Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meningeal architecture of the cavernous sinus: clinical and surgical implications.

OBJECTIVE The meningeal structure of the cavernous sinus (lateral sellar compartment) was anatomically and histologically studied. We discuss the clinical and surgical significance and present clinical examples of cranial base tumors. METHODS Ten adult cadaveric heads were used for microsurgical dissection or histological studies. Specimens of the cavernous sinus were continuously sectioned in three dimensions and stained by Masson's trichrome method. The findings are anatomically discussed as they pertain to presented clinical cases. RESULTS The cavernous sinus, located in an interdural space between periosteal and meningeal dura, is properly accessed by detachment of the periosteal bridge between the superior orbital fissure and the middle fossa. The lateral meningeal dura is dissected under minimal hemorrhage from the sinus, with a surgically important cleaving plane between the "deep layer," a semitransparent meningeal sheath with which the cranial nerves are covered and protected. It has various degrees of meningeal pockets, of which Meckel's cave is the largest example. Adventitia of the carotid artery in the sinus, uncovered with protective meninges, is considered to contact directly with tumors of the sinus origin. The meningeal wall of the cavernous sinus anatomically has three weak points as far as tumor invasion and extension are concerned: the venous plexus around the superior orbital fissure, the loose texture of the medial wall around the pituitary body, and dural pockets of the IIIrd and Vth cranial nerves. The dural wall is extremely thin or missing at those points. CONCLUSION A surgical technique based on the meningeal anatomy is important for cavernous sinus surgery. The cavernous apex and Meckel's cave, which are spaces of convergence of cranial nerves, however, are weak points for surgical dissection. The presence or absence of tumor invasion into those areas may influence the microsurgical results.
Complexity theory and organization procedure design

The practical applications of emerging theory, “complexity theory”, to business are sometimes less obvious than the theory itself, which drives the need, though arguably subjective, for enlightening applications for the potential use of emerging theory in business. Examines whether complexity theory has merit in the design of company procedures not just to challenge the functionalist dogma of traditional organizational structures, but also to encourage a process of self‐organization, self‐motivation, and learning. Focuses on three businesses of a private company in manufacturing, construction and trading and uses one procedure, which outlines the mechanism for charging operating units for the use of working capital. Investigates whether a process of self‐organizing and self‐motivating patterns can emerge if the structure of a procedure is developed under the methodology of complexity theory. Research findings were obtained from a focus group using the computer based qualitative research approach of Ideas UnlimitedTM and further examined in subsequent focus group discussions.
Expression of a Vacuolar Protein (VP24) in Anthocyanin-Producing Cells of Sweet Potato in Suspension Culture

VP24, an abundant protein of 24 kD, was found to accumulate in the anthocyanin-containing vacuoles of cells of sweet potato (lpomoea batatas) in suspension culture. Light-induced expression of VP24 was analyzed by immunoblotting in three different cell lines that produced anthocyanins at different rates. The expression of VP24 was closely correlated with the accumulation of anthocyanin in these cell lines. Immunocytochemical detection of VP24 with specific antibodies on thin sections showed that VP24 was localized in the intravacuolar pigmented globules (cyanoplasts) in the anthocyanin-containing vacuoles and not in the tonoplast. No VP24 immunogold labeling was detected in the vacuoles of the cell line that does not produce anthocyanin. We suggest that VP24 may be involved in the formation of the cyanoplast via an interaction with anthocyanin, and that it may play an important role in the trapping in vacuoles of large amounts of anthocyanins that have been transported into these vacuoles.
Fermentative Production of Microbial Enzymes and their Applications : Present status and future prospects

Article history: Received on: 11/05/2017 Accepted on: 05/07/2017 Available online: 14/08/2017 Microbial enzymes are widely used in different industries mainly because of vast availability of sources. Microbial enzymes could be genetically modified and are considered as economical in comparison to plant and animal enzymes. Production of microbial enzymes by application of fermentation procedures involves microbial propagation to get desired product. The process of fermentation is classified based on specific parameters. Microbial enzymes exhibit wide variety of applications in different industries like food, wine, dairy, baking, milling, beverages, and cereals. There are different techniques employed to produce microbial enzymes using downstream processing methods that are aimed at enzyme purification and recovery. The improvement in concentration, purity and percentage of recovery of enzymes can be achieved based on standard principles which are microbial sources, improvement of strain and application of membrane augmented downstream processing method to improve specific activity of enzyme. The article reviews on principles include microbial sources, methods of strain improvement and modern techniques associated with improvement of enzyme activity and recovery process. The application of microbial enzymes in various industries and their importance in biotechnology is highlighted.
The effectiveness of problem‐based learning compared to traditional teaching in undergraduate psychiatry

