Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cyclodextrins improving the physicochemical and pharmacological properties of antidepressant drugs: a patent review

ABSTRACT Introduction: Depression is a serious mood disorder and is one of the most common mental illnesses. Despite the availability of several classes of antidepressants, a substantial percentage of patients are unresponsive to these drugs, which have a slow onset of action in addition to producing undesirable side effects. Some scientific evidence suggests that cyclodextrins (CDs) can improve the physicochemical and pharmacological profile of antidepressant drugs (ADDs). The purpose of this paper is to disclose current data technology prospects involving antidepressant drugs and cyclodextrins. Areas covered: We conducted a patent review to evaluate the antidepressive activity of the compounds complexed in CDs, and we analyzed whether these complexes improved their physicochemical properties and pharmacological action. The present review used 8 specialized patent databases for patent research, using the term ‘cyclodextrin’ combined with ‘antidepressive agents’ and its related terms. We found 608 patents. In the end, considering the inclusion criteria, 27 patents reporting the benefits of complexation of ADDs with CDs were included. Expert opinion: The use of CDs can be considered an important tool for the optimization of physicochemical and pharmacological properties of ADDs, such as stability, solubility and bioavailability.
Computer‐Aided Control of Water Activity for Lipase‐Catalyzed Esterification in Solvent‐Free Systems

A computer system for on‐line monitoring and control of the water activity (aw) in solvent‐free media has been developed. The performance of this system was investigated by carrying out the lipase‐catalyzed esterification of n‐capric acid with n‐decyl alcohol. A humidity sensor measured the relative humidity in the reactor headspace, which was then transmitted electrically to a digital computer that was used as a feedback controller. The water activity control was achieved by sparging either humidified air or dried air through the reaction medium at a flow rate determined by the digital feedback controller. The use of humid air and dry air for aw control made it possible to induce a larger aw gradient and thereby higher water transfer rate. As a result, the water activity quickly reached the desired aw values. We tested whether water activity in the reaction medium can be monitored by measuring relative humidity in the headspace. When the water activity in the liquid phase was determined from measurements of water content in the medium and compared to that measured directly with the humidity sensor, the aw in the reaction medium did not differ significantly from that in the headspace. This indicates that there is a near‐equilibrium between the liquid medium and the exit air stream. Water activity was also successfully maintained close to the set point despite the massive production of water during the esterification process. Thus, the control system developed in this study is particularly useful for systems where large amounts of water are produced and where conventional methods make it difficult to control water activity as a result of a low water transfer rate. The effects that computer control of the water activity had on the reaction rate and yield were also examined. The reaction yield was significantly improved with water activity control. The conversions obtained at 28 h without and those with water activity control were 70% and 96%, respectively. In addition, from the fact that the final yields increased with decreasing aw, computer‐aided water activity control was performed with a set‐point change. By controlling aw at 0.55 during initial reaction phase, followed by a step change of aw from 0.55 to 0 after 11 h of reaction, it was possible to enhance the final conversion to 100%.
Immunization with Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase Induces T Cell-Dependent Peripheral Polyarthritis in Genetically Unaltered Mice1

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the joints. The search for arthritogenic autoantigens that trigger autoimmune responses in rheumatoid arthritis has largely focused on cartilage- or joint-specific Ags. In this study, we show that immunization with the ubiquitously expressed glycolytic enzyme glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (G6PI) induces severe peripheral symmetric polyarthritis in normal mice. In genetically unaltered mice, T cells are indispensable for both the induction and the effector phase of G6PI-induced arthritis. Arthritis is cured by depletion of CD4+ cells. In contrast, Abs and FcγR+ effector cells are necessary but not sufficient for G6PI-induced arthritis in genetically unaltered mice. Thus, the complex pathogenesis of G6PI-induced arthritis in normal mice differs strongly from the spontaneously occurring arthritis in the transgenic K/B × N model where Abs against G6PI alone suffice to induce the disease. G6PI-induced arthritis demonstrates for the first time the induction of organ-specific disease by systemic autoimmunity in genetically unaltered mice. Both the induction and effector phase of arthritis induced by a systemic autoimmune response can be dissected and preventive and therapeutic strategies evaluated in this model.
Estimating the total number of phosphoproteins and phosphorylation sites in eukaryotic proteomes

