Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interventions for American cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND Pentavalent antimonial drugs are the most prescribed treatment for American cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. Other drugs have been used with varying success. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of therapeutic interventions for American cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register (January 2009), the Register of Controlled Clinical Trials in The Cochrane Library (Issue 1,2009), MEDLINE (2003 to January 2009), EMBASE (2005 to January 2009), LILACS (from inception to January 2009), CINAHL (1982-May 2007) and other databases. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing treatments for American cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. MAIN RESULTS We included 38 trials involving 2728 participants. Results are based on individual studies or limited pooled analyses. There was good evidence in:Leishmania braziliensis and L. panamensis infections:Intramuscular (IM) meglumine antimoniate (MA) was better than oral allopurinol for 28 days (1RCT n=127, RR 0.39; 95% CI 0.26, 0.58). Intravenous (IV)MA for 20-days was better than 3-day and 7-day IVMA plus 15% paromomycin plus 12% methylbenzethonium chloride (PR-MBCL) or 7-day IVMA (1RCT n= 150, RR 0.24; 95% CI 0.11, 0.50; RR 0.69; 95% CI 0.53, 0.90; RR 0.64; 95% CI 0.44, 0.92 respectively). Oral allopurinol plus antimonials was better than IV antimonials (2RCT n= 168, RR 1.90; 95% CI 1.40, 2.59; I(2)=0%). L. braziliensis infections:Oral pentoxifylline plus IV sodium stibogluconate (SSG) was better than IVSSG (1RCT n= 23, RR 1.66; 95% CI 1.03, 2.69); IVMA was better than IM aminosidine sulphate (1RCT n= 38, RR 0.05; 95% CI 0.00, 0.78) and better than IV pentamidine isethionate (1RCT n= 80, RR 0.45; 95% CI 0.29, 0.71). Intramuscular MA was better than Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (1RCT n= 93, RR 0.46; 95% CI 0.32, 0.65). L . panamensis infections:Oral allopurinol was better than IVMA (1RCT n= 58, RR 2.20; 95% CI 1.34, 3.60). Aminosidine sulphate at doses of 12 mg/kg/day and 18 mg/kg/day for 14 days were better than aminosidine sulphate 12 mg/kg/day for 7 days (1RCT n= 60, RR 0.23; 95% CI 0.07, 0.73; RR 0.23; 95% CI 0.07, 0.73 respectively). Oral ketoconazole for 28 days, oral miltefosine and topical PR-MBCL were better than placebo. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Most trials have been designed and reported so poorly that they are inconclusive. There is a need for large well conducted studies that evaluate long-term effects of current therapies to improve quality and standardization of methods.
Tankbot: A Palm-size, Tank-like Climbing Robot using Soft Elastomer Adhesive Treads

In this paper we propose a tank-like climbing robot, called Tankbot, using flat (non-patterned) and soft elastomer adhesive treads. This wheeled climbing robot design enables continuous, vibration-free, and strong attachment to wide range of smooth and rough surfaces, relatively fast and smooth motion, and improved capability to traverse obstacles and to carry high payloads. Tankbot is lightweight (60—150 g) and can climb on any slope from 0• to 360• on smooth surfaces. Moreover, climbing vertically up, down, and laterally on relatively rough surfaces, such as a wooden door, a painted wall, and a brick wall, is also possible. A passive or active tail is added to Tankbot to transfer the peeling force to the front wheel and to assist for transitioning to different surface slopes. It is shown that the normal component of the peeling force with respect to the surface is crucial and has to be maximized to maximize the climbing stability. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the tread tension should be in a specific range to maximize the normal peeling force. With the aid of the derived models, different Tankbot prototypes with different body and tread dimensions are manufactured and tested for different tasks. It is shown that a 115 g Tankbot can carry up to 300 g on a regular painted wall. Tankbot can go over obstacles of up to 16 mm in diameter, perform both internal and external vertical wall to ceiling transitions, steer in two dimensions with a minimum turning diameter of 80 cm, and loiter on painted walls for up to 5 min.
The site of ecdysis of the L1 larva of Trichinella spiralis.

