Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outcome of laparoscopic adrenalectomy for resection of unilateral noninvasive adrenocortical tumors in 11 cats

Objective: To describe the technique and outcomes of laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) in cats with adrenocortical neoplasia. Study design: Retrospective case series. Animals: Eleven client‐owned cats with unilateral adrenal tumors. Methods: Medical records of cats that underwent LA for unilateral functional adrenal tumors at 3 veterinary teaching hospitals were reviewed. Data collected included signalment, clinical signs, physical examination findings, diagnostic imaging results, preoperative laboratory tests, laparoscopic port placement and techniques, duration of anesthesia and surgery, complications, concomitant procedures, need for conversion to an open celiotomy, histopathological diagnosis, and postoperative survival. Results: Eleven cats were included, 5 with right‐sided and 6 with left‐sided tumors. Tumors were aldosterone‐secreting (n = 8), progesterone‐secreting (n = 2), or testosterone‐secreting (n = 1). Adrenalectomy was successfully performed in all 11 cats although 4 cases required conversion to an open celiotomy, due to poor visualization (n = 2), close adherence of the tumor to the caudal vena cava (n = 1), and inability to maintain adequate pneumoperitoneum (n = 1). Ten of the 11 cats were discharged from the hospital, with a median survival time of 803 days (range 467‐1123 days). One cat died from severe pancreatitis and cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Conclusion: Adrenalectomy can be performed in cats via laparoscopy but is technically challenging, and associated with a relatively high conversion rate (36%).
A Taxonomy of Web Site Traversal Patterns and Structures

As electronic commerce grows rapidly and web sites proliferate, the issue of web site design becomes increasingly important. An important aspect of web site design is the set of choices for traversing from one web site page to another and the ramifications that these choices have for establishing the overall flow patterns throughout the web site. This study establishes, for the first time, a taxonomy of web site traversal patterns and structures, which will allow the organized study of the navigational aspects of web site design. It also points out the ramifications of key structures. Finally, it describes how the use of traversal patterns and structures can achieve web sites that range from loose to tight control of the end-users’ experience in visiting the web site.
Purification and characterization of an 80-kilodalton Trypanosoma cruzi urinary antigen

A Trypanosoma cruzi antigen eliminated in the urine of experimentally infected dogs was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay between 9 and 28 days after infection. The parasite urinary antigen (UAg) was purified by affinity chromatography with polyclonal antibodies to T. cruzi. The eluate of the antibody column was subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography and showed a single peak of A280. This antigen was the only parasite component found in the urine of infected dogs during the course of acute T. cruzi infection. Antigen characterization was performed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, lectin affinity chromatography, proteolytic digestion, and Western blotting (immunoblotting). The isolated UAg exhibited a relative molecular size of 80 kilodaltons (kDa), an isoelectric point of 6.2 to 6.8, binding to concanavalin A, and sensitivity to trypsin. The parasite antigen was electroeluted from polyacrylamide gels and subjected to acid hydrolysis and amino acid analysis by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The 80-kDa glycoprotein was recognized by serum antibodies from a wide variety of T. cruzi-infected hosts. The UAg proved to be a highly antigenic component present in different strains of T. cruzi. This 80-kDa polypeptide resembles one of the parasite antigens previously found in the urine of patients with acute Chagas' disease.
Leptin and Gestational Weight Gain: Relation of Maternal and Cord Blood Leptin to Birth Weight

Objectives: To determine maternal serum leptin concentrations throughout normal pregnancy, as well as cord blood leptin concentration, and to correlate serum and cord blood leptin levels with gestational weight gain and birth weight, respectively. Methods: This study comprised 52 normal pregnant women, including 11 in the first, 19 in the second, and 22 in the third trimester, in addition to 30 healthy, fertile nonpregnant women of comparable age and with normal body mass index (BMI). Maternal blood and fetal cord blood samples were withdrawn from the normal, healthy pregnant women and the nonpregnant controls for hte determination of serum leptin by a specific radioimmunoassay. Results: Maternal serum leptin concentrations in the first trimester did not differ significantly from those of healthy nonpregnant control subjects, whereas leptin concentrations in the second and third trimesters were elevated significantly. There were significant positive correlations between maternal serum leptin concentration and gastational age, gestational weight, and BMI. Cord blood leptin concentration correlated positively with birgh weight and third trimester maternal serum leptin. Conclusion: Elevated serum leptin is associated with maternal adiposity and risk of developing large for gastational age infants.
Size-assortative mating in
 Drosophila malerkotliana
 


