Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Dronabinol on Nutritional Status in HIV Infection

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of dronabinol (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) on appetite and nutritional status in patients with symptomatic HIV infection and weight loss. DESIGN: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with two five-week treatment periods separated by a two-week washout period. Patients received dronabinol 5 mg twice daily before meals or placebo. SETTING: A university-based HIV/AIDS clinic and a large infectious disease private practice largely devoted to care of patients with HIV. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve HIV-infected patients who had had at least a 2.25-kg weight loss participated in the study. Five patients completed the protocol, and seven withdrew (two because of drug intolerance, two because of disease progression, two because of noncompliance, and one because of experimental antiretroviral therapy). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main outcome measures included caloric intake, weight, percent body fat, serum prealbumin, and symptom distress. RESULTS: During dronabinol treatment, subjects experienced increased percent body fat (one percent, p=0.04); decreased symptom distress (p=0.04); and trends toward weight gain (0.5 kg, p=0.13), increased prealbumin (29.0 mg/L, p=0.11), and improved appetite score (p=0.14). CONCLUSIONS: In a selected group of HIV-infected patients with weight loss, short-term treatment with dronabinol may result in improvement in nutritional status and symptom distress.
Is Policy Well-Targeted to Remedy Financial Strain among Caregivers of Severely Injured U.S. Service Members?

U.S. military service members have sustained severe injuries since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This paper aims to determine the factors associated with financial strain of their caregivers and establish whether recent federal legislation targets caregivers experiencing financial strain. In our national survey, 62.3% of caregivers depleted assets and/or accumulated debt, and 41% of working caregivers left the labor force. If a severely injured veteran needed intensive help, the primary caregiver faced odds 4.63 times higher of leaving the labor force, and used $27,576 more in assets and/or accumulated debt compared to caregivers of veterans needing little or no assistance.
A shuttered probe with in-line flowmeters for chronic in-vivo drug delivery

This paper describes a micromachined microprobe for in-vivo drug delivery at the cellular level. The probe was developed to support research in neuropharmacology as well as for eventual use in neural prostheses. Extending a standard process for the realization of electrical recording and stimulating probes, the drug delivery probe adds microchannels, fluidic cables, dielectric shutters over the injecting orifices, and in-line flowmeters to verify the intended dose. These fluidic components require three masks in addition to the normal probe process. The fluidic cables are 1.5X more flexible than the polyimide tubing formerly used and can be integrated with the probes, while the shutters reduce the unintended delivery of drugs into tissue by a factor of 25 compared with an open orifice. The flowmeter operates in pulsed mode as a hot wire anemometer, with a power dissipation of 1.5 mW and a flow resolution of about 150 pL/sec. The temperature rise in tissue near the flowmeter is less than 1/spl deg/C. Process compatibility with on-chip microvalve and micropump structures has also been explored.
Studies on Genetic Male-Sterile Soybeans : III. The Initiation of Monocarpic Senescence.

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) germplasm, isogenic except for loci controlling male-sterility (ms(1)) and nodulation (rj(1)) was utilized to investigate the effects of reproductive tissue development and nitrogen source on the initiation of monocarpic senescence. The experimental genotypes (Ms(1)Rj(1), Ms(1)rj(1), ms(1)Rj(1), and ms(1)rj(1), were selected from a cross between N69-2774 and N59-5259, and were inbred to the F(5) generation. Green-house-grown plants were collected during the period of flowering (77 days after transplanting) until maturity (147 days after transplanting). Leaf tissues from the respective genotypes were analyzed at the various harvest dates for RNA, phenolic, and chlorophyll concentrations; acid protease activity; polypeptide banding patterns of chloroplast thylakoids; and chloroplastic ultrastructure.Regardless of nitrogen source, total chlorophyll concentrations declined between 77 and 119 days after transplanting, resulting in a 40% loss of chlorophyll per square centimeter in all genotypes. Leaf chlorophyll levels continued to decline at a constant rate in male-fertile genotypes, but remained at a constant level (26 micrograms chlorophyll per square centimeter) in male-sterile genotypes, for the remainder of the study. With increased leaf age, a gradual disruption of thylakoid structures was observed, particularly in chloroplasts from the male-fertile genotypes. Chloroplasts from the male-sterile genotypes appeared to lose starch grains but increased their number of chloroplastic lipid bodies with leaf aging. These data suggest that monocarpic senescence in soybeans was initiated at or before flowering. Although reproductive tissue development probably augmented the process, the response attributed to seed formation was not apparent until the mid-pod fill stage (119 days after transplanting). All genotypes had similar changes in other cellular components that are recognized as indicators of plant senescence regardless of whether the plants produced seed.
Detection of Epstein-Barr virus-associated antigens and DNA in salivary gland biopsies from patients with Sjogren's syndrome.

Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of salivary and lacrimal glands. To determine whether Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) might play a role in the pathogenesis of this disorder, we used monoclonal antibodies and DNA probes to detect evidence of viral gene products and genomes in these patients' tissue biopsies and saliva. Cytoplasmic staining of epithelial cells (i.e., ductal and/or acinar cells) with monoclonal antibody against the EBV-encoded early antigen (EA-D) was noted in 8/14 salivary gland biopsies from SS patients. This antibody did not react with normal salivary glands or salivary gland tumors, nor with other tissues from SS patients. The reactive antigen in SS biopsies had a m.w. of 52,000 on the basis of immunoblotting experiments, similar to the EA-D antigen found in lymphoblastoid cells lytically infected with EBV. EBV DNA was detected in parotid biopsies from two SS patients in amounts ranging from 0.1 to 3 pg per 20 micrograms of cellular DNA. Southern blotting was used to demonstrate the reactivity with Bam V, Eco D, and Bam M probes. Parotid saliva samples from 8/20 SS patients contained EBV DNA detectable by slot blot hybridization. EBV DNA was not detected in saliva of age-matched controls, rheumatoid arthritis patients lacking sicca symptoms, or patients with benign parotid tumors. The presence of EBV in salivary gland and saliva samples was associated with clinically more severe SS, as manifested by extraglandular symptoms such as vasculitis, occurrence of "pseudolymphoma", and marked abnormalities in immunoglobulin levels. These results demonstrate an elevated content of EBV in salivary glands of SS patients, and suggest that this virus may play a role in pathogenesis.
Virulence and Attenuation of Murine Cytomegalovirus

Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) was rapidly and regularly attenuated by passage through mouse embryo cell culture. This attenuation was manifested by alteration of lethality for suckling mice and by a striking loss of capacity to multiply in liver and spleen of weanling mice. The attenuation was selective in that the passaged virus multiplied vigorously in other organs and established high titer infections in submaxillary glands and pancreas comparable to those seen with wild virus. Furthermore, attenuated virus no longer induced transient suppression of antibody and interferon responsiveness which was a regular feature of wild MCMV infection. Wild and attenuated MCMV shared the property of being poor immunogens. They induced anti-CMV complement-fixing or neutralizing antibody very slowly with barely detectable levels present at the end of the first 2 weeks of infection. The close antigenic relationship between wild and attenuated agents was demonstrated by nearly identical neutralization by a rabbit antiserum induced with wild MCMV. Furthermore, survivors of neonatal infection with attenuated virus were fully protected against subsequent challenge with potentially lethal doses of wild MCMV. Virulence could be rapidly restored by back passage in mice.
Thrombus age is ideally measured by history or MRV prior to thrombus removal

Many factors are known to be important in order to achieve optimal results after thrombus removal for iliofemoral DVT. Not much is published in the literature about timing the treatment, though many guidelines recommend treatment within 14 days. This time span lies within the phrase of acute DVT according to the definition given in many reporting standards. This article will highlight the value of information acquired from patients directly regarding onset of symptoms versus information acquired from imaging with the purpose of a more precise selection of patients for catheter-directed thrombolysis for iliofemoral DVT. What is the value of clinical information acquired from patients and does the information from imaging have additional value?
Prevention and the Developing Child

The changing problems of the developing child are considered in relation to the action and advice which should be given by the dentist to the child and his parent. Seven stages are distinguished in the dental development of the individual and guidance and techniques appropriate to each stage, based on recent evidence are tabulated. The hazards to oral health which may result from orthodontic treatment are discussed and methods of avoiding or minimizing these effects are summarized in four simple rules.
Thermoregulatory and rhythm‐generating mechanisms governing the sudomotor and vasoconstrictor outflow in human cutaneous nerves.

