Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volume and Yield Of Screening Colonoscopy at a Tertiary Medical Center After Change in Medicare Reimbursement

OBJECTIVE:Starting July 1, 2001, Medicare began to reimburse for screening colonoscopy in asymptomatic adults older than 50 yr with no risk factors for colorectal cancer. We sought to determine the short-term impact of the change in Medicare reimbursement on the demand for and yield of screening colonoscopy at our tertiary institution.METHODS:Asymptomatic patients older than 50 referred for first screening colonoscopy after the change in Medicare reimbursement from July 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001 were compared with a similar cohort screened before Medicare coverage for a family history of cancer or polyps during the same months the previous year (July 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000). Patient demographics, number, size, location, and histology of polyps/cancers for these screening colonoscopies were collected.RESULTS:A total of 1282 colonoscopies were performed in our institution from July 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001, 257 (20%) for screening. During the same months in the previous year, 121 of 938 colonoscopies (12.9%) were for screening (p < 0.01). This was a 55% increase in the percentage of colonoscopies performed for screening, and a 112% increase in the number of screening colonoscopies. Patients screened after the change in Medicare reimbursement were on average 5 yr older compared with patients of the previous year (62 ± 10 [mean ± SD] vs 56 ± 9 yr; p < 0.01). A total of 61 screening colonoscopies (24%) performed after the change in Medicare reimbursement had adenomatous lesions, compared with 25 (21%) screened for family history (p = ns). The number of adenomas 10 mm or larger or cancers did not differ significantly between the two groups (17 in 2001 vs 12 in 2000; p = ns). Age of 65 or older was associated with detection of adenomatous lesions (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.01–2.9013). CONCLUSIONS:Since the change in Medicare reimbursement, there has been a significant increase in the number and proportion of colonoscopies performed for screening at our institution. Patients screened since this change are older, and the detection rate of neoplastic lesions is similar to those previously screened for a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps.
Corticosteroid-responsive postmalaria encephalopathy characterized by motor aphasia, myoclonus, and postural tremor.

OBJECTIVES To study the clinical spectrum of an acute severe encephalopathy occurring in 2 patients after recovery from falciparum malaria infection and to compare it with the reported clinical features of the postmalaria neurological syndrome. DESIGN Case report. SETTING Tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS Two patients presented with acute onset of fluctuating motor aphasia, severe generalized myoclonus, and postural tremor. Additional signs were cerebellar ataxia, and in 1 patient, generalized epileptic seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed patchy white matter lesions in 1 patient. Clinically, the patients' conditions continued to worsen until corticosteroids were introduced, the use of which induced a rapid, albeit incomplete, recovery. CONCLUSIONS We describe a new, severe variant of the still poorly defined postmalaria neurological syndrome. We propose a preliminary classification of this syndrome, according to its clinical characteristics, as follows: a mild or localized form, characterized by isolated cerebellar ataxia or postural tremor; a diffuse, but relatively mild encephalopathic form, characterized by acute confusion or epileptic seizures; and a severe, corticosteroid-responsive encephalopathy that is characterized by motor aphasia, generalized myoclonus, postural tremor, and cerebellar ataxia.
Adenosine-Dependent Airway Inflammation and Hyperresponsiveness in Partially Adenosine Deaminase-Deficient Mice1

Adenosine is a signaling nucleoside that is elevated in the lungs of asthmatics. We have engineered a mouse model that has elevated levels of adenosine as a result of the partial expression of the enzyme that metabolizes adenosine, adenosine deaminase (ADA). Mice with lowered levels of ADA enzymatic activity were generated by the ectopic expression of an ADA minigene in the gastrointestinal tract of otherwise ADA-deficient mice. These mice developed progressive lung inflammation and damage and died at 4–5 mo of age from respiratory distress. Associated with this phenotype was a progressive increase in lung adenosine levels. Examination of airway physiology at 6 wk of age revealed alterations in airway hyperresponsiveness. This was reversed following the lowering of adenosine levels using ADA enzyme therapy and also through the use of the adenosine receptor antagonist theophylline, implicating both the nucleoside and its receptors in airway physiological alterations. All four adenosine receptors were expressed in the lungs of both control and partially ADA-deficient mice. However, transcript levels for the A1, A2B, and A3 adenosine receptors were significantly elevated in partially ADA-deficient lungs. There was a significant increase in alveolar macrophages, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-3 was found to be elevated in the bronchial epithelium of these mice, which may have important implications in the regulation of pulmonary inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Collectively, these findings suggest that elevations in adenosine can directly impact lung inflammation and physiology.
Modulating toll-like receptor-mediated inflammatory responses following exposure of whole cell and lipopolysaccharide component from Porphyromonas gingivalis in wistar rat models

