Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunologic and virologic status after 14 to 18 years of infection with an attenuated strain of HIV-1. A report from the Sydney Blood Bank Cohort.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS The Sydney Blood Bank Cohort consists of a blood donor and eight transfusion recipients who were infected before 1985 with a strain of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) with a deletion in the region in which the nef gene and the long terminal repeat overlap. Two recipients have died since 1994, at 77 and 83 years of age, of causes unrelated to HIV infection; one other recipient, who had systemic lupus erythematosus, died in 1987 at 22 years of age of causes possibly related to HIV. We present longitudinal immunologic and virologic data on the six surviving members and one deceased member of this cohort through September 30, 1998. RESULTS The five surviving recipients remain asymptomatic 14 to 18 years after HIV-1 infection without any antiretroviral therapy; however, the donor commenced therapy in February 1999. In three recipients plasma concentrations of HIV-1 RNA are undetectable (<200 copies per milliliter), and in two of these three the CD4 lymphocyte counts have declined by 9 and 30 cells per cubic millimeter per year (P=0.3 and P=0.5, respectively). The donor and two other recipients have median plasma concentrations of HIV-1 RNA of 645 to 2850 copies per milliliter; the concentration has increased in the donor (P<0.001). The CD4 lymphocyte counts in these three cohort members have declined by 16 to 73 cells per cubic millimeter per year (P<0.001). In the recipient who died after 12 years of infection, the median plasma concentration of HIV-1 RNA was 1400 copies per milliliter, with a decline in CD4 lymphocyte counts of 17 cells per cubic millimeter per year (P=0.2). CONCLUSIONS After prolonged infection with this attenuated strain of HIV-1, there is evidence of immunologic damage in three of the four subjects with detectable plasma HIV-1 RNA. The CD4 lymphocyte counts appear to be stable in the three subjects in whom plasma HIV-1 RNA remains undetectable.
A Concept Analysis of the Role of Fatherhood: A Japanese Perspective

A concept analysis of the father's role is presented from a Japanese perspective. To conceptualize the term father's role, the process for concept analysis was employed. The analysis resulted in a definition of the term and four defining attributes. Two dimensions of the father's role emerged as being most commonly used or implied: a behavioral dimension and a consequential dimension. Each of these dimensions had another four subcategories in terms of the direction of the consequences: those were to the child, the mother, the family, and the father himself. The findings will assist in instrument development and to a further understanding of the concept that will stimulate nursing theory development and research.
The fine specificity of regulatory T cells. I. Hen egg-white lysozyme-induced suppressor T cells in a genetically nonresponder mouse strain do not recognize a closely related immunogenic lysozyme.

We have demonstrated the induction of suppressor T cells of highly restricted specificity in a nonresponder strain. HEL (hen egg-white lysozyme) fails to elicit an antibody response in C57BL/10 (B10) mice whereas the closely related REL (ring-necked pheasant egg-white lysozyme) is strongly immunogenic. However, an anti-HEL primary antibody response can be obtained in B10 mice in vivo or in vitro by coupling HEL to red blood cells (RBC). Preimmunization with HEL-CFA induced reduction of the anti-HEL PFC response to a subsequent challenge with HEL-RBC. Suppression was demonstrated by in vitro mixing experiments and was mediated with remarkable efficiency by I-J positive suppressor T cells. Suppression was specific for the anti-HEL response and did not affect the anti-RBC response. Both IgM and IgG anti-HEL in vivo antibody responses showed 70 to 80% suppression. Relatively high doses of antigen were required to generate efficient suppression. Optimal suppression was reached within 4 weeks after HEL priming and remained maximal at least 9 weeks after priming. Fine specificity in the expression of suppressive activity was displayed by HEL-specific suppressor cells that were not able to suppress an anti-REL response. Furthermore, REL priming did not suppress an in vitro anti-HEL response to HEL-RBC. The close similarity in amino acid sequence and in B cell cross-reactivity between HEL and REL, contrasted with the lack of REL recognition by HEL-specific suppressor T cells, indicates that a limited region on the nonimmunogenic HEL, absent on REL, can account for the induction of suppression.
Occupational Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Cancer Registry-based Study

Previous studies have suggested that certain occupational groups may be at increased risk for prostate cancer. A cancer registry-based case-control study was conducted to investigate possible associations between various occupations and the risk of prostate cancer among 1,239 cose subjects and 3,717 agematched control subjects. Elevated relative risk estimates were observed for farmers, mechanics, sheet metal workers, separating machine operators, and for men employed in several manufacturing industries. These findings are discussed in the context of previous studies, and suggestions for future research are provided.
Genitourinary malignancies in India: Laying the foundations for the future