separate amebae; a procedure which was found to be detrimental to the amebae in some cases (Fulton, 1970, Meth. Cell Physiol. 4: 341-475). E I. A represen ative clo ing experiment. It should be stated that the current method is probably not suitable for N. gruberi as the amebae are exposed to 55 C for a period of time before the overlay cools. Beside the obvious benefit of establishing genetically homogenous cultures of trophozoites, the noted heat resistance of N. fowleri (Griffin, 1972, Science 178: 869870) may make this method desirable as a selective technique for isolation of N. fowleri from freshwater sources. Useful discussions with Dr. Lanny Udey are gratefully acknowledged. This work was supported by a National Institute of Health Biomedical Research Grant (BRSG) #RR05363.
Positive effect of baclofen on body weight reduction in obese subjects: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE We previously reported that baclofen, a GABA(B) agonist, reduces body weight in obese mice. In this clinical study, we examined the possibility that baclofen might serve as an effective therapeutic agent for obesity in humans. METHODS Seven women and three men ranging from 25-51 years of age and 31.3-41.0 kg/m(2) body mass index were included in the study. Baclofen, which was started at a dose of 15 mg/day and increased to 30 mg/day in 10 days, was administered for 12 weeks. RESULTS Administration of baclofen for 12 weeks significantly decreased both body weight (baseline: 93.30 ± 9.80 kg, 12 weeks: 91.70 ± 10.30 kg) and waist circumference (baseline: 107.9 ± 9.0 cm, 12 weeks: 105.6 ± 10.0 cm). Serum leptin levels, which possibly reflect the amount of adipose stores, were also decreased significantly by the treatment. On the other hand, there were no significant changes in the blood pressure or metabolism of glucose and lipid. No adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSION Although the anti-obesity effects of baclofen in the present study were mild, this pilot study suggests the possibility that baclofen might serve as a new anti-obesity drug in humans.
Parallel domain decomposition method for finite element approximation of 3D steady state non‐Newtonian fluids

We introduce a stabilized finite element method for the 3D non‐Newtonian Navier–Stokes equations and a parallel domain decomposition method for solving the sparse system of nonlinear equations arising from the discretization. Non‐Newtonian flow problems are, generally speaking, more challenging than Newtonian flows because the nonlinearities are not only in the convection term but also in the viscosity term, which depends on the shear rate. Many good iterative methods and preconditioning techniques that work well for the Newtonian flows do not work well for the non‐Newtonian flows. We employ a Galerkin/least squares finite element method, with stabilization parameters adjusted to count the non‐Newtonian effect, to discretize the equations, and the resulting highly nonlinear system of equations is solved by a Newton–Krylov–Schwarz algorithm. In this study, we apply the proposed method to some inelastic power‐law fluid flows through the eccentric annuli with inner cylinder rotation and investigate the robustness of the method with respect to some physical parameters, including the power‐law index and the Reynolds number ratios. We then report the superlinear speedup achieved by the domain decomposition algorithm on a computer with up to 512 processors. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Autophosphorylation Induces Autoactivation and a Decrease in the Src Homology 2 Domain Accessibility of the Lyn Protein Kinase (*)

Lyn is a member of the Src family of protein-tyrosine kinases that can readily undergo autophosphorylation in vitro. The site of autophosphorylation is Tyr397 which corresponds to the consensus autophosphorylation site of other Src family tyrosine kinases. The rate of autophosphorylation is concentration-dependent, indicating that the reaction follows an intermolecular mechanism. Autophosphorylation results in a 17-fold increase in protein-tyrosine kinase activity. Kinetic analysis demonstrates that phosphorylation of a substrate peptide by Lyn following autophosphorylation occurs with a 63-fold decrease in K but no significant change in Vmax, suggesting that autophosphorylation relieves the conformational constraint that prevents binding of the substrate peptide to the active site of the kinase. Using a phosphotyrosine-containing peptide (pYEEI) that has previously been shown to bind to the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of Src family tyrosine kinases with high affinity, we found that autophosphorylation results in a significant decrease in accessibility of the Lyn SH2 domain, indicating that conformational changes in the protein kinase domain induced by autophosphorylation can be propagated to the SH2 domain. Our study suggests that autophosphorylation plays an important role in regulating Lyn by modulating both its kinase activity and its interaction with other phosphotyrosine-containing molecules.
Value creation and value capture in the automotive industry: Empirical evidence from Czechia

