Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical pharmacology of gallium chloride after oral administration in lung cancer patients.

Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined in 18 lung cancer patients after a single administration of 800 mg/24 h of GaCl3: Cmax = 123 +/- 61 mu/l; Tmax = 5.2 +/- 5.5 h; AUCO-96h = 4690 +/- 3358 micrograms.l-1.h; AUCO - infinity = 6394 +/- 5352 micrograms.l-1.h; T 1/2 beta = 43 +/- 19 h. Serum Ga concentrations at the steady-state (Css) were then determined in these patients after a daily oral administration of 800 mg/24 h of GaCl3 for 15 days: Css = 274 +/- 167 micrograms/l. No correlation was found between Css and the previous pharmacokinetic parameters in each patient. Various doses of GaCl3 were administered daily to 45 patients to correlate Css and dosage. Serum Ga concentrations increased with dosage from 100 to 400 mg/24 h (p less than 0.05), but not with further dosages up to 1400 mg/24 h. The optimal daily dose of GaCl3 in lung cancer patients seems to be 400 mg/24 h. In 2 patients, Ga was assayed after death in tissues. Ga concentrations were more than 10 micrograms/g in metastases, 3.6 +/- 2.9 micrograms/g in the primary tumor and 2.3 +/- 0.9 micrograms/g in the kidney. Due to the lack of renal and hematological toxicities and the significant uptake of Ga by the tumor, GaCl3 can be used orally in conjunction with other cytotoxic agents. We intend to evaluate its efficacy according to a randomized study comparing chemotherapy versus chemotherapy plus 400 mg/24 h of GaCl3.
Tamoxifen prevents the skeletal effects of ovarian hormone deficiency in rats

To determine whether the nonsteroidal antiestrogen tamoxifen behaves as either an agonist or antagonist of estrogen on bone, the effects of ovariectomy, 17β‐estradiol, and tamoxifen were compared on radial growth at the tibial diaphysis in young adult female rats. Ovariectomy and 17β‐estradiol did not alter serum calcium, phosphate, or 25‐hydroxyvitamin D. Ovariectomy increased serum 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D in one experiment but not in the other. Tamoxifen increased the serum calcium and phosphate by itself and did not change serum 1,25‐dihydroxy vitamin D in ovariectomized rats. Ovariectomy produced significant increases in medullary area, periosteal bone formation rate, and periosteal bone apposition rate compared to values in sham‐operated animals and did not change endosteal bone formation rate. The increase in medullary area resulted from an increase in osteoclast number and resorbing surface length. Although endosteal forming surface length decreased, this was compensated for by an increase in the apposition rate. 17β‐estradiol and tamoxifen each prevented the increases in bone formation rate and medullary area in ovariectomized rats. Tamoxifen reduced the length of the resorbing surface and osteoclast number to values observed in sham‐operated animals. The findings demonstrate that in the rat, tamoxifen acts as an estrogen agonist by preventing the skeletal alterations that result from ovarian hormone deficiency.
Analysis of a novel antenna array for vehicular reception of Ku-Band satellite signals

A fast-growing percentage of vehicles are connected by mobile data service technologies. Up to now most of these connections are based on cellular phone standards. The drawbacks of this method to connect the vehicles are: The limited availability of the underlying data networks and the amount of parallel point to point connections needed to cover all users with extensively similar data. A novel approach to overcome these issues is using a ubiquitously available broadcast medium for general downlink data. For this medium the Ku-Band satellite link has been chosen, as it is well developed, ubiquitously available and cheap compared to other satellite broadcast services. The general advantage of broadcasts is that spectrum has to be bought only once, even for thousands of receiving vehicles. Up to now the receiving antenna for the vehicle hindered integration in commercial cars. The problem resulted from a lack of gain, reliability or from inappropriately large manufacturing expenses. This document proposes an array that overcomes these issues and lists the simulation results for a rectangular array of thirty-six elements.
A high-temperature superconductive photomixer/antenna array source for terahertz applications

To increase the available terahertz power, arrays of the superconductive photomixer/antenna elements are proposed as a continuous-wave terahertz source. It is shown that a sub-milliwatt terahertz power is achievable from a typical superconductive photomixer/antenna array structure.
The Life Skills Assessment Scale: the construction and validation of a new comprehensive scale for measuring Life Skills.

