Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of dietary fiber (soy polysaccharide) on the severity, duration, and nutritional outcome of acute, watery diarrhea in children.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of dietary fiber (soy polysaccharide) on the severity, duration, and nutritional outcome of acute, watery childhood diarrhea. METHODS A total of 34 hospitalized Peruvian male infants between 2 and 24 months of age were randomly assigned to receive a soy-protein isolate, lactose-free formula with added soy polysaccharide (group SF, n = 19) or the same diet without added fiber (group S, n = 15). The consumption of formulas, stool amount and consistency, absorption of macronutrients, and change in anthropometric status were measured. RESULTS Children in both groups were initially similar with regard to age, nutritional status, and prior duration and severity of diarrhea. Four patients in group SF (21%) and two in group S (13%) failed therapy because of recurrent dehydration or severe purging (P = .67). Formula intakes increased slightly during hospitalization (P = .03), but did not vary by dietary group (P = .73). Stool outputs declined significantly (P < .001) during hospitalization, but there were no significant differences by dietary group in either stool wet weight (P = .83) or dry weight (P = .87). Estimated median durations of liquid stool excretion after hospitalization were 43 hours in group SF and 163 hours in group S (P = .003). There were no significant differences in fractional or net absorption of macronutrients or change in anthropometric status by dietary group. CONCLUSIONS Soy polysaccharide, while not affecting stool output, macronutrient absorption, or nutritional status during acute, watery childhood diarrhea, significantly and markedly reduced the duration of liquid stool excretion.
RNA associated with non‐histone chromosomal proteins in rat liver and in ascites hepatoma

The purpose of the experiments was to determine if changes in the post‐transcriptional processing of RNA in the hepatoma also affect the low molecular weight nuclear RNA which is transcribed from families of related genes and associated with non‐histone chromosomal proteins. Separation of non‐histone chromosomal proteins on Sephadex G‐200 into three fractions separated the low molecular weight RNA associated with these proteins into metabolically stable RNA firmly bound to the first eluted fractions of high molecular weight non‐histone chromosomal proteins, and into a metabolically active RNA which is eluted with the third protein fraction and can be separated from the low molecular weight non‐histone chromosomal proteins by chromatography on DEAE‐Sephadex A 25 (fraction III RNA). In liver as well as in hepatoma, this fraction III RNA represents about 50% of the RNA associated with the non‐histone chromosomal proteins. Fraction III RNA from both tissues has an approximate molecular weight of 13,000, is rich in guanylic acid, is lacking dihydropyrimidines and is copied from the repetitive sequences of DNA. The content of uridylic acid is much higher in fraction III RNA isolated from hepatoma than in the same RNA isolated from liver, and competitive hybridization has shown that hepatoma fraction III RNA contains not only new base sequences which are not present in liver fraction III RNA, but also lacks some sequences which are present in the liver RNA. The technique of RNA/DNA hybridization in the presence of competing RNA has shown that, in hepatoma, the cytoplasmic RNA competes with more than 60% of the fraction III RNA for the hybridization sites on repetitive DNA. No competition was found when liver cytoplasmic RNA was used. The low ratio of competing hepatoma cytoplasmic RNA or of liver or hepatoma nuclear RNA which is required to displace fraction III RNA from its hybridization with DNA indicates that this RNA is synthesized and in hepatoma is also released into the cytoplasm as a part of larger RNA molecules. The detection of the nucleotide sequences found in liver associated with non‐histone chromosomal proteins in the cytoplasm of hepatoma cells is evidence for extensive disruption of the post‐transcriptional control in hepatoma.
Hypoxemia after General Anesthesia in Children