This article investigates how distinct tiers of firms contribute to value creation and value capture in the automotive industry. We employ firm-level indicators to evaluate the value creation and capture of distinct supplier tiers in the Czech automotive industry, while considering differences between foreign-owned and domestic firms. Our analysis suggests that the economic effects of the automotive industry largely depend on its capital intensity and that mostly foreign-owned higher tier firms generate and capture greater value than lower tier firms, which include the vast majority of domestic suppliers.
Design and Intracellular Activity of a Human Single-Chain Antibody to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Conserved gp41 Epitope

ABSTRACT A human lymphoid cell line (F172-D8) excreting a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) anti-gp41 monoclonal antibody was used to construct a plasmid containing the cDNA of the single-chain variable fragment (scFvD8) corresponding to this antibody. A stable human osteosarcoma cell line was obtained which expressed the scFvD8 protein in the cytoplasm. Whereas a cell line transfected with a control construct (pCI-neo) was readily and productively infected with laboratory (Ba-L) or primary HIV-1 isolates, the scFvD8 cell line did not support productive infection. Binding of the virus, internalization, and reverse transcription were not altered by scFvD8 expression, but gp160 expression was dramatically reduced. These data suggest that cytoplasmic expression of this artificial single-chain antibody can interfere with gp160 expression, thereby reducing the production of mature viral envelope proteins.
Are We Barking Up the Wrong Vessels?: Cerebral Microcirculation After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a severe subtype of hemorrhagic stroke with a particularly unfavorable outcome, limited therapeutic options, and not a well understood pathophysiology.1 It affects ≈6 to 10 patients per 100 000 thereby accounting for 3% to 4% of all strokes.2,3 The prevalence of SAH peaks at ≈55 years of age therefore SAH accounts for 25% of all productive life-years lost to all subtypes of stroke.4 Consequently, with yearly total costs of >5 billion Euro/5.5 billion US $ in the European Union and United States alone, SAH causes a significant socioeconomic burden which almost equals that of ischemic stroke, a condition which is >20× more frequent.5,6 In 85% of cases, SAH is caused by a spontaneous rupture of a cerebral aneurysm. Less common causes of SAH include arteriovenous malformations, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse, vasculitis, and spinal vessel abnormalities (Figure 1 for examples). 7 Bleeding in the subarachnoid space causes excruciating headache because of contact of blood with the dural sheaths (Figure 2) and a rapid, large increase in intracranial pressure because of the connection between the intravascular and the intracranial space and the evolving hematoma. If significant intracranial hypertension persists, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) drops, patients become unconscious and may die within minutes because of global cerebral ischemia. In fact, ≤21% of patients with SAH die before receiving medical attention.8 Despite significant advances in emergency and neurocritical care, and improved surgical and minimally invasive techniques for the prevention of rebleeding, those patients reaching the hospital still have a 30-day mortality of about one third,9 a number which did not change significantly over the past 3 decades.10,11 Figure 1. Examples of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). A , Patient presenting with decreased level of consciousness, headache, and vomiting (GCS 7; E2, …
NON-INVASIVE ANGIOGRAPHY Original Studies The Catheterization Laboratory and Interventional Vascular Suite of the Future: Anticipating Innovations in Design and Function

