Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of silicone tracheal stoma stents for temporary tracheostomy in dogs with upper airway obstruction.

OBJECTIVES To report the use of silicone tracheal stoma stents for temporary tracheostomy in dogs with upper airway obstruction. METHODS Retrospective review of medical records for dogs in which silicone tracheal stoma stents were placed. RESULTS Eighteen dogs had a silicone tracheal stoma stent placed for maintenance of a tracheostomy stoma for periods ranging from three hours to eight months. No intra-operative or immediate postoperative complications were recorded. In 11 dogs the stent was removed by simple traction after a period ranging from 36 hours to 6 weeks, and the tracheal stoma was left to heal by second intention. Five of the 18 dogs were determined as being tracheostomy dependent and underwent conversion to permanent tracheostomy after a period ranging from five days to eight months following stent placement. One dog was euthanased after three months, with the stent still in place, because of poor respiratory function, and one dog died of unrelated reasons. In 6 of 10 dogs (60%) where the stent was in place for five days or more, granulation tissue formation caused dislodgement of the stent. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Silicone tracheal stoma stents may be used as an alternative to conventional tracheostomy tubes in selected dogs with upper airway obstruction. Long-term use of the stent beyond five days is not recommended because of granulation tissue formation. The long-term consequences of partial tracheal ring resection are unknown.
Toxicity of pneumolysin to pulmonary endothelial cells in vitro

Pneumococcal pneumonia and bacteremia are associated with appreciable mortality, most of which occurs very early in the course of infection. An initial step in the pathogenesis of pneumococcal pneumonia may include disruption of the pulmonary endothelial barrier with subsequent alveolar hemorrhage. We sought to determine whether soluble factors from Streptococcus pneumoniae can directly injure pulmonary endothelial cells in vitro and to identify pneumococcal toxins that may be involved in endothelial cell injury. Suspensions of S. pneumoniae (10(8) organisms per ml) caused significant injury to cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells in a time-dependent manner. The degree of endothelial cell cytotoxicity differed among S. pneumoniae strains; among the strains tested, a type 14 strain was the most cytotoxic and a type 3 strain was the least cytotoxic. During autolysis, type 14 S. pneumoniae released a soluble endothelial cell cytotoxin that was distinct from S. pneumoniae capsular and cell wall polysaccharides. The soluble cytotoxin was further characterized as a thiol-activated, heat-sensitive protein that coeluted with purified pneumolysin during gel filtration. The identity of the S. pneumoniae endothelial cell cytotoxin as pneumolysin was further supported by the ability of purified pneumolysin and the inability of S. pneumoniae mutants which lack pneumolysin to injure endothelial cells, as well as by the inhibition of the soluble S. pneumoniae cytotoxin by a neutralizing antibody to pneumolysin. Pneumolysin appears to be the major S. pneumoniae soluble cytotoxin for pulmonary endothelial cells in vitro and may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of alveolar hemorrhages in S. pneumoniae infections.
High-Misalignment Tolerant Compensation Topology For ICPT Systems

Inductively coupled power transfer systems (ICPT) are an interesting alternative to conductive solutions for vehicle battery charge, particularly in electric public transport applications if operator-free fast charge is required along the route. To perform this task using ICPT systems, current solutions require an almost perfect alignment between coils in order to have optimal power transfer. This condition makes necessary a precise positioning maneuver from the driver or an electromechanic alignment system for the secondary winding, causing the process to be slow. This paper shows that it is possible to transfer rated power even with high misalignment if a suitable compensation topology is selected. The performance of the four basic compensation topologies is analyzed, and a series-parallel-series (SPS) topology is proposed, showing a suitable behavior for both the load and the power source. The theoretical results are validated in two series-series and SPS 2-kW prototypes with a 15-cm air gap between coils.
Investigation of an outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by Norwalk-like virus, using solid phase immune electron microscopy.