1. Recordings of multiunit sympathetic activity were made from human nerve fascicles supplying hairy and glabrous skin of the extremities in healthy subjects exposed to different ambient temperatures. Sudomotor and vasomotor events accompanying the neural activity were monitored by simultaneous recordings of electrodermal and pulse plethysmographic events (Pleth) in the neural innervation zones. 2. By exposing the subject to warm (43 degrees C) or cold (15 degrees C) environments, it was possible to obtain a selective activation of either the sudomotor or the vasoconstrictor neural system, respectively, with suppression of spontaneous activity in the other system. 3. Bursts of both vasoconstrictor and sudomotor nerve activity were found to occur at certain preferred intervals which were integer multiples of a period of about 0 . 6 sec (100 cycles/min). With high sudomotor or vasoconstrictor tone the 100 cycles/min rhythm was prominent but with decreasing tone slower subharmonic rhythms prevailed. Respiratory rhythms were also discerned as well as slower rhythms attributable to oscillatory tendencies in thermoregulatory servos. 4. Vasoconstrictor bursts had longer mean duration than sudomotor bursts, a finding attributed to a slower conduction velocity of vasoconstrictor as compared to sudomotor impulses. 5. With increasing incidence of bursts transient electrodermal or plethysmographic responses following individual bursts merged, and thus the fast neural rhythms were not discernible in either the electrodermal or Pleth traces. Given increments in firing rate of nerves produced less additional vasoconstriction at high than at low firing rates. The rhythm generating mechanisms may help to restrict rates of individual fibres to the low range which provides high gain in the neuroeffector transfer functions.
The relationship between Instagram selfies and body image in young adult women

This study observed the relations between actual body size, body dissatisfaction, frequency of selfies taken, and number of Instagram selfies posted. Results indicated that actual body size was positively related to body dissatisfaction, and negatively related to the number of selfies taken. Results also revealed a positive relationship between body dissatisfaction and selfies taken. Conversely, no correlations were detected between the frequency of selfies posted to Instagram and either actual body size or body image dissatisfaction.
Pattern classification by convex analysis

A useful discriminant vector for pattern classification is one that maximizes the minimum separation of discriminant function values for two pattern classes. This optimality criterion can prove valuable in many situations because it emphasizes the class elements that are most difficult to classify. A method for computing this discriminant vector by quadratic programming is derived. The resulting calculation scales with training set size rather than number of input variables and hence is well suited to the high dimensionality of image classification tasks. Digitized images are used to demonstrate application of the approach to two class and multiple-class image classification tasks.
Frequency of HCV infection in different dermatological disorders.

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) has estimated affected nearly 3% of the world population. Studies in Pakistan have shown a somewhat higher prevalence. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with dermatological disorders, known to be associated with HCV infection. METHOD This was a descriptive study, conducted at Departments of Dermatology, Military Hospital, Rawalpindi and PNS Shifa, Karachi from September 2003 to November 2005. There were 355 patients of the dermatologic disorders mentioned above. HCV status was determined by the presence of anti-HCV antibodies in the serum, by third generation ELISA. RESULTS In this study 14% of lichen planus, 8% of generalised pruritus, 7.8% of urticaria, 8.7% of prurigo, and 50% of porphyria cutanea tarda patients had underlying HCV infection. None of the patients of leukocytoclastic vasculitis, erythema multiforme or erythema nodosum had anti-HCV antibodies. No patient of mixed cryoglobulinaemia or polyarteritis nodosa was seen during the study period. CONCLUSIONS Patients of lichen planus, generalised pruritus, urticaria, prurigo, and porphyria cutanea tarda have increased frequency of HCV infection compared to normal population of our country. In contrast, none of the patients of leukocytoclastic vasculitis, erythema multiforme or erythema nodosum had HCV infection.
Psychological Stress Among Risks for Alzheimer's Disease