The relationships between wing size, locomotor activity, mating latency, courtship pattern and mating success (total number of pairs mated in a given time unit) were studied in pairs of Drosophila malerkotlianaMating latency was negatively correlated with wing length and with locomotor activity while wing length and locomotor activity were positively related. In trios of a female and a long-winged and a short-winged male, long-winged males mated more successfully than short-winged males. In trios of a male and a long-winged and a short-winged female, long-winged males mated with long-winged females, and short-winged males with short-winged females. In addition, in pairs of long-winged/short-winged flies, long-winged flies courted and mated more successfully than short-winged flies.
PET/CT Assessment of Symptomatic Individuals with Obstructive and Nonobstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) exhibit elevated left ventricular outflow tract gradients (LVOTGs) and appear to have a worse prognosis than those with nonobstructive HCM. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether patients with obstruction, compared with nonobstructive HCM, demonstrate significant differences in PET parameters of microvascular function. Methods: PET was performed in 33 symptomatic HCM patients at rest and during dipyridamole stress (peak) for the assessment of regional myocardial perfusion (rMP), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), myocardial blood flow (MBF), and myocardial flow reserve (MFR). Myocardial wall thickness and LVOTG were measured with an echocardiogram. Patients were divided into the following 3 groups: nonobstructive (LVOTG < 30 mm Hg at rest and after provocation test with amyl nitrite), obstructive (LVOTG ≥ 30 mm Hg at rest and with provocation), and latent HCM (LVOTG < 30 at rest but ≥ 30 mm Hg with provocation). Results: Eleven patients were classified as nonobstructive (group 1), 12 as obstructive (group 2), and 10 as latent HCM (group 3). Except for age (42 ± 18 y for group 1, 58 ± 7 y for group 2, and 58 ± 12 y for group 3; P = 0.01), all 3 groups had similar baseline characteristics, including maximal wall thickness (2.3 ± 0.5 cm for group 1, 2.2 ± 0.4 cm for group 2, and 2.1 ± 0.7 cm for group 3; P = 0.7). During peak flow, most patients in groups 1 and 2, but fewer in group 3, exhibited rMP defects (73% for group 1, 100% for group 2, and 40% for group 3; P = 0.007) and a drop in LVEF (73% for group 1, 92% for group 2, and 50% for group 3; P = 0.09). Peak MBF (1.58 ± 0.49 mL/min/g for group 1, 1.72 ± 0.46 mL/min/g for group 2, and 1.97 ± 0.32 mL/min/g for group 3; P = 0.14) and MFR (1.62 ± 0.57 for group 1, 1.90 ± 0.31 for group 2, and 2.27 ± 0.51 for group 3; P = 0.01) were lower in the nonobstructive and higher in the latent HCM group. LVOTGs demonstrated no significant correlation with any flow dynamics. In a multivariate regression analysis, maximal wall thickness was the only significant predictor for reduced peak MBF (β = −0.45, P = 0.003) and MFR (β = −0.63, P = 0.0001). Conclusion: Maximal wall thickness was identified as the strongest predictor of impaired dipyridamole-induced hyperemia and flow reserve in our study, whereas outflow tract obstruction was not an independent determinant.
Third-party reproduction and adoption in cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether cancer patients receive timely information on adoption and third-party reproduction and whether discrimination exists in the system. METHODS A convenience sample of 11 cancer organizations, 6 international adoption agencies, and 7 adoption specialists was informally surveyed by phone, by e-mail, and in person. RESULTS Cancer organizations did not know whether cancer is a barrier to adoption; what a survivor needs to do to adopt; or whether or not a cancer survivor should disclose their cancer history to the adoption agency, home study worker, etc. They could not identify resources for a survivor experiencing discrimination or adoption agencies that are cancer friendly. They did not know whether a survivor should adopt domestically or internationally to increase the likelihood of success. Adoption agencies identified their chief concern as the welfare of the child and were reluctant to discuss how a cancer survivor would be viewed as a potential adoptive parent. CONCLUSIONS Cancer patients lack immediate access to information about adoption and may face discrimination in domestic and international adoption.
Bone Status of Children With Hemophilia A Assessed With Quantitative Ultrasound Sonography (QUS) and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA)