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid, reliable scale to measure life skills. The first phase involved the conceptualization and operationalization of life skills based on the review and identifies the research gaps. Similar questionnaires, scales were reviewed, based on that the items were framed for the tool. In the second phase, Face and content validity were assessed by a panel of experts, data collection (N= 890) was carried out extensively to establish reliability and validity for the Life Skills Assessment Scale. Using Cronbach's coefficient alpha, test retest, split half reliability methods the internal consistency was assessed for the tool. After item analysis and construct validity assessment, the test items showing weak indicators were eliminated in a stepwise fashion until the reliability coefficient peaked. However, highest reliability was already obtained without eliminating items. The final summated scale of 100 indicators had a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of . 84. The psychometric properties were established adopting standard procedure.
Transducing Hedgehog: the story so far

The secreted proteins of the Hedgehog family have been implicated in many different processes in vertebrate development including cartilage differentiation, myotome and sclerotome specification, hair follicle development, limb morphogenesis and the specification of different neuronal cell types. In addition, the aberrant activation of the Hedgehog pathway has been identified as the likely cause of a number of tumours in humans including basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and primitive neurectodermal tumours (PNETs). Elucidating the mechanisms by which Hedgehog signals are transduced will thus have widespread implications for our understanding of both normal development and disease.
The relationship between serum total testosterone and free testosterone levels with serum hemoglobin and hematocrit levels: a study in 1221 men

Abstract Objective: To investigate the relationship between serum total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT) levels in men with anemia. Methods: We reviewed the records of 1221 subjects between March 2009 and December 2014. All the subjects’ blood samples were drawn for TT and FT assays. Their serum hemoglobin (Hb) and serum hematocrit (Hct) levels were measured. The primary objective of our study was to investigate the association between TT and FT levels with Hb and Hct levels. Results: The mean age was 59.82 ± 12.71 years. The mean TT and FT levels were 4.54 ± 2.02 ng/mL and 10.63 ± 3.69 pg/mL, respectively. The mean Hb and Hct levels were 14.72 ± 1.34 g/dL and 43.11 ± 3.75%, respectively. Subjects with low TT (<2.35 ng/mL) had low Hb and Hct levels (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). TT was positively associated with FT, Hb, and Hct. TT and FT levels were significantly lower in older men. Conclusions: Subjects with low TT and FT levels had low Hb and Hct levels. This suggests that TT and FT play a significant role in erythropoiesis. Testosterone replacement therapy may be effective in men with hypogonadism to reduce the incidence of anemia.
Recent Developments In Noradrenergic Neurotransmission and its Relevance to the Mechanism of Action of Certain Antihypertensive Agents

SUMMARY This report reviews a number of significant developments in the fields of noradrenergic transmission and adrenergic receptors which suggest that, hi addition to the classical postsynaptic adrenoceptors, there are also presynaptic adrenoceptors that help modulate tbe release of norepinephrine (NE) from peripheral as well as central noradrenergic nerve endings during nerve stimulation. In particular, stimulation of presynaptic a-adrenoceptors reduces this release of transmitter and tbe reverse is observed after blockade of these receptors. Clearcut pharmacological differences exist between the postsynaptic aradrenoceptors that mediate the responses of certain organs and the presynaptic aradrenoceptors that modulate the NE release during nerve stimulation. Therefore, subdassification of a-adrenoceptors into a, and a, subtypes is warranted but must be considered to be independent of the anatomical location of these receptors.
Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Amphotericin B in Lung Tissue: Lung Lymph Distribution after Intravenous Injection and Airspace Distribution after Aerosolization and Inhalation of Amphotericin B

