Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Patients With Slow Transit Constipation, the Pattern of Colonic Transit Delay Does Not Differentiate Between Those With and Without Impaired Rectal Evacuation

BACKGROUNDSevere constipation may be subclassified on the basis of speed of colonic transit and efficacy of rectal evacuation. It is hypothesized that rectal evacuatory disorder (RED) may be associated with a secondary transit delay.OBJECTIVESTo determine whether scintigraphy can discriminate between slow transit constipation (STC) with or without coexistent RED on the basis of progression of isotope throughout the colon and by analyses of specific regions of interest.METHODSOne hundred ninety-six patients with STC (radio-opaque marker study) were subclassified according to results of proctography into those with a RED (STC-RED N = 30) or normal (STC-ONLY N = 41) evacuation. Patients subsequently underwent colonic scintigraphy. Distribution of generalized or left-sided patterns of colonic transit was assessed. Severities of transit delay and regional transit at specific time points were also evaluated.RESULTSTime–activity curves and severity of global transit delay were similar between groups as were the incidences of generalized and left-sided patterns of delay. Percentage of radioisotope retention in the right colon at 18 h was higher for the STC-ONLY group (P < 0.05), but this was poorly discriminative. No differences were observed for the percentage of radioisotope retained in the left colon at later scans.CONCLUSIONSGlobal and regional assessment of colonic transit by scintigraphy failed to discriminate between patients with STC with or without coexistent RED. Thus, RED is not associated with a specific pattern of transit delay and scintigraphy alone cannot predict the presence or absence of RED, knowledge of which is important for management.
Sensitivity of Staurosporine-Induced Differentiated RGC-5 Cells to Homocysteine

Purpose: Homocysteine is implicated in ganglion cell death associated with glaucoma. To understand mechanisms of homocysteine-induced cell death, we analyzed the sensitivity of the RGC-5 cell line, differentiated using staurosporine, to physiologically-relevant levels of the excitotoxic amino acid homocysteine. Methods: RGC-5 cells were differentiated 24 hr using 316 nM staurosporine and tested for expression of Thy 1.2 via immunodetection, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting. The sensitivity of staurosporine-differentiated RGC-5 cells to physiological levels of homocysteine (50, 100, 250 μM) and to high levels of homocysteine (1 mM), glutamate (1 mM), and oxidative stress (25 μM:10 mU/ml xanthine:xanthine oxidase) was assessed by TUNEL assay and by immunodetection of cleaved caspase-3. The sensitivity of undifferentiated RGC-5 cells to high (1, 5, and 10 mM) homocysteine was also examined. Results: Undifferentiated RGC-5 cells express Thy 1.2 mRNA and protein. Staurosporine-differentiated RGC-5 cells extend neurite processes and express Thy 1.2 after 24 hr differentiation; they express NF-L after 1 and 3 days differentiation. Treatment of staurosporine -differentiated RGC-5 cells with 50, 100, or 250 µM homocysteine did not alter neurite processes nor induce cell death (detected by TUNEL and active caspase-3) to a level greater than that observed in the control (non-homocysteine-treated, staurosporine-differentiated) cells. The 1 mM dosage of homocysteine in staurosporine-differentiated RGC-5 cells also did not induce cell death above control levels, although 18 hr treatment of non-differentiated RGC-5 cells with 5 mM homocysteine decreased survival by 50%. Conclusions: RGC-5 cells differentiated for 24 hr with 316 nM staurosporine project robust neurite processes and are positive for ganglion cell markers consistent with a more neuronal phenotype than non-staurosporine-differentiated RGC-5 cells. However, concentrations of homocysteine known to induce ganglion cell death in vivo and in primary ganglion cells are not sufficient to induce death of RGC-5 cells, even when they are differentiated with staurosporine.
Effect of tetanus duration on the free calcium during the relaxation of frog skeletal muscle fibres.