Any attempt to forecast the function and design of the interventional catheterization laboratory and vascular suite presumes that current trends are an accurate window into the future. This must be recognized as a fallacious assumption; indeed, it can be quite amusing years later to review predictions of the future based on then-current proclivities. In fact, cardiovascular practice over the past 25 years suggests that one cannot predict accurately which innovations will succeed and which will fail based either on theoretical considerations or on initial clinical experience. Moreover, the ‘‘future’’ is a nebulous time and place; certainly, it anticipates progress that renders obsolete the current state of the art laboratory. It may be most practical to characterize the ‘‘medium’’ future, perhaps 5–10 years, rather than the ‘‘longer term’’ future, which grows increasingly indistinct. By beginning with certain economic and scientific realities, it may be possible to generate reasonable, educated guesses regarding the design and use of the catheterization laboratory and interventional vascular suite of the future. Despite these inherent pitfalls, the MultiSpecialty Occupational Health Group (MSOHG), a committee composed of practicing physicians representing all of the major cardiac, radiologic, and electrophysiological societies, has prepared this study and is making this document public for two reasons. First, in an effort to represent the needs of each society’s members in influencing industry to improve and alter current laboratory designs [1], the committee determined that an attempt to develop a blueprint of the possible future laboratory would assist in such discussions. Second, MSOHG seeks to reach out beyond medical personnel to engineering and industrial interests in an effort to inspire
Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae Antibodies in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background Elevated anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (ASCA) immunoglobulin (IgG) and IgA levels were first described in the serum of Crohn disease patients and have increasingly been reported in other inflammatory diseases. The role of in situ and remote inflammation in atherosclerosis is a major area of interest. In this study, we compared ASCA IgG and IgA levels in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and controls to investigate the possible role of ASCA in AMI. Methods Serum samples were obtained from 140 consecutive patients who presented to the emergency department with acute chest pain. AMI was diagnosed by electrocardiography and serial enzymes. Patients ruled out for acute coronary event were grouped as controls. ASCA IgA and IgG levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Groups were compared for statistically significant difference. Results ASCA IgG titers ranged between 0.1 and 31.0 RIU/mL (mean 4.92) in the AMI group and 0.1 and 6.0 (mean 0.84) in the controls. The groups were found to differ very significantly (p = .001). ASCA IgA titers ranged between 2.0 and 200.0 RIU/mL (mean 13.73) in the AMI group and 2.0 and 11.5 RIU/mL, (mean 4.25) in controls. The groups differed significantly (p = .32). AMI and controls were also analyzed for ASCA IgA and IgG positivity. Both groups differed significantly from controls (p = .013). Conclusion Elevated ASCA IgA and IgG levels as well as ASCA positivity in the AMI might suggest use of ASCA as a marker for atherosclerotic plaque instability. It might also provide a link between inflammatory processes and increased cardiovascular risk. Further studies are needed on a Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based diet, related intestinal colonization, and associated inflammation, autoimmune disorders, and cardiovascular events.
Board Connectedness and Board Effectiveness

We examine the effect of the social connectedness of independent, non-co-opted directors on their ability to monitor and advise the firm. We begin by providing evidence that well-connected directors have greater protection from career concerns. We next examine the channels by which director connectedness may improve monitoring and find that audit committee connectedness has a positive effect on the quality of financial reporting. Further, better connected compensation committees are less likely to overpay the CEO. Finally, we examine the effect of well-connected directors on the firm’s information environment. We show that firms with highly connected boards have lower financing costs and higher payout ratios. We also find that better connected boards are better able to shield the firm from the negative impact of a competition shock. Our results are robust to multiple approaches to mitigate endogeneity. Overall, well-connected boards appear to be effective in promoting shareholders’ interests.
Should micronutrient supplementation be integrated into the case management of tuberculosis?

Poor nutritional status impairs the immune system and may increase the risk of active tuberculosis (TB) [ 1 ] . Patients with active TB usually lose considerable weight and suffer from multiple micronutrient deficiencies. Nutritional support was a cornerstone of TB treatment before the antibiotic era [2]. However, since the development of anti-TB drugs in the 1940s, nutritional support has ceased to play a prominent role [3]. Today, nutritional assessment and support are not integrated into the clinical management of TB in low-income countries, but this aspect of therapy may need further attention. In this issue of the Journal Villamor et al. present promising results from a micronutrient supplementation trial among patients with TB in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania [4] . The supplement was given daily as a tablet containing high doses of vitamins A, B complex, C, and E, as well as selenium. A total of 887 patients were enrolled at TB outpatient clinics; 471 were infected with HIV-1. Micronutrient deficiencies were prevalent and antiretroviral reatment (ART) was not available [4]. The main finding of the study is that micronutrient supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of TB recur-
[The absence of a relation between apolipoprotein E genotypes and the severity of multiple sclerosis in Mexican patients].

