Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anticandidal Immunity and Vaginitis: Novel Opportunities for Immune Intervention

The majority of human Candida infections occur at a mucosal surface. One of these infections, vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), is a widespread, common disease affecting a large proportion of otherwise healthy women. Some women undergo recurrent forms of VVC (RVVC); in these cases the quality of life is devastated, the associated cost of medical visits is high, there is substantial use of unprescribed therapy, and there is a possible increase in drug resistance. However, relatively little is known about the pathogenic and immunoregulatory mechanisms underlying VVC and RVVC. While there is consensus that local rather than systemic factors play a decisive role in controlling the infection, there is no consensus about the nature of the local factors. The results obtained with animal models and human investigations have not provided an overall consistent picture; rather, they have generated divergent interpretations about the role of innate and adaptive immunity against vaginal infection. Nonetheless, recent experimental evidence has resulted in some optimism concerning the challenge of clarifying the immunological basis of susceptibility to, and protection from, vaginal candidiasis through the development of appropriate immune interventions to integrate with or even replace antifungal chemotherapy. The aim of this review is to provide a short update of the evidence mentioned above and the resulting optimism. Here, we critically consider the linkage between the virulence traits of the fungus and the host responses to these traits, two interrelated aspects which have rarely been treated together in other reviews of the topic (36, 39-41, 48, 54, 56, 57, 65, 66, 74, 94, 102). On this basis, we suggest that despite substantial belief to the contrary, novel tools derived from adaptive immunity, in particular virulence-neutralizing antibodies (Abs), may become part of the anti-Candida armamentarium to fight vaginal infection.
Acetazoleamide (diamox) diuresis.

THE MECHANISMS by which diuretics exert their effects are probably as various as the drugs themselves. Thus, mercurials have been shown to have direct, nonhemodynamic, effects on the convoluted tubules of the kidney, interfering with reabsorption of chloride, sodium, and, consequently, water. Potassium excretion after mercurials depends more upon body stores, and it is increased by high water and low sodium (reabsorption competition) loads. Moreover, if energy, released perhaps by breakdown of high-energy phosphate bonds, is required for renal tubular reabsorption, inhibition of the activities of enzymes such as adenosine triphasphatase 1 and succinic dehydrogenase 2 shown by mercurials may help to explain their effect. Histochemically, this inhibition has even been localized in the proximal convoluted tubules, 3 although the obligatory energized reabsorption presumably occurs in the distal tubules Xanthine, e. g. , aminophylline, diuresis parallels and augments that of mercurials, but its exact mechanism, while also largely unconnected with changes
How We Teach Case studies in a physiology course on the autonomic nervous system : design , implementation , and evaluation

Zimmermann M. Case studies in a physiology course on the autonomic nervous system: design, implementation, and evaluation. Adv Physiol Educ 34: 59–64, 2010; doi:10.1152/advan.00004. 2010. —The introduction of case studies on the autonomic nervous system in a fourth-semester physiology course unit for Pharmacy students is described in this article. This article considers how these case studies were developed and presents their content. Moreover, it reflects on their implementation and, finally, the reception of such a transformation among the students as well as the tutor’s perception. Specifically, the following issues were addressed. First, how were the course unit and, within the course unit, case study components organized? Second, how was the transformation of the course unit from an originally interactive but rather teacher-centered lecture to an interactive course module achieved? Third, how were the case studies structured, what questions were asked, and what were the answers expected from the students; what additional information was provided by the tutor? Fourth, how did the implementation of these case studies work out in the actual course, i.e., how did the tutor guide the students in this interactive session and how did the students tackle the problems? Finally, how was the integration of interactive modules received by the students and what was their learning experience (as assessed by questionnaires) and learning success (as assessed through the final course exam)? Equally, the tutor’s perception of this transformation and its implementation is described.
Observer-based stabilization of a class of unstable delayed systems with a couple of complex conjugate stable poles ⋆

This work deals with the problem of the stabilization and control of a class of linear unstable system plus time-delay. An observer is designed in order to obtain delay-free dynamics of the system, allowing to stabilize the delayed unstable plant. Stability conditions are given in terms of the parameters of the system and the time delay size. The regions of stability for the gains of the proposed observer based controller are computed and the results are tested in numerical simulations.
Humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (Rituximab) in post transplant B-lymphoproliferative disorder: a retrospective analysis on 32 patients.

BACKGROUND B-lymphoproliferative post-transplant disorder (BLPD) is a severe complication of organ and bone marrow transplantation. The reduction of immuno-suppressive therapy or surgery for localized disease may cure some BLPDs. Other therapeutic approaches such as chemotherapy and antiviral drugs are toxic and of limited efficacy. Adoptive immunotherapy with donor T-cell infusions has yielded promising results but is, at the present time, easily applicable only in bone marrow-transplanted patients. Anti-B-cell Murine monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) have proven effective but are no longer available for human use. We report the activity of a humanized anti CD 20 Mo Ab (Rituximab-MABTHERA Roche) in 32 episodes of BLPD treated in 14 French centers. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between November 1997 and September 1998, 32 patients were diagnosed with BLPD. Twenty-six patients had undergone solid organ transplants (liver 8, kidney 8, heart 4, lung 3, heart lung 1, kidney-pancreas 1, liver-kidney 1) and six patients had received bone marrow transplantations. The median age of the patients was 34 years (3-67 years) and the median delay between graft and tumor 5 months (1-156 months). In organ recipients, tumors were classified as polymorphic and monomorphic in 10 and 15 cases, respectively; 4 of 6 bone marrow transplant recipients were treated without pathology documentation because of a rise in EBV load, fever and lymph node enlargement. Tumors were associated with EBV in 22 of 26 tested cases. Rituximab was used as first-line therapy in 30 patients (after reduction of immunosuppressive treatment in 27 patients) and as salvage therapy in 2 patients (after failure of chemotherapy). The median time from diagnosis of BLPD to treatment with Rituximab was 14 days (1-110 days). Two patients received eight infusions, twenty-six patients four infusions, one patient three infusions and three patients two infusions of 375 mg/m2. RESULTS The tolerance of rituximab was good. The overall response rate was 69%, with 20 complete responses and 2 partial responses. In solid organ transplant the response rate was 65% (15 CR and 2 PR) while it was 83% in bone marrow-transplanted patients (5 CR). With a median follow-up of 8 months (1-16 months) 24 patients are still alive. The one-year projected survival is 73%. Of the 22 patients who achieved response, 15 patients (11 solid organ transplant and 4 bone marrow transplant) are alive with no evidence of disease, 4 patients relapsed a median of 7 months (3-10 months) after treatment and 3 died while in CR of concurrent diseases. Of the 10 patients who did not respond to Rituximab 5 are alive with no evidence of disease after salvage therapy. CONCLUSIONS The use of rituximab appears to be a safe and relatively efficient therapy in BLPDs. The results need to be confirmed in a prospective multicentric trial.
A new controlled-release liquid delivery system based on diclofenac potassium and low molecular weight chitosan complex solubilized in polysorbates

A complex of low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC) with oleic acid and diclofenac potassium (DP) was prepared and dispersed in high concentrations of polysorbate 20, 60 and 80 in water to form a solution which releases its components slowly. The formed complex was characterized using different analytical methods. The size of the resulted nanoparticles and the effect of tweens on size were followed using dynamic light scattering (DLS). The release of DP from this delivery system was monitored by altering the molecular weight of chitosan and the type and concentration of the polysorbates used. The most suitable preparation consisted of DP, LMWC 13 kDa, and oleic acid. This was dispersed in 5% Tween 80 and the release was followed by the adaptation of USP II apparatus using a cellophane bag. This preparation offers a release of up to 24 h.
The pre-iconography, iconography and iconology of a sixth to fifth millennium BC Near Eastern incised bone

ABSTRACT The motifs appearing on an incised bone artifact retrieved from the underwater site of Neve-Yam, dating to the sixth–fifth millennium BC and associated with the Pottery Neolithic/early Chalcolithic, Wadi Rabah culture, are subjected to systematic analysis using a methodology for research into symbolic subjects which tracks iconographic survival, focusing on the fusion and renewal of symbols. Mythical and historical evidence is assembled and assessed and art history sources are drawn upon, to provide a more comprehensive explanatory approach for the diverse lines of evidence. Iconographic links between motifs on the bone figurines with later Sumerian mythology require a re-evaluation of the chronological dispersion of symbolic graphemes; the application of new research on the relationship between art and writing suggests that narrative-making rather than evocation can be identified in this material. Such narratives reveal Neolithic precursors of ancient cosmological concepts and bring to light a tantalizing set of features which help to illuminate pre-literate, aniconic narratives of an early pantheon in the Neolithic period of the Near East.
Risk assessment of mycotoxins in ruminants and ruminant products

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by several fungi, more specifically those of the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium. They were discovered in the early 1960s, when more than 100,000 young turkeys died in the United Kingdom from an apparently new disease, which was named "turkey × disease". The toxin-producing fungus was identified as A. flavus and the toxin was given the name aflatoxin by virtue of its origin. Forages, cereals and protein sources such as peanuts and cottonseed are potential mycotoxin vectors in ruminant diets. New techniques for preserving wet forages, such as silages or wrapped bales, are unsafe when anaerobic conditions are not strictly controlled. Fresh grasses can also be contaminated with mycotoxins including fungal endophytes that produce toxins such as ergovaline, lolitrem B, peramins and swainsonine. It is generally considered that ruminants are less sensitive to mycotoxins than other animals. This may be due to the capacity of the ruminal microbial ecosystem to degrade or convert mycotoxins into less toxic compounds. However, there is some evidence that ruminants can be poisoned by mycotoxins, causing lower animal production or even death of animals. Part of mycotoxins ingested by ruminants can be recovered in milk or animal tissues, either in the parent form or as metabolites. The transfer rate, usually very low, is estimated at less than 1% for the major toxins. Thus animals are considered as "filters" of mycotoxins in the food chain. However, there is a risk for infants fed only on a milk diet of being exposed to mycotoxin levels that exceed the regulated limits. Although not currently authorised in Europe, some mycotoxin inactivators, based on sequestering or degrading properties, have been tested in vitro and in vivo. The mode of action of yeast ��-D- glucans against mycotoxins is presented, together with measures to limit the level of f eed contamination by mycotoxins.
Correlation Structure and Model Selection for Negative Binomial Distribution in GEE

A new model selection criterion, termed as the “quasi-likelihood under the independence model criterion” (QIC), was proposed by Pan (2001) for GEE models. Cui (2007) developed a general computing program to implement the QIC method for a range of statistical distributions. However, only a special case of the negative binomial distribution was considered in Cui (2007), where the dispersion parameter equals to unity. This article introduces a new computing program that can be applied for the general negative binomial model, where the dispersion parameter can be any fixed value. An example is also given in this article.
Non-destructive estimation of root pressure using sap flow, stem diameter measurements and mechanistic modelling.

BACKGROUND Upward water movement in plants via the xylem is generally attributed to the cohesion-tension theory, as a response to transpiration. Under certain environmental conditions, root pressure can also contribute to upward xylem water flow. Although the occurrence of root pressure is widely recognized, ambiguity exists about the exact mechanism behind root pressure, the main influencing factors and the consequences of root pressure. In horticultural crops, such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), root pressure is thought to cause cells to burst, and to have an important impact on the marketable yield. Despite the challenges of root pressure research, progress in this area is limited, probably because of difficulties with direct measurement of root pressure, prompting the need for indirect and non-destructive measurement techniques. METHODS A new approach to allow non-destructive and non-invasive estimation of root pressure is presented, using continuous measurements of sap flow and stem diameter variation in tomato combined with a mechanistic flow and storage model, based on cohesion-tension principles. KEY RESULTS Transpiration-driven sap flow rates are typically inversely related to stem diameter changes; however, this inverse relationship was no longer valid under conditions of low transpiration. This decoupling between sap flow rates and stem diameter variations was mathematically related to root pressure. CONCLUSIONS Root pressure can be estimated in a non-destructive, repeatable manner, using only external plant sensors and a mechanistic model.
Systemic Immune Mediators and Lifestyle Changes in the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

The Finnish DPS (Diabetes Prevention Study) demonstrated that lifestyle intervention, aimed at increasing physical activity, improving diet, and decreasing body weight, reduced the incidence of type 2 diabetes in individuals with overweight and impaired glucose tolerance by 58%. Here, we studied which immunological markers at baseline predicted subsequent type 2 diabetes and whether there are immunologically defined subsets of subjects who are more or less responsive to the protective effects of lifestyle intervention. We randomly assigned 522 participants to a control group (n = 257) or a lifestyle intervention group (n = 265). Immunological parameters at baseline included high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A, interleukin-6, regulated on activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule. In the control group, CRP was the best immunological predictor for progression to overt type 2 diabetes. In the intervention group, progression to type 2 diabetes was significantly higher in subjects with the highest RANTES concentrations and was lower in subjects with the highest MIF levels. Ratios of RANTES to MIF in the upper tertile were highly predictive of incident type 2 diabetes in the intervention group (P = 0.006), whereas the association was less pronounced in the control group (P = 0.088). Thus, systemic concentrations of immune mediators appear to be associated with the progression to type 2 diabetes and the prevention of type 2 diabetes by lifestyle changes.
Formaldehyde and ammonia as precursors to prebiotic amino acids.

Fig. 3. Inhibition of binding of ['4C]pentobarbital to rabbit antiserum by nonradioactive pentobarbital in buffered saline (0 0 *), plasma (0 O), or urine (X X). Incubation medium consisted of 0.10 ml of normal rabbit serum, 0.10 nml of rabbit antiserum (0.4 mg of protein), 0.01 ml of ['4C]pentobarbital (O.1 nmole), and 0.01 ml of either standard unlabeled pentobarbital (1 to 100 ng) or unknown sample and sufficient phosphatebuffered saline (O.O1M phosphate, pH 7.4) to make a final volume of 0.50 ml. Lines of regression were calculated by the method of least squares.
Sinus Arrhythmia in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Sinus arrhythmia, defined by means of a calculation of variance of die R‐R interval on admission to hospital, was present in. 73 of 176 patients admitted to a coronary care unit with acute myocardial infarction. These patients had a lower hospital mortality. They tended to have a higher incidence of inferior infarction, and a lower incidence of anterior infarction, and to have smaller infarcts as measured by the Norris index. The main difference between patients with sinus arrhythmia and without sinus arrhythmia related to heart rates on admission to hospital, the patients with the former having slower heart rates at that time.
Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding Associated with Diclofenac Topical Patch in a Patient with Colonic Mass and on Antiplatelet Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation

ABSTRACTTopical formulations of diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug commonly prescribed to treat musculoskeletal complaints such as osteoarthritis, low back pain, and myofascial pain, are available in the form of a solution, gel, and patch. The topical application of diclofenac results in substantially lower systemic exposure to diclofenac compared with oral diclofenac, resulting in a more favorable side effect profile. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case report of a lower gastrointestinal bleed associated with diclofenac topical patch use in a 77 yr-old-woman with a history of colonic mass and atrial fibrillation on antiplatelet therapy.
LOW-POWER DIODE LASER STIMULATION OF SURGICAL OSTEOCHONDRAL DEFECTS: RESULTS AFTER 24 WEEKS

SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to evaluate osteochondral lesions of the knee, treated intraoperatively with low-power laser stimulation, and assess results at 24 weeks. Surgery was performed under general anesthesia on six rabbits; a bilateral osteochondral lesion was created in the femoral medial condyles with a drill. All of the left lesions underwent immediate stimulation using the diode Ga-Al-As laser (780nm), whereas the right knees were left untreated as control group. After 24 weeks, the explants from the femoral condyles, either treated employing laser energy or left untreated, were examined histomorphometrically. Results obtained on the lased condyles showed good cell morphology and a regular aspect of the repaired osteocartilaginous tissue.
Building and Maintaining the Bridges of Spoken Language Science

The multi-disciplinary nature of spoken language science is often taken for granted. Its analysis, promotion, and maintenance rarely gain centre stage in our minds. It is the thesis of this paper that a conscious focus on the overall shape of our scientific endeavours and their disciplinary ingredients is an important factor in maintaining good progress when exploiting the products, of many scientific traditions. Herein we explore the concepts of disciplines and their interaction. We review the history of the development of understanding of spoken language and the disciplinary foundations that have supported it. We very briefly survey the nature of the supporting disciplines before examining some of the more interesting cross-disciplinary linkages that have been spawned in order to fill out the texture of our current understanding. A brief focus on some key commodities that have been part of cross-disciplinary trade leads into an examination of some bridges that have been negotiated in the author’s experience and some of the maintenance issues for the whole field.
Hidrocarburos no convencionales en la Cuenca Neuquina en Argentina. Inversión, innovación y empleo. Una oportunidad para las PyMEs

El articulo aborda el proceso abierto por la reciente exploracion en los reservorios de hidrocarburos no convencionales en la Cuenca Neuquina en el norte de la Patagonia Argentina, del que se derivan multiples impactos. Este avance de investigacion, da cuenta a traves de varios indicadores de la importancia que presenta el sector hidrocarburos para la economia y el empleo en la provincia del Neuquen, e indaga acerca de los cambios en curso producto de la dinamica que se ha puesto en marcha a partir de la nueva fase de desarrollo hidrocarburifero en la Cuenca. Avanza en el analisis de la relacion entre las inversiones y el empleo, en particular en el upstream, y en materia de generacion de salarios y gastos de consumo, en cuestiones que se vinculan al intercambio de intangibles, y acerca de la oportunidad que esta nueva fase de desarrollo de los hidrocarburos crea para la conformacion de nuevas tramas de empresas como parte de la cadena de los hidrocarburos. Asimismo aborda el desafio que afrontan las PyMEs proveedoras de servicios a la actividad en lo tecnico y organizacional como expresion de la innovacion territorial, y de los nuevos desarrollos que se han de generar en los proximos anos a nivel provincial. Ello en tanto se desenvuelven procesos de aprendizaje tecnologico en relacion a las caracteristicas de los reservorios, los procedimientos de perforacion y terminacion de pozos que incluyen la fractura hidraulica multiple, la formacion y actualizacion de trabajadores de distintas profesiones, especialidades y trayectoria, como asi tambien el reequipamiento, la reorganizacion y la mejora de procesos de firmas locales y regionales de la actividad. Se abren de este modo, nuevas dinamicas de interaccion, entre la experiencia acumulada en el sector y las novedades tecnologicas en materia de exploracion y explotacion de reservorios de hidrocarburos no convencionales desarrolladas particularmente en los Estados Unidos, que requieren ampliar y profundizar el alcance de la investigacion. Finalmente, se exponen algunas reflexiones acerca de las nuevas cuestiones a investigar desde la teoria y la dinamica en curso.