ABSTRACT Objective: To explore host innate inflammatory response and the signal pathway induced by Porphyromonas gingivalis by measuring level of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 activity. Materials and Methods: Animal experimental study with pretest-posttest controlled group design were done between January 1 and December 10, 2016. Total of 28 wistar rats had been used, randomized into 7 groups, each were given various dose of intra-sulcural injection of Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide. Statistical Analysis: Normality were measured by Shapiro–Wilk test, while statistical analysis made by ANOVA, t test, Pearson, and linear regression model. Results: At day 0, no significant difference TLR2 and TLR4 level were measured. At day 4, there is a slight difference between TLR2 and TLR4 level in each group. At day 11, there is a significant difference between TLR2 and TLR4 level in each group. Group with exposure of whole cell will develop greater TLR2 but lower TLR4 level. In the contrary, group with exposure of LPS will develop greater TLR4 but lower TLR2 level. Conclusion: Our data supported that P. gingivalis played a vital role in the pathogenesis of pathogen-induced inflammatory responses in which TLR2 and TLR4 have different molecular mechanisms following recognition of pathogens and inflammatory response.
Current and investigational therapies for AIDS-associated Mycobacterium avium complex disease.

The epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and treatment of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection are reviewed. MAC infection is one of the most common infections in AIDS patients. Its pathogenesis is poorly understood, but it is believed to develop by gastrointestinal colonization followed by systemic invasion. The relatively poor response to treatment may be partly accounted for by the tremendous mycobacterial load present by the time patients develop systemic symptoms. Clinically, MAC infection is difficult to differentiate from the signs and symptoms of AIDS or from other opportunistic infections. Signs and symptoms include fever, malaise, anorexia, night sweats, and weight loss; diarrhea and abdominal pain may also be present. There is no established therapy for MAC infection, although combinations of three to five antimicrobial agents are typically used. There has been consistently poor correlation between in vitro results and in vivo outcomes in the treatment of MAC infection. Currently, the role of treatment is mainly to suppress the progression of infection and to relieve symptoms. Recent in vitro studies and animal studies have revealed possible alternative agents and combinations of agents (e.g., macrolide antibiotics, quinolones, amikacin, cytokines) that may influence therapy of MAC infection. No known therapy for MAC has been shown to prolong survival in AIDS patients, possibly because of the high organism load that exists once patients become symptomatic. Research is needed to find improved methods for earlier detection of MAC infection, determine optimal dosage regimens of current antimycobacterial agents, develop better antimycobacterial drug-delivery systems (e.g., liposomes), and discover new antimicrobials with better activity against MAC and methods of immune modulation that will overcome immune system defects.
Morphological Priming: The Role of Prime Duration, Semantic Transparency, and Affix Position

Patterns of facilitation in three lexical decision studies reveal several properties of morphologically complex words that influence processing. In one study, effects of morphological (VOWED-VOW) similarity are contrasted with effects of either semantic (PLEDGE-VOW) or orthographic (VOWEL-VOW) similarity at two prime durations to show the distinctiveness of morphological processing. In a second study, we compare morphologically complex forms that are semantically transparent (CASUALLY-CASUALNESS) with opaque forms (CASUALTY-CASUALNESS) and show that opaque relatives are more similar to VOWEL-VOW type pairs than to transparent relatives. In the third study, we examine facilitation for complex targets (CALCULATION) preceded by prefixed (MISCALCULATE) and suffixed (CALCULATOR) relatives and show that the position of the base morpheme influences processing under cross-modal but not under purely visual presentation conditions. Taken collectively, under comparable presentation conditions, semantic transparency but not base morpheme position constrains morphological processing.
The asynchronous multi-user detector based on fast independent component analysis

