Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination on new-onset type 1 diabetes. A randomized clinical study.

OBJECTIVE We undertook this study to test whether Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine preserves beta-cell function and increases the remission rate in children with new-onset type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial offered to children referred to the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes or the Baystate Medical Center with a diagnosis of new-onset type 1 diabetes. There were 94 children aged 5-18 years who received either BCG or saline intradermally within 4 months of onset of symptoms and who were then evaluated at 3-month intervals for 2 years. The primary end point was remission, defined as insulin independence for 4 weeks. Secondary end points were C-peptide levels (fasting and in response to a mixed meal challenge), insulin dose, and HbA1c. RESULTS Of the patients, 47 were randomized to each arm; 7 in the placebo group and 9 in the BCG group did not complete 1 year of the study and are not included in the analysis. One patient from each group achieved remission. Fasting and stimulated C-peptide levels did not differ by treatment arm but declined in both groups and were lower initially and during the entire 2-year period in younger children. Insulin requirements and HbA1c levels did not differ in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Vaccination with BCG at the time of onset of type 1 diabetes does not increase the remission rate or preserve beta-cell function.
EC‐IC bypass in patients with chronic hemodvnamic insufficiency

Nearly 10 years after the conclusion of the large EC-IC bypass trial (I) , it is still an open question if there is a subset of patients, where revascularisation improves the clinical outcome. Several studies have documented that a hemodynamic subgroup can be identified among cases with unilateral occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) presenting with transient ischemic attacks (TIA), or minor stroke (24) . Many different approaches have been applied to evaluate the cerebral vasocapacitance (2-6). Some studies have tried to compare the outcome of such hemodynamic subgroups to various historical control groups (6-8). In one series of 21 patients, all having abnormal hemodynamics as tested by position emission tomography, the outcome was compared to the results of the medically treated patients in the EC-IC bypass trial, and no increase in risk for early stroke was observed (7) . In contrast, Yonas et al. (9) and Kleiser & Widder (6) were both able to document a higher risk of stroke in a hemodynamically compromised subgroup with ICA-occlusion. However, until now it has not been possible to conduct a prospective randomized study in order to settle if EC-IC bypass surgery does play a role in selected patients with hemodynamic compromise. At our institutions we have continued to screen patients for hemodynamic insufficiency using tomographic xenon133 inhalation before and after acetazolamide. But the referral rate has been low, and since 1985 only 6 patients have been selected for surgery based on the flow studies. Four of these 6 cases had in addition preoperative CBF studies to test regional cerebral autoregulation. S. Vorstrupl, J. Haase2, I;. Waldemarl, A. Andersenl, J. Schmidt', 0. B. Paulsonl
Does regular walnut consumption lead to weight gain?

Studies consistently show the beneficial effects of eating nuts, but as high-energy foods, their regular consumption may lead to weight gain. We tested if daily consumption of walnuts (approximately 12% energy intake) for 6 months would modify body weight and body composition in free-living subjects. Ninety participants in a 12-month randomized cross-over trial were instructed to eat an allotted amount of walnuts (28–56g) during the walnut-supplemented diet and not to eat them during the control diet, with no further instruction. Subjects were unaware that body weight was the main outcome. Dietary compliance was about 95% and mean daily walnut consumption was 35g during the walnut-supplemented diet. The walnut-supplemented diet resulted in greater daily energy intake (557kJ (133kcal)), which should theoretically have led to a weight gain of 3·1kg over the 6-month period. For all participants, walnut supplementation increased weight (0·4 (se 0·1) kg), BMI (0·2 (se 0·1) kg/m2), fat mass (0·2 (se 0·1) kg) and lean mass (0·2 (se 0·1) kg). But, after adjusting for energy differences between the control and walnut-supplemented diets, no significant differences were observed in body weight or body composition parameters, except for BMI (0·1 (se 0·1) kg/m2). The weight gain from incorporating walnuts into the diet (control→walnut sequence) was less than the weight loss from withdrawing walnuts from the diet (walnut→control sequence). Our findings show that regular walnut intake resulted in weight gain much lower than expected and which became non-significant after controlling for differences in energy intake.
Evaluation of BacT/ALERT System for Detection ofMycoplasma hominis in Simulated Blood Cultures

