Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural tube defects: A need for population-based prevention program

through spinal defect and histopathological fi ndings. [2] Majority of NTDs are isolated/non-syndromic and are not associated with other congenital malformations. However in about 10% of the cases, NTD can be a part of genetic syndrome hence may follow Mendelian inheritance. The syndromes associated with neural tube defects include Walker-Warburg syndrome, Jarcho-Levin syndrome, Robert syndrome and Meckel-Gruber syndrome. Rarely, NTD can be associated with chromosomal abnormalities including trisomy 13 and 18, triploidy and other chromosomal rearrangement. [2] Association of these genetic syndromes are important to assess as fi nal outcome and risk of recurrence in these families depends upon the individual syndrome. In syndromes with autosomal recessive inheritance, risk of recurrence in the siblings of affected individual is 25% while isolated NTD follow multifactorial inheritance pattern. Risk of recurrence in the siblings of isolated cases of NTD is 2%-5% after one affected child and 10% after the birth of two affected children.
Use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to investigate an outbreak of Serratia marcescens

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing was applied to the epidemiological investigation of 20 Serratia marcescens isolates collected from urine specimens of 17 patients and three urinals over a 2-month period. Twenty-five epidemiologically unrelated strains were also tested to determine the discriminatory power of PFGE. The PFGE fingerprints of each isolate were consistent in three different tests. The 20 outbreak isolates had an identical PFGE fingerprint pattern, while the epidemiologically unrelated strains demonstrated unique PFGE fingerprint patterns. The source of the outbreak was inadequately disinfected urinals. We conclude that PFGE served as a highly discriminatory and reproducible method for the epidemiological investigation of the outbreak of S. marcescens infection addressed by this study.
A 12b 1.6GS/s 40mW DAC in 40nm CMOS with >70dB SFDR over entire Nyquist bandwidth

Current-steering DACs are generally used in high-speed signal generation. The critical challenges for DACs are to realize the highest-possible spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) and inter-modulation distortion (IMD) at the widest possible signal bandwidth. However, the above performances are degraded by many nonlinear causes, e.g., parasitic capacitor-induced finite output impedance [1], current-source (CS) mismatch, and input-code dependent switching transients [2]. While CS mismatch and input-code dependent switching transients result in distortion tones, the parasitic capacitor-induced finite output impedance further limits the high-linearity bandwidth and causes the SFDR to drop at high signal frequencies. In addition, low power consumption and small area are important factors for low-power applications and reduced implementation cost, respectively.
Effect of Feedback Delay on the Performance of Cooperative Networks with Relay Selection

In this paper, we analyze the effect of feedback delay and channel estimation errors on the performance of a decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative transmission scenario with relay selection. In our relay selection scheme, only one relay with the best relay-to-destination (R → D) channel quality is selected among the set of relays that decode the source information correctly. Specifically, the destination terminal first estimates the channel state information (CSI) of all active R → D links and then sends the index of the best relay to the relay terminals via a delayed feedback link. Due to the time varying nature of the fading channels, selection is performed based on the old version of the channel estimate. Closed-form expressions for the outage probability, average capacity and average symbol error rate (ASER) are derived. Through asymptotic diversity order analysis, we show that the presence of feedback delay reduces the asymptotic diversity order to one, while the effect of channel estimation errors reduces it to zero. Finally, simulation results are presented to corroborate the analytical results.
Proliferative activity of leukaemic blasts and cytosine arabinoside pharmacodynamics are associated with cytogenetically defined prognostic subgroups in acute myeloid leukaemia