Objectives A change from traditional to problem‐based learning (PBL) methods in a psychiatry attachment was evaluated by comparing the learning styles, attitudes to psychiatry and examination performance of 2 cohorts of students. It was hypothesised that the PBL curriculum would result in increased deep learning, decreased surface learning, more favourable attitudes to psychiatry and improved examination performance. It was predicted that students' examination success would be related to the use of deep and strategic learning and favourable attitudes.
Cerebrovascular changes in the basal ganglia with HIV dementia

Background: HIV dementia is a form of subcortical dementia. Clinical, radiologic, pathologic, and biochemical studies suggest a major contribution of basal ganglia dysfunction to the pathogenesis of this disorder. Many investigators have proposed a contribution of a disrupted blood–brain barrier (BBB) to the pathogenesis of HIV dementia. Objective: To identify microvascular abnormalities in vivo in basal ganglia or white matter of persons with HIV dementia. Methods: Time course of MRI postcontrast enhancement was determined in basal ganglia and white matter of HIV-infected persons without dementia (Memorial Sloan Kettering [MSK] score of 0; n = 4); HIV-infected persons with mild dementia (MSK score of 0.5; n = 2); and HIV-infected persons with moderate-to-severe dementia (MSK ≥ 1.0; n = 6). Results: Increased basal ganglia enhancement was observed in individuals with moderate-to-severe dementia relative to nondemented individuals, both immediately and 30 minutes after contrast administration. Decline of basal ganglia enhancement was slower in the moderately to severely demented patients and, when normalized to intravascular enhancement of sagittal sinus, suggested leakage of contrast agent, consistent with increased permeability of BBB. A significant correlation between the postcontrast fractional enhancement at 30 minutes (FE30) and the MSK score was noted. White matter showed no significant differences in postcontrast enhancement among the three groups. Conclusion: Increased early enhancement in basal ganglia of the HIV dementia group is consistent with increased regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV). Increased late enhancement is strongly suggestive of BBB disruption. Similar abnormalities were absent in the white matter adjacent to the caudate nucleus.
Variant prostate carcinoma and elevated serum CA-125.

INTRODUCTION About 10% of tumors derived from nongynecologic, noncoelomic tissues react with the OC125 antibody. Some patients with advanced prostate cancer were found to have elevated serum CA-125 level. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined the clinical history of 11 patients with castration resistant prostate cancer and an elevated serum CA-125 level. Pathological review and immunohistochemical staining were performed on tumors from eight of these patients. RESULTS Patients with advanced prostate cancer and an elevated serum CA-125 level responded to androgen ablative therapy (median duration, 27 months). They were predisposed to develop persistent or recurrent urinary symptoms and visceral metastases. Eight of 11 patients had a low or undetectable serum prostate-specific antigen level (≤ 4 ng/mL) or an elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen level (> 6 ng/mL). In 3 of 7 patients whose specimens were available for further review, the tumors contained histologic features compatible with a diagnosis of ductal or endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the prostate. CONCLUSIONS Patients with prostate cancer and an elevated serum CA-125 level have unique clinical and pathologic characteristics. Some of these patients possess tumors compatible with a subtype of prostate cancer known as ductal adenocarcinoma. Additional studies need to be performed to elucidate the biologic basis of the various subtypes of prostate cancer.
A controlled trial of corticosteroid injections into facet joints for chronic low back pain.

BACKGROUND Chronic low back pain is a common problem with many treatments, few of which have been rigorously evaluated. This randomized, placebo-controlled trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of injections of corticosteroid into facet joints to treat chronic low back pain. METHODS Patients with chronic low back pain who reported immediate relief of their pain after injections of local anesthetic into the facet joints between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae and the fifth lumbar and first sacral vertebrae were randomly assigned to receive under fluoroscopic guidance injections of either methylprednisolone acetate (20 mg; n = 49) or isotonic saline (n = 48) in the same facet joints. Ninety-five patients were followed for six months and their condition assessed with scales of pain severity, back mobility, and limitation of function. RESULTS After one month, none of the outcome measures evaluating pain, functional status, and back flexion differed clinically or statistically between the two study groups. Forty-two percent of the patients who received methylprednisolone and 33 percent of those who received placebo reported marked or very marked improvement (95 percent confidence interval for the difference, -11 to 28 percentage points; P = 0.53). The results were similar after three months. At the six-month evaluation, the patients treated with methylprednisolone reported more improvement, less pain on the visual-analogue scale, and less physical disability. The differences were reduced, however, when concurrent interventions were taken into account. Moreover, only 11 patients (22 percent) in the methylprednisolone group and 5 (10 percent) in the placebo group had sustained improvement from the first month to the sixth month (95 percent confidence interval for the difference, -2 to 26; P = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that injecting methylprednisolone acetate into the facet joints is of little value in the treatment of patients with chronic low back pain.
Neonatal Frenotomy May be Necessary to Correct Breastfeeding Problems