ABSTRACT We used simulated blood cultures inoculated with clinical isolates of Mycoplasma hominis to determine whether liquid media of the BacT/ALERT (Organon Teknika, Durham, N.C.) will support growth of this fastidious organism and whether its presence can generate a positive signal with the instrument. Viability of clinical isolates of M. hominis was maintained for 7 days in BacT/ALERT media, and organisms were able to multiply when 1% gelatin was added to neutralize the mycoplasmastatic effects of the sodium polyanetholsulfonate anticoagulant. Without the addition of gelatin to BacT/ALERT bottles, the mycoplasmas declined in numbers or became completely nonviable. Mycoplasmal growth was further enhanced in BacT/ALERT PF both supplemented with gelatin, arginine, and DNA in comparison to broth with only gelatin added. No BacT/ALERT bottles containing M. hominis in simulated blood cultures were flagged positive by the instrument, despite growth of microorganisms of up to 107 CFU/ml after incubation for up to 7 days, suggesting that inadequate CO2 production or some other mechanism prevents the instrument from recognizing the presence of the organism and its metabolic products. The fastidious cultivation requirements and relatively slow growth of M. hominiswarrant that dependence on automated systems and techniques designed to detect conventional bacteria will not be reliable for recovery ofM. hominis and that specialized media and incubation conditions designed for optimum cultivation of mycoplasmas should be employed when this organism is suspected on clinical grounds.
Upregulation of gap junctional communication and connexin43 gene expression by carotenoids in human dermal fibroblasts but not in human keratinocytes

Consumption of dietary carotenoids has been statistically associated with decreased risk of cancer at several anatomic sites. In a model murine system of carcinogenesis (the 10T1/2 assay), we have previously shown that carotenoids can inhibit chemically and physically induced neoplastic transformation. This action is strongly correlated with the ability of carotenoids to increase gap‐junctional communication (GJC) by induction of connexin43 (Cx43) gene expression. Here we extend these studies to human foreskin‐derived dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes. In fibroblasts, β‐carotene and canthaxanthin at concentrations between 10−5 and 3 × 10−6 M were found to strongly enhance GJC in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. This was accompanied by an increase in the number of immunofluorescent junctional plaques recognized by an anti‐Cx43 antibody and by an increase in Cx43 protein level as determined by western blot analysis. No decrease in proliferation rates was detected by [H3]thymidine labeling. Human keratinocytes grown in monolayer culture did not respond to carotenoids in terms of GJC as measured by dye transfer, immunofluorescent analysis of Cx43 distribution, or Cx43 levels as measured by western blotting. Both cell types accumulated high levels of carotenoids. Because canthaxanthin, which has no known provitamin A activity in mammals, is as active in fibroblasts as is β‐carotene, the carotenoid with the highest provitamin A activity, the induction of GJC and Cx43 expression by carotenoids in human dermal fibroblasts seems unrelated to their provitamin A status. The lack of response of keratinocytes suggests differences in regulation of Cx43 expression or in carotenoid processing. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss Inc.
Early appearance of histochemically altered hepatocyte foci and liver tumors in female rats treated with carcinogens one day after birth.

A single i.p. injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) or benzo[a]pyrene (BAP) in 1-day-old female rats produced a high incidence of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase-(GGT)-positive hepatocyte foci within 4 weeks after the rats were weaned onto a 0.05% phenobarbital diet; the injection of benzo[e]pyrene did not produce foci under these conditions. Liver tumors appeared in rats treated with DEN within 8 weeks after weaning and in BAP-treated rats within 16 weeks after weaning. The results suggest that the treatment protocol used in this study may increase the utility of the liver tumorigenesis model as a broadly applicable in vitro system for the rapid detection of tumorigenic potential in environmental contaminants.
Minimality Postulates for Semantic Integration

Though for a long time the set of classical belief revision belief postulates of Alchourrón, Gärdenfors and Makinson (AGM) was thought to incorporate a principle of minimality, according to which the outcome of revising a knowledge base (KB) by new information had to be minimally different from the original KB, it was realised that one had to add additional postulates, called relevance postulates, in order to exclude forgetful revision. In this paper, we investigate two minimality postulates for a particular semantic integration scenario in which conflicts are caused by ambiguous use of symbols: A relevance postulate which says that only conflict relevant information is allowed to be eliminated and a generalised inclusion postulate which limits the creativity of the operators. Both postulates exploit the (satisfiably) equivalent representation of a first order logic KB by its prime implicates, which are its most logical atoms. As an example for a revision based operator in a semantic integration scenario, the definition of reinterpretation operators is recapitulated and it is shown that these fulfil both postulates.
Historical control data on urinary and renal tissue biomarkers in naive male Wistar rats

Total proteins, angiotensin‐converting enzyme, N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase, glutamine transaminase K and glutamine synthetase were determined in urine collected overnight (14 h: 6:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m.) from naive male Wistar rats; glutamine transaminase K and glutamine synthetase in the kidney 10 000 g supernatant and p‐aminohippurate uptake in renal cortical slices also were measured. Urinary parameters were related both to urinary creatinine concentration and urinary flow rate; kidney parameters were related to protein concentration (enzymes) or slice/medium (S/M) ratio (p‐aminohippurate uptake). The following reference ranges (1.0 and 99.0 percentiles) were obtained: urine: total urinary proteins (195 samples) 0.03–0.29 g mmol−1 creatinine and 0.13–1.77 mg h−1; angiotensin‐converting enzyme (115 samples) 8.9–63.7 µmol mmol−1 creatinine and 59.4–282.7 nmol h−1; glutamine transaminase K (115 samples) 0–1.7 µmol mmol−1 creatinine and 0–8.5 nmol h−1; N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (72 samples) 0.7–5.0 µmol mmol−1 creatinine and 4.9–28.4 nmol h−1 (naive male rats did not excrete glutamine synthetase); kidney: glutamine transaminase K (36 samples) 14.5–32.8 nmol mg−1 protein; glutamine synthetase (22 samples) 13.9–48.6 nmol mg−1 protein and p‐aminohippurate (54 samples) 4.77–17.89 S/M. Urinary creatinine (r = −0.780), total urinary proteins (r = −0.521), angiotensin‐converting enzyme (r = −0.650) and N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (r = −0.796) but not glutamine transaminase K were well correlated with diuresis. In addition, the same parameters, but not glutamine transaminase K, were well correlated with creatinine (r = 0.604,0.701 and 0.747, respectively). Significant correlation also was observed between urinary indices adjusted to creatinine or urinary flow rate (total urinary proteins: r = 0.813; angiotensin‐converting enzyme: r = 0.677; glutamine transaminase K: r = 0.939; N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase: r = 0.657). Finally, a low but significant correlation was found between total urinary proteins and angiotensin‐converting enzyme (r = 0.293) and N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (r = 0.471). Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chromosome Changes in PPLO-Infected FL Human Amnion Cells.∗

