Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Ligaments of the Canine Hip Joint Revisited

Numerous conventional anatomical textbooks describe the canine hip joint, but many contradictions, in particular regarding the ligament of the femoral head, are present. This paper presents a brief overview of the different literature descriptions. These are compared with own observations that have resulted in a revised description of the anatomy of the ligament of the femoral head in the dog. To this purpose, the hip joints of 41 dogs, euthanized for reasons not related to this study and devoid of lesions related to hip joint pathology, were examined. It was observed that the ligament of the femoral head is not a single structure that attaches only to the acetabular fossa, as generally accepted, but it also connects to the transverse acetabular ligament and is complemented by a strong accessory ligament that courses in caudal direction to attach in the elongation of the acetabular notch that extends on the cranioventral surface of the body of the ischium. The description of this accessory ligament in conventional anatomical handbooks is incomplete. This description of the accessory ligament of the femoral head could support the research unravelling the etiopathogenesis of hip instability.
Benign Multinodular Goiter

Multinodularnon-toxicgoiteristhemostprevalentthyroidpathologycharacterizedbyunilateralorbi-lateralthyroidgrowthwithmorphologicallyand/orfunctionallytransformedfolliclesandeuthyroidism.Atthyroidsonographyinunselectedpopulations,20to30%incidenceofthyroidnoduleshasbeenreport-ed(1). Besidemorphologicvariability,lackofhyper-stimulationinthemajorityofthemultiplicatedfolli-cles is the hallmark of the disorder. Most nodulargoitersgrowslowlyandundergodifferentmorpho-logic changes, encompassing diffuse hyperplasticenlargementintheearlyphase,developmentoflargefollicles loaded with abundant colloid and with in-creasingage,formationoffunctionallyautonomoustissue. Annual growth potential of approximately20%canbeassumed.The pathogenesis of nodular goiter is multifacto-rial and probably differs from patient to patient. Incontrast to the endemic goiter, iodine deficiency isnot a primary causal factor. Environmental factorssuch as natural goitrogens, iodine intake, malnutri-tion, drugs, stress, pollution or infections, constitu-tionalfactorssuchasfemalegenderandseveralge-netic factors, i.e. circulating thyroid growth factorscontributetodifferentdegreetothedevelopmentofnodular thyroid enlargement. Also controversiallydebated, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) pre-sumably has an important role in the maintenanceofthyroidgrowthandgoitrogenesis.TheobservationthatTSH-suppressivetreatmentmaycauseareduc-tion of goiter volume underlines the role of TSH asgoitrogenfactor.DIAGNOSIS
Neurologic manifestations of chronic carbon monoxide poisoning.

ALTHOUGH acute carbon monoxide intoxication is a florid, well known and easily recognized entity, chronic poisoning with carbon monoxide is an insidious disease, more difficult to recognize, but no less dramatic. The preponderance of work on this subject in recent years has come from France and Scandinavia, where it is considered to be a serious problem.1 2 3 Public-health officials in the United States are becoming increasingly aware that chronic carbon monoxide poisoning is frequently encountered,4 particularly in view of the steadily increasing use of gasoline engines. The following case is reported to illustrate presenting symptomatology and diagnostic difficulties that may be .
Maspin Inhibits Cell Migration in the Absence of Protease Inhibitory Activity*