A review of cases of short frenulum (tongue-tie) seen in a recent year at the Lactation Institute and Breastfeeding Clinic provides data about its relationship to sucking and breastfeeding problems such as insufficient infant weight gain and reduced milk supply, sore nipples and repeat bouts of mastitis in the mother. Frenotomy was recommended for ten of 13 babies who appeared to have a short frenulum. Three mothers chose not to hae the frenulum clipped and either gave up breastfeeding or continued to experience problems. Breastfeeding was successfully established by the five healthy babies whose frenulum was clipped. The two babies for whom frenotomy did not completely correct breastfeeding problems had severe birth defects.
Combined therapy with fluconazole and flucytosine in murine cryptococcal meningitis

To assess the possible beneficial effects of combined therapy (fluconazole and flucytosine) in the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in the immunocompromised host, we compared therapy with fluconazole and flucytosine, individually and combined, in the experimental murine model. BALB/c athymic (nu/nu) mice were infected intracerebrally with 150 to 300 CFU of Cryptococcus neoformans. In mortality studies, treatment was initiated 24 h postinfection and continued for 10 to 14 days with either fluconazole (1 to 15 mg/kg of body weight per day), flucytosine (60 to 120 mg/kg/8 h), both drugs, or 0.3% Noble agar (control). Combined therapy delayed mortality significantly when compared with controls and single-drug regimens. This was observed over a broad range of doses. Quantitative determinations of CFU in brain tissue demonstrated a significantly lower burden of C. neoformans in mice receiving combined therapy. The results indicate that combined therapy with fluconazole and flucytosine is superior to single-drug therapy.
FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GLUTA MATE AND ASPARTATE ON LOBSTER MUSCLE

1 The ability of bath‐applied l‐glutamate to enhance subsequent depolarizations produced by bath‐applied L‐aspartate on lobster muscle was further investigated by means of intracellular recording techniques. 2 Increasing the conditioning glutamate concentration or exposure time produced a greater enhancement of aspartate responses. Enhancement was also dependent on the time interval between glutamate and aspartate doses and was not prevented by overnight storage of preparations in vitro. 3 The dose‐depolarization curve for enhanced aspartate responses (measured at a fixed time following a given dose of glutamate) was displaced to the left along the abscissa scale relative to control, with no detectable change in limiting log‐log slope. 4 Conditioning doses of kainate or domoate (but not quisqualate, aspartate, or KC1) also enhanced aspartate responses; however, their conditioning effect was little affected by increasing the concentration, exposure time, or time interval before applying aspartate. The rate of onset and decline of the enhanced aspartate response always resembled that of the previous conditioning agonist. 5 d and L‐Aspartate were approximately equieffective depolarizing agents whereas r>glutamate was approximately 1/40 as potent as l‐glutamate. After a conditioning dose of D or l‐glutamate, responses to d or L‐aspartate were enhanced. 6 In a Na+‐free (Li+) medium, both the glutamate depolarization and the conditioning effect towards aspartate were largely abolished. With kainate however, Na+ was not apparently important either for evoking the kainate response or for producing the conditioning effect. 7 Bath‐applied glutamate greatly enhanced and prolonged the time course of the iontophoretic aspartate potential with only a small effect on the glutamate potential; however, these effects were not maintained after washout of glutamate. In contrast, bath‐application of aspartate depressed the aspartate potential while enhancing the glutamate potential. Some sites that were insensitive to iontophoretically‐applied aspartate became clearly responsive to this agent during a bath‐application of glutamate. 8 It is proposed that during conditioning with bath‐applied glutamate, kainate or domoate, some agonist is trapped by extrajunctional sites and is subsequently displaced by bath‐applied aspartate to produce the long‐term enhancement effect.
Development of a Chemically Defined Medium for the Synthesis of Actinomycin D by Streptomyces parvulus

A chemically defined medium, consisting of d-fructose, l-glutamic acid, l-histidine, K2HPO4, MgSO4·7H2O, ZnSO4·7H2O, CaCl2·2H2O, FeSO4·7H2O, CoCl2·6H2O, and deionized water, was developed for synthesis of high yields (500 to 600 μg/ml) of actinomycin D by Streptomyces parvulus. Under these nutritional conditions, growth and actinomycin formation did not follow a typical trophophase-idiophase pattern. The amino acids appeared to have a sparing action on the utilization of d-fructose which was slowly and incompletely metabolized during mycelium development and antibiotic production. A significant repression of actinomycin synthesis by S. parvulus was observed when d-glucose (0.01 to 0.25%) was added to the culture medium. The repression was not due to a decline in the pH of the medium during glucose catabolism.
Variation in the vasopressin V1a receptor promoter and expression: implications for inter‐ and intraspecific variation in social behaviour *

Instability in highly repetitive microsatellite DNA located in the regulatory regions of genes may be a major factor producing diversity in both region‐specific gene expression and the resulting phenotypes. Polymorphisms in promoter regions affecting expression of genes involved in regulating behaviour may play a role in generating individual variation in behaviour, including psychopathologies in humans, and probably are also important for the evolution of behaviour. Here we discuss the prairie vole vasopressin V1a receptor gene as a model that may be useful for understanding the evolution of promoter sequences and the relationship between gene sequence, expression and behavioural phenotype.
When Reality Is Out of Focus: Can People Tell Whether Their Beliefs and Judgments Are Correct or Wrong?