Postoperative hypoxemia has been well documented in adults but not in infants and children, although they are potentially more susceptible to airway closure and to disturbances in pulmonary gas exchange. In a prospective study, we measured arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) with a pulse oximeter in 97 ASA class I infants and children breathing room air before and after general anesthesia for superficial surgical procedures. Mean preoperative SaO2 was 97.6 ± 0.15% (SEM). On arrival in the recovery room after anesthesia mean SaO2 in room air had decreased significantly (P < 0.01) to 93.0 ± 0.49% (range 100–71%), corresponding to calculated arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) of about 66 mm Hg.The second reading, 5–15 min later, also showed a statistically significant (P < 0.01) decrease in SaO2 (94.1 ± 0.35%). There was no statistical difference in SaO2 between patients who received inhalation anesthesia alone and those who were given narcotics. There was also no correlation between postoperative reduction in SaO2 and duration of anesthesia or patient age. Of 67 patients who were asleep on arrival in the recovery room, 47 who remained asleep at the second SaO2 reading had an average increase in SaO2 of less than 1%. In contrast, in those patients who awoke, average SaO2 increased more than 4% during a similar time period—a difference that was statistically significant (P < 0.02).
Prevalence and Prognostic Significance of Coma after Cardiac Arrest Outside Intensive Care and Coronary Units

In 181 patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest, the prevalence and duration of coma were registered and related to the site of occurrence of cardiac arrest, cardiac rhythm during arrest, age and clinical outcome of the patients. Coma was most frequent after cardiac arrest outside the hospital, as 84% of these patients were comatose for more than 1 h and 56% for more than 24 h; the corrcsponding values for patients with cardiac arrest in general wards were 63% and 30%, rcspectively, and for patients with cardiac arrest during ambulance transport, 80% and 44%. Permanent brain damage was extremely rare if the coma lasted less than 6 h (1 out of 62 patients), and relatively rare with a coma duration betwecn 6 and 24 h (5 out of 34 patients). Of the patients, 85 remained comatose for more than 24 h and only 7 of them were discharged alive, all with cerebral impairment of a severity increasing with the duration of the coma. None regained consciousness after more than 7 days' coma, and a total of 80 patients died in coma, 20 with signs of cerebral death. Older patients were more vulnerable to coma than younger ones, but coma as such was not more frequent. We found no differences in coma after asystole and ventricular fibrillation. Problems concerning the selection of patients who have a chance of survival, although comatose after cardiac arrest, are discussed.
Identification of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in subgingival plaque by PCR

The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the PCR in detecting Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. The PCR's detection capability was compared with those of three other methods: culture-enhanced PCR (CE-PCR), colony hybridization (CH), and conventional culture with presumptive biochemical identification. A 285-bp stretch of the leukotoxin gene lktA of A. actinomycetemcomitans was amplified by PCR with primers TT-15 and TT-16. For CH, the PCR product was labeled with digoxigenin and used as a hybridization probe. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the PCR product of A. actinomycetemcomitans 1D4 and 1664 and three clinical isolates revealed complete homology among the tested strains, with only one base substitution (at position 1344) in comparison with the published sequence. With artificially infected subgingival plaque, the detection limit of PCR for A. actinomycetemcomitans was 10(3) CFU/ml of plaque suspension. Culturing subgingival plaque on tryptic soy-serum-bacitracin-vancomycin agar prior to PCR (CE-PCR) improved the limit of detection to 10(2) CFU/ml. Analysis of subgingival plaque samples from 35 patients with periodontal disease and 10 periodontally healthy subjects revealed that CE-PCR and CH had the highest overall rate of A. actinomycetemcomitans detection (both 58%), followed by PCR and culture (both 42%). With CH as the "gold standard", the sensitivities of CE-PCR, PCR, and culture were 88, 65, and 58%, respectively; the specificities were 84, 89, and 79%, respectively. The CE-PCR provided acceptable positive and negative predictive values (> or = 70%) when the prevalence of A. actinomycetemcomitans varied between 30 and 70%. PCR alone provided comparable predictive values over a narrower range of prevalence rates (30 to 50%), while culture did not afford acceptable predictive values at any prevalence rate. PCR and CE-PCR were found to be superior to culture with presumptive biochemical identification and should be the preferred methods for the detection of A. actinomycetemcomitans in subgingival plaque.
A UWB Impulse-Radio Timed-Array Radar With Time-Shifted Direct-Sampling Architecture in 0.18-$\mu{\rm m}$ CMOS