Tumors of the genitourinary system are one of the most common tumors encountered in clinical practice. The associated morbidity and mortality and the significant proportion of affected middle‑age individuals have a major bearing on the death‑adjusted life years compared to other malignancies. Genitourinary system tumors encompass a very broad spectrum with regard to age, location, histology, and clinical outcomes. Advances in diagnostic imaging, surgical techniques, radiotherapy equipment, and generation of newer chemotherapeutic and targeted agents over the past few years have helped improving treatment outcome. Several focused groups within India have been working on a range of topics related to genitourinary system tumors, and a significant body of work from India in the recent years is being increasingly recognized throughout the world. The present article summarizes the key published work related to the epidemiology of genitourinary system tumors in the Indian setting. A PubMed search was made for locating and selecting articles relevant to the topic.
A posteriori error analysis of Euler-Galerkin approximations to coupled elliptic-parabolic problems

We analyze Euler-Galerkin approximations (conforming finite elements in space and im- plicit Euler in time) to coupled PDE systems in which one dependent variable, say u ,i s governed by an elliptic equation and the other, say p, by a parabolic-like equation. The underlying application is the poroelasticity system within the quasi-static assumption. Different polynomial orders are used for the u -a ndp-components to obtain optimally convergent ap rioribounds for all the terms in the error energy norm. Then, a residual-type a posteriori error analysis is performed. Upon extending the ideas of Verfurth for the heat equation (Calcolo 40 (2003) 195-212), an optimally convergent bound is derived for the dominant term in the error energy norm and an equivalence result between residual and error is proven. The error bound can be classically split into time error, space error and data oscillation terms. Moreover, upon extending the elliptic reconstruction technique introduced by Makridakis and Nochetto (SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 41 (2003) 1585-1594), an optimally convergent bound is derived for the remaining terms in the error energy norm. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the theoretical analysis.
Assessment of left ventricular perfusion, volumes, and motion in mice using pinhole gated SPECT.

UNLABELLED Quantitative functional normal data should be a prerequisite before applying SPECT in murine models of cardiac disease. Therefore, we investigated the capability of in vivo pinhole gated SPECT for establishment of a reference database for left ventricular myocardial perfusion, volumes, and motion in normal mice. METHODS A small-animal dedicated pinhole gamma-camera with a field of view of 17 cm and a focal distance of 12 cm was used with a 1.5-mm pinhole and a 2.5-cm radius of rotation. Phantoms were designed to test spatial resolution and microvolume measurements of accuracy. Eight adult normal mice (CD1) were studied using a heated mixture of air (0.3 L/min) and 1.5%-2.5% isoflurane for anesthesia. For myocardial perfusion, 350-450 MBq of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin were used in 0.15-0.25 mL. Gated acquisitions (8 or 10 time bins per cardiac cycle) were obtained using a 180 degrees circular arc and 48 anterior projections of 300 R-R intervals. Image reconstruction was done using a specific Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART) cone-beam algorithm. For quantification, reconstructed images were processed using standard nuclear medicine software. RESULTS Millimetric spatial resolution and volume calibration linear relationships (r(2) = 0.99) in the 10- to 100-muL range were obtained in phantoms and used to scale in vivo volume values. In mice, left ventricular perfusion was lower in the apex (65% +/- 6%) versus lateral (72% +/- 5%), inferior (74% +/- 5%), septum (75% +/- 4%), and anterior (74% +/- 2%) walls. The left ventricular ejection fraction was 60% +/- 9%, end-diastolic volume was 50 +/- 8 muL, end-systolic volume was 20 +/- 6 muL, stroke volume was 29.5 +/- 6 muL, and cardiac output was 9.6 +/- 1.6 mL/min. Wall thickening was higher in the apex (47% +/- 12%) versus lateral (30% +/- 9%), inferior (33% +/- 8%), septum (37% +/- 10%), and anterior (33% +/- 10%) walls. CONCLUSION This work shows that in vivo pinhole gated SPECT can be used for assessment of left ventricular perfusion, volumes, and cardiac function in normal mice.
Chemotherapy of Lung Cancer

POPULATION-BASED statistics on lung cancer in the United States must give pause even to hardened optimists. Carcinoma of the lung was the second most common cancer and the leading cause of death from cancer last year.1 Therapeutic results in this disease have been stagnant, with only a minimal increase in five-year survival between 1974 and 1987.2 Although a reduction in cigarette smoking began to produce an age-adjusted decrease in the incidence of disease among men in about 1988, the incidence among women is moving in the opposite direction, more than doubling between 1973 and 1988.2 Furthermore, even if all cigarette .
Diagnosis of Bovine Tuberculosis in Lactating Cattle and Buffaloes by Comparative Intradermal Tuberculin Test and Bovine Gamma-Interferon Immunoassay