Summary Characteristic chromosome changes were observed in PPLO-infected FL human amnion cells. These changes included a gradual reduction in chromosome numbers, increase in chromosome aberrations, and the appearance of 3 new varieties. Although some of the aberrations appeared early after infection, most changes developed slowly, over a period of several months.
Oxygen availability strongly affects chronological lifespan and thermotolerance in batch cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Stationary-phase (SP) batch cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in which growth has been arrested by carbon-source depletion, are widely applied to study chronological lifespan, quiescence and SP-associated robustness. Based on this type of experiments, typically performed under aerobic conditions, several roles of oxygen in aging have been proposed. However, SP in anaerobic yeast cultures has not been investigated in detail. Here, we use the unique capability of S. cerevisiae to grow in the complete absence of oxygen to directly compare SP in aerobic and anaerobic bioreactor cultures. This comparison revealed strong positive effects of oxygen availability on adenylate energy charge, longevity and thermotolerance during SP. A low thermotolerance of anaerobic batch cultures was already evident during the exponential growth phase and, in contrast to the situation in aerobic cultures, was not substantially increased during transition into SP. A combination of physiological and transcriptome analysis showed that the slow post-diauxic growth phase on ethanol, which precedes SP in aerobic, but not in anaerobic cultures, endowed cells with the time and resources needed for inducing longevity and thermotolerance. When combined with literature data on acquisition of longevity and thermotolerance in retentostat cultures, the present study indicates that the fast transition from glucose excess to SP in anaerobic cultures precludes acquisition of longevity and thermotolerance. Moreover, this study demonstrates the importance of a preceding, calorie-restricted conditioning phase in the acquisition of longevity and stress tolerance in SP yeast cultures, irrespective of oxygen availability.
Implementation of a smoke-free psychiatric unit in a general hospital.

Dear Editor, Smoking is more prevalent among patients with severe mental disorders than in the general population. Moreover, other health threatening factors, such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and less attention to general health and self-care, contribute to increase the morbidity and early mortality in this population. The relationship between psychopathology and smoking (selfreported cognitive improvement, decrease in antipsychotic sideeffects, and anxiety), together with restrictions on the use of some medications and behavioral strategies, are some of the difficulties in the nicotine dependence treatment for these patients. Currently, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) has been considered to be the most effective and safest option to aid smoking cessation in this population. The Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (HC-UNICAMP) has 3,100 employees and 394 beds. It is a reference institution in health care, teaching, and research, and therefore it has an exemplary role in providing high-standard care and environment. Its 12-bed Psychiatric Unit (PU) admits patients suffering from mood disorders (34%), psychotic disorders and schizophrenia (28%), personality disorders (12%), organic mental disorders (9%), and disorders related to the use of psychoactive substances (7%). In the beginning of 2008, a multisectoral committee was created in order to implement measures to make the hospital 100% free from tobacco. One of the main obstacles to achieve that goal was the fact that the fourth floor of the building, where the PU is located, used to be regarded by both patients and professionals as a smoking area. Table 1 describes the main measures taken to ban smoking in the hospital. Between June 2008 and May 2009, 196 patients were hospitalized at the PU, 26% of whom were smokers. On average, they were 37 years old and had been smoking 22 cigarettes per day for the last 19 years. Twelve months after hospital discharge, all patients were contacted by telephone and interviewed: 31% maintained the same smoking pattern, 27% reduced the number of cigarettes smoked per day, 10% had quit smoking but relapsed, and 27% had quit smoking completely since the time they were hospitalized. The two main difficulties identified in the smoke-free program were the resistance of hospital employees to acknowledge that the fourth floor was no longer a place for smoking, and the lack of NRT for all the hospital wards. Overall, the implementation of the program was smoother than initially expected. There were neither increased reports of aggressive behavior nor admission refusals. The old “negotiations” between staff and patients, who used cigarettes as an exchange currency, have been replaced by walking at the hospital yard, dominoes matches, and listening to the piano available on the fourth floor. Some hospital professionals also stopped smoking. The comment made by an interviewed patient reinforces the importance of the initiative and encourages other services to do the same: “I thought it’s all right [not being allowed to smoke in
After Reaching Retirement Age Physical Activity Sustains Cerebral Perfusion and Cognition

Among neurologically normal volunteers approaching age 65 with an option for retirement, a four‐year prospective longitudinal study was designed to examine effects of different levels of physical activity on cerebral perfusion by between‐group comparisons. After the fourth year, cognitive performance was also tested. Three groups were compared, each composed of 30 elderly volunteers, assigned as follows: Group 1, who continued to work; Group 2, who retired but participated in regular physical activities; and Group 3, who retired but did not participate in regular, planned physical activities. Retirees who elected to become physically inactive exhibited significant declines in cerebral blood flow (CBF) throughout four years of follow‐up. Those who continued to work or retirees who elected to participate in regular activities sustained more constant CBF levels. Active retirees and those who continued to work also scored better on cognitive testing after the fourth year of follow‐up compared to inactive retirees.
Application of exhaustive search, branch and bound, parallel computing and Monte-Carlo methods for the synthesis of quasi-optimal network-on-chip topologies

