Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intrathecal Magnesium Prolongs Fentanyl Analgesia: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial

Magnesium is a noncompetitive, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist that does not effectively cross the blood-brain barrier when given IV. Intrathecal magnesium potentiates opioid antinociception in rats, and the safety of intrathecal magnesium has been demonstrated in animals. This is the first prospective human study evaluating whether intrathecal magnesium could prolong spinal opioid analgesia. Fifty-two patients requesting analgesia for labor were randomized to receive either intrathecal fentanyl 25 &mgr;g plus saline or fentanyl 25 &mgr;g plus magnesium sulfate 50 mg as part of a combined spinal-epidural technique. The duration of analgesia of the intrathecal drug combination was defined by the time of patient request for additional analgesia. There was significant prolongation in the median duration of analgesia (75 min) in the magnesium plus fentanyl group compared with the fentanyl alone group (60 min). There was no associated increase in adverse events in the group that received intrathecal magnesium. Larger doses of intrathecal magnesium were not studied in this group of patients because of the limitations on cephalad spread when hyperbaric solutions are injected in the sitting position. Our data indicate that intrathecal magnesium prolongs spinal opioid analgesia in humans and suggest that the availability of an intrathecal N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonist could be of clinical importance for pain management.
Business Tax Burdens and Tax Reform

ABSTRACT:Tax reforms affect economic performance by changing incentives for business formation, expansion, and operation. The United States has the highest corporate tax rate among countries with advanced economies, and—despite offering significant additional deductions, exclusions, and tax credits—it imposes the heaviest tax burdens. This paper offers a new measure of corporate tax burdens based on information in tax expenditure budgets; this measure implies that the burden of U.S. corporate taxation in 2017 is equivalent to that produced by a corporate tax rate of between 31.7 and 34.8 percent, without additional deductions, exclusions, or tax credits. Efficient design of a business tax system encourages activities with beneficial economic spillovers and imposes lighter burdens on those industries and activities that are most responsive to taxation. Tax reforms have the potential to improve economic efficiency by adjusting the level and design of U.S. business taxes.
Diagnostic accuracy of a point-of-care urine bacteriologic culture test in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To determine diagnostic accuracy of a compartmented bacteriologic culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing plate (CCSP) for detection of bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI) in dogs and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacterial isolates. DESIGN Evaluation study. SAMPLE 62 frozen, previously characterized bacterial isolates from canine urine cultures and 147 canine urine samples. PROCEDURES The study was conducted in 2 phases: preliminary assay validation (phase 1) and diagnostic validation (phase 2). For phase 1, the frozen bacterial isolates were revitalized and tested with the CCSP and with standard aerobic microbiological culture (SAMC). For phase 2, the urine samples were tested with the CCSP and SAMC in parallel. RESULTS For phase 1, after 24 hours of culture, 46 of 62 (74%) bacterial isolates had growth on the CCSP and all (100%) had growth in SAMC. For bacterial isolates with growth, the CCSP allowed correct identification of 45 of 46 (98%) isolates. Isolates yielding no growth on the CCSP were gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus spp [n = 7] and Enterococcus spp [9]). In phase 2, the overall diagnostic accuracy of the CCSP, compared with SAMC, was 94% (sensitivity, 81%; specificity, 99%). The positive predictive value was 98% and negative predictive value was 92%. Susceptibility results for enrofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as determined with the CCSP had greatest concordance with those determined by SAMC (71% and 96%, respectively), compared with other antimicrobial susceptibilities. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Use of the CCSP led to accurate exclusion of UTI in dogs without a UTI but was less reliable for diagnosis of UTI, particularly infections caused by gram-positive cocci. Standard aerobic microbiological culture remains the gold standard for detection of UTI in dogs.
Methylphenidate Enhances Grip Force and Alters Brain Connectivity