Single fibres were dissected from the tibialis anterior muscle of the frog and injected with the photoprotein aequorin. Tension and the light emission of the injected aequorin (a function of the free intracellular calcium concentration) were recorded both at rest and during tetanus relaxation. The level of light emission from resting single fibres corresponded to a free intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) of 100 nM (+/‐ 40 nM, n = 4). The time course of the decline in light was examined during the three periods of muscle relaxation: period 1 during the slow phase of tension relaxation, period 2 during the exponential phase of relaxation and period 3 after the completion of force relaxation. The time course of the decline in light (after a correction for the kinetics of the aequorin reaction) showed that [Ca2+]i declines exponentially with a rate constant of 25 s‐1 (+/‐ 1.7, n = 3) after a single stimulus at 10 degrees C. With increasing tetanus duration, the rate of decline of [Ca2+]i decreased during period 1. It is suggested that this decrease in the rate of decline of [Ca2+]i results from an intracellular calcium buffer (which takes up calcium in parallel with the sarcoplasmic reticulum) becoming loaded with calcium during the tetanus. Throughout period 2 [Ca2+]i was elevated above resting levels. The level of [Ca2+]i during this period varied from fibre to fibre but could be as high as 1 microM. The mean level of [Ca2+]i during this period also depended on the tetanus duration. A long‐lasting elevation in [Ca2+]i was observed during period 3, [Ca2+]i returning towards resting levels with an approximately exponential time course. During this period the level of [Ca2+]i (at a given time after the last stimulus) depended on the tetanus duration. It is suggested that this long‐lasting elevation in [Ca2+]i reflects the release of calcium from the intracellular calcium buffer described above. The results suggest that the rate of decline of [Ca2+]i after a few seconds of tetanic stimulation can be explained by the rate of calcium sequestration by the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The increased rate of decline of [Ca2+]i after shorter periods of stimulation may be explained by the presence of a buffer that takes up calcium in parallel with the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The later release of calcium from this buffer gives rise to the long‐lasting elevation in [Ca2+]i during period 3. The slow kinetics of calcium binding and release by this buffer appear compatible with published data on the kinetic properties of parvalbumin.
Cholinergic Synaptic Vesicles Contain a V‐Type and a P‐Type ATPase

Abstract: Fifty to eighty‐five percent of the ATPase activity in different preparations of cholinergic synaptic vesicles isolated from Torpedo electric organ was half‐inhibited by 7 μM vanadate. This activity is due to a recently purified phos‐phointermediate, or P‐type, ATPase. Acetylcholine (ACh) active transport by the vesicles was stimulated about 35% by vanadate, demonstrating that the P‐type enzyme is not the proton pump responsible for ACh active transport. Nearly all of the vesicle ATPase activity was inhibited by N‐ethyl‐maleimide. The P‐type ATPase could be protected from N‐ethylmaleimide inactivation by vanadate, and subsequently reactivated by complexation of vanadate with deferoxamine. The inactivation‐protection pattern suggests the presence of a vanadate‐insensitive, A‐ethylmaleimide‐sensitive ATPase consistent with a vacuolar, or V‐type, activity expected to drive ACh active transport. ACh active transport was half‐inhibited by 5 μM N‐ethylmaleimide, even in the presence of vanadate. The presence of a V‐type ATPase was confirmed by Western blots using antisera raised against three separate subunits of chromaffin granule vacuolar ATPase I. Both ATPase activities, the P‐type polypeptides, and the 38‐kilo‐dalton polypeptide of the V‐type ATPase precisely copurify with the synaptic vesicles. Solubilization of synaptic vesicles in octaethyleneglycol dodecyl ether detergent results in several‐fold stimulation of the P‐type activity and inactivation of the V‐type activity, thus explaining why the V‐type activity was not detected previously during purification of the P‐type ATPase. It is concluded that cholinergic vesicles contain a P‐type ATPase of unknown function and a V‐type ATPase which is the proton pump
Determinants of economic resilience in the euro area: An empirical assessment of policy levers