This paper presents a ultra-wideband (UWB) impulse radio timed-array radar utilizing time-shifted direct-sampling architecture. Time shift between the sampling time of the transmitter and the receiver determines the time of arrival (TOA), and a four-element timed antenna array enables beamforming. The different time shifts among the channels at the receiver determine the object's direction of arrival (DOA). Transmitter channels have different shifts, as well, to enhance spatial selectivity. The direct-sampling receiver reconstructs the scattered waveform in the digital domain, which provides full freedom to the backend digital signal processing. The on-chip digital-to-time converter (DTC) provides all the necessary timing with a fine resolution and wide range. The proposed architecture has a range and azimuth resolution of 0.75 cm and 3 degrees, respectively. The transmitter is capable of synthesizing a variety of pulses within 800 ps at a sampling rate of 10 GS/s. The receiver has an equivalent sampling frequency of 20 GS/s while supporting the RF bandwidth from 2 to 4 GHz. The proposed designs were fabricated in a 0.18- μm standard CMOS technology with a die size of 5.4×3.3 mm2 and 5.4×5.8 mm2 for the transmitter and the receiver, respectively.
The Effects of Differing Concentrations of Bupivacaine on the Epidural Somatosensory Evoked Potential After Posterior Tibial Nerve Stimulation

The somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) recorded from the cervical epidural space in response to stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve is often used to monitor spinal cord integrity during scoliosis surgery.Epidural analgesia may be used as part of the anesthetic technique for scoliosis surgery, but the effects of the local analgesic on the evoked potential must be determined to ensure that it does not interfere with the monitoring of spinal cord function. Therefore, we compared the effects of the administration of 10 mL of 0.25% (n = 8), 0.5% (n = 8), or 0.75% (n = 8) bupivacaine injected into the L3-4 epidural space on the somatosensory evoked potential to posterior tibial nerve stimulation in patients anesthetized with a propofol infusion, nitrous oxide and oxygen, immediately before scoliosis surgery. Compared with a control group (n = 8), a concentration-dependent effect of bupivacaine was found on overall amplitude of the evoked potentials and the amplitude of all peaks. There were no significant differences between 0.25% bupivacaine and the control group, but both 0.5% and 0.75% bupivacaine were associated with clinically and statistically significant decreases in overall amplitude (P < 0.002, 0.5% bupivacaine; P < 0.001, 0.75% bupivacaine). Latency increased similarly in all groups. We conclude that bupivacaine in concentrations greater than 0.25% is not suitable for scoliosis surgery, if spinal somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) are to be measured. (Anesth Analg 1995;81:147-51)
Productividad total de los factores y capital tecnológico: un análisis comparado

En este trabajo se presenta el calculo homogeneo de la productividad total de los factores (PTF) de diez agregaciones sectoriales de la manufactura de cuatro paises europeos, Estados Unidos y Canada, y se estima su contribucion al crecimiento de la produccion industrial durante el periodo 1979-2001. Tambien se estima la influencia que la inversion en I+D -tanto nacional, como foranea- ha ejercido sobre el factor residual, poniendo especial atencion en los efectos del comercio internacional y en las tecnologias de la informacion y las telecomunicaciones. Entre las aportaciones efectuadas cabe resaltar, ademas del calculo de indices de PTF a nivel sectorial que posibilitan las comparaciones multilaterales, el empleo de tecnicas de tratamiento de series temporales que permiten aplicar la metodologia de cointegracion a paneles de datos
Cluster analysis of MiRNAs microarray data and prediction of lupeol's anti-cancer path

Lupeol is a compound extracted from natural plants, which has an effective and low-toxic anti-cancer function. However, the mechanism of its anticancer function remains unclear. We analyzed the differential expression of miRNA from HELA cells whichwere pretreated with lupeol to investigate the anti-cancer molecular pathways of lupeol. The method of TaqMan MicroRNA Assay was applied in this study. and data were analyzed by means of cluster analysis. Targetscan and RNAfold were performed to analyze the gene sequences. Through system biological analysis, it was found that Lupeol's anti-cancer molecular path in HELA cell model pivotted with ERBB4 and involved in hsa-miR-23b, hsa-miR-200b.
Complicated atrial tachycardia due to atrial fibrillation originating from the superior vena cava