Introduction A central fatigue theory proposes that force output during fatiguing exercise is limited to maintain homeostasis. The self-awareness of the body's homeostatic state is known as interoception. Brain regions thought to play a role in interoception, such as the insular and orbital frontal cortex, have been proposed as sites for the upstream regulation of fatiguing exercise. Methylphenidate (MPH) can improve force output during exercise and may alter central processes during fatiguing exercise. However, the ergogenic neural underpinnings of MPH are unknown. This study examines the effect of MPH on force output and brain functional connectivity during a muscle-fatiguing handgrip task. Methods In a double-blind, crossover design, 15 subjects (mean age = 28.4 ± 5.2; 9 males and 6 females) ingested MPH or placebo before performing a muscle-fatiguing handgrip task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We examined force output and brain connectivity (psychophysiological interactions and functional connectivity) throughout the task as well as in the few seconds just before releasing the grip dynamometer (i.e., pretask failure). Results We show that in the MPH condition, subjects increased grip force throughout but not during pretask failure. Brain connectivity was altered throughout the task between the insular and the hand motor cortex, as well as between the insular and the orbital frontal cortex. There were no differences in connectivity during pretask failure. Conclusion For the first time, we show that brain connectivity can be influenced by MPH during muscle-fatiguing exercise. This study provides additional support that the CNS acts to regulate motor drive subservient to homeostasis.
Alterations of Sodium Channel Kinetics and Gene Expression in the Postinfarction Remodeled Myocardium

Postinfarction Changes in Cardiac Na+ Channel. Introduction: After a myocardial infarction (MI), the heart undergoes a remodeling process that includes hypertrophy of noninfarcted left ventricular myocytes. Alterations in the genetic expression, including reexpression of fetal isogene patterns, can result in electrophysiologic changes that contribute to the arrhythmogenicity of post‐MI heart. The present study investigated possible alterations in gene expression of Na+ channel subtypes, as well as the kinetics of the Na+ current (INa), in 3‐ to 4‐week‐old post‐MI rat remodeled left ventricular myocardium.
Targeted mutations in the Na,K‐ATPase alpha 2 isoform confer ouabain resistance and result in abnormal behavior in mice

Sodium and potassium‐activated adenosine triphosphatases (Na,K‐ATPase) are ubiquitous, participate in osmotic balance and membrane potential, and are composed of α, β, and γ subunits. The α subunit is required for the catalytic and transport properties of the enzyme and contains binding sites for cations, ATP, and digitalis‐like compounds including ouabain. There are four known α isoforms; three that are expressed in the CNS in a regional and cell‐specific manner. The α2 isoform is most commonly found in astrocytes, pyramidal cells of the hippocampus in adults, and developmentally in several other neuronal types. Ouabain‐like compounds are thought to be produced endogenously in mammals, bind the Na,K‐ATPase, and function as a stress‐related hormone, however, the impact of the Na,K‐ATPase ouabain binding site on neurobehavioral function is largely unknown. To determine if the ouabain binding site of the α2 isoform plays a physiological role in CNS function, we examined knock‐in mice in which the normally ouabain‐sensitive α2 isoform was made resistant (α2R/R) while still retaining basal Na,K‐ATPase enzymatic function. Egocentric learning (Cincinnati water maze) was impaired in adult α2R/R mice compared to wild type (WT) mice. They also exhibited decreased locomotor activity in a novel environment and increased responsiveness to a challenge with an indirect sympathomimetic agonist (methamphetamine) relative to WT mice. The α2R/R mice also demonstrated a blunted acoustic startle reflex and a failure to habituate to repeated acoustic stimuli. The α2R/R mice showed no evidence of altered anxiety (elevated zero maze) nor were they impaired in spatial learning or memory in the Morris water maze and neither group could learn in a large Morris maze. These results suggest that the ouabain binding site is involved in specific types of learning and the modulation of dopamine‐mediated locomotor behavior. Synapse, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Application of the Hybrid Technique to Time Domain Problems