Two hundred lactating animals (158 cattle and 42 buffaloes) of organized and unorganized farms were investigated for the bovine TB using comparative intradermal tuberculin test (CITT) and IFN-γ assay. CITT was performed using avian and bovine PPD and IFN-γ assay by Mycobacterium bovis gamma interferon test kit. Overall, 14.5% and 11.5% animals were found positive by CITT and IFN-γ assay, respectively. However, 22.5% animals were detected TB positive through combination of both the tests. So, both CITT and IFN-γ assay, when used together lead to more accurate screening for bovine TB in dairy herd.
ANTIHYPERTENSIVE ACTIVITY OF FRUITS OF LAGENARIA SICERARIA IN DEXAMETHASONE INDUCED HYPERTENSION IN RATS

A study was conducted in albino wistar rats to evaluate the antihypertensive effect of a herbal drug, Lagenaria siceraria in Dexamethasone induced hypertension. Duration of the experiment was 5 days. During the study, aqueous, ethanol, petroleum ether and chloroform extracts of fruits of Lagenaria siceraria were given by orally. The parameter observed was blood pressure. Bloodpressure was measured by the tail cuff method. The results suggested that theaqueous extract of fruits of Lagenaria siceraria possesses antihypertensive effect in Dexamethasone induced hypertension.
Obstetric Anesthesia

Preeclampsia Preeclampsia affects 5% of all pregnancies and carries a burden of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Early in the disease process, fetal cytotrophoblasts fail to invade and remodel the placenta’s spiral arteries, which leads to placental ischemia. This failure triggers the clinical signs of the disease (hypertension, edema, clotting problems, proteinuria, eclampsia, and HELLP [hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets] syndrome). Excess placental soluble substances, such as tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1), contribute to the development of preeclampsia by binding to proangiogenic proteins, which therefore cannot bind to endothelial cell receptors, thus causing placental endothelial dysfunction. One study showed that high serum levels of sFlt-1 and low levels of placental growth factor (PlGF) predict subsequent development of preeclampsia. Levels of sFlt-1 increase about 5 weeks before the onset of the disease. Reduced concentrations of urine PlGF could predict preeclampsia when measured during routine antenatal care. Another study showed that an increased sFlt-1/PlGF ratio had an 88% sensitivity and 100% specificity in differentiating preeclamptic women at the time of clinical diagnosis from normotensive controls. Yet another study showed that mean uterine artery pulsatility index was significantly higher in the first and second trimesters of women who eventually developed preeclampsia. This finding occurred even earlier than the alterations of antiangiogenic proteins previously discussed. The data suggest that impaired placentation, antiangiogenic factors, endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress predate preeclampsia by several weeks. Preeclampsia is more common in a woman’s first pregnancy, but the mechanism remains unknown. Spinal anesthesia is a viable technique for severe preeclamptic parturients undergoing cesarean delivery. Two studies investigated the hemodynamic effects of regional anesthesia in these high-risk patients. One study showed that when hypotension occurred, the magnitude of the decrease in blood pressure was similar between preeclamptic women and controls, but preeclamptic patients needed less ephedrine to return the blood pressure to baseline values. In a separate study, the hemodynamic effects of spinal versus epidural anesthesia for cesarean delivery in women with severe preeclampsia were assessed. Spinal anesthesia was associated with a notably greater incidence of hypotension (51% vs 23%) and a greater use of ephedrine than epidural anesthesia. Hypotension was of brief duration and was easily treated in all patients. The authors concluded that spinal anesthesia was a safe technique for patients with severe preeclampsia.
FibroScan and FibroTest to assess liver fibrosis in HCV with normal aminotransferases

We read with great interest and enthusiasm the AASLD practice guidelines, “Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma” where the current status of surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as well as diagnosis, staging, and treatment of patients with HCC was comprehensively reviewed.1 Specific evidence supporting recommendations were provided and areas requiring active research noted. In the treatment section regarding percutaneous ablation, we concurred this is the best treatment option for patients with early stage HCC who are not suitable for resection or transplantation. Nevertheless, the statement that there are no randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing local ablation to resection may be somewhat misleading and thus needs clarification. In Taiwan where chronic viral hepatitis and HCC are endemic,2 we have conducted a prospective study to compare tumor recurrence and survival among patients with small HCC after surgical resection or percutaneous ethanol injection therapy.3 In this study, a total of 76 eligible patients were randomly assigned to two groups based on treatment. By using Cox regression model and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, our results showed no statistical significance for tumor recurrence and a similar survival benefit between the two treatment groups. Although the number of patients in this study is relatively small, our observations clearly imply that percutaneous ethanol injection therapy appears to be as safe and effective as surgical resection, and both treatments can be considered first-line therapeutic options for small HCC. With these encouraging results, further larger prospective randomized controlled studies are awaited to compare other local ablation modalities (radiofrequency, microwave, laser or cryotherapy) with surgical resection for the treatment of small HCC.
Internalization of bacterial redox protein azurin in mammalian cells: entry domain and specificity

