Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the use of penicillin to control outbreaks of acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis.

INTRODUCTION Outbreaks of acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN), occur every few years in remote Australian Aboriginal communities. Intervention with benzathine penicillin G (BPG) to all children is effective in reducing streptococcal carriage in a community, but its effectiveness in arresting outbreaks of APSGN has not been established. OBJECTIVE To study nine recent community outbreaks of APSGN in Australia's Northern Territory and compare them with outbreaks reported in the literature to assess the impact of intervention with BPG. METHODS Because randomized controlled trials have not been conducted for this purpose, we assessed data from published observational studies and relevant experiences in the Northern Territory (NT). Eight of the nine outbreaks in the NT were studied prospectively. An outbreak was defined as two or more clinical cases of APSGN occurring within 1 week in a single community. Three intervention methods were used: intramuscular BPG to all children ages 3 to 15 years; BPG only to children with skin lesions; and BPG only to child contacts of clinical cases. The attack rates, number of clinical cases before and after the interventions were documented and the coverage of children with penicillin were estimated. RESULTS A review of the literature found very little evidence either for or against the effectiveness of intervention with BPG. In our study four communities used the first method of intervention. The community with the lowest uptake of penicillin continued to have cases in untreated children for 9 further weeks, two communities had no new cases from 3 weeks after the intervention and the fourth had a single further case after 4 weeks. The one community that used the second method had a high initial attack rate but no further cases from 1 week after the intervention. Three communities used the third method and in one community no intervention was attempted. CONCLUSION Our observational study supports the use of BPG in the community to prevent new cases of APSGN. It suggests that targeted treatment of children with skin sores and household contacts of cases, rather than attempted treatment of all children in the community, could be an effective method of intervention.
Longitudinal studies on Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species in two salmon processing plants

Two plants processing salmon fillets and cold smoked salmon were investigated for occurrence of Listeria in products and the environment. Analyses were conducted for a period of 31 weeks. At plant A, 252 samples were examined of which 97 were from unprocessed fish and 155 from cold-smoked fish. At plant B, 189 samples of unprocessed fish were investigated. The first examination of unprocessed fish at plant A showed a presence of L. monocytogenes and L. spp. in 81% and 19% of the samples respectively. For cold-smoked fish the figures were 43% and 23%. At plant B, L. monocytogenes was isolated in 63% of the samples. During the test period, management at the processing plant initiated various hygiene precautions to improve the sanitary situation. The last batch of analyses of unprocessed fish at plant A showed a presence of L. monocytogenes and L. spp. in 42% and. 33% of the samples respectively. For cold-smoked fish, the figures were 6% and 11%. The isolation figures at plant B for L. monocytogenes and L. spp. were 50% and 17% respectively. The hygienic precautions did not have a significant effect on the presence of L. monocytogenes and L. spp. We suggest that Listeria bacteria are a part of the resident flora and are not eliminated by current cleaning and sanitation programmes. Cold-smoking, however, gave a significant reduction in the isolation of L. monocytogenes (P = 0.0082), while the isolation of L. spp. did not decrease after this process.
Correlation of modified Gleason grading of prostate carcinoma with age, serum prostate specific antigen and tumor extent in needle biopsy specimens.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the correlation of biopsy grade with age, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) and biopsy tumor extent using the conventional and modified Gleason grading systems. STUDY DESIGN A total of 828 consecutive needle biopsy specimens of prostate carcinoma were collected from the years 1995 and 2000 (graded with conventional Gleason grading) and 2006 and 2007 (graded with modified Gleason grading). RESULTS Both conventional and modified Gleason grading correlated with age, serum PSA, percent positive biopsies and percent cancer length. In 2006-2007, the patients were on average younger and more biopsy cores were taken per patient. Serum PSA and percent positive cores were lower than in the 1995 and 2000 group, indicating a stage shift downward, but the Gleason scores were nevertheless higher. CONCLUSION Conventional and modified Gleason grading both correlated with age, serum PSA and cancer involvement in needle biopsies. With modified Gleason grading there is a grade shift upward despite the downstaging that has been observed in recent years.
A brief comparision of series-connected modular topology in STATCOM application