This section investigates which structural characteristics matter most for a country's economic resilience. This is done econometrically by comparing the capacity to absorb and recover from common shocks across the euro area Member States. The section aims at identifying a set of factors as diverse and specific as possible in order to guide future policy actions. The results suggest that factors related to the well-functioning of markets matter most. For instance, creating environments that foster entrepreneurship increases the ability to adapt and recover from exogenous shocks. Price controls bothamplify shocks and slow down the recovery. A higher stock of non-performing loans and a weaker competition in the banking sector affect negatively an economy's absorption as well as recovery capacity. Some structural factors such as economic openness appear to have different impact on the shock absorption capacity and the recovery capacity in the face of a common shock. Such findingsreiterate the need to pursue vigorously policies and structural reforms including those that take advantage of synergies and complementarities such as between a well-functioning Banking Union and Capital Markets Union which increases risk-sharing and a further opening to international trade. Finally, the macro-econometric results also imply that more analysis is needed to understand better specific transmission mechanisms such as active labour market policies.
Trends in educational assortative marriage from 1940 to 2003

This paper reports trends in educational assortative marriage from 1940 to 2003 in the United States. Analyses of census and Current Population Survey data show that educational homogamy decreased from 1940 to 1960 but increased from 1960 to 2003. From 1960 to the early 1970s, increases in educational homogamy were generated by decreasing intermarriage among groups of relatively well-educated persons. College graduates, in particular, were increasingly likely to marry each other rather than those with less education. Beginning in the early 1970s, however, continued increases in the odds of educational homogamy were generated by decreases in intermarriage at both ends of the education distribution. Most striking is the decline in the odds that those with very low levels of education marry up. Intermarriage between college graduates and those with “some college” continued to decline but at a more gradual pace. As intermarriage declined at the extremes of the education distribution, intermarriage among those in the middle portion of the distribution increased. These trends, which are similar for a broad cross section of married couples and for newlyweds, are consistent with a growing social divide between those with very low levels of education and those with more education in the United States.
The Effects of Hospital and Surgeon Volume on Postoperative Complications After LumbarSpine Surgery

Study Design. Retrospective review. Objective. To determine the correlation of surgeon/hospital volume with complication/mortality rates and with in-hospital health care utilization in lumbar spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Studies have shown improved outcomes in patients treated by high-volume surgeons and hospitals. To our knowledge, no studies evaluate this relationship for lumbar spine surgery. Methods. To evaluate the 1992–2005 data in the National Inpatient Sample, we used the International Classification of Diseases, ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes for lumbar spine surgery to identify relevant hospitalizations. We assessed 232,668 hospitalization records listed as posterolateral lumbar decompression with fusion and/or exploration/decompression of the spinal canal. Annual surgeon and hospital volumes were stratified into quartiles via identifier codes. Patient demographics and comorbidity status were recorded for each group. Mortality and morbidity were primary endpoints. We used the Shapiro–Wilk test for normality for the distribution of variables; one-way analysis of variance to assess continuous measures; &khgr;2 statistics for categorical measures; and logistic regression for the effect of procedure on the probability of morbidity and mortality, adjusting for confounding variables, including patient demographics. Logistic regression data were tabulated as odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) (statistical significance, P < 0.05). Results. When controlled for other variables, mortality was significantly lower in the highest volume hospitals (OR, 0.78; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.89) and among the highest volume surgeons (OR, 0.66; 95% CI 0.59 to 0.89) than in their lowest volume counterparts. The complication rate was slightly lower in the highest volume hospitals (OR, 0.94; 95% CI 0.81 to 0.99) and significantly lower among the highest volume surgeons (OR, 0.73; 95% CI 0.68 to 0.91) than in their lowest volume counterparts. Conclusion. The mortality and complication rates associated with lumbar spine surgery are lower when patients are treated by high-volume surgeons and hospitals.
Zero inflation in ordinal data: Incorporating susceptibility to response through the use of a mixture model

