Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Community-Associated Strains of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococccus aureus as the Cause of Healthcare-Associated Infection

Objective: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from patients with community-associated infection have been described as strains genetically distinct from the strains isolated from patients with healthcare-associated infection. This study examines the hypothesis that community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) strains now cause serious infections in hospitalized patients. Methods. Thirty-seven clinical MRSA isolates were randomly selected from blood isolates obtained from July 2003 through June 2004. Strains were tested for staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) type, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) type, and presence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes. Medical records review and epidemiologic classification was performed by an investigator blinded to the results of the bacterial strain analysis. Episodes of bloodstream infection were independently classified as either community-associated or healthcare-associated infections, and bacterial isolates were independently classified as either CA-MRSA strains or healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) strains, according to established definitions. Setting. A tertiary care Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Results. Twenty-four (65%) of 37 MRSA isolates were SCCmec type IV, a genetic type characteristic of CA-MRSA strains; 22 of these 24 isolates belonged to the CA-MRSA clone USA300 and carried PVL genes. Thirteen (35%) of the 37 strains were SCCmec type II, of which 12 were USA100-ST5 and 12 lacked PVL genes. Thirty patients (81%) had healthcare-associated infections; 18 (60%) of these 30 were infected with isolates carrying markers of CA-MRSA strains. Of 7 patients with CA-MRSA infections, 6 were infected with isolates belonging to the USA300 clone. Patients with healthcare-associated bloodstream infections were as likely to be infected with a CA-MRSA strain as patients with a community-associated infection (P = .38). Conclusions. MRSA strains with molecular characteristics of CA-MRSA strains have emerged as an important cause of serious health-care-associated infection in our hospital.
Ascariasis Is a Zoonosis in Denmark

ABSTRACT A preliminary epidemiological survey indicated an association between Ascaris infections in Danish patients and contact with pigs or pig manure. In the present study, we compared Ascaris worms collected from humans and Ascaris worms collected from pigs by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis, a technique for whole-genome fingerprinting, and by PCR-linked restricted fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear rDNA. The AFLP data were analyzed by distance- and model-based clustering methods. These results assigned Ascaris worms from Danish patients to a cluster different from that for worms from humans in other geographic areas. In contrast, worms from humans and pigs in Denmark were assigned to the same cluster. These results were supported by the PCR-RFLP results. Thus, all of the examined Danish patients had acquired Ascaris infections from domestic pigs; ascariasis may therefore be considered a zoonotic disease in Denmark.
Antiplatelet Therapy and the Risk of Bleeding Induced by Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures

Antiplatelet drugs may increase the risk of bleeding induced by gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures. The antiplatelet effect of cyclooxygenase-1 inhibitors lasts less than 4 h. Skin and colonic bleeding times are prolonged for 3 and 5 days after aspirin and ticlopidine withdrawal respectively. Major bleeding from endoscopic biopsies is extremely rare. In the four recent largest series, the general incidence of polypectomy-induced major bleeding was 0.11–0.42%. In more than half of the cases the bleeding was delayed, usually up to 2 weeks after the endoscopy. Although three retrospective studies suggested that aspirin does not increase the risk of polypectomy-induced bleeding, the power of these studies is limited. Similarly, it is difficult to draw conclusions from the two studies that assessed the risk of aspirin use during sphincterotomy. Aspirin withdrawal may be harmful in susceptible patients, mainly if it is for more than 7 days. There is no indication to stop aspirin before esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which may reveal aspirin-induced lesions. We recommend discontinuation of aspirin 4–7 days (according to the cardiovascular risk) before other endoscopic procedures. When aspirin is indicated for primary prevention, it can be resumed 14 and 10 days after polypectomy and sphincterotomy respectively. In cases of secondary prevention, it should be resumed after 1 week.
Ultrasonic Modification of Selected Polysaccharides-Review

This review is a survey on ultrasonic application in selected carbohydrate polymers based upon available research reports. It covers a brief discussion on the fundamentals of ultrasound technology, before delving on the effects of ultrasound on specific polymers; pectin, chitin, starch, carrageenan and guar gum, their modification products and possible applications in food, pharmaceutical, biomedical and packaging sectors. Sonication generally leads to depolymerization and side chain break within molecules resulting into oligosugars. Oligosugars are widely used as prebiotics and specific delivery systems; moreover, nano sized products of sonication can be applied in diverse fields. Presently, ultrasonic is finding application in wider sectors therefore better understanding of the complex physico-chemical changes and mechanism of the action of high-intensity ultrasound and its effect on techno-functional properties of compounds would immensely fortify the application of ultrasonic technology.
Acid influx into snail neurones caused by reversal of the normal pHi‐regulating system.

