Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circulating and tissue levels of the neutrophil chemotaxin interleukin‐8 are elevated in severe acute alcoholic hepatitis, and tissue levels correlate with neutrophil infiltration

Acute alcoholic hepatitis is characterized by a unique degree of liver neutrophil infiltration, often accompanied by marked peripheral neutrophilia in the absence of demonstrable bacterial or fungal infection. In this study we assayed plasma and tissue levels of a potent neutrophil activator and chemotaxin, interleukin‐8, in patients with a spectrum of alcoholic liver diseases and in normal and diseased control subjects. Levels of circulating interleukin‐8 were undetectable in normal subjects but highly elevated in patients with alcoholic hepatitis, particularly in those who died (geometric mean = 600 ng/L confidence interval = 323 to 1,120 vs. geometric mean = 184 ng/L confidence interval = 114 to 309 in survivors). Levels correlated with biochemical indicators of severe disease (bilirubin: R = 0.38; international prothrombin ratio: R = 0.28; white blood cell count: R = 0.35; creatinine: R = 0.34) and with tumor necrosis factor‐α (R = 0.43) and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors (p55; R = 0.59). In contrast, moderate elevations in the levels of circulating interleukin‐8 were seen in alcoholic cirrhosis (geometric mean = 93 ng/L confidence interval = 40 to 213) and in alcoholic patients undergoing alcohol withdrawal (geometric mean = 137 ng/L confidence interval = 72 to 259). Levels in nonalcoholic inflammatory liver disease were comparatively low (geometric mean = 17 ng/L confidence interval = 10 to 29). In liver tissue from patients with alcoholic liver disease, local levels of interleukin‐8 correlated with degree of neutrophil infiltration (R = 0.71; n = 16), and levels were much higher in alcoholic hepatitis (987 pg/mg confidence interval = 351 to 1623) than in other alcoholic liver diseases (103 pg/mg confidence interval = 0 to 220), normal liver (20 pg/mg confidence interval = 0 to 61) and nonalcoholic liver disease (219 pg/mg confidence interval = 142 to 295). Immunohistochemical study confirmed widespread parenchymal expression of interleukin‐8 in alcoholic hepatitis patients with the most severe degrees of neutrophil infiltration. Interleukin‐8 may play a role in mediating the infiltration of neutrophils and the effects of neutrophil activation so characteristic of acute alcoholic hepatitis. (HEPATOLOGY 1993;18:41–46).
The activity of the scs and scs' insulator elements is not dependent on chromosomal context

Sequence elements that protect a reporter gene from chromosomal position effects or that block enhancer-activated transcription are called insulators. Using a plasmid-based microinjection assay with Xenopus laevis oocytes, we show that the heterologous Drosophila melanogaster scs and scs' insulator elements do not require chromosomal context to block enhancer-activated transcription. A single insulator element partially blocks enhancer-activated transcription, indicating that each element operates independently rather than as part of a pair. Deletion analysis of the 1.8-kb scs element identified a 220-bp fragment from one of the DNase I-hypersensitive regions that has full blocking activity in the oocyte assay. This fragment corresponds to the critical region of the scs mapped in previous studies with Drosophila. A time course of transcription shows that the scs blocks enhancer-activated transcription as early as transcription can be detected, about 30 min after injection. Complete assembly of the DNA template into nucleosomes requires 4 h. The scs and scs' sequences do not block site-specific recombination by FLP recombinase, implying that insulators do not operate by a general mechanism that physically sequesters the DNA. These data are most consistent with a model for insulator action in which direct interaction between the insulator and either the enhancer or promoter confers directionality to enhancer-activated transcription.
Activation of the mucosal immune system in irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND & AIMS A role for the mucosal immune system in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome is suggested by its association with intestinal infections. METHODS To investigate this, we performed histologic and immunohistologic studies on colonoscopic biopsy specimens from 77 patients with symptoms satisfying the Rome criteria and 28 asymptomatic control patients. RESULTS Histologic assessment of biopsy specimens from symptomatic patients indicated 3 different groups. The first (38 of 77) had normal conventional histology; however, immunohistology showed increased intraepithelial lymphocytes (median, 1.8-fold; range, 1.74-1.86), lamina propria CD3(+) cells (2-fold; range, 1.55-2.91), and CD25(+) cells (6.5-fold; range, 4.98-8.13) compared with asymptomatic controls. The second group (31 of 77) had nonspecific microscopic inflammation and on immunohistology showed similar increases in lymphocyte populations (not significant vs. the uninflamed group) as well as increased numbers of neutrophil leukocytes and mast cells (P < 0.0001 vs. controls and the uninflamed group). The third group (8 of 77) fulfilled histologic and immunohistologic criteria for classic lymphocytic colitis. CONCLUSIONS Examination of colonoscopic biopsy specimens from patients meeting the Rome criteria for a clinical diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome showed subgroups with normal and abnormal conventional histology. All groups showed increased numbers of activated immunocompetent cells in the intestinal mucosa on quantitative immunohistology, implicating the mucosal immune system in pathogenesis.
Relationship between mechanical factors and incidence of low back pain.