Recent studies report reduced bone mineral density (BMD) even among young adults and children with hemophilia. Our aim was to assess bone status in children and adolescents with hemophilia with 2 methods: Quantitative UltraSonography (QUS) and Dual energy x-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), and consequently to investigate the degree of correlation between them. Twenty-seven patients (17 with severe hemophilia; residual factor activity <1% and 10 with moderate hemophilia) participated in the study. Mean age was 12.28±4.48 y (range: 4.94 to 18.00 y). All patients were evaluated with QUS at radius and at tibia and had DXA scan at lumbar spine. Anthropometric parameters were measured using standard techniques and joint evaluation was carried out using the Hemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS). Only 2 out of 27 patients (7.5%) had BMD Z-scores <−2, whereas another 4 patients (15%) had BMD Z-scores between −1 and −2. QUS values in both radius and tibia were generally within the normal limits as only 1 patient had radius and another 1 had tibia QUS Z-score <−2. HJH scores were significantly although negatively correlated to Z-scores of tibia QUS (r=−0.455, P=0.034). No correlations were observed between lumbar BMD and radius or tibia QUS and no agreement was recorded between QUS and DXA in identifying patients at risk for osteoporosis (k=0.262). In conclusion, our study showed that only a small number of children and young adults with hemophilia have impaired bone properties as assessed both by DXA and QUS; no correlation was observed between these 2 methods.
Capacitive impedance readout tactile image sensor

The transduction of mechanical forces to representative electrical signals uses a three layer sandwich structure. The top layer is columns of compliant metal strips over a central elastic dielectric sheet. The bottom layer is a flexible printed circuit board with rows of metal strips and multiplexing circuits. Electrically, the sensor is a capacitor array formed by the row and column crossings with the middle layer functioning as a dielectric spring. A readout of the capacitor values corresponds to a sampled tactile image. The reasons for choosing this transduction method, the performance advantages of capacitive sensing and the design and integration of 64 element imagers into the fingers of a controlled compliance gripper are described.
Opinions of personality disorder experts regarding the DSM-IV personality disorders classification system.

OBJECTIVE To survey the opinions of personality disorder (PD) experts on possible revisions in the classification system for PDs in the DSM-V. METHOD Four hundred members of two international associations, the Association for Research on Personality Disorders, and the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders, were asked to take a 78-item web survey. RESULTS Of the experts who completed the survey (N = 96), 74% felt that the DSM-IV's categorical system of PD diagnosis should be replaced. Eighty percent felt that PDs are better conceived of as personality dimensions or illness spectra, than as categories. The most frequently endorsed alternative system for PDs was a mixed system of categories and dimensions. Most experts preferred the PDs to remain on Axis II. Only 31.3% wanted the term, "Borderline Personality Disorder," retained in the DSM-V. CONCLUSIONS A clear majority of the PD experts were dissatisfied with the current diagnostic system for PDs.
Endovascular Stenting of Tandem Carotid Artery Origin and Bifurcation Stenotic Lesions Using Flow Reversal.

Background The treatment of tandem lesions involving severe stenosis of the internal carotid artery with concomitant stenosis of the ipsilateral common carotid artery (CCA) origin represents an ongoing challenge. Current options for the treatment of tandem carotid artery origin and bifurcation stenotic lesions include open surgical endarterectomy, endovascular stenting, balloon angioplasty, and hybrid procedures combining both modalities. However, these options are either associated with high peri-operative risks or not always anatomically feasible. Case Description We report, for the first time in North America (to the best of our knowledge), an alternative treatment modality that involves obtaining access through a direct carotid cut-down, with serial treatment of the tandem lesions through a combination of retrograde and anterograde endovascular stenting. Conclusion This technique obviates the need for navigating the aortic arch in patients with difficult arch anatomy and permits the use of distal embolic protection devices, thus decreasing the risk of peri-operative ischemic events.
The high concentration of free myo-inositol in rete testis fluid from rams.