In February 1993, 95 persons (47 patients and 48 staff members) were affected by an hospital outbreak of viral gastroenteritis. Using direct electron microscopy (EM) the causative agent was identified as a small round structured virus. This was confirmed as a Norwalk-like virus using solid phase immune electron microscopy (SPIEM). Of 94 stool samples examined, 12 (13%) samples containing small round structured viruses (SRSV) were SPIEM positive for Norwalk-like virus. A further 25 (27%) samples contained small round featureless virus (SRFV) identified by direct EM and were negative on SPIEM. The illness was characterized by preceding influenza-like symptoms in 76% of cases followed by vomiting (76%), diarrhoea (79%) and abdominal pain (79%). One fatality was recorded. The outbreak lasted for 15 days, with a peak incidence of new cases amongst patients and staff occurring on day 5. It was controlled through a combination of ward closures, patient cohorting, suspension of duties for affected staff and disinfection procedures. Difficulties were encountered in the education of staff and in the implementation of environmental control measures. Screening of hospital catering services and a case control study, carried out among affected staff members, failed to identify a foodborne source. Consumption of tap water in the hospital was commoner among affected staff members than among controls, but this did not reach significance (P = 0.1).
MicroRNA-22 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma and its correlation with ezrin protein

Objective Expression of microRNA-22 (miR-22) and ezrin protein (a membrane–cytoskeleton linking protein) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was investigated. Methods Specimens of HCC and paracancerous tissue (control; ∼5 cm away from tumour tissue) were collected from 192 patients. miR-22 expression was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction; ezrin protein expression in tumour tissue was assessed immunohistochemically. Associations between miR-22 expression and clinicopathological features of HCC and ezrin expression were analysed. Results miR-22 expression was lower in HCC tissue than in paracancerous tissue samples (median relative expression 0.676 versus 1.000 for control tissue). Expression of miR-22 was significantly associated with histological differentiation (relative expression 0.431 for lower grades of differentiation versus 0.918 for higher grades), and was associated with lymphatic metastasis (relative expression 0.518 if metastasis was present, 0.919 if absent). Survival time was shorter in patients with low miR-22 expression than in those with high expression (31.0 ± 2.6 versus 52.2 ± 5.1 months). There was a significant negative correlation between the expression of miR-22 and that of ezrin. Conclusions miR-22 is downregulated in HCC and its expression is associated with the differentiation, metastasis and prognosis of the carcinoma. Ezrin is a potential regulatory protein of miR-22.
Neuropilin‐1 and neuropilin‐2 enhance VEGF121 stimulated signal transduction by the VEGFR‐2 receptor

The neuropilin‐1 (np1) receptor binds the 165 amino‐acid form of vascular endothelial growth factor165 (VEGF165) and functions as an enhancer that potentiates VEGF165 signaling via the VEGFR‐2 ty‐rosine‐kinase receptor. To study the mechanism by which neuropilins potentiate VEGF activity we produced a VEGF165 mutant (VEGF165KF) that binds to neuropilins but displays a much lower affinity toward VEGFR‐1 and VEGFR‐2. VEGF165KF failed to induce VEGFR‐2 phosphorylation in cells lacking neuropilins. However, in the presence of np1, VEGF165KF bound weakly to VEGFR‐2, induced VEGFR‐2 phosphorylation, and activated ERK1/2. Interestingly, VEGF165KF did not promote formation of VEGFR‐2/np1 complexes nor did high concentrations of VEGF165KF inhibit VEGF165 induced formation of such complexes, suggesting that VEGF165 does not stabilize VEGFR‐2/ np1 complexes by forming bridges spanning VEGFR‐2 and np1. VEGF121 is a VEGF form that does not bind to neuropilins. Surprisingly, both np1 and neuropilin‐2 (np2) enhanced VEGF121‐induced phosphorylation of VEGFR‐2 and VEGF121‐induced proliferation of endo‐thelial cells. The enhancement of VEGF121 activity by np1 was accompanied by a 10‐fold increase in binding affinity to VEGFR‐2 and was not associated with the formation of new VEGFR‐2/np1 complexes. These observations suggest that neuropilins enhance the activity of VEGF forms that do not bind to neuropilins, indicate that np2 is a functional VEGF receptor, and imply that spontaneously formed VEGFR‐2/np1 complexes suffice for efficient neuropilin mediated enhancement of VEGF activity. —Shraga‐Heled, N. , Kessler, O. , Prahst, C. , Kroll, J., Augustin, H. , Neufeld, G. Neuropilin‐1 and neuropilin‐2 enhance VEGF121 stimulated signal transduction by the VEGFR‐2 receptor. FASEB J. 21, 915–926 (2007)
Pathway Choice in Glutamate Synthesis inEscherichia coli