Maspin is a member of the serpin family of protease inhibitors and is a tumor suppressor gene acting at the level of tumor invasion and metastasis. This in vivo activity correlates with the ability of maspin to inhibit cell migrationin vitro. This behavior suggests that maspin inhibits matrix-degrading proteases, such as those of the plasminogen activation system, in a similar manner to the serpin PAI-1. However, there is controversy concerning the protease inhibitory activity of maspin. It is devoid of activity against a wide range of proteases, in common with other non-inhibitory serpins, but has recently been reported to inhibit plasminogen activators associated with cells and other biological surfaces (Sheng, S. J., Truong, B., Fredrickson, D., Wu, R. L., Pardee, A. B., and Sager, R. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 95, 499–504; McGowen, R. , Biliran, H. , Jr., Sager, R. , and Sheng, S. (2000) Cancer Res. 60, 4771–4778). We have compared the effects of maspin with those of PAI-1 in a range of situations in which plasminogen activation is potentiated, reflecting the biological context of this proteolytic system: urokinase-type plasminogen activator bound to its receptor on the surface of tumor cells, tissue-type plasminogen activator specifically bound to vascular smooth muscle cells, fibrin, and the prion protein. Maspin was found to have no inhibitory effect in any of these situations, in contrast to the efficient inhibition observed with PAI-1, but nevertheless maspin inhibited the migration of both tumor and vascular smooth muscle cells. We conclude that maspin is a non-inhibitory serpin and that protease inhibition does not account for its activity as a tumor suppressor.
Cytoplasmic Domain of Natriuretic Peptide Receptor C Constitutes Gi Activator Sequences That Inhibit Adenylyl Cyclase Activity*

We have recently demonstrated that a 37-amino acid peptide corresponding to the cytoplasmic domain of the natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR-C) inhibited adenylyl cyclase activity via pertussis toxin (PT)-sensitive Gi protein. In the present studies, we have used seven different peptide fragments of the cytoplasmic domain of the NPR-C receptor with complete, partial, or no Gi activator sequence to examine their effects on adenylyl cyclase activity. The peptides used were KKYRITIERRNH (peptide 1), RRNHQEESNIGK (peptide 2), HRELREDSIRSH (peptide 3), RRNHQEESNIGKHRELR (peptide 4), QEESNIGK (peptide X), ITIERRNH (peptide Y), and ITIYKKRRNHRE (peptide Z). Peptides 1, 3, and 4 have complete Gi activator sequences, whereas peptides 2 and Y have partial Gi activator sequences with truncated carboxyl or amino terminus, respectively. Peptide X has no structural specificity, whereas peptide Z is the scrambled peptide control for peptide 1. Peptides 1, 3, and 4 inhibited adenylyl cyclase activity in a concentration-dependent manner with apparentK i between 0.1 and 1 nm; however, peptide 2 inhibited adenylyl cyclase activity with a higherK i of about 10 nm, and peptides X, Y, and Z were unable to inhibit adenylyl cyclase activity. The maximal inhibitions observed were between 30 and 40%. The inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity by peptides 1–4 was absolutely dependent on the presence of guanine nucleotides and was completely attenuated by PT treatment. In addition, the stimulatory effects of isoproterenol, glucagon, and forskolin on adenylyl cyclase activity were inhibited to different degrees by these peptides. These results suggest that the small peptide fragments of the cytoplasmic domain of the NPR-C receptor containing 12 or 17 amino acids were sufficient to inhibit adenylyl cyclase activity through a PT-sensitive Gi protein. The peptides having complete structural specificity of Giactivator sequences at both amino and carboxyl termini were more potent to inhibit adenylyl cyclase activity as compared with the peptides having a truncated carboxyl terminus, whereas the truncation of the amino-terminal motif completely attenuates adenylyl cyclase inhibition.
Pre-germinated Parboiled Brown Rice Drying Using Fluidization Technique

Pre-germinated parboiled brown rice or Khao hang (in Thai) is paddy which undergoing the processes of soaking, steaming, drying and dehusking to obtain the edible form for consumption. The objectives of this research were to study the kinetic of pre-germinated parboiled brown rice drying using fluidization technique and to study the properties of pre-germinated parboiled brown rice after drying. The dryings were performed at the different temperatures of 110, 120 and 130 C at the bed depth of 2 cm with the air velocity of 1.98 m/s. The results found that the higher drying temperature led to the faster moisture reduction. After drying until the moisture content of pre-germinated parboiled brown rice was lower than 14%wet basis, samples were taken to determine various qualities such as percentage of head rice and L* a* b* color values. The shade drying was used as a control. The results found that the higher drying temperature resulted in the decrease of head rice percentage. For the color assessment, the trend of L* and a* values was increased with the drying temperature, while the b* value was not significantly difference (p › 0.05) by drying temperatures. However, the b value of drying by fluidized bed dryer was higher than the control. Keywords—Brown rice; dehydration; fluidized bed; grain.
Reducing the burden of coronary artery disease in India: challenges and opportunities.