Deeply analyses the signal characteristics of CDMA receiver on unideal power control instance, deduces the receiving signal model of multi-cell. Presents the asynchronous multi-user detection method based on FastICA, which is naturally near-far and multiple-access interference resistant. The simulation results show that: this method has less iterative time and small calculation quantity and good performance of multi-user detection, which is very suitable for asynchronous multi-user detection on unideal power control and enhance the capability of multi-user receiver.
Early hematological effects of chemo-radiation therapy in cancer patients and their pattern of recovery - A prospective single institution study.

UNLABELLED The purpose of this prospective study is to understand the early hematological effects of chemo-radiation therapy in cancer patients, their pattern of recovery and to ascertain their prognostic value. METHODS 255 diagnosed cancer patients planned for definitive treatment with radiation therapy alone or with chemotherapy were included in this two year prospective study. A complete blood count was done at baseline, weekly during the course of therapy and thereafter, monthly for a period of 6 months. For the purpose of grading clinical toxicity, the Common Toxicity Criteria, CTCAE v2.0 was used while RECIST criteria was used to define the tumor response rates. This study was statistically analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS 255 patients were included in the study wherein head and neck cancers comprised the major patient population (28.6%) followed by cervix (18.8%) and breast (15.7%). Out of these, 37% in head-and-neck cancer subgroup, and 58.3% in cervix had anemia at start of treatment. 92.2% cases with chemoradiation developed anemia during treatment, while with radiation alone it was 95.5%. This was statistically significant in patients with cancer uterine cervix (p 〈 0.01). At the end of treatment 65% patients with normal hemoglobin had complete responses (CR), while 58.3% with mild anemia and 33.3% with moderate anemia had CR (p=0.1). CONCLUSIONS Severe anemia during treatment is a poor prognostic indicator and is usually a sign of advanced disease. Leucopenia and thrombocytopenia occur more commonly during chemoradiotherapy as against radiotherapy alone, but improves with supportive management.
Phase I trial of dose escalation with growth factor support in patients with previously untreated diffuse aggressive lymphomas: determination of the maximum-tolerated dose of ProMACE-CytaBOM.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, etoposide, prednisone, bleomycin, cytarabine, methotrexate, and leucovorin (ProMACE-CytaBOM) when the myelotoxic drugs cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, etoposide, and cytarabine are escalated. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-eight eligible patients with diffuse aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were treated on a phase I trial of dose escalation using the ProMACE-CytaBOM regimen and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF; Schering, Kenilworth, NJ). Patients were treated with recombinant (r)GM-CSF 10 microg/kg/d subcutaneously from day 9 to 19. Twenty-seven patients had stage IV disease, four had stage III, and seven had bulky stage II. Half of the patients had bone marrow involvement. The median age was 45 years. RESULTS We found that the MTD was 200% for the escalated drugs in this regimen (although we never escalated above the MTD or defined by dose-limiting toxicity) and that the normalized dose-intensity (NDI; defined as the ratio of the received dose-intensity to the 100% dose-intensity of ProcMACE-CytaBOM) decreased with each cycle and was lower for the day-8 drug (cytarabine) than for the day-1 drugs. The complete response (CR) rate was 66%, and 92% of patients who achieved CR are alive without disease with a median follow-up time for survival of 3.6 years. CONCLUSION The MTD of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, etoposide, and cytarabine in the ProMACE-CytaBOM regimen given with growth factor support is 200%, and this dose should be tested in larger phase II trials.
Time for the ECB to normalise its monetary policy? Insights from the Taylor rule. CEPS Commentary, 8 June 2017

Eight years have now passed since the start of the financial crisis. The subsequent Great Recession moved Central Banks to slash interest rates and employ unconventional monetary policy tools to ward off deflationary pressures. The ECB has maintained its main policy rate below 1% since July 2012, and since March 2014 it went below the zero for the rate on the deposit facility. In March 2015, the ECB started a large asset purchase programme (APP) as it felt that it could no longer lower rates. Are the APP and the extraordinarily low interest rate still appropriate, given the current average macro-economic environment in the euro area?
Mannose Receptor Expression and Function Define a New Population of Murine Dendritic Cells1