STUDY DESIGN A multifactorial cross-sectional nonexperimental design. OBJECTIVES To collectively investigate the association among 17 mechanical factors and occurrence of low back pain (LBP). BACKGROUND Several physical characteristics, based on assumptions, clinical findings, and scientific experiments, have been associated with the development of LBP Controversy exists regarding the degree of association between some of these physical characteristics and LBP. Information regarding the degree of association of each factor to LBP is needed for effective prevention and appropriate treatment strategies. METHODS AND MEASURES A total of 600 subjects participated in this study. Subjects were categorized into 4 groups: asymptomatic men (n = 150, age [mean +/- SD] = 43 +/- 15 years), asymptomatic women (n = 150, age [mean +/- SD] = 43 +/- 13 years), men with LBP (n = 150, age [mean +/- SD] = 43 +/- 14 years), and women with LBP (n = 150, age [mean +/- SD] = 43 +/- 13 years). Seventeen physical characteristics were measured in each group and the relative association of each characteristic with LBP was assessed. RESULTS Among all the factors tested, endurance of the back extensor muscles had the highest association with LBP Other factors such as the length of the back extensor muscles, and the strength of the hip flexor, hip adductor, and abdominal muscles also had a significant association with LBP. CONCLUSION It appears that muscle endurance and weakness are associated with LBP and that structural factors such as the size of the lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt, leg length discrepancy, and the length of abdominal, hamstring, and iliopsoas muscles are not associated with the occurrence of LBP.
Pricing behavior in partial cartels

We analyze the pricing behavior of firms when explicit partial cartels have formed in experimental markets through communication. Using a repeated, asymmetric capacity constraint price game, we show that, in line with theory, a partial cartel is sufficient to increase market prices for all firms. Moreover, we find that prices of cartel insiders and outsiders are not necessarily on the same level what contradicts common theoretical predictions. This is because communication allows cartel members to overcome a potential coordination problem and enables an equilibrium in (joint) mixed strategies to emerge. The results therefore underline the importance of communication in explicit cartels and the resulting market outcomes.
Hyaluronic Acid Viscosupplementation and Osteoarthritis

Intra-articular hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation is gaining popularity as a treatment option in the nonoperative management of patients with osteoarthritis. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory, anabolic, and chondroprotective actions of hyaluronic acid reduce pain and improve patient function. With evidence mounting in support of the efficacy of this treatment modality for patients with osteoarthritis, its potential use in additional patient populations and for other pathologies affecting the knee is being investigated. The current article reviews the use of intra-articular hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation in the management of knee osteoarthritis and presents the potential for expanding its indications for other joints and alternative patient subpopulations. Additionally, future directions for the use of hyaluronic acid and areas of active research are discussed.
On cellular network planning and operation with M2M signalling and security considerations

The global wide area coverage of cellular networks offers a great advantage to provide connectivity to a wide range of emerging machine-to-machine (M2M) services. The anticipated massive growth of M2M devices is expected to challenge the planning and operation of cellular networks due to new models of traffic behaviour and high signalling loads over the radio access network. Accordingly, it is important to capture the signalling generated by M2M traffic and its effect on cellular network planning and operation. In this paper, we adopt an experimental approach to measure, quantify, and analyze the signalling overhead of two classes of M2M services that resemble smart metering and vehicular M2M connections. Different perspectives are provided in the analysis, identifying the relation between traffic payload data size, transmission direction and incurred signalling overhead for static and mobile scenarios. A security perspective is also presented looking at ways of utilizing the heavy signalling loads generated by M2M devices to implement denial of service (DoS) attacks over the radio access network. The insights drawn from the experimental study are reinforced by results obtained through elaborate network simulations for further analysis and validation.
Co-recycling of MT1-MMP and MT3-MMP through the Trans-Golgi Network

