Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid Detection and Identification of Mucormycetes from Culture and Tissue Samples by Use of High-Resolution Melt Analysis

ABSTRACT We present a method for rapid and simple detection of clinically relevant mucormycetes of the Mucorales order in cultures and clinical samples. This seminested real-time PCR uses mucormycete-specific primers and is followed by species identification using high-resolution melt (HRM) analysis. The method is highly suitable for routine clinical diagnostics.
Applying domain knowledge and social information to product analysis and recommendations: an agent‐based decision support system

Abstract: The advance of Internet and Web technologies has boosted the development of electronic commerce. More and more people have changed their traditional trading behaviors and started to conduct Internet shopping. However, the exponentially increasing product information provided by Internet enterprises causes the problem of information overload, and this inevitably reduces the customer's satisfaction and loyalty. To overcome this problem, in this paper we propose a multi‐agent system that is capable of eliciting expert knowledge and of recommending optimal products for individual consumers. The recommendations are based on both product knowledge from domain experts and the customer's preferences from system–consumer interactions. In addition, the system also uses behavior patterns collected from previous consumers to predict what the current consumer may expect. Experiments have been conducted and the results show that our system can give sensible recommendations, and it is able to adapt to the most up‐to‐date preferences for the customers.
Neural agrin increases postsynaptic ACh receptor packing by elevating rapsyn protein at the mouse neuromuscular synapse

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments at neuromuscular junctions in the mouse tibialis anterior muscle show that postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) become more tightly packed during the first month of postnatal development. Here, we report that the packing of AChRs into postsynaptic aggregates was reduced in 4‐week postnatal mice that had reduced amounts of the AChR‐associated protein, rapsyn, in the postsynaptic membrane (rapsyn+/− mice). We hypothesize that nerve‐derived agrin increases postsynaptic expression and targeting of rapsyn, which then drives the developmental increase in AChR packing. Neural agrin treatment elevated the expression of rapsyn in C2 myotubes by a mechanism that involved slowing of rapsyn protein degradation. Similarly, exposure of synapses in postnatal muscle to exogenous agrin increased rapsyn protein levels and elevated the intensity of anti‐rapsyn immunofluorescence, relative to AChR, in the postsynaptic membrane. This increase in the rapsyn‐to‐AChR immunofluorescence ratio was associated with tighter postsynaptic AChR packing and slowed AChR turnover. Acute blockade of synaptic AChRs with α‐bungarotoxin lowered the rapsyn‐to‐AChR immunofluorescence ratio, suggesting that AChR signaling also helps regulate the assembly of extra rapsyn in the postsynaptic membrane. The results suggest that at the postnatal neuromuscular synapse agrin signaling elevates the expression and targeting of rapsyn to the postsynaptic membrane, thereby packing more AChRs into stable, functionally‐important AChR aggregates. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2008
Medically unexplained chronic pain in Australia: difficulties for rehabilitation providers and workers in pain.

UNLABELLED In Australia, evidence of an ageing population and a skills shortage are imminent challenges for employers [5,50]. A further concern arises from the work injury and motor accident compensation schemes, where many claims for soft tissue injuries result in permanent impairment depriving the community of otherwise productive workers [85]. In many cases, it is chronic pain that becomes the major barrier to a return to productive work. OBJECTIVE This study will review the operation of rehabilitation within Australian Workers' and Motor Accidents compensation systems in order to identify values and attitudes underpinning the vocational rehabilitation ethos. The models underlying current practice will also be identified. METHODS A comprehensive review of published literature and policy documents was undertaken. RESULTS We identified a variety of contextual factors that influenced progress back into the workforce for people living with persistent pain. The conceptual models underpinning these factors within rehabilitation systems were explored. They were all driven by a strong focus on early return to work and at the same time the sustainability of rehabilitation as a profitable industry. CONCLUSIONS Implications of these findings on the relationship between the rehabilitation provider and the person in pain are discussed. Rehabilitation professionals are influenced by and in turn influence the context in which chronic pain is experienced. Empirical data about the experiences of vocational rehabilitation professionals in Australian personal injury rehabilitation systems is lacking, yet the implications of the cost of chronic pain to the nation are significant. It is recommended that rehabilitation providers increase their awareness of the perhaps unforeseen traps within the various practice models they might be using on the goal of sustainable return to work for people living with pain.
Incomplete Tolerance to MHC Antigens in Irradiation Chimeras: Implications for MHC Restriction and Self Tolerance