In vitro the mannose receptor (MR) mediates Ag internalization by dendritic cells (DC) and favors the presentation of mannosylated ligands to T cells. However, in vivo MR seems to play a role not in Ag presentation but in the homeostatic clearance of endogenous ligands, which could have the secondary benefit of reducing the levels of endogenous Ag available for presentation to the adaptive immune system. We have now observed that while MR+ cells are consistently absent from T cell areas of spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes (LN), peripheral LN of untreated adult mice contain a minor population of MR+MHCII+ in the paracortex. This novel MR+ cell population can be readily identified by flow cytometry and express markers characteristic of DC. Furthermore, these MR+ DC-like cells located in T cell areas can be targeted with MR ligands (anti-MR mAb). Numbers of MR+MHCII+ cells in the paracortex are increased upon stimulation of the innate immune system and, accordingly, the amount of anti-MR mAb reaching MR+MHCII+ cells in T cell areas is dramatically enhanced under these conditions. Our results indicate that the MR can act as an Ag-acquisition system in a DC subpopulation restricted to lymphoid organs draining the periphery. Moreover, the effect of TLR agonists on the numbers of these MR+ DC suggests that the immunogenicity of MR ligands could be under the control of innate stimulation. In accordance with these observations, ligands highly specific for the MR elicit enhanced humoral responses in vivo only when administered in combination with endotoxin.
Deciphering the role of malin in the lafora progressive myoclonus epilepsy

Lafora disease (LD) is a fatal, autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder that results in progressive myoclonus epilepsy. A hallmark of LD is the accumulation of insoluble, aberrant glycogen‐like structures called Lafora bodies. LD is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the E3 ubiquitin ligase malin or the glucan phosphatase laforin. Although LD was first described in 1911, its symptoms are still lacking a consistent molecular explanation and, consequently, a cure is far from being achieved. Some data suggest that malin forms a functional complex with laforin. This complex promotes the ubiquitination of proteins involved in glycogen metabolism and misregulation of pathways involved in this process results in Lafora body formation. In addition, recent results obtained from both cell culture and LD mouse models have highlighted a role of the laforin‐malin complex in the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum‐stress and protein clearance pathways. These results suggest that LD should be considered as a novel member of the group of protein clearance diseases such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, or Alzheimer's, in addition to being a glycogen metabolism disease. Herein, we review the latest results concerning the role of malin in LD and attempt to decipher its function. © 2012 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 64(10): 801–808, 2012
The Relationship between Mortality of Lung Transplant Recipients and Serum Cyclosporine Levels: Joint Modeling of Time-to-Event Data and Longitudinal Data

Background: Lung transplantation (LTx) is a well-accepted treatment that can prolong survival of patients with advanced lung disease. Objective: To evaluate the association between serum cyclosporine level (SCL) pattern and mortality of LTx recipients. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 1019 observations on 38 patients who underwent LTx in Masih Daneshvari Hospital from 2000 to 2013. The analysis applied a joint model with shared random effects. Results: The mean±SD age of the recipients was 36±14.5 years. The findings indicated that sex, age, body mass index (BMI), the underlying disease, and cytomegalovirus infection were not associated with mortality. The mortality risk for the recipients with acute rejection (AR) history was 1.54 times that of the recipients who had none (95% CI: 1.08–2.19). The association parameter in the joint model (α = 0.8) showed that higher SCL was associated with lower mortality risk (95% CI: 1–1.011). A slightly linear decreasing trend in SCL mean was found after 10 months post-LTx; a significant 2% per month (95% CI: -0.03 to -0.019). Conclusion: AR history was found to be a risk factor in mortality in Iranian LTx recipients. Given the association between the higher SCL and lower mortality found in this study, it is recommended to pay serious attention to SCL changes in the overall post-transplantation survival assessment in Iranian LTx recipients.
[Asymptomatic Leishmania infection in human population of Wenxian County, Gansu Province].