INTRODUCTION The clinical course of multiple sclerosis (MS) varies widely. The natural history of the disease has shown that approximately 50% of patients that begin with a relapsing-remitting clinical course will have a progressive course about 10 years after disease onset and will need some kind of aid to walk. The expression of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) increases in nerve tissue undergoing regeneration and the ApoE epsilon-4 allele is associated with abnormal neural repair. Several different reports indicate that the ApoE epsilon-4 allele is associated with a greater progression of disability in patients with MS, although this is still a matter of debate. PATIENTS AND METHODS We analyse the clinical characteristics of 99 patients diagnosed with MS, we describe the correlation between the presence or absence of the ApoE epsilon-4 allele and the age of onset, clinical subtype, progression of the disease, score on the Expanded Disability Status Scale and the relapse rate. We explore the impact of the presence of the epsilon-2 allele on the progress of the disease. RESULTS In patients under 21 years of age, we observed a higher frequency of the presence of the epsilon-4 allele (p = 0.057). Nevertheless, no association was found between any of the ApoE alleles and the indices of disease progression. CONCLUSIONS Our results do not suggest any association between the presence of the ApoE epsilon-4 allele and the progression of disability in patients with MS in our sample.
Dietary L-carnitine Improves Pulmonary Hypertensive Response in Broiler Chickens Subjected to Hypobaric Hypoxia

The present study was conducted to examine the effects of L-carnitine on pulmonary hypertensive response in broiler chickens reared at high altitude and exposed to hypobaric hypoxia. A total of 192 day-old male broilers (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned to 4 treatments and 4 replicates of 12 chicks. A basal diet composed of mainly corn and soybean meal was formulated and served as a control. Three additional treatments were made by supplementing graded levels of L-carnitine (50, 100, and 150mg/kg). Chicks received dietary treatments at free access from 1 to 42 days of age. Results indicated that feeding L-carnitine at 100mg/kg caused a significant increase in plasma nitric oxide (NO) with concomitant decrease in plasma malonedialdehyde (MDA). The Lead II electrocardiogram indicated reductions of S wave amplitude for all three doses of L-carnitine relative to the control and the difference between the birds that received L-carnitine at 50mg/kg and the control was significant (P<0.05). The right ventricular weight ratio (RV/TV) tended to decline when L-carnitine supplemented to diets. In conclusion, L-carnitine reduced ascites mortality in broiler chickens by increased NO production, reduced MDA concentration, and reduced right ventricular hypertrophy.
Extending coverage of sensor networks by wiring sensor tags

A novel integration paradigm for RFID and WSN, in which one or more sensors are blended into a passive RFID tag and the tag is then directly wired to a sensor node, is proposed. It could significantly expand the coverage of a WSN with a given cost. This paper explains the design details and analyzes the coverage gain quantitatively. The paradigm has been demonstrated with typical blind guide application, though the application is not discussed in this summary due to page limit.
Back from the grave

Purpose – To review the role of modelled data in target marketing, in the light of several years of widespread denigration of modelled information over specific attributes.Design/methodology/approach – Key recent factors, influences and statistics on the availability and use of specific/personal marketing data are reviewed, noting the increasing restrictions due to public dataset withdrawal, privacy legislation and so on. Channel proliferation and change in the balance of spend between prospecting and developing existing customers are noted. All are then related to the revival of need for modelled data.Findings – While the demand for volumes of individual consumer marketing data continues to rise, the availability and useability of that data is in decline. Modelled attributes are becoming the only way to fill the gap.Originality/value – This paper demonstrates that the widespread criticism of modelled data ignores the increasing need for such information to meet the inexorable trend away from mass adverti.