Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is abnormal adrenergic activation associated with abnormal Heart Rate Recovery?

BACKGROUND Heart Rate Recovery (HRR) reflects the capacity of the cardiovascular system to reverse the vagal withdrawal caused by exercise. Scintigraphy with metaiodobenzylguanidine (I(123) MIBG) evaluates innervation and cardiac adrenergic activation. The association of these two methods is not well established. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between HRR and washout rate (WO) of I(123) MIBG in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS Twenty-five patients with ejection fraction < 45% underwent exercise testing, and analysis of the variation of HRR from the 1st to the 8th minute after exertion. Submitted to I(123) MIBG, they were separated into groups by WO: G1) <27% and G2) ≥ 27%. For the statistical analysis Mann-Whitney's U test and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used. RESULTS G2 showed a slower variation of HRR: 1st minute: G1: 21.5 (16.12 to 26.87) vs. G2: 11.00 (8.5 to 13.5) bpm, p = 0.001; 2nd minute: G1: 34 (29-39) vs. G2: 20 (14 - 26) bpm, p = 0.001; 3rd minute: G1: 46 (37.8 - 54.1) vs. G2: 30 (22 - 38) bpm, p = 0.005; 5th minute: G1: 51.5 (42 - 61) vs. G2: 39 (31.5 to 46.5) bpm, p = 0.013, and in the 8th minute: G1: 54.5 (46.5 - 62.5) vs. G2: 43 (34 - 52) bpm, p = 0.037. HRR in the 1st (r = -0.555, p = 0.004), and in the 2nd minute (r = -0.550, p = 0.004) were negatively correlated with WO. CONCLUSION Patients with high HF and WO showed an abnormal HRR compared with patients with normal WO. These findings suggest that adrenergic activation may influence the HRR.
Route of Antigen Presentation Can Determine the Selection of Foxp3-Dependent or Foxp3-Independent Dominant Immune Tolerance

It has been shown that dominant tolerance, namely in transplantation, requires Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. Although most tolerance-inducing regimens rely on regulatory T cells, we found that induction of tolerance to proteins in aluminum hydroxide can be achieved in Foxp3-deficient mice using nondepleting anti-CD4 Abs. This type of tolerance is Ag specific, and tolerant mice retain immune competence to respond to unrelated Ags. We demonstrated with chicken OVA–specific TCR-transgenic mice that the same tolerizing protocol (CD4 blockade) and the same target Ag (OVA) achieves Foxp3-dependent transplantation tolerance to OVA-expressing skin grafts, but Foxp3-independent tolerance when the Ag is provided as OVA–aluminum hydroxide. In the latter case, we found that tolerance induction triggered recessive mechanisms leading to elimination of effector cells and, simultaneously, a dominant mechanism associated with the emergence of an anergic and regulatory CTLA-4+IL-2lowFoxp3− T cell population, where the tolerance state is IL-10 dependent. Such Foxp3-independent mechanisms can improve the efficacy of tolerance-inducing protocols.
The Impact of the Millennium Problem on Implantable Pacemakers and Defibrillators

The unpredictable behavior of computer systems on January 1, 2000, known as the millennium problem or millennium‘bug,’also affects medical establishments and, due to the large use of computers in all kind of applications, cardiological clinics in particular. This review discusses the effect of the millennium computer problem on the implantation procedures and follow‐up registries of implantable pacemakers and defibrillators. The review concludes that the transition in the next millennium will not influence the proper functioning of implanted pacemakers and defibrillators. The function of pacemaker/defibrillator programmers seems to be safe and no major difficulties are anticipated. Pacemaker databases and the logistics linked to the implantation and follow‐up of patients and their pacemaker may and probably will be affected by the millennium transition. Using the FDA database on biomedical equipment, the actual status of all biomedical devices can be assessed.
Cultural perceptions and the productive roles of rural Pakistani women.