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli has two primary pathways for glutamate synthesis. The glutamine synthetase-glutamate synthase (GOGAT) pathway is essential for synthesis at low ammonium concentration and for regulation of the glutamine pool. The glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) pathway is important during glucose-limited growth. It has been hypothesized that GDH is favored when the organism is stressed for energy, because the enzyme does not use ATP as does the GOGAT pathway. The results of competition experiments between the wild-type and a GDH-deficient mutant during glucose-limited growth in the presence of the nonmetabolizable glucose analog α-methylglucoside were consistent with the hypothesis. Enzyme measurements showed that levels of the enzymes of the glutamate pathways dropped as the organism passed from unrestricted to glucose-restricted growth. However, other conditions influencing pathway choice had no substantial effect on enzyme levels. Therefore, substrate availability and/or modulation of enzyme activity are likely to be major determinants of pathway choice in glutamate synthesis.
Autoconcepto y acontecimientos vitales en la anorexia nerviosa de la adolescente: Estudio de casos y controles

Objetivos: Evaluamos la influencia del autoconcepto, los sintomas depresivos y los acontecimientos vitales en la etiopatogenia de la anorexia nerviosa de la adolescente. -- Material y metodos: Se comparan 307 adolescentes de la poblacion general, todos de genero femenino, con 66 casos de anorexia nerviosa atipica (F50. l) y 21 con anorexia nerviosa (F50,0). Todos son evaluados con un cuestionario de autoconcepto, acontecimientos vitales y el cuestionario de depresion de Beck. -- Resultado: Cuando controlamos por sintomas depresivos, no existen diferencias entre controles y anorexia en acontecimientos vitales. El aspecto diferencial entre casos y controles es el bajo autoconcepto familiar (p=O,02) y social (p=O, Ol). -- Conclusion: Los acontecimientos vitales presentan poco valor como factores precipitantes en la anorexia del adolescente, siendo la caracteristica diferencial mas importante el bajo autoconcepto
Predictors of smoking behavior of first year university students: questionnaire survey.

AIM To assess the prevalence of smoking and sociodemographic factors related to smoking behavior of first year university students in Adana, Turkey. METHODS The sample was selected from two faculties (Faculty of Engineering and Architecture and Faculty of Agriculture) using the method of simple cluster sampling, representing the university student population. The students filled out an anonymous questionnaire comprising 17 questions related to their sociodemographic characteristics and smoking behavior. The response rate was 73.5% (471 out of 640 students). RESULTS The prevalence of daily smoking among the first year students was 21.4%, with the predominance of men (25.0%) over women (12.9%). Most students (89.1%) had positive expectations about quitting smoking in the next 5 years ("I will quit smoking", "I will decrease the number of cigarettes I smoke", and "I will continue to be a non-smoker"). The smoking behavior was significantly related to student's sex (p=0.026, Pearson's chi-square test), mother's education (p=0.029, Pearson's chi-square test), number of failed grades (p=0.011, ANOVA), student's monthly income (p<0.001, Pearson's chi-square test), and having friends who smoke (p<0.0001, Pearson's chi-square test). CONCLUSION The main determinants of regular smoking behavior for university students in Turkey were male sex, low academic performance, having smoking friends, high level of income, and a mother with high education level. These findings call for making anti smoking policies more specific in regard to the targeted population.
La necesaria renovación de la formación del profesorado para una educación científica de calidad

Se analiza en primer lugar, a la luz de la investigacion, cuales han sido los progresos realizados en el campo de la formacion del profesorado de ciencias durante las dos ultimas decadas asi como las dificultades encontradas. Tomando en consideracion los resultados de dicho analisis, se intentan fundamentar propuestas de renovacion de la formacion del profesorado para el logro de una educacion cientifica de calidad que responda a las nuevas necesidades sociales.
A spectral clustering approach for online and streaming applications