Intracellular pH (pHi), and Na+ and Cl‐ activities were measured with ion‐sensitive micro‐electrodes in Helix aspersa neurones, and the effects of reducing external pH (pHo) were investigated. When pHo was changed from 7.5 to 6.5 keeping CO2 constant, there was a slow fall in pHi, a rise in internal Cl and a fall in internal Na. These ionic changes are opposite to those caused by normal operation of the pHi‐regulating system. These effects of external acidification were inhibited by the application of SITS (4‐acetamido‐4'‐isothiocyanatostilbene‐2,2'‐disulphonic acid) or by the removal of external Cl. Raising intracellular Na activity by inhibiting the Na pump increased the rate of fall of pHi in acid solutions. In acid solutions the average rate of acid uptake attributable to reversed pHi‐regulation was about three times the rate of loss of internal Na, and about twice the rate of Cl uptake. We conclude that these intracellular ion changes in acid solutions were largely due to a reversal of the pHi‐regulating mechanism, so that it carried acid into, rather than out of, the cell interior.
Modulation of glucocorticoid receptor‐interacting protein 1 (GRIP1) transactivation and co‐activation activities through its C‐terminal repression and self‐association domains

Glucocorticoid receptor‐interacting protein 1 (GRIP1), a p160 family nuclear receptor co‐activator, possesses at least two autonomous activation domains (AD1 and AD2) in the C‐terminal region. AD1 activity appears to be mediated by CBP/p300, whereas AD2 activity is apparently mediated through co‐activator‐associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1). The mechanisms responsible for regulating the activities of AD1 and AD2 are not well understood. We provide evidence that the GRIP1 C‐terminal region may be involved in regulating its own transactivation and nuclear receptor co‐activation activities through primary self‐association and a repression domain. We also compared the effects of the GRIP1 C terminus with those of other factors that functionally interact with the GRIP1 C terminus, such as CARM1. Based on our results, we propose a regulatory mechanism involving conformational changes to GRIP1 mediated through its intramolecular and intermolecular interactions, and through modulation of the effects of co‐repressors on its repression domains. These are the first results to indicate that the structural components of GRIP1, especially those of the C terminus, might functionally modulate its putative transactivation activities and nuclear receptor co‐activator functions.
A Review of Multimodal Fusion Techniques : Applications and Research Area

: Biometric technique is used for authentication which is based on the analysis of people’s physical and behavioural characterstics.Unimodal biometric system performs person recognition and authentication based on a single trait of biometric. Use of multiple biometric traits helps to minimize the system error rate. The multimodal system techniques are used to combine the evidences obtained from different levels using an effective fusion scheme can improve the overall system accuracy of the biometric system. This paper is an detailed overview of fusion techniques which facilitates multimodal biometrics user authentication, study includes feature level ,score level and decision level applications to develop the system for higher security area.
An Empirical Study of Residential Community Associations in Saint Louis County, Missouri.

Supporters of Residential Community Associations (RCA) argue that one of the advantages of living in an RCA is an increase in property values. While some research has looked at the analytical effects from RCAs, there is no research published on the empirical effects RCAs have on home values. The unique dataset used in this paper is comprised of 124,891 home sale observations from Saint Louis County, Missouri, spanning ten years and is merged with RCA information with the assistance of GIS software. The paper suggests that while there may be a base benefit from residing in an RCA, the conformity of RCA development design results in this being diminished by simple supply and demand effects.
Secretory IgA Specific for a Conserved Epitope on gp41 Envelope Glycoprotein Inhibits Epithelial Transcytosis of HIV-11

As one of the initial mucosal transmission pathways of HIV (HIV-1), epithelial cells translocate HIV-1 from apical to basolateral surface by nondegradative transcytosis. Transcytosis is initiated when HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins bind to the epithelial cell membrane. Here we show that the transmembrane gp41 subunit of the viral envelope binds to the epithelial glycosphingolipid galactosyl ceramide (Gal Cer), an alternative receptor for HIV-1, at a site involving the conserved ELDKWA epitope. Disrupting the raft organization of the Gal Cer-containing microdomains at the apical surface inhibited HIV-1 transcytosis. Immunological studies confirmed the critical role of the conserved ELDKWA hexapeptide in HIV-1 transcytosis. Mucosal IgA, but not IgG, from seropositive subjects targeted the conserved peptide, neutralized gp41 binding to Gal Cer, and blocked HIV-1 transcytosis. These results underscore the important role of secretory IgA in designing strategies for mucosal protection against HIV-1 infection.
Wavelet based quality enhancement for medical images