Introduction: The superior vena cava (SVC) can act as an origin of atrial fibrillation (AF). The complex structure and special conductive properties of the SVC can result in complicated atrial tachycardia (AT), atrial flutter, or AF. Symptoms and clinical findings: We report a case of the clinical observation of various kinds of AT and AF in 1 patient. Electrophysiological (EP) studies confirmed the muscle sleeve in the SVC to be the primary trigger and the only site or origin of tachycardia in this patient. Furthermore, we describe the mechanism of AT observed in clinic, which was misdiagnosed as multiorigin AF. Intervention and Outcomes: Circumferential pulmonary vein isolation and circumferential SVC isolation resulted in termination of tachycardia. Conclusion: We present an atypical case of AF originating from the SVC with unusual intra-atrial conduction characteristics and arrhythmogenic pulmonary veins. Stepwise EP studies were conducive to clarify the mechanism of this rare AT.
Polyphenol, an Extract of Green Tea, Increases Culture Recovery Rates of Isolated Islets from Nonhuman Primate Pancreata and Marginal Grade Human Pancreata

Investigations indicate that an extract of green tea, polyphenol, can significantly increase the culture survival rate of rat islets without deteriorating their functionality. In this study, we examined the effect of adding polyphenol to islets isolated from human pancreata and nonhuman primate pancreata. Islets were isolated from human pancreata that did not meet criteria for clinical transplantation (n = 6) and from nonhuman primate pancreata (n = 5). The islets were cultured in CMRL-1066 + 10% FCS with the addition of 0, 30, 60, 125, 250, or 500 μg/ml of polyphenol. After 24 or 48 h of culture, islet yield, viability, purity, morphology, and stimulation index was assessed. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were also performed to assess the expression levels of the apoptotic related genes, Bcl-2 and BAX. After 24 h of culture, islet yields were significantly higher in cultures supplemented with 30–250 μg/ml of polyphenol than in cultures without polyphenol. After 48 h of culture, significant differences in islet numbers were observed with polyphenol concentrations of 125 μg/ml (p < 0.01) and 250 μg/ml (p < 0.01). However, no significant differences were noted in islet viability, purity, morphology, and stimulation index at each time point with or without polyphenol. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis of the islets indicated that Bcl-2 levels increased by 2.5-fold and BAX levels decreased by twofold in cultures supplemented with polyphenol. This resulted in BAX/Bcl-2 ratios that were lower in polyphenol-supplemented cultures than with control cultures. Polyphenol increases culture recovery rates by precluding islet apoptosis.
The Impact of Nitrous Oxide on Electroencephalographic Bicoherence During Isoflurane Anesthesia

BACKGROUND: We previously reported that electroencephalographic (EEG) bicoherence, the degree of phase coupling among the frequency components of a signal, showed 2 peaks during isoflurane anesthesia. Hayashi et al. (Br J Anaesth 2007;99:389–95) also revealed that the peak frequency of bicoherence around 10 Hz increased when ketamine was added. Because nitrous oxide (N2O) and ketamine share several common features, they are often treated as the same category of anesthetic. Here, we investigated the effect of N2O on EEG bicoherence and other EEG derivatives during isoflurane anesthesia. METHODS: Twenty patients (aged 34–72 years, ASA physical status I and II) of either gender who underwent elective laparoscopic surgery were included. Raw EEG data, along with EEG-derived parameters, were recorded using an A-1050 Bispectral Index (BIS) monitor and our self-authored Bispectral Analyzer for BIS software. We compared 2 peaks of EEG bicoherence (pBIC–low, around 4 Hz; and pBIC–high, around 10 Hz), as well as BIS and spectral edge frequency 95% (SEF95). Anesthesia was induced with 3 mg · kg−1 thiopental and 3 &mgr;g · kg−1 fentanyl. After tracheal intubation, anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane (expired concentration at 1.0%), oxygen, and nitrogen. Fentanyl was added and maintained at an estimated effect-site concentration of >1.5 ng · mL−1. We obtained baseline data 1 hour after induction of anesthesia, then 70% N2O was added for 30 minutes. RESULTS: Before N2O, pBIC–low and pBIC–high were 49.3% ± 8.3% and 42.4% ± 11.0%. Ten minutes after starting N2O, pBIC–high decreased to 14.9% ± 5.9% (P < 0.001), and it was statistically significantly lower throughout the N2O period. Meanwhile, pBIC–low transiently decreased to 37.2% ± 12.8% (P = 0.01) during the early phase of N2O administration. Before N2O, BIS and SEF95 were 43.2 ± 4.9 and 13.1 ± 2.0 Hz, respectively. Both BIS and SEF95 slightly but statistically significantly decreased during N2O administration. Fifteen minutes after starting N2O, BIS and SEF95 were 35.7 ± 6.2 (P < 0.001) and 8.6 ± 1.8 Hz (P < 0.001) and they decreased more when large &dgr; waves emerged. Fifteen minutes after stopping N2O, BIS, SEF95, as well as pBIC–low and pBIC–high returned to pre-N2O values. CONCLUSION: Dissimilar to the effect of ketamine, N2O significantly decreases pBIC–high during isoflurane anesthesia.
Breast Cancer Risk Perception, Benefits of and Barriers to Mammography Adherence Among a Group of Iranian Women