In this paper, we present a spectral clustering method for online and streaming applications. Here, we note that the rank of the coefficients of the eigenvector of the graph Laplacian govern, together with the weights of the adjacency matrix, the assignment of the data to clusters. Thus, we adopt a sampling without replacement strategy, where, at each sampling step, we select those data instances which are most relevant to the clustering process. To do this, we “sparsify” the eigenvector making use of a Minorisation-Maximisation approach. This not only allows to cluster the data under consideration after the sampling has been effected, but also permits the optimisation in hand to be performed making use of a gradient descent approach with a closed form iterate. Moreover, the method presented here is quite general in nature and can be employed in other settings which hinge in an L-0 regularised penalty function. We discuss the use of our approach for the assessment of node centrality and document binarisation. We also illustrate the utility of our method for purposes of background subtraction and compare our results with those yielded by alternatives elsewhere in the literature.
Bcl‐2, Bax and p53 expression in B‐CLL in relation to in vitro survival and clinical progression

Our previous data have shown that isolated leukemic cells from progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B‐CLL) patients respond to growth stimulation in vitro and express high levels of p53, immunoreactive with the configuration‐specific antibody PAb 240. We have now analyzed the in vitro survival of B‐CLL cells in relation to Bcl‐2, Baxα and p53 expression and compared this with the clinical progression of the disease. Leukemic cells from patients with progressive disease demonstrated higher in vitro survival, compared with non‐progressive B‐CLL and normal B cells. All cells were sensitive to treatment with a combination of glucocorticoid and cAMP. Bcl‐2 protein levels were not related to clinical progression, as measured by flow cytometry. Competitive PCR showed that Bcl‐2 mRNA was over‐expressed in most of the B‐CLL samples and that p53 mRNA expression was similar between B‐CLL groups and normal values and thus not related to clinical progression. However, since Baxα expression was lower in progressive than in non‐progressive patients, the Bcl‐2/Baxα ratio at the mRNA level was significantly higher in the progressive group. Our data suggest that the Bcl‐2/Baxα ratio is important for the regulation of B‐CLL cell survival, that p53 over‐expression in progressive B‐CLL is the result of post‐transcriptional modifications and that a directed PKA activation may potentiate the cytolytic effect of glucocorticoids in vivo. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A survey on pneumatic muscle actuators modeling

The aim of this article is to provide a survey on the most popular modeling approaches for Pneumatic Muscle Actuators (PMAs). PMAs are highly non-linear pneumatic actuators where their elongation is proportional to the interval pressure. During the last decade, there has been an increase in the industrial and scientific utilization of PMAs, due to their advantages such as high strength and small weight, while various types of PMAs with different technical characteristics have been appeared in the literature. This article will: a) analyze the PMA's operation from a mathematical modeling perspective, b) present their merits and drawbacks of the most common PMAs, and c) establish the fundamental basis for developing industrial applications and conducting research in this field.
Pesticide Exposures and Developmental Outcomes: The Epidemiological Evidence

Since the advent of DDT as an insecticide in the late 1930s, billions of kilograms of pesticide active ingredient have been sold in North America and around the world. In recent years, there has been a heightened public awareness of pesticides and child health and a number of epidemiologic studies linked pre- and postnatal exposures to pesticides to a number of adverse developmental outcomes, including fetal death, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth, and birth defects. Given this, it was felt prudent to critically appraise the evidence for periconceptual pesticide exposures and developmental outcomes. The epidemiological evidence for specific pesticide classes, families, and active ingredients were examined and summarized and recommendations were made for how to improve future studies in order to address the current pitfalls and gaps in the studies in this area. Many of the studies suffered from poor exposure estimation, relying on job title only and/or the exposure category “any pesticide” as a measure of exposure, and there was limited or inadequate evidence to support causality for all associations examined.
Okadaic acid treatment leads to a fragmentation of the trans-Golgi network and an increase in expression of TGN38 at the cell surface.