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS (1) Chimeras of the type (P, X P2)Fi-Pi have a fragile state of T cell tolerance toP2 antigens. Though no ongoing response to P2 antigens can be detected in thespleen at the time of its removal, anti-P2 MHC responses can be provoked invitro (Tc cell generation), or in vivo (skin graft rejection). These results imply thatanti-P2 T cell precursors are present in these mice but are usually suppressed.If the idiotypes of anti-P2 T cells crossreact with those of anti-P2 + X T cells,then this could contribute to the observed bias of H-2 restricted responses to Rantigens of Pi type,(2) Lymphomyeloid cells of (PiXP2)Fi origin that repopulate the lymphoidtissues of irradiated Pi mice can apparently express less P2 MHC antigens thannormal Fi cells. If this contributes to the fragile state of T cell tolerance to P2antigens in the secondary lymphoid tissues of chimeras, it implies that inductionor maintenance of self tolerance to MHC antigens is quantitatively dependentupon MHC antigen expression,(3) The amount of H-2 antigen expressed on lymphomyeloid cells apparentlydepends not only on the genotype of the stem cells from which they are derived,but on the environment in which lymphomyeloid differentiation takes place.
Lack of ErbB-2 Oncogene Product Overexpression in Soft Tissue Sarcomas

The c- erb B-2 gene and its products (also designated HER -2 and c- neu ) encode for a 185-kd transmembrane glycoprotein with intracellular tyrosine kinase activity. c- erb B-2 belongs to the epidermal growth factor receptor family, of which there are four known members, and has molecular homology to the epidermal growth factor receptor. It seems that this family is critical in control of growth, differentiation, and mobility of many normal and transformed epithelial cell types. We have looked for overexpression of c- erb B-2 gene product in paraffin-embedded material from 230 cases of soft tissue sarcoma, in order to establish a possible new prognostic marker and a potentially new treatment option. In all the cases, irrespective of the sarcoma histological type, the immunostaining for erbB-2 was negative. Applications of erbB-2 for prognostication as well as the option of receptor targeting by trastuzumab monoclonal antibodies were aborted.
Periprosthetic Fractures: Epidemiology and Future Projections

Periprosthetic fractures are fractures that occur in association with an orthopaedic implant, most often used for joint arthroplasty or fracture fixation. They are associated with significant morbidity and increased mortality in some cases. The incidence of periprosthetic fractures appears to be increasing as a result of increasing patient longevity, more demanding activity levels that persist into advanced age for some patients, and as a result of the increasing rate of revision arthroplasty which accompanies increasing patient longevity. Implant, surgeon, and patient factors all contribute to the risk of periprosthetic fracture. In this review, we intend to discuss current trends in periprosthetic fractures and risk factors associated with their development in the joint arthroplasty and fracture patient.
Weight gain and restoration of menses as predictors of bone mineral density change in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa-1.

CONTEXT Adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) have low bone mineral density. However, the effect of disease recovery, first, on bone density measures assessed using the Molgaard approach, which differentiates between reported low bone density resulting from short bones (based on height Z-scores) and that resulting from thin bones [based on measures of bone area (BA) for height] or light bones [based on measures of bone mineral content (BMC) for BA]; and second, on height-adjusted bone density measures, has not been well characterized. We hypothesized that menstrual recovery and weight gain (> or =10% increase in body mass index) would predict an increase in these measures of bone density. METHODS In a prospective observational study, lumbar and whole-body (WB) bone density was measured at 0, 6, and 12 months in 34 AN girls aged 12-18 yr and 33 controls. Using Ward's modification of the Molgaard approach, we determined measures of BMC for BA and BA for height at the lumbar spine and WB and also determined spine bone mineral apparent density and WB BMC adjusted for height. RESULTS Girls with AN had lower spine BMC for BA Z-scores (P = 0.0009), and lower WB BA for height Z (P < 0.0001), compared with controls. Menstrual recovery and weight gain in AN (AN-recovered) (median 9 months) resulted in a stabilization of BMD measures, whereas BMD continued to decrease in AN who did not gain weight and recover menses (AN-not recovered). AN-recovered also predicted greater increases in spine BMC for BA and WB BA for height, compared with AN-not recovered (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Even short-term weight gain with menstrual recovery is associated with a stabilization of BMD measures.
Results of 268 Pressure Sores in 158 Patients Managed Jointly by Plastic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine

&NA; Despite improvements in surgical repair of pressure sores, recurrence rates greater than 80 percent are reported, thus indicating that this difficult problem is not yet solved. Recurrence results in additional hospitalizations and increased medical expenses. Because associated general clinical and social issues are numerous for these patients, our physical medicine and rehabilitation colleagues are active participants in their perioperative medical care. In addition, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation also directs a complete postreconstruction rehabilitation and education program for them. The results of surgically repaired pressure sores for patients managed in this collaborative fashion have not been previously reported. Pressure sore patients at the Harborview and University of Washington Medical Centers are evaluated by plastic surgery colleagues together with the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Patients believed to be candidates for complete postoperative rehabilitation are offered surgical repair and constitute this study cohort. Individuals who cannot cooperate with our protocol are treated nonoperatively and are not included in this study. A retrospective analysis of all 158 patients (mean age 34.5 years) operated on for 268 grade III and IV pressure sores between October of 1977 and December of 1989 was performed. Following surgical debridement and reconstruction, patients receive their principal medical care from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation service while the Plastic Surgery Department manages the surgical wounds. Graduated patient mobilization is initiated in accord with a mutually agreed upon standardized protocol. New or primary sores numbered 174 (65 percent), and recurrent or secondary sores numbered 94 (35 percent). Mean patient follow‐up was 3.7 years. The overall pressure sore recurrence rate (recurrence at the same site) was 19 percent, and the overall patient recurrence rate (previous patient developing a new sore) was 25 percent. Recurrence rates of 22 and 15 percent were noted for primary and secondary pressure sores, respectively. On most recent examination, 131 patients (83 percent) had intact pelvic and perineal skin. These results support a collaborative approach to the management of high‐grade pressure sore patients. Our protocol of mutual patient evaluation followed by surgical reconstruction and postoperative rehabilitation yields notably low recurrence rates of both primary and secondary sores. In addition, the high percentage of patients who manifest long‐term maintenance of skin integrity demonstrates the excellent education in personal skin and selfcare that this approach provides. Not only do patients enjoy successful and durable reconstructive results, but additional hospitalizations and health care expenses implicit to pressure sore recurrence are consequently diminished. This collaborative clinical effort remains our standard of care. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 102: 765, 1998.)
Experiment study of the relation between motion complexity and event-related desynchronization/synchronization

To find a new method to get more classifiable EEG patterns in event-related desynchronization/synchronization based brain-computer interface, we designed a experiment to study the relation between finger motion complexity and the energy features of EEG. Data analysis show that around primary motor cortex, energy of finger motion under different complexity shows notable distinction in /spl beta/ band.
Role of Corticosteroids in Influenza Pneumonia (H1N1) Patients

Background and objective: Although the benefits of systemic corticosteroids in pneumonia are not clear, their use is frequent in clinical practice. We described the patients' characteristics, demographics and the effect of steroids in Influenza pneumonia Hemagglutinin Type 1 and Neuraminidase Type 1 (H1N1) patients in terms of length of hospital stay. METHODS: The study design was a retrospective observational study, which consisted of patients presenting with H1N1 infection to the department of Emergency medicine at tertiary referral centre. We investigated all cases admitted with diagnosis of H1N1 pneumonia, confirmed by collecting throat swabs and doing Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) for H1N1 infection during July 2009 to February 2011. RESULTS: Of the 115 patients, 30 patients have been administered steroids. Within those 30 patients 20 have stayed in ICU with mean 7.45 ± 5.7 days. In that group of 20 patients, 10 patients have stayed in ICU alone, 10 patients have stayed in ICU and ward with mean 10.3±6.5 and 13.6±7.4 days respectively. 10 patients have stayed only in ward with mean days of 4.8±1.9. The overall mean hospital stay is 9.8±6.6 days. It is found that there is a significant statistical relationship between corticosteroid administration and reduced hospital stay (P=0.000).
Diurnal Variation in Oral Glucose Tolerance: Blood Sugar and Plasma Insulin Levels Morning, Afternoon, and Evening

Twenty-four subjects received three oral glucose tolerance tests, in the morning, afternoon, and evening of separate days. The mean blood sugar levels in the afternoon and evening tests were similar, and they were both significantly higher than those in the morning test. Plasma immunoreactive insulin levels, however, were highest in the morning test. The pattern of insulin levels during the afternoon and evening tests resembled that described as typical of maturity-onset diabetes.
Morphologic Analysis of the Facet Joint in the Immature Lumbosacral Spine With Special Reference to Spondylolysis

Study Design Morphological analysis was performed of the facet joint of the normal and spondylolytic lumbosacral spine in children and adolescents. Objectives This study was performed to estimate the influence of spondylolysis on growth of the neural arch of the lumbosacral spine. Summary of Background Data The development of the facet joint and its relation to spondylolysis have not been documented in the literature. Methods The dimension and orientation of the facet joint at L5/S were measured on radiographs and computed tomography scans from 144 boys without pars defects and 104 boys with pars defects. The latter group was further investigated according to the stage of pars defects. Patients in both groups were between 9 and 18 years of age. Results Growth of the facet joint in the sagittal and transverse directions and the increase of the transverse angle were remarkable up to approximately 13 years of age. Concavity of the facet joints also progressed in children of the same age. The growth of the facet joint in patients with spondylolysis was significantly retarded as the pars defects advanced from the progressive to the terminal stage. The joint surface was more coronal in orientation and flatter in shape compared with controls. Conclusions The present results suggest that pars defects occurring in children disturb or retard the growth of the facet joint and that the morphological characteristics of the joint surfaces in patients with spondylolysis are the consequence of these defects.
The relative age effect and success in German elite U-17 soccer teams

