Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Levosimendan on Bupivacaine-Induced Severe Myocardial Depression in Anesthetized Pigs

Background and Objectives: Levosimendan, an inodilator without proarrhythmogenic properties, has been shown to reverse ropivacaine-induced negative inotropy in isolated heart preparations. In this randomized and blinded study, we investigated whether levosimendan is able to reverse rapidly bupivacaine-induced myocardial depression in pigs. Methods: Twenty invasively monitored pigs anesthetized with isoflurane 1% received bupivacaine 2 mg/kg per minute into a central vein until mean arterial pressure decreased to 55% of baseline. Thereafter, levosimendan 80 &mgr;g/kg for 10 mins, followed by 0.7 &mgr;g/kg per minute during the next 50 mins (l-SIM) or corresponding amounts of placebo were administered intravenously. Simultaneously, Ringer's acetate was infused intravenously, 20 mL/kg for 10 mins, followed by 20 mL/kg for 50 mins. Results: Two pigs in each group developed cardiac arrest immediately after bupivacaine and could not be resuscitated. Bupivacaine induced widening of the QRS complex in the electrocardiogram and bradycardia. In the remaining 16 pigs, 3 (2 in l-SIM group and 1 in placebo group) needed short-lasting manual cardiac compression and 1 dose of epinephrine. Cardiac output, ejection fraction, and stroke power/end-diastolic volume recovered initially very rapidly in the l-SIM group. However, there was no time × group effect difference in the overall recovery in the various parameters between the 2 groups, except in heart rate which was higher (P < 0.05) when levosimendan was administered. During the 50-min levosimendan infusion, mean arterial pressure and systemic vascular resistance stayed slightly lower in comparison with placebo infusion, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Levosimendan together with the infusion of Ringer's solution rapidly reversed the cardiac depression, but there was no difference in overall cardiovascular recovery in comparison to treatment with Ringer's solution alone. Levosimendan-induced increase in heart rate possibly facilitated the recovery from bupivacaine intoxication.
Increased expression of the tetraspanins CD53 and CD63 on apoptotic human neutrophils

The recently discovered tetraspanin superfamily comprises a group of cell‐surface proteins that are suggested to be involved in cell activation and signal transduction as well as in cell adhesion, motility, and metastasis. In this study, we have assessed the expression of two tetraspanins, CD53 and CD63, and two principal leukocyte adhesion molecules, CD11b and CD62L, on human apoptotic neutrophils. After aging of human neutrophils for 20 and 40 h in vitro, apoptosis was analyzed by light microscopy and flow cytometry. The binding of monoclonal antibodies directed against CD11b, CD62L, CD53, and CD63 on apoptotic and nonapoptotic cells was determined by dual‐color flow cytometry. Aging of neutrophils in vitro resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) down‐regulation of expression of the selectin CD62L, and a significantly increased expression of the two tetraspanins CD53 and CD63. The selective analysis of apoptotic versus nonapoptotic cells proved that both the increased expression of the tetraspanins and the loss of CD62L were restricted to the apoptotic subpopulation. An identical pattern of surface molecule expression was detected at 12 h after induction of apoptosis by an agonistic anti‐Fas IgM monoclonal antibody. Further studies are required to clarify whether tetraspanins participate in the recognition of apoptotic circulating or extrava‐sated neutrophils by macrophages. J. Leukoc. Biol. 67: 369–373; 2000.
A Compact Printed Unidirectional Broadband Antenna With Parasitic Patch

A printed unidirectional antenna with broad bandwidth and compact size is presented. The antenna is composed of a meandered dipole and a reflector on the top of the substrate. The U-shaped reflector is designed to minimize antenna dimensions as well as to improve the impedance matching and enhance the directivity in lower band. A rectangular metal strip on the bottom of the substrate works as a director for the driven dipole at the upper band. In addition, a parasitic patch is placed between the driven dipole and metal strip to strengthen the coupling between them and therefore dramatically enhances the gain in upper band. Finally, the antenna is fabricated and measured. Experimental results indicate the proposed antenna achieves a broad impedance bandwidth of 67% (2.36–4.74 GHz) and a peak gain of 5.4 dBi. Dimensions of the antenna are 0.41 λg × 0.42 λg. It has a minimum front-to-back ratio of 10 dB within the whole band. Due to the compact size, low profile, and broad bandwidth, the antenna is suitable for various directional wireless systems.
Observability of Boolean Control Networks: A Unified Approach Based on Finite Automata