At present, the series-connected modular converter is widely accepted in medium-voltage high-power STATCOM application because of the merits brought by the modularized circuit. The three major topologies are cascaded H-bridge with star connection, cascaded H-bridge with delta connection and modular multilevel converter. The performances of these three topologies are different when they handle the unbalanced load under the asymmetrical grid fault condition. This paper analyses the characteristics of the three topologies based on the principle of power balancing. And then, a brief comparison of their performance in STATCOM application is carried out in this paper. The theoretical results are verified by computer simulations.
Quercetin Impairs the Reproductive Potential of Neonatal Male Rats

International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research Available online at www.globalresearchonline. net © Copyright protected. Unauthorised republication, reproduction, distribution, dissemination and copying of this document in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. © Copyright protected. Unauthorised republication, reproduction, distribution, 31 Reda H. ElMazoudy, Nema A. Mohamed, Azza A. El-massry, Fatma R. Abdelsadek Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. Biology Department, College of Science in Dammam-Girls, University of Dammam, Dammam, KSA. *Corresponding author’s E-mail: redaelmazoudy@hotmail.com
Spontaneous Spongy Degeneration of the Brain Stem in SAM-P/8 Mice, a Newly Developed Memory-Deficient Strain

Abstract. A spontaneous spongy degeneration of the brain stem and spinal cord was discovered in a murine model of accelerated senescence (SAM), cared for under both conventional (SAM-P/8) and specific pathogen-free (SAM-P/8/Ta) conditions. SAM-P/8 and SAM-P/8/Ta showed no clinical neurological abnormalities, yet there was a deterioration in learning and memory abilities. Light microscopic examination revealed a spongy degeneration in the brain stem and spinal cord, in the reticular formation, and proliferation of hypertrophic astrocytes in the spongy area. The spongiform degeneration progressed with advancing age from four to eight months, after which the entire brain was involved. Astrocytosis increased with advancing degeneration. Ultrastructurally, mild dendritic swelling occurred at one month of age. At two months of age, moderate postsynaptic swelling and a widening of intracellular membrane structure were observed, and at age five months there were large vacuoles circumscribed by membranous lamellae, identifiable as myelin. Vacuoles in SAMP/ 8 proved to be swollen neuronal processes and oligodendroglial processes. These SAM-P/8 and SAM-P/8/Ta strains of mice are new memory-deficient strains with spontaneous spongy degeneration associated with aging.
Nonmedian Direct Products of Graphs with Loops

A \emph{median graph} is a connected graph in which, for every three vertices, there exists a unique vertex $m$ lying on the geodesic between any two of the given vertices. We show that the only median graphs of the direct product $G\times H$ are formed when $G=P_k$, for any integer $k\geq 3$ and $H=P_l$, for any integer $l\geq 2$, with a loop at an end vertex, where the direct product is taken over all connected graphs $G$ on at least three vertices or at least two vertices with at least one loop, and connected graphs $H$ with at least one loop.
Patrones de nacimiento, mortalidad y supervivencia de firmas industriales en un período de transición: un análisis de caso, 1989-1994

Las transformaciones sufridas por la economia argentina en esta decada, a partir de su estabilizacion y su apertura, de la desregulacion de los mercados, del proceso de privatizacion y de la profundizacion de la integracion sub-regional obligo a las empresas a desenvolverse en un ambiente altamente competitivo, en donde las firmas, los mercados y las instituciones deben adaptarse a nuevas formas de interaccion.
Molecular similarities between primary peritoneal and primary ovarian carcinomas