The biological mechanisms responsible for the association of specific karyotypes with prognosis in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) remain largely unclear. A prospective study was performed to evaluate how far cytogenetically defined prognostic subgroups of AML differ in their proliferative activity as a potential mechanism for differential sensitivities to S‐phase‐specific induction chemotherapy comprising cytosine arabinoside (AraC). One hundred and eighty‐seven patients with de novo AML were included in the study; 25 patients with a favourable [inv(16), t(8;21), t(15;17)] karyotype, 99 with a normal karyotype, 29 with an unfavourable karyotype (−5, 5q–, −7, 7q–, complex aberrations) and 34 with cytogenetic aberrations of unknown prognostic significance (all others). The favourable group demonstrated the highest ex vivo proliferative activity (PA) (3·41 pmol/105 cells), significantly (P = 0·02) exceeding the unfavourable group with the lowest PA (0·72) and the group with a normal karyotype (1·06) or with karyotype of unknown significance (1·05) that both demonstrated an intermediate PA. Samples with a high PA (> median of the whole group) were more likely to produce interleukin 3, granulocyte macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), granulocyte CSF (G‐CSF) (56%, 43% and 50%) than cells with a low PA (33%, 36% and 36%; n.s.). The effect of priming by exogenous GM‐CSF or G‐CSF was significantly more pronounced in samples with a low PA than in rapidly proliferating samples (P < 0·01). For the whole group, a high PA was closely associated with an increased incorporation of AraC triphosphate (AraCTP) into the DNA (P < 0·0001). Clinically, a high PA was associated with a better complete remission (CR) rate in the normal (95% versus 62%) and the unfavourable group (75% versus 33%). The significant differences in proliferative activity between cytogenetic subgroups of AML are associated with increased cytosine arabinoside pharmacodynamics and constitute one potential mechanism for the different response of cytogenetic subgroups to AraC‐based induction therapy.
Marco teórico de la Directiva de Comercio de Emisiones

El comercio de emisiones en la UE surge como una medida de la politica de lucha contra el cambio climatico que muchos paises estan emprendiendo, sobre todo en torno a Naciones Unidas y a raiz del Protocolo de Kioto. Estas actuaciones son consecuencia de considerar el problema del cambio climatico como un efecto no deseado de la actividad del hombre o, en terminos mas economicos, como un fallo de mercado en la forma de una externalidad negativa. La necesidad de afrontar este problema del cambio climatico es tanto mas importante por cuanto que los Gobiernos se proponen como objetivo ultimo alcanzar el desarrollo sostenible, que abarca no solo la perspectiva economica, sino tambien la medioambiental y la social. No obstante, se ha desarrollado un debate tanto en el terreno cientifico, como en el economico, sobre la magnitud y efectos del cambio climatico que merece ser analizado.
Cognition during sustained operations: comparison of a laboratory simulation to field studies.

INTRODUCTION Military operations, especially combat, expose individuals to multiple stressors, including sleep loss, food deprivation, and sustained physical activity. Civilians, such as woodland firefighters, disaster victims, and relief workers, are also exposed to such environments. Our laboratory developed a brief, intense, laboratory-based simulation of a multistressor environment which included sleep loss, continuous physical activity, and food deprivation. METHODS During this sustained operations (SUSOPS) scenario, and a control period, cognitive performance and mood were measured in 13 volunteers. The scenario included road marches, battle drills, and land navigation. Physical activity and sleep were assessed with actigraphs. RESULTS Significant decrements in visual vigilance, choice reaction time, and matching-to-sample, a test of short-term memory, were observed. Marksmanship was stable and physical activity significantly increased. Mood states assessed by the Profile of Mood States (POMS: Tension, Depression, Anger, Vigor, Fatigue and Confusion) also significantly deteriorated. DISCUSSION Cognitive function declined more extensively and rapidly than physical performance. Decrements in cognitive performance were comparable to those in a field study conducted for an equivalent period of time in uncontrolled conditions. This demonstrates that decrements in cognitive function and increased physical activity, similar to those in highly stressful field environments, can be duplicated under controlled conditions. The simulated SUSOPS scenario is an appropriate paradigm for assessment of adverse effects of military and civilian multistressor environments on human performance, physiology, and interventions designed to mitigate them.
Future viral vectors for the delivery of asymptomatic herpes epitope-based immunotherapeutic vaccines.