Members of the membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases (MT-MMPs) have been implicated in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes from normal development to tumor growth. Tethered on plasma membrane, these enzymes are potentially regulated by the trafficking machinery of the cells. Here we demonstrate that both MT1-MMP and MT3-MMP are internalized, transported to the trans-Golgi network through early endosomes, and recycled back to cell surface in 60 min in a manner distinct from the one employed by transferrin receptor. Interestingly, co-expressed MT1-MMP and MT3-MMP are localized and routed in the same vesicles throughout the trafficking process. We further demonstrated that the carboxyl-terminal sequence DKV582 of MT1-MMP is required for its recycling, thus defining a novel recycling motif. These results suggest that MT-MMPs may coordinate their proteolytic activities through the cellular trafficking machinery.
ISO/IEEE 11073 PHD message generation toolkit to standardize healthcare device

As senior population increases, various healthcare devices and services are developed such as fall detection device, home hypertension management service, and etc. However, to vitalize healthcare devices and services market, standardization for interoperability between device and service must precede. To achieve the standardization goal, the IEEE 11073 Personal Health Device (PHD) group has been standardized many healthcare devices, but until now there are few devices compatible with the PHD standard. One of main reasons is that it isn't easy for device manufactures to implement standard communication module by analyzing standard documents of over 600 pages. In this paper, we propose a standard message generation toolkit to easily standardize existing non-standard healthcare devices. The proposed toolkit generates standard PHD messages using inputted device information, and the generated messages are adapted to the device with the standard state machine file. For the experiments, we develop a reference H/W, and test the proposed toolkit with three healthcare devices: blood pressure, weighting scale, and glucose meter. The proposed toolkit has an advantage that even if the user doesn't know the standard in detail, the user can easily standardize the non-standard healthcare devices.
In vitro growth in acute myeloblastic leukaemia: relationship with other clinico‐biological characteristics of the disease

The in vitro growth characteristics of a large series of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients and their relationship with other clinical and biological disease characteristics were analysed. Patients with AML were studied, 181 with de novo AML and 45 with secondary AML (24 myelodysplastic syndrome, sAML‐MDS, 21 myeloproliferative disorder, sAML‐MPD). Leukaemic colony forming units (L‐CFU) were assayed by plating peripheral blood (PB) blast cells in methyl‐cellulose and using LCM‐PHA as stimulant. In each case parallel cultures were made with and without stimulating factors. Plating efficiency (PE) was defined as the number of clusters plus colonies/105 cells plated. Autonomous growth (AG) was the number of colonies plus clusters growing without stimulant. The autonomous proliferative index (API) was calculated as the number of clusters + colonies without stimulating factor divided by the number of clusters + colonies with stimulating factor. No significant differences in the PE between de novo and secondary AML were found. Autonomous growth was significantly higher in sAML‐MPD. The FAB subtype M3 leukaemias displayed a significantly greater PE and a significantly lower API when compared with the other FAB subgroups (P = 0.0002). Upon analysing the relationship with the immunophenotype, only CD33 expression showed a significant relationship with the in vitro growth pattern; CD33+ cases displayed a higher PE (P = 0.0002) and AG (P = 0.0003) than CD33− cases. When patients were grouped according to the level of rh123 efflux (MDR1) it was observed that cases with >30% elimination showed a higher AG and API than those with <30% (P = 0.03). Finally we found that patients with higher API (>0.05) displayed a significantly shorter overall survival as compared with patients with API < 0.05 (P = 0.04). The in vitro study properties of clonogenic cells produces relevant clinical information of leukaemic cell biology in AML patients.
Cooperative position location with signals of opportunity

When the reception of GPS signals becomes unreliable, an alternative is to explore signals of opportunity (SOOP) for positioning. Broadcast digital radio transmissions (e.g., digital TV signals) contain field and segment sync codes, which can be used for ranging even though it was not originally designed for so. Another example is the wireless local area network (WLAN) signals. However, there are two major difficulties. Although the location of SOOP sources is known, the number of independent SOOP sources and their geometric distribution may not be favorable for precise positioning. Besides, the clocks of SOOP transmitters are not synchronized, each subject to a different bias and drift. To respond to the 2009 NAECON Grand Challenge, we set forth a cooperative position location approach. The proposed concept makes use of differential ranges between cooperative devices to a common SOOP source, the relative ranges between the cooperative devices, and displacement measurements by the cooperative devices. The cooperation among networked location devices not only allows them to choose the most appropriate positioning mechanism but also provides them with additional measurements to reduce the number of SOOP otherwise required. In addition to data exchange, the radio link between two cooperative devices also allows for estimation of their clock offset. This leads to a joint position location solution via fixed-point smoothing. In this paper, we present the proposed system concept, its subsystems, and their operations and also analyze preliminary simulation results.
The Grand Strategy of Militant Clients: Iran’s Way of War

Abstract This article argues that militant clients should be understood as a pillar of Iran's grand strategy and an extension of its military power. The article examines why Iran has relied on militant clients since the 1979 revolution and the benefits and costs of its client approach. In evaluating these issues, it identifies five main areas where Iran has gained from its client strategy: 1) maintaining independence from the West; 2) successfully exporting its religio-political worldview; 3) extending its military reach and power; 4) reducing political costs of its foreign activities; and 5) establishing needed regional allies. It further identifies five main dangers that Iran faces by continuing its strategic behavior: 1) increased pressure from the United States and a broader US military regional footprint; 2) more unified regional adversaries; 3) the risk of unintended escalation with the United States and regional adversarial states; and 4) enduring regional instability and insecurity
Impaired Control Scale: cross-validation and relationships with treatment outcome.