The study aimed to assess associations between Health Belief Model variables, stages of change, and participation in mammography for early detection of breast cancer in a sample of Iranian women. A total of 414 women, aged 40 to 73 years, were recruited by random sampling. The study took place in the winter of 2007, using a self-report questionnaire and structured interviews, designed to measure the five Health Belief Model constructs and stages of adoption for mammography. The study indicated that 45.8% of the women were in the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages of a mammogram, and 29% of participants reported having had at least one mammogram. Screening behavior was associated with older age, familial history of breast cancer, history of breast disease, health insurance coverage, and living in an urban area. Furthermore, the perceived susceptibility to breast cancer, perceived benefits and barriers for mammography, and cues to action variables defined by the Health Belief Model were four factors related to having a mammogram. The study concludes that health care professionals must provide women with more fear appeals that outline vulnerability to developing breast cancer, remove cognitive barriers to seeking mammography, and apply effective guidance on the participation of women in breast cancer screening programs.
Identification of Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis merozoite proteins with isolate- and species-common epitopes recognized by antibodies in bovine immune sera

Immunoprecipitation of radiolabeled antigens with bovine antisera indicated that many Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis merozoite proteins contain isolate-common epitopes, while at least 16 B. bigemina and 8 B. bovis proteins contain species-cross-reactive epitopes. One immunogenic, isolate-common, and species-specific candidate diagnostic protein from each species was identified.
Autonomic aspects of arrhythmogenesis: the enduring and the new

Purpose of review Recent progress in understanding the role of the autonomic nervous system in the development of cardiac arrhythmias is reviewed. The focus is on the translation of basic principles of neural control of heart rhythm that have emerged from experimental studies to clinical applications. Recent findings Recent studies have made significant strides in defining the function of intrinsic cardiac innervation and the importance of nerve sprouting in electrical remodeling. A recurring theme is that heterogeneity of sympathetic innervation in response to injury is highly arrhythmogenic. In addition, both sympathetic and parasympathetic influences on ion channel activity have been found to accentuate electrical heterogeneities and thus to contribute to arrhythmogenesis in the long QT and Brugada syndromes. In the clinic, heart rate variability continues to be a useful tool in delineating pathophysiologic changes that result from the progression of heart disease and the impact of diabetic neuropathy. Heart rate turbulence, a noninvasive indicator of baroreceptor sensitivity, has emerged as a simple, practical tool to assess risk for cardiovascular mortality in patients with ischemic heart disease and heart failure. Evidence of the proarrhythmic influence of behavioral stress has been further bolstered by defibrillator discharge studies and ambulatory ECG-based T-wave alternans measurement. Summary The results of recent investigations underscore the importance of the autonomic influences as triggers of arrhythmia and provide important mechanistic insights into the ionic and cellular mechanisms involved.