The problem on how to determine the observability of Boolean control networks (BCNs) has been open for five years already. In this technical note, we propose a unified approach to determine all the four types of observability of BCNs in the literature. We define the concept of weighted pair graphs for BCNs. In the sense of each observability, we use the so-called weighted pair graph to transform a BCN to a finite automaton, and then we use the automaton to determine observability. In particular, the two types of observability that rely on initial states and inputs in the literature are determined. Finally, we show that no pairs of the four types of observability are equivalent, which reveals the essence of nonlinearity of BCNs.
Long cycles in random subgraphs of graphs with large minimum degree

Let G be any graph of minimum degree at least k, and let Gp be the random subgraph of G obtained by keeping each edge independently with probability p. Recently, Krivelevich, Lee and Sudakov showed that if pk → ∞ then with probability tending to 1 Gp contains a cycle of length at least (1 – o(1))k. We give a much shorter proof of this result, also based on depth‐first search. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 45, 764–767, 2014
[Fluoroquinolone prophylaxis utility during chemotherapy-induced severe neutropenia in patients with acute leukemia, with fluoroquinolone resistance high prevalence, in a reference hospital in Mexico City].

BACKGROUND The use of fluoroquinolone prophylaxis in patients with cancer and neutropenia has failed to show a significant impact on mortality, despite its usefulness in reducing the incidence of gramnegative bacteremia. However, an increase in grampositive bacteremia and the emergence of resistant colonizing bacteria have consistently been noticed. OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of prophylaxis with fluoroquinolones on the incidence of bacteremia and mortality in a hospital with high fluorquinolone resistance in Mexico City. PATIENTS We conducted a retrospective and comparative study of patients with acute mieloid (AML) and hybrid (HL) leukemia who received or not prophylaxis with fluoroquinolones and who were attended from January 2000 to December 2003. We reviewed all pertinent clinical and laboratory data of the hematologic malignancies and the febrile episodes. RESULTS A total of 108 febrile episodes of severe neutropenia occurred in 69 patients, with an incidence of 6.5 events/1000 day-patient with neutropenia. The median age was 35 +/- 18.3 years and 58% were men; 51 patients had AML (71.8%) and 20 (28.1%) HL. Prophylaxis had been given since the beginning of granulocytopenia in 46 (42.6%) febrile episodes (group 1), where as in 62 no prophylaxis was given (group 2). Of the 46 episodes with prophylaxis, 27 received ciprofloxacin 500 mg qd p.o. and 19, ciprofloxacin 500 mg qd po plus fluconazol 100 mg qd po. The median duration of prophylaxis was 8.5 days (range 1-90 days). Twenty-nine bacteremias (26.8%) were documented, with an incidence of 16.4 bacteremias/1000 day-patient with neutropenia, 12 (26%) in group 1 and 17 (27.5%) in group 2. Bacteremia was most frequently caused by gram negative organisms (18/29), being Escherichia coli (14) the most commonly isolated pathogen, with 7 episodes in each group. Eight (29.6%) of the 21 isolates in which fluoroquinolone susceptibility was tested were ciprofloxacin resistant, 3 in group 1 and 5 in group 2 (p = 0.58). Median survival of patients was 38 days in group 1 and 40 days in group 2. (p = 0.2); mortality was similar in both groups, 34% and 27%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In a hospital with a high prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistance, prophylaxis in patients with acute leukemia and severe neutropenia did not prevent febrile episodes and did not have any impact on mortality. However, there was no increase in infections caused by resistant bacteria.
Swine outbreak of pandemic influenza A virus on a Canadian research farm supports human-to-swine transmission.