UNLABELLED Asian Indians--living both in India and abroad--have one of the highest rates of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the world, three times higher than the rates among Caucasians in the United States. The CAD among Indians is usually more aggressive at the time of presentation compared with whites or East Asians. The overall impact is much greater because the CAD in Asian Indians affects the "younger" working population. This kind of disproportionate epidemic among the young Indians is causing tremendous number of work days lost at a time when India is experiencing a dizzying economic boom and needs a healthy populace to sustain this boom. While the mortality and morbidity from CAD has been falling in the western world, it has been climbing to epidemic proportions among the Indian population. Various factors that are thought to contribute to this rising epidemic include urbanization of rural areas, large-scale migration of rural population to urban areas, increase in sedentary lifestyle, abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables, increased use of fried, processed and fast foods, tobacco abuse, poor awareness and control of CAD risk factors, unique dyslipidemia (high triglycerides, low HDL-cholesterol levels), and possible genetic predisposition due to lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] excess. The effect of established, as well as novel, risk factors is multiplicative, not just additive (total effect>sum of parts). The management would require aggressive individual, societal, and governmental (policy and regulatory) interventions. Indians will require specific lower cut-offs and stricter goals for treatment of various risk factors than is currently recommended for western populations. To this end, the First Indo-US Healthcare Summit was held in New Delhi, India on December 14 and 15, 2007. The participants included representatives from several professional entities including the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin (AAPI), Indian Medical Association (IMA), Medical Council of India (MCI), and Government of India (GOI) with their main objective to address specific issues and provide precise recommendations to implement the prevention of CAD among Indians. The summary of the deliberations by the committee on "CAD among Asian Indians" and the recommendations are presented in this document. OBJECTIVES Discussion of demographics of CAD in Indians-both in India and abroad, current treatment strategies, primordial, primary, and secondary prevention. Development of specific recommendations for screening, evaluation and management for the prevention of CAD disease epidemic among Asian Indians. Recommendations for improving quality of care through professional, public and private initiatives.
Effect of fenfluramine-derivative diet pills on cardiac valves: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND Fenfluramine-derivative diet pills were withdrawn from the market in 1997 because of an association with valvular regurgitation, but subsequent estimates of the prevalence of this condition have varied widely. We systematically reviewed evidence regarding the prevalence of valvular disease after fenfluramine exposure. METHODS We searched multiple databases with multiple search terms. Conference proceedings from 1997 onward were searched by index. Authors of eligible studies were contacted to identify unpublished works. Selection criteria were liberally determined. Ten of the identified 11 articles met these criteria. Reviewers assessed the studies' methodologic quality by use of a standard form to evaluate selection, attrition, performance, and detection bias. The studies were analyzed in 2 groups on the basis of length of exposure (<90 days or >90 days). The Mantel-Haenszel method was used to summarize data. Quantitative and qualitative tests for heterogeneity were performed. Tests for publication bias were also done. RESULTS Tests for heterogeneity were nonsignificant after removing 1 outlier trial. The pooled prevalence of valvular regurgitation meeting Food and Drug Administration criteria (at least mild aortic regurgitation or at least moderate mitral regurgitation) among patients treated for >90 days was 12.0% compared with 5.9% for the unexposed group (prevalence odds ratio 2.2, 95% CI 1.7-2.7). The combined analyses also identified a small but statistically significant increase in mitral regurgitation not previously identified by individual studies (exposed 3.5%, unexposed 1.8%, prevalence odds ratio 1.6, 95% CI 1.05-2.3). Among patients exposed for <90 days, a trend toward more regurgitation was not statistically significant by either combined Food and Drug Administration criteria (exposed 6.8%, unexposed 5.8%, prevalence odds ratio 1.4, 95% CI 0.8-2.4) or by individual valve. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that fenfluramine-associated valvular regurgitation is less common than initially reported, but still present in 1 of 8 patients treated for >90 days.
NEW SCREENING DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES IN URINALYSIS