ABSTRACT We have studied the pharmacokinetics of amphotericin B (AmB) in lung lymph circulation and bronchial-wash fluid after intravenous infusion and inhalation, respectively. For two experiments with awake sheep, we used lung lymph fistulas and tracheotomy. In experiment 1, AmB concentrations in plasma and lung lymph after intravenous infusion of AmB (1 mg/kg of body weight) over 1.5 h were measured. The mean peak in plasma level was 756.0 ± 188.8 ng/ml at 3 h after the start of infusion, and the level then decreased gradually to 194.8 ± 28.9 ng/ml at 24 h. The stable and maximal levels in lung lymph last 5 to 9 h after the start of AmB infusion. The concentrations in lung lymph after 9 h were slightly higher than those in plasma. Thus, the lung lymph-to-plasma ratio of AmB concentrations increased gradually during infusion, and the ratio was more than 1.0 after the end of infusion, suggesting that AmB could be easily moved from plasma to pulmonary interstitium and/or lung lymph circulation. In another experiment, 5 or 30 mg of aerosol AmB was inhaled, and the concentration of AmB in the bronchial-wash fluid was determined by bronchoalveolar lavage. The peak AmB concentration in the fluid was observed at 0.5 h. After that, AmB was slowly eliminated over 24 h. The area under the concentration-time curve for 30 mg of inhaled AmB was higher than that for 5 mg, but maximum concentrations of AmB in serum for 5 and 30 mg were almost similar. These observations identify the pharmacokinetic characteristics of AmB in the lung and may provide a new insight into the strategy for clinical treatment of fungal pneumonia.
Evaluación del equilibrio durante la marcha a velocidad autoseleccionada en jóvenes saludables, adultos mayores no caedores y adultos mayores con alto riesgo de caídas

Introduction: balance depends on keeping the projection of the center of body mass within the limits of the support basis, although its assessment is usually performed by means of cinematic variability.Objectives: to analyse balance during gait at a self-elected speed in three populations using different approaches.Method: the groups analysed were: healthy youngsters, elderly who do not fall and elderly who fall. We calculated speed, time variability, angle variability of knee and balance during gait cycles through a tridimensional cinematic analysis. To directly calculate balance we defined a variable considering the projection of the center of body mass. Results of the cinematic variables were compared between groups using ANOVA (a=0,05). Similarly we compared average, maximum and minimum values of the direct balance estimation between groups for simple support and double cycle stages.Results: cycle speed was similar in elderly persons. Time variability of cycle was low and angle variability was high in healthy youngsters, while these variables evidenced no difference between the elderly persons groups. During the simple support stage average and minimum balance values for the group of people who fall were significantly different if compared to the other groups.Conclusions: direct estimation of balance during the simple support stage appears as a potential tool to identify individuals with a risk of falls.
User interface requirements for face to face groupware

This paper discusses the user interface of the Capture Lab, a computer-supported meeting room that has been in operation since late 1987. One goal of the Capture Lab design is to support meetings of business people (who are often novice computer users) without requiring an additional person to serve as a computer technician or facilitator. This paper discusses the user interface features a system should have to support face to face meetings. It describes the Capture Lab and how it is used, and presents our approach to satisfying those interface requirements. Finally, we discuss a few of our observations about the Capture Lab's user interface, and how a computer-supported meeting environment affects meetings.
Capacitive Power Management Circuit for Micropower Thermoelectric Generators With a 1.4  $\mu$A Controller

Power autonomy is an important requirement for wireless sensor nodes. Thermoelectric generators can produce sufficient power for low power applications. Due to varying temperature, a power management circuit will be required. This paper presents such a power management circuit, realized in the AMIS I3T80 CMOS technology. It contains a Dickson charge pump with a variable number of stages as a DC/DC converter. A controller optimizes the number of stages of the charge pump, consuming 1.4 muA. The maximum efficiency of the charge pump is 82%, leading to a total efficiency that can reach up to 58%.
Experimental Study of Thermosonic Gold Bump Flip-Chip Bonding With a Smooth End Tool