Abstract Background Phosphorylation is the most frequent post-translational modification made to proteins and may regulate protein activity as either a molecular digital switch or a rheostat. Despite the cornucopia of high-throughput (HTP) phosphoproteomic data in the last decade, it remains unclear how many proteins are phosphorylated and how many phosphorylation sites (p-sites) can exist in total within a eukaryotic proteome. We present the first reliable estimates of the total number of phosphoproteins and p-sites for four eukaryotes (human, mouse, Arabidopsis, and yeast). Results In all, 187 HTP phosphoproteomic datasets were filtered, compiled, and studied along with two low-throughput (LTP) compendia. Estimates of the number of phosphoproteins and p-sites were inferred by two methods: Capture-Recapture, and fitting the saturation curve of cumulative redundant vs. cumulative non-redundant phosphoproteins/p-sites. Estimates were also adjusted for different levels of noise within the individual datasets and other confounding factors. We estimate that in total, 13 000, 11 000, and 3000 phosphoproteins and 230 000, 156 000, and 40 000 p-sites exist in human, mouse, and yeast, respectively, whereas estimates for Arabidopsis were not as reliable. Conclusions Most of the phosphoproteins have been discovered for human, mouse, and yeast, while the dataset for Arabidopsis is still far from complete. The datasets for p-sites are not as close to saturation as those for phosphoproteins. Integration of the LTP data suggests that current HTP phosphoproteomics appears to be capable of capturing 70 % to 95 % of total phosphoproteins, but only 40 % to 60 % of total p-sites.
Radiation doses in interventional radiology procedures: the RAD-IR study: part II: skin dose.

PURPOSE To determine peak skin dose (PSD), a measure of the likelihood of radiation-induced skin effects, for a variety of common interventional radiology and interventional neuroradiology procedures, and to identify procedures associated with a PSD greater than 2 Gy. MATERIALS AND METHODS An observational study was conducted at seven academic medical centers in the United States. Sites prospectively contributed demographic and radiation dose data for subjects undergoing 21 specific procedures in a fluoroscopic suite equipped with built-in dosimetry capability. Comprehensive physics evaluations and periodic consistency checks were performed on each unit to verify the stability and consistency of the dosimeter. Seven of 12 fluoroscopic suites in the study were equipped with skin dose mapping software. RESULTS Over a 3-year period, skin dose data were recorded for 800 instances of 21 interventional radiology procedures. Wide variation in PSD was observed for different instances of the same procedure. Some instances of each procedure we studied resulted in a PSD greater than 2 Gy, except for nephrostomy, pulmonary angiography, and inferior vena cava filter placement. Some instances of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation, renal/visceral angioplasty, and angiographic diagnosis and therapy of gastrointestinal hemorrhage produced PSDs greater than 3 Gy. Some instances of hepatic chemoembolization, other tumor embolization, and neuroembolization procedures in the head and spine produced PSDs greater than 5 Gy. In a subset of 709 instances of higher-dose procedures, there was good overall correlation between PSD and cumulative dose (r = 0.86; P <.000001) and between PSD and dose-area-product (r = 0.85, P <.000001), but there was wide variation in these relationships for individual instances. CONCLUSIONS There are substantial variations in PSD among instances of the same procedure and among different procedure types. Most of the procedures observed may produce a PSD sufficient to cause deterministic effects in skin. It is suggested that dose data be recorded routinely for TIPS creation, angioplasty in the abdomen or pelvis, all embolization procedures, and especially for head and spine embolization procedures. Measurement or estimation of PSD is the best method for determining the likelihood of radiation-induced skin effects. Skin dose mapping is preferable to a single-point measurement of PSD.
Protection against heartwater by DNA immunisation with four Ehrlichia ruminantium open reading frames