The objective of this paper was to characterize expression patterns of biologic markers to distinguish papillary serous peritoneal carcinoma (PPC) from papillary serous ovarian carcinoma (POC). Immunohistochemical analysis of HER-2/neu, p53, bcl-2, and nm23-H1 expression was performed on archival paraffin-embedded tissues. Antigen expression was compared at ovarian and extra-ovarian sites. Thirty-two PPC cases were compared to 18 POC cases. Mean age, stage, grade, and survival outcome were comparable between the two groups. Antigen expression patterns were not significantly different between PPC and POC for the four markers studied. In all cases, nm23-H1 was expressed. Conversely, bcl-2 was expressed at only a single tissue site in three of 32 (9.4%) PPC cases and in one of 18 (5.6%) POC cases. Eleven of 32 (34.4%) PPC cases overexpressed HER-2/neu, vs. four of 18 (22.2%) POC cases. P53 staining results were positive in 23 of 32 (71.9%) PPC and 13 of 18 (72.2%) POC cases. Intrapatient antigen expression was identical at primary and metastatic tumor sites in 50% of the POC and 48.4% of the PPC cases. We conclude that PPC and POC have a comparable immunohistochemical phenotype for these four molecular markers, which is reflected by their similar clinical courses.
Analysis of 164 titanium oxide-surface implants in completely edentulous arches for fixed prosthesis anchorage using the pterygomaxillary region.

PURPOSE The purpose of the article was to evaluate the survival rates of TiUnite implants and then compare them to a previous similar study of machined-surface implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS This report presents the results of 82 consecutive patients treated since the introduction of Nobel Biocare's TiUnite surface. The patients were treated with complete-arch restorations using bilateral pterygomaxillary implants in edentulous maxillae. A total of 840 implants were placed in immediate extraction or healed sites, with a mean of 10 implants placed per patient. RESULTS In all, 826 of the 840 implants osseointegrated, for a cumulative survival rate (CSR) of 98.3%. One hundred fifty-eight of 164 pterygomaxillary implants successfully osseointegrated, yielding a 96.3% survival rate. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The results of this complete-arch maxillary prospective study suggest that Brånemark System TiUnite implants are more predicable than implants with a machined surface. Compared to a similar 1999 study in which the survival rate for machined-surface implants was 92.1%, the present study had a significantly higher survival rate of 98.6% with the TiUnite surface (P < .001). In the pterygomaxillary region, there was an increase of 8% with the TiUnite surface as opposed to the machined surface (P < .001). In addition, 62% of the implants in the present study were immediately loaded, compared to 0% in the machined-surface implant study. The titanium oxide surface appears to assist the healing response of the bone-implant interface.
Effects of 3-D stacked vector cache on energy consumption

To realize a high computational efficiency, a 3-D stacked chip multi-vector processor (CMVP) has been proposed. However, the 3-D stacked CMVP has not been evaluated well in terms of energy consumption. Therefore, to clarify the potential of the 3-D stacked CMVP, this paper evaluates and analyzes the energy consumption of the 3-D stacked CMVP using real scientific applications. Especially, this paper focuses on the energy reduction effects given by a large scale vector cache, which can be realized by 3-D die stacking technologies. The evaluation results show the vector cache on the 3-D stacked CMVP has enough potential to achieve a low energy and high performance processing of the cutting edge scientific applications.
Weighted support vector machine for classification

In the standard support vector machines for classification, the use of training sets with uneven class sizes results in classification biases towards the class with the large training size. The main causes lie in that the penalty of misclassification for each training sample is considered equally. Weighted support vector machines for classification are proposed in this paper where penalty of misclassification for each training sample is different. By setting the equal penalty for the training samples belonging to same class, and setting the ratio of penalties for different classes to the inverse ratio of the training class sizes, the obtained weighted support vector machines compensate for the undesirable effects caused by the uneven training class size, and the classification accuracy for the class with small training size is improved. But this improvement is obtained at the cost of the possible decrease of classification accuracy for the class with large training size and the possible decrease of the total classification accuracy. Two weighted support vector machines, namely weighted C-SVM and V-SVM, corresponding to C-SVM and V-SVM are given respectively. Experimental simulations on breast cancer diagnosis show the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
The surgeon's role in the treatment of chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction.