AIMS (1) To cross-validate Australian findings on the Impaired Control Scale (ICS) in an English sample of problem drinkers. (2) To examine a possible improvement to the scoring of the ICS. (3) To explore the relationship of the ICS to treatment outcome. DESIGN In a repeated measures design, questionnaires and interviews were administered by trained staff during treatment and again at 6 months follow-up. SETTING Two alcohol and drug treatment services in Newcastle and Liverpool (UK). PARTICIPANTS Two hundred and twenty-nine problem drinkers attending as in- or outpatients, with abstinence or moderation treatment goals. MEASUREMENTS ICS scores; typical weekly alcohol consumption (units); degree of alcohol-related problems; severity of alcohol dependence; and classification of outcome using consumption levels and current alcohol-related problems, with collateral confirmation of self-reports. FINDINGS The satisfactory reliability and validity of the ICS was confirmed in an English sample of problem drinkers in treatment. An improved "substitution method" of scoring was developed to give a single measure of impaired control for all subjects irrespective of degree of attempted control. ICS scores were significantly correlated with treatment outcome and, among a subgroup of subjects who had aimed at abstinence but failed, predicted outcome status after the effects of degree of dependence had been extracted. CONCLUSIONS Impaired control over alcohol consumption can be measured in a reliable and valid fashion by the ICS. The ICS has potential uses in research on impaired control and as a clinical assessment tool.
The other-race effect in face learning: Using naturalistic images to investigate face ethnicity effects in a learning paradigm

The other-race effect in face identification has been reported in many situations and by many different ethnicities, yet it remains poorly understood. One reason for this lack of clarity may be a limitation in the methodologies that have been used to test it. Experiments typically use an old–new recognition task to demonstrate the existence of the other-race effect, but such tasks are susceptible to different social and perceptual influences, particularly in terms of the extent to which all faces are equally individuated at study. In this paper we report an experiment in which we used a face learning methodology to measure the other-race effect. We obtained naturalistic photographs of Chinese and Caucasian individuals, which allowed us to test the ability of participants to generalize their learning to new ecologically valid exemplars of a face identity. We show a strong own-race advantage in face learning, such that participants required many fewer trials to learn names of own-race individuals than those of other-race individuals and were better able to identify learned own-race individuals in novel naturalistic stimuli. Since our methodology requires individuation of all faces, and generalization over large image changes, our finding of an other-race effect can be attributed to a specific deficit in the sensitivity of perceptual and memory processes to other-race faces.
Can Administrative Data Be Used to Compare Postoperative Complication Rates Across Hospitals?

Background. Several quality assessment systems use administrative data to identify postoperative complications, with uncertain validity. Objectives. To determine how accurately postoperative complications are reported in administrative data, whether accuracy varies systematically across hospitals, and whether serious complications are more consistently reported. Design. Retrospective cohort. Subjects. Nine hundred ninety-one randomly sampled adults who underwent elective lumbar diskectomies at 30 nonfederal acute care hospitals in California in 1990 to 1991. Hospitals with especially low or high risk-adjusted complication rates, and patients who experienced complications, were over sampled. Measures. Postoperative complications were specified by reviewing medical literature and consulting clinical experts; each complication was mapped to ICD-9-CM. Hospital-reported complications were compared with our independent recoding of the same records. Results. The weighted sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for reported complications were 35%, 98%, 82%, and 84%, respectively. The weighted sensitivity was 30% for serious, 40% for minor, and 10% for questionable complications. It varied from 21% among hospitals with fewer complications than expected to 45% among hospitals with more complications than expected. Only reoperation, bacteremia/sepsis, postoperative infection, and deep vein thrombosis were reported with at least 60% sensitivity. Half of the difference in risk-adjusted complication rates between low and high outlier hospitals was attributable to reporting variation. Conclusions. ICD-9-CM complications were underreported among diskectomy patients, especially at hospitals with low risk-adjusted complication rates. The validity of using coded complications to compare provider performance is questionable, even with careful efforts to identify serious events, although these results must be confirmed using more recent data.