We have reported previously that a recombinant DNA vaccine consisting of four Ehrlichia ruminantium (Welgevonden) open reading frames (ORFs) known as the 1H12 cocktail provided protection against a virulent E. ruminantium (Welgevonden) needle challenge in sheep. In this study, we have investigated the vaccine effectiveness of two other cocktails of E. ruminantium (Welgevonden) ORFs, as well as single ORFs from the 1H12 cocktail, to protect sheep against a virulent needle challenge with the homologous strain. Each individual 1H12 ORF provided protection, but all the animals vaccinated with the other cocktails succumbed to the challenge.
Validation of Prediction Equations of Energy Values of a Single Ingredient or Their Combinations in Male Broilers

A set of prediction equations to estimate the nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) of individual ingredients and diets used in the poultry feed industry was evaluated. The AMEn values of three energy ingredients (maize, sorghum and defatted maize germ meal), four protein ingredients (soybean meal, maize gluten meal 60% crude protein, integral micronized soy and roasted whole soybean) and four diets (three containing four feedstuffs, complex diets, and one containing only corn-soybean meal, basal diet) were determined using a metabolism assay with male broilers from 1 to 7, 8 to 21, 22 to 35, and 36 to 42 days old. These values were compared to the AMEn values presented in the tables of energy composition or estimated by equation predictions based on chemical composition data of feedstuffs. In general, the equation predictions more precisely estimated the AMEn of feedstuffs when compared to the tables of energy composition. The equation AMEn (dry matter [DM] basis) = 4,164.187+51.006 ether extract (% in DM basis)–197.663 ash–35.689 crude fiber (% in DM basis)–20.593 neutral detergent fiber (% in DM basis) (R2 = 0.75) was the most applicable for the prediction of the energy values of feedstuffs and diets used in the poultry feed industry.
Computer-aided detection of breast cancer: a cost-effectiveness study.

PURPOSE To analyze the cost-effectiveness of adding computer-aided detection (CAD) to a screening mammography program. MATERIALS AND METHODS A Markov model was developed to compare three hypothetical groups of women aged 40-79 years. The first group was composed of women undergoing mammographic screening without CAD; the second, of women undergoing mammographic screening with CAD; and the third, of women undergoing observation without screening. Cost-effectiveness was expressed as the marginal cost per year of life saved (MCYLS). MCYLS was calculated for screening mammography with CAD compared with screening mammography alone and for screening mammography alone compared with observation. Sensitivity analyses were performed by varying the cost of CAD, the rates of cancer detection with CAD, and the stage distribution of breast cancers diagnosed with CAD. RESULTS Adding CAD to a mammographic screening program resulted in a MCYLS of $19,058. The MCYLS of screening mammography alone compared with observation was $16,023. CAD increases the marginal effectiveness of screening by 29%; however, the marginal cost of screening is also increased by 34%. Varying the cost of CAD yields a linear increase in MCYLS from $8937 with CAD at $9 per case to $24,924 with CAD at $25 per case. The cost-effectiveness of CAD is dependent on the magnitude of the increase in cancer detection rates with CAD but is also affected by the stage distribution of cancers diagnosed with CAD. CONCLUSION The MCYLS is 19% greater for CAD added to screening versus screening mammography alone but is still within the accepted range for cost-effectiveness.
Wireless over cable for femtocell systems