The aim of this paper is to produce a methodology that will allow users of ordinal scale data to more accurately model the distribution of ordinal outcomes in which some subjects are susceptible to exhibiting the response and some are not (i.e. the dependent variable exhibits zero inflation). This situation occurs with ordinal scales in which there is an anchor that represents the absence of the symptom or activity, such as ‘none’, ‘never’ or ‘normal,’ and is particularly common when measuring abnormal behavior, symptoms, and side effects. Due to the unusually large number of zeros, traditional statistical tests of association can be non‐informative. We propose a mixture model for ordinal data with a built‐in probability of non‐response, which allows modeling of the range (e.g. severity) of the scale, while simultaneously modeling the presence/absence of the symptom. Simulations show that the model is well behaved and a likelihood ratio test can be used to choose between the zero‐inflated and the traditional proportional odds model. The model, however, does have minor restrictions on the nature of the covariates that must be satisfied in order for the model to be identifiable. The method is particularly relevant for public health research such as large epidemiological surveys where more careful documentation of the reasons for response may be difficult. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transformation of the Fungal Soybean Pathogen Cercospora kikuchii with the Selectable Marker bar

An improved transformation protocol, utilizing selection for resistance to the herbicide bialaphos, has been developed for the plant pathogenic fungus Cercospora kikuchii. Stable, bialaphos-resistant transformants are recovered at frequencies eight times higher than those achieved with the previous system that was based on selection for benomyl resistance. In addition to C. kikuchii, this improved method can also be used to transform other species of Cercospora.
Mild-to-moderate malnutrition and small intestine of young rhesus monkeys.

The effect of severe malnutrition and protein deficiency on small intestine has been documented, but the literature on the effect of mild-to-moderate protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) on small intestine is scant. Mild-to-moderate PEM is most prevalent in India. Twenty-four young rhesus monkeys weighing 1.5-2.0 kg were divided into two groups, control and experimental. Mild-to-moderate PEM was induced in the experimental group by giving half of the required normal diet providing 2.42 g protein.kg-1.day-1 and 55 kcal.kg-1.day-1. Body weight, serum protein, and D-xylose were measured before starting the experiment, at PEM stage, and after rehabilitation. Experimental monkeys representing group I were killed after a 25-30% reduction in body weight along with control group 1 animals at 12 wk. The rest of the experimental animals were rehabilitated for another 10-12 wk and killed along with their respective controls (control group 2). Brush-border membrane vesicles were prepared from three parts of the small intestine. Viable vesicles were used for the uptake of [U-14C]L-proline. Alkaline phosphatase and enterokinase were also measured. Uptake of L-proline amino acid and the activity of both enzymes were found to be decreased significantly in the PEM group; a D-xylose test was abnormal. All animals recovered after rehabilitation. These results indicate that even mild-to-moderate malnutrition affects the absorptive and digestive capacity of the brush border of the small intestine, which reversed back on rehabilitation.
High‐Resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy studies of extracts of human cerebral neoplasms

High‐resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy has been used to measure the concentrations of metabolites (alanine, N‐acetylaspartate, γ‐aminobutyric acid, glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, taurine, glycine, succinate, creatine, cholines, inositol, and glucose) in perchloric acid extracts of human epileptic cortex and brain tumors. All tissue was obtained by surgical biopsy, excised before thermal coagulation, and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. Lower levels of N‐acetylaspartate and γ‐aminobutyric acid and a shift in the glutamate/glutamine ratio toward glutamine in the tumors reflect neuronal loss. Abnormal glucose metabolism (aerobic glycolysis) in the tumors gives decreased levels of succinate, glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, and creatine and generally increased concentrations of glycine and alanine. Differences in metabolite concentrations that may be of use in differential tumor diagnosis include lower creatine and inositol in meningiomas than in astrocytomas. Lower taurine differentiates benign from malignant astrocytomas. Malignant astrocytomas and metastatic tumors are more regionally heterogeneous than meningiomas or benign astrocytomas. Mannitol, administered perioperatively to all patients from whom tissue was obtained, was observed only in the spectra of extracts of tissue from tumors which enhanced on computerized tomographic imaging. © 1992 Academic Press, Inc.
Export or Domestic Demand-Led Growth in BRICS Countries?