The concept of using a recombinant virus to deliver viral antigens from a different virus for the purpose of therapeutic vaccination has been developed for more than 25 years [1]. In 1983, vaccinia virus recombinant for the hepatitis B surface antigen was the first viral vector to successfully induce protective immunity against HBV [1]. Since then, a number of viral vector-based vaccines, such as adenovirus, herpes simplex virus (HSV), vaccinia virus, retrovirus, Newcastle disease virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, measles virus, poliovirus and West Nile virus, have been designed and tested in both preclinical and clinical trials (reviewed in [2]). Genetically engineered HSV mutants have recently been exploited as promising vector platforms in immunotherapy (reviewed in [3]). Despite substantial development, the list of licensed viral-vector vaccines for human use remains short. The challenges include: issues concerning the large-scale production, the stability and the stringent safety requirements, especially for viral vectors that remain replicative or that persist in the host. Despite these challenges, the continued interest in developing viral-vector vaccines is due to their promising immunogenicity, especially for the most difficult antigens from notorious widespread pathogens, such as HSV-1 and/or -2.
Nucleotide sequence of full length cDNAs encoding rat cardiac myosin light chain-2.

Myosin light chain-2 (MLC2) proteins are highly conserved and are regulated during myocardial growth and hypertrophy (1,2). Recently, the sequence of a 446 bp partial cDNA of rat cardiac MLC2 was reported which revealed an 80% conservation at the amino acid level with human and chicken cardiac MLC2 (1). Utilizing this cDNA clone (pRLC429) we have recently characterized a rat cardiac MLC2 genomic clone containing the entire coding region (3). However, in addition to random single bp differences, the sequence of the fifth exon varied substantially from pRLC429. To determine the basis of these differences and to unequivocally define the sequence of rat cardiac MLC2 mRNAs, we isolated and sequenced two additional full length MLC2 cDNAs (>630 bp) obtained from a rat cardiac cDNA library. In addition, we resequenced pRLC429. The overlapping sequence of the three cDNAs are identical with each other and with the coding sequence of the MLC2 genomic clone. Compared to the reported sequence of pRLC429 (1), the deduced amino acid sequence shown below displays an even higher degree of conservation (90%) with cardiac MLC2 from human and chicken.
Development of a Monopedal Robot with a Biarticular Muscle and Its Hopping Motion

An electromagnetic linear actuator which we developed can emulate the spring-damper characteristics of a human muscle by quick control of the output force (i.e. impedance control) and it is expected to be used as an artificial muscle. We have been developing the electromagnetic linear actuator which has long stroke, quick response and large thrust by effective use of interior permanent magnets. In this paper, we develop a monopedal robot possessing biand mono-articular muscles implemented by the linear actuators. Thanks to the biarticular muscle, the bouncing direction of the robot can be controlled by changing the stiffness ellipse at the endpoint (i.e. foot) of the robot. We confirm that the bouncing direction of the robot and realize hopping by changing the stiffness ellipse.
Alexithymia and eating behaviour in severely obese patients.

BACKGROUND Alexithymia is the inability to express feelings with words and comprises a psychological construct frequently found in obese individuals. In eating disordered patients who show a tendency to lose control over food intake, personality traits with alexithymic characteristics have been demonstrated. The present cross-sectional study investigated the relationships between alexithymia and eating behaviour in severely obese patients. METHODS This study analysed 150 obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and 132 subjects at more than 1 year after biliopancreatic diversion (BPD), when body weight has steadily normalised and any preoccupation with weight, food and diet has been completely abandoned. Obese and operated subjects completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and eating behaviour was assessed via a semi-structured interview exploring binge eating disorder (BED), night eating and emotional eating, as well as by utilisation of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). RESULTS Although alexithymic patients showed deranged eating behaviour, as evaluated by the TFEQ scores, the frequency of BED, night eating and emotional eating was similar in alexithymic (TAS > 60) and non-alexithymic patients. However, the prevalence of alexithymia was similar in obese and BPD subjects, whereas, in the operated subjects, TFEQ scores were lower (P < 0.005) than those in obese patients. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that, in severely obese patients, alexithymia does not influence eating behaviour; in severely obese patients, the tendency to lose control over food intake apparently represents a psychological construct that is substantially independent from alexithymia.
Identification and purification of a recombinant Treponema pallidum basic membrane protein antigen expressed in Escherichia coli