BACKGROUND Swine outbreaks of pandemic influenza A (pH1N1) suggest human introduction of the virus into herds. This study investigates a pH1N1 outbreak occurring on a swine research farm with 37 humans and 1300 swine in Alberta, Canada, from 12 June through 4 July 2009. METHODS The staff was surveyed about symptoms, vaccinations, and livestock exposures. Clinical findings were recorded, and viral testing and molecular characterization of isolates from humans and swine were performed. Human serological testing and performance of the human influenza-like illness (ILI) case definition were also studied. RESULTS Humans were infected before swine. Seven of 37 humans developed ILI, and 2 (including the index case) were positive for pH1N1 by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Swine were positive for pH1N1 by RT-PCR 6 days after contact with the human index case and developed symptoms within 24 h of their positive viral test results. Molecular characterization of the entire viral genomes from both species showed minor nucleotide heterogeneity, with 1 amino acid change each in the hemagglutinin and nucleoprotein genes. Sixty-seven percent of humans with positive serological test results and 94% of swine with positive swab specimens had few or no symptoms. Compared with serological testing, the human ILI case definition had a specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 33.3%. The only factor associated with seropositivity was working in the swine nursery. CONCLUSIONS Epidemiologic data support human-to-swine transmission, and molecular characterization confirms that virtually identical viruses infected humans and swine in this outbreak. Both species had mild illness and recovered without sequelae.
Quantizers with uniform encoders and channel optimized decoders

Scalar quantizers with uniform encoders and channel optimized decoders are studied for uniform sources and binary symmetric channels. It is shown that the natural binary code and folded binary code induce point density functions that are uniform on proper subintervals of the source support, whereas the Gray code does not induce a point density function. The mean squared errors for the natural binary code, folded binary code, Gray code, and for randomly chosen index assignments are calculated and the natural binary code is shown to be mean squared optimal among all possible index assignments. In contrast, it is shown that almost all index assignments perform poorly and have degenerate codebooks.
INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON THE VELOCITY AND ON THE ISOTOPE PROFILE OF SLOWLY TRANSPORTED LABELED PROTEINS

Abstract— Slow intra‐axonal flow of [3H]leucine labeled proteins has been studied in the garfish olfactory nerve. Because of the homogeneity of the nerve a very well defined peak of slowly transported radioactivity is observed. The velocity of slow flow increases linearly with temperature. Between 14 and 28°C, the rate of the peak apex increases from 0.26 to 1.57 mm/day and the rate of the leading edge of the wavefront from 0.54 to 2.75 mm/day. Extrapolation of the rate‐temperature function indicates that slow flow should stop at 11°C. However, a velocity of 0.1 mm/day was determined for experiments conducted at 10°C. Between 15 and 25°C a Q10 of 3.7 was determined for the peak apex and of 3.3 for the leading edge of the wavefront. The Q10's are significantly larger than the value of 2.2 found for fast transport (Gross & Beidler, 1975) and support the possibility of at least partial differences between the mechanisms of fast and slow transport. A very small peak was found to migrate in front of the main peak. The positioning of this peak seems to be similar to one found by Lasek & Hoffman (1976) in rat ventral motor neurons.
Load distribution in native cellulose.

The properties of cellulose materials are dependent on interactions between and within the cellulose chains. To investigate the deformation behavior of cellulose and its relation to molecular straining, sheets with fibers oriented preferably in one direction were studied by dynamic FT-IR spectroscopy. Celluloses with different origins (spruce pulp, Cladophora cellulose, cotton linters) were used. The sheets were stretched sinusoidally at low strains and small amplitudes while being irradiated with polarized infrared radiation. The cellulose fibers showed mainly an elastic response. The cellulose fibers showed mainly an elastic response. The glucose rings and the C-O-C bridges connecting adjacent rings, as well as the O(3)H.O(5) intramolecular hydrogen bonds are the components mainly deformed under stress, whereas the O(2)H.O(6) intramolecular hydrogen bonds play a minor role. The load distribution was also found to be different in the different allomorphic forms of cellulose I, namely, I(alpha) and I(beta).
A mutated FastSLAM using soft computing