Abstract New technological evolutions have enabled new diagnostic approaches in urinalysis. Urinary flow cytometry and automated microscopic pattern recognition are two new techniques that are characterised by a much better imprecision and a higher throughput as compared to conventional microscopy of the urine sediment. Although these new techniques are well suited for the routine clinical laboratory for screening and diagnostic purposes, trained technicians are still required to verify, and if necessary, to correct the results by visual microscopy. On the other hand, automated urinary test strip analysis offers analytical, clinical, and labour cost-saving advantages. Furthermore, determination of specific urinary proteins offer interesting alternatives for diagnosis. In diabetics, the clinical significance of non-immunoreactive microalbumin needs to be established. Furthermore, the determination of specific urinary proteins alpha 1 microglobulin (as a tubular marker protein), alpha 2 macroglobulin (as a haematuria location marker) and light chains (myeloma monitoring) offer interesting diagnostic perspectives. As the information content obtained by urinalysis is complex, expert systems that make use of the various chemical and morphological parameters can offer an interesting help in the interpretation.
Size Effect in Torsional Strength of Plain and Reinforced Concrete

As shown long ago, plain and longitudinally reinforced concrete beams without stirrups exhibit a significant size effect on torsional strength, which was thought to be of a type occurring after long, stable crack growth (called Type II). This paper shows, by experimentally calibrated finite element simulations, that: 1) longitudinally reinforced concrete beams with stirrups also exhibit a significant size effect; and 2) the size effect in beams both with and without stirrups is not of Type II but Type I, characterizing failure at macrocrack initiation. In the practical size range, Type I is deterministic and terminates with a horizontal, rather than inclined, asymptote. The simulations are based on microplane model M7, which was shown to match well all the types of uniaxial, biaxial, and triaxial tests with post-peak softening in tension and compression. The model is calibrated by simulating previous torsional size effect tests of plain concrete beams and of longitudinally reinforced beams without stirrups, as well as the tests of beams with stirrups having different reinforcement ratios and different aspect ratios. The fact that all these tests are fitted closely, in terms of not only the maximum loads but also the crack patterns, lends credence to the predictions of size effect in beams with stirrups.
Prevalence of conventional and lupus-specific risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are significantly more likely to experience a myocardial infarction or a stroke than age-matched controls. We compared the prevalence of conventional and lupus-specific risk factors in patients with SLE just before a cardiovascular event and in matched controls with SLE but no cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS Twenty-nine patients with SLE and CVD were enrolled. For each patient, 2 ethnically- and sex-matched controls were obtained, 1 matched for age and 1 for SLE duration. Data regarding risk factors were collected for the time immediately preceding the relevant cardiovascular event, or at an equivalent time for controls. RESULTS Patients' median age at event was 49 years (interquartile range 43-54 years) and mean disease duration was 12.0 +/- 7.1 years. Patients with SLE and CVD were more likely than both age and duration controls to be treated for hypertension (P = 0.01 and P = 0.001, respectively) and to have elevated triglyceride levels (P = 0.05 and P = 0.01, respectively). Compared with duration controls, CVD patients were more likely to have lupus anticoagulant (P = 0.03), but less likely to be receiving treatment with hydroxychloroquine (P = 0.003). Compared with age controls, patients were more likely to be current smokers (P = 0.03), to have taken a mean dosage >7.5 mg/day of prednisolone (P = 0.04), and to have been treated with pulsed methylprednisolone (P = 0.03). In multivariable analysis, only hypertension treatment was an independent risk factor for CVD. CONCLUSION We identified significantly increased prevalence of some conventional and lupus-specific risk factors in patients with SLE immediately before a CVD event compared with controls matched for age or disease duration.
Delayed Asthmatic Response to Bronchial Challenge with Allergen-Mediators, Eicosanoids, Eosinophil and Neutrophil Constituents in the Blood and Urine