Interference control is crucial to reach the expected spectral efficiencies in femtocell systems. Centralized and joint baseband (BB) processing of all femtocell signals can reduce inter-cell/intra-cell interference at the expense of fast signaling and strict synchronization to coordinate the multiple femtocell links. In this article, we revisit the conventional femtocell architecture by proposing the multi-cell baseband processing for interference mitigation based on a distributed antennas system. The proposed configuration resorts to the wireless over cable (WoC) paradigm and is based on the concept of replacing the in-house base station (Femtocell Access Point) with a home-device that simply transfers the analog radio frequency (RF) signals from the air-link to the existing cable connections. These home-devices act as bidirectional amplify-and-forward (AF) relays of air signals toward cable (and vice-versa) by operating a frequency conversion of the wireless spectrum to accommodate the cable specifications and coexistence with other services. Splitting RF processing (at home) from baseband processing (centralized at the nearest street cabinet or central office collecting multiple cables) guarantees that multi-cell processing exploits the same advantages as MIMO systems. The analysis of WoC for twisted pair telephone lines shows the advantages of the FemtoWoC architecture despite the coexistence with other interfering xDSL services over the cable, or the propagation over the widely deployed copper wirelines.
Pharmacokinetics of cefpirome during continuous venovenous hemofiltration: Rationale for an 8‐hour dosing interval

Cefpirome is a new semisynthetic cephalosporin, primarily eliminated by the kidneys, that requires dosage adjustment in patients with kidney failure. The optimal dosing regimen of cefpirome in patients with continuous veno‐venous hemofiltration (CVVH) is unknown.
Distress symptoms among urban African American children and adolescents: a psychometric evaluation of the Checklist of Children's Distress Symptoms.

OBJECTIVES To explore the factor structure of the Checklist of Children's Distress Symptoms (CCDS); to examine whether there is a higher-order single construct underlying the CCDS measure; and, to assess the association between children's distress symptoms, as reflected by the CCDS factors, and children's self-reported exposure to community violence (both victimization and witness events). DESIGNS Community-based cross-sectional survey. SETTINGS Ten public housing developments in an eastern metropolis. PARTICIPANTS A total of 349 low-income urban African American children and adolescents (198 males; 151 females), 9 through 15 years of age. MEASURES Children's distress symptoms, exposure to community violence, and selected demographic information including parental education, parental employment status, perceived health status, and school performance. ANALYSIS Exploratory factor analysis was performed to determine the factorial structure of the CCDS measure. Second-order confirmatory factor analysis was performed to determine if there is a higher-order single underlying construct among CCDS factors. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed to assess the relationship between exposure to violence and CCDS factors. MAJOR FINDINGS The exploratory factor analysis yielded a 6-factor solution for the CCDS measure with satisfactory internal consistency. The confirmatory factor model with a single second-order construct yielded a good fit to the data. In general, youth who experienced violent victimization or witnessed violent events reported higher levels of distress symptoms than those who did not. Distress symptoms labeled as "intrusive thoughts," "distraction," and "lack of belongingness" were most frequently associated with exposure to violence. Distress symptoms did not differ on the basis of sex or age. CONCLUSIONS The CCDS has utility as a measure of distress symptoms among urban African American children and adolescents. Whereas analysis provided support for a single higher-order construct, using the proposed 6-factor structure should enhance our understanding of the psychological impact of exposure to violence on youth and contribute to more effective intervention efforts.
In vivo oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation as a biomarker of oxidative stress in preterm low-birthweight infants.

OBJECTIVES To analyze the status of oxidative stress in relation to the degree of prematurity and birthweight of neonates. MATERIALS AND METHODS Umbilical cord blood samples were obtained at the time of delivery. 8-Hydroxy-2-deoxy guanosine (8-OHdG) has been measured as oxidative DNA damage marker in preterm low-birthweight (LBW) newborns by competitive in vitro enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) along with malondialdehyde (MDA) as marker of lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant status to study the oxidative stress. RESULTS Significant elevation in the levels of 8-OHdG along with malondialdehyde has been noted in preterm LBW newborns. Serum 8-OHdG is found to be significantly and negatively correlated with birthweight (r = -0.834, p < 0.001) and gestational age of the newborn (r = -0.626, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION These results provide evidence of increased oxidative stress in the form of DNA damage and lipid peroxidation in premature LBW newborns, which may be responsible for different complications associated with prematurity.
A multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the use of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allografts and multilayer compression therapy vs. multilayer compression therapy alone in the treatment of venous leg ulcers

