Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hearing Loss in Children With Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection in Relation to the Maternal Trimester in Which the Maternal Primary Infection Occurred

OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this work was to study the relation between maternal trimester of primary infection with cytomegalovirus and the occurrence of sensorineural hearing loss in the congenitally infected offspring. PATIENTS AND METHODS. Thirty-four consecutive live-born children diagnosed with a congenital cytomegalovirus infection after maternal primary cytomegalovirus infections were included in the study. Five were lost for follow-up, and 1 died. Of the remaining 28 congenitally infected children, an estimation of the maternal trimester in which cytomegalovirus primary infection occurred was performed. All of the children were investigated for potential sensorineural hearing loss. RESULTS. Five of the maternal infections occurred in the first trimester, 12 in the second trimester, and 11 in the third trimester of pregnancy. Sensorineural hearing loss was detected in 4 (80%) of the 5 congenitally infected children who were infected after a primary maternal infection in the first trimester of pregnancy and in 1 (8%) of the 12 children when the maternal infection occurred in the second trimester of pregnancy. No sensorineural hearing loss was detected after primary maternal infection occurring in the third trimester. Fluctuation and improvement of sensorineural hearing loss were seen regardless the trimester of pregnancy during which maternal primary infection occurred. Progression of sensorineural hearing loss occurred in 2 children born after a maternal primary infection of the first trimester. CONCLUSIONS. Hearing loss seemed more common in infants with congenital cytomegalovirus infection who were born to women who experienced a primary cytomegalovirus infection in the first trimester of pregnancy than when infection took place later in pregnancy.
Renal dysplasia and nephrosclerosis in calves

Renal dysplasia and nephrosclerosis in six calves, which were aged three to six months and from different farms in western Scotland and north-west England, was characterised clinically by stunted growth and renal failure with uraemia. Affected animals were depressed and one case exhibited severe neurological signs. Reduced erythrocyte counts were evident in three of four animals from which blood samples were submitted for haematology. At postmortem examination, the kidneys were bilaterally small, pale and firm, with marked fibrosis and sometimes contraction of the capsule. Histologically, affected calves had disorganised atrophic glomeruli, dilatation of tubules, loss of nephrons, areas of undifferentiated mesenchyme and diffuse interstitial and periglomerular fibrosis. There was minimal inflammation. Renal dysplasia and nephrosclerosis is a form of juvenile nephropathy of unknown aetiology that occurs sporadically in calves in the UK.
A novel automated SDN architecture and orchestration framework for resilient large-scale networks

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a new technology paradigm that decouples the data and control planes and allows operators to manage networks via an abstraction model. SDN offers dynamism, scalability and flexibility for modern networking environments. However operators still have to design SDN solutions to deploy flow rules in an efficient and automated manner. Hence effective path computation, definition and deployment are some of the key challenges facing SDN operation. Along these lines, this work introduces a novel SDN management and orchestration framework that implements a resilient Next-Generation Path Computation Element (NG-PCE) to compute and deploy resilient protection paths. A testbed setup is also built and three simple testcase scenarios evaluated to verify overall system performance and accuracy.
Expression of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) in Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors: A Comparative Study of Immunoreactivity of GFAP, Vimentin, S‐100 Protein, and Neurofilament in 38 Schwannomas and 18 Neurofibromas

Immunoreactivity of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in 38 schwannomas and 18 neurofibromas was evaluated and compared with the reactivity of vimentin, S-100 protein, and neurofilament protein. All cases were positive for vimentin and S-100 protein. GFAP was positively stained in the neoplastic cells of 15 of 38 schwannomas (38%) and in two of 18 neurofibromas (11%). The extensively stained GFAP-positive tumors tended to be deeply situated in the body. The GFAP-positive cells were usually spindle-shaped and appeared preferentially in the perivascular region of hyalinized, thick blood vessels.
A Divide-by-3 Injection Locked Frequency Divider With Single-Ended Input