Azurin is a member of a group of copper‐containing redox proteins called cupredoxins. Different cupredoxins are produced by different aerobic bacteria as agents of electron transfer. Recently, we demonstrated that azurin enters into J774 and several types of cancer cells leading to the induction of apoptosis. We now demonstrate that azurin is internalized in J774 or cancer cells in a temperature‐dependent manner. Azurin shows preferential entry into cancer compared with normal cells. An 28‐amino‐acid fragment of azurin fused to glutathione S‐transferase (GST) or the green fluorescent protein (GFP), which are incapable of entering mammalian cells by themselves, can be internalized in J774 or human melanoma or breast cancer cells at 37°C, but not at 4°C. Competition experiments as well as studies with inhibitors such as cytochalasin D suggest that azurin may enter cells, at least in part, by a receptor‐mediated endocytic process. The 28‐amino‐acid peptide therefore acts as a potential protein transduction domain (PTD), and can be used as a vehicle to transport cargo proteins such as GST and GST–GFP fusion proteins. Another member of the cupredoxin family, rusticyanin, that has also been shown to enter J774 and human cancer cells and exert cytotoxicity, does not demonstrate preferential entry for cancer cells and lacks the structural features characteristic of the azurin PTD.
A precondition technique with reconstruction of data similarity based classification for short-term load forecasting

This paper proposes an efficient ANN (artificial neural network) based method for short-term load forecasting in power systems. The proposed method classifies input data into clusters and reconstructs them to acquire sufficient learning data so that more exact load forecasting is realized at reconstructed each cluster. The classification of input data makes the construction of the load forecasting model easier due to the data similarity. Also, the reconstruction of clusters is useful for handling a cluster with insufficient data or data dose to the classification boundary. In this paper, the self-organization map (SOM) of Kohonen is used as a classifier since it has a feature that output neurons are assigned to preserve the similar features in the topological map. Based on the output neuron, the clusters are reconstructed to acquire appropriate learning data. As a forecasting model at each cluster, the radial basis function network (RBFN) is employed due to the excellent function of nonlinear approximation. The proposed method is successfully applied to real data of utilities in Japan. A comparison between the proposed and conventional methods is made in terms of average and maximum errors.
Isolation and characterization of a xylose-dependent promoter from Caulobacter crescentus

An inducible promoter is a useful tool for the controlled expression of a given gene. Accordingly, we identified, cloned, and sequenced a chromosomal locus, xylX, from Caulobacter crescentus which is required for growth on xylose as the sole carbon source and showed that transcription from a single site is dependent on the presence of xylose in the growth medium. P(xylX) promoter activity was determined as a function of the composition of the growth medium both in single copy and on a plasmid using different reporter genes. One hundred micromolar exogenously added xylose was required for maximal induction of P(xylX) in a strain that is unable to metabolize xylose. P(xylX) activity was induced immediately after the addition of xylose and repressed almost completely when xylose was removed from the growth medium. In addition to the strong transcriptional control, the expression of xylX is also regulated on the translational level.
The Use of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor in Clozapine Rechallenge: A Systematic Review

Purpose/Background Clozapine is associated with hematological abnormalities, with neutropenia and agranulocytosis of most concern. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been used to support clozapine rechallenge after neutropenia with the aim of maintaining the neutrophil count. This study aims to explore the practice, use, safety, and efficacy of G-CSF in this context. Methods/Procedures We conducted a systematic review to identify all studies investigating or describing G-CSF as a prophylaxis to enable continued clozapine treatment during a rechallenge. Findings/Results We identified 32 reports of patients who received G-CSF either regularly (n = 23) or as required (n = 9) to support clozapine rechallenge after an episode of neutropenia necessitating discontinuation of clozapine. Seventy-five percent (n = 24) of published cases remained on clozapine with the use of continual prophylactic G-CSF or after single G-CSF administrations (n = 8). Seventy percent (n = 16) of patients in receipt of continual prophylactic G-CSF were successfully maintained on clozapine. However, 1 of the 3 episodes of rechallenge in those with a history of severe agranulocytosis (absolute neutrophil count <0.1 × 109/L) had a recurrence of agranulocytosis at week 9. Implications/Conclusions Our findings suggest that G-CSF can sometimes be safely used to support the maintenance of normal neutrophil counts and clozapine use after neutropenia. Publication bias is an important limitation, however. Also, few reports clearly documented the presence or absence of an independent nonclozapine cause of the index neutropenia, which may have increased success rates. Furthermore, adverse events were not systematically recorded. Prospective studies are needed to determine safety because if agranulocytosis occurs on clozapine while supported by G-CSF, there is no obvious alternate rescue therapy to promote granulopoiesis. From the available data, it is not possible to recommend this course of action for someone with a true clozapine agranulocytosis.