Purpose Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is the problem of determining the pose (position and orientation) of an autonomous robot moving through an unknown environment. The classical FastSLAM is a well-known solution to SLAM. In FastSLAM, a particle filter is used for the robot pose estimation, and the Kalman filter (KF) is used for the feature location’s estimation. However, the performance of the conventional FastSLAM is inconsistent. To tackle this problem, this study aims to propose a mutated FastSLAM (MFastSLAM) using soft computing. Design/methodology/approach The proposed method uses soft computing. In this approach, particle swarm optimization (PSO) estimator is used for the robot’s pose estimation and an adaptive neuro-fuzzy unscented Kalman filter (ANFUKF) is used for the feature location’s estimation. In ANFUKF, a neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) supervises the performance of the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) with the aim of reducing the mismatch between the theoretical and actual covariance of the residual sequences to get better consistency. Findings The simulation and experimental results indicate that the consistency and estimated accuracy of the proposed algorithm are superior FastSLAM. Originality/value The main contribution of this paper is the introduction of MFastSLAM to solve the problems of FastSLAM.
Development of Smart Insulin Device for Non Invasive Blood Glucose Level Monitoring

Diabetes is one of the life threatening diseases in theworld. Nowadays, diabetes patients are increasing due toimproper monitoring of blood glucose level. The diabetes infectedpatients have to check the amount of glucose level present in thebody using invasive method. By using this method, they have totake a drop of blood from the body and check the amount ofglucose level, by which they can inject the required amount ofinsulin into the body. To overcome the difficulties caused byinvasive method, in this prototype we are using non-invasivemethodology. The main objective of this work is to design aportable non-invasive blood glucose level monitoring device usingnear infrared sensors. The device includes Infrared LED,Photodiode and ATMEGA328 Microcontroller. Besides beingable to detect glucose concentration in blood, the device alsodisplays the required insulin dose based on glucose levelcorresponding to the Body Mass Index (BMI) of the user.
Advantageous effects of dexmedetomidine on haemodynamic and recovery responses during extubation for intracranial surgery

Background and objective: The anaesthetic method for intracranial neurosurgery must provide haemodynamic stability on emergence and allow early evaluation of the neurological status. In this study, we examined the effects of the &agr;‐2 agonist dexmedetomidine given at the end of the procedure to prevent hyperdynamic responses during extubation and to allow a comfortable and high‐quality recovery. Methods: Forty ASA I‐III patients, aged between 18 and 75 yr, having elective intracranial surgery, were divided into two random groups. Standard procedures and drugs were used for monitoring, induction and maintenance. Isoflurane was reduced by 50% 5 min before the end of the surgery, and in Group I dexmedetomidine 0.5 &mgr;g kg−1 and in Group II 20 mL of 0.9% NaCl were administrated intravenously over 60 s. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures, and heart rate were recorded before intravenous administration and also at 1, 3 and 5 min after administration, 1 min before extubation, during extubation, 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 min after extubation. Duration of extubation and recovery were noted, and the quality of extubation was evaluated on a 5‐point scale. Results: Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were significantly higher in Group II than in Group I (P < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding the duration of extubation and recovery (P > 0.05). Extubation quality score of all the patients were 1 in Group I; and in Group II, the quality scores were 1 for 35%, 2 for 45% and 3 for 20% of the patients (P < 0.001). None of the patients in Group I and Group II showed respiratory depression, nausea or vomiting. Conclusion: Without interfering in recovery time, dexmedetomidine 0.5 &mgr;g kg−1 administered 5 min before the end of surgery stabilizes haemodynamics, allows easy extubation, provides a more comfortable recovery and early neurological examination following intracranial operations.
Serum levels of folate and cobalamin are lower in depressed than in nondepressed hemodialysis subjects.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate if there was a significant difference in serum and RBC folate or serum cobalamin levels in depressed and nondepressed subjects on hemodialysis (HD). DESIGN A cross-sectional design was used in this study. Each subject's serum folate and cobalamin, and red blood cell (RBC) folate were measured. The Beck Depression Index II (BDI-II) was used to assess for depression. Subjects with scores of 10 or greater were considered depressed. Other laboratory, anthropometric, and demographic data were obtained from the subjects' medical records. To assess for significant differences (P < 0.05) in the laboratory values of the outcome variables between depressed and nondepressed subjects, t tests were performed on the groups' mean values. SETTING The study was conducted with patients in two dialysis centers in Texas. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Seventy-three individuals undergoing HD for at least six months who met study inclusion criteria were solicited to participate in the study after the study was approved by the respective institutional review board. INTERVENTION Depression and mental status of each subject were assessed using the BDI-II and the Folstein Mini-Mental State Exam, respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Serum folate, cobalamin, total homocysteine, and RBC folate were measured and mean values were evaluated for significant differences in the depressed and nondepressed groups. RESULTS Of the subjects in this study, 43.8% had BDI-II scores > 10 indicating depression. The nondepressed subjects had significantly higher mean serum folate (281 +/- 649 vs. 52 +/- 137 ng/mL), serum cobalamin (1162 +/- 1014 vs. 757 +/- 463 pg/mL), and RBC folate (1433 +/- 1757 vs. 810 +/- 654 ng/mL) levels than did depressed subjects. In the nondepressed group, 39% of subjects were taking a supplement containing 35-42 mg folacin and 7 mg cobalamin per week while only 9.1% of depressed subjects were taking a vitamin containing these levels of B vitamins. The group means were not significantly different for age, months on HD, body mass index, erythropoietin/kg body weight, total homocysteine, hemoglobin, albumin, or ferritin. CONCLUSION As with the general population, lower serum folate, RBC folate, and serum cobalamin levels were found in depressed as compared to nondepressed subjects on HD. Plasma levels of these vitamins may be one of many factors related to depression, but larger studies with stronger designs are needed to confirm the results of this study.
Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency.