Background: In patients with allergic bronchial asthma, different immunologic mechanisms may participate and lead to different types of asthmatic response to allergen challenge, such as immediate/early (IAR/EAR), late (LAR) or delayed asthmatic response (DYAR). Objectives: In 55 of 397 asthmatics, DYAR has been recorded (p < 0.001) and confirmed by repeated bronchial challenge with the same allergen (p < 0.001). DYAR began between 26 and 32 h, reached a maximum between 32 and 48 h and resolved within 56 h after the challenge. DYAR was associated with various clinical symptoms and diagnostic parameters having diverged from those recorded during the IARs/EARs and LARs. Methods: In 25 of 55 patients, repeated DYAR has been supplemented with the recording of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), LTC4, LTE4, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), PGE2, PGF2α, thromboxane B2, lipoxin A4, eosinophil cationic protein, eosinophil-derived neurotoxin/eosinophil protein X, eosinophilic peroxidase, myeloperoxidase, histamine and tryptase in peripheral blood, and of LTC4, thromboxane B2, eosinophil-derived neurotoxin and 9α,11β-PGF2 in urine, before and up to 72 h after the bronchial allergen challenge, by means of enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA/EIA) or ImmunoCAP. Results: DYAR was accompanied by a significant increase in the plasma concentrations of LTB4 (p < 0.05) and myeloperoxidase (p < 0.05) at 24, 36 and 48 h after the challenge, whereas the plasma/serum or urine concentrations of the other factors did not demonstrate any significant changes (p > 0.05). Conclusions: These results would indicate an active and prominent involvement of neutrophils, in addition to the previously demonstrated role of the Th1 lymphocytes, in the clinical DYAR.
Do male secondary sexual characters signal ejaculate quality? A meta‐analysis

There are two reasons why researchers are interested in the phenotypic relationship between the expression of male secondary sexual characters (SSCs) and ‘ejaculate quality’ (defined as sperm/ejaculate traits that are widely assumed to increase female fertility and/or sperm competitiveness). First, if the relationship is positive then females could gain a direct benefit by choosing more attractive males for fertility assurance reasons (‘the phenotype‐linked fertility’ hypothesis). Second, there is much interest in the direction of the correlation between traits favoured by pre‐copulatory sexual selection (i.e. affecting mating success) and those favoured by post‐copulatory sexual selection (i.e. increasing sperm competitiveness). If the relationship is negative this could lead to the two forms of selection counteracting each other. Theory predicts that the direction of the relationship could be either positive or negative depending on the underlying genetic variance and covariance in each trait, the extent of variation among males in condition (resources available to allocate to reproductive traits), and variation among males in the cost or rate of mating. We conducted a meta‐analysis to determine the average relationship between the expression of behavioural and morphological male secondary sexual characters and four assays of ejaculate quality (sperm number, viability, swimming speed and size). Regardless of how the data were partitioned the mean relationship was consistently positive, but always statistically non‐significant. The only exception was that secondary sexual character expression was weakly but significantly positively correlated with sperm viability (r = 0.07, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the strength or direction of the relationship between behavioural and morphological SSCs, nor among relationships using the four ejaculate quality assays. The implications of our findings are discussed.
Testicular tumor as the first manifestation of B‐lymphoid blastic crisis in a case of Ph‐positive chronic myelogenous leukemia

We report an 8‐year‐old boy with Ph‐positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) who showed a testicular tumor as the first manifestation of blastic crisis. Pathological examination of the excised testis revealed marked infiltration of immature cells, whereas bone marrow remained in the chronic phase. Immunohistochemical and molecular examinations disclosed the immature cells to have B‐lymphocyte surface determinants and immunoglobulin JH rearrangement. DNA obtained from the testis and peripheral blood cells showed similarly rearranged bcr configurations, indicating that infiltrating cells in the testis originated from the CML clone. Bone marrow showed B‐lymphoid blastic crisis 4 months after testicular involvement.
Photovoltaics : Progress in Materials and Technology

The historical background of photovoltaics technology has proved to be both bene cial, in the case of production capability, and detrimental, in the case of public supported research of new technology, to the prospect of widespread use of solar energy as a terrestrial source of electricity. In this review, the historical background, the fundamental physics, the present day technological possibilities, and the economic viability of the technology of photovoltaics are discussed.