A New and efficient method using interval wavelets to assess image quality of medical image is presented in this paper. This new quality index is better suited to assess medical images; therefore it explicitly focuses on the image structure. We show that this new index outperforms other methods for the assessment of image quality in medical images. In this paper, one dimensional interval wavelet have been applied to analyse the effect of various objective quality factors like Mean Square Error (MSE), Peak Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (PSNR), Maximum Difference (MD), Normalised Correlation (NK), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and the Structural content (SC). The results of experimental quality investigations were fall under acceptable quality boundaries and are presented. Also the result of the proposed method has been compared with the existing fractal image compression method.
Deterministic volatility models and dynamics of option returns

In this research, we revamp the approach of Buraschi and Jackwerth (2001), especially, in the derivation of the pricing-kernel and the data-handling technique and then empirically analyze the consistency of the DVMs introduced in Mawaribuchi, Miyazaki and Okamoto (2009) to the dynamics of the cross-sectional option returns. The implication attained from our quantitative analyses is that even in the trending and volatile market, we could build the equity models that are rational to the dynamics of the cross-sectional option market prices within the framework of the complete model without incorporating the additional stochastic variable such as jump or stochastic volatility.
Asynchronous model for updating replicated profiles in decentralized social network

In this paper, we propose an asynchronous and distributed model to manage the update of profiles in P2P social networks. The profiles are stored in various nodes to ensure high availability. If a user becomes off-line, his profile is reachable through another copies stored in other nodes. Once, a user joins the network, his profile should be correctly updated according to all the events happened during his disconnection. So we propose an update model based on a timestamped journal of events. The update mechanism is supposed to keep the most consistent copies as possible. Also, it may take care about the overhead generated by a high churn rate. The performance evaluations of our proposed model show that the results are globally satisfactory.
Fiber optic cryogenic sensors for superconducting magnets and superconducting power transmission lines at CERN

The design, fabrication and tests of a new generation of superconducting magnets for the upgrade of the LHC require the support of an adequate, robust and reliable sensing technology. The use of Fiber Optic Sensors is becoming particularly challenging for applications in extreme harsh environments such as ultra-low temperatures, high electromagnetic fields and strong mechanical stresses offering perspectives for the development of technological innovations in several applied disciplines.
Regulation of Neuropeptide Expression in Sympathetic Neurons

Sympathetic neurons and other peripheral neurons exhibit a great deal of plasticity in their neuropeptide phenotype in adulthood. In this review, two phenotypes have been described in detail: that of normal sympathetic neurons and that of axotomized neurons. Two factors produced by nonneuronal cells, LIF and NGF, determine which of these phenotypes is expressed. Under normal conditions, the neurons receive NGF primarily, if not exclusively, from the target tissues they innervate. Prior to surgery, the nonneuronal cells within the ganglion and nerve tract express little, if any, LIF. This milieu favors the expression of NPY and suppresses the expression of VIP, galanin, and substance P (Fig. 6). After axotomy, however, this situation is reversed. The neuronal cell bodies are deprived of target-derived NGF and are exposed to LIF both within the ganglion and at the site of the injury (Fig 6). Both the removal of NGF and the exposure to LIF inhibit NPY expression, while promoting the expression of VIP and galanin. Expression of substance P after axotomy occurs primarily, if not entirely, because of the effects of LIF, with the removal of NGF playing no obvious role in the regulation of this peptide.
The relationship between asthma and allergic rhinitis in the Iraqi population.

BACKGROUND Recently, extensive research has established that epidemiologic and therapeutic links exist between allergic rhinitis and asthma. The objective of this study was to clarify this association in Iraq. METHODS The data included in this study were collected from five surveys for asthma and allergic rhinitis that were performed during the period from September 2000 to July 2008. These surveys were parts of Tikrit University College of Medicine PHC program. RESULTS The frequency of allergic rhinitis (AR) was 61.6% among individuals with asthma versus 6% among non-asthmatic (control) subjects (Odd Ratio [OR] = 25.5; P < 0.0001). All studies indicated a significant frequency of AR among asthmatic patients in comparison with non-asthmatic subjects, whether the patients were adults or children (OR for adults = 14.9 and 22.5, for children 34.7 and 48.4; P < 0.001 for all). Furthermore, the high frequency of AR in asthmatic patients was seen whether the study was a community based study (CBS)(OR = 14.9 and 48.4; P < 0.0001) or a hospital based study (HBS)(OR = 22.5 & 34.7; P < 0.0001). The frequency of current asthma was 51.8% among individuals with AR versus 5.4% among control subjects (OR = 23.1; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS This study provided evidence that AR and asthma are strongly associated with each other and the treatment approach should consider the entire airway rather than only a part.
Use of Extracorporeal Techniques in the Removal of Dabigatran