This information sheet refers to a procedure that is currently not licensed in Ireland. What is CCSVI? Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a condition thought to be caused by constrictions of large veins in the neck and chest. It is postulated these constrictions reduce drainage of venous blood flow (blood with reduced oxygen returning from the brain) from the brain and spinal cord. The hypothesis suggests that, because of back pressure caused by these constrictions, blood leaks into the brain and spinal cord depositing iron which triggers an immune response. What does the research say? In 2009, CCSVI hits the headlines worldwide. Its interest was sparked by the following research: In 2009 Italian surgeon Dr Paolo Zamboni and his team carried out a small study looking at CCSVI in 65 people with all forms of MS and 235 volunteers who did not have MS. The researchers reported an association between people with MS and venous insufficiency. A further study from the same group in Italy examined the effects of relieving the back pressure in the veins affecting the brain by a technique called balloon dilatation, which widens the veins to let blood flow normally. They looked at 65 people with MS who had previously been diagnosed with venous insufficiency. Thirty five participants had relapsing remitting MS, 20 had secondary progressive MS and 10 had primary progressive MS. The study, which was open-labelled (meaning that any placebo effect was not accounted for) suggested that the technique may be safe, although there was a lack of detail describing any complications arising from the procedure. The researchers found that there were more participants that remained relapse-free for a year after treatment (compared with a year before treatment), although the authors state that they did not account for other factors
Using a Cultural Framework to Assess the Nutrition Influences in Relation to Birth Outcomes Among African American Women of Childbearing Age: Application of the PEN-3 Theoretical Model

The purpose is to present the process and results of focus groups conducted to access information for the design of a healthy eating curriculum to reduce maternal nutritional risks and enhance protective factors among African American women in relation to birth outcomes. Sixteen younger (19 to 25 years) and 20 older African American women (45 to 60 years), respectively, participated. The PEN-3 model, (Airhihenbuwa, 1995, 1999) guided the focus groups. Most women stated that culture and family relationships impacted their food choices. Younger women expressed creativity with recipes and presented a desire to be more involved with preparing foods. Older women expressed eagerness to teach family-centered culinary skill-building classes. Both groups of women acknowledged time and budget barriers, identified the prevalence of lactose intolerance, and recognized that large grocery stores that offered food variety were not located in their community. Health professionals are encouraged to consider these findings while designing interventions targeting young African American women's nutrition in relation to birth outcomes.