OBJECTIVE The surgeon's role in the treatment of patients with chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction (CIP) is under-appreciated. Our aim was to determine the effects of operative treatment on symptomatic relief of CIP. METHODS Records of all 21 patients who underwent surgery for CIP from 1980 to 1990 were reviewed. CIP was diagnosed by a combination of manometric, radiological, and/or histological examinations. RESULTS Six of the nine patients who underwent resection or bypass of presumably localized disease are currently maintained on oral intake; one patient with multiple sclerosis who cannot eat is fed via a gastrostomy tube. Enterostomy tube(s) were placed in the other 12 patients; four no longer use the enterostomy tube(s), and eight rely on these decompressive tube enterostomies for symptomatic relief. After operative treatment, hospital readmissions decreased from a mean of 0.5 to 0.1 admission/year. All 19 patients currently alive report improved quality of life. CONCLUSIONS Selective and directed operative treatment of patients with CIP can result in therapeutic and palliative benefits. The surgeon should have an active role in the evaluation and possible treatment of patients with CIP.
Therapeutic Actions of an Insulin Receptor Activator and a Novel Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Agonist in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Obese Rat Model of Metabolic Syndrome X

Insulin resistance clusters with hyperlipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, and hypertension as metabolic syndrome X. We tested a low molecular weight insulin receptor activator, demethylasterriquinone B-1 (DMAQ-B1), and a novel indole peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ agonist, 2-(2-(4-phenoxy-2-propylphenoxy)ethyl)indole-5-acetic acid (PPEIA), in spontaneously hypertensive obese rats (SHROB), a genetic model of syndrome X. Agents were given orally for 19 days. SHROB showed fasting normoglycemia but impaired glucose tolerance after an oral load, as shown by increased glucose area under the curve (AUC) [20,700 mg · min/ml versus 8100 in lean spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)]. Insulin resistance was indicated by 20-fold excess fasting insulin and increased insulin AUC (6300 ng · min/ml versus 990 in SHR). DMAQ-B1 did not affect glucose tolerance (glucose AUC = 21,300) but reduced fasting insulin 2-fold and insulin AUC (insulin AUC = 4300). PPEIA normalized glucose tolerance (glucose AUC = 9100) and reduced insulin AUC (to 3180) without affecting fasting insulin. PPEIA also increased food intake, fat mass, and body weight gain (81 ± 12 versus 45 ± 8 g in untreated controls), whereas DMAQ-B1 had no effect on body weight but reduced subscapular fat mass. PPEIA but not DMAQ-B1 reduced blood pressure. In skeletal muscle, insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrate protein 1-associated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity were decreased by 40 to 55% in SHROB relative to lean SHR. PPEIA, but not DMAQ-B1, enhanced both insulin actions. SHROB also showed severe hypertriglyceridemia (355 ± 42 mg/dl versus 65 ± 3 in SHR) attenuated by both agents (DMAQ-B1, 228 ± 18; PPEIA, 79 ± 3). Both these novel antidiabetic agents attenuate insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia associated with metabolic syndrome but via distinct mechanisms.
Perforations and Foreign Bodies of the Rectum: Report of 28 Cases

A series comprised of 28 patients (five with perforations of the recto-sigmoid colon and 23 with lodged rectal foreign bodies) is presented. The symptomatology, physical, laboratory and x-ray findings are described. Methods of management are discussed, with emphasis on the operative management of perforations and the conservative approach to retained foreign bodies. It is felt that these protocols will be useful to physicians who see this practice less frequently. X-rays of two more unusual cases are depicted. A thorough review of the literature is also presented. This is the largest reported series of patients with retained rectal foreign bodies and/or perforations. The series includes two female patients, a heretofore unreported occurrence.
Inside Liquidity