On the basis of an integrated network-on-chip (NoC) topologies optimality criterion, as well as applying the adjacency matrix to describe NoC topologies, exhaustive search method and its modification by using branch and bound and Monte-Carlo methods are extended to the synthesis of NoC quasi-optimal topologies. Designed ScaNoC suboptimal topology synthesis algorithm is implemented on a high-level programming language which makes it possible to generate quasi-optimal topological solutions in accordance with the requirements to reduce hardware costs and the average distance between nodes. Proposed quasioptimal topologies synthesis algorithm improvement by using the method of parallel computing allows speeding up the process of synthesis to 2117 times and getting topologies with the number of nodes up to 18.
Overview of the Nightsat mission concept

Nightsat is a concept for a satellite sensor capable of mapping of the location, extent, and brightness of nighttime lights at a spatial resolution suitable for the delineation of primary features within human settlements worldwide. Based on requirements from several fields of scientific inquiry, Nightsat should be capable of producing a complete cloud-free global map of lights on an annual basis from a near-synchronous orbit in the early evening with 50-to 100-m spatial resolution and have detection limits of 2.5E-8 Watts/cm2/sr/um or better. Although panchromatic low-light imaging data would be useful, multispectral low-light imaging data would provide valuable information on the type or character of lighting; potentially stronger predictors of variables such as ambient population density and economic activity.
Targeting of the Ring Exported Protein 1 to the Maurer’s Clefts is Mediated by a Two‐Phase Process

Early development of Plasmodium falciparum within the erythrocyte is characterized by the large‐scale export of proteins to the host cell. In many cases, export is mediated by a short sequence called the Plasmodium export element (PEXEL) or vacuolar transport signal; however, a number of previously characterized exported proteins do not contain such an element. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of export of the PEXEL‐negative ring exported protein 1 (REX1). This protein localizes to the Maurer’s clefts, parasite‐induced structures in the host‐cell cytosol. Transgenic parasites expressing green fluorescent protein–REX1 chimeras revealed that the single hydrophobic stretch plus an additional 10 amino acids mediate the export of REX1. Biochemical characterization of these chimeras indicated that REX1 was exported as a soluble protein. Inclusion of a sequence containing a predicted coiled‐coil motif led to the correct localization of REX1 at the Maurer’s clefts, suggesting that association with the clefts occurs at the final stage of protein export only. These results indicate that PEXEL‐negative exported proteins can be exported in a soluble state and that sequences without any apparent resemblance to a PEXEL motif can mediate export across the parasitophorous vacuole membrane.
Evaluation of a phenomenological elastic‐plastic approach for magnesium alloys under multiaxial loading conditions

Magnesium alloys are greatly appreciated due to their high strength to weight ratio, stiffness, and low density; however, they can exhibit complex types of cyclic plasticity like twinning, de ‐ twinning, or Bauschinger effect. Recent studies indicate that these types of cyclic plastic deformations cannot be fully char-acterized using the typical tools used in cyclic characterization of steels and aluminium alloys; thus, it is required new approaches to fully capture their cyclic deformation and plasticity. This study aims to propose and evaluate a phenomenological cyclic elastic ‐ plastic approach designed to capture the cyclic deformation of magnesium alloys under multiaxial loading conditions. Series of experimental tests were performed to characterize the cyclic mechanical behaviour of the magnesium alloy AZ31BF considering proportional loadings with different strain amplitude ratios and a nonproportional loading with a 45° phase shift. The experimental results were modulated using polynomial functions in order to implement a cyclic plasticity model for the AZ311BF based on the phenomenological approach proposed. Results show good corre-lations between experiments and estimates.