Abstract The aim of the study was to determine whether there is empirical evidence for advantages in performance of soccer teams because of their relative age. The practice of selecting youth players according to their momentary performance leads to relative age effects, which in turn lead to inefficient talent selection. We used the median of the birth dates as a measure of the effect size of the relative age effect and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to assess its significance. For the 2008–2009 season, birth dates in the three German U-17 first leagues for soccer were examined (911 players). More than half of the 41 teams differed significantly from the distribution of the corresponding German cohort. There was a significant correlation between the relative age effect and success defined by teams' final rankings (Spearman's ρ = 0.328, P = 0.036). Regression analyses revealed that with a median of birth dates one month earlier the team is expected to finish 1.035 ranks better. Accordingly, selecting early born athletes is an important aspect of success in youth soccer. However, teams with no relative age effect are able to compete in the league, having the benefit to promote players with a better perspective for long and successful careers at an adult age.
Maternal BMI, parity, and pregnancy weight gain: influences on offspring adiposity in young adulthood.

CONTEXT The prevalence of obesity among women of childbearing age is increasing. Emerging evidence suggests that this has long-term adverse influences on offspring health. OBJECTIVE The aim was to examine whether maternal body composition and gestational weight gain have persisting effects on offspring adiposity in early adulthood. DESIGN AND SETTING The Motherwell birth cohort study was conducted in a general community in Scotland, United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS We studied 276 men and women whose mothers' nutritional status had been characterized in pregnancy. Four-site skinfold thicknesses, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI), were measured at age 30 yr; sex-adjusted percentage body fat and fat mass index were calculated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Indices of offspring adiposity at age 30 yr were measured. RESULTS Percentage body fat was greater in offspring of mothers with a higher BMI at the first antenatal visit (rising by 0.35%/kg/m2; P<0.001) and in offspring whose mothers were primiparous (difference, 1.5% in primiparous vs. multiparous; P=0.03). Higher offspring percentage body fat was also independently associated with higher pregnancy weight gain (7.4%/kg/wk; P=0.002). There were similar significant associations of increased maternal BMI, greater pregnancy weight gain, and parity with greater offspring waist circumference, BMI, and fat mass index. CONCLUSIONS Adiposity in early adulthood is influenced by prenatal influences independently of current lifestyle factors. Maternal adiposity, greater gestational weight, and parity all impact on offspring adiposity. Strategies to reduce the impact of maternal obesity and greater pregnancy weight gain on offspring future health are required.
Trends in overweight by educational level in 33 low‐ and middle‐income countries: the role of parity, age at first birth and breastfeeding

This study examined trends in overweight among women of reproductive age by educational level in 33 low‐ and middle‐income countries, and estimated the contribution of parity, age at first birth and breastfeeding to these trends. We used repeated cross‐sectional Demographic Health Surveys of 255,828 women aged 25–49 years interviewed between 1992 and 2009. We applied logistic regression to model overweight (>25 kg m−2) as a function of education, reproductive variables and time period by country and region. The prevalence of overweight ranged from 3.4% in South and Southeast Asia to 73.7% in North Africa West/Central Asia during the study period. The association between education and overweight differed across regions. In North Africa West/Central Asia and Latin American, lower education was associated with higher overweight prevalence, while the inverse was true in South/Southeast Asia and Sub‐Saharan Africa. In all regions, there was a consistent pattern of increasing overweight trends across all educational groups. Older age at first birth, longer breastfeeding and lower parity were associated with less overweight, for differences by educational level in overweight prevalence and trends.
An improved data transport protocol for underwater acoustic sensor networks

Underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs) are widely used in many application. However, the underwater acoustic channel poses many challenges for reliable data transmission protocol design. In this paper, we propose a new data transmission protocol based on Fountain codes and Selective-repeat ARQ scheme (FSR-ARQ). The new approach utilizes the packet error correction ability of rateless code and improves the re-transmission scheme with a sequence number from NACK packets to achieve better coding efficiency. Compared with traditional Stop-and-Wait ARQ, SDRT and FOCAR, our proposed protocol can achieve high reliability while maintaining high energy efficiency and short end-to-end delay.