We study a model in which a special role for safe, short-term assets in facilitating financial intermediation encourages the private sector to issue these assets to supplement the public supply of safe, short-term assets, even though their role in providing liquidity can be put in jeopardy during financial panics that lead agents to question the low-risk nature of these assets. During “normal” times these assets are considered sufficiently safe so that they contribute to the supply of liquid assets, but in a financial panic their role in providing liquidity is great diminished, if not eliminated all together. In this paper we propose an endogenous mechanism by which assets are categorized as safe enough to offer liquidity services, or to lose such a status that had been previously acquired. Such a model seems to match key features of the data, both in normal times and during a financial panic. During a financial panic, e.g., the model matches the observed large rise in yield spread between commercial paper and T-bills, the fall in the supply of commercial paper, and a positive association between the real yield on T-bills and the overall supply of commercial paper plus T-bills. The model also reveals that the very mechanism that endogenously introduces a special role for assets in providing liquidity also opens up the economy to multiple equilibria, and that the features just mentioned are also consistent with an economy that jumps from a good equilibrium to a bad one, with no other change in fundamentals. ∗Duke University (coleman@duke.edu), and The University of North Carolina (Christian Lundblad@kenan-flagler.unc.edu). We wish to thank Ravi Bansal for many helpful comments.
Aplicação de fatores de crescimento no tratamento de lesões musculotendinosas: Solução ou Ilusão?

Background: Muscle and tendon injuries are very common in athletes and there is an intensive research to find new treatments that allow an earlier recovery. This justifies the interest in therapies with growth factors, with the aim of accelerate the tissue healing. The platelet-rich plasma (or plasma rich in growth factors) is a fraction of autologous blood obtained by centrifugation, with a platelet concentration higher than the physiological. The aim of this review is to evaluate the clinical and/or imaging outcomes of this therapy in the treatment of the most frequent tendinopathies (patellar, Achilles, rotator cuff and elbow tendinopathies) and in muscle injuries. We also intend to analyze the potential side effects and the possible influence of external factors. Material and Methods: We included 62 articles between 2004 and 2012 on platelet-rich plasma or on its application in muscle and/or tendon injuries. results: Platelet-rich plasma is effective in treating epicondylosis and patellar tendinopathies, but the same doesn’t happen in chronic Achilles tendinopathies. In the rotator cuff, this application also does not seem to be very beneficial, just having some impact in reducing the pain and in the prevention of postoperative recurrence. In muscle injuries, the few studies found seem to confirm a positive effect of this therapy. Discussion and Conclusion: It’s possible that the different outcomes observed are due to the nonstandardization of platelet-rich plasma preparation and application protocols. In future studies these parameters need to be standardized in order to maximize the therapeutic effect.
Genome of Geobacter sulfurreducens: Metal Reduction in Subsurface Environments

The complete genome sequence of Geobacter sulfurreducens, a δ-proteobacterium, reveals unsuspected capabilities, including evidence of aerobic metabolism, one-carbon and complex carbon metabolism, motility, and chemotactic behavior. These characteristics, coupled with the possession of many two-component sensors and many c-type cytochromes, reveal an ability to create alternative, redundant, electron transport networks and offer insights into the process of metal ion reduction in subsurface environments. As well as playing roles in the global cycling of metals and carbon, this organism clearly has the potential for use in bioremediation of radioactive metals and in the generation of electricity.
Internalizing Symptoms and Personality Traits Color Parental Reports of Child Temperament.

OBJECTIVE Depressed parents have negatively distorted views of the personalities and behaviors of their children. Our goal was to evaluate how other internalizing symptoms and personality traits relate to perceptions of child temperament using data from mothers and fathers as well as a novel statistical method for modeling multi-informant data. METHOD We applied the trifactor model (Bauer et al., 2013) to data collected from the parents of 273 children (aged 3-5 years). RESULTS Internalizing symptoms and personality traits were related to both mothers' and fathers' perceptions of their children. Effects varied somewhat across dimensions of child temperament. CONCLUSIONS These results support concerns that psychological characteristics influence parental perceptions of their children. This research also provides insights about psychological predictors of potential parental biases.
The averaging method for finding exactly periodic dispersion-managed solitons

A numerical averaging method for finding exactly periodic solutions [dispersion-managed (DM) solitons] of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation with dispersion management is described. Variations of the method for finding solutions of fixed energy and fixed pulsewidth are discussed, and the effects of including fiber loss are considered. The generation of resonant sidebands due to phase matching between the DM soliton and the background is described for average anomalous, zero, and normal dispersion.