A recombinant plasmid designated pLVS3 previously was described that harbored a 14-kilobase insert of Treponema pallidum genomic DNA. Escherichia coli maxicells programmed with this plasmid synthesized three treponemal protein antigens of molecular weights 39,000, 35,000, and 25,000 (39K, 35K, and 25K proteins, respectively). In this study, a detailed deletion analysis of pLVS3 demonstrated that the genetic information for all three protein antigens is contained within a 1.5-kilobase EcoRI-HpaI restriction fragment. The DNA sequence of this fragment revealed a single open reading frame of 361 codons that most likely encodes a signal peptide-bearing precursor to the 39K protein that can be transiently detected in E. coli maxicells. Evidence indicated that the 35K and 25K protein antigens are derivatives of the larger protein and are only produced in maxicells. A significant elevation in expression of the 39K treponemal protein antigen in E. coli was obtained by using the E. coli lpp and lac promoters and a genetic construction in which the signal peptide and first four residues of the "mature" 39K protein were replaced by six amino acids encoded by the vector. This hybrid protein exhibited an unusually high pI, which greatly facilitated its purification to homogeneity. By using antibody prepared against the hybrid protein, the native treponemal protein counterpart, also of molecular weight 39,000, was identified as a membrane component of T. pallidum. Since the native protein also exhibited a net positive charge, it has been designated the T. pallidum basic membrane protein.
Feasibility of Sequential Therapy with FOLFIRI Followed by Docetaxel/Cisplatin in Patients with Radically Resected Gastric Adenocarcinoma

Objective: Combination therapies of fluorouracil (FU) with irinotecan (CPT-11) and docetaxel plus cisplatin have been proven to be active in metastatic gastric cancer. In this paper, we present the results of a phase III trial in which these two combinations given sequentially were compared to mitomycin C (MMC) monochemotherapy in an adjuvant setting. Methods: 169 patients with radically resected gastric cancer were randomized to receive CPT-11 (180 mg/m2 day 1), leucovorin (100 mg/m2 days 1–2), FU (400–600 mg/m2 days 1–2, q 14; for four cycles; FOLFIRI regimen), followed by docetaxel (85 mg/m2 day 1), cisplatin (75 mg/m2 day 1, q 21; for three cycles; arm A), or MMC (8 mg/m2 days 1–2 as 2-hour infusion, q 42; for four cycles; arm B). All patients had histologically confirmed gastric carcinoma with nodal positivity or pT3/4. A total of 166 patients (85 in arm A and 81 in arm B) were treated. Adjuvant treatment was completed in 76% of the patients in arm A and in 70% of the patients in arm B. The main grade 3/4 side effects recorded were neutropenia in 35%, with only 1 febrile patient, and diarrhea in 11% in arm A, and thrombocytopenia in 10% and neutropenia in 7% in arm B. The FOLFIRI regimen and docetaxel/cisplatin given in sequence was well tolerated and feasible in adjuvant setting. This sequence treatment currently represents the experimental arm of an ongoing multicenter trial.
Some Comparisons between Auditory Brain Stem Response Thresholds, Latencies, and the Pure‐Tone Audiogram

Aspects of auditory brain stem responses (ABR) and pure-tone behavioral audiograms were compared in patients with cochlear hearing loss. Click-evoked ABR thresholds appeared to be related most closely to the audiometric thresholds at 2000 and 4000 Hz, with relatively poor agreement at either 1000 or 8000 Hz. These results were related to the amplitude spectrum of the eliciting stimulus. The slope of the wave V latency-intensity function appeared to be related to the configuration of the hearing loss. Patients with high-frequency sensorineural losses had steeper slopes than normal subjects, whereas patients with flat sensonneural losses had shallower slopes. These results were related to the principle that response latency is determined by the cochlear region that predominates the ABR for different stimulus intensities.
Effect of trimethoprim and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole on development of drug-resistant vaginal and fecal floras

Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) or trimethoprim (TMP) alone was given on a random double-blind basis to 26 young women to treat urinary tract infections. Fecal and introital aerobic bacterial floras were identified at 1, 7, 14, and 42 days to analyze changes in these floras or development of resistance to TMP or TM-SMX. Neither TMP alone nor the TMP-SMX combination administered for 2 weeks selected a resistant fecal or introital flora. In the few individuals who had strains resistant to TMP or TMP-SMX before initiation of therapy, these organisms did not persist once therapy began. Both programs effectively cleared the introitus and rectal areas of Enterobacteriaceae. Concentrations of TMP adequate to inhibit the majority of Escherichia coli strains causing urinary tract infections were found in the vaginal secretions.
Quality of life in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Quality of life (QoL) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is an important outcome for both physicians and patients in selecting dialysis modality. We conducted a comparison between regular maintenance hemodiaylsis and regular peritoneal dialysis patients in two tertiary referral hospitals in King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. We hypothesize that there might be cultural and socioeconomic factors modifying QoL in dialysis patients. DESIGN AND SETTING Cross-sectional study on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two hundred dialysis patients participated in the study, one hundred in each group of dialysis modality, from July 2007 to July 2008. We used a cross-sectional design and collected the date using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQoL SF) questionnaire. RESULTS Patients in both groups had similar sociodemographic characteristics (age, marital status, and education). Mean age (SD) in the hemodialysis group was 47.5 (13.8) years and 51.0 (13.5) years in the peritoneal dialysis group. Males represented 53% and 43%, respectively. Mean duration of dialysis was 77.2 (75.5) months in the hemodialysis group and 34.1 (26.9) months in the peritoneal dialysis group. The mean (SD) score was 49.5 (13.7) in the hemodialysis group and 61.3 (12.4) in the peritoneal dialysis group. QoL mean scores were significantly higher among peritoneal dialysis in all domains and in the total QoL, with the exception of the score of physical QoL, which was higher in the hemodialysis patients, compared to peritoneal dialysis patients, although the difference was not statistically significant. Multiple regression analysis indicated that hemodialysis was a negative predictor of QoL score, compared to peritoneal dialysis. Also, age, male gender, and dialysis duration were negative predictors of QoL score. CONCLUSION In the unique culture of Saudi Arabia, peritoneal dialysis patients have better QoL, compared to hemodialysis patients, validating the findings of research reports from other countries.
Multiscale Finite Element Methods for Elliptic Equations

Here and throughout this chapter, the Einstein convention for repeated indices are assumed. The problem (9.1) a model multiscale problem which arises in the modeling of composite materials and the flow transport in heterogeneous porous media. The main difficulty in solving it by standard finite element method is that when ε is small, the underlying finite element mesh h must be much less than ε which makes the computational costs prohibitive. The multiscale finite element method allows to solve the problem with mesh size h greater than ε.
Application of fetal neural stem cells transplantation in delaying denervated muscle atrophy in rats with peripheral nerve injury

Injury to peripheral nerves always results in progressive skeletal muscle atrophy and poor functional recovery. Previous studies have demonstrated that transplanting neural stem cells (NSCs) into peripheral nerve can differentiate into neurons and delay muscle atrophy. However, the mechanism was not very clear. In this study, we transplanted the fetal NSCs to the injured nerve and examined new formed neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) in the denervated muscle and arrest of muscle atrophy. In our study, two pregnant Fischer rats were used to harvest fetal NSCs, 70 rats were randomly divided into NSC‐transplanted and control groups, five rats without surgery were used as the normal control. A volume of 5 μl culture media with or without fetal NSCs (5 × 106) were transplanted into distal tibial nerve stump after the nerve was transected in two groups, respectively. Three, five, and seven months after denervation, the dry weight of gastrocnemius muscle was found significant heavier, and the fiber area was more retained in NSC‐transplanted group comparing to the control group (P < 0.05). Neurons were found in the distal tibial nerves even 7 months after fetal NSCs transplantation. Newly formed NMJs were detected by immunohistochemistry. In addition, the results of electrophysiological analysis and retrograde tracing manifested that the neural pathway between muscle and differentiated neurons was integrity. In conclusions, our study demonstrated that fetal NSCs transplanted into peripheral nerves could differentiate into neurons and form functional NMJs with denervated muscle, which may be beneficial for the treatment of muscle atrophy after peripheral nerve injury. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2010.