Thermosonic flip-chip (TSFC) bonding is a flexible and rapidly developing package technology, in which ultrasonic energy is used to reduce bonding temperature, time, and force. In this paper, a laboratory TSFC bonder with a smooth end tool and without vacuum or a die collet was developed to bond a gold bump to a silver pad in order to understand the effect of ultrasonic energy on flip-chip bonding strength. With a laser Doppler vibrometer, the ultrasonic vibration of the tool and flip chip were measured during the bonding process. In addition, the energy loss between the tool and chip was observed. The relationship between energy loss, ultrasonic propagation, bump deformation, and bonding parameters was discussed. The effects of bonding parameters on bonding strength and vibration transferred from the tool to chip were experimentally investigated. Results show that energy losses prevent over-bonding phenomenon caused by an excess of ultrasonic power. Good bonding strength can be achieved by optimizing bonding parameters using a tool without a vacuum or collet. Compared to vacuum-based or groove tools, smooth-end tools are able to automatically control the ultrasonic energy applied at the bonding interface.
Scheduling distance-constrained real-time tasks

A novel model of real-time task systems with temporal distance constraints is presented. In such systems, the distance between any two consecutive finishing times of the same task must be less than or equal to a given value. Using the periodic task model for such tasks may not provide an efficient solution. The authors discuss the scheduling approaches for this distance-constrained task model and propose several scheduling algorithms. They also study the schedulability conditions for these algorithms. <<ETX>>
Personalizing therapy in an epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant non-small-cell lung cancer using PF-00299804 and trastuzumab.

A 50-year-old African American male never-smoker was diagnosed with stage IV non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in November 2007. His baseline computed tomography (CT) demonstrated bilateral lung nodules and biopsy confirmed a poorly differentiated tumor favoring large-cell carcinoma staining positive for cytokeratin 7 and thyroid transcription factor-1. He was originally treated with eight cycles of standard first-line chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab from January 2008 to May 2008, achieving a partial response. Unfortunately, disease progression was documented in June 2008, and the patient commenced second-line erlotinib. Tumor analysis at that time demonstrated immunohistochemistry (IHC) 3 for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein overexpression and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed a nonamplified but high polysomy count of 4 EGFR copies in 40% of cells (Fig 1). Erlotinib was discontinued in July 2008 due to disease progression after only 6 weeks of therapy. He presented to the National Cancer Institute in October 2008 for enrollment in a clinical trial involving a second generation irreversible pan–human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI; PF-00299804). He met all the eligibility criteria and had an excellent Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 1. Molecular analysis revealed a K-Ras wild type, and HER2 (IHC 2 and FISH)–positive tumor (Table 1, Fig 1). No EGFR or HER2 mutations were detected. He was commenced on PF-00299804 in December 2008 and had a partial response (70% measurable response on CT scan) after 4 weeks of 45 mg orally once daily with 21 days per cycle (Fig 2). Of particular interest was a notable reduction in the patient’s soluble extracellular domain HER2 levels (Fig 3). The patient subsequently progressed after five cycles of PF00299804 and was taken off study in April 2009. Radiological progression also correlated with a rise in serum HER2 levels (Fig 3). Based on the tumors molecular pattern (Table 1) and his excellent performance status the patient was started on fourth-line single agent trastuzumab in June 2009. After 6 weeks of weekly therapy, vinorelbine was added to trastuzumab (August 2009) after radiological progression on the targeted agent. After an additional 6 weeks of
Scheuermann Disease: Evaluation of Radiological Criteria and Population Prevalence