The roles of rural Pakistani women in agricultural production are described with numerous examples from a village study by Anwar and Bilquees, and the author's research in a Punjabi village (Rajpur) to show cultural perceptions of women and their work, and the nature of productive activities inside the house and outside on the farm. The cultural perceptions are related to the image of women as dependent/private wives and mothers. A broad definition of production is used to include activities, such as churning milk which generates income and saves expenditures and making butter which fulfills household needs and is sold in the market for cash. Rajpur is a village engaged in social change. Men seek work outside the villages, and women take on work previously assumed by men. Women contribute considerably to the year-round production and processing of major crops. The productive labor of women by major crop type and activity type are described and charted. Tending livestock is performed exclusively by men. Handicraft activity at home reduces expenditure for buying these items in the local markets. Most women were unaware of the savings and "indirect" income their work contributed to the household. Work for wages is viewed as men's work. Women's mobility beyond the fields and home is still limited; market activity must be conducted with a male present and women do not earn cash. The division of labor is conceived by men for women because of women's cultural identity. Women are perceived as "chase daughters/sisters, fertile wives, and nurturing mothers. " There are punishments or social rewards for proper behavior. Women in their private domain are expected to "look good within the house," which is viewed as a feminine world. The outside world is masculine. Women are also seen as lacking reasoning ability and their motherhood roles limit their capability to cope with external affairs. There is great value attached to the invisibility of women physically, socially, and economically.
Ceramic Whisker Reinforcement of Dental Resin Composites

Resin composites currently available are not suitable for use as large stress-bearing posterior restorations involving cusps due to their tendencies toward excessive fracture and wear. The glass fillers in composites provide only limited reinforcement because of the brittleness and low strength of glass. The aim of the present study was to reinforce dental resins with ceramic single-crystalline whiskers of elongated shapes that possess extremely high strength. A novel method was developed that consisted of fusing silicate glass particles onto the surfaces of individual whiskers for a two-fold benefit: (1) to facilitate silanization regardless of whisker composition; and (2) to enhance whisker retention in the matrix by providing rougher whisker surfaces. Silicon nitride whiskers, with an average diameter of 0.4 μm and length of 5 μm, were coated by the fusion of silica particles 0.04 μm in size to the whisker surface at temperatures ranging from 650°C to 1000°C. The coated whiskers were silanized and manually blended with resins by spatulation. Flexural, fracture toughness, and indentation tests were carried out for evaluation of the properties of the whisker-reinforced composites in comparison with conventional composites. A two-fold increase in strength and toughness was achieved in the whisker-reinforced composite, together with a substantially enhanced resistance to contact damage and microcracking. The highest flexural strength (195 ± 8 MPa) and fracture toughness (2.1 ± 0.3 MPa · m1/2 ) occurred in a composite reinforced with a whisker-silica mixture at whisker:silica mass ratio of 2:1 fused at 800°C. To conclude, the strength, toughness, and contact damage resistance of dental resin composites can be substantially improved by reinforcement with fillers of ceramic whiskers fused with silica glass particles.
LE DIRIGEANT D'ASSOCIATION EST-IL SOUMIS À UN RÉGIME SPÉCIFIQUE DE RESPONSABILITÉ?

Face au silence de la loi de 1901, le recours aux regles et aux techniques du droit des societes se revele opportun, car, outre l’apport de solutions deja eprouvees en droit des societes, il conduit a une attenuation importante de la responsabilite des dirigeants. La transposition ou l’application subsidiaire du droit des societes aux associations assure l’evolution du droit des associations sans pour autant modifier ou reformer le texte de la loi de 1901, ce dont on peut se rejouir face a la frenesie reformiste des legislateurs. Pourtant, l’article montre qu’il conviendrait de reexaminer l’ensemble de la responsabilite des dirigeants d’association, qui, sur de nombreux points, a ete alignee purement et simplement sur celle des dirigeants de societe. De reforme en reforme des procedures collectives, le legislateur a supprime toute reference a l’activite economique dans les conditions d’application des textes aux personnes morales de droit prive, ce qui conduit aujourd’hui a traiter sur un plan equivalent le dirigeant benevole d’une association et le dirigeant remunere de societe, tant sur le plan de la responsabilite pecuniaire que sur celui des sanctions civiles et penales.
Role of PCF8775 antigen and its coli surface subcomponents for colonization, disease, and protective immunogenicity of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in rabbits