Can we tell whether our beliefs and judgments are correct or wrong? Results across many domains indicate that people are skilled at discriminating between correct and wrong answers, endorsing the former with greater confidence than the latter. However, it has not been realized that because of people’s adaptation to reality, representative samples of items tend to favor the correct answer, yielding object-level accuracy (OLA) that is considerably better than chance. Across 16 experiments that used 2-alternative forced-choice items from several domains, the confidence/accuracy (C/A) relationship was positive for items with OLA >50%, but consistently negative across items with OLA <50%. A systematic sampling of items that covered the full range of OLA (0–100%) yielded a U-function relating confidence to OLA. The results imply that the positive C/A relationship that has been reported in many studies is an artifact of OLA being better than chance rather than representing a general ability to discriminate between correct and wrong responses. However, the results also support the ecological approach, suggesting that confidence is based on a frugal, “bounded” heuristic that has been specifically tailored to the ecological structure of the natural environment. This heuristic is used despite the fact that for items with OLA <50%, it yields confidence judgments that are counterdiagnostic of accuracy. Our ability to tell between correct and wrong judgments is confined to the probability structure of the world we live in. The results were discussed in terms of the contrast between systematic design and representative design.
Action-at-a-Distance Interactions that Enhance Molecular Binding Affinity

The Problem: Current design and optimization methods for improving protein–protein interactions are intimately dependent on the atomic-level details of molecular structure. Dead-end elimination [2, 9, 10], self-consistent meanfield [6, 7, 8], simulated annealing [3, 11], and genetic algorithms [1, 4] all attempt to repack a binding interface with improved interactions to enhance binding affinity. We wish to explore the possibility of designing mutations away from the binding interface, where precise conformational details may not be critical, yet binding enhancements may be achievable.
BRCA phenocopies or ascertainment bias?

In a recent issue of the Journal of Medical Genetics , Smith et al 1 report a significantly higher risk of breast cancer among non-carriers in breast cancer families in which a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation had been identified through clinical testing. The authors found an elevated risk of approximately five-fold, which, if true, has considerable implications for the counselling and clinical management of women testing negative for the mutations found in their family. Until the study of Smith et al ,1 the excess of cases observed among such non-carriers had been noted only anecdotally by many in both the clinical and research settings. In this respect, the systematic study of Smith et al was a welcome confirmation of these anecdotal observations. However, there are a number of methodological flaws in the analysis of Smith et al that render their results difficult to interpret. This stems from the fact that the families used in the analysis were not randomly sampled from the population of all potential families with a mutation, but rather had to meet certain eligibility criteria for genetic testing. Furthermore, the decision to attend a specialty oncogenetics clinic very likely depends on the family history of the individual deciding to undergo testing; the more relatives affected with breast cancer (especially diagnosed at an early age), the more likely a person is to seek genetic counselling/testing. This selection of families, whether through self-selection on family history for attending such clinics and/or through eligibility criteria for genetic testing after evaluation of family history, will result in a bias due to under-representation of families with many unaffected individuals. This bias applies to both mutation carriers and non-carriers, resulting in overestimation of both the penetrance and the phenocopy rate. Although it is possible to correct for this ascertainment bias in …
Molecular Defects of Collagen Metabolism in the Ehlers‐Danlos Syndrome

Inborn errors of connective tissue are a group of rare diseases caused by a defect in the metabolism of collagen, elastin, or proteoglycans, as the major constituents of this tissue. The defects may involve a single target tissue but more often they are expressed as multi-system diseases. Clinical manifestations range from mild to very severe. The remarkable progress in connective tissue research in recent years has helped to establisb the molecular basis of some of these diseases, and they In turn served as models for the study of physiological control mechanisms. ̂ Thus, increasing knowledge ofthe structure and biosynthesis of collagen led to tbe identification of molecular defects in some forms of the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. -''-̂ Tbis syndrome is, at present, classified into 8 types on the basis of clinical manifestations and mode of inheritance (Table 1). Since the molecular defect has been found to reside in the metabolism of collagen In some of the types, and morphological investigations suggest that it might be the case for the other types too,''' we shall devote the first part of the review to collagen and its metabolism.