Study Design. Observational population-based study. Objective. To determine the prevalence of radiographical Scheuermann disease in a Dutch population and evaluate the consistency of diagnostic criteria. Summary of Background Data. Scheuermann disease is a form of osteochondrosis characterized by increased posterior rounding of the thoracic spine with structural vertebral deformity. Different expert opinion–based radiological criteria exist, yet these have not been validated. The prevalence in the general population reported ranged from 1% to 10%. Methods. Lateral spine radiographs of 2753 Rotterdam Study participants (aged 45–89 yr) were assessed for Scheuermann disease using Sørensen and Sachs' radiographical criteria in 2 phases. Cohen &kgr; statistics were calculated for interrater agreement. Prevalence estimates were calculated and sex differences were tested with Pearson &khgr;2 test. We evaluated whether varying the kyphosis angle criterion would change the prevalence estimate. Results. A total of 677 (24.6%) individuals had endplate irregularities and 140 (5.1%) individuals had vertebral wedging. Abnormalities were significantly more prevalent among males (P < 0.05). The interrater agreement &kgr; statistics were 78.8% for vertebral wedging and 79.4% for endplate irregularity. A total of 127 individuals had both criteria, of which 111 had a kyphosis angle greater than 45°, resulting in a prevalence of 4.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.3%–4.7%). The disease prevalence was 4.5% in males versus 3.6% in females, yet this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.23). Adjustment of the kyphosis angle criterion from 45° to 40° or 35° increased the number of cases marginally, corresponding to prevalence estimates not significantly different from the estimates using original criteria (4.2% [95% CI: 3.3%–4.7%] and 4.4% [95% CI: 3.6%–5.2%]). Conclusion. Our results revealed a prevalence of 4.0% of radiographical Scheuermann disease in Dutch individuals aged 45 years and older. Although there is no current “gold standard” for the radiographical definition, standardized scoring of independent features resulted in substantial interobserver agreement, and different applications of diagnostic criteria did not significantly alter the classification. Level of Evidence: 3
Postexercise orthostatic intolerance: influence of exercise intensity

What is the central question of this study? Following exercise, hypotension is often reported and syncope is more likely. It is unresolved whether the postexercise hypotension associated with different exercise intensities contributes to the rate at which syncope develops. What is the main finding and its importance? The physiological events that induce presyncope are the same both before and after exercise; however, more intense exercise accelerated the development of hypocapnia, hypotension and, ultimately, syncope. These data indicate that higher intensity exercise induces a postexercise hypotension that reduces cardiovascular reserve, an earlier development of hypocapnia and, ultimately, cerebral hypoperfusion.
The Short Stature Homeodomain Protein SHOX Induces Cellular Growth Arrest and Apoptosis and Is Expressed in Human Growth Plate Chondrocytes*

Mutations in the homeobox gene SHOX cause growth retardation and the skeletal abnormalities associated with Léri-Weill, Langer, and Turner syndromes. Little is known about the mechanism underlying these SHOX-related inherited disorders of bone formation. Here we demonstrate that SHOX expression in osteogenic stable cell lines, primary oral fibroblasts, and primary chondrocytes leads to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. These events are associated with alterations in the expression of several cellular genes, including pRB, p53, and the cyclin kinase inhibitors p21Cip1 and p27Kip1. A SHOX mutant, such as seen in Léri-Weill syndrome patients, does not display these activities of the wild type protein. We have also shown that endogenous SHOX is mainly expressed in hypertrophic/apoptotic chondrocytes of the growth plate, strongly suggesting that the protein plays a direct role in regulating the differentiation of these cells. This study provides the first insight into the biological function of SHOX as regulator of cellular proliferation and viability and relates these cellular events to the phenotypic consequences of SHOX deficiency.
Isolation of Phenolics from Rhizophora mangle by Combined Counter-current Chromatography and Gel-Filtration

Nine phenolic compounds, quercetin, epi-catechin, catechin, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, kaempferol 3-O-β-glucopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-β-glucopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-6″-trans-coumaroyl-β-glucoside, kaempferol 3-O-β-rutinoside and quercetin 3-O-β-rutinoside, were isolated from the EtOAc leaf extract of Rhizophora mangle (Rhizophoraceae) combining counter-current chromatography (CCC) and gel-filtration. A solvent system of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1.5:6:1.5:6) was employed at the preliminary stage of EtOAc extract fractionation as it was shown to contain compounds that differed highly in their hydrophobicity. The obtained fractions were further purified by either CCC or gel-filtration depending on their complexity. The isolated compounds were analyzed by NMR spectroscopy and the proposed structures were confirmed by HRES/ESI/TOF MS. Some of these compounds were isolated and/or identified for the first time in R. mangle.