The role of the PCF8775 antigen and its antigenic subcomponents, in particular, the coli surface (CS) antigen CS6, as colonization factors and protective antigens was studied in the reversible intestinal tie adult rabbit diarrhea model. This was done by testing the abilities of different mutants which carried one or two of the CS components to colonize the intestine and to induce protective immunity against reinfection with PCF8775-positive enterotoxin-producing Escherichia coli. Infection with enterotoxigenic E. coli carrying CS4-CS6, CS5-CS6, or CS6 alone induced diarrhea in 75% or more of the rabbits, whereas the corresponding nonenterotoxigenic mutants, as well as enterotoxigenic but CS-negative strains, induced diarrhea in only a few cases. Mutants carrying CS6 alone colonized the intestine equally as well as strains carrying CS4-CS6 or CS5-CS6 did, whereas CS-negative mutants were excreted in the stool for a significantly shorter period. Rabbits previously infected with mutants carrying CS6 alone or CS6 in combination with CS4 or CS5 developed diarrhea with a significantly lower frequency after reinfection with a normally highly diarrheagenic dose of enterotoxigenic CS4-CS6-positive E. coli bacteria than did animals immunized with corresponding CS-negative mutants. Fecal excretion of the rechallenge strain was also of considerably shorter duration than that observed after initial infection with corresponding strains in 27 of the 30 animals (90%) immunized with strains carrying CS6 alone or in combination with CS4 or CS5. Such reduced shedding of the challenge strain was only seen in a few rabbits (3 of 12) initially infected with CS-negative bacteria. These results suggest that the CS6 component of PCF8775 is a colonization factor in rabbits and that it is also capable of inducing protective immunity.
Plasticity and Memory in the Prefrontal Cortex

Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies in humans have shown that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in long-term memory functioning. In general, the participation of the PFC in long-term memory has been attributed to its role in executive control rather than information storage. Accumulating data from recent animal studies, however, suggest the possible role of the PFC in the storage of long-term memory. In support of this view, there is evidence that various projection systems in the PFC support long-term synaptic plasticity. Recording studies have further demonstrated neural correlates of learning in various animal species. Lastly, behavioral and physiological studies indicate that the PFC is critically involved in memory consolidation, retrieval and extinction processes. These studies then suggest that the PFC is an integral part of the neural network where long-term memory trace is stored and retrieved. Though decisive evidence is still lacking at present, we propose here to assign a term 'control memory' (i.e., memory for top-down control processes) as a new type of memory function for the PFC. This new principle of PFC-long-term memory can help organize existing data and provide novel insights into future empirical studies.
The anesthetic efficacy of 4 percent articaine 1:200,000 epinephrine: two controlled clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE The authors conducted two double-blinded, randomized, multicenter clinical trials to determine the efficacy and clinical anesthetic characteristics of 4 percent articaine hydrochloride (HCl) with 1:200,000 epinephrine (A200) as compared with those of 4 percent articaine HCl with 1:100,000 epinephrine (A100) and 4 percent articaine HCl without epinephrine (Aw/o). METHODS During separate testing sessions, members of the authors' research team used three articaine study formulations to induce either inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia (Trial 1) or maxillary infiltration anesthesia (Trial 2). In each trial, subjects received, in a randomized sequence, each of the three formulations to determine efficacy (success rate) and anesthetic characteristics (onset time and duration). The authors evaluated pulpal anesthesia via subjects' response to electric pulp testing (EPT). RESULTS A total of 126 subjects were enrolled in the two studies (63 subjects in each trial). In both mandibular and maxillary trials, the success rates for inducing profound anesthesia (EPT score > 80), the mean onset times and the mean durations of anesthesia were similar for both epinephrine-containing formulations (A200 and A100). In subjects who received the formulation containing no epinephrine (Aw/o), the success rate for profound anesthesia was significantly less. CONCLUSION These studies demonstrated that the inclusion of epinephrine in 4 percent articaine anesthetic formulations is essential for achieving profound anesthesia. The authors found that the A200 formulation provided a level of pulpal anesthesia comparable with that of the A100 formulation.
Improvement on velocity estimation of an extended object