A hybrid technique which formally combines the method of moments with the geometrical theory of diffraction is used to efficiently generate sufficient frequency domain data so that accurate transformation to the time domain can be accomplished via the fast fourier transform. The advantage of the hybrid technique is that it permits one to solve problems that cannot readily be solved by either method alone. For example, the problem of a monopole at the center of a circular disk is considered. The monopole is characterized by the method of moments, and the finite size of the disk is accounted for by geometrical theory of diffraction techniques. The technique applies equally well, however, to antennas on other bodies such as satellites and aircraft and could be used to investigate the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) response of antennas on such bodies.
An equilibrium aggregate demand and supply model to examine the dynamic effect of oil price shocks on output and inflation in Iran as an oil exporting country

Iran is an oil exporting country in Middle East. The high share of the oil revenues in Iran is a serious economic problem. Due to the high dependency of Iranâ€™s economy on oil revenues, oil price shocks have a determinant impact on macroeconomic variables. In this paper, we analyze the dynamic effects of oil price shocks and the aggregate supply and aggregate demand shocks on macroeconomic fluctuations in Iran. According to macroeconomic theory and aggregate demand and supply model in equilibrium, a structural vector autoregressive (VAR) model is applied to identify different structural shocks and further assess the relative contributions of different shocks on macroeconomic fluctuations, using a decomposition approach. The results show that oil price shocks have significant and positive effects on both output and inflation. Aggregate supply and aggregate demand shocks are the main causes of fluctuation in output and inflation, and moreover, the effect of aggregate supply shocks on output is permanent in the Iranian economy. On the base of this study results, we suggest the Iranian government should accelerate the economic reforms such as the finance system of state owned enterprises, the tax system, the cash subsidy distribution system, the allocation system of the government budget in national and provincial level, the financial and banking system, and so on. The suggested reforms aim to decrease in the share of oil revenues in the economy and protect the Iranian economy in the face of any exogenous and endogenous shocks.
Protease-activated receptor signaling in the regulation of inflammation

Objective:To discuss recent studies addressing the relationship between protease-activated receptor signaling, coagulation, and inflammation. Data Extraction and Synthesis:This review article covers relevant original articles published until October 2003 dealing with animal models, clinical trial data, and in vitro experiments. Conclusions:Although activation of protease-activated receptors has been implicated in the proinflammatory effects of the coagulation cascade, current data provide evidence that protease-activated receptor signaling plays a more complex role in the regulation of inflammation and endothelial homeostasis. Sensitive assays for coagulation activation have provided clear evidence that targeting the coagulation pathway effectively reduces the coagulopathy in sepsis. However, the effect of these anticoagulant agents on sepsis-associated inflammation is less clear. Further insight into this question will require the development or use of additional biomarkers for assessing pharmacologic interference with coagulation-related cell-signaling pathways.
Mitigation of calcification and cytotoxicity of a glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardial matrix: improved biocompatibility after extended implantation in the subcutaneous rat model.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS OF THE STUDY Implanted non-crosslinked tissues suffer rapid degeneration, shrinkage and absorption, whereas standard crosslinked tissues cause local cytotoxicity and calcification. Both approaches diminish implant capacity for long-term function. The study aim was to examine the tissue-engineered characteristics (cytotoxicity, calcification potential, biocompatibility) of bovine pericardium, crosslinked with a low concentration of glutaraldehyde (GA) followed by ADAPT anti-mineralization, following prolonged implantation in a subcutaneous rat model. METHODS Bovine pericardium was decellularized with Triton X-100, deoxycholate, IgePal CA-630, and nucleases. The resulting matrices were allocated to: group I (control, n=10), crosslinked in 0.2% polymeric GA; and group II (treatment, n=10), crosslinked in 0.05% monomeric GA + ADAPT. Cytotoxicity was determined by in vitro cell seeding with human fibroblasts, and quantified using an Alamar Blue assay. The matrices were then implanted in a subcutaneous rat model and retrieved after extended implantation times (26 and 52 weeks). This was followed by further histology, immunohistochemical staining, and measurement of calcium deposition. RESULTS Complete acellularity and biostability were significantly (p < 0.01) achieved in group II. Inflammatory responses were reduced and beneficial host cell infiltration with neocapillary formation was limited to group II. Fibroblast infiltration was significantly increased from six to 12 months' implantation time. Only group II tested positive for Factor VIII and vimentin. After 52 weeks, extractable calcium levels were significantly (p < 0.001) reduced in group II (2.56 +/- 0.22 microg Ca/mg tissue) compared to group I (136.02 +/- 0.39 microg Ca/mg tissue). CONCLUSION Acellular bovine pericardium, when crosslinked with a low concentration of GA and treated with ADAPT, retains and improves its integrity with a low immunoreactivity over a prolonged period. Host cell infiltration is also optimized over time. The maintenance of reduced calcification levels in group II suggests that such a biomaterial might have an advanced long-term in vivo potential.
An Implantable Telemetry Platform System With ASIC for in Vivo Monitoring of Gastrointestinal Physiological Information