Dabigatran is a novel direct thrombin inhibitor that has proven effective in the prevention of vascular events in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Not much is known about the clearance capability with extracorporeal techniques of dabigatran. This review showcases the pharmacokinetics and a perusal of the current literature regarding cases that involved the clearance of the drug in patients with normal renal function and end-stage renal disease. Renal replacement therapy represents a therapeutic option to eliminate dabigatran and decreased the risk of bleeding in patients undergoing emergent surgical procedures on dabigatran.
CxGELSIX: A Novel Preparation of Type VI Collagen with Possible Use as a Biomaterial

Purpose. This study was initiated to evaluate tissue acceptance and stability of a novel type VI collagen preparation (CxGelsix) as a biomaterial in the rabbit corneal stroma. We hypothesized that CxGelsix, embedded intrastromally, does not have any adverse affect on surrounding corneal tissues, and remains intact in the presence of an acute inflammatory reaction during corneal wound healing. Methods. Type VI collagen was extracted and purified from rabbit corneal stroma under nondenaturing conditions. This preparation, Gelsix, was concentrated and cross-linked with polyethylene glycol to produce a transparent film (CxGelsix). Discs of CxGelsix, 4.0-mm diameter, 9-to 35-&mgr;m thick were implanted intrastromally and clinically examined periodically for 4 months. In another experiment, implantation of CxGelsix, 2.0-mm-diameter, was followed by corneal wounding adjacent to the implant and examined clinically for 30 weeks. At the end of these periods, the tissues from these experiments were processed for light and transmission electron microscopy. Results. An intralamellar 4.0-mm-diameter disc of CxGelsix does not alter the structure of corneal epithelium above the implant, suggesting normal transport of nutrients through CxGelsix. Moreover, no structural abnormalities were seen in the rest of the cornea, and the cornea remains transparent. Although the cornea accepts the presence of CxGelsix disc as judged by clinical criteria, gradual degradation of the implant is seen ultrastructurally. CxGelsix is remarkably stable despite its exposure to endogenous enzymes during inflammation and wound healing. Partial degradation of the implant occurs only after many months, and it is gradually replaced with bundles of fine collagen fibrils reminiscent of normal cornea. Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that CxGelsix is potentially useful as a biomaterial.
Evaluation of the C6 Peptide Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Individuals Vaccinated with the Recombinant OspA Vaccine

ABSTRACT The C6 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), based on a peptide (C6) that reproduces the sequence of invariable region 6 of VlsE, the antigenic variation protein of Borrelia burgdorferi, has been shown to be a sensitive and specific test for the serologic diagnosis of Lyme disease. We now report that none of 29 uninfected individuals vaccinated with the recombinant OspA vaccine had an antibody response to the C6 peptide. The C6 peptide ELISA can be used to diagnose Lyme disease in patients who have received the OspA vaccine.
Impact of ICT on the structural and contextual organizational elements: Case of the Varaždin County

The influence of certain factors on the organizational components has been in researchers' focus for years, together with their impact on the overall organizational efficiency. Traditional view commonly divided the factors on internal and external ones, which became improper in modern conditions. With contemporary division on structural and contextual factors, as a specific determinant we have to extract information and communication technology (ICT) which impacts elements of structural and contextual dimension in every organization. Therefore it is becoming generic factor which cannot be classified into one of these groups. In this research, we observed impact of ICT on organizational elements of public administrations offices on the case of the Varaždin County. Results show that this impact is present in various forms in all observed factors and thus makes ICT a generic organizational factor.
The diuretic effect of borocaptate sodium in rats and in patients with brain tumors.

Kidney function changes after single-dose administration of borocaptate sodium were studied in rats and in patients with brain tumors. Changes of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measured as 14C-inulin clearance and urine flow rate (UFR) after a slow intravenous injection of BSH (25 and 50 mg/kg b.w., respectively) were investigated in rats under pentobarbital anesthesia. The effect of BSH has been compared with that of its disulfide (BSSB) which is spontaneously generated by oxidation of BSH during storage. It was found that BSH decreases GFR in relation to dose and, in the same way, causes a temporary increase of UFR. On the other hand, BSSB (50 mg/kg) induced a large reversible decrease of GFR as well as a decrease of urine excretion. Measurements of GFR (inulin clearance), renal plasma flow (PAH clearance) and urine excretion were taken in a group of patients with brain tumors in which boron disposition after an infusion of BSH (25 mg/kg b.w. over 1 h) had been studied. An increase in urine production was the dominant effect (up to 200% of the initial value), with the alterations of GFR and RPF being of minor significance except in one patient with a GFR reduction up to almost 50% the original value. Kidney function changes after BSH or BSSB administration are supposedly related to the high retention of BSH in kidney.