Conventional point object model based automotive radar tracking system assumes at most one detection received from the target object at a time. However, in real applications for an extended object, such as a passenger car, located within a close range to a high-resolution radar or LIDAR, the system usually receives multiple reflections from different parts of the object. This can introduce large bias into a velocity estimation performed by a point object model based tracking system. Doppler-azimuth profile based approach accounts for the cluster of detections and could give a very accurate velocity vector of the extended object. However, depending on the position and orientation of the object, the linear equation set could be ill-conditioned, in which case the estimated velocity will suffer from substantial error. In this paper, we first propose a new approach to estimate the heading of a moving object using principle component analysis based on the detection cluster trajectory. We then propose an approach to fuse the three above-mentioned velocity estimators as each estimator faces challenges in different situations. Road data from a 77GHz radar is used for performance illustration.
Doing the Work or Sharing the Work? The Educational Leadership Program Coordinator's Role

Using distributed leadership as a theoretical framework, this study investigated the educational leadership program coordinator's duties in selected research universities, through interviews of 11 coordinators and 9 department chairs. Coordinators and chairs agreed that a significant time commitment was necessary for coordinators to provide oversight to the leadership preparation program. Most coordinators did not have job descriptions to delineate their duties, and few incentives were provided. Coordinators sometimes asked their chairs to intervene to ask faculty colleagues for help with programmatic responsibilities. This study concludes with recommendations to provide structure to and support for the educational leadership program coordination role.
Spinal inhibition and motor function in adults with spastic cerebral palsy

Abnormal activation of motoneurons in the spinal cord by sensory pathways is thought to contribute to impaired movement control and spasticity in individuals with cerebral palsy. Here we use single motor unit recordings to show how individual motoneurons in the spinal cord respond to sensory inputs in a group of participants with cerebral palsy having different degrees of motor dysfunction. In participants who had problems walking independently and required assistive devices such as wheelchairs, sensory pathways only excited motoneurons in the spinal cord. In contrast, in participants with cerebral palsy who walked independently for long distances, sensory inputs both inhibited and excited motoneurons in the spinal cord, similar to what we found in uninjured control participants. These findings demonstrate that in individuals with severe cerebral palsy, inhibitory control of motoneurons from sensory pathways is reduced and may contribute to motor dysfunction and spasticity.
AUDIT-C scores as a scaled marker of mean daily drinking, alcohol use disorder severity, and probability of alcohol dependence in a U.S. general population sample of drinkers.

BACKGROUND Brief alcohol screening questionnaires are increasingly used to identify alcohol misuse in routine care, but clinicians also need to assess the level of consumption and the severity of misuse so that appropriate intervention can be offered. Information provided by a patient's alcohol screening score might provide a practical tool for assessing the level of consumption and severity of misuse. METHODS This post hoc analysis of data from the 2001 to 2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) included 26,546 U.S. adults who reported drinking in the past year and answered additional questions about their consumption, including Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption questionnaire (AUDIT-C) alcohol screening. Linear or logistic regression models and postestimation methods were used to estimate mean daily drinking, the number of endorsed alcohol use disorder (AUD) criteria ("AUD severity"), and the probability of alcohol dependence associated with each individual AUDIT-C score (1 to 12), after testing for effect modification by gender and age. RESULTS Among eligible past-year drinkers, mean daily drinking, AUD severity, and the probability of alcohol dependence increased exponentially across increasing AUDIT-C scores. Mean daily drinking ranged from < 0.1 to 18.0 drinks/d, AUD severity ranged from < 0.1 to 5.1 endorsed AUD criteria, and probability of alcohol dependence ranged from < 1 to 65% across scores 1 to 12. AUD severity increased more steeply across AUDIT-C scores among women than men. Both AUD severity and mean daily drinking increased more steeply across AUDIT-C scores among younger versus older age groups. CONCLUSIONS Results of this study could be used to estimate patient-specific consumption and severity based on age, gender, and alcohol screening score. This information could be integrated into electronic decision support systems to help providers estimate and provide feedback about patient-specific risks and identify those patients most likely to benefit from further diagnostic assessment.
Sepsis-Induced Degradation of Endothelial Glycocalix