OBJECTIVE To analyze the status of Leishmania infantum asymptomatic infection in human population of a Kala-azar endemic area in Wenxian County, Gansu Province, and to evaluate the tests used. METHODS Blood samples were tested by PCR using two pairs of primers, RV1-RV2 and K13A-K13B, for detecting Leishmania-specific DNA. ELISA and rK39-dipstick were used to detect Leishmania-specific antibodies. RESULTS The positive rate of PCR, ELISA and rK39-dipstick was 30.9%(83/269). 24.2%(65/269) and 0 (0/269) respectively. CONCLUSION The prevalence of asymptomatic infection of L. infantum in humans is high in the area. PCR test based on RV1-RV2 and K13A-K13B primer pairs is a sensitive and specific method for detecting the asymptomatic infection.
Hepatic expression profiles in retroviral infection: relevance to drug hypersensitivity risk

HIV‐infected patients show a markedly increased risk of delayed hypersensitivity (HS) reactions to potentiated sulfonamide antibiotics (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or TMP/SMX). Some studies have suggested altered SMX biotransformation in HIV infection, but hepatic biotransformation pathways have not been evaluated directly. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is another chronic inflammatory disease with a higher incidence of sulfonamide HS, but it is unclear whether retroviral infection and SLE share risk factors for drug HS. We hypothesized that retroviral infection would lead to dysregulation of hepatic pathways of SMX biotransformation, as well as pathway alterations in common with SLE that could contribute to drug HS risk. We characterized hepatic expression profiles and enzymatic activities in an SIV‐infected macaque model of retroviral infection, and found no evidence for dysregulation of sulfonamide drug biotransformation pathways. Specifically, NAT1, NAT2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYB5R3, MARC1/2, and glutathione‐related genes (GCLC, GCLM, GSS, GSTM1, and GSTP1) were not differentially expressed in drug naïve SIVmac239‐infected male macaques compared to age‐matched controls, and activities for SMX N‐acetylation and SMX hydroxylamine reduction were not different. However, multiple genes that are reportedly over‐expressed in SLE patients were also up‐regulated in retroviral infection, to include enhanced immunoproteasomal processing and presentation of antigens as well as up‐regulation of gene clusters that may be permissive to autoimmunity. These findings support the hypothesis that pathways downstream from drug biotransformation may be primarily important in drug HS risk in HIV infection.
Interaction of Influenza A Viruses with Oviduct Explants of Different Avian Species

Infection of poultry with low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIV) is often associated with mild respiratory symptoms but may also lead to loss in egg production in laying birds. In vivo susceptibility of the reproductive tract for LPAIV infection was reported for turkeys and chickens, but virus-interaction with epithelial cells of the oviduct and possible stimulation of the local antiviral immune responses have not been characterized. In this study, we wanted to investigate the suitability of magnum organ cultures (MOC) as an in vitro model to study virus-host interactions. We compared the susceptibility of duck (Du), chicken (Ch), and turkey (Tu) MOC for three different influenza A viruses (IAV). Overall, the course of infection and the antiviral immune response varied between strains as well as host cell origin, but MOC gave reproducible results for all investigated parameters within each species. While pandemic (p) H1N1 and H9N2 efficiently replicated in MOC-Ch and MOC-Tu, MOC-Du were significantly less susceptible to infection as indicated by a reduced replication level for both viruses (p < 0.05). Overall, virus replication levels did not correlate with interferonα (IFNα) mRNA-expression levels in neither species. H9N2-infection led to a significant upregulation of interferonλ (IFNλ) mRNA expression in MOC of all species compared to the non-infected controls (p < 0.05), while a correlation with replication levels was only seen for MOC-Tu. pH1N1-infection induced only significant upregulation of IFNλ mRNA expression in MOC-Tu at 48 hours post infection (p < 0.05), but the expression pattern did not correlate with replication levels. Our results show that MOC are a suitable model to study IAV-interaction with the mucosal surface of the avian reproductive tract. The data suggest that the reproductive tract may play a role in the pathobiology of IAV in poultry.