Stress as a normal part of life. None of us gets through life without stress. “Stress” is how the human body and mind respond to anything that creates some kind of threat or danger (Selye, 1956). There are many kinds of events or experiences in our lives that can create stress – we call these “stressors. ” Even positive events can create stress, such as getting married, retiring from one’s lifelong career, moving to a new home, and so on. There are also many possible negative stressors, include experiencing a chronic or terminal illness, deaths of loved ones, financial losses, or coping with adversity and trials suffered by other family members.
Active Federated Database Systems

Database management systems (DBMS) are becoming part of environments composed of large-scale distributed heterogeneous and networks of autonomous, loosely coupled components. In particular, federated database management systems (FDBMS) can be seen as networks that integrate a number of pre-existing autonomous DBMS which can be homogeneous or heterogeneous. They can use different underlying data models, data definition and manipulation facilities, transaction management, and concurrency control mechanisms. DBMS in the federation can be integrated by a mediator providing a unified view of data: a global schema, a global query language, a global catalogue, and a global transaction manager. The underlying transaction model considers, in general, a set of transactions synchronized by a global transaction. Synchronization is achieved using protocols such as the TwoPhase Commit protocol. FDBMS applications are built upon this global environment, and they interact with the mediator to execute global database operations (i.e., operations that can concern various DBMS in the federation). In order to illustrate intuitively the use of FDBMS, consider a financial context where a shareholder has two bank accounts in Mexico and in France managed by database applications. This person needs to execute banking operations either accessing the accounts independently or making applications cooperate to have a global view of his/her financial situation. Clearly, an FDBMS application would fulfill these requirements, letting to execute transparently banking global (e.g., consult of the global credit) and local operations (e.g., withdraw 1000 pesos from the account in Mexico). Assume now that shareholders need specific operations to be executed timely when certain conditions come up:
Atrial natriuretic factor and related peptide hormones.

I. PERSPECTIVES AND SUMMARY 230 II. CLASSIFICATION OF CARDIAC PEPTIDE HORMONES """"""""""" " "" 231 Type A Natriuretic Peptides . 231 Type B Natriuretic Peptides . 233 Type C Natriuretic Peptides . 234 III. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF ANF GENE EXPRESSION 235 Overview . " . 235 Factors that Regulate ANF Gene Transcription . 236 Cis-Acting Sequences. 237 Cardiac Trans-Acting Factors . 240 IV. PEPTIDE PROCESSING AND RELEASE. 242 ANF Processing . 242 ANF Rele·ase. 243 V. BIOCHEMISTRY OF PHARMACOLOGIC ACTIONS . 247 ANF Receptors . 247 Physiologic Effects of ANF """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ' " 249
REVIVAL OF THE STALLED CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVA SHOCK TRIGGERED BY PRECOLLAPSE ASPHERICITY IN THE PROGENITOR STAR

Multi-dimensional simulations of advanced nuclear burning stages of massive stars suggest that the Si/O layers of presupernova stars harbor large deviations from the spherical symmetry typically assumed for presupernova stellar structure. We carry out three-dimensional core-collapse supernova simulations with and without aspherical velocity perturbations to assess their potential impact on the supernova hydrodynamics in the stalled-shock phase. Our results show that realistic perturbations can qualitatively alter the postbounce evolution, triggering an explosion in a model that fails to explode without them. This finding underlines the need for a multi-dimensional treatment of the presupernova stage of stellar evolution.
Remove Airway Ultraflex Stents by Flexible Bronchoscope

Introduction:Despite removal of airway metallic stents by rigid bronchoscope was presented, there are few reports describing such removal by flexible bronchoscope. Methods:36 patients who had airway Ultraflex stents removed by flexible bronchoscope from 2002 to 2009 were reviewed. Factors contributing to removal method and complications during and after removal were analyzed by multinomial logistic regression. Results:Among 36 patients with stent extraction; 17 stents (47.2%) were removed by a single procedure and 19 (52.8%) by multiple procedures. There was no mortality or severe morbidity during or after stent removal. There were 21 complications after stent removal, including retained stent pieces (n = 9), mucosal tear with bleeding (n = 5), and re-obstruction requiring silicone stent placement (n = 7). Stent indwelling time >10 months (adjusted odds ratio: 9.5; 95% confidence interval: 7.9–11.1, P=0.01), obstructive granulation tissue formation before stent removal (adjusted odds ratio: 5.2; 95% confidence interval: 2.2–8.6, P=0.01), and stent fracture before removal (adjusted odds ratio: 3.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.8–15.4, P=0.04) were independent predictors of the need for multiple procedures for stent removal. Stent indwelling time >10 months (adjusted odds ratio: 4.2; 95% confidence interval: 2.1–8.9, P=0.01), obstructive granulation tissue formation before stent removal (adjusted odds ratio: 16.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.8–49.6, P=0.01), and multiple procedures required for removal (adjusted odds ratio: 6.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–43.5, P=0.04) were independent predictors of removal complications. Conclusions:A flexible bronchoscope can be used to remove stents in patients with central airway obstruction and stent-related complications. This procedure should be performed in centers with experienced multidisciplinary teams.
A Redetermination of the Mass of Procyon

The parallax and astrometric orbit of Procyon have been redetermined from PDS measurements of over 250 photographic plates spanning 83 years, with roughly 600 exposures used in the solution. These data are combined with two modern measurements of the primary–white dwarf separation, one utilizing a ground-based coronagraph, the other, the Planetary Camera (PC) of the Hubble Space Telescope. Together with the redetermined astrometric orbit and parallax, these yield new estimates of the component masses. The derived masses are 1.497 ± 0.037 M⊙ for the primary and 0.602 ± 0.015M⊙ for the white dwarf secondary. These mass values are heavily weighted by the PC separation measurement, which, while being somewhat discordant with the ground-based measures, we argue is more precise and more accurate and thus deserving of its greater weight. This stated, the long-standing discrepancy between previous determinations of the observed mass of Procyon A (1.75 M⊙) and the value supported by stellar evolution models (1.50 M⊙) appears to be reconciled.
Prediction of maximal lactate steady state in runners with an incremental test on the field

Abstract During a maximal incremental ergocycle test, the power output associated with Respiratory Exchange Ratio equal to 1.00 (RER = 1.00) predicts maximal lactate steady state (MLSS). We hypothesised that these results are transferable for runners on the field. Fourteen runners performed a maximal progressive test, to assess the speed associated with RER = 1.00, and several 30 minutes constant velocity tests to determine the speed at MLSS. We observed that the speeds at RER = 1.00, at the second ventilatory threshold (VT2) and at MLSS did not differ (15.7 ± 1.1 km · h−1, 16.2 ± 1.4 km · h−1, 15.5 ± 1.1 km · h−1 respectively). The speed associated with RER = 1.00 was better correlated with that at MLSS (r = 0.79; p = 0.0008) than that at VT2 (r = 0.73; p = 0.002). Neither the concentration of blood lactate nor the heart rate differed between the speed at RER = 1.00 and that at MLSS from the 10th and the 30th minute of the constant velocity test. Bland and Altman analysis showed a fair agreement between the speed at MLSS and that at RER (0.2 ± 1.4 km · h−1). This study demonstrated that the speed associated with RER = 1.00 determined during maximal progressive track running allows a fair estimation of the speed associated with MLSS, markedly decreasing the burden of numerous invasive tests required to assess it.
Parallel Computation of Eigenvalues of Real Matrices

Abstract : The paper describes the implementation of three standard matrix eigenvalue computation methods on an array machine with high efficiency. A brief description of the ILLIAC 4 computer is provided as background material. Three major sections follow--the first two describe Jacobi and Householder algorithms for real symmetric matrices, and the third describes the QR algorithm for real nonsymmetric matrices.