This letter proposes a new divide-by-3 CMOS injection locked frequency divider (ILFDMOS. ) fabricated in a 0.18-mum CMOS process and describes the operation principle of the ILFD. The ILFD circuit is realized with a double cross-coupled CMOS LC-tank oscillator with an injection MOS. The self-oscillating voltage controlled oscillator is injection-locked by third-harmonic input to obtain the division order of three. Measurement results show that at the supply voltage of 1.8 V, the free-running frequency is from 1.62 to 1.89 GHz. At the incident power of 5 dBm, the locking range is from the incident frequency 4.85 to 5.7 GHz.
Modified Constraint-Induced Therapy after Subacute Stroke: A Preliminary Study

Objective: To determine the efficacy of a modified constraint-induced therapy (mCIT) administered to patients with subacute stroke. Design: Prospective, multiple-baseline, before-after, randomized clinical trial. Setting: Subacute outpatient clinic. Subjects: Fourteen patients with subacute stroke who exhibited learned nonuse and stable motor deficits in their affected upper limbs. Intervention: Four patients participated in half-hour, structured physical and occupational therapy sessions that emphasized affected arm use in valued functional activities, 3 times per week for 10 weeks. Their less affected upper limbs were restrained 5 days per week during 5 hours identified as times of frequent use (mCIT). Five patients received regular therapy (TR) with similar therapeutic contact time to mCIT, and 5 patients received no therapy (CON). Main Outcome Measures: The Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Motor Recovery (Fugl), Action Research Arm (ARA) test, and Motor Activity Log (MAL). Results: After intervention, Fugl, ARA, and MAL scores remained virtually the same for TR and CON groups; scores improved by 11.4 and 11.5 points, respectively, on the Fugl and ARA for the mCIT group. Amount and quality of arm use, as measured by the MAL, also improved for mCIT patients (2.49 and 0.47, respectively). Conclusions: mCIT may be an efficacious method of improving affected arm function and use in stroke patients exhibiting learned nonuse.
PACEMAKING IN THE HEART: THE INTERPLAY OF IONIC CURRENTS

1. There is still a degree of controversy about which currents drive pacemaking in the sinoatrial node or sinus venosus. Early attempts to identify a single ‘pacemaker current’ in these tissues, based on voltage‐clamp data, were largely unsuccessful, prompting the search for other mechanisms that may contribute to rhythmic activity.
Polymorphisms in the transforming growth factor beta 1 pathway in relation to colorectal cancer progression

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGFB1) acts as a growth inhibitor of normal colonic epithelial cells, however, as a tumor promoter of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. To explore the association between genetic polymorphisms in the TGFB1 pathway and CRC susceptibility and clinical outcome, we carried out a case–control study on a Swedish population of 308 CRC cases and 585 age‐ and gender‐matched controls. The cases were sampled prospectively and had up to 16 years follow‐up, making the study material particularly suitable for survival analysis. On the basis of their reported or predicted functional effect, nine single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (TGFB1: Leu10Pro; TGFBR1: 9A/6A and IVS7G+24A; FURIN: C‐229T; THBS1: T+42C; LTBP1L: C‐256G; LTBP4: T‐893G and Thr750Ala; BAMBI: T‐779A) were selected for genotyping. We evaluated the associations between genotypes and CRC and Dukes' stage. Survival probabilities were compared between different subgroups. The observed statistically significant associations included a decreased CRC risk for TGFBR1 IVS7G+24A minor allele carriers (odds ratio (OR): 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53–0.97), less aggressive tumors with Dukes' stage A+B for carriers of LTBP4 Thr750Ala and BAMBI T‐779A minor alleles (OR: 0.58, 95%CI: 0.36–0.93 and OR: 0.51, 95%CI: 0.29–0.89, respectively) and worse survival for FURIN C‐229T heterozygotes (hazard ratio: 1.63, 95%CI: 1.08–2.46). As this is the first study about the influence of the polymorphisms in the TGFB1 pathway on CRC progression, further studies in large independent cohorts are warranted. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Application of Microarrays and qPCR to Identify Phylogenetic and Functional Biomarkers Diagnostic of Microbial Communities that Biodegrade Chlorinated Solvents to Ethene