Despite severe global upheavals BRICS countries as a group able to maintain its high growth trajectory as compared to the growth rate in the world in general and developed countries in particular. Therefore, this paper makes an attempt to analyse the role of domestic demand components in growth by separating domestic and external demand in BRICS countries during 1991 to 2012. It also elaborately discusses the estimation procedure to decompose the growth rate into various demand components and lists out some methodological issues. The decomposition analysis suggests that though the growth rate in these economies can be largely attributed to domestic demand factors, external demand is also important to attain a high growth rate. In this sense,both domestic and external demands are complementary to each other.
Acupuncture in shoulder pain and functional impairment after neck dissection: A prospective randomized pilot study

The efficacy of conventional physiotherapy and antiinflammatory/analgesic drugs in the management of shoulder pain and functional disability following neck dissection is often disappointing. Acupuncture is a safe and well‐tolerated method. We report the results regarding our pilot trial of acupuncture versus conventional care in the management of postoperative shoulder pain and dysfunction after neck dissection.
Distortions and Disappearances of Geometrical Patterns

Prolonged observation of a stationary grating has a number of perceptual consequences. Initially the lines appear well-resolved and straight. The lines then take on a wavy and oscillating appearance, which is followed by scintillation of the pattern. The scintillations are often accompanied by cloudy disappearances of the grating. A streaming or scintillating aftereffect is visible subsequently, upon viewing a homogeneous surface. The literature concerning these effects is reviewed and several experiments are reported which examined the apparent waviness and scintillating disappearances. The basis for the apparent waviness remains unresolved. It is suggested that the scintillations are produced by small involuntary eye movements over the contours and that the associated disappearances might be due to binocular rivalry.
[Prevalence of high normal blood pressure and progression to hypertension in a population sample of La Plata].

In 1985 we investigated the prevalence of high normal blood pressure in 6387 inhabitants (range 15-75 years old) of the city of La Plata and its progression to arterial hypertension after four years. High normal blood pressure was defined as a systolic blood pressure (BP) < 140 mmHg and diastolic BP between 85-89 mmHg (average value of two measurements) on one occasion. Arterial hypertension was defined as a systolic BP > or = 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP > or = 90 mmHg, both as an average of two measurements on two occasions. High normal BP prevalence was 6.62%, being higher in men than in women (p < 0.0005, Table 1). General progression to hypertension was 41.79%, being higher in the older individuals (p < 0.0005). Of the 423 individuals with high normal BP (Table 2), 268 (63.36%) were found in 1989 (Table 3). They had an incidence of hypertension of 10.45% per year, also higher in older subjects (Table 4). There were no differences between sexes. Subjects with high normal BP who subsequently developed hypertension had higher systolic BP in 1985 than those who remained normotensive (p < 0.001, Table 5). Most of them progressed to mild diastolic hypertension (29.48%) or borderline isolated systolic hypertension (6.72%, Fig. 1). In this study, progression to arterial hypertension was higher than that reported in similar studies for general population in other countries.
Molecular cloning, correlation of genetic and restriction maps, and determination of the direction of transcription of gnd of Escherichia coli

Expression of the gene gnd of Escherichia coli, which encodes 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, is regulated by growth rate. Using deoxyribonucleic acid from the specialized transducing phage lambda h80 dgnd his as the source of gnd, we cloned restriction fragments carrying the complete gene and portions of it on the plasmid vector pBR322. A hybrid plasmid carrying a 3.7-megadalton HindIII restriction fragment from the phage was prepared and found to be gnd+. Through restriction mapping of this fragment and subcloning segments of it, we prepared a gnd+ hybrid plasmid which carried only 1.85 megadaltons of E. coli deoxyribonucleic acid. A cleavage site for the restriction endonuclease PstI was located on the genetic map of gnd by cloning adjacent EcoRI-PstI restriction fragments and crossing the resulting hybrid plasmids with previously mapped gnd deletion and bacteriophage Mu insertion mutants. A maxicell experiment was used to determine the direction of transcription of gnd, to identify which EcoRI-PstI fragment contains the gnd promote, and to localize th beginning of the structural gene to a region about 850 +/- 150 base pairs from the PstI cleavage site. A fine-structure restriction map surrounding the PstI cleavage site was prepared for endonucleases KpnI, HincII, HaeIII, HpaII, and TaqI.