of sexual cleistothecia, whereas high GSH levels resulted in the formation of asexual conidiophores. Furthermore, by applying the principle of thioredoxin-affinity chromatography we identified several novel putative targets of thioredoxin A, including a hypothetical protein with peroxidase activity and an aldehyde dehydrogenase.
Energy harvesting networks with general utility functions: Near optimal online policies

We consider online scheduling policies for single-user energy harvesting communication systems, where the goal is to characterize online policies that maximize the long term average utility, for some general concave and monotonically increasing utility function. In our setting, the transmitter relies on energy harvested from nature to send its messages to the receiver, and is equipped with a finite-sized battery to store its energy. Energy packets are independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) over time slots, and are revealed causally to the transmitter. Only the average arrival rate is known a priori. We first characterize the optimal solution for the case of Bernoulli arrivals. Then, for general i.i. d. arrivals, we first show that fixed fraction policies [1] are within a constant multiplicative gap from the optimal solution for all energy arrivals and battery sizes. We then derive a set of sufficient conditions on the utility function to guarantee that fixed fraction policies are within a constant additive gap as well from the optimal solution.
Iron, Oxidative Damage and Ferroptosis in Rhabdomyosarcoma

Recent data have indicated a fundamental role of iron in mediating a non-apoptotic and non-necrotic oxidative form of programmed cell death termed ferroptosis that requires abundant cytosolic free labile iron to promote membrane lipid peroxidation. Different scavenger molecules and detoxifying enzymes, such as glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), have been shown to overwhelm or exacerbate ferroptosis depending on their expression magnitude. Ferroptosis is emerging as a potential weapon against tumor growth since it has been shown to potentiate cell death in some malignancies. However, this mechanism has been poorly studied in Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a myogenic tumor affecting childhood and adolescence. One of the main drivers of RMS genesis is the Retrovirus Associated DNA Sequences/Extracellular signal Regulated Kinases (RAS/ERK)signaling pathway, the deliberate activation of which correlates with tumor aggressiveness and oxidative stress levels. Since recent studies have indicated that treatment with oxidative inducers can significantly halt RMS tumor progression, in this review we covered different aspects, ranging from iron metabolism in carcinogenesis and tumor growth, to mechanisms of iron-mediated cell death, to highlight the potential role of ferroptosis in counteracting RMS growth.
Stage, age, comorbidity, and direct costs of colon, prostate, and breast cancer care.

PURPOSE This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of stage at diagnosis, age, and level of comorbidity (presence of other illness) on the costs of treating three types of cancer among members of a health maintenance organization. METHODS Among 388,000 members enrolled anytime during 1990 and 1991 in Group Health Cooperative (GHC) of Puget Sound (Washington State), we estimated the total and net direct costs of medical care for colon, prostate, and breast cancers, including both incident (290, 554, and 645 patients, respectively) and prevalent (1046, 1295, and 2299 patients, respectively) cases. We summarized costs for initial, continuing, and terminal phases of care. Net costs were the difference between the costs of the care of each case subject and the average costs of the care for all enrollees without the cancer of interest who were of the same sex and in the same 5-year age group. Differences in estimated total and net costs by stage at diagnosis, age, and comorbidity were separately evaluated using multivariate regression modeling. All P values were two-sided. Comorbidity was based on a score calculated from 1988 pharmacy data. RESULTS Total costs of initial care increased with stage at diagnosis for colon (P = .0013) and breast (P < .0001) cancer cases, but not for prostate cancer cases. Total initial costs decreased with age for prostate (P = .0225) and breast (P = .0002) cancers but did not change with degree of comorbidity for any of the three cancers. Total continuing medical care costs increased with stage at diagnosis for colon (P < .0001) and breast (P < .0001) cancer cases but not for prostate cancer cases. Total terminal care costs were similar by stage for all three cancers. Net initial costs differed with stage for all three cancers (P < .05). Net continuing care costs increased with stage (P < .0001) and decreased with age (P < .001) for colon and breast cancers but not for prostate cancer. Net continuing care costs decreased with comorbidity for all three cancers (P = .004, P = .011, and P < .0001 for colon, prostate, and breast cancers, respectively). Among regional stage cancers, continuing care costs decreased with age for colon (P < .0017) and breast (P = .033) cancers but not for prostate cancers. CONCLUSIONS The results show that total costs vary by stage at diagnosis and age, but the patterns of variation differ for each cancer. Costs of cancer are not simply additive to costs of other conditions. IMPLICATIONS More needs to be done to explore the reasons and implications of age-related cost differences. Cost-effectiveness analyses of cancer control interventions that shift cancer stage distributions may need to consider both the age and comorbidity of the target populations.
Autoregressive method in short term load forecast

Short-term load forecasting plays an important role in planning and operation of power system.The accuracy of this forecasted value is necessary for economically efficient operation and also for effective control.This paper describes the methods of autoregressive (AR) Burgpsilas and modified covariance (MCOV) in solving a short term load forecast.The methods are tested based on historical load data of New South Wales, Australia.The accuracy of discussed methods are obtained and reported.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC-PROFESSIONAL MEETING AT THE APPELLATE COURT IN NIŠ WITHIN THE PROJECT "STRENGTHENING THE PROBATION AND THE SYSTEM OF ALTERNATIVE SANCTIONS IN MONTENEGRO AND SERBIA" NIŠ, 4TH DECEMBER 2018

In the broadest sense, alternative sanctions are criminal law measures that substitute a prison sentence. They are practically parapenal sanctions considering that they lack the actual effectiveness inherent in classical punishment, which is expressed as a complete restriction of some rights or material values. The paper provides an overview of an international scientific-professional meeting of experts held at the Appellate Court in Niš, within the project "Strengthening the Probation and the Alternative Sanctions System in Montenegro and Serbia". Participants of the meeting were members of the Dutch delegation, as well as Serbian judges, public prosecutors, and probation officers. During the presentation of the project and the exchange of opinions and experiences on the application of alternative sanctions in both Netherlands and Serbia, numerous essential questions have been raised regarding the purpose of punishment, the achieved results, and the problems arising in everyday practice in the application of alternative sanctions.
Intracellular target delivery of 10-hydroxycamptothecin with solid lipid nanoparticles against multidrug resistance

Abstract The main objective of this study was to design a suitable drug delivery system for 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT). In this study, HCPT-loaded solid lipid nanoparticle (HCPT-loaded SLN) was successfully prepared. The HCPT-loaded SLN was characterized by size, entrapment efficiency and drug release manner. The cytotoxicity of HCPT-loaded SLN was assessed in vitro using HepG2/HCPT cells and in vivo utilizing human tumor xenograft nude mouse model. HCPT-loaded SLN indicated the ability to target HepG2/HCPT cells and accumulated higher drug content in HepG2/HCPT cells. HCPT-loaded SLN enhanced the cytotoxicity of HCPT in a concentration-dependent manner. Based on these results, HCPT-loaded SLN suggested being a promising vehicle for liver-targeted drug delivery. Moreover, it can be of clinical interest to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR) effectively.