Abstract : During this 4-year SERDP project, we've made great progress and success on the application of 16S rRNA- and mRNA-based microarray, along with quantitative PCR tools to monitor Dehalococcoides(Dhc)-contatining microbial communities capable of reductive dechlorination of chlorinated solvents. Dechlorination activities, as well as community structures were characterized in dechlorinating microbial communities, including laboratory-scale enrichment cultures, semi-batch microcosm, continuous-flow chemostat, and environmental samples from contaminated field sites. Firmicutes (Mostly Clostridium spp.), Bacteroidetes (Mostly Bacteroides spp.), as well as Proteobacteria (Mostly sulfate-reducer, i.e. Desulfovibrio spp.) were the most commonly found supportive microorganisms in those characterized communities. Since most of them are capable of fermenting organic compounds such as lactate and whey to acetate and hydrogen, it is indicated that these supportive microorganisms might play a role in providing hydrogen to Dhc.
CYP2C19 polymorphisms and coronary heart disease risk factors synergistically impact clopidogrel response variety after percutaneous coronary intervention

BackgroundPlatelet inhibition by clopidogrel is highly variable and the elevated platelet activity will increase the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). CYP2C19 loss-of-function (LOF) alleles and risk factors of coronary heart disease (CAD) were reported to be associated with the low response of clopidogrel. PurposeThis study was carried out to analyze the contributions of CYP2C19 polymorphisms and risk factors to the various clopidogrel responses in Chinese patients with stable CAD after PCI. Materials and methodsThe platelet reactivity index (PRI) was measured in 145 patients who underwent PCI using the vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein assay. Gene chip hybrid tests were used to analyze the genetic polymorphisms of CYP2C19. ResultsWith a cutoff value of 50% in PRI, 20.67% (31/145) of the patients were defined to be clopidogrel resistant. With respect to the normal *1, *2, and *3 LOF CYP2C19 alleles, patients were classified into three metabolism phenotypes: 39.31% were extensive, 47.59% were intermediate, and 13.10% were poor metabolizers (PMs). Of the enrolled patients, 53.82 and 9.66%, respectively, were carriers of *2 and *3 alleles. There was a significant difference in PRI between PM and either extensive or intermediate metabolizers (P<0.05). In all, 36.84% of the patients with the PM phenotype were clopidogrel resistant. Carriers of two CYP2C19 LOF alleles, BMI, and the presence of type 2 diabetes were three independent risk factors for clopidogrel resistance. ConclusionGenetic CYP2C19 polymorphisms and CAD risk factors – type 2 diabetes mellitus and BMI – synergistically affect the antiplatelet activity of clopidogrel and the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events after PCI.
Speech disorder in parkinsonism--usefulness of delayed auditory feedback in selected cases.

SummaryDelayed auditory feedback was tested in eleven patients suffering from Parkinsonism accompanied by a variety of speech difficulties. Dramatic improvement in intelligibility occurred in two patients who showed a “festinating” type of speech. In one the improvement has been sustained for 24 months. As the benefit is only present while the delayed auditory feedback is in use, a portable body-worn DAF device is essential for practical help in management.
The complete genome of Rhodococcus sp. RHA1 provides insights into a catabolic powerhouse

Rhodococcus sp. RHA1 (RHA1) is a potent polychlorinated biphenyl-degrading soil actinomycete that catabolizes a wide range of compounds and represents a genus of considerable industrial interest. RHA1 has one of the largest bacterial genomes sequenced to date, comprising 9,702,737 bp (67% G+C) arranged in a linear chromosome and three linear plasmids. A targeted insertion methodology was developed to determine the telomeric sequences. RHA1's 9,145 predicted protein-encoding genes are exceptionally rich in oxygenases (203) and ligases (192). Many of the oxygenases occur in the numerous pathways predicted to degrade aromatic compounds (30) or steroids (4). RHA1 also contains 24 nonribosomal peptide synthase genes, six of which exceed 25 kbp, and seven polyketide synthase genes, providing evidence that rhodococci harbor an extensive secondary metabolism. Among sequenced genomes, RHA1 is most similar to those of nocardial and mycobacterial strains. The genome contains few recent gene duplications. Moreover, three different analyses indicate that RHA1 has acquired fewer genes by recent horizontal transfer than most bacteria characterized to date and far fewer than Burkholderia xenovorans LB400, whose genome size and catabolic versatility rival those of RHA1. RHA1 and LB400 thus appear to demonstrate that ecologically similar bacteria can evolve large genomes by different means. Overall, RHA1 appears to have evolved to simultaneously catabolize a diverse range of plant-derived compounds in an O2-rich environment. In addition to establishing RHA1 as an important model for studying actinomycete physiology, this study provides critical insights that facilitate the exploitation of these industrially important microorganisms.
The use of cumulative gas and volatile fatty acid production to predict in vitro fermentation kinetics of Italian ryegrass leaf cell walls and contents at various time intervals