Sepsis, a general inflammatory response to microbiological infection, is still a major cause of high mortality rates in intensive care units. This mortality rate strongly correlates with sepsis-induced impairment of organ blood supply as a consequence of disturbed capillary circulation and vascular leakage. Within this pathophysiological process, endothelial cell function plays a key role. Recent studies provide evidence that degradation of the glycocalix on the luminal cell membrane is an early step in septic vascular endothelial cell disorder and its shed compounds, such syndecan-1, heparan sulfate, intercellular-adhesion-molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and vascular-cell-adhesion-molecule-1 (VCAM-1), can be quantified in the plasma. The plasma concentrations of heparan sulfate and syndecan-1 strongly correlate with severity of sepsis and with inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6). Furthermore, a nonspecific deterioration of the glycocalix occurs during major abdominal surgery and during ischemia/reperfusion after vascular surgery. Both surgical treatments cause vascular leakage and, consequently, tissue edema, similar to that triggered by inflammatory impairment of the endothelial cell barrier. So far, no specific therapeutic strategies exist to maintain glycocalix integrity; hence, conserving endothelial function. Detection of glycocalix compounds in the plasma can be utilized as diagnostic markers to evaluate sepsis-induced endothelial damage and to estimate severity of sepsis. In the future, efforts will be made to prevent glycocalix damage during sepsis or major surgery. As a result, this will possibly preserve organ function and improve patient outcome.
Antimicrobial breakpoints for gram-negative aerobic bacteria based on pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic models with Monte Carlo simulation.

OBJECTIVES This study describes a comprehensive programme designed to develop pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) breakpoints for numerous antimicrobial classes against key gram-negative aerobic bacteria. METHODS A 10,000 subject Monte Carlo simulation was constructed for 13 antimicrobials (21 dosing regimens). Published pharmacokinetic data and protein binding were varied according to log-normal and uniform distributions. MICs were fixed at single values from 0.03 to 64 mg/L. The PK-PD susceptible breakpoint was defined as the MIC at which the probability of target attainment was > or = 90%. PK-PD, CLSI and European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing breakpoints were applied to MICs from the 2005 worldwide Meropenem Yearly Susceptibility Test Information Collection database to evaluate the impact of breakpoint discrepancies. RESULTS PK-PD breakpoints were within one dilution of the CLSI and European breakpoints for all antimicrobials tested--with a few exceptions. When discrepancies were noted, the PK-PD breakpoint was lower than the CLSI breakpoint [ceftriaxone (0.5 versus 8 mg/L), ertapenem (0.25 versus 2 mg/L), ciprofloxacin (0.125 versus 1 mg/L) and levofloxacin (0.25-0.5 versus 2 mg/L)] and higher than the European breakpoint [ceftazidime (4-8 versus 1 mg/L), aztreonam (4-8 versus 1 mg/L), although ciprofloxacin was an exception to this pattern (0.125 versus 0.5-1 mg/L)]. For Enterobacteriaceae, breakpoint discrepancies resulted in modest (< or = 10%) differences in the percentages susceptible. In contrast, large (> 15%) discrepancies were noted for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. CONCLUSIONS Breakpoint agreement exists for imipenem, meropenem and the aminoglycosides. In contrast, discrepancies exist for piperacillin/tazobactam, cephalosporins, ertapenem, aztreonam and the fluoroquinolones. These discrepancies are most pronounced for P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii.