Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sudden coronary death, fatal acute myocardial infarction and widespread coronary and myocardial inflammation

Background: T-lymphocyte activation within atherosclerotic plaque, and widespread to the myocardium, has been shown in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Objective: To investigate the presence of T-lymphocyte infiltrate at different stages of acute coronary syndromes by studying patients with sudden coronary death, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and healed infarction, in comparison with patients with myocarditis and patients with non-ischaemic heart failure. Methods: 72 cases were studied at autopsy: 12 dying of sudden coronary death (group 1), 12 dying <4 weeks (group 2) and 12 dying >4 months after AMI (group 3), 12 with active lymphocytic myocarditis (group 4), 12 with hypertensive heart disease (group 5), and 12 control subjects (group 6). Light microscopy was performed to measure the number of activated T-lymphocytes (CD3+/DR+) in the myocardium and coronary artery wall, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression in the myocardium. Results: Activated T-lymphocyte infiltrates and ICAM-1 myocardial expression in both remote and peri-infarction regions and activated T-lymphocytes within the epicardial coronary artery wall of both the infarct- and non-infarct-related arteries were found in groups 1, 2 and 3, whereas myocardial, but not coronary, infiltrates were found in groups 4 (p<0.001 vs groups 1, 2 and 3 for coronary infiltrates). Groups 5 and 6 had no evidence of myocardial or coronary inflammation (p<0.001 vs groups 1, 2 and 3). Conclusions: The study shows the presence of a lymphocytic infiltrate in both coronary arteries and myocardium and a proinflammatory phenotype shift in the myocardium associated with acute coronary thrombosis in patients dying suddenly, shortly, or even late after coronary thrombosis.
Symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members of intensive care unit patients: Ethical hypothesis regarding decision-making capacity

ObjectiveAnxiety and depression may have a major impact on a person’s ability to make decisions. Characterization of symptoms that reflect anxiety and depression in family members visiting intensive care patients should be of major relevance to the ethics of involving family members in decision-making, particularly about end-of-life issues. DesignProspective multicenter study. SettingForty-three French intensive care units (37 adult and six pediatric); each unit included 15 patients admitted for longer than 2 days. PatientsSix hundred thirty-seven patients and 920 family members. InterventionsIntensive care unit characteristics and data on the patient and family members were collected. Family members completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to allow evaluation of the prevalence and potential factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Measurements and Main ResultsOf 920 Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaires that were completed by family members, all items were completed in 836 questionnaires, which formed the basis for this study. The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members was 69.1% and 35.4%, respectively. Symptoms of anxiety or depression were present in 72.7% of family members and 84% of spouses. Factors associated with symptoms of anxiety in a multivariate model included patient-related factors (absence of chronic disease), family-related factors (spouse, female gender, desire for professional psychological help, help being received by general practitioner), and caregiver-related factors (absence of regular physician and nurse meetings, absence of a room used only for meetings with family members). The multivariate model also identified three groups of factors associated with symptoms of depression: patient-related (age), family-related (spouse, female gender, not of French descent), and caregiver-related (no waiting room, perceived contradictions in the information provided by caregivers). ConclusionsMore than two-thirds of family members visiting patients in the intensive care unit suffer from symptoms of anxiety or depression. Involvement of anxious or depressed family members in end-of-life decisions should be carefully discussed.
Live HD video transmission using 40GHz radio over fibre downlink system

40GHz radio over fibre (ROF) downlink system is constructed to demonstrate HD video transmission capability using the hybrid optical and wireless system. The dual-sideband optical carrier suppression (DSB-OCS) technique is used in conjunction with the minimum transmission bias (MiTB) to generate optical millimetre wave signal by utilizing a dual electrode Mach-Zehnder modulator (DE-MZM). A baseband high definition (HD) video signal is modulated into the system via a second MZM. The signal is distributed to a remote antenna unit (RAU) using a 20km optical fibre, then transmitted wirelessly to a customer premise equipment (CPE) located at 5m away. The results show that the HD video is successfully transmitted over the error free 40GHz ROF downlink system.
Protective Effect of L-arginine Against Necrosis and Apoptosis Induced by Experimental Ischemic and Reperfusion in Rat Liver

Background/Aim: To study the effect of L-arginine on apoptosis and necrosis induced by 1-h ischemia followed by 3-h reperfusion. Materials and Methods: Adult Wistar rats underwent 60 min of partial liver ischemia followed by 3-h reperfusion. Eighteen Wistar rats were divided into sham-operated control group (I) (n = 6), ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) group (0.9% saline (5 mL/kg, orally) for 7 days) (II) (n = 6), and L-arginine-treated group (10 mg/kg body weight daily orally for 7 days before inducing ischemia-reperfusion maneuver) (III) (n = 6). Apoptotic and necrotic hepatocytes, nitric oxide levels in hepatocytes, Bcl-2 mRNA, and Bcl-2 protein were measured. Liver injury was assessed by plasma alanine transaminases (ALT), aspartate transaminases (AST), liver histopathology, and electron microscopy. Results: An ischemic and reperfusion hepatocellular injury occurred as was indicated by increased serum ALT, AST, histopathology, and electron microscopy. Apoptosis and necrosis associated marker gene Bcl-2 mRNA and protein expression were decreased in I/R group. Pretreatment with L-arginine significantly decreased serum ALT and AST level and apoptotic and necrotic cells after 1 h ischemia followed by 3 h of reperfusion. Nitric oxide production in hepatocytes was increased twofold by L-arginine treatment when compared with I/R group. Histopathology and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies showed markedly diminished hepatocellular injury in L-arginine-pretreated rats during the hepatic I/R. Conclusion: Thus, it may be concluded that L-arginine afforded significant protection from necrosis and apoptosis in I/R injury by upregulated Bcl-2 gene and nitric oxide production.
Coordinate regulation of virulence genes in Listeria monocytogenes requires the product of the prfA gene

The prfA gene of Listeria monocytogenes encodes a protein that activates transcription of the listeriolysin gene (lisA). In order to explore the role of the prfA gene product in the pathogenesis of listerial infection, we constructed a site-directed insertion mutation in prfA by the chromosomal integration of a novel suicide vector containing a portion of the prfA coding region. This mutation not only transcriptionally silenced the listeriolysin (lisA) gene but also abrogated production of specific RNA transcripts corresponding to the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (pic) and metalloprotease (mpl) genes, two further virulence gene products expressed only by pathogenic Listeria strains. The strain was also found to be avirulent when tested in a mouse model of listerial infection. The concomitant loss of multiple characteristics such as production of LisA, Pic, Mpl, and loss of virulence in a mouse infection model is the result of a mutation in a single gene and demonstrates that the prfA gene product is a positive regulator of multiple virulence determinants in L. monocytogenes.
The Identification of Ingested Dandelion Juice in Gastric Contents of a Deceased Person by Direct Sequencing and GC–MS Methods *

Abstract: DNA and chemical analysis of gastric contents of a deceased person were handled in this work. The body of the victim was discovered in his car, submerged in a lake. We were asked to determine whether or not the gastric contents of the victim harbored drugs and dandelion material. It was suspected that the victim had been murdered by poisoning with an excess amount of sleeping medication (doxylamine), which had been homogenized with dandelion. The concentrations of 11.4 and 27.5 mg/kg of doxylamine detected from spleen and liver of the victim were far higher than the assumed therapeutic concentration. Via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis and direct sequencing analysis of plant genetic markers such as intergenic transcribed spacer, 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), rbcL and trnLF, it was confirmed that the gastric contents of the victim contained taraxasterol, which is one of the marker compounds for dandelion and contained dandelion species‐specific rbcL and trnL‐trnF IGS (trnLF) sequences. The initial PCR of the genomic DNA isolated from the gastric contents showed insufficient quantity, and the second PCR, of which the template was a portion of the initial PCR products, exhibited a sufficient quantity for direct sequencing. rbcL and trnLF located in the cpDNA resulted in the successful determination of dandelion DNA in a decedent’s stomach contents. GC–MS identifies the actual presence of a taraxasterol at 28.4 min. Raw dandelion was assumed to be used as a masking vehicle for excess sleeping drug (doxylamine).
Apoptosis. Its significance in cancer and cancer Therapy

Apoptosis is a distinct mode of cell death that is responsible for deletion of cells in normal tissues; it also occurs in specific pathologic contexts. Morphologically, it involves rapid condensation and budding of the cell, with the formation of membrane‐enclosed apoptotic bodies containing well‐preserved organelles, which are phagocytosed and digested by nearby resident cells. There is no associated inflammation. A characteristic biochemical feature of the process is double‐strand cleavage of nuclear DNA at the linker regions between nucleosomes leading to the production of oligonucleosomal fragments. In many, although not all of the circumstances in which apoptosis occurs, it is suppressed by inhibitors of messenger RNA and protein synthesis. Apoptosis occurs spontaneously in malignant tumors, often markedly retarding their growth, and it is increased in tumors responding to irradiation, cytotoxic chemotherapy, heating and hormone ablation. However, much of the current interest in the process stems from the discovery that it can be regulated by certain proto‐oncogenes and the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Thus, c‐myc expression has been shown to be involved in the initiation of apoptosis in some situations, and bcl‐2 has emerged as a new type of proto‐oncogene that inhibits apoptosis, rather than stimulating mitosis. In p53‐negative tumor‐derived cell lines transfected with wild‐type p53, induction of the gene has, in rare cases, been found to cause extensive apoptosis, instead of growth arrest. Finally, the demonstration that antibodies against a cell‐surface protein designated APO‐1 or Fas can enhance apoptosis in some human lymphoid cell lines may have therapeutic implications.
Modality-specific Somatosensory Changes in a Human Surrogate Model of Postoperative Pain

Background:Postoperative pain remains a challenging problem in part because the underlying mechanisms are still not well understood. There is a compelling need for translational studies in human models of postoperative pain to bridge the gap between animal models und human clinical studies. Methods:Somatosensory changes using Quantitative Sensory Testing for up to 72 h after an experimental 4-mm incision were characterized in 20 male volunteers. Results:During incision, perceived pain was 29 on a 100-point numeric rating scale and declined rapidly over the next 60 min. After incision, thresholds at the site of incision were lowered to painful heat (primary heat hyperalgesia; P < 0.01, effect size: 0.68) but not to painful cold (P > 0.05, effect size: 0.00). Remote to the incision, mechanical pain thresholds were lowered, pain ratings were increased, and an area of hyperalgesia occurred (P < 0.05, effect size: 0.56; P < 0.01, effect size: 0.70; P < 0.01, respectively; secondary mechanical hyperalgesia). All signs of heat and mechanical hyperalgesia declined until full resolution at 27–72 h after incision. Increased mechanical pain ratings remote to the incision (r = 0.47; P < 0.01) but not the area of hyperalgesia (r = 0.28) or heat hyperalgesia (r = 0.12) correlated with incision-induced pain. Conclusions:Ongoing activity of nociceptors underlying nonevoked pain after incision in humans may not be explained by sensitization of nociceptors to heat but triggers the increased painfulness of mechanical stimuli in the area of secondary hyperalgesia. However, the spatial expansion of hyperalgesia seems to rely on at least partly different mechanisms. These findings may contribute to the understanding of pain and hyperalgesia after surgery.
A crustacean serotonin receptor: Cloning and distribution in the thoracic ganglia of crayfish and freshwater prawn

Serotonin (5‐HT) is involved in regulating important aspects of behavior and a variety of systemic physiological functions in both vertebrates and invertebrates. These functions are mediated through binding to 5‐HT receptors, of which approximately 13 have been characterized in mammals. In crustaceans, important model systems for the study of the neural basis of behaviors, 5‐HT is also linked with higher‐order behaviors, associated with different 5‐HT receptors that have been identified at the physiological and pharmacological levels. However, no crustacean 5‐HT receptors have been identified at the molecular level. We have cloned a putative 5‐HT1 receptor (5‐HT1crust) from crayfish, prawn, and spiny lobster and have raised antibodies that recognize this protein in all three organisms. 5‐HT1crust immunoreactivity (5‐HT1crustir) was observed surrounding the somata of specific groups of neurons and as punctate staining within the neuropil in all thoracic ganglia of crayfish and prawn. In the crayfish, 5‐HT1crustir was also found in boutons surrounding the first and second nerves of each ganglion and on the 5‐HT cells of T1–4. In the prawn, 5‐HT1crustir was also found in axons that project across the ganglia and along the connectives. We found examples of colocalization of 5‐HT1crust with 5‐HT, consistent with the short‐term modulatory role of 5‐HT, as well as cases of serotonergic staining in the absence of a 5‐HT1crust signal, which might imply that other 5‐HT receptors are found at these locations. We also observed receptors that did not possess counterpart 5‐HT staining, suggesting that these may also mediate long‐term neurohormonal functions of serotonin. J. Comp. Neurol. 473:526–537, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cardiac-resynchronization therapy in heart failure with narrow QRS complexes.

BACKGROUND Indications for cardiac-resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with heart failure include a prolonged QRS interval (> or =120 msec), in addition to other functional criteria. Some patients with narrow QRS complexes have echocardiographic evidence of left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony and may also benefit from CRT. METHODS We enrolled 172 patients who had a standard indication for an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. Patients received the CRT device and were randomly assigned to the CRT group or to a control group (no CRT) for 6 months. The primary end point was the proportion of patients with an increase in peak oxygen consumption of at least 1.0 ml per kilogram of body weight per minute during cardiopulmonary exercise testing at 6 months. RESULTS At 6 months, the CRT group and the control group did not differ significantly in the proportion of patients with the primary end point (46% and 41%, respectively). In a prespecified subgroup with a QRS interval of 120 msec or more, the peak oxygen consumption increased in the CRT group (P=0.02), but it was unchanged in a subgroup with a QRS interval of less than 120 msec (P=0.45). There were 24 heart-failure events requiring intravenous therapy in 14 patients in the CRT group (16.1%) and 41 events in 19 patients in the control group (22.3%), but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS CRT did not improve peak oxygen consumption in patients with moderate-to-severe heart failure, providing evidence that patients with heart failure and narrow QRS intervals may not benefit from CRT. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00132977 [ClinicalTrials.gov].).
Cross-talk between Cys34 and Lysine Residues in Human Serum Albumin Revealed by N-Homocysteinylation*

Protein N-homocysteinylation involves a post-translational modification by homocysteine (Hcy)-thiolactone. In humans, about 70% of circulating Hcy is N-linked to blood proteins, mostly to hemoglobin and albumin. It was unclear what protein site(s) were prone to Hcy attachment and how N-linked Hcy affected protein function. Here we show that Lys525 is a predominant site of N-homocysteinylation in human serum albumin in vitro and in vivo. We also show that the reactivity of albumin lysine residues, including Lys525, is affected by the status of Cys34. The disulfide forms of circulating albumin, albumin-Cys34-S-S-Cys and albumin-Cys34-S-S-Hcy, are N-homocysteinylated faster than albumin-Cys34-SH. Although N-homocysteinylations of albumin-Cys34-SH and albumin-Cys34-S-S-Cys yield different primary products, subsequent thiol-disulfide exchange reactions result in the formation of a single product, N-(Hcy-S-S-Cys)-albumin-Cys34-SH. We also show that N-homocysteinylation affects the susceptibility of albumin to oxidation and proteolysis. The data suggest that a disulfide at Cys34 of albumin promotes conversion of N-(Hcy-SH)-albumin-Cys34-SH to a proteolytically sensitive form N-(Hcy-S-S-Cys)-albumin-Cys34-SH, which would facilitate clearance of the N-homocysteinylated form of mercaptoalbumin.
Effect of surgical delay on bacterial colonization in proximal humeral fractures

Postoperative infection is a severe complication after proximal humeral fracture surgical treatment. The aim of this study was to determine if the surgical delay could modify the number and type of bacteria on the surgical site. A two stages study was set up. In the first stage the effect of delay was simulated in 20 patients affected by proximal humeral fracture treated conservatively. In a second stage, the effect of delay was measured in 20 patients that underwent surgery. In stage 1, three skin culture swabs were taken in correspondence of the deltopectoral approach, the day of the fracture (day 0), the day after (day 1), and five days after fracture (day 5). In stage 2, skin swab cultures were taken the day of trauma and immediately before surgery and cultured on various media suitable for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The number of bacteria increased over the course of the study, from day 0 to day 5, both considering the total number of colony‐forming units and individual species of pathogen bacteria. The second stage of the study confirmed these data. An increasing number of bacteria was observed in patients that underwent surgery later than 2 days from trauma. The delay of surgery increased bacterial colonization of the skin in the deltopectoral approach area including common pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase‐negative staphylococci and Propionibacterium acnes. This might justify the correlation between delay to surgery and risk of infection. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:942–948, 2016.
Fracking, globale Energiemärkte und die zukünftige Klimapolitik

[Einleitung] Chancen und Risiken der Gewinnung von Erdgas oder -ol aus unkonventionellen Lagerstatten und das dabei zum Einsatz kommende Verfahren des Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking, deutsch: aufbrechen) werden derzeit in der Politik und Offentlichkeit intensiv diskutiert. Als unkonventionelle Erdgasvorkommen bezeichnet man schwerer zugangliche Vorkommen, deren Gas durch technische Masnahmen in den Lagerstatten erst mobilisiert werden muss. Dafur wird mit sehr hohem Druck chemisch behandelte Flussigkeit (Frack-Fluide) in dichte Gesteinsschichten gepresst, um die Schiefergasvorkommen zu fordern (NRW 2012). Im Mittelpunkt der offentlichen Diskussion stehen der Zielkonflikt zwischen moglichen energiewirtschaftlichen und -politischen Vorteilen und den Risiken fur Mensch und Umwelt. In den USA wird bereits seit einigen Jahren unkonventionelles Erdgas durch Fracking gefordert. Somit gibt es erste Erfahrungen uber dessen Vor- und Nachteile. Befurworter der Nutzung der Fracking-Technologie weisen auf stark gesunkene Energiepreise in den USA hin und begrunden damit die Reindustrialisierung der US-amerikanischen Industrie (SRU 2013). Ein weiterer Vorteil wird in der Verbesserung der Versorgungssicherheit durch heimische Energiequellen gesehen. Gegner der Nutzung der Fracking-Technologie warnen vor moglichen Risiken und lokalen Umweltauswirkungen. Zudem stellen sie die Langfristigkeit der Preissenkungen in Frage und warnen vor negativen Auswirkungen auf die Ziele der Klimapolitik sowie den Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien. Mit diesem Policy Brief tragen wir zu dieser Diskussion bei, indem wir Erdgas aus unkonventionellen Quellen anderen fossilen Energietragern sowie erneuerbaren Energietragern gegenuberstellen und hinsichtlich ihres Beitrags zur Energiewende, klimapolitischen Zielen und lokalen Umwelteffekten analysieren. Die Analyse baut auf einer Ubersicht uber globale, europaische und deutsche Potenziale und uber die aktuelle Forderung auf.
Intraoperative infrared functional imaging of human brain

We hypothesized that it would be possible to detect the distribution of cortical activation by using a sensitive, rapid, high‐resolution infrared imaging technique to monitor changes in local cerebral blood flow induced by changes in focal cortical metabolism. In a prospective study, we recorded in 21 patients the emission of infrared radiation from the exposed human cerebral cortex at baseline, during language and motor tasks, and during stimulation of the contralateral median nerve using an infrared camera (sensitivity 0.02°C). The language and sensorimotor cortex was identified by standard mapping methods (cortical stimulation, median nerve somatosensory‐evoked potential, functional magnetic resonance imaging), which were compared with infrared functional localization. The temperature gradients measured during surgery are dominated by changes in local cerebral blood flow associated with evoked functional activation. The distribution of the evoked temperature changes overlaps with, but extends beyond, functional regions identified by standard mapping techniques. The distribution observed via infrared mapping is consistent with distributed and complex functional representation of the cerebral cortex, rather than the traditional concept of discrete functional loci demonstrated by brief cortical stimulation during surgery and by noninvasive functional imaging techniques. By providing information on the spatial and temporal patterns of sensory‐motor and language representation, infrared imaging may prove to be a useful approach to study brain function. Ann Neurol 2003