Differences between the fermentation characteristics of cell contents (CC) and protease-treated cell walls (CW) of young leaves of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) cultivar Multimo (tetraploid), were studied in vitro. Gas and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production rates were measured at regular intervals, as was the degradability of organic matter (OM) of CW. The measured VFA were used to predict the gas production and fermentable OM using stoichiometric calculations. For CW the volume and kinetics of measured gas production were the same as those predicted from the VFA formed. In contrast, the measured gas production for CC was consistently less than predicted, indicating that the stoichiometric equations were not valid for rapidly fermenting substrates. For both CC and CW, the relative rate of acetic acid production levelled off more slowly than for other VFA, resulting in an increasing gas yield (in ml/g fermentable OM) after 12 (CW)-24 (CC)h incubation. Consequently, the fermentation of OM was not linearly related to gas production kinetics. For CW, the kinetics of decline of degradable OM and fermentable OM were the same, after correction for a constant ‘lost fraction’ of degradable OM of 205 g/kg OM. This work indicates the value of detailed studies of fermentation processes to evaluate herbage quality. In particular, the role of CC and the difference between degradation and fermentation require further attention.
Research on Querying Node Probability Method in Probabilistic XML Data Based on Possible World

In order to solve the low efficiency problem of directly querying single node probability in the set of all ordinary XML data obtained by enumerating possible world set of the corresponding probabilistic XML data, the method is presented that probabilistic XML data of possible world set is represented by semis-structured information unit. And it is modeled probabilistic XML data tree. Then the rules of decomposing probabilistic XML tree of possible world model are discussed. An algorithm for decomposing the probabilistic XML tree according to the normal form is also presented. An algorithm for querying the single node probability is designed over the set of decomposed probabilistic XML sub-tree set. The instance analysis results show that the method is effective and right.
Pharmacokinetics of 6-Mercaptopurine in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Implications for Therapy

Proper prospective pharmacokinetic studies of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are lacking. As a result, conflicting recommendations have been made for metabolite monitoring in routine practice. The authors have evaluated 6-MP pharmacokinetics in IBD patients, including the genetic background for thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT). Red blood cell (RBC) 6-thioguanine nucleotide (6-TGN) and 6-methylmercaptopurine ribonucleotide (6-MMPR) concentrations were measured in 30 IBD patients at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after starting 6-MP, 50 mg once daily. Outcome measures included mean 6-TGN and 6-MMPR concentrations (± 95% confidence interval, CI95%) and their associations with TPMT genotype, 6-MP dose, and hematologic, hepatic, pancreatic, and efficacy parameters during the 8-week period. Steady-state concentrations were reached after 4 weeks, indicating a half-life of approximately 5 days for both 6-TGN and 6-MMPR; the concentrations were 368 (CI95% 284–452) and 2837 (CI95% 2101–3573) pmol/8 × 108 RBCs, respectively. Large interpatient variability occurred at all time points. TPMT genotype correlated with 6-TGN concentrations (0.576, P < 0.01), and patients with mutant alleles had a relative risk (RR) of 12.0 (CI95% 1.7–92.3) of developing leukopenia. A 6-MMPR/6-TGN ratio less than 11 was associated with therapeutic efficacy. Based on this pharmacokinetic analysis, therapeutic drug monitoring is essential for rational 6-MP dosing.
Injection practices in Mwanza Region, Tanzania: prescriptions, patient demand and sterility