This paper presents a multiple channel, implantable biotelemetry platform, suitable for in vivo monitoring of gastrointestinal (GI) physiological information. This system consists of a wireless capsule, a portable data recorder, and a workstation; it can digitalize and transmit up to four analog signals coming from different sensors. Several design challenges involving system miniaturization, sensor-precision improvement, and power-dissipation reduction were resolved by employing optimized architecture, microsensors, and a low-power application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that applied a very large scale integration architecture of three-stage clock management, power management, and an 18-bits full-differential input sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter. pH, temperature, and pressure sensors were manufactured and assembled with the ASIC and the transmission circuit into an elliptical capsule. The capsule measured 25 mm in length and 11 mm in diameter to ensure that it would be easy for patients to swallow yet able to transmit GI physiological information wirelessly. Because of the implementation of the low-power ASIC, the capsule can work normally for 136 h with three 1.5 V 22-mA button batteries. The system performances were assessed through several vivid tests. In addition, results from 22 cases of application in humans are reported in this paper.
The role of agriculture in the transition economy of Armenia

by MARIANNA ARZANGULYAN (Under the Direction of Lewell Gunter) ABSTRACT Transition economy issues resolution changes significantly depending on country of interest. Despite commonalities with other transition economies, especially those of Former Soviet Union, Armenian agriculture developed in its own, unique way. While the land reforms were bolder and more successful than in other transition economies, development of appropriate marketing chains is still slow and access of family farmers to relevant information is limited. In this work, we made an attempt to summarize implemented reforms and their consequences, to point out current state and issues of Armenian agriculture.
Ischemic postconditioning may increase serum fetuin-A level in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous intervention.

BACKGROUND Fetuin-A inhibits inflammation and has a protective effect against myocardial ischemia. We investigated the influence of ischemic postconditioning on serum fetuin-A levels and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous intervention. METHODS Forty-five patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were randomly assigned to a control (n = 21) or postconditioning (PC, n = 24) group within 90 minutes after admission. After predilatation, in the control group, no intervention was applied in the first 3 minutes of reperfusion, while in the postconditioning group, three cycles of 30-second angioplasty balloon deflation and 30-second inflation were repetitively applied. Blood samples were obtained and assayed for creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), fetuin-A and hs-CRP. RESULTS The control group presented with higher peak CK-MB as compared with the PC group (123.67 +/- 44.19 vs. 93.08 +/- 35.29 U/L, p < 0.05). After PCI, PC was associated with a lower level of hs-CRP in comparison with the control group (6.07 +/- 1.35 vs. 7.03 +/- 1.27 mg/L, p < 0.05). Serum fetuin-A levels in the PC group was higher than in the control (161.06 +/- 23.98 mg/L vs. 144.59 +/- 22.76 mg/L, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Postconditioning may increase serum fetuin-A levels and decrease high-sensitive C-reactive protein in myocardial infarction patients.
Energetic aspects of skeletal muscle contraction: implications of fiber types.