Venous leg ulcers produce significant clinical and economic burdens on society and often require advanced wound therapy. The purpose of this multicenter, randomized, controlled study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of one or two applications of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allograft and multilayer compression therapy vs. multilayer compression therapy alone in the treatment of venous leg ulcers. The primary study outcome was the proportion of patients achieving 40% wound closure at 4 weeks. Of the 84 participants enrolled, 53 were randomized to receive allograft and 31 were randomized to the control group of multilayer compression therapy alone. At 4 weeks, 62% in the allograft group and 32% in the control group showed a greater than 40% wound closure (p = 0.005), thus showing a significant difference between the allograft‐treated groups and the multilayer compression therapy alone group at the 4‐week surrogate endpoint. After 4 weeks, wounds treated with allograft had reduced in size a mean of 48.1% compared with 19.0% for controls. Venous leg ulcers treated with allograft had a significant improvement in healing at 4 weeks compared with multilayer compression therapy alone.
The radiocarbon signature of microorganisms in the mesopelagic ocean

Several lines of evidence indicate that microorganisms in the meso- and bathypelagic ocean are metabolically active and respiring carbon. In addition, growing evidence suggests that archaea are fixing inorganic carbon in this environment. However, direct quantification of the contribution from deep ocean carbon sources to community production in the dark ocean remains a challenge. In this study, carbon flow through the microbial community at 2 depths in the mesopelagic zone of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre was examined by exploiting the unique radiocarbon signatures (Δ14C) of the 3 major carbon sources in this environment. The radiocarbon content of nucleic acids, a biomarker for viable cells, isolated from size-fractionated particles (0.2–0.5 μm and >0.5 μm) showed the direct incorporation of carbon delivered by rapidly sinking particles. Most significantly, at the 2 mesopelagic depths examined (670 m and 915 m), carbon derived from in situ autotrophic fixation supported a significant fraction of the free-living microbial community (0.2–0.5 μm size fraction), but the contribution of chemoautotrophy varied markedly between the 2 depths. Results further showed that utilization of the ocean's largest reduced carbon reservoir, 14C-depleted, dissolved organic carbon, was negligible in this environment. This isotopic portrait of carbon assimilation by the in situ, free-living microbial community, integrated over >50,000 L of seawater, implies that recent, photosynthetic carbon is not always the major carbon source supporting microbial community production in the mesopelagic realm.
Visual Outcomes of Repeat Versus Primary Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty—A Paired Comparison

Purpose: To compare the results of repeat Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) with those of primary DSAEK. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study consisted of all consecutive eyes that underwent one or more repeat DSAEK surgeries after primary DSAEK performed at Villa Serena–Villa Igea Private Hospitals (Forlì, Italy) between January 2005 and June 2015. A paired comparison between the outcomes of primary and the second DSAEK was performed. Main outcome measures included best recorded best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), postoperative endothelial cell loss (ECL), and refractive error. Results: Of 1413 procedures, 51 eyes were included in the final analysis. Indications for primary DSAEK included pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (n = 21), Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (n = 20), failed penetrating keratoplasty (n = 9), and trauma (n = 1). Indications for repeat DSAEK were slowly progressive ECL (n = 35), endothelial rejection (n = 15), and host–graft interface abnormalities (n = 1). Preoperative BSCVA (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution 1.23 ± 0.8 vs. 1.38 ± 0.6, P = 0.29) and best postoperative BSCVA (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution 0.32 ± 0.44 vs. 0.34 ± 0.49, P = 0.70) did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. ECLs for primary and repeat DSAEK at 1 (46% ± 16% vs. 40% ± 18%, P = 0.22) and 2 years (50% ± 18% vs. 44% ± 2%, P = 0.33) were also similar. The mean postoperative spherical equivalent did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (−0.01 ± 1.9 vs. −0.5 ± 1.6, P = 0.08) nor did the absolute astigmatic error (1.6 ± 1 vs. 1.8 ± 1.2, respectively, P = 0.17). Conclusions: After the failure of a primary DSAEK graft, a subsequent DSAEK can yield visual outcomes and ECL rates that are comparable with those of primary DSAEK.