Okadaic acid (OA) is a protein phosphatase inhibitor which has, among other properties, previously been shown to induce a fragmentation of the cisternae of the Golgi stack [for review, see Lucocq (1992) J. Cell Sci. 103, 875-880]. The effects of OA an reversible and mimic intracellular events which occur during mitosis. To date, due to a lack of endogenous marker proteins, the effects of OA on the trans-Golgi network (TGN) has not been studied. Certain drugs, e.g. Brefeldin A (BFA), have different effects on the morphology of the Golgi stack and the TGN; it is therefore relevant to ask what effect(s) OA has on the TGN. We now present data from a study in which we have used antibodies to TGN38, an integral membrane protein predominantly localized to the TGN of rat NRK cells [Luzio, Brake, Banting, Howell, Braghetta and Stanley (1990) Biochem. J. 270, 97-102], to investigate the effects of OA on this organelle. OA induces a reversible fragmentation of the TGN. This fragmentation occurs with similar kinetics to that observed within the Golgi stack, and is independent of protein synthesis. The sensitivity of the TGN to OA is similar to that of the Golgi stack. The fragmentation of the TGN induced by OA also leads to a 10-fold increase in the level of TGN38 expressed at the plasma membrane.
Rituximab dose-escalation trial in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

PURPOSE To conduct a dose-escalation trial of rituximab in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) to define the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), to evaluate first-dose reactions in patients with high circulating lymphocyte counts, and to assess the efficacy at higher versus lower doses. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty patients with CLL (n = 40) or other mature B-cell lymphoid leukemias (n = 10) were treated with four weekly infusions of rituximab. The first dose was 375 mg/m(2) for all patients; dose- escalation began with dose 2 but was held constant for each patient. Escalated doses were from 500 to 2,250 mg/m(2). RESULTS Toxicity with the first dose (375 mg/m(2)) was noted in 94% of patients but was grade 1 or 2 in most, predominantly fever and chills. Six patients (12%) experienced severe toxicity with the first dose, including fever, chills, dyspnea, and hypoxia in all six patients, hypotension in five, and hypertension in one. Toxicity on subsequent doses was minimal until a dose of 2,250 mg/m(2) was achieved. Eight (67%) of 12 patients had grade 2 toxicity, including fever, chills, nausea, and malaise, although no patient had grade 3 or 4 toxicity. Severe toxicity with the first dose was significantly more common in patients with other B-cell leukemias, occurring in five (50%) of 10 patients versus one (2%) of 40 patients with CLL (P <.001). The overall response rate was 40%; all responses in patients with CLL were partial remissions. Response rates were 36% in CLL and 60% in other B-cell lymphoid leukemias. Response was correlated with dose: 22% for patients treated at 500 to 825 mg/m(2), 43% for those treated at 1,000 to 1,500 mg/m(2), and 75% for those treated at the highest dose of 2,250 mg/m(2) (P =.007). The median time to disease progression was 8 months. Myelosuppression and infections were uncommon. CONCLUSION Rituximab has significant activity in patients with CLL at the higher dose levels. Severe first-dose reactions were uncommon in patients with CLL, even with high circulating lymphocyte counts, but were frequent in patients with other mature B-cell leukemias in which CD20 surface expression is increased. Efficacy of rituximab was also significant in this group of patients.
Histologic Changes in Traumatized Skeletal Muscle Exposed to Seawater

Wounds were created by incision in skeletal muscle of 2 mixed-breed canine cadavers at multiple time points from 0.5 to 74.5 hours postmortem and were exposed to artificial seawater (35 parts per thousand), 0.9% saline (8 parts per thousand), or freshwater for 24 hours before fixation for histology. Discoid and segmental disintegration of myofibers deep to the severed edges was observed in injuries inflicted within 6.5 hours of death and exposed to 0.9% saline and seawater and was not observed in injuries made at later time points or in other treatments. Exposure to artificial seawater had pronounced effects on histomorphology that markedly diminished with increasing postmortem wounding interval. In a third cadaver, these changes were shown to be detectable with confidence following up to 10 days of submergence in seawater at 22.2°C despite decomposition. These findings are important for evaluation of skeletal muscle injuries that are exposed to seawater, such as those occurring in marine animals, and may assist in recognizing wounds inflicted either antemortem or within the supravital period.