A high concentration of free inositol has been found in the semen of a number of species and most of this seems to arise from the accessory glands, not the epididymis (Mann, 1954, 1964; Hartree, 1957). However, appreciable concentrations of myo-inositol occur in the testis (Dawson & Freinkel, 1961), and recent evidence suggests that it is most likely formed there from glucose via glucose-6-phosphate and d-myo-inositol-l-phosphate (Eisenberg, 1967). This high concentration in the testis prompted us to examine the levels of free inositol in rete testis fluid.
Human culture and the future dementia epidemic

Late-onset dementias are life-shortening diseases of largely unknown cause. Predictions of the number of persons living with dementia by 2050 have spawned alarming headlines forecasting a “tsunami” of dementia cases that will overwhelm families and health care systems and impose unbearable economic burdens. Recommendations to avert the “dementia crisis” include increased early diagnosis and treatment, and applying the tools of clinical neuroscience to determine how to delay and eventually cure the disease. Although the ultimate goals remain elusive, there have been advances on both fronts, which should not be considered in isolation.
Middleware for Smart Heterogeneous Critical Infrastructure Networks Intercommunication

Abstract Critical Infrastructures (CIs) are physical assets and organizations responsible for the production and distribution of society’s vital goods and services. The increasing interconnection of CIs has resulted in interdependencies which might lead to propagation of failure from one infrastructure to another. Most of current critical infrastructures are equipped with data collection and communication capabilities that can be used to inform and warn other CIs about such events and alarms. In this paper, a publish/subscribe-based communication system among dissimilar (heterogeneous) CIs is presented. The proposed system improves the manageability of CIs by providing an exchange medium for status information and alerts. It achieves this via a uniform architecture, within and across infrastructure boundaries, that maintains data restrictions that reflect real life organizational, administrative, and policy boundaries. Finally, the proposed system is modeled using the OMNET++ simulation framework, and a network performance study investigating scalability is presented. Simulation results showed that system scalability depends on service time per packet, subscription density, and number of clients per router.
In-situ monitor electrochemical processes in batteries using vibrating microcantilevers

In this paper, we propose a novel in-situ technique to characterize electrochemical processes in lithium ion batteries (LIB) by monitoring the frequency shift of microcantilevers. The fabricated cantilevers coated with battery electrodes were tested in a home made liquid cell, and their mass changes associated with SEI formation and lithium insertion were monitored by a laser vibrometer. The resonant frequency of cantilevers before cycling was 18,400Hz and shifted to 16,800Hz after lithiation. The initial mass of the cantilever before cycling was measured 45.35 μg. Therefore, the lithium stored in the silicon anode during the first lithiation was estimated 7. 89μg.
Clostridium difficile Extracytoplasmic Function σ Factor σV Regulates Lysozyme Resistance and Is Necessary for Pathogenesis in the Hamster Model of Infection

ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile is a clinically important pathogen and the most common cause of hospital-acquired infectious diarrhea. Expression of the C. difficile gene csfV, which encodes σV, an extracytoplasmic function σ factor, is induced by lysozyme, which damages the peptidoglycan of bacteria. Here we show that σV is required for lysozyme resistance in C. difficile. Using microarray analysis, we identified the C. difficile genes whose expression is dependent upon σV and is induced by lysozyme. Although the peptidoglycan of wild-type C. difficile is intrinsically highly deacetylated, we have found that exposure to lysozyme leads to additional peptidoglycan deacetylation. This lysozyme-induced deacetylation is dependent upon σV. Expression of pdaV, which encodes a putative peptidoglycan deacetylase, was able to increase lysozyme resistance of a csfV mutant. The csfV mutant strain is severely attenuated compared to wild-type C. difficile in a hamster model of C. difficile-associated disease. We conclude that the σV signal transduction system, which senses the host innate immune defense enzyme lysozyme, is required for lysozyme resistance and is necessary during C. difficile infection.
Anxiety buffer disruption theory: a terror management account of posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract We present anxiety buffer disruption theory (ABDT) and provide a review of current evidence regarding the theory. ABDT is an application of terror management theory to explain diverse reactions to traumatic events and the onset and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It posits that PTSD results from a disruption in one's anxiety-buffering mechanisms, which normally provide protection against anxiety in general and death anxiety in particular. The disruption of these mechanisms leaves the individual defenseless in the face of overwhelming anxiety, which leads to the major symptom clusters of PTSD: re-experiencing, hyper-arousal, and avoidance. According to ABDT, because of the disruption in their anxiety-buffering mechanisms, individuals with PTSD symptoms do not respond to mortality reminders in the defensive ways that psychologically healthier individuals do. We review four sets of studies conducted in four different cultures and with people who have experienced different types of trauma, which reveal this atypical response pattern and lend support to ABDT.
Extracellular matrix remodeling in heart failure: a role for de novo angiotensin II generation.

Heart failure is a major health problem worldwide. In the United States, it represents the number one hospital discharge diagnosis among elderly persons each year. It appears most commonly in patients with previous MI.1,2 The chronically failing heart of ischemic origin is characterized by iterations in tissue structure, particularly fibrous tissue formation, that appear in infarcted and noninfarcted myocardium of both right and left ventricles.3,4 In other words, fibrosis appears at the site of MI as well as remote from it. Fibrosis remote from the infarct site is considered “the major cause of ventricular remodeling” in ischemic cardiomyopathy.4 Such an adverse accumulation of extracellular matrix initially raises myocardial stiffness; its continued accumulation further increases stiffness and impairs contractile behavior.5–10 Elucidating cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for accumulation of extracellular matrix is essential to designing cardioprotective and reparative strategies that could prevent or regress fibrosis, respectively, after infarction.11,12 ACE inhibition has proved effective in reducing mortal and morbid events, improving symptomatic status, and attenuating the progressive nature of cardiac failure in symptomatic patients with ventricular diastolic and/or systolic dysfunction in whom activation of the circulating RAAS is present.1,13,14 ACE inhibitor–mediated reductions in circulating Ang II and aldosterone no doubt contribute to this salutary response. This would include an attenuation of well-recognized endocrine properties of these hormones, such as altered sodium homeostasis and vascular tonicity, and their adverse influence on matrix structure of atria and ventricles.15–20 Collectively, these adverse responses to RAAS effector hormones contribute to the progressive nature of chronic cardiac failure, which includes recurring bouts of symptomatic failure1,2,21 and reentrant arrhythmias originating in either atria or ventricles.22,23 ACEIs have also proved effective in asymptomatic patients with equivalent levels of ventricular systolic dysfunction but in whom chronic RAAS activation is not present. …
Targeting CDK4 and CDK6: From Discovery to Therapy.

UNLABELLED Biochemical and genetic characterization of D-type cyclins, their cyclin D-dependent kinases (CDK4 and CDK6), and the polypeptide CDK4/6 inhibitor p16(INK4)over two decades ago revealed how mammalian cells regulate entry into the DNA synthetic (S) phase of the cell-division cycle in a retinoblastoma protein-dependent manner. These investigations provided proof-of-principle that CDK4/6 inhibitors, particularly when combined with coinhibition of allied mitogen-dependent signal transduction pathways, might prove valuable in cancer therapy. FDA approval of the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib used with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole for breast cancer treatment highlights long-sought success. The newest findings herald clinical trials targeting other cancers. SIGNIFICANCE Rapidly emerging data with selective inhibitors of CDK4/6 have validated these cell-cycle kinases as anticancer drug targets, corroborating longstanding preclinical predictions. This review addresses the discovery of these CDKs and their regulators, as well as translation of CDK4/6 biology to positive clinical outcomes and development of rational combinatorial therapies.