In this chapter fundamental energetic properties of skeletal muscles as elucidated from isolated muscle preparations are described. Implications of these intrinsic properties for the energetic characterization of different fiber types and for the understanding of locomotion have been considered. Emphasis was placed on the myriad of physical and chemical techniques that can be employed to understand muscle energetics and on the interrelationship of results from different techniques. The anaerobic initial processes which liberate energy during contraction and relaxation are discussed in detail. The high-energy phosphate (approximately P) utilized during contraction and relaxation can be distributed between actomyosin ATPase or cross-bridge cycling (70%) and the Ca2+ ATPase of the sacroplasmic reticulum (30%). Muscle shortening increases the rate of approximately P hydrolysis, and stretching a muscle during contraction suppresses the rate of approximately P hydrolysis. The economy of an isometric contraction is defined as the ratio of isometric mechanical response to energetic cost and is shown to be a fundamental intrinsic parameter describing muscle energetics. Economy of contraction varies across the animal kingdom by over three orders of magnitude and is different in different mammalian fiber types. In mammalian skeletal muscles differences in economy of contraction can be attributed mainly to differences in the specific actomyosin and Ca2+ ATPase of muscles. Furthermore, there is an inverse relationship between economy of contraction and maximum velocity of muscle shortening (Vmax) and maximum power output. This is a fundamental relationship. Muscles cannot be economical at developing and maintaining force and also exhibit rapid shortening. Interestingly, there appears to be a subtle system of unknown nature that modulates the Vmax and economy of contraction. Efficiency of a work-producing contraction is defined and contrasted to the economy of contraction. Unlike economy, maximum efficiency of work production varies little across the animal kingdom. There are difficulties associated with the measurement of maximum efficiency of contraction, and it has yet to be determined unequivocally if the maximum efficiency of contraction varies in different fiber types. The intrinsic properties of force per cross-sectional area, economy, and Vmax determine the basic energetic properties of skeletal muscles. Nonetheless, the mechanics and energetics of skeletal muscles in the body are profoundly influenced by muscle architecture, attachment of muscles to the skeleton, and motor unit organization. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Automatic human brain vessel segmentation from 3D 7 Tesla MRA images using fast marching with anisotropic directional prior

Accurate 3D models of the human brain vessels can greatly help to diagnose serious diseases. Such models can be constructed by segmentation of 3D MRA images, especially the recently introduced high resolution 7T MRA. We propose a new two-step approach for fully automatic segmentation of 7T MRA images of the human cerebrovascular system. First, a 3D model-based approach is applied to segment thick vessels and most parts of thin vessels. Then, the missing vessel parts, which are caused by low contrast and high noise, are completed using a novel fast marching approach with anisotropic directional prior. An evaluation of our approach and a comparison with two previous approaches have been conducted using high resolution 3D 7T MRA images.
Evaluation of Combined Quantification of PCA3 and AMACR Gene Expression for Molecular Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer in Moroccan Patients by RT-qPCR

Prostate cancer (PCa) remains one of the most widespread and perplexing of all human malignancies. Assessment of gene expression is thought to have an important impact on cancer diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic decisions. In this context, we explored combined expression of PCa related target genes AMACR and PCA3 in 126 formalin fixed paraffin embedded prostate tissues (FFPE) from Moroccan patients, using quantitative real time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR). This quantification required data normalization accomplished using stably expressed reference genes (RGs). A panel of twelve RG was assessed, data being analyzed using GenEx V6 based on geNorm, NormFinder and statistical methods. Accordingly, the hnRNP A1 gene was identified and selected as the most stably expressed RG for reliable and accurate gene expression quantification in prostate tissues. The ratios of both PCA3 and AMACR gene expression relative to that of the hnRNP A1 gene were calculated and the performance of each target gene for PCa diagnosis was evaluated using receiver-operating characteristics. PCA3 and AMACR mRNA quantification based on RT-qPCR may prove useful in PCa diagnosis. Of particular interesting, combining PCA3 and AMACR quantification improved PCa prediction by increasing sensitivity with retention of good specificity.