This paper describes prescription and sterilization practices in Mwanza Region, Tanzania, before the introduction of interventions aiming at reducing HIV transmission by injections. Sixty‐six health facilities from Mwanza Region were included in the study. Data were collected in interviews and questionnaires, through structured observation, bacteriological culture and record analysis. Criteria for avoidable injections were based on recommendations of the Essential Drugs Programme and on a regional consensus workshop. One in 4 out‐patients received an injection 70% of which were avoidable. Most were given for acute respiratory infections, skin diseases and urinary tract infections. Forty per cent of cultures taken from sterilized needles and syringes yielded growth of microorganisms. Of 120 patients interviewed most preferred to be treated with injections for almost any complaint. Patient demand for injections was felt to be a problem in 85% of the health facilities and may have contributed to overprescription of injectables. Consensus treatment and sterilization guidelines as well as a health education programme were developed and introduced to all health workers through seminars.
Indirect discrete-time sliding mode torque control of induction motors

In this paper the sliding mode technique is used to design a discrete-time control scheme for torque and flux tracking for induction motors. The controller is designed on the basis of an approximated nonlinear discrete-time model. First, the reference current vector is determined to impose the control objectives. Then, we propose a discrete-time sliding mode controller to force the motor currents to converge to the reference values. The rotor flux and the load torque are estimated by using a reduced order observer. The effectiveness of the designed control scheme is confirmed via simulations.
Serum total and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the risk prediction of cardiovascular events - the JALS-ECC -.

BACKGROUND Few Japanese studies have compared serum non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol with serum total cholesterol as factors for predicting risk of cardiovascular events. Currently, few tools accurately estimate the probability of developing cardiovascular events for the Japanese general population. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 22,430 Japanese men and women (aged 40-89 years) without a history of cardiovascular events from 10 community-based cohorts were followed. In an average 7.6-year follow up, 104 individuals experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 339 experienced stroke. Compared to serum total cholesterol, serum non-HDL cholesterol was more strongly associated with risk of AMI in a dose-response manner (multivariable adjusted incidence rate ratio per 1 SD increment [95% confidence interval] =1.49 [1.24-1.79] and 1.62 [1.35-1.95], respectively). Scoring systems were constructed based on multivariable Poisson regression models for predicting a 5-year probability of developing AMI; the non-HDL cholesterol model was found to have a better predictive ability (area under the receiver operating curve [AUC] =0.825) than the total cholesterol model (AUC =0.815). Neither total nor non-HDL serum cholesterol levels were associated with any stroke subtype. CONCLUSIONS The risk of AMI can be more reliably predicted by serum non-HDL cholesterol than serum total cholesterol. The scoring systems are useful tools to predict risk of AMI. Neither total nor non-HDL serum cholesterol can predict stroke risk in the Japanese general population.
Suboptimal detection for intersymbol interference inflicted cable channels

This paper presents some features of combining the design of a finite impulse response linear equalizer, which minimizes the noise variance (anchoring the first non zero sample), with detection techniques, which are frequently used in severe intersymbol interference inflicted channels. These include symbol by symbol detection using zero forcing decision feedback equalizer and Tomlinson filtering, and sequence detection invoking maximum likelihood sequence estimation and decision feedback sequence estimation (DFSE). Two trellis coded modulation schemes for this channel are also presented. The first uses Tomlinson precoder, for which we examine a DFSE with an unfolded branch metric, and the second employs DFSE (with states that combine the code states with part of the channel states). It is demonstrated that for the twisted pair and coax cable channels DFSE with 2-4 states achieves a very good performance when compared to other examined detection techniques in the uncoded transmission case. For the coded transmission case, it is shown that the performance of the coding scheme with Tomlinson precoding is close to the performance of the idealized coding scheme that invokes a sample whitened matched filter and an ideal tail canceller, and it improves (/spl sim/2 dB for bit error rate of 10/sup -4/) on the performance of a Viterbi algorithm with modulo folded metric (the commonly used metric in this case). A simple analytical upper bound for the error probability of a DFSE that accounts for the error propagation is also investigated.
Magnetic Nanocomposite Sol–Gel Systems for Remote Controlled Drug Release

The remote heating of iron oxide nanoparticles in an alternating magnetic field is used to drive a thermoresponsive sol-gel block copolymer, Pluronic® F-127, through the upper phase transition temperature. This phase change triggers an accelerated release rate of a model drug. Actuation and return to baseline levels are demonstrated for multiple AMF doses.